Ocean Volks Union

The Ocean Volks Union, commonly abbreviated as OVU, is a republic located in southeastern Eldham. It straddles the border between the continents Serrona and Leifmyrr. The country separated from Morladron Mysterlu after an internal conflict.

Conflict within Morladron (141 - 209)
In the winter of 141 TE, after Pennsevik elections in the nation of Morladron Mysterlu, the ticket of Breizhcoin and Leon Leuge emerged victorious and formed the latest in a long line of Morladron leaders. After Morladron's defeat in the Morladron-Sylvania War, a rift rapidly formed between supporters of former Pennseviks Pringle and Trelanganack, and the supporters of Breizhcoin and Leon.

After Alvertex became acting Pennsevik, national divisions escalated quickly. Supporters of Breizhcoin accused Trelanganack and Pringle of undermining Morladron democracy and picking a fight with Sylvania. Conversely, supporters of Trelanganack maintained that Breizhcoin and his supporters were being used as Sylvanian puppets and undermining democracy themselves.

Trelanganack held a popular vote regarding the situation. Breizhcoin and Leon, who were warned prior about an alleged attempt by Trelanganack's supporters to gain control of the country, quickly moved to seize Morladron territory in Mesara and Port Venys.

Trelanganack formed an interim government of supporters called the Civil Provisional Officers (CPO). Their stated goal was to maintain national order and save the country from Breizhcoin, who they believed to be turning the country into a Sylvanian-backed dictatorship.

Formation of the OVU (209 - 215)
Breizhcoin and Leon began to prepare from an expected invasion of Mesara from the Morladron-controlled Vallava islands. A rival government was formed in the spring of 209 TE, called the Ocean Volks Union, which claimed to be the legitimate and democratic government of Morladron. A series of negotiations between the CPO and OVU failed. As the conflict escalated, nations across Eldham began backing one side or the other. The CPO was supported by Samora and Eleanor, while the OVU was allied to the Eldian Republic, Sylvania, and Vankria.

The stalemate quickly evolved into open warfare between the two governments, with espionage and subterfuge committed by both sides. The Battle of Survy Shores ended in a joint OVU-Sylvanian victory over disorganized CPO forces. The city of Porthegnys fell soon after. By the summer of 215 TE, the OVU forces had prevailed, and declared independence from Morladron.

After the rest of Morladron territory was occupied by Sylvania, the Sylvanians began a "de-Morladronization" program, erasing cultural symbols and past leaders from the region. These actions were criticized by both the CPO and the OVU. Soon after, the CPO reorganized itself as an insurgency in the Sylvanian-controlled regions; Partisan Morladron was born.

The interim government (215 - 219)
After the end of the war, the OVU set about repairing the extensive damage that had been caused by the war. In the winter of 215 TE, a triumvirate of Breizhcoin, Leon, and army leader Wilhelmina was organized formally as the OVU Interim Government. The official goal of the Interim Government was to consolidate control over Mesara, Vallava, and Port Venys, and to prepare the country for free elections.

Over time, the OVU population began to grow as citizens invited their friends and new people joined. By 218 TE, the population had reached about 18 citizens. Notable arrivals during this time were new player Murilo "Wicky" Skywalker and Redorivian politician Alexios Roussakis.

The Interim Government period was not without its controversies. Throughout several weeks the Interims stripped the citizenship of several newer OVU citizens on the grounds of sympathies to Partisan Morladron. Michael Imperium in particular was accused of being part of a plot to overthrow the Interim Government and replace it with one that was friendly to Morladron. During this time the mayor of Port Venys declared that his city was allied with Morladron, and exited the OVU. The OVU government continued to claim Port Venys as part of its territory, while Morladron asserted that the OVU has no claim to Venys and that the local population is in favor of Morladron control.

Elections and transitional period (219 - 223)
By 219 TE many citizens began to express irritation and concern at the lack of elections and the perceived ineffectiveness of the Interim Government. Development on the OVU Charter remained stalled until the intervention of the Redorivian politician Alexios Roussakis, who had recently emigrated to the country. With advice from the Interims and from prominent Redorivian statesmen Zuko and Ferdiadh, the Charter was reworked into a Federal and Presidential Republic system, and formally announced to the citizens in 221 TE.

After a period of open candidacy for all citizens of the OVU, general elections were held the winter of 222 TE. The entire legislature was open, as was the position of Chancellor. The two rival tickets of Jack Inhaftiert/Bright Zerkalo and Jam Traveler/Alexios Roussakis competed for the Chancellorship in what was a relatively uncontroversial and quiet election. The Inhaftiert-Zerkalo ticket prevailed with 5 votes to 4. Inhaftiert and Zerkalo took office along with the 6 members of the new Trident Vanguard legislature in the spring of 223 TE.

