Gallentia Government is no longer a democracy

Fiction Portal Intergalactic Summit
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My fellow Capsuleers,

The Gallentia Government has suffered serious degradation over the past few years. Ever since the Triglavian Invasion, their government has suffered a serious of defeats, and have compromised their so called values of Freedom and Democracy for all.

Then Governor Agard, while running for President in YC122, died to a terrorist attack. She was fortunate to be reanimated in a clone body that we all enjoy, however, is she really the same person? This isn’t an issue though, but we may come back to this point later.

Under Agard’s leadership, we’ve seen the repeated loss of standing within the intergalactic community. Failures to retain control of Intaki and other important systems under the Militia’s warpowers act of YC110 that we call Faction Warfare. Failures to build a gate in Athounon, causing a sever disadvantage in the resulting shadow war in which the Gallente narrowly missed being able to attain the technology for Stellar Transmuters and Interstellar Ship casters. Not to mention corrupt government aides aiding the Guriastas pirates in stealing technology. But then the unthinkable happens.

Agard launched an illegal invasion of Intaki and the surrounding constellation, one that the Intaki themselves bristle under and did not condone. Agard violated agreements previously held between the Federation charter and the Intaki Assembly for Autonomy. Ever since, the Intaki people meerly replaced one occupier with another. The people of Intaki are NOT free, and now the freedoms of the rest of the Gallentean people are under attack.

Under the guise of the “Drifter Crisis”, Agard SUSPENDED presidential elections until further notice. She pulled the wool over our eyes (even my own) and told us it was for our protection. But not that the crisis has been over for a week, there has been only SILENCE. The people are upset, we are upset, and yet the senate that passed this resolution has been silent. Are we even a democracy anymore? Why aren’t our representatives speaking out? What happened to our former Governor Agard?

Now we come back to my original question, is President Agard the same person that Governor Agard was? I don’t think so, either she has become drunk on power, or something happened during the reanimation and cloning process. Who supervised the infomorph transferal? Was there a security breach? I want a fully independent fact finding committee be appointed with public hearings. And more importantly, reinstate the Gallente Presidential Elections!

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The Gallente Federation has been undermining its own democratic principles to one degree or another since its inception.

President Aguard has simply been more brazen about it.

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Only the enemies of the Gallente would say such nonsense while trying to undermine Gallente Democracy. Go back to your temple.

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Your patriotism has blinded you. Why do you think that the Presidential Election has not been allowed to start now that the Drifter Crisis is over? Asking for Elections to happen is not something an Amarrian would suggest.

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He may have been referring to the Idic temples of Intaki, while responding to my criticism of Aguard and the Federation.

It would not be the first time a Federal apologist resorts to attempting to shut down political discourse in defence of their democracy, completely missing the irony while doing so.

You are correct though. A crisis has passed, and the people are left waiting for an official comment with regards to the election.

When we exchanged views on Federal political process in the face of perceived threats late last year, I commented that the Drifter crisis was not unique.

I stand by my position that I have little trust that the President would not reach for another apparent threat to justify clinging on to power for longer.

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I remember this exchange, and yes I admit that I was mistaken in my defense of Agard’s actions. The Silence of not only President Agard, but of the Senate is deafening. We need new leadership, one that respects our ideas and principles.

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I wouldn’t be surprised if there was another military adventure to the Black Rise/Placid warzone due to the effectiveness of the State Protectorate to take swaths of the warzone and hold them pretty well. Couple that with the Guristas running rampant, and she may have a flimsy justification to declare an emergency.

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Maybe President Aguard is secretly a Rogue Drone wearing a human suit ?

Gutter Press used to investigate politicians for being suspected rogue drones in human suits.

They’ve been oddly quiet lately.

Maybe the Feds got them ! Gasp !

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Agreed.

Although it’ll come as no surprise to some that I, and those I represent, would strongly prefer a complete and full repatriation of powers back to the Intaki Assembly, so that those elected by the people actually have the agency to effect meaningful and positive change.

It’s almost two years since Chief Councillor Ivestara and his Autonomist government took office, and under the current system they appear to be all but impotent under the weight of Federal oversight and imposition.

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While I do disagree with some of the more speculative or conspiratorial aspects you’ve raised. I will admit that the continued suspension of elections, especially now that the Drifter Crisis is widely considered resolved, is a legitimate cause for concern.

Now, naturally, while the Society declares the crisis over, it remains the Federation’s sovereign responsibility to independently assess the situation and determine whether the state of emergency is still justifiable. That is, after all, the role of our elected government and its military and strategic advisory councils.

That said, the time has come to affirm that the suspension of our electoral process was only a temporary measure. I encourage you, pilot, to act not through frustration but through civic responsibility. Organize. Speak. Reach out to your local representatives and voice your expectation for a return to regular constitutional function. Consider working with like-minded citizens to coordinate a protest, or initiate a broader campaign to remind the Federal Government that while we understand the need for emergency powers, those powers must not become indefinite.

I know I shall be doing the same.

I extend my thanks to President Aguard for their leadership during one of the most uncertain chapters in our recent history. But I also echo your sentiment, it is time for elections. It is time for our people to speak again through our elected representatives, and to chart the next step in how we engage with this new era and new balance of power in the Cluster.

Let us do what the Gallente Federation was founded to do, with full voice, full transparency, and full participation of its peoples.

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There is a big difference between a government that is suffering from democratic backsliding, and a government that has full on ceased to be a democracy.

