[Fuzzy]

Balder Bugle Issue VI
A publication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Realm of Balder.

Storting Elections

Five members were elected to Balder's Storting (parliament) for the August-September term, with a close race being fought between the seven candidates who stood for election. Incumbent Lawspeaker Griffindor13 stated his intention to stand again for the position, and Zander Cerebella, one of Balder's most experienced statesmen, announced he intended to stand for Statsminster if elected. The election saw the following members elected:

Theoden Sebastian
ZanderCerebella
Griffindor13
Akillian Talleyrand
Aexnidaral


Elections of Lawspeaker and Statsminster

After a successful term as Lawspeaker, Griffindor13 opened storting business by seeking a second term in the position. Once again, he recieved the unanimous support of the other members and was appointed as Lawspeaker.

Griffindor13 also opened nominations for Statsminster by nominating outgoing Statsminster Theoden Sebastian for a second term. Zander Cerebella stated his intention to stand also, in line with his Storting campaign platform. Declining his nomination, Theoden Sebastian stated his intention to focus on Storting business, saying "For this term, I want to step back and focus on the Storting where I hope to work on the proposals that I have included in my manifesto."

Zander went on to secure the unanimous backing of his colleages, and was duly nominated for appointment as Statsminster by the King.


State opening of Parliament and appointment of Statsraadet

With initial business concluded, King North East Somerset opened the Storting with a rousing speech. The King opened by formally appointing Zander Cerebella as Statsminster, stating "It is a great credit to both him and Balder, that more than 7 years on from serving as our Head of State and Government, as Delegate - Zander for the fourth time, is again the Head of Government."

Commenting on the dedication of the region's members and the continuing stability they bring to Balder the king went on to say "The commitment of our membership, some dating right back to the Founding of Balder, is something we should celebrate and hope to preserve...Not a Region to jump on bandwagons, align with cults - not reliant solely on the whims of the predominant personality. We are consistent where others are transient. We will still be here when they have faded away."

Statsminster Zander followed on from this by thanking the citizens of Balder for another opportunity to lead the region. Zander outlined his plans to get Balder's new university operational in time for Balder's 8th anniversary in October, and to focus on the many legislative reforms being discussed in the Storting. To aid in his goals, Zander announced the following Statsraadet appointments:

Development and Deputy Statsminister - Theoden Sebastian
Foreign Affairs - Fuzzy
Interior Affairs - Bowzin
World Assembly Affairs - Vamperiall

Looking forward to the term ahead, Zander stated "The plans for our university, the potential for changes to our legislature and the introduction of new ministers gives us cause for great excitement for the coming term as we approach 8 years of our region. We must now build upon these new ideas and move ever forward while the initiative is ours."

Balder's Parliament Changes

The passage of the Constitutional Reform Bill 2019 has seen a complete change in the structure of Balder's Storting (Parliament). Originally a single directly elected chamber, the Storting now consists of two seperate non-elected chambers - the Odelsting and the Lagting.

The Odelsting is the lower chamber, and is open to all Citizens of Balder who are members of the Jomsvikings and have their WA nation endorsing Balder's monarch.

The Lagting is the upper chamber and consists of the Vice Delegate, any other members of the Royal family appointed by the Monarch and any citizen who holds a title of nobility granted by the Monarch.

Both houses are jointly responsible for nominating a Statsminster, whose term length has been extended from two to three months. Nominations for the position will now be held every year in February, May, August and November, and anyone who has been a citizen for two months is eligible for nomination. The new term lengths are effective immediatly, with incumbent Statsminster Zander's term now due to end in November.

The Constitutional Reform Bill has been the subject of a substantial amount of work over the past two terms. Detailed discussion has taken place on the proposals for a number of months, with the Storting directing considerable effort towards ensuring the final bill delivers a new system which works for Balder. The final Constitutional Reform Bill was passed unanimously by the Storting before being put to vote in a public referendum, where it also received the unanimous approval of all participating citizens. The bill was signed into law by King North East Somerset on October 2nd.


Birthday Celebrations

Balder's 8th Birthday is quickly approaching! In order to celebrate the occasion, which occurs on the 19th of October, our government has been hard at work planning an event for Balderans and our allies to come together and party. The current plans consist of speeches, history, Norse mythology, games, and more! The experience should be fun for all those involved and a proper acknowledgement to the long 8 year history Balder has had. The festival will take place on both our forums and a dedicated Discord server.

Contact Fuzzy, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with comments regarding the Bugle.