Inhaftiert government (223 - 236)
The Inhaftiert Government was formed and all government institutions were formally declared operational by the Trident Vanguard in its first ever legislation. The Inhaftiert Government has focused on filling all government positions, rebuilding the country, and increasing population through advertisement.

In 222 TE, negotiations were opened between OVU and Morladron to end the dispute over Port Venys and normalize relations. The negotiations ended inconclusively. In 224 TE Breizhcoin and Leon, acting under the orders of the previous Interim Government, used a staff ticket to take over the Port Venys claim and annex it into Morladron. This action was harshly criticized by Morladron and a few OVU citizens as well. Soon afterwards the Morladron government retook control over the Port Venys claim, and the dispute over the territory largely ended.

In 226 TE the Chancellor made an official speech regarding development and population growth, outlining his strategies to improve the nation. In 228 TE the government sent out its first National Census to record the active population and sort Citizens into provinces. The Census recorded 9 citizens. Later that year the Trident Vanguard passed its first significant legislation, detailing a rework of state murder charges.

In the winter of 228 TE, Midterm elections were held to elect the Second Trident Vanguard. The Chancellor gave a speech before the Vanguard about the importance of the peaceful transfer of power, and how to conduct elections moving forward. Breizhcoin hosted an April Fools session, declaring the overthrow of the government and the proclamation of the "Ocean Kaiserreich".

In 230 TE the foreign minister Alexios Roussakis informed the Chancellor that he was negotiating with Morladron for a possible reunification agreement. The negotiations were met with hostility by much of the Trident Vanguard, and there was a dispute about whether the Foreign Minister had the jurisdiction to hold such negotiations. In 231 TE a non-binding vote was held to gauge citizen attitude towards the negotiations. The poll found 11 citizens in favor of the negotiations, and 5 citizens against them. The negotiations continued.

For some time there was relative peace in the country. Negotiations with Morladron continued, stalled, and resumed again. Many laws were put into effect, including the approval of a newly reworked Civil Law that provided for the charging of specific crimes.

In 235 TE the Martial of the Armed Forces, Buck, attempted to overthrow the Union Government. Though many Citizens were banned, the damage was reversed thanks to the quick actions of Inhaftiert and Breizhcoin. Morladron interference was initially suspected, but disproved by a High Court investigation. Buck was charged with treason and the abuse of a government position, and stripped of his position.

In 236 TE the second General Election was held to close off the term. Although many considered running for Chancellor, the only ticket was Zerkalo/Inhaftiert, with the two switching the positions of Vice Chancellor and Chancellor. They ran unopposed and received 94% of the vote. The election also inaugurated the Third Trident Vanguard. Turnout for the election was at a record high, with 17 votes cast, a far cry from the 9 census responses of eight years before.

Zerkalo government (236 - 250)
The term of Bright Zerkalo as Chancellor began in the fall of 236 TE. The first half of his term was relatively peaceful, with little internal or external conflict. In 237 TE the Vanguard passed the first Amendment to the Charter, which clarified the procedure for declaring war. In light of renewed unification negotiations, Alexios proposed a Free Association Act to provide for dependent states under Union Government leadership.

In 238 TE the Foreign Ministry investigated joining the Oceanic League, a union of small nations across Eldham. After allegations of suspicious actions by League leaders, the idea was dropped. Later that year Alexios proposed and passed the Articles of Rapprochement, a comprehensive peace plan to end the Morladron Question once and for all.

In 240 TE Chancellor Zerkalo announced that citizens who brought in more active members to the nation would be awarded cash prizes of 2,500 per person. In 243 TE the midterm elections were held, yielding the Fourth Trident Vanguard. The election marked the notable defeat of pro-Morladron politicians Alexios and Pawnch, yielding a more legislature that was more hawkish towards their neighbor. Starting the same year a series of laws were passed to increase the security of elections and provide more background checks for new citizens. The first act of the new Vanguard was to create a Councilor of Infrastructure to lead development efforts. They also voted to annex a small island claim, the first territorial expansion of the country since the Venys Affair.

Starting during this time, tensions between Morladron and the OVU began to rise again. In 245 TE the Vanguard passed more legislation regarding wartime activities. Fears of conflict only grew after a series of back-and-forth attacks between more extreme members of both nations. The national build team constructed a stone wall between Volksstadt and Port Venys, prompting accusations from some Morladroners of hostility. Later that year the Vanguard approved the annexation of another small island claim, Port Eureka.

In 246 TE a member of the Vanguard attempted to impeach Bright Zerkalo. Allegations followed of Bright and some of his friends killing an OVU citizen. The impeachment attempt failed due to questions of legality, and an investigation was not held after evidence surfaced that his friends may have been provoked. Later that year the Second OVU National Census was held.

