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The head writer of The Satherlandic Times, the Republic of satherland, has recently announced his candidacy for the commission. This campaign is purely exploratory, and is purely for the purposes of research and raising public awareness. This campaign is designed purely for the research of our head writer, and to a lesser extent, draw attention to several issues in the region. This candidate is NOT properly contesting against the Kingdom of Outer Sparta or the Kingdom of Dizgovzy. More information will be provided in Issue X of The Satherlandic Times.

Sunday, 16 February 2020
The election season officially kicked off at 12:19 hrs GMT when Regnum Italiae provided a gentle reminder to the European cabinet to send out the customary mass telegram that normally precedes the campaign period. This prompted a response from Rivierenland at 12:21 hrs GMT, stating that it was "time to get myself (Rivierenland) back in the game", further stating that he would no longer oppose the institution of term limits for members of the commission as he did in his past bids for the commission as "we know what happened last time". This refers to the public backlash he received while campaigning in the November 2019 and the December 2019 elections, with his views widely perceived as contrary to those of the larger European community.

At 12:35 hrs GMT, the River Kingdom of Rivierenland officially announced his campaign for the office of commissioner. Rivierenland, a long time regular in the regional community, has endured 7 failed bids for the commission and a short stint as commissioner in January after the winner of the December elections, Gor Kebab, was ejected from the WA for rules violations after just one day in office. Rivierenland, now the interim commissioner, attempted to perform his duties despite receiving backlash from several disgruntled parties, but resigned from his post and left the region for Thaecia after just 23 days in office amid ongoing conflicts with Gor Kebab and Feria-Alkaline, the incumbent home secretary.

Rivierenland's return to Europe on 6 February was welcomed by much of the region, although tensions remain high between the candidate and Feria-Alkaline. While Rivierenland has resided in the region for only 10 days (and not the 28 required to the eligible to run), there has been no intervention from the European government to disqualify him from the race, and in theory his 413-day residency in the region prior to his departure from Europe should easily make him qualified to run for the commission. Rivierenland's campaign announcement was generally well received, as of 06:32 hrs GMT on Monday the 17th, his campaign post has 11 likes on the RMB, well above his average of 3.041 likes per post.

The River Kingdom of Rivierenland's Campaign Announcement:
I announce here that I'm running for Second Deputy Commissioner. (I'm back in the race!)

In fulfillment of the transparency requirements specified by the Election Regulations 2020​, I affirm that Jet2#4453 and http://www.europe-game.eu/index.php?members/rivierenland.2502/ are my Discord account and forum account, respectively.​

http://www.europe-game.eu/index.php?threads/election-disclosures.12912/page-5#post-360688

The Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth
Imperium Anglorum

Shortly after at 13:16 hrs GMT, the Comunidad Socialista Libre of Alienage announced his candidacy for the commission. This will be his fifth bid for the commission. Alienage has never amassed more than 5 votes in the each past election, often considered a fringe candidate by moderate voters for his association with communism. While Alienage has attempted to rebuff his critics by assuring the electorate that he does not intend to turn Europe into a communist state as some may fear, this has done little to dispel any concerns about a communist commissioner in a moderate region. Alienage's campaign announcement was met with little fanfare, receiving only 3 likes, matching his average of 3.034 likes per post.

The Comunidad Socialista Libre of Alienage's Campaign Announcement:
Holá

I announce here that I'm running for 2nd Deputy Commissioner.

In fulfillment of the transparency requirements
specified by the Election Regulations 2020​, I affirm that

Vicente#2502

and

http://www.europe-game.eu/index.php?members/extranjer%C3%ADa.2528/

are my Discord account and forum account, respectively.​

http://www.europe-game.eu/index.php?threads/election-disclosures.12912/page-5

The Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth
Imperium Anglorum

-

Good luck to all.

Sinceramente,

Vicente

At 16:28 hrs GMT, Rivierenland released a dispatch titled "Why you should vote Rivierenland", were he appealed to the greater European electorate for support. In his dispatch, the candidate applauded the previous government's institution of a moderation committee on Eurocord, but stated his belief that commissioners should be given the authority to ban/eject residents of the region and stated his belief that cabinet members should be elected. The means of which the candidate intends to make this manifesto a reality is unknown, as only the delegate has the authority to implement such changes.

Why you should vote Rivierenland, by the River Kingdom of Rivierenland
page=dispatch/id=1320334

Upon receiving several questions from Dizgovzy, a member of the European Parliament, Rivierenland elaborated further on his campaign manifesto, stating his intention to expand the moderation committee to include members of the WA office, a largely defunct organisation which is tasked to debate upon the merit of World Assembly resolutions. Further developments on this topic are to follow.

Alienage also released a campaign dispatch, which labelled his opponents as growing stale and surmised that the European public would prefer someone more exciting: him. Upon receiving negative backlash from several electors and his fellow rivals, Alienage promptly deleted his dispatch and any record of its existence, following a growing trend of him deleting unpopular posts to cover his tracks, such as the communist-style St Scarlett, Rivierenland and Imperium Anglorum flags that were posted on the #chatter page of Eurocord before being promptly taken down after negative backlash from both Rivierenland and the Republic of satherland.

At 20:20 hrs GMT, The Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth officially kicked off the campaigning season with a mass telegram, officially starting the two week electoral process that will conclude on Saturday, 29 February with a definitive winner.

