Information Up To Date as of 23 March 1476
Introduction:
On the afternoon of May 24, 1475, all communication networks across the United Confederation of Ancondria went dead. Moments later, armed military personnel blockaded the national capital Providence, and after a few hours, invaded it. Political extremists stormed the Legislature while opponents of the coup were made to escape the city and establish a holdout in the nearby city of East Providence.
Today, the UCA remains in a political gridlock.
Initial Establishment:
In the year 1370, just after the Esurchian War, the Havenlands, which were the original former territories of the Esurchian State, were partitioned off into three separate territories by the 1370 Treaty of Silba, which established border walls around the Havenlands as well as border walls separating the three territories within. This arrangement restricted freedom of movement for the local Ancondrian inhabitants; and before long, they rose up in a revolt. In doing so, they formed the Ancondrian Liberation Army, or the ALA. The ALA would attempt to destroy the border walls while Ancondrian locals outside the Havenlands, sympathetic to the revolt, established their own ALA chapters. Meanwhile, civilians and politicians in the Havenlands united and formed the nation of the United Confederation of Ancondria, or the UCA.
An uprising occurred in Ramport and Malfua in the year 1371, driving the Independent Commonwealth State of Retun (ICSR) and allied Northeast Ancondrian nations to sign the 1371 Treaty of Ramport and Malfua, granting the ICSR Ancondrian Domain District V and its capital, Ramport, status as an independent nation. The Treaty also opened the borders with the Havenlands as well as dismantling the border walls dividing the Havenlands. In doing so, the ICSR and allied Northeastern Ancondrian states formally recognized the UCA as a nation. And the UCA integrated all ALA chapters within its borders into an officially established armed forces, instructing ALA chapters abroad to disband. Most did so, being satisfied with the terms. However, there were a few groups within the former ALA chapters who were dissatisfied and formed illegal armed Legions in the area. These Legions were lightly armed at the time and caused only the equivalent of gang street violence mostly in certain sectors of larger cities. Nonetheless, the UCA and Northeastern Ancondrian nations sought to contain any outbreaks of violence by these organizations in order to keep city streets crime-free.
Ramport-Ultra-Nationalist Takeover:
Ramport and the former District V, now independent from the ICSR, established itself initially as the Independent Democratic State of Ramport, or IDSR. However, owing to damages from the Esurchian War, the economy was less than ideal; and ultra-nationalist figures were able to leverage the unhappy sentiment of the IDSR electorate in order to have themselves voted into numerous positions of political power. There were constitutional checks and balances in place in the IDSR government in order to preserve democracy. However, between 1375 and 1376, the ultra-nationalists carried out a coup against opposing democratic institutions, and did so successfully. Though the IDSR remains a democracy to this day on paper, the ultra-nationalists were able to establish a de facto authoritarian regime in its place.
First, they renamed the nation the Sovereign State of Minlon, after a charismatic ultra-nationalist and ultra-capitalist figure named George Minlon, a Retunian businessman who settled in Northeast Ancondria between almost 100 years previously. The Sovereign State of Minlon then enacted numerous laws suppressing voter rights and worker rights. The nation since then has been known for its staggering economic inequality and a notorious justice policy known as the Bounty System.
The Bounty System was the solution to a call made by the Minlon government leaders for minimal government intervention but effective law enforcement. Details of this policy may be discussed in length in a future article; but basically, anyone having either broken the law or made an establishment figure unhappy is subject to being killed by a local vigilante group for a sum of money if the said victim is placed on the Bounty List.
The United Confederation of Ancondria:
On a regular schedule, the population of the United Confederation of Ancondria elects Representatives, Governors, and Governor-Generals to fulfill leadership roles. The Governor-General, the title of the Commander-In-Chief position for the UCA, is elected every fifth year of a decade for a ten-year term, but is subject to a retention vote every tenth year of a decade, which is the middle of the term. Accordingly, if the incumbent Governor-General fails to win the retention vote in the middle of the term, he or she is removed from office with the next figure in line, the Lieutenant-Governor-General, taking over for the remainder of the term until the next elected Governor-General is scheduled to take office.
The Confederation has a total of seventeen official parties across its political spectrum. However, this spectrum in practice has been dominated by two main political parties: the Ancondrian Liberals and the Ancondrian Conservatives. Between 1375 and 1475, the Governor-General position has been dominated on the most part by either of those two parties, with the Ancondrian Liberals having that position for slightly more than half of that time, though not consecutively.
Infiltration From Minlon:
It is important to note that contrary to popular belief, though most members of these Legions were far-right, not all of them were initially. These Legions were originally open to recruiting those "fringers" from both liberal and conservative blocs who were willing to cast aside their differences and unite against clauses in the Ramport and Malfua Treaty which supported corporate interests.
