Category Archives: Cabinet

Xhorxh appointed Foreign Minister; Itravilatx makes exit official

Seneschal Sir Cresti Siervicül has announced that TNC leader and former MC Breneir Itravilatx has offered his resignation “due to his extra-Talossan responsibilities”.

The announcement comes after weeks of speculation about the political future of S:reu Itravilatx, who lost his Cosa seats due to missing two Clark votes in a row. His party colleage Tariq Zubair also lost his seats in the same way, leaving a somewhat bewildered Tamás Ónodi as the sole TNC representative in the Ziu.

The Seneschal thanked S:reu Itravilatx for his service, in particular highlighting his work establishing BHAID, the Kingdom’s official humanitarian agency. S:reu Itravilatx will be replaced by Éovart Xhorxh, a low-profile RUMP MC. S:reu Xhorxh previously served in the position in 2014, and is currently Ambassador-General for Asia and Oceania.

Xhorxh appointed Foreign Minister; Itravilatx makes exit official




Government silent on consequences of TNC travails

The government has remained tight-lipped about the future of the TNC in the coalition. This follows the loss of Cosa seats by two of the party’s three MCs for failing to vote on two consecutive Clarks. At the time of writing it appears now ex-MC Breneir Itravilatx remains in place as Foreign Minister.

Seneschal Sir Cresti Siervicül and ModRad party leader Senator Lüc da Schir had not responded to questions from ETT at the time of writing. ETT asked about the status of the Foreign Minister, and whether any sanctions would arise from a lack of engagement in government business, should this be the case.

Cabinet Chief of Staff Sir Alexandreu Davinescu, the most senior government figure to publicly comment on the situation, asked “wonder what is going on with him [i.e., S:reu Itravilatx]”. Sir Alexandreu had not responded to a request from ETT for further comment at the time of writing. 

The RUMP leader was a fierce critic of what he claimed was the inactivity of the previous government, and during the 49th Cosa election campaign called for greater accountability for recalcitrant Ministers, including their removal from office for non-performance.

Asked by ETT if the expulsion of the TNC MCs would in his opinion effect their participation in the coalition, ModRad MC and Minister of STUFF Ian Plätschisch would only say that “it is not my place to speculate on the future of the TNC, that is for the voters to decide”.

Opposition leader Senator Dien Tresplet was philosophical about the events, telling ETT that “it’s common for Ministers to disappear, regardless of what party leads the government”. He also expressed disappointment at his party colleague C. Carlüs Xheraltescu’s loss of the Fiova Senate seat, though he claimed that “with the general level of activity we’ve seen the last few months, I’m honestly surprised more people haven’t lost seats in the Ziu”.

Attempts to contact S:reux Itravilatx, Zubair and Tamás Ónodi, who is the sole survivor of the TNC caucus, have as yet been unsuccessful. Both Itravilatx and Zubair have however been active recently on social media. Ónodi last logged on to Wittenberg in early September, according to his profile.

Distain says Sir Cresti is not “puppet”, says plans on schedule

Distain Senator Lüc da Schir has rejected allegations that Seneschal Sir Cresti Siervicül is a “puppet”. The ModRad leader told ETT that Sir Cresti is leading the government and “makes all the important decisions”.

The Distain rejected recent claims by the FreeDems that RUMP leader and government Chief of Staff Sir Alexandreu Davinescu is the de facto leader of the Cabinet. Senator da Schir told ETT that Sir Alexandreu was aiding the Seneschal with “paperwork and coordinating projects”. He also claimed that in the absence of the Seneschal the coalition agreement provides for he, the Distain, to supervise the work of the government both internally and with respects to its public actions.

The Distain also pronounced himself satisfied with the progress of the government so far. Despite a delay due to legal issues, the crowd funding campaign for the issue of coinage is “being finalised and will be launched sometime in June”. He also told ETT that he was “confident” the Census would start in June as scheduled. He also commended the progress made by the Minister of Stuff, fellow ModRad Ian Plätschisch, in the website transition process.

