The United Caribbean Island Alliance

204 days ago

The People's Republic of Icepaw

Candidate declarations for the positions of President, Vice President, Head of Role Play, Head of Public Affairs, and Head of Recruitment have begun. You are allowed to declare candidacy for a maximum of 2 positions. I would suggest that all candidates create a campaign dispatch. For those who are running for two positions I would also suggest indicating your preference. When declaring candidacy please state the position you are running for. Candidate declarations will end on January 14th. Candidates interested in running can declare on the URA discord in Campaign Central. Further details will be released later. All WA nations are eligible to run for and Vote in URA alliance positions within a member region.

Co Ros

203 days ago

Happy new year!

Co Ros and United Region Alliance

184 days ago

by The Like comment and subscribe of Scalizagasti

The Debates for Head of Recruitment and Head of Public Affairs in the URA have concluded. Please find the transcripts to the debates below. Voting by all URA citizens begins on January 24th. URA President and Vice President Debates are currently happening in URA discord. Transcripts will be shared once they have concluded.
HoR Debate Transcript

DEBATE TRANSCRIPT: Head of Recruitment, Jan 2021

This debate took place from January 14 to 19 on the URA Discord Server, between candidates Freedomanica from Fylkirvegr and Gibraltarica (also known as Jinkies) from Conch Kingdom. It was moderated by Head of Elections Orca and Narwhal and URA Founder Free Azell. This transcript was published on January 20 by Scalizagasti.

Orca and Narwhal

Welcome to the Head of Recruitment debate Freedomanica and Gibraltarica. The debate will be starting soon. If you are unable to answer at question you can always catch up when you come on. Debate questions will come out periodically after answering questions we allow for debate between the candidates as well. Please keep the debate civil and show why you are the best candidate for the job.

First Question: Why are you the best candidate to lead the Recruitment Council for the next 6 months?

I am the best candidate because I bring experience and connections to the table. I've been in a foreign affairs position in 3 different UCRs (Pacifica, Conch Kingdom, and Grand Central). I have also done my fair share of military leadership (I currently lead the Augustin Alliance's Joint Task Force, and in the past, I was a Lieutenant in The Black Hawks), which has given me the knowledge and friends in the wider gameplay world to know where to turn to for advice and execution of my ideas.

I believe that I am the best candidate as I have shared my experience in Fylkirvegr especially regarding Foreign Affairs which will be the pivotal focus of the Recruitment Council if I am elected as I had promised that I would strengthen relations with Member Regions that we have currently now with being a Diplomat to a number of Regions including Europeia, Thaecia and New West Indies (in which we share a very valuable relationship. I have also served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within The Free Nations Region with authoring the Treaty between them and Force thus I believe that I have the expertise needed to strengthen relations between Member Regions with the Recruitment Council on a more intimate level than the rest of the Alliance.

If elected, would you focus on recruiting larger regions or smaller regions?

I would focus on larger regions. I think there’s value in allowing smaller regions to be represented, but to be honest, what is better for the URA as a whole is that larger regions join in. This gives us as a bloc more influence and resources to draw from.

My interest for the next term is not recruiting any Regions from abroad, but rather focusing on the current Regions we got. The main reason our URA Population is decreasing is because of our irreverence towards improving each region as a whole and actually communicating with them not just on a professional level, but also a casual level too. What is the point of recruiting Regions if you don’t engage with them at all. As of now, my focus as stated in my above response is making sure we currently give the current Member Regions more hospitality in order for us not to decrease our current population.

Freedomanica, you stated that you would try and focus on engaging regions instead of recruiting them. What would you do specifically to engage them within the power of the Recruitment Council?

1. Posting official URA Events and Happenings Via Recruitment Members To Member Region’s RMBs with the permission of Azell, obviously.

2. Joining All Member Region Discord Servers and constantly chatting with Citizens with members of the Recruitment Council scattered across all Member Region Chat Servers. As Head of Recruitment I would like to join all Servers along with my assistant while other Recruitment Council members are scattered evenly across all Discord Servers or in some cases, other communicative platforms.

3. Grow Member Regions as a whole by helping them out with advice regarding Regional Structure, Organization, RP, Recruitment and More!

4. Creating a Dispatch to fully know our Member Regions in terms of Government, theme, activities to learn more about them and their culture as well as their beliefs.

5. Encourage Citizens within Member Regions to partake in the daily happenings of URA by joining the URA Discord Server and getting informed as to how they can get involved!

6. Every month, I shall be posting a Foreign Affairs Newsletter from the Recruitment Council, not necessarily about events taking place within URA, but instead reporting news from around Member Regions allowing URA Regions to exploit and discover the many cultures, thus promoting Regions coming as a whole like a team.

Freedomanica, I hope you don't mind me asking: why is it that you don't think recruiting from regions outside of the URA is unimportant? Surely, it's possible to do both the things you have already listed and that, and expanding our influence certainly can't hurt. Furthermore, do you believe it's the job of the Recruitment Council to post foreign affairs newsletters, as you outline in Point 6? That would seem to me to be better in another department.