At 21:32 hrs GMT, the Kingdom of Anskerdank announced his bid for the commission, appearing fairly confident to snatch a victory. Anskerdank, a nation of just 229 million who resided in the region for just 37 days, is projected to be an unlikely candidate, but only time will tell how the junior candidate fares over the next two weeks.

The Kingdom of Anskerdank's Campaign Announcement:
In fulfilment of the transparency requirements specified by the Election (No. 2) Regulations 2018, I affirm that CommunistRepublicofAnskerdank#1843 and http://www.europe-game.eu/index.php?members/anskerdank.2550/ are my Discord account and forum account, respectively.

I would hereby like to declare my candidacy for the forthcoming elections.
Imperium Anglorum
The Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth

Just one minute later at 21:32 hrs GMT, incumbent 2nd Deputy Commissioner Outer Sparta officially announced his bid for reelection. The candidate espoused a hope to have the February election be "a boring one" and appeared confident in his reelection bid.

The Kingdom of Outer Sparta's Campaign Announcement:
I will be running for reelection for the 2nd Deputy Commissioner post.

In fulfillment of the transparency requirements specified by the Election (No. 2) Regulations 2020, I affirm that Outer Sparta#6557 and http://www.europe-game.eu/index.php?members/outer-sparta.1825/ are my Discord account and forum account, respectively.​

http://www.europe-game.eu/index.php?threads/election-disclosures.12912/page-5#post-360698

Imperium Anglorum
The Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth

Meanwhile, in a stunning turn of events, Alienage announced that he will retract his bid for the commission at 23:21 hrs GMT for what he claims is inappropriate behaviour partaken by the home secretary, Feria-Alkaline toward his fellow candidates. Feria-Alkaline has recently received widespread backlash from electors for what is widely seen as disrespectful behaviour towards others, lashing out at members of parliament and throwing insults which would be unbecoming of a cabinet member on Eurocord. Ms Alkaline's recent behaviour has also prompted renewed calls from both Rivierenland and Outer Sparta to hold elections for cabinet members. The incumbent home secretary has yet to respond towards these allegations.

That concludes the 16 February edition of The Satherlandic Times. With three candidates in the running and one dropping out spectacularly after just 10 hours in the race, this election is hyped to be an interesting one. More updates are to follow.

Monday, 17 February 2020
On Monday at 02:07 hrs GMT, the Commonwealth of Of herbshire officially announced his bid for the commission, becoming the fifth candidate to announce their bid for the commission. Of Herbshire, a resident of Europe since 1 May 2019, is sporadically active on the European Regional Message Board (RMB) and hails from Malaysia. Not much else is known about the candidate. As of 07:17 hrs GMT on the 17th of February, Of Herbshire's campaign announcement has received little fanfare and has only garnered 2 likes. More updates will be published as they transpire.

The Commonwealth of Of herbshire's Campaign Announcement:
Dear member states of Europe, as well as the region's WA Delegate Imperium Anglorum

I hereby announce my candidacy for the 2020 European Commissioner Elections.

In fulfilment of the transparency requirements specified by the Election (No. 2) Regulations 2018, I affirm that "PM Of Herbshire#7679" and "http://www.europe-game.eu/index.php?members/herbshire.1803/" are my Discord account and forum account, respectively.​

At 08:07 hrs GMT, Anskerdank released a campaign telegram, one week before it was customary to do so and six days before polls open. Writing his telegram in a Q&A format, the candidate claimed that he'll "further democracy in Europe", and that there will be "fun and creative polls using suggestions from you". The candidate also cited his "newcomer of the month" award in the January 2020 edition of EuroNews as a reason to vote for him, and claimed that he's not one to "shy away from any request". He also claimed that he'll make Europe as happier region. More information on the candidate will be published soon.

BREAKING NEWS: Alienage, elector and former candidate for the commission, has released a dispatch urging other candidates to drop out of the race as a form of protest. The dispatch, released at 12:51 hrs GMT and is titled "Why no one should campaign for commissioner this time.", accuses incumbent home secretary Feria-Alkaline of "say(ing) things that where really bad towards ALL candidates expect (except) Of Herbshire", "hurting his corazon (heart)", and blamed her for a recent bout of insomnia that allegedly resulted in him falling asleep at 3 am.

Alienage, also known as Vicente, provided his young age (14) as a justification of why he was "hurt so bad". He also alleged that The Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth, the incumbent foreign secretary, personally sent him a telegram urging him to "not be afraid of Feria" and to run for the commission as previously planned. Vicente further alleges that the home secretary insulted him "in the worst way possible", and questioned how such a person was allowed to hold a position of power. More updates on this development will be published soon.

Why no one should campaign for commissioner this time., by the Comunidad Socialista Libre of Alienage
page=dispatch/id=1320669

For The Satherlandic Times, I'm Joshua Thomas. Today, we sat down with the Kingdom of Anskerdank, who is running for the commission for the first time. Here are the transcripts of our interview.

Q: Hi, it's Josh. Y'know, the Republic of Satherland?
A: Yes

Q: Okay, let's start with the basics. Where are you from and why did you choose this region? These are just a few warm-up questions.
A: I am from the UK, and I chose this region as I had a nation in Europe prior to having Anskerdank as my main. As I am from Europe in real life, and it matched with my values, it was perfect.