Sir Cresti announces Coalition Cabinet

Seneschal Sir Cresti Siervicül has announced his recommendations to the King for his Cabinet. The Cabinet nominees, as first reported on Twitter by @ElTamlalt, are as follows:

Distain: Senator Lüc da Schir (MRPT)
Minister of Finance and Chief of Staff: Sir Alexandreu Davinescu MC (RUMP)
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Breneir Itravilatx MC (TNC)
Minister of Stuff: Ian Plätschisch MC (MRPT)
Minister of Culture: Senator Éovart Grischun (RUMP)
Minister of Interior: Dame Litz Cjantscheir, UrN, MC (RUMP)

No Attorney-General has been appointed, and the function will “remain under the remit of the Prime Ministry for the time being”. No Deputy Minister appointments have been announced at the time of writing.

The only returning Ministers are thus Lüc da Schir as Distain and Breneir Itravilatx as Foreign Minister. Like the Cabinets of the 48th Cosa, the Cabinet has one woman member, and also one serving Justice of el Cort pü Ìnalt (in the case of the Siervicül Cabinet, Dama Litz). The Cabinet does not have any Ministers based in the provinces of Fiova or Atatûrk though all other provinces are represented.

No coalition agreement has yet been published, so it is not clear at the time of writing what the government’s detailed priorities will be. The FreeDems have however promised scrutiny of the new government’s plans, with Miestrâ Schivâ already posting a Terpelaziun to the Minister of STUFF, S:reu Plätschisch. The Minister promised to reveal his plans once the Royal Commission on the Organic Law,, of which he is a member, has completed its work. Finance Minister Sir Alexandreu Davinescu has also stated, while discussing an issue with the backup of Wittenberg, that he is working on the 49th Cosa Budget.

The new title of “Chief of Staff” also elicited some questions from the opposition. Replying to a query from Senator C. Carlüs Xheraltescù, the Chief of Staff himself described his new role as “basically a management or clerical position, keeping track of projects, deadlines, and the like”. This seems to reflect the focus placed on ministerial accountability during the electoral campaign by the coalition parties.

King appoints “well-respected” Sir Cresti as Seneschal

HM King John has appointed Sir Cresti Siervicül MC as Seneschal. In a brief public statement, the King stated that he had been formally notified that a majority coalition of the RUMP, the ModRads and the TNC had been formed in the Cosa, as announced via press release on 26th March. Under the Organic Law, he would therefore appoint the nominee of that majority. Sir Cresti described himself as “truly humbled” by the appointment.

Sir Cresti Siervicül was recently described as “one of the most well-respected Talossans in the country” by RUMP party leader Sir Alexandreu Davinescu. According to TalossaWiki, Sir Cresti, an attorney by profession with a young family, became a Talossan in 2005. He was initially attracted by his interest in el ghleþ, the Talossan language, which he has continued to pursue as el Ladintsch Naziunal (leader of the country’s linguistic efforts). In this capacity he has published a number of linguistic works, notably Prüms Päçen, a guide for beginners in the language, which was published in association with the Ministry of Culture.

In 2007 he was knighted by King John as a member of the Order of the Nation in recognition of his services in the study of el ghleþ, and for his work as a jurist and lawmaker. Sir Cresti is Constable (personal representative of the King) in the province of Cezembre, and was an MC during the 35th Cosa before being appointed Puisne Justice of el Cort pü Inalt. He later returned to the Cosa, serving from the 44th Cosa to the present. He was a founder of the RUMP, of which he continues to be a senior member.

Sir Cresti recently became embroiled in the Canun Case, due to having failed to publicly disclose his discovery of the latter’s conviction for serious crimes in the United States. He did not reveal the information at the request of Iason Taiwos, a friend of Canun’s. He later described this as a “serious error of judgement”, and was removed from the proposed FreeDem “Cabinet of Talents” as a result of the controversy. Sir Cresti was critical of ETT’s coverage of the affair, describing it as politically motivated, an accusation rejected by the publication.