I worry, generally speaking, that you have passion but are not focusing that passion aptly in your platform.

I never said it is not important, but rather that focusing on what we have now is best, because within my own experience with Fylkirvegr within the URA, the URA has not contacted us as to say how we are doing personally and no constant communication between us and the URA has been solidified. If you keep on going with this idea of recruiting regions and not focusing on what you have now as of this point in time, Member Regions shall feel that they are not growing on a more intimate level besides postage of events and such and may leave in boatloads in the future to come.

I can understand your concerns, but that seems to me to be a duty for Public Affairs to complete. I agree that it's an issue, but it would be a better thing to suggest collaboration with the Public Affairs Council rather than encroach on their authority.

I believe strongly that recruitment should stick to recruitment. I have faith in the current candidates for Public Affairs, whichever one is elected, that they will perform their duties in office to the best of their abilities. If elected, I will perform my duties as outlined in law to the best of my abilities, and in situations where that does not go far enough, I will collaborate with other offices within the URA and its constituent regions.

Regardless, back to my point on recruiting new regions, I never said I would not work with or follow up them. That is antithetical to how I conduct foreign affairs.

I had commented on that within #campaign-central. [Note: a discord channel in the URA server]

But that is not what you stated initially. You want to instigate matters you have no duty or right to instigate.

You need to remember also that at first, Member Regions will mainly rely on us for support within the URA more than anyone else.

Member regions can, frankly, rely on themselves for many matters. I am convinced that URA meddling in their affairs will not lead to good faith, nor will it lead to the growth that they desire or that we desire. Member Regions rely on themselves, primarily, the URA secondarily. The point of the URA is to be a support and treaty network for many things, yes. I have had the pleasure of working with Allangoria in the URAAF to ensure that support is well-distributed. However, that should never be a substitute for regions ruling and determining their activities for themselves.

Nor did I say I would not work alongside the Public Affairs Council?

Working alongside, yes, but your platform is that you want to instigate these things as HoR.

You are confusing meddling with communication and interaction with Member Regions. I never intended to, the URA does not infringe on the sovereignty of member Regions nor does any legislation passed by the Legislature affect any member region, but rather the Government of the United Regions Alliance as a whole. I am simply saying boosting casual communication with Member Regions internally and notifying how Citizens can get involved is the way to get a Member Region settled in without overwhelming them by leaving them stranded.

Then I fail to see how these member regions will primarily rely on us for support.

Here is my question: Why do you focus so much on recruiting when currently some Member Regions do not feel as if we have interacted eith them on a deeper level? You can recruit all you want, but it won’t grow the Alliance as long as our Member Regions leave. You will just be maintaining on and on and on, instead of growing the URA both internally and externally in the very near future.

I focus on recruiting because as Head of Recruitment, it would be my job. It's as simple as that. I'm running for Head of Recruitment, not Head of Public Affairs. Do you, by your question, intend to imply that you don't want to focus on recruiting?

You see that is the problem, you are so focused on doing your job only that you are not willing to cooperate with other Councils to solve the current problems of Region decrease within the URA.

Would you like me to cite the times I said I would collaborate with those councils? Never have I thought in debate that someone would criticize me for proposing to do my job too well.

No, but you don’t get the point, when I recruit a Member Region, I recruit them not just for numbers, but to see how they grow within the URA as a whole and for them to know that we at the URA are committed to grow them as a whole.

I'm afraid you don't get the point. I'm committed to recruiting, not public affairs. That doesn't imply a lack of commitment, that means I know what position I'm running for. Do you?

I do, but to put it simply if you see that our Regions are declining at an alarming rate will you just put that under the carpet?

No, I'll work on it. As I've said before. I have plans for that, they're just not overreaching into other departments.

Then what is your plan then, because I have highlighted the problem and I see that this is the best plan going forward.

I'm glad you asked!

1. Compile a list of large regions to reach out to
2. Join every member region's server
3. Be present for the transition process into the URA for newer regions
4. Establish a standard procedure in the URA for reaching out to new regions
5. Aid in producing the legislation necessary to enjoin new regions to us

Just five points, all pretty simple things. I think any HoR who can do these things well can do her job well.

Indeed, but you can always join a Region Server, but not interact with them at another level, I don’t think you have fully highlighted our problem in knowing our Regions better and how to fully reach out to them. Also pointing out that 4 and 1 does not solve the problem.

It doesn't solve your perception of the problem, but that hardly means it doesn't. Recruiting is a multifaceted process, I'm just focusing on more and better facets than you.

Long story short. A Member Region may leave regarding many reasons, interaction, Government fallout and many factors that may be in other Council territories. However, a member region leaving should also ring a bell to the RC always, thus I feel cooperating with other Councils to solve a problem that the RC and the involved Councils face is in fact great as it means that both Councils benefit once the problem is solved. I would like to continue the debate tomorrow as it is getting late on my side.