Q: What was your last nation if I might ask?
A: Free Isri Rady. I then made it a puppet to found a new region.

Q: Understood, thanks. Now on to the next question. What made you decide to run for the commission, and why now?
A: Well, ever since I had joined and learnt about the elections, I have wanted to hold a position to make Europe an even better place than it already is. I’m only doing it now as I have just passed the 28 day residency requirement, so I thought it would be good to begin as early as possible.

Q: Alright, let's move on to your recent mass telegram. You send it out rather early, six days before polls opened, and a week before it is customary to do so. Is there a strategy to this?
A: Well, I decided that I should look eager, and raring to go, and if any questions were asked, I would have time to answer them.

Q: Alright, let's focus on the contents of your telegram. You said in the TG that you wanted to further democracy in the region and make Europe a happier place. How would you, as commissioner, make do on your promises?
A: Well, for a start, I believe that well-chosen polls help with the happiness, and to boost both democracy and happiness I will be taking suggestions from the citizens of Europe.

Q: Thank you. I have no further questions. I wish you all the best for your election bid.
A: Thank you very much.

Monday, 17 February 2020
The Kingdom of Anskerdank formally withdrew from the February elections amid growing tensions with several RMB regulars on Monday. Anskerdank, announcing his decision at 18:07 hrs GMT, faced mounting pressure on his campaign from several parties after aligning himself with former candidate Alienage, who has recently come out to accuse incumbent foreign secretary Feria-Alkaline of disorderly and inflammatory conduct.

Tensions erupted when Feria-Alkaline joined the RMB at 17:23 hrs GMT, with Anskerdank purporting that the home secretary "had some explaining to do". A small skirmish between Anskerdank and The Oriental Empire followed, with Ms Orient stating bluntly that "I dislike all current candidates", calling back to her less-than-amicable relationships with the other candidates. With tensions gradually increasing, Anskerdank cited Alienage's Why do one should run for commissioner this time. (covered in Issue II of The Satherlandic Times) as proof of the home secretary's mistreatment of people on Eurocord.

Upon reading this, Feria-Alkaline defended herself, justifying her actions as her providing "her opinion", before accusing Anskerdank of being unable to accept differing opinions. Over the course of the next hour, a back-and-forth involving the parties mentioned above and by extension Laver Island, Outer Sparta and Novgorod-Pskov occured in the RMB. Over the course of the skirmish, the parties against Anskerdank used his lack of experience in the region to assert that "nobody knows you". The candidate then cited his "newcomer of the month" and "quote of the month" awards from EuroNews as proof that he is well-known in the European sphere of influence. The conflict culminated in Anskerdank formally withdrawing from the electoral race, and announcing his departure from the region at 18:35 hrs GMT for an unknown period of time.

Which two candidates dropping out of the race in two days, only Rivierenland, Of herbshire and Outer Sparta remain. The outcome of this election remains to be seen, but none of the current three candidates are projected to drop out of the race. More updates will be published as developments arise.

Disclaimer: The content published in this article is entirely the opinion of the writer in question, and does not represent the views of this organisation.

By Joshua Thomas
Tuesday, 18 February 2020

Diz, I'm posting this out publicly because you're ignoring my telegrams. I would prefer to do this privately, but I guess I have no choice.

I loved you man. You were a great presence to be around. I didn't mean to drive you away. I didn't mean to make things so bad. I don't want you to leave. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to be a jerk to you. Please come back. I'm begging you. I can't stand another regular leaving, and it's worse this time because you've named me as one of the reasons you're leaving. Please don't go.

Maybe a sorry isn't enough. Maybe I've gone too far. Maybe I've hurt you to the point where I no longer deserve to be forgiven. If that's the case, I understand. I've hurt people that I cared about before. But if you can't bring yourself to forgive me for all of the infractions that I've committed, all of the awful things I've said, all of the times I was an insensitive arse, just take these words with you: I didn't mean any of it. I didn't intend to hurt you. I didn't do anything with malice. I just didn't realise how much my words hurt until it was too late.

Maybe you'll never read this. Maybe you've blocked me on NS. Honestly, I wouldn't blame you. I know how difficult I can be. You treated me with kindness and respect, and I returned the favour with insults and deceit. I don't deserve your forgiveness. But I just hope that you'll find it in your heart to stay, not for me, but for everyone here who cares for you. F*ck Orient. F*ck Gor. Hell, f*ck me. But don't let our toxic behaviour deter you from remaining a part of this community. We aren't worth you becoming inactive over.

Diz, I know that we'll probably never be able to speak on amicable terms again. I know that I've hurt you, and that you can't just forgive and forget. But please, please don't make the community as a whole suffer from my actions. Please don't deprive yourself from being with everyone here because of the stupid and immature behaviour partaken by myself and a handful of other offenders. Please.

With regards,
Josh

Tuesday, 18 February 2020
Former candidate for the commission Alienage released yet another dispatch today in response to recent events, where he alleged that fellow former candidate Anskerdank was "bullied" out of Europe.

Titled "Declaración - Statement" and released at 11:11 hrs GMT, the former candidate addressed recent events regarding himself and several prominent members of the European community that transpired over the last two days. He cited differences between American and Spanish free speech norms as the reason why he felt offended by statements made by incumbent home secretary Feria-Alkaline over the past two days.

