Acalan Manifesto

The Acalan Manifesto was a list of seven demands made to the interim government of Huenya by a coalition of political, religious, tribal and social leaders. It was a pivotal document in the shaping of what would become the Huenyan Federation.

Background

In the immediate aftermath of Huenya gaining its independence from Xiomera following the Second Xiomeran Civil War, the interim government of Huenya was preparing to form along lines that were very similar to the Xiomeran state. The initial drafts of the interim government intended to form a "United Empire of Huenya", with Yauhmi serving as Empress much as she had in Xiomera. The interim government announced that it intended to hold power for a period of no less than two years, to ensure that the newly forming Huenyan state would be "stable" enough to hold elections and transition to democracy.

Backlash

The announcement of this "slow transition" plan sparked immediate outrage among many of the people who had been fighting Xiomeran Imperial forces to liberate Huenya from their occupation. The intent to delay elections for two years, in particular, was an instant non-starter for many in Huenya. The formation of another Empire was also seen highly negatively.

The Manifesto

On January 23rd, 2021, an unbrella group calling itself the Coalition for Huenyan Democracy delivered a seven-page document to the interim government in Chuaztlapoc. The document was also widely published and distributed throughout Huenya.

The document, which had been written in the city of Acalan, came to be known as the Acalan Manifesto. Its preamble declared that the Huenyan people had been the ones to secure Huenya's independence, and that no government should be formed without their consent.

The Manifesto laid out the following seven demands:

• The formation of a federated state in which the historic territories of the three western tribes of Huenya (Necatli, Itotemoc and Tepiltzin) would be respected;
• Measures to ensure the equal representation of Necatli, Itotemoc, Tepiltzin, Xiomeran and other ethnic groups and nationalities in the country;
• The creation of a democratically elected branch of the legislature to share power equally with a branch for noble rulers;
• Implementation of multi-party, free and unhindered elections within one year;
• Measures to provide a check and balance on the power of the monarchy;
• Guarantees for equal time for all political parties and candidates on national media;
• Measures to ensure that no political party or movement would ever be banned or repressed by the government unless it promoted violence against the state or against specific groups of people, or engaged in actual violence against same, with guilt to be determined solely through a fair and just judicial process

The Manifesto quickly gained popularity within the Huenyan public, placing considerable pressure on the interim government to agree to its demands.

Result

Despite some opposition among prominent leaders of the interim government, the government eventually agreed to adopt the measures called for in the Acalan Manifesto. Elections were called for December 31st, 2021. The other measures were adopted as well. The Acalan Manifesto, and the pressure from the Huenyan populace to adopt its demands, thus helped ensure the formation of a democratic Huenyan state.