I'm always happy to continue the debate. I just don't think that having a sole mission of "let's cooperate with other councils" is a good vision for HoR.

My sole vision for the HoR is to not solely cooperate with other Councils, but to solve the problem of the recent decrease in population and after evaluating the problem, I find that cooperation is the best choice to curb this rate in which Regions leave. Once I feel that we have solved the problem internally to the best of our ability, I will now be focused on solely recruiting Regions for the United Regions Alliance knowing that the Regions we recruit, will stay in the URA for a long time to come.

Next question: What makes you different from your opponent?

Mostly that I have a sound grasp on my position and a plan to carry out my duties.

Mainly that I will ensure the betterment of the Recruitment Council in the long run.

What criteria will be used to evaluate a region's entrance into the URA?

Whether they:

Have an active community
Have a proactive government
Have a World Assembly Delegate
Have no connections to unwelcome communities or ideologies (e.g. fascism, homophobia, etc.)

They should have a World Assembly Delegate, are strictly anti-fascist, do not have embassy connections with regions that have a bad stance with the international community, they are not an “embassy collector”. The region may not be “Anti-World Assembly”, they should have at least 25 nations and should have been in existence for at least 6 weeks and lastly should should not be filled with an excess amount of puppets,

What plans do you have to get more people involved in the Recruitment Council? Where do you see the URA in terms of member regions by the end of your term if elected?

Thanks for the questions Azell.
1. My plan is to make use of the connections I already have in URA member regions to reach out to people to see if they'd like to be a member
2. I see us at about 35-40 regions. I think that kind of growth is feasible.

by The Like comment and subscribe of Scalizagasti

1. I am willing to utilize the #announcements channel to reach out to Citizens of URA as to the Recruitment Council’s interest in more members. I am not too kean in utilizing NS telegrams as I feel that it justs bugs NS players more than ever and is rather annoying for many.
2. I would say that I would be mainly doing MR maintenance and I see the Recruitment Council having 30-35 Regions should I be elected with mainly maintaining what we have now and building on the Regions I had already approached before the current Elections present.

Read dispatch

HoPA Debate Transcript

DEBATE TRANSCRIPT: Head of Public Affairs, Jan 2021

This debate took place from January 14 to 19 on the URA Discord Server, between candidates Vermont and montpelier from The Labyrinth and The Flyin2 (also known as Jambon) from The United Federations. It was moderated by Head of Elections Orca and Narwhal and URA Founder Free Azell. This transcript was published on January 20 by Scalizagasti.

Orca and Narwhal

Welcome to the Head of Public Affairs debate Vermont and montpelier and The Flyin2. The debate will be starting soon. If you are unable to answer at question you can always catch up when you come on. Debate questions will come out periodically after answering questions we allow for debate between the candidates as well. Please keep the debate civil and show why you are the best candidate for the job.

First Question: What makes you the best candidate to be Head of Public Affairs?

Vermont and montpelier

I am a very social person and I understand how to handle tense situations and I would collaborate bipartisanly with other members of the cabinet and the president to create a health community environment and promote activity by holding events and other social activities and keep the URA Strong!

I believe that I have a very simple goal, I think we need to focus primarily on reaching out and connecting more to our current regions, rather than spreading out, We need to make more people care, not get more people to be apathetic.

What specifically do you plan on doing to reach out to regions if elected?

Vermont and montpelier

I will visit and check in with every member region every two weeks and ask to try hold contests/events every week to promote activity on the server.

I plan on making our communications more engaging than simply telling them results of our votes and, I think we need to make this community more inviting to the members of member regions, events could work, but I think that we could also benefit by encouraging visiting other regions.

Vermont and montpelier

Yes, but that would be something that a HoPA would work with the HoR. I have focused my primary goal would be to be co-operative with member regions and new regions.

The HoPA fundamentally has to work with the HoR, the purposes are very closely connected.

Vermont and montpelier

Yes, being cooperative with the HoR is very important. Basically being the HoPA means you HAVE to be active ready to communicate with member regions and other members of the cabinet.

Well of course, I'm always ready to be active, but personally, I do not find many places to enter conversation in this server.

Vermont and montpelier

I disagree with that, there are often bad situations that happen and sometimes drama that I would prevent if I were the HoPA. As the HoPA you have to manage tough situations.

It is not as though there is much activity here to begin with. And I would beg to differ, the priority is Public Affairs, not Alliance Affairs, in fact, they are probably the least focused position on internal drama.

How do you envision URAfest? Something the winner of this will need to help to make a reality!

Vermont and montpelier

I am honestly confused by this question, if you could explain what exactly "URAfest" is, that would be nice

URAfest is a planned week long event to showcase the URA and its regions to get more exposure NS wide.

Vermont and montpelier

Well first, I would contact all regions in the alliance and make sure they are onboard. Second, I would also contact their leaders and help them to come up with a compilation of their greatest accomplishmrents to show off. Third, I would make scheduled panels in which regional leaders can go in-depth about their accomplishments.

