ChiPet: Integrating China into Petronian Affairs

The ChiPet has been working on devising bills on various issues related to the Great Petronia and China association such as those concerning Tibet, Taiwan, and environmental issues. This process has been accompanied with discussions and various opinions on these topics, some being more severe on the questions of human rights, and some others more oriented toward good relationships with China.

In the first bill, proposals for policies on the Taiwan and Tibet issues are put forward. ChiPet is thinking of maintaining a non-interference attitude toward Taiwan, letting the countries themselves decide. However, they have a rather harsher position on China with the Tibetan human rights problem. They claim that they would not boycott the 2008 Chinese Olympics, with the reasoning that as these were two different issues having no relation with each other that they were unwilling to cut relations, particularly economic ties, with China. They are, however, willing to use the "carrot and stick method”, specifically to alleviate the embargo on China and help it make the relationship with other countries better. They did mention a tighter arms embargo and higher tariffs for customs, as a kind of pressure, if nothing else worked.

Rebecca Kim, the leader of the party, is deeply concerned with the human rights protection issue and is trying to establish a compromise. The party's press representative, Haroula Gotsi, is as well. "We hope that the Parliament members will support our initiative, since the human rights violations issue is one that has become a world problem, and is not only a domestic matter for China. We are going to respect China’s decision-making, and react only if for example the protesters attack the Chinese Embassy in our country, risking our citizens' lives, ”said Gotsi.

Taking into consideration the fact that China is a country that takes pride in its own decisions and abilities and would certainly react strongly to any imposition on its sovereignty, this reportar has some doubts that this policy would work. The human rights violations issue has become a world problem and could perhaps affect the economic relations between the two countries, ties ChiPet wishes strongly to preserve for the common good.

Another bill that the ChiPet has come up with is one concerning the environmental conditions in China and the relationship between China’s huge economic expansion and the problems that the industrial emissions are causing and may cause in the future for the global climate. China’s emissions are known to have reached a very high level, and if they continue to grow at this rate, they are predicted to surpass the United States’s emissions by 2009. But even though China has considered unfair the obligation to reduce its emissions, since it would mean weakening the economy of a developing country, it has come to an agreement to try to use alternative sources of energy and it has already spent about ten million dollars on implementing such solutions. The policy of the ChiPet on this issue is to involve China in environmental discussions not only with Great Petronia, but also with other developed countries, and to help them to use more environmentally friendly techniques. The ChiPet spokesperson has declared: “We give priority to the environmental concern since it’s one concerning all of us, and we are willing to help China improve its technology and lower its gas releases, as it’s one of the world’s greatest polluters. We really need the cooperation of other parties in this topic, since it’s vital for mankind in general.”

This is a step forward in improving our world and in making it a healthier place to live, although we all understand that developing these long-term policies, putting them into practice, and feeling their results won’t necessarily happen in the near future.

- DENISA QORI

TP: Announcing Political Steps

The Coolness Bill and the Safe Trade Bill are the two bills the Trade Party wishes to pass in Parliament. “In these bills, the TP expresses its concern about the matters that most affect the nation and the citizens at present,” the party declares in its introduction for these bills dealing with the support for emerging companies working in the “green field” and trade.

The first bill, the Coolness Bill, would support “emerging or policy-changing companies” with a 25% tax break over a period of five years, as long as these companies work in the field of “alternate fuel or 'green' production”. This first 5-year period is to be followed by another 5-year period, where “no substantial tax breaks” would be made.

The intent of this bill is to offer the opportunity of a period of reduced taxes so that companies can develop more quickly and efficiently. The TP based their ideas on the NAO systems, which have already had success in the United Kingdom and Canada.

The second bill which the TP encourages is the Safe Trade Bill. This bill would maintain the safety of Petronian society. The goal of this bill is to secure that exported items will not cause war or violence. To this end, the TP plans to make exporters responsible for ensuring that items are not going to be used by the consumers as any kind of weapon. Furthermore, the TP would like to encourage protectionist countries to get more involved in trade by “limiting tariffs and custom taxes”.

TP spokesperson Josh Beasley is convinced that their bills are going to be a success: “Our bills don’t have any restrictions with other parties, but even support their views and goals." Whether these bills really cover what the Petronian people need the most will be judged by our Parliament.

- PATRICIA WEYKOPF

Political Positions of the PPP

On Friday, the Progressive Petronian Party (PPP) had a press conference during which they announced their plans for the upcoming parliamentary sessions and their prepared bills. We, the Petronian Tribune, were there to bring you an exclusive overlook and many interviews from that day.

