President Çakar reacts to Konmalehth executive results

The elections within the Konmalehth to select came to an end yesterday, following a three-day voting period, with Emiel Sebastiaan Hardy becoming the new Chair and Connor I of Atovia and becoming the new Vice-Chair. Hardy won his election by 13 votes compared to only 2 abstentions, while Connor I defeated rival Helvetica's Vilcho by 9 votes to 6. The announcements of the results were well-received by the national delegates, including Connor I and Vilcho who congratulated each other on being good opposition. President Hasan Çakar was among them, congratulating the two victorious candidates within the Konmalehth online discussion server.
Now that the elections are complete, it is expected Hardy and Connor I to try push for implementing their reforms that they advocated during campaigning. These include creating a Konmalehth-wide news service from the dormant Mahusetan press agency and the creation of new committees within the organisation. President Çakar himself hopes to pass through reforms that establish aid for national development within newer micronations and supporting the integrity and operation of elections within member states.

Read More

Konmalehth Elections 2019: Interview with Chair candidate Hardy

In the second part of the series of interviews with the candidates of the Konmalehth executive elections, the Batyr Times discusses with the sole Chair candidate Emiel Sebastiaan Hardy his opinions regarding the current status of the Konmalehth, his policy ideas and thoughts regarding being the sole chair candidate.
Emiel Sebastiaan Hardy is the representative of the Konmalehth for Mahuset and also serves as the President of the country. Hardy is one of the longest-serving micronationalists within the organisation, founding the precursor of Mahuset in 2012. He has also held roles in other micronations, including Abelden, Pavlov and Slin.

Interview

Q: What made you wish to enter the race for Chair of the Konmalehth?

A: The Konmalehth is a great organisation of which I personally believe it has, unlike some "YAMOs", actually proven to be helpful in things like diplomacy between its member states. I believe that I would be a suitable Chair in introducing several plans, such as the broadcasting union and press agency (both of which were proposed by me) and perhaps something like a currency exchange union-like thing, a very rough idea similar to this has been proposed although I'm not sure what became of this. In fact, just after the Confederation of Mahuset, of which I am President, joined the Konmalehth, the Legatian delegate to the Konmalehth, Stephen Fryeath, actually offered for me to run for chair at the time. I refused at the time, believing it wasn't an appropriate time for me to run yet, but I now believe the "time is right" for me to go and run for the position of chair.

Q: What is your opinion on the current state and development of the Konmalehth and the work of the previous Chair and Vice-Chair?

A: I believe that the Konmalehth has developed into quite a sophisticated organisation and I believe the fact that the Konmalehth wasn't (to my knowledge at least) negatively influenced by the drama that happened in Abelden and Mahuset to be proof of that. As I stated earlier, I believe the Konmalehth succeeded in reaching its goals where other "YAMOs" failed. I also fully approve of the previous Chair and Vice-Chair, who I believe to have worked quite hard in improving the Konmalehth.

Q: What are your opinions regarding the expansion of the Konmalehth and what nations we should accept into the organisation?

A: Although I support expansion of the Konmalehth, I do think that this should be limited to nations which have a certain "closeness" (whether culturally or politically) to the other nations in Konmalehth. If we were to be open to nations outside of this "sphere", I believe that there are certain problems we as an organisation just wouldn't be able to prevent. To name two examples, I would cite the Empire of Lehmark joining the GUM despite claiming the entire planet at the time, and the nations of Quebec, Ikonia and Baustralia using the GUM as a sort of proxy for the conflicts between the three.

Q: What do you believe the Konmalehth's place is within the intermicronational community?

A: I believe the Konmalehth has a seperate role within the intermicronational community and I believe being a suitable alternative to the MicroWiki community is a part of this. I believe that, as long as we stay an open and welcoming community to other nations that share our goals, we will be a suitable community of our own which could rival MicroWiki in some very significant ways.

Q: Tell us about any specific changes, reforms or policies you would wish to implement within the Konmalehth.

A: Currently my plans are to introduce a broadcasting union, a press agency and a currency exchange mechanism.

Q: Can you elaborate on your plans regarding the press agency and currency exchange. How do you plan to appoint editors for its news service and keep them neutral? Also, do you have any ideas how your currency exchange plan will function?

