[Zamastan]

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[/hr]Zamastan | World - IDU | Politics | Economy | Opinion

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The Tofino Times
Click Here to Visit The Tofino Times Website
[color=#800040]Thursday, November 7th, 2019

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[/hr]VOL. XXXII .. Num. 6320 | In the News: Vote Of No-Confidence

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As Vote Of No-Confidence Looms, Bishop's Team is On The Defensive
Understanding the Process

Speaker of the Chamber Foley Sakzi Gives Open Remarks to Senate Investigators on Thursday Morning

Zamastan's political turmoil continues as Saturday's vote to decide whether President Anya Bishop stays in office or will be removed is only two days away. If the Senate votes to keep her in office, the remainder of her administration is sure to be a rocky one. If the Senate votes to remove her (by a two-thirds majority), she will be the first President in Zamastanian history to be kicked out of office. With the confusion arising, one can't be blamed for losing exactly what this whole procedure is about. The Tofino Times breaks down the essentials that you need to know before Saturday's vote.

Why is Bishop Facing the Vote?
President Bishop ordered military troops to intervene in protests on Saturday, November 2nd, which resulted in the deaths of three protesters and a police officer. While this specifically is not illegal, unconstitutional, or out of a President's ability, the results and impulsiveness of the President's decision prompted both houses of Congressional Hall to condemn Bishop. The Congress Chamber voted 469-30-1, while the Senate voted 84-16. This led to the announcement of the Vote of No-Confidence being approved by the Senate in another sweep vote of 79-21.

The Bishop Administration has long been blamed for economic downturn in Zamastan as well as a significant loss of standing on the global stage. The vote of no-confidence is significant because both houses of the Congressional Hall are controlled by the Blue Conservative Party, which is President Bishop's party. The overwhelming support of the vote in Congress shows a severe downturn in the party's attitude towards their most powerful visual member.

Who are the Key Players?
President Anya Bishop
- The President is the subject of the vote. If the vote passes the Senate, she will be the first President ever to be removed from office.

Speaker of the Chamber, Foley Sakzi
- Speaker Sakzi is the Presiding Officer of Congressional Hall, and as such is presiding over the vote. He is also the second most influential member of the Blue Conservatives, and is running for President in 2020, splitting party lines between Bishop and himself. He notably abstained from the Congress Chamber vote, a move which some indicate may be his way of steering out of the impending fallout following the vote.

Senator Euan Gunn
- Euan Gunn, a Green Liberal senator from the Northern Isle and another Presidential candidate. He is the individual who announced the Vote of No-Confidence to the floor following the condemnation. He was sited by President Bishop in an explosive press conference as "poisoning the honesty of the party" along with "his proxies".

Speaker Foley has not shared his thinking on the final timeline with his colleagues, though he has discussed the proceedings multiple times since the vote, and Liberal sources say the timing is still fluid and could continue to evolve.

Liberals also withdrew a subpoena of a former Zian Presidential Mansion official to ensure their proceedings were not delayed by a court battle. Senator Euan Gunn also decided Thursday not to subpoena someone who could have been a star witness -- former domestic security adviser Brett Marriane, who privately raised concerns about the protester scandal at the heart of the Vote of No-Confidence. Gunn's decision came after the former Bishop aide's counsel warned they would sue over any subpoena.

"We have no interest in allowing the administration to play rope-a-dope with us in the courts for months," a Congressional Intelligence Committee official said of the decision not to subpoena Marriane.

After two days of private depositions, the final phase of the proceedings will end on Saturday with whatever the Senate votes on.

Gunn has announced that three witnesses would testify on Saturday before the vote, and lawmakers from both sides expect at least one more day of public hearings the day before, Friday the 8th.

If Bishop is removed, at that point, the Senatorial Judiciary Committee would take the lead on the Emergency Special Election push — potentially in the two weeks following. Senate sources expect that committee to have a public hearing, possibly in that first week, before it votes on articles of Emergency Election. That vote could occur in committee in the last week of November, the sources said.
See full article here: https://zkcastor.wixsite.com/thetofinotimes