Cerwyn and Blackhorse
The second round of negotiations between the government and the opposition on the controversial New Frontier plan has begun in Kotavari. The stakes are high for both PM Andrew Blackhorse and the opposition leader Apollo Cerwyn, who have come under a lot of pressure to defend their parties’ interests. Last month, the breakdown of the inter-party negotiations led to the fall from grace of Prime Minister Noa Dargany, whose Liberals unseated in favor of Blackhorse.
The Constitution requires a two-thirds majority in Parliament for the plan, which would increase Sabia and Verona’s territory by claiming new land adjacent to the Southern Territories, to pass. The Liberals don’t have that majority.
Success is especially important for Blackhorse, whose continuation in office may well depend on his ability to strike a deal with the Democrats, who rejected every single offer presented by Dargany during the weeks-long talks that started in September. Luckily for him, the red party’s opposition to New Frontier is not unconditional. Democratic parliamentary aides have conferred in The SiV Phonograph that the red bloc wants to use the negotiations to gain leverage on several projects they have held off on introducing to the floor.
Still, the negotiations may extend for weeks to come, and a deal may not be struck before the end of the year. Voices from both parties have expressed their certainty that a New Frontier bill will not exist before November’s Parliament meeting, and there is no indication that it will be any different for December’s meeting.
The New Frontier plan would considerably expand Sabia and Verona’s territorial claims, annexing a 4 km2 (1.7 square miles) swath of land south of Alios. It would also grant Sabia and Verona a 100-meter territorial border with Abelden, which claims land in the area.
The SiV Phonograph 