The party declared that they have two prepared bills that they will bring to the table on Monday and Tuesday. The official spokesperson, Damjan Denkovski, stated that “we are looking for support from all of the Petronian people. With our bills we will improve our economy as well as Russian affairs, and with that improve the bilateral relations with Russia."

Denkovski continued, "Our bills also focus on the environmental issue, and if passed it will help us make a better world for our children and their children as well as our own future.” Specifically regarding the second bill, he said: “Our other bill is focused on helping Russia in their information system as well creating a information database, which will help them with the gathering of information. This will benefit the citizens of Great Petronia since they will have access to more objective information and thus more insider views from Russia , which will provide them with new opportunities to invest in that country and at the same time provide our government with the necessary information to create a sufficient foreign policy with Russia.”

Later on that day we managed to also get a statement from Denkovski about the preparations of Dexter Zhuang for the parliamentary debate: “Dexter is a dedicated, devoted leader who is preparing for his debate while assisting other members of the party in whatever need they may have. His experience in meeting conduct and debating is a great help to this party, and if chosen will be to the whole Parliament as well.”

During this interview, the party leader (as well as only member) of the World Party of Petronia came to negotiate with the PPP.

The negotiations were full of misunderstanding the other's thoughts and ideas.

The representative of the WPP did not want to give an official statement to the present reporter of the Tribune, nor give a proper answer to the question “What is the difference between supporting you and voting for you?” His response: “You calm down, the press isn’t supposed to say anything here.” After a while the parties agreed on offering a friendship between the parties but not support.

In the end of the day the parliamentary debate was on the schedule, and after many good speeches and arguments Dexter Zuang was elected.

We wish him luck in maintaining a peaceful and progressive debate in the Parliament.

- ANDREJ SVETLOSAK

A Winner at Last: After Lengthy Debate and Votes, Zhuang is New Leader

In this reporter's memory, there has never been a more exciting and scintillating debate in our Parliament than that of last Friday. Each party's best stood confidently on the stage, defending their views with forceful locution and impressive articulation. Nasser Siadat, the candidate from MEAP, certainly made an rhetorical impact with the opening of his speech, calling for “unity, unity, unity, unity, unity.”

Yet, even with the disparate views of each nominee, the candidates remained civil and cordial. Robert Forsberg, representing the TP, had a self-effacing and genuinely affected manner which helped him become the runner-up for leader of Parliament: “I don't have to win, but I really want that whoever does win be appropriate for the job,” he stated. “I don't think I'd be perfect, but I do think that I would be suitable.” Becky Kim, from ChiPet, echoed Forsberg's sentiment but was slightly more driven in emphasizing that she was the prime candidate. “Everyone here is really suitable,” she said, “but I think I can do the best job, get the most compromises, and pass the most bills for everyone.”

This year's debates for leader of Parliament had a new twist: the addition of a 6th party candidate for the first time in 34 years. The representative from the single-man entity known as the World Party of Petronia made a bold stand, claiming that “peace” ought to be the primary goal for all Petronians. He certainly captured the audience's attention with his speechifying via emphatic gesticulation and marked refusal to sit while speaking.

In the end, however, only one person could come out on top--though not without three agonizingly close runoff votes. That candidate was Dexter Zhuang, a strong speaker with a lengthy background in leading parliamentary proceedings. Zhuang took a different tack than the rest of the candidates, stating that “the most important thing to talk about isn't the issues, but the way we run meetings, since that's the most important thing for running a parliament.” Zhuang's message must have resonated with the electors, as he stayed in the runoffs to become the final victor.

The 98th session of the Petronian Parliament will officially convene today, July 21st, at 2 PM.

- EMILY MOLINE

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

The most important requirement for the leader of Parliament is experience. There are many historical examples that can show us that leaders with no experience failed to rule their country. Experienced leaders always managed to find solutions to even immense problems. For example, while Abraham Lincoln received only one year of education, he gained valuable experience from his years as a self-taught lawyer. In result, he led the North through the Civil War, freed the slaves and unified the nation. Nowadays, Great Petronia needs an experienced leader who really cares about his/her country. While watching today’s debate, please consider who has the experience to be an effective Speaker of Parliament!

- Jeyhun Gafarov

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

As a member of the ACP I want to express my opinion on the upcoming elections for the Parliament leader. I think Nicole is the best candidate and has proved to be so through several speeches she has given, including several to our group and also at our press conference. She has also shown great leadership as ACP's party leader. I want to thank everyone for sharing this experience with me. I have learned how to organize my thoughts, analyze information, and make decisions with the knowledge I have recieved during my time in the BFTF program. I have met many amazing and unique people and I am thankful for this experience. My last statement is that I hope everyone sees that Nicole is the best woman for the job. Thanks!

