The Official Newspaper of Lazarus

SPECIAL ISSUE I • March 2016 • 1 Page • Inter-Regional Edition

The vibrant democracy of Lazarus revved up its engine last week as nominations began for this month's election. Up for grabs are the spots of Sovereign (Delegate), Grandee Secretary (Vice-Delegate) and Director of Ceremonies (Speaker).

Current Sovereign Loftegen is running for a second term, challenged by citizens Caldariat and Horse. Incumbent Grandee Secretary Lazarus CoS, who is better known as The Church of Satan in the Rejected Realms, is running for a second term, challenged by me, Ikania. Meanwhile, citizens Lutrala and Starberry plan to contest the spot for Director of Ceremonies, while The Anatol jumped in to fight for it too.

Loftegen is a hugely popular Delegate, and we here at the Gazette can assure you this because we polled people on every street in the Forbidden City, from the Citizen's Square to the the Grand Court. Every answer was either yes, enthusiastically, or "Are you with the government? Please don't hurt me". Those were counted as 'unsure'.

The Sovereign took some time on the RMB to proclaim what had been accomplished during her first tenure, including the reestablishment of relationships with Balder, various improvements to our legal codes, spurring Gazette activity, establishing the Lazarene Awards (which are in desperate need of a better name), as well as the development of a regional map for RP purposes. He laid out some plans for the future as well, such as pressuring the Grand Court for a speedy conclusion to the Gang of Five case, and violently oppressing people more diligently than he has already.

Above: An expert's prediction of what could happen if Loftegen wins again

The regional government has laid out a timetable for the election. Nominations end on March 13th, and campaigning will last until the 20th. The voting period will then commence the next day and last 7 days until the 28th. All citizens will have an opportunity to vote - even those who obtained citizenship through long-term residency.

The future is in the hands of the Lazarene people once more, and time will only tell who will get the job of making life absolutely terrible for the rest of us.

Above: Supporters of Ikania's campaign for Grandee Secretary rallying at a convention

Elections are upon us once again, and this could only mean one thing - a sounding board for the issues that Lazarus is still plagued with. Over the past three months, several outstanding issues from the previous administrations were resolved, but it was inevitable that new ones pop up, as well as outstanding ones that remained unsolved. Without further ado, we at the Lazarene Gazette have analysed the various issues brought up by various candidates.

1) Activity

Among the various issues that were brought up, this was the one that was mentioned most often, with more than one candidate basing their platform entirely along this issue. Granted, Lazarus has definitely been more active of late, possibly the most active Sinker at this moment. However, like what Horse, a candidate running for Sovereign, mentioned, our economy cannot be mainly based on processed meat production, even if we managed to produce our 25,000th can on 29 February (a special occasion indeed). Many of the candidates pointed to increased on-site activity as an aim, through festivals, polls, etc. Ike (Ikania for you) even suggested the development of the RP sector as a potential source of activity. For the candidates running for Director of Ceremonies, the need to involve more people in the Grand Assembly was heavily emphasised in their campaign manifestos.

Undoubtedly, the ability to raise the activity level of Lazarus will be key to the success of the next government of Lazarus. For many in Lazarus, we still romanticise about the PRL (People's Republic of Lazarus, the predecessor to the Humane Republic), wishing to emulate its activity levels despite the events that transpired in its last days. Having carried the label of the "Dead Sinker" for much of its history, the PRL definitely stood out, demonstrating the potential for activity that Lazarus had, and could still have. Have we achieved activity levels similar to the PRL's? Most likely not, but we're on our way there. Activities such as fun polls carried out during Harmoneia's, New Rogernomics' and even the current government (Loftegen's) proved that fun polls are still an easy way to increase regional engagement. The next administration would surely find fun polls to be a useful weapon in their arsenal in their war against inactivity.

Regarding the possibility of festivals being hosted, candidates will surely not fail to miss the huge opportunity dangling in front of them: The anniversary of the liberation of Lazarus and the subsequent establishment of the Humane Republic. What better way to increase regional activity, than to host a festival that celebrated the native victory over members of the NPO/NLO? So far, only Horse and Ike have mentioned festivals as a way to boost regional activity levels - Horse raising the possibility of special events and game nights, while Ike went slightly more into detail, describing how Lazarus could adopt weekly themes.