A: My current plan for the press agency is for a dormant Mahusetan press agency to be transformed into a Konmalehth-wide press agency serving news from across the Konmalehth to its member publications. As to the neutrality of editors, I will attempt to open a dialogue within the Konmalehth's quorum to decide how to do this. My current plan for the currency exchange mechanism is one resembling the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, starting with a pilot in two or more states. I will however consult with the other states in the Konmalehth as to what the best implementation would be, perhaps not resembling the ERM at all.

Q: What is your opinion regarding the lack of competition during this Chair election? Do you think this is a bad thing?

A: I was incredibly surprised by the lack of competition, expecting several others to nominate themselves  by the time I expressed my interest. I was pretty disappointed by the lack of other candidates and hope other candidates will nominate themselves when the time comes for the next election.

Q: What are your thoughts regarding the two Vice-Chair candidates?

A: I believe both candidates to be capable candidates with the best interests of the Konmalehth in mind.

Q: Finally, please explain why the representatives of the Konmalehth should select you as Chair?

A: I believe that my policies will help improve the Konmalehth for the better and will help cooperation between the individual member states.

Read More

Konmalehth Elections 2019: Interviews with the Vice-Chair candidates

Two days before the delegates of the Konmalehth elect their new Chair and Vice-Chair, the Batyr Times has interviewed the two candidates for the office of Vice-Chair of the organisation to get a better understanding of their promises, plans and ideas. This interview is part of the Batyr Times' series of interviews ahead of the Konmalehth executive selection, with the interview with the currently and likely sole candidate for Chair Emiel Hardy being released tomorrow.

---

Connor I

Connor I is the representative of the Kingdom of Atovia within the Konmalehth, also serving as its Monarch and having involvement in other nations such as Atovia's predecessor Mallanor, Transterra and the Abeldane Empire. He has played a role in developing some of the Konmalehth's current existing institutions. He announced his candidacy on 24 June 2019, two days after rival Vilcho.

Full interview:

Q: What made you wish to enter the race for Vice-Chair of the Konmalehth?

A: I first decided to run for Vice-Chair to help the organization continue to grow and to advance the projects we have already started. I am an experienced leader, so I believe that I am the best person for the job.

Q: What is your opinion on the current state and development of the Konmalehth and the work of the previous Chair and Vice-Chair?

A: I believe that the Konmalehth has developed very well during the short time since its formation. The previous Chair and Vice-Chair have done a great job of advancing and developing the organization into something great.

Q: What are your opinions regarding the expansion of the Konmalehth and what nations we should accept into the organisation?

A: Obviously the Konmalehth should continue to grow on order to fulfil its goals. I'd like to avoid the issues faced by the GUM in its recent members. The Konmalehth is a distinctly less formal institution than the GUM, but we should still be vetting applicants carefully to ensure that they:

1. Are stable enough to not collapse after a few weeks;
2. Are not overly unrealistic;
3. Are a good fit for the organization, keeping existing good and bad relationships in mind.

Q: What do you believe the Konmalehth's place is within the intermicronational community?

A: I believe that it can be a distinct alternative to the MicroWiki community. This is shown by the use of the Konmalehth Libraries, an alternate MicroWiki. I believe that this is where the Konmalehth is its best.

Q: Do you believe the Konmalehth should maintain contact with the MicroWiki Community and co-operate with it?

A: Yes, I do. Almost every nation is a part of that community, so it is important to make sure that the Konmalehth is known there. I'd guess that many have not heard of the Konmalehth yet, so we should maintain contact without becoming dependent.

Q: Tell us about any specific changes, reforms or policies you would wish to implement within the Konmalehth.

A: I would promote the more widespread use of the various Konmalehth committees. The committees were created to help member nations develop themselves, so I would increase the use of existing ones and also form some general committees. The KommonStates project is also something that I would develop. My history of changes to the Konmalehth already includes many important things. For example, I was a founding member of the Heraldry Committee, I helped to come up with a citizenship sharing regulation, and the nonstop quorum was my proposal. These changes are only the beginning of what I have planned for the Konmalehth.
Q: If you don't mind, could you elaborate on some of your points for us. What general committees would you create and what purpose would they serve? What would you like to see developed within the KommonStates?

A: Currently, our committees are very specific in their goals, only focusing on a small facet of a nation. I would create committees that focus on broad areas of national development. Some examples of what this might include are a Government committee that will focus on all aspects of a nation's government to help them improve. Another might be a Constitution/Document committee to help with writing a Constitution and with creating specific document templates for various uses.