Though I agree with the criticism levied at both the Federal Navy, and President Augarde in the original post, I also think it is premature to say the Federation is no longer a democracy.

The drifter crisis has only been over for about a week, and even those of us who have served at the front are still debating if it’s actually over or not. Just two days ago we heard the first official statements on the end of the crisis.

Isn’t it a bit early to speak of the death of the Federation’s democratic system, simply because the President did not announce the resumption of elections at the first opportunity?

Without casting judgement one way or the other, it’s understandable if the President and her staff are waiting to see what the Drifters will do next before deciding if the time is truly right to hold elections. Even if the Drifters end up launching a massive invasion of some sort, it’d be almost impossible to cancel elections a second time.

Speaking personally, I don’t think the Federation has been putting its best foot forward lately. It’s shown a disgraceful amount of disregard to it’s oldest and staunchest ally, it’s failed to secure itself a wormhole, and fallen horribly behind the other Empires in many key milestones.

I won’t hold its defense of Intaki against it. If anything I respect a government that’s willing to take decisive action to shield large populations from the brutality of capsuleer warfare in the border regions.

I don’t think the president is some kind of imposter or false clone. It’s possible, but it’s just as possible the pressures (or classified information) of the presidency changes a person’s outlook. And power is proven to corrupt all on it’s own.

Is President Aguard postponing elections worrying? I’m worried.

Has the Federation abandoned it’s democratic ideals?

Not…Yet.

ᴸᵉᵗ’ˢ ʰᵒᵖᵉ ᵗʰᶦˢ ᵖᵒˢᵗ ᵈᵒᵉˢⁿᵗ ᵃᵍᵉ ˡᶦᵏᵉ ᵐᶦˡᵏ

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The terms you are looking for are ‘illegal invasion and occupation’, something that the Intaki themselves will attest to. Benevolent defenders do not generally give rise to militant partisan movements resisting the foreign occupying forces, you know?

The proverbial milk was a decayed and congealed mess way before you actually posted it. Aguard is just dropping the pretense of being anything but an autocrat.

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I do not know if hitting the alarm bells when the crisis just ended a day or so ago. If this President does not reinstate election quickly. I hope the Senate will act quickly in demanding that election are scheduled and held in the very near future.

As for the Intaki. I always thought they should have a larger say in their own destiny. This president had made some very questionable decisions during this crisis.

But what does this old Gallente know anyways.

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The attacks stopped a week ago, it’s been way more than a day. I know we’ve been shut out of the Drifter Wormholes, but I would think that the FIO would know what’s going on. But we must apply pressure so that President Agard is reminded that she serves the people.

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Even though it has been a week. It only been, what? A day? Since the official announcement of the end of this invasion?

I agree she should be reminded that she serves everyone in the Federation and not her ambitions. This suspension of elections with no real end date. Is disturbing and make me wonder why she did not announce of its resumption of elections along with the announcement of the end of the invasion. Yes, I do wonder why. At the same time I hope the Senate asks that same question. When the inquiry is opened up and the investigation begins. And there should be, As how did the terrorists get as far as they did. Wreak the destruction and murder they committed. Was the murders’ and terrorists attack really that surprising? Does the Federation really have no intelligence officers. That did not even get an inkling?

If in the next few days we get silence from both President Augarde and the Senate. Then we have something to worry about. It is not going to cost us anything to see what happens in the next day or so. Whatever is going to happen is already in motion. Either she reopens the elections or she is going to pull an incredibly stupid career ending stunt.

Either way there is not much any of us can do anyways. Apply pressure? Yep and keep it up. Until she announces that everything is returning to a normalize setting. Hitting the panic button? Not so much.

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What strikes me as interesting is that people seem to accept, at least to some degree, the excuses given to delay the election at all.

Consider that there have been countless events in the past, each presenting significant risks to the security or stability of the Federation, albeit at different scales, none of which impacted the democratic process.

A civil war raged for decades in Lirsautton, and yet the people continued to elect their local representatives to the Senate without issue.

Sansha’s Nation invaded countless systems and kidnapped billions across New Eden, and I don’t recall any reports of the democratic process being put on hold in any Federal district.

The Caldari State under Heth invaded large swathes of the Federation, and the Presidential election schedule continued without pause.

Of course in that infamous election, the Federation saw fit to simply deny the right to vote to billions of its citizens in the systems impacted by State forces in system, regardless of which side was actually in control.

(Except Luminaire of course. An enemy capital ship in system will have held no influence on the voters in Luminaire at all).

And that denial of the right to vote completely changed the result of the election, and is widely credited with granting Roden his first term.

Even terrorist attacks took place during the last two presidential elections, many of which claimed the lives of the actual candidates themselves (clones notwithstanding) and/or members of their security teams, and still the ballot went ahead unimpeded.

No, I am not convinced by President Aguard’s excuses, and the lack of any official statement, which should take no time at all to draft and issue publically, is not reassuring.

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It does not require any prep work to say that elections will no longer be suspended.

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The death of Gallente’s Democratic system started with the hum of the silence and the ignorance to the protest.

The war with the drifter is not over. They are still at large and the remnants of their attacks are still apparent across New Eden. I am still picking up bodies and emergency cryosleep pods in Tabbetzur. People are in need of humanitarian aid across the cluster to recover, and where is the Gallente administration’s public speaking arm in all of this? Where is the intent and path forward?

I personally gave up on my own nation a few years back after militia service. It’s an embarrassment and we are in the wrong here.