06-04-2023, 06:48 PM
(Joint Post with Xiomera)
Chancellor's Manor, Geminus
Chancellor Stendē was quickly growing tired of having to clean up messes among her allies. She sat at her desk, head buried in her hands, rubbing her temples as if that would get rid of the pounding migraine. Ugh. The recent news of undisclosed donations to a group of Eirian politicians from Milintican benefactors had hit her especially hard, and she had been bombarded with call after cal from various Senators who wanted to vent their concerns.
Why couldn't those Milintican Communists just have voiced their support for a candidate like everyone else?! It's really not that hard to follow our laws! With a sigh, Stendē picked up her call sheet, looking down the list of politicians who had left messages for her. I don't think I can handle sweet-talking another mid-level bureaucrat right now.
A thought occured to her, and she picked up the phone, waiting for her assistant to answer. "Could you please get me President Matōchmizalo of Milintica? I would like to have a few words with him if he's not too busy."
When the call came in, President Matōchmizalo was meeting with Prime Minister Tupai Tapihana. They had been discussing the very same funding scandal that Stendē was concerned about, so the timing of the call was serendipitous. In a way. The President sighed slightly before picking up the call. "Good morning madam Chancellor. This is Matōchmizalo. How are you doing today?"
"I am fine, Your Excellency, thank you for asking. Although, I have been inundated with calls from many politicians all across Eiria's political spectrum. And I believe you know what those calls are in regard to, seeing as you are likely dealing with the fallout just as much as we are." Stendē's tone was joking at the surface, but disguised a mask of layer of irritation.
"We are indeed, and I apologize for this incident," Matōchmizalo replied. "Arana and her upstart Communist party are being watched very closely. We intend to rein them in if they give us the proper excuse to do so. We have to be careful, however. We don't want to make a martyr out of her or let her claim it is a political prosecution. We need a solid case against her."
"We will be happy to share all the information we find as the investigation progresses. Unfortunately, some members of our own Communist faction are calling the allegations 'a vicious lie made up by the radical center,' so avoiding political martyrdom may be impossible at this point, at least on our end. You can trust that we will do everything we can to insulate you from the same fate." Stendē's layer of irritation had subsided, revealing solid determination. "Unfortunately, we also must deal with the fact that Calhualyana and our other opponents will use this opportunity to drive a wedge further into the UCS. As such, we should probably prepare a unified damage control plan to fight this."
"You have a very good point," Matōchmizalo replied. "I think we should consider issuing a joint statement denouncing such interference in each others' political systems and pledging to prevent it in the future. We can follow up on our end by passing legislation to bar our political parties from donating to parties abroad. That should hopefully stave off any fears anyone may have about the viability of the UCS."
"That sounds like a reasonable course of action. However, I'm afraid there's another issue that we may face soon." Stendē's tone was almost tired. "The Eirian politicians who accepted the undisclosed donations violated Article Five, Chapter Twenty-Three of our National Code. As a former prosecutor myself, I can tell you honestly that Eirian prosecutors dream about this kind of case. But that's not the issue. The issue is that assorted politicians, including major members of our governing coalition, are demanding that the Ministry of Justice subpoena Kauri Wetere, and if a cocky or ambitious prosecutor gets the case, they're likely going to go through with that request. Now, as much as I'd love to discuss the validity and legal standing of international subpoenas, such an unprecedented move would put the UCS in a very uncomfortable legal and political position."
"That would, and it also puts me in a similar position. Trying someone in Milintica is one thing, but sending one of our citizens to trial overseas is quite another." Matōchmizalo paused. "I could see us compelling Wetere to testify on the condition that she not be imprisoned in Eiria, however."
"That also sounds like a fair compromise. I doubt an Eirian court would be so bold to try her, so her testimony would be all that's necessary. The only people who would dispute this would be those who are trying to oppose or undermine the UCS, and we can handle those elements on our own." The Chancellor cleared her throat. "The thing is, how big of a problem would her being forced to testify cause for you?"
"It will cause a problem, but nothing I cannot handle," Matōchmizalo said confidently. "In fact, I wouldn't mind causing Neina and her upstart party some trouble."
Stendē chuckled. "I see. Well, thank you, Your Excellency, for your cooperation. I am glad that we could have a productive conversation on this matter, and that rogue elements won't divide our crucial alliance further. Funding scandals are never good for any party involved, so I'm hopeful that we can move on quickly from this. Are there any other concerns that you have, or things you'd wish to discuss?"
"Not at this time, but I thank you for the call. I am sure we can get this issue resolved quickly."
"Perfect. Have an excellent day, Mister President." Stendē hung up and breathed a sigh of relief. That's one fire put out. Now, let's get to work dealing with the seventy other problems that popped up today...