I would like to continue the work of the previous administration on the KommonStates, namely getting members in. Non-Konmalehth states can also participate in the running of the KommonStates, but their votes will not be weighted as much as full member states.

Q: What is your opinion regarding your opposing candidate?

A: I have nothing against him personally and I respect him and his nation. However, he is quite a recent member, being here for less than a month, and he is not very experienced.
Q: What are your thoughts regarding the sole Chair candidate and your potential executive colleague Emiel Hardy? Are you concerned regarding the lack of competition in the Chair elections?

A: I believe that Emiel is entirely capable of handling the position of Chair. I'm not so much concerned as I am hopeful that future elections will be far more active due to the development of this next administration.
Q: Would you consider a run for the Chair in the future?
A: Yes, I would indeed. I felt that I would not be able to dedicate enough time this year to run for Chair, but I would still like to help this organization. A future run for Chair is very likely.

Q: Finally, please explain why the representatives of the Konmalehth should select you as Vice Chair?
A: I believe that I am the best choice for Vice-Chair due to my experience with similar organizations. I have a proven track record of successful and functional nations, and my work within the Konmalehth will only continue to increase as Vice-Chair.

---

Vilcho

Vilcho is the representative of the Republic of Helvetica within the Konmalehth, also serving as its President. Helvetica is a relatively new micronation and joined the organisation last month. Vilcho was the first Vice-Chair candidate to announce his candidacy on 22 June 2019.

Full interview:

Q: What made you wish to enter the race for Vice-Chair of the Konmalehth?

A: The lack of candidate choice, wishing to expand Helvetica's influence and feeling that I owe something to an organisation that welcomed me and others so warmly.

Q: That is interesting. Some would say your micronations is relatively new and you may not have the experience with dealing with international-level politics. What would you say about that?

A: My nation may be new but overall I think although I may not have much experience in an international community, I would be a good leader in the organisation because I am very organised and would be able to co-ordinate and co-operate people with conflicting interests.

Q: What is your opinion on the current state and development of the Konmalehth and the work of the previous Chair and Vice-Chair?

A: I believe that the previous Chair and Vice-Chair have done an excellent job at expanding the horizons and scope of the Konmalehth. I relive the organisation as a whole provides a much needed place in the micronational community, away from the toxicity of Project Nations. The organisation has gained much influence under Randouler and Kaos, yet still remains a relaxed and welcoming community

Q: What are your opinions regarding the expansion of the Konmalehth and what nations we should accept into the organisation?

A: I feel that with the establishment of the KommonStates and its leadership under Nicolas Kaos, the Konmalehth can continue to expand and bring in new members who will enrich the community further. While I am fairly new compared to other micronations, I shall continue to research applicants and make an unbiased decision on whether they should be allowed to join the Konmalehth.

Q: What do you believe the Konmalehth's place is within the intermicronational community?

A: The Konmalehth provides an important place within the community. The nations are welcoming and the discussion is relaxed. The organisation has helped me develop Helverica into a fully functioning nation and I hope that if I am elected, this help may continue to help newer nations like mine begin to thrive and develop.

Q: Tell us about any specific changes, reforms or policies you would wish to implement within the Konmalehth.

A: I would support Emiel Hardy's motion to create a Konmalehth-wide broadcasting union and would also like to implement a newspaper or news source for Konmalehth-specific news.

Q: How would your Konmalehth news source function? Who will be the editors and how will they be selected?

A: The news source would be a website or a blog that would contain articles about recent events in the organisation. Editors could be chosen at the quorum's discretion.

Q: What is your opinion regarding your opposing candidate?

A: I like Connor. He is a great guy who has created a great nation. It's going to be hard to contend against him.

Q: What are your thoughts regarding the sole Chair candidate and your potential executive colleague Emiel Hardy? Are you concerned regarding the lack of competition in the Chair elections?

A: As I have said before, I will support Hardy in the election and will support his motion for a broadcasting union. However, I am concerned about the lack of choice for candidates. If someone does not agree with Hardy, they may feel like they are under-represented or their vote is wasted.

Q: Although it is potentially far from the priority for now, would you see yourself as a potential Chair of the Konmalehth in the future?

A: If I am elected and my motions are supported, I will consider having a break for a term but then perhaps running for Chair. If I am not elected, I may run next term for the position of Vice-Chair.

Q: Finally, please explain why the representatives of the Konmalehth should select you as Vice Chair?