Well, I feel it a bit of an unneeded comcept, but, assuming it did come to fruition, I'd likely make sure that we invite members if member regions to come observe, but we should definitely discuss with regional leaders on if they would be fine with such a thing, invitations of leaders to give panels would be good, perhaps even member panels, I feel accomplishments, however, is not a good drive for a festival, it does not feel united, that makes it feel more like UCRCon, we need to focus more on what the URA does, not its member regions specifically

Vermont and montpelier

Yes I agree, I would promote more of what has your region done to help if any I also would always be open to regions not wanting to do panels or being featured but I would always encourage taking part in it.

How will you get more citizens to join the PA Council to help in getting things accomplished there? Also, please put in any final statements as we wrap the debate up.

Vermont and montpelier

Well personally I think the PA council is doing just fine as it is and I'm not a part of it so I don't know much about it.

Quite frankly, I haven't a clue, the current council seems competent, so we may as well keep them, too many is bad for efficiency. We can cross getting more PA Council members when we reach the hurdle

Vermont and montpelier

My Final Statement:
The Head of Public Affairs is a tough office to hold and I believe I'm the most capable because I'm active and I like to help the community but, me and Jambon are good candidates and people so either way I have faith that the future of URA is in good hands.

Read dispatch

180 days ago

Voting has begun for the January 2021 General Election. Voting will end on the 31st and results will be announced the next day.

Ballot: https://forms.gle/VCu586ftwvmHjjtg8

179 days ago

The election Edition of the URA Tribune has been released please give it a read!

The URA Tribune - Issue 2 Election Special

by Lanaograd

Upvote and share! ☝

THE URA TRIBUNE
AN EVERLASTING UNION

Taking off from the trail blazed by the URA Harbinger, the Tribune is the official publication of the United Regions Alliance.

Heralding Truthful News, Unifying Views

Most Contested Race Yet Sees Presidentiables Argue for URA Future and Fight against Fascism

The January 2021 Elections of the URA is in full swing as polls open from the 25th to the 31st, and interest in the hotly contested race has raised expectations for record voter turnout. A four-way race between incumbent URA President Suvmia, URA Armed Forces Marshal Allangoria, New Eastern Europe WA Delegate Maricoen, and Conch Kingdom's The pir featured the biggest field of Alliance President candidates since the founding of the alliance in November 2019. Among the paramount issues of the month, the future of the alliance and the treatment of fascism has taken the spotlight in the presidential debates.

While the candidates in general agreed on a number of issues, such as increasing engagement, as well as expansion of membership to include large regions and game created regions (GCRs), there are also points where they differed. Banking on its firsthand experience in the alliance government, Suvmia envisions the URA to be a "formidable force" administered by a proportionally sized government structure with clearly defined roles, a position in contrast with other candidates who proposed reorganization and streamlining. Suvmia further stresses that no new councils were created during its term. In comparison, Allangoria has pledged a 35 percent reduction in government size in hopes of curbing red tape, transforming the councils into ministries in the process. Maricoen has proposed a major overhaul of the current structure with 15 to 20 members dedicated to recruitment alone.

Meanwhile, all candidates have expressed their opposition to fascism and related right-wing extremism, emphasizing the stance of the alliance as a bastion of democracy and the ongoing election as evidence of this fact. Both Maricoen and Suvmia has vouched for the efficacy of background checks to keep extremists out of the alliance, while Allangoria intends for the URA to join Antifa, a military organization in NationStates dedicated to combat fascism. The Pir stresses freedom of speech, but believes fascism must be placed in the sidelines. As context, early in the campaign, former presidential candidate United hindu rashtra strongly called out the "massive intolerance" of the alliance for right-wing ideologies, pointing out how its use of the swastika was misinterpreted as support for Nazism. The word "swastika" comes from the Sanskrit for "all is well," but has since taken an extreme political meaning despite its religious origins due to Nazi symbolism. United Hindu Rashtra would later exit the alliance even before the debates began.

In related developments, a pre-election survey independently conducted by Vermont and montpelier was released January 15. For President, Maricoen was leading the survey at 37 percent, followed by Suvmia at 33 percent, Allangoria 20 percent, and The Pir 0 (zero) percent. The rest were write-in votes for unofficial candidates. A total of 27 member nations participated in the said survey, with a margin of error of 15 percent.

Heated Campaign for Alliance Vice Presidency Too Close for Comfort

For Alliance Vice President, a similarly sized field of candidates sets up another hotly contested race. Veteran vice presidential contender The xii legion fulminata of Ridgefield has been an early campaigner in its attempt to shed past controversies. Last minute declarations characterize the pace of the VP election with URA Head of Public Affairs Lanaograd, former Head of Recruitment New reiji, and Trekinstan of The Democratic Commonwealth joining the fray near to the close of candidacy filing. In an unexpected development, the VP race featured unique endorsements which was not largely seen for other positions. Lanaograd in particular has been publicly endorsed by incumbent Vice President Honeydewistania, presidential candidate Maricoen, India WA Delegate Indusse, and Philippines WA Delegate Ariusgrad, among others. Despite the endorsements, however, XII Legion has expressed how its strength and passion can be a game-changer in the race, while both New Reiji and Trekinstan assume the role of the "underdog" in hopes of attracting more votes.