Alienage (known informally as Vicente) also drew attention to the Kingdom of Dizgovzy's recent withdrawal from mainstream European affairs and claimed to be driven to tears by Dizgovzy's farewell message. On another note, the 14 cum 15 year-old pledged to once again run in the coming March elections, marking the sixth time he will seek elected office.

"Declaración - Statement" by the Comunidad Socialista Libre of Alienage
page=dispatch/id=1321031

Wednesday, 19 February 2020
Yet another candidate has jumped into the electoral race today as the Raiders of the Lost Womb of Serbia-macedonia announced his intention to contest in the coming elections. Posted at 23:26 hrs GMT, the candidate released the following statement along with a campaign dispatch, informing the public, The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (rather than The Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth) and Imperium Anglorum of his candidacy.

The Raiders of the Lost Womb of Serbia-macedonia's Campaign Announcement:
The format is a bit-out of touch, but I'll find a way to fix it. I am happy to announce my (official, non-joking) campaign for commissioner! I may be new to the NS political game, but from observing (drew durnil mode, for y'all YT nerds), I believe I can come across as a new face in the political game, albeit I've been here for nearly 3 years now (ish). This may not be the best time either, but I feel the urge to get it out.

Imperium Anglorum
The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The candidate's accompanying campaign dispatch, titled Campaign for Commissioner, provides an overview of the candidate's affiliations and campaign promises. The candidate claims to not be affiliated with "any specific ideology and position" but identifies as a centre-right/"mid right wing" individual. The candidate also promised to enact the institution of term limits for all government positions bar the WA delegate, citing that "some of these people have been elected on constantloop for the past 2-3 years straight". Whether the candidate is unaware of the Commission (Term Limit) Act 2019 or simply seeks to amend the bill, pass a new act to enact term limits for cabinet members or abolish the Commission (Term Limit) Act 2019 altogether in favour of a comprehensive term limit act is unknown.

The candidate followed up his remarks with his rationale for contesting in this month's elections, stating that "there is so much to be mended and sewn back together in our crumbling community", referring to an onslaught of trolls in recent months, and cited the recent drama involving "Dizgovsy" (Dizgovzy) and Greifenburg, as well as the "outright chaos" in the RMB as other reasons for his candidacy.

The Kingdom of Dizgovzy recently vowed to withdraw from European affairs after a series of skirmishes involving several members of the community. The elector returned after a day of inactivity, citing the distraught response from the community, and recently came out as bisexual during another skirmish involving several members of community, including Gor nacho, Feria-Alkaline, St Scarlett, Miharr, the Republic of satherland, and Slavakino, who is the subject of increasing ridicule for his controversial views on homosexuality and transgenders. Greifenburg, a sporadically active member of the community, recently departed for The Rejected Realms after clashing with Bathera earlier today.

Campaign for Commissioner, by the Raiders of the Lost Womb of Serbia-macedonia
page=dispatch/id=1321677

The announcement of Serbia-Macedonia's intentions for the commission comes as a surprise to much of the European populace, as the candidate was recently banned on Eurocord for suggestive remarks made about women and children, as well as attempting to leave the region altogether due to the fallout from his actions just hours before announcing his intentions to run for the commission. With mounting pressure from all sides and with three other candidates already in the running, the chances of Serbia-Macedonia winning in the election is unlikely, but cannot be ruled out. More updates soon.

For The Satherlandic Times, I'm Joshua Thomas. Today, I spoke to Outer Sparta, the incumbent 2nd Deputy Commissioner, on his positions on contemporary issues and his take on the recent crises erupting in the region. Here are the transcripts of our interview.

Q: Good evening Sparta. Alright, let's start with the basics. What is your background and why did you choose Europe as your region?
A: I have first joined NS in late 2014 when I was in middle school. Europe appealed to me because I thought it would be a nice, fun region I can stay and be able to interact with others and converse about various things.

Q: Alright, you first ran for the commission in November and won comfortably. What made you decide to run then and why did you decide to run for re-election?
A: I decided to run in November because I thought it would be a good time for me to get involved in regional politics. Although I have been a native for over five years I was content on being an ordinary resident for most of my time. Back in November I was confident I could take the next step and serve my region, as we were dealing with troll problems and I wanted to pitch in on how to address that. I'm running for reelection to keep building up stability and ideas and policies that's best for the region. You need to have someone who's experienced in that area, and I believe I am the best candidate for that task.

Q: Let's turn our attention to your first term as commissioner. What have you done that you believe warrants the voters giving you another term?
A: Whenever regional conflicts, internal or external, strike, I immediately get cracking on the case and ask questions to understand the whole context of the event, and if necessary, I'll flag down the Cabinet for the appropriate action. When Gor Kebab got kicked out of the WA for rules violations, I took action by trying to understand the whole scope of such events and to offer a way to move forward. Whenever trolls strike, I report their rule-breaking behavior to the Cabinet to have their inputs on the appropriate action. When Riv unexpectedly resigned and left, I took to great lengths to figure out the underlying cause and all the factors that led to his decision, such as how he was viewed as commissioner and the political toxicity in the region that still takes its toll today. I have campaigned for electoral reform in the case of a tie in a race featuring more than two candidates. Even though I haven't passed my alternative vote plan yet, I still aim for resolving ties that way. Finally, I will continue my in-depth and interesting polls featuring stuff from NS lore or from real-life. Others can suggest to me new ideas for them.