- Bermet Raimbekova

World Party of Petronia: Dissent for Peace

The Tribune prides itself on its assurance that the voices of all its readers are heard. After a complaint was made from an internal dissident from the Trade Party (TP) regarding one reporter's coverage of that party's main candidate for leader of Parliament, the Tribune has agreed to hear the positions of this renegade member who has since gone on to create his own, sixth party of Parliament—Akmal, the new and sole leader of the World Party of Petronia. The following is the of-the-minute and unvarnished interview with this new radical.

The Petronian Tribune: You have your own party now—what can it offer than no other party here does?

Akmal: My party is going to offer some aspects which are not addressed by the other parties. My party's goal is combine these aspects, which is going to lead Great Petronia to not only a better economic sphere, but also to political improvements, and to become well-recognized in the international community.

PT: So, you're saying that because your party covers more and broader issues, you can provide a more holistic view of the issues that affect Great Petronia than any of the other five parties?

A: Yup.

PT: Could you briefly outline your major priorities, goals, and/or platform?

A: Specifically, the main goal is first of all to stop the war. Or, not stop—I mean, try to stop the war in some countries. And of course, to have more and more economical benefits from the regions of the world to improve. And also, to be as much as possible neutral in the political sphere.

PT: Why do you feel that you had to deviate from the norm and split off by yourself to accomplish these goals?

A: [Long pause] ...What if we will skip this question?

PT: Alright then. Do you plan on building coalitions with other parties?

A: Yup. Actually, first of all, I want to present a clear view to all members of Parliament, then I want to make sure that the people themselves are supporting me. Then ,if they support me, I'm going to support the ideas that they want to be supported. It means I'm going to be the apparatus by which people can let their voices be heard.

PT: With the creation of your own party, are you trying to actually accomplish goals, or merely make a statement with your actions? Are you looking to do some good, or did you merely feel like it was necessary to make some sort of protest via your actions?

A: First of all, I feel good. Second of all, my party is going to present diversity. If you look to the leaders of other parties, you will see that all of them are Americans. I am going to present issues which not only help America-oriented politics, but also international ones.

PT: So, do you feel then that because all of the main candidates are American, their worldview is too limited?

A: Yes.

PT: Can't someone be a good and able politician regardless of their nationality?

A: Yes, they can, but most of them are going to present the views from the American perspective. I would like to add, however, that I really appreciate all the work that the main candidates have been doing.

PT: Do you seek to promote any major reforms that perhaps aren't being covered by the current major five parties?

A: I can answer this after I have had a little more time to formulate my ideas.

PT: You've christened your party the World Party of Petronia. Could you explain that name, as well as your motto, “Peace On Earth”?

A: Yes. I call it the World Party of Petronia because I want to present policies related not only to one region, but also to the whole world. Our main goal is to keep our citizens in peace.

PT: You said that the specificity of the other parties' platforms worried you, but your position seems very driven on only one subject, too: that of peace. Any comments on that?

A: Yes—peace doesn't mean just to not have war, but to expand the economy. I want to ensure that the citizens of my country live happily.

PT: Do you feel then that the other parties are more belligerent and not amenable to creating peace?

A: I'm not really sure, because each party is really just going to present their own major positions. For example, just on China or climate, or at the same time, Russia and the Middle East. My role is to create the aspect which will be relatable to all groups of Petronians.

PT: Thank you for your time.

A: Thank you too, and thank you for letting me appear in your paper.

Read more on the positions of the World Party of Petronia at Haydarov's blog, www.worldpartyofpetronia.blogspot.com.

- EMILY MOLINE

PPP is for DZ

We have managed to get an exclusive interview with the newly elected candidate for leader of Parliament from the Progressive Petronians Party (PPP), Dexter Zhuang.

We had a few minutes of small talk before we actually started the interview. The feeling in the room was very relaxed and friendly as we began.

The Petronian Tribune: Why do you believe that you have been chosen for the candidate for the leader of Parliament?

Dexter Zhuang: I feel like I have the experience because I know parliamentary procedure from past activities such as Model UN and debate. Also, I have been the speaker of the house in my state's student congress and the mayor in a statewide city simulation. And I feel like I would be the most fair and efficient head of the Parliament, because is not about the issues but it is about the how you conduct the meetings.

PT: Do you believe you are the best choice for being the head of representation of the parliament of the people of Great Petronia?

DZ: Yes, because of the formerly mentioned experience, and I feel like I am more experienced than the other candidates in conducting meetings.

