West Ariddia

West Ariddia

Flag of West Ariddia
Motto: To each according to need
none available
Region	Uhuhland
Capital	Aqeyr
Official Language(s)	French, English, Wymgani
Leader	President Banita Sho
Population	4.8 billion
Currency	West Ariddian credit
NS Sunset XML

The People's Republic (formerly: Sovereign State) of West Ariddia is a country in the Ariddian Isles, in southern Uhuhland. It occupies most of the island of Limea.

History (general presentation)

Sovereignty, capitalism and development

The Sovereign State of West Ariddia is a secessionist state which was formed when the Ariddian island of Limea unilaterally declared independence from the People's Democratic Social Republic of Ariddia in 2011. Rejecting the latter's communist principles, West Ariddia embraced almost unbridled capitalism.

Relations between the two nations remained tense for a long while, as communist Ariddia refused to recognise Limean independence. Finally, however, diplomatic relations were established, and freedom of migration between the two countries was facilitated, as thousands of Ariddians opted for the economic freedom the new country offered, and thousands of West Ariddians in turn fled the inequalities generated by the new Limean socio-economic system, and moved to the nineteen islands still under Ariddian control.

Ironically, in 2021, West Ariddia was faced with the very situation it had inflicted on Ariddia, when the northern city of Nouvel Espoir seceded in turn and declared its autonomy based on communist principles, as the sovereign City of North-West Ariddia.

Until 2122, West Ariddia stood in stark opposition to its communist neighbour in a number of ways, though both are democracies. West Ariddia has an extremely powerful economy (the strongest on the continent), but is plagued with high levels of crime, looming environmental disasters, and a large percentage of its population living in desperate poverty. The country has a strong military, and has developed nuclear weapons, while communist Ariddia (the PDSRA) has only a fairly small army.

2122: the communist comeback

In 2122, Presidential elections pitted Jean-Charles Paon of the outgoing Free Democratic Party against Ea L'lew of the Democratic Communist Party. Such elections had traditionally been very close, but the FDP had always prevailed. This time, however, controversy shook the entire political process.

During her campaign, L'lew promised to hold a referendum on re-unification with Ariddia should she be elected, although she herself opposed the idea. Her promise sparked huge indignation and lively debates. An anti-communist association, Citizens For Democracy, called for the DCP to be barred from the election; they argued that such a referendum would be unconstitutional as it would violate legal guarantees of sovereignty. The "Red Scare" was in full swing; the DCP was accused of wanting to "hand our country over to a foreign, enemy nation".

Since the CFD's challenge had been lodged on constitutional grounds, the decision was left to the courts. Outgoing President Luc Sands (FDP) said very little, other than a brief mention that, in his view, excluding the country's second largest party from the election would be "very harmful to democracy".

Eventually, the courts barred the DCP from taking part; Jean-Charles Paon (FDP) was, in consequence, easily elected. Massive demonstrations and strikes erupted in protest, and continued for four months; the country's economy was soon paralysed. Faced with a crisis of unprecedented magnitude, and unable to resolve it, Paon resigned, and new elections were held. This time, the DCP was invited to participate, and L’lew was elected by a fairly narrow margin, having promised not to hold a referendum on the rescinding of national sovereignty.

L'lew's election marked a turning point in West Ariddian history. She began to implement radical socialist policies, reversing over a century of capitalist government.

2132: a return to capitalism

Although President L'lew was re-elected in 2127, she lost to FDP candidate Jean-Charles Paon in 2132, ushering the FDP back into office. The new government, however, found itself hampered by the lack of an absolute majority in Parliament. The FDP won the following elections in 2137 and 2142. The latter saw Thomas Brown come to power, with an absolute FDP majority in Parliament (52 seats out of 99).

The dissolution of the State, and the communist "coup"

In 2143, President Brown stunned his country and the world at large by abolishing the State and declaring "pure capitalism". Four months later, communists began an organised take-over, seizing control of several major industries, setting up workers' cooperatives and occupying the former government buildings. They asked L'lew to take the presidency, which she did eventually, citing the need for a government in the face of military vessels approaching West Ariddian waters from the Unified Capitalizt States and Allanea.

L'lew announced she would lead a 5-year transitional government and implement "sweeping reforms" before organising democratic elections. She called upon members of Parliament to resume their seats, but only 35 accepted to do so.

Reactions from foreign countries

• Report by Sangita News (Snefaldia)
• Crown Princess Kate complains to Ariddia about seizure of Dallas assets in West Ariddia (Jeruselem Government News)
• Tehrani: West Ariddian situation 'extremely troublesome' (Omigodtheykilledkenny)
• Firston slams "coup d'état" in West Ariddia (Liverpool England)
• Report from KBC (Kelssek)
• Official Announcement of the United States Department of State on the Situation in Arridia (Allanea)

The 2143 election

Bowing to foreign pressure, Ea L'lew agreed to step down, and reached an agreement with the FDP: Blank Party leader Frank Helm would lead a new, brief transitional government, composed of apolitical civil servants, with a mandate only to organised fresh presidential and parliamentary elections. These took place three months later, and Ea L'lew's protégée Banita Sho was elected in the second round with 50.07% of the vote; she also benefited from an absolute majority in Parliament. West Ariddia had a communist-led government once more. Sho pledged to implement "emergency legislation" to tackle social issues such as unemployment, homelessness, malnourishment, and the poor's lack of access to health care and education.

Media in West Ariddia

Written press

"Quality press"

• L'Objectif, in French, is mildly left-leaning. It is generally considered to be one of the country's most objective, quality newspapers.
• Le Quotidien, in French, is mostly centrist.
• L'Espoir, in French, is a communist newspaper.
• Ewoes'u, in Wymgani, is generally pro-communist; the word ewoes'u has a meaning roughly akin to "mindful".
• The Aqeyr Daily, in English, is primarily about economics, and is mostly pro-FDP.

West Ariddia also has many tabloids (often referred to as "gutter press"), the most notable and popular of which is The Inquiry (in English).

Ariddian and other foreign newspapers are widely available, including La Voix du Peuple.

Television

Dozens of West Ariddian-produced channels (including cable and satellite) exist. For news, most West Ariddians tune in to Channel One or La Deux. News in Wymgani is available on TV9. All these channels are run by big businesses, which are generally pro-FDP.

The DCP operates its own channel, Canal Rouge (channel 41 on most cable network providers).

Westville News, a programme on Canal V, is a very popular way for many West Ariddians to keep up with the news.

Finally, many foreign channels are available, including news channels (such as PINA).

International codes

Related links

• West Ariddia's national football team