Available data may lay credence to XII Legion's claims of a closer race than expected. The pre-election survey independently conducted by Vermont and montpelier has not shown a confident lead for Lanaograd, who is leading the survey at 52 percent. It is followed by XII Legion at 30 percent, New Reiji 8 percent, and Trekinstan 4 percent. The rest were write-in votes for unofficial candidates. A total of 27 member nations participated in the said survey, with a margin of error of 15 percent.

While there have been commonalities among the candidates in the issues, particularly in promoting activity and fostering closer relations between members, differences can also be noted. XII Legion has expressed its support for the creation of a judicial system and the reduction of government size to "give positions meaning." It has also taken up a dissenting opinion on how alliance policy should treat fascism and related right-wing ideologies, emphasizing diversity should mean recognizing that "not all fascists are evil people." In relation to this, XII Legion argues that communists should also be banned if fascists would have the same fate. The rest of the VP candidates have expressed opposition to extremism in general. Meanwhile, Lanaograd stresses its threefold vision, and the principle of maximizing benefits and minimizing compliance if the alliance seeks to create an inclusive and sustainable environment for growth. As for New Reiji and Trekinstan, they harp on their policies to make the URA "friendlier" and "important" to the average member.

Head of Recruitment Debate Boils Down to Question of Expansion

Serving as the alliance's foreign relations arm, the Recruitment Council sees a two-way contest between Augustin Alliance Joint Task Force Director Gibraltarica and Fylkirvegr Founder Freedomanica. Their campaigns have boiled down as to who has better policies to improve URA standing relative to the world.

While Gibraltarica has supported the recruitment of large regions to the alliance and a transition phase to support new regions, Freedomanica has taken up an unconventional position of focusing on internal growth of member regions, relegating active recruitment of new members as secondary. Gibraltarica stresses on Freedomanica's pledge by arguing on knowledge of the Recruitment Council mandate. Asked for a forecast on membership by the end of their term, Gibraltarica estimates 30 to 35 regions, while Freedomanica 35 to 40 regions. Although the alliance has seen new entries such as Blackstar, The Freedom Isles, and The DankLeft Commune, it has also endured departures in the past weeks leading up to the election, among them being Lisseum and Krasnaya.

In terms of their proposed recruitment criteria, Gibraltarica summarizes them to four major points: an active community, a proactive government, the existence of a World Assembly (WA) Delegate, and unconnected to unwelcome communities and ideologies. Freedomanica has been more specific, rejecting fascist, anti-WA, and embassy collector regions. Besides having a WA Delegate, it has also placed a floor membership size of 25, and an age floor of six weeks.

In related developments, a pre-election survey independently conducted by Vermont and montpelier was released January 15. For Head of Recruitment, Gibraltarica leads with 48 percent, closely followed by Freedomanica at 44 percent. The rest were write-in votes for unofficial candidates. A total of 27 member nations participated in the said survey, with a margin of error of 15 percent.

Participation Issues Arise in Head of Public Affairs Debate

The newest of the URA councils, the vice presidential bid of its first elected head Lanaograd has opened the Head of Public Affairs race to two contenders. The Flyin2 of The United Federations has been Lanaograd's rival in the previous Public Affairs election. Vermont and montpelier of The Labyrinth, who declared early its candidacy in hopes of campaigning against Lanaograd, faces off with The Flyin2 instead in this two-way election. Another prospective contender, Peshwas of The Great Experiment, has not formalized its candidacy despite publicly expressing desire to seek the position.

While both have agreed in the competency of the Public Affairs Council they will be taking over and in the commitment to boosting activity, the two candidates differ on policies in bringing about more participation among member nations. Aggressive strategies early in the electoral campaign has received negative feedback from a number of member regions, making the technical details on how to help them participate in and experience better alliance events the highlight of their debates. One event taken as example for argument is the planned URA Global Showcase, scheduled for March 2021. The Flyin2 does not see the necessity for such an event, although it proposes to focus more on URA functions if the showcase does materialize. Meanwhile, Vermont and Montpelier seeks to have all regions on board and model the event as a collection of accomplishments.

In related developments, a pre-election survey independently conducted by Vermont and montpelier was released January 15. For Head of Public Affairs, Vermont and Montpelier leads with 52 percent, followed by The Flyin2 at 33 percent. The rest were write-in votes for unofficial candidates. A total of 27 member nations participated in the said survey, with a margin of error of 15 percent.