Chancellor's Manor, Geminus
Chancellor Stendē was quickly growing tired of having to clean up messes among her allies. She sat at her desk, head buried in her hands, rubbing her temples as if that would get rid of the pounding migraine. Ugh. The recent news of undisclosed donations to a group of Eirian politicians from Milintican benefactors had hit her especially hard, and she had been bombarded with call after cal from various Senators who wanted to vent their concerns.
Why couldn't those Milintican Communists just have voiced their support for a candidate like everyone else?! It's really not that hard to follow our laws! With a sigh, Stendē picked up her call sheet, looking down the list of politicians who had left messages for her. I don't think I can handle sweet-talking another mid-level bureaucrat right now.
A thought occured to her, and she picked up the phone, waiting for her assistant to answer. "Could you please get me President Matōchmizalo of Milintica? I would like to have a few words with him if he's not too busy."
When the call came in, President Matōchmizalo was meeting with Prime Minister Tupai Tapihana. They had been discussing the very same funding scandal that Stendē was concerned about, so the timing of the call was serendipitous. In a way. The President sighed slightly before picking up the call. "Good morning madam Chancellor. This is Matōchmizalo. How are you doing today?"
"I am fine, Your Excellency, thank you for asking. Although, I have been inundated with calls from many politicians all across Eiria's political spectrum. And I believe you know what those calls are in regard to, seeing as you are likely dealing with the fallout just as much as we are." Stendē's tone was joking at the surface, but disguised a mask of layer of irritation.
"We are indeed, and I apologize for this incident," Matōchmizalo replied. "Arana and her upstart Communist party are being watched very closely. We intend to rein them in if they give us the proper excuse to do so. We have to be careful, however. We don't want to make a martyr out of her or let her claim it is a political prosecution. We need a solid case against her."
"We will be happy to share all the information we find as the investigation progresses. Unfortunately, some members of our own Communist faction are calling the allegations 'a vicious lie made up by the radical center,' so avoiding political martyrdom may be impossible at this point, at least on our end. You can trust that we will do everything we can to insulate you from the same fate." Stendē's layer of irritation had subsided, revealing solid determination. "Unfortunately, we also must deal with the fact that Calhualyana and our other opponents will use this opportunity to drive a wedge further into the UCS. As such, we should probably prepare a unified damage control plan to fight this."
"You have a very good point," Matōchmizalo replied. "I think we should consider issuing a joint statement denouncing such interference in each others' political systems and pledging to prevent it in the future. We can follow up on our end by passing legislation to bar our political parties from donating to parties abroad. That should hopefully stave off any fears anyone may have about the viability of the UCS."
"That sounds like a reasonable course of action. However, I'm afraid there's another issue that we may face soon." Stendē's tone was almost tired. "The Eirian politicians who accepted the undisclosed donations violated Article Five, Chapter Twenty-Three of our National Code. As a former prosecutor myself, I can tell you honestly that Eirian prosecutors dream about this kind of case. But that's not the issue. The issue is that assorted politicians, including major members of our governing coalition, are demanding that the Ministry of Justice subpoena Kauri Wetere, and if a cocky or ambitious prosecutor gets the case, they're likely going to go through with that request. Now, as much as I'd love to discuss the validity and legal standing of international subpoenas, such an unprecedented move would put the UCS in a very uncomfortable legal and political position."
"That would, and it also puts me in a similar position. Trying someone in Milintica is one thing, but sending one of our citizens to trial overseas is quite another." Matōchmizalo paused. "I could see us compelling Wetere to testify on the condition that she not be imprisoned in Eiria, however."
"That also sounds like a fair compromise. I doubt an Eirian court would be so bold to try her, so her testimony would be all that's necessary. The only people who would dispute this would be those who are trying to oppose or undermine the UCS, and we can handle those elements on our own." The Chancellor cleared her throat. "The thing is, how big of a problem would her being forced to testify cause for you?"
"It will cause a problem, but nothing I cannot handle," Matōchmizalo said confidently. "In fact, I wouldn't mind causing Neina and her upstart party some trouble."
Stendē chuckled. "I see. Well, thank you, Your Excellency, for your cooperation. I am glad that we could have a productive conversation on this matter, and that rogue elements won't divide our crucial alliance further. Funding scandals are never good for any party involved, so I'm hopeful that we can move on quickly from this. Are there any other concerns that you have, or things you'd wish to discuss?"
"Not at this time, but I thank you for the call. I am sure we can get this issue resolved quickly."
"Perfect. Have an excellent day, Mister President." Stendē hung up and breathed a sigh of relief. That's one fire put out. Now, let's get to work dealing with the seventy other problems that popped up today...
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