PT: Do you have any comments on the other candidates who are running for this post?

DZ: They are all really qualified and exceptional candidates, but the most important thing we should focus on is how we can function in the Parliament.

PT: What do you mean with how we can function in the Parliament?

DZ: By making the meeting as smooth, productive, and efficient as possible.

PT: Were there any opponents or other candidates?

DZ: Not really; we were pretty unified.

PT: Do you have any plan for you campaign, such as for example the candidate of MEAP, Nasser Siadat, has?

DZ: As of now we are still planning a campaign, but we will something set up by the end of this glorious day.

PT: If elected, what do you want to achieve in your term?

DZ: As the leader of Parliament I would represent the views of all the people, and I would make sure that the debate and legislation go as well as possible. And I would ensure that there is a fair and just rule.

PT: How do you want to keep the balance between the parties in the Parliament?

DZ: By hammering out compromises on issues that there are conflicts on and working through cooperation to solve problems that we encounter.

PT: Do you have any preferences for the parliamentary buffet?

DZ: As long as the food is better than that of the cafeteria, maybe a few vegan and kosher choices would be nice.

- ANDREJ SVETLOSAK

Nicole Vournazos: ACP's Choice

We managed to get an exclusive interview with a very busy candidate for the role of leader of parliament (LP). It was really easy to see how much hard work the candidates have to take up to compete with each other. But the ACP finally chose an LP candidate, Nicole Vournazos. Despite the long primary, the ACP had a wonderful display of unity at the press conference, where all candidates helped articulate their platform.

She asked me if we could go right to the topic and so we started.

The Petronian Tribune: Why did you propose yourself for the candidacy for the role of leader of Parliament?

Nicole Vournazos: I think I support what the party does and I feel that I have a lot to bring to the table as a parliamentary leader.

PT: Do you believe you are the best choice for being the head of representation of the parliament of the people of great Petronia?

NV: That is up to the people.

PT: Since there are three candidates in your party, which one do you believe to have the biggest chance of success?

NV: Again, I cannot predict the future. I know I have a lot of skills and talents and which I hope to utilize.

PT: Don't you think that having three candidates will only split up the voices that might have supported one candidate from your party into three?

NV: Dr. Ron Von Burg has suggested that we choose one.

PT: In what ideology or opinions do your candidates differ?

NV: We all support our party ideals.

PT: Since you say that they have the same ideological base and same goals, do you see any reason for having three candidates who all represent the same thing?

NV: I think that it is simply three unique people with different voices who want to run.

PT: What do you think about the other candidates running for this post?

NV: They are all great and I love working with them.

PT: Do you have any plan of you campaign, such as for example the candidate of MEAP, Nasser Siadat, has?

NV: Check advertising.

PT: What would you want to achieve if elected?

NV: That definitely depends on what the party presents.

PT: Do you have any preferences for the parliamentary buffet?

NV: Mmm, sounds yummy. Fruit is a must.

- ANDREJ SVETLOSAK

It's Getting Hot in Here: The ACP Attempts to Unify, Clean the Air

The Alliance for Climate Protection (ACP) had another eventful day. The ACP, Great Petronia's largest political party, experienced some of the difficulties associated with a party of such size—a very long primary season. After an engaging and respectful campaign, the ACP selected Nicole Vournazos as their Leader of Parliament candidate. We shall see how such a long primary process impacts the general campaign.

In addition to the primary, the ACP had a spirited teleconference with Department of State representative Drew Nelson. The debate started of with a friendly attitude with a round of introductions, where some of the party members were unsure as to how to operate the microphones (including some Tribune staff members). Mr. Nelson spoke about investment of US in alternative fuels and climate change policies amid rising oil prices. He notes that the US is the 2^nd largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world but is on the forefront of finding technologies to reduce emissions. But he emphasized that we can both help stop climate change and help the economy.

The ACP representatives peppered Mr. Nelson with numerous questions about legislation in the US to help curb climate change. The ACP hopes to model their legislation on the most successful programs used around the world. The ACP heard a lot about other forms of alternative energies and green technologies, such as increased use of nuclear, wind, and tidal wave energies. Like Great Petronia, the US is interested in promoting environmentally friendly policies that balance economic interests with keeping a lid on global warming. According to their party platform, the Alliance for Climate Protection (ACP) "presents an eco-social analysis and vision for our country. We feel we must maintain an ecological balance to develop our world. We support a sustainable community which utilizes resources in such a way that future generations will benefit and not suffer from the practices of our generation."

For further discussion of the ACP platform, please visit http://acpbftf.blogs.bftf.org/.