Q: Well, speaking of the Cabinet, there has been some animosity between yourself and the incumbent home secretary, has there not?
A: There has been some conflict when I report trollish behavior permeating on the RMB and no action has been taken without much explanation. I have softened my position regarding the issue of repeat offenders coming back into the region since I now believe that we should give them a chance but keep them on a watchlist for potential misbehavior. As of now, we've been on better terms and I hope to keep it that way.

Q: Let's move on, shall we? What is your pitch to the citizens of Europe? What makes you the best candidate in the field to operate as an effective commissioner?
A: Well for one, I have been a longstanding member of our region and on NS as a whole, so I have plenty of knowledge when it comes to regional issues and the like. I am pretty active so that means I have the best understanding of what's going on in our region and to take action if necessary. I will do my best to maintain the peace and to have the RMB be a place featuring good conversations, whether it's by promoting regional events or conducting polls on a multitude of topics.

Q: Do have any opinions on the ongoing conflicts in the RMB or Alienage and Anskerdank's recent withdrawals from the campaign? What's your take on it?
A: I understand the political pressures of campaigning and how much candidates are pressed to clarify their positions. That being said, if you can withstand the pressures of campaigning, you can certainly withstand the rigor of being a commissioner and I will reach out to both Alienage and Anskerdank about this issue. As for the conflicts in the RMB, it's been clear we have been lagging on enforcement of the site rules. We need to be more vigilant on resolving conflicts in the RMB and to not shy away from using powers delegated in the region's laws that allow us to resolve such conflicts.

Q: Thank you for time. Good luck for your campaign.
A: Thank you for interviewing me.

Thursday, 20 February 2020
The Commonwealth of Of herbshire has possibly dropped out of the electoral race after failing to properly announce his campaign for commissioner on the regional forum EuropeGame. It is unclear whether or not the candidate has formally withdrawn his bid for the office of commissioner. More updates soon.

In other news, candidate for the commissionSerbia-macedonia has completed the requirements for contesting in the coming elections after disclosing his intentions to run for the office of commissioner on EuropeGame at 14:57 hrs GMT. The candidate has now officially entered the race.

For The Satherlandic Times, I'm Joshua Thomas. Today, I spoke with Rivierenland, former commissioner and a seven-time candidate for the commission. Here are the transcripts of our interview.

Q: Good afternoon Riv. Let's begin with the basics. What is your background and why did you choose Europe as your region of residence?
A: I'm Portuguese, currently living in the Netherlands. I decided to stay in Europe because Europe offered very tempting opportunities and because the European community was a very great one.

Q: Let's move on to your campaign, shall we? You have run for the commission seven times prior, if I am not mistaken. What makes your campaign in this election different from your other unsuccessful attempts? What is your pitch to the voters?
A: This time I'm not campaigning against term limits like I did the last time. This time I abstain on the issue. But I do now campaign for Cabinet elections and term limits for Cabinet. I have taken a slightly different approach to my campaign than the last times and it shows.

Q: Alright. Let's talk about your 23-day term as commissioner and your subsequent departure from the region. What are your thoughts on the drama, and why did you depart with such haste?
A: I left because of stuff that happened before the eventful January. That January was just the final nail in the coffin, but I'm weak so I returned. I realise that it was my biggest mistake here to ever leave Europe. Also, I accomplished nothing and everything I came up with was disliked by everyone. Like my punching bag project.

Q: Was a there a tipping point that led to your departure, or was the damage culmulative?
A: I departed twice before that and in all my departures there was one reason behind it. I was unhappy. It's when I leave I realised that Europe wasn't bad. And now I want to stay forever.

Q: Okay. As you may know, I recently spoke to your opponent, the incumbent 2nd Deputy Commissioner Outer Sparta, about his rather unstable relationship with the current cabinet. How was your relationship with the cabinet secretaries like and how will that affect you as commissioner should you win?
A: Firstly, I'd like to formally apologise to Feria for the beef. The next time a disagreement arises I won't start a long standing beef.

Q: Let's move on, shall we? What would be your first course of action as commissioner if you are to be elected?
A: I don't know really. I think i'd just make a poll to start of easily and then we'll see what comes next.

Q: Alright. As you may know, there has been a fair amount of controversy in this race, including the withdrawals of two candidates from the race. What are your thoughts on these happenings and is your opinion on the field of candidates in the electoral race?
A: I find it ridiculous that there have been withdrawals, but i'm not really one to talk on that issue. Although i must say that Alienage and Anskerdank should just get over it and return in the race.

Q: And your thoughts on your opponents? Make do you make of Outer Sparta, Rivierenland and Of Herbshire?
A: Make do you make? Wha?

Q: I mean to ask about your opinions of your opponents in the race.
A: Outer Sparta is going to win, because he's the incumbent. Every time i saw an election with the incumbent, they won. It's just a guarantee. Of Herbshire, he's a quiet man and i can't really say something about him.

Q: Riv, thank you for time.
A: You're welcome.