Uncontested Head of Roleplay Candidate Aims to Attract More Activity After Elections

The elections for Head of Interregional Roleplay will be uncontested for the first time since January 2020 with Adachi being the only official candidate for the position. Promising smooth RP operations, Adachi believes that simplifying and advertising the RP facility of the alliance will be beneficial in driving more members to join as active players.

Contact Information

Feel free to telegram or Discord message the following if you have any questions or comments!

Discord Server
Founder Contact Info: Ellenburg/Free Azell, @Ellenburg#8639
President Contact Info: Suvmia, @Suvmia#1607
Vice President Contact Info: Honeydewistania, @Whatermelons#1111

Read dispatch

169 days ago

The February edition of The URA Tribune is hot off the press! Please give it a read and upvote!

The URA Tribune - Issue 3 February 2021

by Lanaograd

Upvote and share! ☝

THE URA TRIBUNE
AN EVERLASTING UNION

Taking off from the trail blazed by the URA Harbinger, the Tribune is the official publication of the United Regions Alliance.

Heralding Truthful News, Unifying Views

Suvmia Wins Second Term, Lanaograd is New VP in Highest Turnout Yet

The United Regions Alliance (URA) has chosen incumbent Suvmia to serve a second term as it overcame a slight lead by New Eastern Europe WA Delegate Maricoen in pre-election surveys. The first round has Suvmia up by 21 points over distant second placer Maricoen, but is a few votes short of a majority. The second round eliminated last placer The pir, who got 9 percent of the vote. This eventually gives Suvmia a final tally of 51 percent, followed by Maricoen's 31 percent. URA Armed Forces Field Marshal Allangoria polled 13 percent in the first round and 16 percent in the second round. In its post-election speech, Suvmia thanked the candidates as well as the voters in contributing to the highest voter turnout yet. With 117 votes cast, the January 2021 turnout posts a 60 percent increase from that of July 2020. The victorious incumbent also says the following in its call for the Cabinet members to lay down their long-term strategic programs, "It will be my pleasure, as well as my duty, to deserve that honor by dealing with all questions that come before me with firmness and impartiality." Allangoria, meanwhile, announced its intention to sit out the next election cycle, citing its commitment to the URA Armed Forces, as it congratulated the election winners.

The vice presidential race, however, stole the spotlight of the general elections as it took three rounds to determine the eventual victor. Former Head of Public Affairs Lanaograd has seen its pre-election lead slightly shrink enough to deprive it of an outright majority, obtaining 49 percent of the vote in the first round, followed by Ridgefield's The xii legion fulminata with 25 percent, Former Head of Recruitment New reiji with 18 percent, and the Democratic Commonwealth's Trekinstan with 8 percent. While Lanaograd's first round lead of 24 points over XII Legion is larger than Suvmia's lead over Maricoen, New Reiji and Trekinstan somehow overperformed pre-election surveys enough to force two more rounds of voting. With the third round giving Lanaograd 71 percent of the vote, the highest for any vice presidential candidate in alliance history, the URA welcomes the representative from the Philippines as its new Vice President. Both New Reiji and XII Legion have expressed their desire to run for positions in the next election cycle. Unlike the July 2020 results, XII Legion appears more amenable to accept the outcome of his second run for the said position. To recall, XII Legion lost by one vote to outgoing Vice President Honeydewistania in the previous election cycle. Meanwhile, Lanaograd has this to say in its post-election speech, "We have once again proven that the URA is an alliance and an arsenal of democracy. As we embark on the journey of inclusive and sustainable growth, we can hope that more voters would emerge in the years to come."

The race for council heads has been less contested compared to that of the standard bearers. Augustin Alliance Joint Task Force Director Gibraltarica wins over incumbent Freedomanica as Head of Recruitment with 64 percent of the vote, 16 points better than its pre-election showing. In its post-election address, Gibraltarica stresses the immense work needed for the alliance, "The world we work and abide in as players of NationStates is a beautiful, complex, and sometimes difficult world. It is my duty now to reach out into that world, and out of the turbulence therein, attempt to form greater order and more perfect union within it."

Meanwhile, Vermont and montpelier of The Labyrinth, already leading in pre-election surveys, trumps over The Flyin2 of The United Federations with 57 percent of the vote to become Head of Public Affairs. The Head of Interregional Roleplay is uncontested with Adachi, the only candidate for the position, assuming office. The triumphant candidates take office first day of February 2021 to lead the 30-region alliance.

Feature: Analysis of the January 2021 Elections from a Regional Lens

Authored by Scalizagasti

The January 2021 election in the URA saw the election of three new faces into the positions of Head of Recruitment, Head of Public Affairs, and Vice President. Meanwhile, President Suvmia won a decisive victory to secure a second term as the head of the alliance. Not only did this election bring change, it brought lots of data to be analyzed. The top four regions in terms of vote share were Conch Kingdom, New Eastern Europe, Anteria, and the Philippines, in that order. Collectively, these regions casted 65 votes, already majority of the 117 cast by all 30 member regions. The presence of these four regions should come as no surprise. CK, NEE, and Philippines all had candidates running for high-profile positions. Furthermore, CK and Anteria are two of the URA’s biggest regions by population, so a higher vote share is to be expected.