Lastly, many of the candidates recognised the importance of greater participation in the Grand Assembly, especially Starberry and Lutrala, two of the candidates for Director of Ceremonies. Both candidates stressed the importance of making it easier for newcomers to get involved, with Lutrala suggesting the approach of RMB messages and mass TGs, while Starberry mentioned the creation of a mentor system to guide these newcomers through the labyrinthine halls that we, the Grand Assembly, call home. They both have also recognised the importance of getting new blood in the legislature, as well as retaining current members. Will this work? Speaking from personal experience, the problem lies with communication - do the members know that there is new legislation up for vote? Do they understand the context for the various proposals? Given that legislating itself is a messy process, requiring extensive knowledge of the existing laws as well as awareness of the current situation, attempts to simplify the process would definitely attract a lot more people to the Grand Assembly.

2) Foreign Affairs

One of the key highlights of the Loftegenian Administration would be the reestablishment of foreign relations with Balder after 2 years, with the feud dating all the way back to the establishment of the PRL - regarding the controversial banning of several members from Lazarus seen to be part of the imperialist sphere. Coinciding with the end of the GCR 'Cold Wars', the reestablishment of relations with Balder makes us one step closer in truly closing the divide that lies between the independent and defender spheres. Of course, there are several issues that remain unresolved, of which this would be the most prominent: Were the bannings justified? How this is resolved depends on the next administration. Would they open a can of worms? Or would skillful diplomacy provide the band-aid to this question? Either way, the next administration would have to be extremely careful dealing with this sticky issue.

Another aspect regarding foreign affairs that is linked to regional activity levels would be the activity of our ambassadors as pointed out by Horse. The low activity levels of many of our ambassadors meant that our embassies on the forums of other regions were rather inactive, as noted by the failure to deliver monthly updates. He referenced the PRL as an example of ideal FA activity, suggesting festivals and game nights as methods to build closer bonds with fellow embassy regions. Could we see a total overhaul in the Ministry of the Herald (our Foreign Ministry) to revitalize it? It will all boil down to who the candidates wish to appoint as Minister of the Herald.

Another important aspect in Lazarus' quest for greater influence FA wise would be the FRA. With decreased influence in the NS World, there have been murmurs among Lazarenes on an exit from the FRA, or FRAxit (yep, just coined that). Granted, this issue would be controversial, with the older members seeking to retain membership and possibly use Lazarus' heavy weight in the FRA to lead the reforms, while newer members who view little benefit in remaining in the FRA are calling for a FRAxit. So far, none of the candidates have openly supported a FRAxit, with some preferring to adopt a wait-and-see approach. Should Lazarus follow in the footsteps of 00000 A World Power and leave the FRA? Or should we remain and attempt to revitalise it? This will all be dependent on reforms taking place in the next term. Should there be none, the FRAxit movement may gain more momentum in Lazarus, with the wait-and-see camp potentially leaning towards a FRAxit. Should Lazarus decide to leave the FRA, it may well spell the death knell of the FRA.

One issue that surprisingly receives little mention in this election would be on relations with the Pacific. Given that the one-year anniversary of the NLO coup is coming up, it is surprising that nary a word was said about the Pacific in the candidates' manifesto. Granted, supporting a reestablishment of relations with the Pacific may spell the end of a candidate's campaign, with regional opinion still leaning on the "Against" side. Any candidate who wishes to support the reestablishment of relations would first have to get past influential nations in Lazarus, many of whom still bear a grudge against the Pacific. This then begs a question: How long before we're finally able to say, "We're ready"? It is unlikely that we may see a reestablishment of relations with the Pacific anytime soon though the next administration may prove us wrong.

The next part will be covering on Recruitment and the LLA.

1. Issue I August 2015

2. Issue II September 2015

3. Issue III October 2015

4. Issue IV January 2016

5. Issue V February 2016