Friday, 21 February 2020
A game of musical chairs has been played on this month's field of electoral candidates as all three candidates contesting against incumbent 2nd Deputy Commissioner Outer Sparta are disqualified from the race, while two others have announced their candidacies in an effort to trigger an election.

The Commonwealth of Of herbshire, the River Kingdom of Rivierenland and the Raiders of the Lost Womb of Serbia-macedonia were all disqualified from the electoral race today. Of Herbshire failed to announced his candidacy on EuropeGame, the region's off-site forum, and thus failed to provide the documentation necessary to run for the commission in full. Rivierenland is ineligible to run for the commission after a violation of Section 4(a) of the Commission (Elections) Act 2019, having only resided in the region for 13 days as of 21 February. Serbia-Macedonia's disqualification was also in part due to the violation of Section 4(a), but the candidate is also ineligible due to a recent ban from Eurocord for disorderly behaviour. A candidate's presence in Eurocord is compulsory to be eligible for the commission, as is a candidate's presence in EuropeGame.

At 01:15 hrs GMT, the World Assembly Delegate of Europe, the United Commonwealths of Imperium Anglorum, released a post on the European RMB officially disqualifying both Rivierenland and Serbia-Macedonia for a violation of Section 4(a).

Imperium Anglorum's RMB post:
"I want to note to the public that per the Commission (Elections) Act 2019, both Serbia-macedonia and Rivierenland fail to meet the 28 day residency requirement."

This action comes just fifteen minutes after the Republic of satherland drew attention to the possible ineligibility of two candidates, Of Herbshire and Serbia-Macedonia, in the #public-enquiry channel on Eurocord. This sparked the series of revelations that disqualified all three candidates, leaving incumbent 2nd Deputy Commissioner Outer Sparta running unopposed. Without any candidates to oppose the incumbent 2nd Deputy Commissioner, Section 5(a) of the Commission (Elections) Act 2019 will be triggered, which states the following:

Section 5(a) of the Commission (Elections) Act 2019:
"One candidate elections. If there is only one candidate on the election date, the Delegate or a suitably powered election overseer, shall by order appoint that candidate to the Commission."

In response to the possibility of Outer Sparta being appointed as commissioner without an election, the Kingdom of Dizgovzy announced his bid to run for the commission for the sole purpose of triggering an election, pledging to resign if he is to be elected.

The Kingdom of Dizgovzy's Campaign Announcement:
"Seeing that there is only one legal candidate, Outer Sparta running for 2nd deputy commissioner,
I hereby announce my candidacy for the February 2020 elections?

In fulfilment of the transparency requirements specified by the Election (No. 2) Regulations 2018, I affirm that Dizgovzy#3747 and http://www.europe-game.eu/index.php?members/the-united-kingdom-of-dizgovzy.2454/ are my Discord account and forum account, respectively.​

Unlike my previous campaigns, I am switching up my stance for this round only. If elected, I pledge that after 69,420 seconds (~19.5 hours) I will resign. I do not want this. I am running to give nations a choice. Come April, however, and I will run for that one too.
Thanks and think hard about whom to vote for!
Imperium Anglorum
The Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth"

Eight minutes later at 01:44 hrs GMT, the Independent News Portal of the Republic of satherland announced his candidacy on the RMB, claiming that his candidacy is purely for "exploratory reasons".

The Independent News Portal of the Republic of satherland's Campaign Announcement:
"I announce here that I'm running for the position of Second Deputy Commissioner as an exploratory endeavour.

In fulfillment of the transparency requirements specified by the Election Regulations 2020​, I affirm that Josh M#5006 and http://www.europe-game.eu/index.php?members/satherland.2522/ are my Discord account and forum account, respectively.​

The Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth
Imperium Anglorum"

Both candidates have publicly disclosed that they do not intend to win the coming elections, but simply announced their candidacies to trigger the electoral process and avoid the direct appointment of a commissioner, which they viewed as "undemocratic". Dizgovzy is a well-known and well-liked regular from Rochester, New York. Dizgovzy, also known as Diz or by his first name Connor, is responsible for regional events such as the Dizgovzian Federal Football League (DFFL), and was also the former co-leader of the now inactive European Unification Party (EUP) along with Suomessa. The candidate, if elected, has pledged to resign from his post 69,420 seconds after his appointment. This would in theory give way for the runner-up in the election to be appointed as commissioner. The candidate intends to run for the commission in April, against incumbent 1st Deputy Commissioner St Scarlett.

The Republic of Satherland is a controversial figure in Europe, often recognisable with his self-deprecating attitude, fiery temper, and profanity-laden speech. Satherland is a Chinese-Malaysian known chiefly for his independent news portal, The Satherlandic Times, which covers election-related events in Europe, and as co-founder and president of the opposition Alliance Coalition of Europe, itself a controversial faction due to the actions of Satherland and the party's leader, Gor Kebab. The candidate is also known for his frequent clashes with everyone from the Cabinet, the Commission, his fellow Electors and even his own party members. The candidate claims that his campaign's sole purpose is triggering the opening of polls in the coming week, and aims to raise awareness on several regional issues in his campaign telegram, including the eligibility rules for contesting for the commission.