What is more interesting is the regional breakdown of the votes. First, let us look at Conch Kingdom. Jinkies (Gibraltarica) and Suvmia, both well-known figures in the region, won CK by huge margins (88 percent and 83 percent respectively). Meanwhile, HoPA Vermont and Montpelier underperformed in this region by fourteen points, winning merely 43 percent of the CK vote despite winning the election with 57 percent of the total vote. The VP breakdown is nothing too interesting, reflecting the final vote count with Lanaograd slightly overperforming and New Reiji slightly underperforming. One URA citizen wrote, “Suvmia's time as MoFA in CK probably won him this election.” Analyzing the vote distribution, it may be more complex than that. If no one from Conch Kingdom voted, the final results would be 41.5 percent Suvmia, 33 percent Maricoen, 15 percent Allangoria, 10.6 percent Pir. While Suvmia still has a good lead over his opponents, it is nowhere near the 49.6 percent of first choice votes received with CK’s help. After The Pir’s elimination, the second round results would be: 44.3 pervent Suvmia, 36.6 percent Maricoen, 19.1 percent Allangoria. To win, Suvmia would need only 5 votes from Allangoria. Did Suvmia’s popularity in CK help him win? Undoubtedly. But was it necessary to win? The evidence suggests elsewise.

Interestingly, New Eastern Europe seems to have voted completely differently from the rest of the alliance. Whether that is due to Maricoen’s candidacy or a unique political culture is hard to tell. Freedomanica won the majority of support in the region, far greater than the 36 percent he won throughout the alliance. Vermont and Montpelier took the region by storm, winning 80 percent of votes despite not even being a citizen in NEE. Maricoen won every single vote in the region, which should come as no shock. Half of Maricoen’s total vote share (15/33) came from NEE, which suggests that his strong second-place finish to Suvmia was carried by his home region. Indeed, if no one from NEE had voted, Suvmia would win handily on the first ballot with 57 percent of the vote. Lastly, the region was split three ways between Lanaograd, XII Legion, and New Reiji, each winning about one third of the regional vote. This was especially impressive for New Reiji, who only won 18 percent of the vote alliance wide.

Just as Maricoen’s base of support is in NEE, Lanaograd’s base of support is in the Philippines. Taking 100 percent of the vote, Lanaograd had the support of all 11 voters. However, it should be clear that Lanaograd’s victory could have been achieved without Philippines -- his 40 point lead over XII Legion in the third round of voting needs no analysis. Surprisingly, Jinkies won 100 percent of the vote in the region, performing even better than in Conch Kingdom or Anteria. Vermont and Montpelier and Jambon (The Flying 2) were tied in the region for support. Maricoen, who endorsed Lanaograd during the debates, seems to have been rewarded for doing so. In total, he picked up 63.6 percent of the vote share, crushing Suvmia with a 45-point lead. This information could lead to interesting electoral strategies in the future, where a candidate endorses another from a different region in order to gain even greater support. Hey, if it works in real life it should work in NationStates, right?

Last but not least, Anteria. Their voting patterns greatly resembled that of Conch Kingdom, a curious fact indeed. Does Anteria have a similar political culture to Conch Kingdom? Well, without more data (which we will not have until July) we cannot conclude that for certain. However, it would make sense if they were similar politically. Both regions are associated with the Augustin Alliance -- CK is a member of the alliance, and Anteria enjoys close relations with it (see the Joint Declaration of Friendship). Jinkies swept the region with 80 percent of the vote. Jambon did just as well, winning 73 percent, resembling his other majority in CK. Lanaograd won exactly 50 percent of the votes, comparable to his 55 percent in CK. Interestingly, Legion performed ten points higher than average, winning second with 36 percent. Ridgefield, the region from which Legion hails, is another member of the Augustin Alliance. While Suvmia could not replicate his CK landslide, he won a respectable 53 percent of the vote. In a surprising turn of events, The Pir, who was eliminated in the first round, saw strong support in Anteria. Over a fourth of Pir’s vote share (3/11) came from Anteria. Perhaps his simple messages of greater freedom and community engagement resonated with some voters here.

While this analysis has only focused on four out of thirty regions, the data has revealed some fascinating trends. Firstly (and least surprisingly), well-known candidates will receive disproportionate support from their home regions. Jinkies, Suvmia, Lanaograd, and Maricoen all demonstrated this fact. Secondly, Maricoen’s success in Philippines implies that endorsements can have an impact on the voting results. However, it remains to be seen whether this is true for every region, or only regions that have a relatively homogenous political culture. Thirdly, some regions have similar regional political cultures which could be targeted by candidates in future elections. Conch Kingdom and Anteria, both connected via the Augustin Alliance, had similar vote breakdowns. Anteria also disproportionately supported XII Legion, a candidate from AA region Ridgefield.