However, it was when billionaires from the Sovereign State of Minlon started backing these Legions in the 1390s that liberal members started leaving, meaning that those who remained with the Legions were of the conservative bloc. Also as the result of influence from these billionaires, many of the remaining conservative Legion members began embracing the teachings and beliefs of the late George Minlon, who dictated that one's goal is to work hard, do good business, and do all while getting as close as possible to God in accordance with the Alconist faith. George Minlon, after all, was also an evangelist.
In support of the beliefs of George Minlon, Legion members began believing in what they perceived to be appropriate policies for the UCA, including the notion that the only role of a government was to provide police and military protection "in good faith," to refrain from collecting taxes from businesses, to refrain from even regulating businesses in any degree, and to rely on Alconist Scripture as the basis for enacting and interpreting laws, primarily ones governing social issues like darkfire.
Between 1400 and 1440, Legion members began believing that the Ancondrian Liberal Party was seeking to corrupt the social fabric of the UCA and undermine democracy, and said Legion members began making ever more frequently a call to "protect all institutions of freedom and democracy by force if necessary."
Such calls were deemed empty threats at the time. However, in 1446, five billionaire-influenced Legions united and established the Ancondrian Freedom Warriors, or AFW for short. They called for other Legions to join as chapters under the AFW, leading membership of the AFW to swell in the years to come. During this time, both Ancondrian Liberals and Ancondrian Conservatives in government considered the AFW to be a troublesome fringe-right organization.
In 1455, the UCA population, unhappy with the Conservative majority since last election cycle, voted in a Liberal majority and a Liberal Governor-General. AFW members called this election "rigged" based on unfounded claims; and as soon as said Liberals took office in 1456, the AFW began sporadic but better-coordinated attacks on numerous locations and targets. The UCA government, in response, dispatched a temporary martial law agency known as the Ancondrian Peacekeeper Task Force in order to keep said violence under control.
Meanwhile, within the ranks of Legislature and the UCA government, a small group of Ancondrian Conservatives with radical conservative views formed a band against the remainder of the Ancondrian Conservative Party, accusing them of being "too liberal." Such a radical group called themselves the Coalition for Ancondrian Freedom, CAF in short, and associated themselves as a civil extension of the AFW. Like the AFW, CAF membership would swell over the years.
Robert Milton:
In 1465, Robert Milton, a member of the CAF but considered an Ancondrian Conservative on paper, won by a very small margin the election for the next UCA Governor-General, while his wife, Shara Milton, became the Lieutenant-Governor-General, and the Conservatives regained a majority in Legislature.
Upon taking office in 1466, Robert Milton terminated the Ancondrian Peacekeeper agenda against the AFW and repealed a large number of taxes. He then attempted to have Legislature pass a slew of laws governing social life, some of which passing but most failing to do so.
Of note, Robert Milton attempted to have a law passed to fully prohibit the engagement of darkfire, as is the case in the Sovereign State of Minlon. That agenda failed, but Ancondrian Conservatives did succeed in passing a subsequent law removing many employment protections for members of the darkfire community.
In 1470, a retention election year for the Governor-General position, allegations emerged that Robert Milton had met with wealthy figures from Minlon and the UCA lightfire industry to help fund the CAF and AFW. Accordingly, he was even facilitating the purchase of heavy weapons for the AFW, weapons including planes and tanks. Ancondrian Liberals united and filed a motion for Robert Milton to be impeached, a motion blocked by the Ancondrian Conservative majority.
Nevertheless, Robert Milton lost the retention election.
Shara Milton:
In accordance to constitutional protocol, Shara Milton became the next Governor-General in 1471. Before long, she earned the nickname "Warrior of Words," because of her long speeches decrying Ancondrian Liberals, the darkfire community, and the past election which she claimed was rigged. Conservatives in UCA Legislature blocked every legislative agenda put forth by the Ancondrian Liberals while refraining from putting forth any legislative agendas themselves. Meanwhile, Governor-General Shara Milton kept her husband's past executive orders in place and did not issue new ones.
In October 1471, a documentary, put together by numerous scholars from the UCA and abroad, was broadcasted detailing life inside the Sovereign State of Minlon. Such a documentary gave detailed insight about the notorious Bounty System, the staggering economic inequality, and the Exit Visa requirement. Accordingly, those living inside the Sovereign State of Minlon are not allowed to leave the country without an Exit Visa, as requirements to obtain such a visa are stringent. Primarily those wishing to pursue a college education outside Minlon have been expressively denied permission to leave the country. The Sovereign State of Minlon does not provide sufficient education opportunities for the working class; and those who speak out against this system are put on the notorious Bounty List.
Large swaths of the UCA population, primarily liberals, were outraged by this; and a group of college students in East Providence formed the Free Minlon Movement as a result.
In 1472, Shara Milton declared the Free Minlon Movement to be a threat to national security in the UCA, and dispatched the Ancondrian Peacekeeper Task Force, the very same one having previously been used against the AFW in the past, against Free Minlon demonstrations.