The revolving door of candidates in this month's elections continues to turn, with five candidates either withdrawing their campaigns or disqualified due to the failure of meeting certain criteria. This leaves the election in a three-horse race, but with both new candidates announcing that they have no intentions to actually win, is an Outer Sparta victory all but certain? Only time will tell.

Monday, 24 February 2020
The Republic of Gor nacho was appointed commissioner by WA Delegate Imperium Anglorum at 12:33 hrs GMT today after the passage of the Commssion (Elections) Act 2020 earlier today. The European Parliament passed the act today, with 81 votes (71.05%) for, 8 votes (7.02%) against and 25 (21.93%) abstentions, with 114 votes cast.

Motion to enact, Commission (Elections) Act 2020
page=poll/p=153703

Gor nacho is a puppet nation of the Broken of Gor Kebab, who won the December elections for the Commission. The commissioner served just one full day in office before being ejected from the World Assembly for rules violations, allegedly due to his fiance's use of a WA nation, Jen kebab, in the same household. The exact details behind Gor Kebab's ejection from the WA are unclear.

The incumbent commissioner won the December Election by a majority, with 45 votes (52.33%) won. His opponents, the River Kingdom of Rivierenland, the Kingdom of Dizgovzy and the Comunidad Socialista Libre of Alienage received 34 (39.54%), 4 (4.65%), and 3 (3.48%) votes respectively.

Motion to Elect, 26 December 2019
page=poll/p=151416

In response to Gor Nacho's appointment as commissioner, opponents Rivierenland and Alienage congratulated the commissioner on his appointment. Alienage, now the founder of the European Leftists Movement, released the following statement on behalf of his party.

[ELM] LETTER TO GOR KEBAB AKA GOR NACHO, by the Comunidad Socialista Libre of Alienage
page=dispatch/id=1323458

The incumbent commissioner will now serve the last month of his term in office, succeeding the 23 day term of Rivierenland and the Kingdom of Wombelland, who was appointed commissioner after Rivierenland's shock resignation from the post. This appointment precedes the opening of polls to decide the next 2nd Deputy Commissioner, which will be announced by incumbent foreign secretary The Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth at an undisclosed date.

Monday, 24 February 2020
Incumbent 2nd Deputy Commissioner Outer Sparta takes an early lead as polls opened and then re-opened after a sudden closure on Monday, amid a backdrop of failed campaign telegrams, the possible revival of the European Monarchists' Party (EMP) and a retraction of a campaign promise by fellow Dizgovzy as the poll results begin to roll out.

The polls originally opened at 15:50 hrs GMT on Monday, before being taken down just hours later and before reopening at around 17:00 hrs GMT. This act was carried out as the initial poll violated Schedule 1, Paragraph 1 of the Commission (Elections) Act 2019, recalling the entire election and the eight votes already cast due to a violation of the proper wording required for a motion to elect.

Schedule 1, Paragraph 1 of the Commission (Elections) Act 2019:
“[ $numE * 0.1 = $quorum nations ] The European Parliament moves to elect the candidate receiving the most votes, of the following candidates, as $commissioner_title.”

The reopening of the polls were followed by a predictable lead from the frontrunner, the Kingdom of Outer Sparta, with the Kingdom of Dizgovzy surprisingly also remaining in the race, while the Independent News Portal of the Republic of satherland remaining in a distant last place. As of 02:56 hrs GMT on Tuesday, 32 votes have been cast, with 16 votes (50%) in favour of the incumbent 2nd Deputy Commissioner, 12 votes (37.5%) for Dizgovzy, and 4 votes (12.5%) for Satherland.

Speaking of the Republic of satherland, the candidate recently released two campaign telegrams recently. The first telegram, sent via the Broken of Gor Kebab, was poorly formatted, which caused the candidate to send another mass telegram via The Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth, commenting at the start of his second telegram that there were several errors in the candidate's last telegram and "apologised profusely" for "spam TG-ing the region" on several posts he made on a Eurocord Core channel and the RMB, despite promising not to speak on said platforms in a dispatch announcing his withdrawal from non-government and journalism-related activities in the region. In the mass telegram, the candidate stated that he did not intend to win the election, and was simply using this opportunity to raise public awareness on several issues, including commissioner eligibility guidelines and the importance of WA endorsements.

Dizgovzy is also in the news. The candidate has garnered 12 votes in a matter of hours, to the surprise of the candidate himself and his affiliated party, the European Monarchists' Party (EMP). Led by the Interplanetary Kaiserreich of Germany222, the EMP has remained largely inactive until the polls opened on Monday, when Germany222 stoked fears of a possible spat on the RMB when he went after the Kingdom of Miharr on the topic of democratic socialism before going after the Comunidad Socialista Libre of Alienage when the Miharr refused to respond to him, implying that Dizgovzy was representing his party in the elections before claiming that there has never been a monarchist public official in the history of Europe.

Any misconceptions were cleared up hours later when the candidate himself stated publicly that he is running as an independent as he had "made a vow back in December to never run not as an independent again". The Hope Is Gone of St Scarlett later clarified to the EMP president that there have in fact been several public officials which exercising monarchies in their state, including Regnum Italiae, South St Maarten and Rivierenland, all former Commissioners, The Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth, the incumbent Foreign Secretary, Outer Sparta, Dizgovzy's opponent in the race and the incumbent 2nd Deputy Commissioner, and St Scarlett herself, currently serving as the incumbent 1st Deputy Commissioner. The actions of the EMP caused alarm from several concerned parties, including Outer Sparta, who alleged that the interplanetary kaiserreich could be the newest member of the "Devil's Triad", which consists of several members of the community who are commonly known to incite arguments. Germany222 has yet to respond to these revelations.

