RP #3: CoNsider it Ratified

It was a typical day, or what it seemed. Mr Abheillt was silently sitting in his office, mainly looking outside through the gargantuan window, looking out to the country's largest mountain and the forest surrounding it while reading a book. For the time being, he had nothing to do, and he decided to spend the time reading, one of his favourite pastimes as a child. He was reading in peace until the Minister of Foreign Affairs knocked on the door. "Come in," Dionhardt says, swinging his chair around to face the door, "what may it be, Sir Aklahillelt?" Sir Aklahillelt replies, "We're receiving radio signals from nearby Lowenburg, you might want to take a listen." "Alright, go ahead, take me there."

Sir Aklahillelt is rushing, either with a worried or excited face, Dionhardt can't tell. They rush through the numerous halls of the United Meridian Parliament building, before finally arriving at the United Meridian Foreign Affairs Conference Room (UMFACR). The representatives of all the republics are arguing, trying to figure out the message from Lowenburg. Mr. Abheillt walks up and takes his seat. "Good morning, everyone. I am sure that all of you have heard of the recent radio message from Lowenburg. Here is a transcription of the message, I will read it out.

"Good morning, East Meridian. I am Brahmer, King of Lowenburg, and I would like to invite you to the Confederation of Nations. The Confederation of Nations is the first alliance forged, and we mean to improve diplomatic relations between all nations. Please consider this request wisely. Thank you for your time and patience."

And the debate began. Representatives started debating against other representatives about their ideals and their opinions on CoN and joining it. "I will say once more, and will be willing to say again, this is simply a no from Qygnyaraagh. There is simply no other way you can convince me and Qygnyaraagh otherwise," one of the representatives of Qygnyaraagh voices. Dionhardt speaks up, "Alright, let me convince you otherwise, Mr. Mivoriem. If there ever were to be a recession hit us, the other alliance members would surely support us, and it would not hit us that hard. The banks will not go bankrupt." Mr Mivoriem laughs, before responding, "What if they were in the recession too?" "That's a weak comeback. We all should already have known. I'm assuming you didn't pay attention to when Sir Callaghan spoke about his time back on Ithyrll. Mivoriem is stuck with shock and embarrassment and shuts himself up for the rest of the debate. "Now, everyone else can continue."

Dionhardt was about to hold the vote on whether Parliament would agree on joining CoN. Just before he starts to hold the vote, Madam Gwyneth of Larifivcide rises. Dionhardt announces her name as she enunciates, "I rise today to begin the filibuster of joining CoN. She spoke and spoke, and spoke. An hour passed by. Two hours. Three. Four. She just kept on speaking. By the ninth hour, she was visibly and utterly exhausted. Her voice was cracking up severely, and she could barely speak. Despite the harsh condition of her voice, she soldiered on, for another six hours. By then, her voice was pretty much the same as a frail old woman's. She finally ended her filibuster after fifteen hours of straight talking, and the vote was successfully held. A thirteen-twenty-fifths majority of Parliament is needed for it to be considerable to join CoN.

All representatives hand up their votes. Out of the 120 representatives, 67 voted for and 53 voted against. A near pass, by all standards. Now it was the citizens' turn to vote and voice their opinions.

Televisions were interrupted amid scheduled programming as Mr. Abheillt's face appeared on the television. "Dear residents and citizens of United or East Meridian, this is your president, Dionhardt Abheillt, speaking. I am on the television and news to speak to you of something important, and something that concerns our national safety. There is a new alliance on the block, named the Confederation of Nations, or CoN. Just yesterday, the United Meridian Parliament agreed to join CoN, and now it is your turn. By 9 a.m. on the 15th of September, certain sites will host the voting halls for all of you to vote. These certain sites will be communicated to you via messages on your phone." Following that, a robotic voice and black screen take hold, as the robotic voice communicates and the diagrams are shown:

1. Do not speak in the voting hall. Give other voters peace to consider their vote.

2. Do not communicate with others about your vote. Votes are meant to be private and only known to oneself and the government.

3. No driving within a kilometre of the voting halls, please walk to the designated voting halls. Silence is key.

4. If, for any valid medical reason, you are not able to vote, message the number which messaged you the locations of the voting halls with your medical certificate and state that you are not able to vote.

Eventually, the 15th came. Major cities, such as Temwitt and Corsicarn, barred their residents from using cars for the entire day. Work was cancelled for the day to make way for the voting. Matter of fact, Temwitt was pretty much pin-drop silent during the 15th. Anyone who made sound and annoyed voters was heavily fined. They were very serious about this event. As the sun set on the 15th, the voting period was about to conclude. The voting concluded by 9 p.m. The votes were eventually collected during the wee hours of the 16th and were tallied up by a computer. By the 18th, the votes had finished being counted and the results were revealed. An overwhelming 91% voted for joining, with only a mere 8% voting against. It was as clear as daylight: the people wanted Meridian in an alliance.

As Dionhardt received the news from his Minister of Internal Affairs, he clapped and said, "Fair game, I guess they want us in. Call in Sir Aklahillelt, I'll talk to him." The MoIA nods, before walking out of his office and Sir Aklahillelt walks in soon after. "Well, if parliament wants it, and if the citizens want it, you, my friend, need to go to Lowenburg," Dionhardt tells him, "the castle, I mean." "Ah, alright. I guess I will have to cancel my schedule for the 20th," Sir Aklahillelt chuckles. "This is moderately annoying. Private jet?" "Private jet." "Well then, I guess I will be set. I'll see you on the 20th, then. Don't forget you'll need to sign that darn treaty too." "I promise I won't forget." They both laugh before Aklahillelt leaves the room. Sir Aklahillelt and Mr Abheillt will be flying to Lowenburg to sign the Treaty of Lowenburg.