Caleb Krong:
One prominent leader of the Free Minlon Movement, Caleb Krong, announced his candidacy in 1473 for the Governor-General position, scheduled to be up for election again in the year 1475. Krong's popularity led him to easily win the Ancondrian Liberal Party primary election in 1474.
The UCA Governor-General election was scheduled to take place on September 24, 1475. An official sample poll taken in March of that year showed the UCA population being in strong favor of Krong. Incumbent Governor-General Shara Milton responded to this by declaring, based on a conspiracy theory generated by the CAF, that there existed a "Black State of Ancondria," a supposed secret coalition of Liberals and "equalitarians" aiming to usurp democracy in the UCA and re-establish the nation as an authoritarian regime. Milton called on Legislature to grant her emergency powers to expand surveillance and martial law measures. However, the UCA Superior Court struck down this motion. Milton then called upon Tom Parton, Chief General of the AWF to "prepare for a long struggle."
The Coup:
By this point, the AFW and CAF had insiders at every communication network location throughout the UCA, which by law ran on a single communication frequency with a classified second frequency to use only in an emergency. These insiders, however, had knowledge of both frequencies, as the system was originally designed to be in effect in case there was an attack by an external enemy.
At 2:15 PM local time on May 24, 1475, the AFW and CAF insiders jammed the entire communication system, which also meant that the automatic navigation system of every gyroplane, civilian and military, was compromised and every flight grounded or forced to land. All communications throughout the UCA went down at this time while AFW and CAF forces communicated through their own "virtual private networks." Meanwhile, to the outside world, it seemed as if the entire nation of the United Confederation of Ancondria "went silent."
At 2:30 PM, AFW tanks and soldiers blocked every road entrance into Providence, the national capital. Between this time and 9:00 PM, AFW planes carried out relentless airstrikes against the besieged city, primarily against the sections known to have majority liberal populations. Due to the communication blackout, no one outside the vicinity of Providence had even the slightest idea that this was happening while UCA defenses were helpless to do anything, though they did scramble to establish their own virtual private networks.
At 9:00 PM, AFW tanks and soldiers marched into the city of Providence where they fought relentlessly and succeeded in establishing dominance over every sector. UCA defenses and civilians tried to resist but were ultimately unsuccessful.
At 7:17 AM on June 1, the AFW captured the House of Legislature, the House of the Governor-General, and the House of the Superior Court, and stationed armed personnel around each of these three buildings, adhering to the aforementioned ultra-nationalist belief of "protecting freedom and democracy by force." At 9:03 AM, Tom Parton arrived at the First Podium in the House of Legislature and declared publicly that "there had been an attempted attack on democracy and freedom by the Black State of Ancondria," and that he needed to "administer temporarily a state of lawful order over the city of Providence because of this."
Shara Milton that day resigned from the Governor-General post, citing personal reasons; and Tom Parton declared that the Governor-General post would remain vacant until the next candidate elected on September 24 was scheduled to take office. He then declared that the House of Legislature is safe and secure and that the elected Representatives may gather to carry out their normal business.
However, when the Legislature gathered, the Conservative majority drew up a list of "Black State insiders," consisting entirely of Ancondrian Liberals. They then had each and every one of them voted out of the House of Legislature and banned from the city of Providence, citing that every person on the list "poses an existential threat to freedom and democracy for the Confederation."
On June 2, Tom Parton declared that the House of Legislature would be the only body casting votes officially for the September 24 election, citing a clause in the UCA Constitution for the Legislature to do so in the event of a national emergency while "acting on behalf of the best interests of the people."
On June 3, Caleb Krong and the Liberal figures banned from Providence gathered in the city of East Providence and formed the Emergency Government of East Providence, or the EGEP in short. The EGEP declared that Tom Parton's decision to have the Legislature carry out the election instead of the population was based on an illegitimate cause. The EGEP furthermore declared that the popular vote would occur as normal, and moved to ensure polling locations throughout the UCA were accessible to the population.
The only concern here was that the AFW began attacking these polling locations. UCA military veterans banded together and formed the Volunteer Peacekeeper Force, fighting back in defense of the EGEP against the AFW. This would culminate into unending conflict which began to take shape in June of 1475.
On September 24, 1475, Election Day was carried out on both sides. The Conservative bloc in Providence declared only votes cast by the Legislature to be legitimate and therefore declared the winner of the said Governor-General Election to be Garren Fawnwell, another notorious commander of the AFW. Meanwhile, the popular vote facilitated by the EGEP yielded Caleb Krong to be the winner.
Conclusion:
At present, the mainstream communication infrastructure in the UCA is still blacked out. The conservative-backed AFW and the liberal-backed VPF are still in a battlefield gridlock. The EGEP has successfully established a loose but effective web of virtual private networks accessible by a large majority of the UCA population.
The ICSR and many other nations support the EGEP in this crisis. However, there are also nations, like the Kingdom of Gyrosak, who support the AFW.