Future URA candidates would do well to not ignore these conclusions. Next election, it could be the difference.

URA Founder Shares Vision for the Future in Anteria Interview

Anteria's regional newspaper, the Three-Star Tribune, features URA Founder and Conch Kingdom WA Delegate Free Azell in an exclusive interview on its experience in NationStates. First joining the platform as Ellenburg in 2007, the founder would find it in a decade-long hiatus from gameplay until its return in 2018. Despite its regret, Free Azell also finds its lost years as "blessing in disguise."

The founder also shares its plans to step down from its function as World Assembly Delegate by March 2021, "My future beyond that I plan to continue to work to grow the URA. My first half of 2021 will be spent most likely working with JTF Active and getting some rust off from my R/D skills. Beyond that, I would like to work in a GCR (game created region) which is something I have yet to check off my NS bucket list."

The full interview with Free Azell can be accessed here.

Regional News: Anteria Among Few Large UCRs to Buck Global Trend of Decreasing WA Membership

In its monthly feature on World Assembly trends called The Shift, NationStates Today (NST) lists URA member Anteria among the few user created regions (UCRs) which posted positive WA membership growth. In general, UCRs register a 3.6 percent decrease in WA population in January 2021 when compared to December 2020. The global trend also records a similar fall of 3.6 percent.

Meanwhile, Anteria has increased by 1.5 percent, a significant improvement from its 0.8 percent decrease in December 2020. Three other regions besides Anteria also post positive growth among regions with 100-plus WA members, namely Forest (5.3 percent), The North Pacific (2.5 percent), and Wintreath (1.8 percent). The Shift also notes Conch Kingdom in its survey, among other large URA members, with a decrease of 3.7 percent. This is just about the global average, and in contrast with Conch Kingdom's spectacular 9.4 percent growth in December 2020.

Despite the numbers, NST observes the January data as "breaking the curse of real falls" in relation to 2020. Then again, if last year's performance was any indication, any forecast of recovery may be "preemptive" at this juncture.

Regional News: Philippines Commemorates 10th Anniversary under Longest Serving Delegate

First founded in 2003 and refounded on January 17, 2011, the Philippines is arguably one of the oldest member regions of the URA. In its anniversary message, WA Delegate Ariusgrad lauds the continued development of the region and its active participation in the alliance, "My hope is that the brand of leadership we inspire in the Philippines will be more recognized in the NS world, for no leader is without followership, and throughout the years, even as I have seen members come and go, we have stayed to become stronger and better together." However, far from its emerging international influence today, the Philippines has remained a relatively small and beleaguered region during its initial years as a region, having no more than 20 members by 2012 and being a constant target of invaders. The instability of the delegacy and the regional government it heads before Ariusgrad was a case in point, with any one Filipino delegate lasting an average of 3 months. The Philippines even had four delegates in August 2005 alone.

The assumption of office by its current delegate and president, Ariusgrad, drastically changed the dynamics of the themed region. As the longest serving delegate of the Philippines, Ariusgrad's continuous service from its first election on January 31, 2012 has provided unity, stability, and progress beyond compare in the region's history. From a peak of around 180 members in 2017, the Philippines has maintained membership above 100 for much of 2020. This allowed Ariusgrad to spearhead and sustain an enlarged government structure encouraging WA membership, doubling the number of operational offices from six in 2012 to twelve by 2020. Also, the longevity of Ariusgrad may well be regarded as world-class, as only six other WA delegates in regions with over 100 members have served for more than three years.

In related developments, Ariusgrad has initiated a new program to further spur growth in the Philippines while keeping its principles of "force in being" to uphold regional security in anticipation of new members. Meanwhile, the following commemorative graphic highlights the rich history of the Philippines under Ariusgrad's inspiring administration, which helped mold leaders such as Alliance Vice President Lanaograd and Philippines Defense Force Chief of Staff Secular State of the Philippines from one of the largest founderless and multilingual regions in the world.

URA Tribune Circulation Triples with Election Edition

With 300 reads as of this edition's publication, the previous issue of the URA Tribune featuring the January 2021 election campaigns has significantly exceeded circulation of the issue it succeeds by more than three times. This bodes well for the Tribune, one of the flagship programs successfully initiated by the Public Affairs Council this year, moving forward.

The Tribune has also exceeded the readership of its predecessor, the URA Harbinger, which accumulated 235 views since its brief run in June 2020. Outgoing Head of Public Affairs Lanaograd expresses hope that the new council under the leadership of Vermont and montpelier will be able to carry on the noble task of making the Tribune flourish as the alliance's flagship publication.

In connection to this, January 2021 also features a welcome development in information dissemination by the World Assembly Affairs Council as Scalizagasti initiates to publish dispatches concerning alliance decisions on resolution voting. This new tradition is meant "to make recommendations more accessible to citizens."