On the topic of Dizgovzy, the candidate has announced that he will no longer resign if elected to the post of 2nd Deputy Commissioner after 69,420 seconds, but will instead serve a full term and attempt to institute term limits on all cabinet positions, mirroring the campaign manifestos of former candidates Rivierenland and Serbia-macedonia, while asserting that his campaign remains satirical and that his victory is unlikely. This comes as the candidate remains just four votes behind frontrunner Outer Sparta, who is seeking a second term as 2nd deputy commissioner. More updates soon.

Disclaimer: The content published in this article is entirely the opinion of the writer in question, and does not represent the views of this organisation.

By Outer Sparta
Incumbent 2nd Deputy Commissioner
Tuesday, 25 February 2020

Hello, I am Outer Sparta, incumbent 2nd Deputy Commissioner running for a second term. Recently, there has been a wide variety of breaking news ranging from candidates withdrawing from the race to candidates not meeting all the requirements to run to Gor finally getting the commissionership. Due to candidates dropping out or getting disqualified, Sather and Diz have both run on the premise of triggering an election but are both endorsing me. However, my basis of my writing will mostly be unrelated to my potential second term or any other election coverage, although I will cover some of my thoughts about this election and my future political career at the end.

I’m writing on the basis of what we want the future of Europe to be like. Will it be a cesspool where fun conversations and interaction are replaced by constant tit-for-tat exchanges and needless bad faith arguments and bigotry? Or will it be a region where everyone can converse and interact with one another and fun conversations and regional events (such as sports tournaments) are a staple of the RMB?

It’s up to us to decide. While the secretaries have the power to enforce the border and kick out trolls, the rest of us can play our part by reporting trolls and other rule-breakers the mods or to the secretaries. That’s one way we can all kick in to make our region better. Another thing you can all do is to suggest commissioners poll ideas about NS lore or real-life aspects of yourself so we can all get to know each other better. Or if you have an idea about a regional event such as a sports tournament that other nations can sponsor, go right ahead and pitch it on the RMB. There are many things you can all do to contribute besides those examples.

Those are a few ideas on how we can all pitch in. I see it as a collective group effort to make our region better. You don’t have to be in the regional government to contribute just like you don’t have to be a superstar like Messi on a football team to contribute. Ultimately, it’s everybody’s duty to serve our region and to determine what future we want.

If Diz wins, I will work with him and assist with the jump to being an elected regional official.

If I win, I will continue to serve the region, sort out the issues, and keep on promoting a better future for all of us. However, I will not run for the position in the May elections, meaning this will be my last term. I do not have ambitions to return to the regional government, so my retirement will be for good. I wish luck for whoever steps up to take over the 2nd Deputy Commissioner spot starting in June.

I had to deal with a lot of events, conflicts, and news that have rattled our region. That has taken quite a toll on me. I don’t want this election cycle to be contentious. Whether it’s me or Diz that emerges victorious, the real winner will a bright future of Europe. One that we can all work together to achieve.

Wednesday, 26 February 2020
Incumbent Second Deputy Commissioner Outer Sparta surged into a 17-vote lead on Wednesday, amid the release of an opinion piece on The Satherlandic Times and a statement announcing this potential second term as his last. The Michiganian has now taken a decisive lead over his opponents Dizgovzy, who recently backtracked on his vow to resign upon his election, and the Republic of satherland, who involved himself in yet another argument on Tuesday, this time with the Republic of Gor nacho, the incumbent Commissioner., on a perceived "double standard" in the commissioner's treatment of the candidate compared to another, the Aegean Kingdom of The Oriental Empire, who was recently muted by Imperium Anglorum for her actions against the Military Titoist Republic of Slavakino, who was banned for six months for discriminatory conduct.

The results are currently as follows: Outer Sparta leads the race with 36 votes (62.07%), Dizgovzy remains in second place with 19 votes (32.76%), while the Republic of Satherland remains in a distant last with 3 votes (5.17%). All data is accurate as of 10:58 hrs GMT on Wednesday.

Outer Sparta also released an opinion article on The Satherlandic Times on Tuesday, outlining his campaign promises and calling for unity. The candidate also announced his intention not to run for a third term. More updates soon.

Friday, 28 February 2020
The Kingdom of Outer Sparta has won as second term as second deputy commissioner today. The polls closed amid silence from the RMB and Eurocord, the public seemingly unaware or unbothered with the frankly predictable result.

The Michigander won by an clear majority with 43 votes (58.11%) from 74 votes cast. The Kingdom of Dizgovzy finished in a distant second with 25 votes (33.78%) while the Republic of satherland finished the race last with just 6 votes (8.11%).

The incumbent second deputy commissioner now faces his second and apparently last term in office, and will now be faced with representing the wishes of his electors in the commission.

Votes Cast: 74
The Kingdom ofOuter Sparta: 43 (58.11%)
Thr Kingdom of Dizgovzy: 25 (33.78%)
The Independent News Portal of Republic of satherland: 6 (8.11%)