In 247 TE the Vanguard approved the entry of the nation into its first major diplomatic agreement, the Serronan League along with the Kingdom of Valaria and the United Socialist States of Eldham. The League collapsed within weeks due to the exit of the USSE after it was vassalized by Eleanor.

Earlier in 244 TE, Morladron leader Trelanganack Kowklopen had declared hostilities against Sylvania and had been attempting to retake former Morladron lands that were under Sylvanian ownership. A series of battles against the Sylvanians yielded poorer and poorer results for Morladron. In the Fall of 247 TE several members of the top Morladron government-including Pawnch, Mick, Voider, and Yaboi-moved to Port Venys and declared it an independent Grand Duchy, ostensibly to save it from destruction in the ongoing conflict. After being approached immediately by Foreign Minister Alexios Roussakis, they voted to join the Ocean Volks Union as the autonomous region of Port Venys in Free Association. Soon afterwards the Morladron government disintegrated, and Port Venys remained the only Morladron claim outside Sylvanian control.

As Vanguard and Chancellor elections approached, the future direction the nation would take in the post-Morladron era remained unclear. After significant speculation and a declining approval rating, incumbent Chancellor Bright Zerkalo and Vice Chancellor Jack Inhaftiert decided not to run for a second term. The main focus of the Chancellor ticket instead became incumbent Representatives Ethan and Max Calabaza, who won the election in 250 TE with a significant margin over the opposing Breizhcoin/Leuge ticket. These elections also had the first election for the new Governor of Port Venys, which was taken by Grand Duke Mick.

Ethan government (250 - 257)
Ethan and Max Calabaza were sworn in as the third Chancellor and Vice Chancellor of the OVU, along with the newly elected Fifth Trident Vanguard. Due to an unexpectedly busy schedule, Ethan was unable to fulfil much of his agenda during the first weeks of his term, though his approval ratings remained high.

In 254 TE Representative Leon Leuge became the first sitting legislator to resign from the Vanguard, citing a busy schedule and life obligations. In 255 TE a straw poll of the citizens showed them amicable towards a small tax on residents to fund the claims and government activities. Later that year there was a brief diplomatic dispute between the OVU and Karino following some questionable comments made by government officials. After Pringles became the Economic minister, he began pushing for industrial quotas to help fund the OVU military and construction.

In 256 TE Pringles was removed from the government and placed under investigation after evidence surfaced of him describing the launch of a coup attempt of the OVU government in the near future. An investigation was launched by the Justice department, but the High Court ruled that there was insufficient evidence that his attempt was serious and not a practical joke. In 257 TE candidacy for the midterm elections of Chancellor Ethan's term was opened. The candidacy period was an unusually brief 2 days, noticeably reducing the number of candidates.

Later that year, following an exchange between Pringles and Chancellor Ethan, a duel was held between the two. Ethan, allegedly intoxicated at the time, missed his shot and was shot in the stomach by Pringles. The Chancellor was rushed to the St. Breizh Volkish Hospital, where he died the following morning from an infection. Vice Chancellor Max Calabaza was sworn in as Acting Chancellor of the Union, after a period of legal confusion about how a replacement could be chosen.

Calabazan acting government (257 - 2XX)
In the midterm elections held in 258 TE, Acting Chancellor Max Calabaza received moderate levels of approval from the citizens, with a notable minority opposing his chancellorship. Despite his controversies Pringles successfully retained his Representative seat. Later that year Alexios Roussakis announced his candidacy for Chancellor in the upcoming general election.

Government
The Ocean Volks Union is a devolved unitary republic with a presidential system, like most Eldham republics. The supreme document of the nation is the Charter of the Ocean Volks Union.

Structure of government
The head of state is the Chancellor, who serves along with a Vice-Chancellor. The Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor is elected on a joint ticket by the citizens of the OVU every eight weeks. The Chancellor appoints the Martial of the Armed Forces and the Councilors of the Trident Council, which serves as the executive cabinet. The Vice-Chancellor assists the Chancellor and breaks certain ties in the Trident Vanguard.The Trident Vanguard serves as the unicameral legislature of the OVU, elected every four weeks using a mixed-member system. Three Governors are elected by the three Provinces, and five Representatives are elected by the citizens at-large. These eight Legislators collectively compose the Trident Vanguard. In the first general elections only four citizens ran for Representative, so the current session of the Trident Vanguard only has six members.

The High Court is the supreme and only judicial body of the OVU. It is composed of three Justices, which serve for six months or until retirement. Vacancies are filled through appointment by the Chancellor and confirmation by the Trident Vanguard.

The OVU is composed of two provinces, Volksstadt and Vallava. Each province is ruled by a Governor, which oversees the province under the supervision of the Union Government in addition to their legislative duties. The majority of OVU citizens live in Volksstadt. Additionally, there is one autonomous region in the southern town of Port Venys.

Important documents
Charter of the Ocean Volks Union

Civil Law of the Ocean Volks Union