A: I would try to take suggestions from them and respond to their feedback. I would hope to expand the Konmalehth through the KommonStates and through an outreach officer.

Read More

Hasanistan establishes diplomatic relations with Montescano

Today, the heads of state of Hasanistan and the Pavlovian successor state known as the Principality of Montescano ratified a treaty establishing mutual recognition and bilateral relations between the two nations.

Flag of Montescano

Montescano is a landlocked state that claims sovereignty within the the Netherlands, Slovakia and the United Kingdom. The country is ruled by HSH Prince Dionisiy I. the former Tsar and Emperor of Pavlov, Montescano's culture is largely influenced by the Italian, Mediterranean and German cultures. A successor state of Pavlov, it contains fellow former territories including Nazir and also Nedland. Under the terms of the treaty, Hasanistan has also recognized the legitimacy of the nation's noble titles.

Read More

General election to be held in late 2019

Today, President Hasan Çakar has announced that the Hasani government will prepare to hold general elections for legislative seats and regional governors in the later months of this years. The elections will be significant as they will be the first legislative elections in the nation's history, as well as the first local gubernatorial election since Batyr's 2013 prime election.
The elections are planned to be held to elect five seats in the Congress, which currently sits together as a unicameral house due to its size and will do so for the foreseeable future, and the Governors of Ardajan, Batyr, Çobanistan and possibly Köktuğluk. President Çakar has said that there still needs to be plans laid out for how campaigning and the election itself will operate and a new electoral law will be implemented for this election. There are discussions of either using a party-list proportional system, such as the D'Hondt method, or a majoritarian method, such as block voting or first-past-the-post. Çakar has said he wants a new government to be democratically-approved, meaning that incumbent Prime Minister Shady Morsi may be asked to step down so as to contest his position.
The elections are planned for sometime between September and November, depending on how the parties react to the potential election and how many candidates register.

Read More

Konmalehth schedules Chair elections; President Çakar endorses Hardy and Freayth

The Konmalehth has scheduled to hold elections for its two-highest offices, Chair and Vice-Chair, near the end of June (between the 27th and 29th). Incumbent Chair Nicholas Randouler and Vice-Chair Nicholas Kaos have currently been serving within their respective offices since before Hasanistan's accession into the organisation, but both have declined to stand for re-election. Emiel Hardy of Mahuset has stated his interest in running for Chair, while Stephen Freayth of Abelden has announced interest in Vice-Chair. Tomáš Falešník and Edward Daniels have been nominated as potential candidates within the election, although they have not accepted their nominations.
President of the Republic Hasan Çakar, who is also the Hasani representative to the Konmalehth, has ruled out himself as a candidate and has endorsed the candidacies of Hardy and Freayth to their respective positions. He has stated that they are the most qualified and experienced from among the potential roster. The President also said he would support Kaos as a potential candidate for Chair prior to him ruling out a potential candidacy.

Read More

Presidential statement regarding Gulf of Oman incidents and Iran-US tensions

In light of two incidents involving damages to commercial vessels in the Gulf of Oman which have been claimed to have been attacks and the growing militarization of the Persian Gulf, the President of the Republic Hasan Çakar issued the following statement regarding the issues:

"The tensions within the Persian Gulf and the growing militarization of the area by the United States is of great concern to the Hasani government, especially in regards to the security of the Körfezeli territorial claims of Hasanistan. A war within the region will cause immense bloodshed and possibly escalate to a region-wide war.
In regards to the alleged attacks on commercial vessels in the area, the Hasani government is skeptical of the claims of responsibility although it will not rule it out as potentially true. According to reports by some members of the crew and a company who owns one of the ships, there was an incident but it contradicts the narrative pushed by the United States officials. Allegations are that the vessels were hit by flying objects, which causes great skepticism for the Hasani government over the US claims and the purported method of attack in common of the actions of the USS Liberty incident as a potential "false-flag" to promote a war. However, regardless of responsibility, the Hasani government believes that commercial vessels must not be harassed under any circumstance and the lives of innocent workers threatened. Violence against innocent workers is unacceptable and immoral.
The best course of action should be the demilitarization of the Persian Gulf and both Iran and United States to engage in talks to ease tensions and come to a compromise regarding their issues. Both sides must work together also to protect commercial vessels and their crew members from being targets for violence. Over Körfezeli, Hasanistan maintains its right of self-defense and will not tolerate attacks or occupations of its territory."
-Hasan Çakar, President of the Republic

Read More