Coalition: Full text of statement

After open and free dialogue among many parties, the RUMP, the Moderate Radicals, and the Talossan National Congress have agreed to form a Government as a coalition, committing to support as Seneschal del Regipäts Talossan the well-known and well-respected Sir Cresti Siervicül, UrN. The coalition Government will be committed to active and competent governance for all Talossans and upon a program of action for provincial reform, partisan reform, electoral reform, and monarchy reform

48th Cosa Election: Da Schir says ModRads will “strive” for “working government”

Speaking to ETT yesterday, ModRad leader Senator Lüc da Schir stated that his party was determined to continue with talks to form a new government. Declaring that “nobody wants new elections”, the ModRad leader told ETT that his party will “strive” to give Talossa a “working government”.

Senator da Schir also revealed that his party had received proposals from both the FreeDem and RUMP parties after 1st March. He described the RUMP as offering a “full coalition [making] many concessions”. He claimed that the FreeDems offered “none of that”, and that he was conscious of what he claimed was “bitter contempt for some of us” from the reformists’ ranks.

Yesterday’s statement from Miestrâ Schivâ’s statement on the failure of talks with the RUMP mentioned what it claimed was a non-negotiable requirement for a formal coalition from the ModRads. Senator da Schir told ETT  that this was actually an attempt on his part to suggest a way of making the FreeDem offer appear more palatable to his party membership. He further claimed that he had been willing to concede complete power to the Seneschal over the staffing of the Cabinet, which would not necessarily have to include ModRad members, but only within a formal coalition framework.

He also declared that he had always dealt with both proposals as “serious offers”, but that the hostility he perceived from FreeDems had “changed his mind”.

The Senator says he was told by FreeDem negotiators that this offer had been discussed but ultimately rejected by the FreeDem membership, a decision the ModRad leader ascribed to the fact his party “are not popular” with elements within the FreeDems due to the collapse of the last government. He ascribes the FreeDem willingness to consider the RUMP as an alternative , despite what he claims was FreeDems  telling him that the latter had made an “unacceptable” offer, to this negative feeling.

Despite the ultimate failure of talks with the FreeDems, Senator da Schir praised Miestrâ Schivâ for “her honesty and her goodwill efforts”, and that “it wasn’t she, after all, who decided we weren’t worthy of sitting at the same table”.

Asked by ETT if his party had considered an attempt to form a centrist government as an alternative to the two major parties, the ModRad leader stated that while “ideas to form a liberal/centrist pole were floating around our Congress” the MRPT had decided to limit centrist cooperation to an “informal pact” in the 49th Cosa, but that he did not rule out pursuing a united front for the 50th Cosa election.

49th Cosa Election: FreeDems “ends” government talks, claim impasse

In a press release issued today,  FreeDem leader Miestrâ Schivâ has announced the “end” of FreeDem participation in government talks, claiming that deadlock had been reached in the party’s negotiations with both the ModRads and the RUMP.

The statement claims that a proposed pact between the FreeDems and the RUMP has been rejected by the membership of the latter within the last 24 hours. This follows what the statement claims is the breakdown of talks with the ModRads. The statement claims that the centrist party had previously told the FreeDems that they excluded any agreement that fell short of a formal coalition. The FreeDems campaigned on the basis that they would not enter a formal coalition.

The FreeDem leader complimented the “good faith” of the RUMP negotiators and described herself as “disappointed” by the outcome. She described a coalition of the RUMP, MRPT and TNC as “the only remaining option” for forming a government.

Speaking to ETT, ModRad leader Senator Lüc da Schir declared that he was “glad…that my party is in the position of negotiating by setting its own terms” and that the MRPT has been “100% following our electoral pledges and we’re very proud of that”.

He also stated that his remarks on coalition referred to in the FreeDem statement were not a condition but a suggestion, aimed at encouraging his party members to see the FreeDem offer in a more balanced light. He also confirmed that an offer of coalition had been made by the RUMP, but had not disclosed any further details at the time of writing.

RUMP leader Sir Alexandreu Davinescu could not be reached for comment at the time of writing (early morning in the United States).

49th Cosa Election: ModRads support key to next government

Based on the provisional results, no party is in a position to dominate the next Cosa. With alliances thus necessary, all the major parties are now engaged in behind the scenes talks to try and stitch together the indispensable Cosa majority that will persuade the King to nominate their candidate for Seneschal, with the ModRads finding themselves the indispensable element in almost all credible scenarios.

The FreeDems are certainly the largest party, and are in fact the only established party to gain seats. When asked if the results were in line with their expectations, Miestrâ Schivâ told ETT that they were “better than I feared, though not as good as I hoped”. She ascribed the gain in support to the FreeDem to the anti-coalition stance of the FreeDems, as well as their handling of the Canun revelations. She also claimed that she did not anticipate a swift agreement on a new government, claiming that the ModRads “have a difficult decision to make” and have “slow internal processes”, but refused to be drawn on the specifics of the negotiations.

A FreeDem source has however told ETT that identical approaches have been made to both ModRads and the RUMP. While refusing to be drawn on the content, it would seem that the FreeDems have continued their refusal of a traditional coalition, instead asking for support for a meritocratic “Cabinet of Talents” under FreeDem leadership. A source in the ModRad camp has however suggested the FreeDem approach was more an attempt to ascertain what demands the former had than a detailed proposal.

Since election night the FreeDems have been suggesting that the substantial swing towards them is, in the words of Senator C. Carlüs Xheraltescù in the Wittenberg Shoutbox, “indicative of the people’s will”. They are however 34 seats short of a majority, a fact that both the RUMP and the ModRads have been careful to point out in recent days.

Sir Alexandreu Davinescu told ETT that the RUMP’s performance was “a little worse than expected”, but ascribed this to the peculiar circumstances of the election. In the Shoutbox the RUMP leader has ascribed the mediocre performance of his party to the fallout of the Canun Case, which kept him from last-minute campaigning. He also rejected the notion that the FreeDems had a clear mandate for power on their terms, claiming that electors had in fact “voted all over the place”.

The RUMP leader told ETT that he could not say when an agreement could be reached, but that “there are several ongoing discussions between all the different parties, and I expect some of them will bear some fruit”. Indeed Sir Alexandreu posted on the ModRad party forum announcing he had contacted ModRad leader Senator Lüc da Schir “a few times” and was available to answer any questions from party members.

Attempts to contact both the ModRad leader and TNC leader Breneir Itravilatx were unsuccessful at the time of writing. However when seeking re-election as party leader in January of this year, Senator da Schir stated that a “lay-low crossbench term” would be his preferred option for the 49th Cosa, though he has subsequently reaffirmed the traditional ModRad policy of ruling out no government option before the end of the election.

For his part, the TNC leader has publicly reaffirmed his party’s insistence that they will not participate in government without “formal agreement for a majority-supported and stable coalition””.

A ModRad source has told ETT that the party had anticipated seat losses to both the FreeDems and the TNC, and that their primary concern at this point was figuring out how they could best advance their legislative goals. The source also confirmed that the party had received a coalition proposal from the RUMP, without revealing the details.

What is clear is that in the absence of a likely pre-election coalition, the King’s mediation will play a crucial role. Party leaders ETT has spoken to agree that they expect the King to contact each party leader individually to ascertain their views on the next government once the final election results are known.

According to the Organic Law “if no single party has a majority, the King shall appoint a Seneschál after consulting party leaders with the objective of finding a PM who can be sustained in subsequent Votes of Confidence by a majority of seats in the Cosâ.” The King has one month to announce the appointment of a Seneschal or the Cosa is automatically dissolved.