- DR. RON VON BURG

A Day of Work at the PPP

The Progressive Party of Petronia (PPP) had like most of the parties a very tight timetable with a platform to be created, preparations for the debate with the US State Department representative Howard Soloman to be made, and a candidate for leader of Parliament to be picked out.

As we came to have a look in the morning, the party was preparing for the important meeting scheduled at eleven o'clock which we, the staff of the Tribune, were not going to miss. Even though everyone was working very hard on their assignments, we managed to get some statements from the members of the PPP. Monika Sobočan stated: “We have questions prepared for about 45-60 minutes, because we are a very organized party, which under the leadership of our very illustrious leader Dexter Zuang has successfully completed these tasks: writing the platform, writing questions... so the only conclusion we can get from that is that Dexter is the perfect candidate for leader of Parliament.”

Just before the conference started, the official spokesman Damjan Denkovski said: “We as the Progressive Petronians embrace an agenda that includes peace, prosperity, and security, for the blessed nation of Great Petronia especially in regard to our relations with the Russian republic.” He also replied to the jokes and rumors that have been growing in the last day, for example that the name PPP sounds aggressive. “We aren’t aggressive, we are progressive," Denkovski stated, although it is questionable if this statement is true, because when a party has three pirate flags as their symbol it is surely something to think about.

For the state department teleconference, all the party members were actively involved in the questioning, and all of them were happy about its outcome.

In the afternoon the party started other work. When we asked Kelsi Steele, the supervisor of the party, about the party's activities, she stated that “they are cooperating with the other parties as a part of creating bills.” We hope that the creations that the PPP will present us with will be helping the people of Great Petronia and not only with sailing under a pirate and Russian flag.

- ANDREJ SVETLOSAK, covering for ill reporter Anna Shelestun

The Silence is Over, the Storm is Here

Everything seems usual: you have clean and silent floors in Green, the buzzing air conditioner and laptops, hot weather outside, thinking people inside… However, if you belong to BFTF and open your Facebook account: BANG, I promise you, at least five messages from people asking you to vote for someone called Nasser, inviting you to join groups with strange names like MEAP, or telling you that you'll earn $5 if you vote for somebody specific, a questionable democratic practice.

Is that crazy, strange, insane, or even ridiculous? It is definitely new in Great Petronia--but should you take our politicians seriously? Didn’t you see the carefully, lovingly-prepared toilet paper hanging around in every room proclaiming: “Vote for Rob – he will clean up politics”? Haven’t you been sitting in a room when somebody banged on the door, came in, said some senseless stuff with the words "vote, best, president, our, now, sorry" in it and left suddenly? Didn’t you get one of the thousands of pieces of paper saying “Vote = Cola”?

You did?! Be aware, the candidates for leader of Parliament are here: Dexter, Becky, Robert, Nasser and Nicole.

- PATRICIA WEYKOPF

Exclusive Interview with the Candidate from ChiPet

The following is the Tribune's exclusive interview with Rebecca Kim, the representative of the ChiPet in the upcoming elections for head of the Parliament of the Petronian Republic who graciously sat down with our reporter to discuss her platform and positions.

The Petronian Tribune: Ms. Kim, you are the candidate of your party for the elections. I’m interested to know how your party came up with your name to be their only representative. Why do you think they chose you?

Rebecca Kim: I was unanimously chosen, as I think the members of my party believe in me and consider me the best choice, because they trust my abilities to lead this country and protect the interests of the Petronian people to establish a peaceful and constructive environment for all.

PT: What do you think you can do as a leader of the Parliament that the other candidates cannot? Why are you the choice for the Petronians?

RK: I have the policy of unifying people and parties towards the goal of the common well-being for all the Petronian people, rather than being biased and affiliated to protect my party’s interests, like the other candidates would. I’ll make sure an equal and fair representation of all parties in the Parliament, in the meaning of being heard the same and being given the same importance to the issues they want to discuss.

PT: How do you know that other parties’ candidates will be “biased and affiliated”? Do you have any evidence for that? Have they expressed themselves in such a way to imply something like that, or is it a personal opinion?

RK: I’m sure that every candidate would claim that they are not partial, that they would care for the good of all. But when taking a look at their bills and pieces of legislation that show which their real interests are, you notice that unification is not a goal for them; they don’t seem to be so concerned about the Petronian people themselves as a whole rather than policies of making money. An example for this would be the Middle East relationship party [MEAP]. We try to ally and find the common language with almost everybody, but not everybody seems to put so much effort in such an issue.

PT: Could you briefly state your stance towards Middle East, Russia, free trade, and climate change issues?

RK: Well, with respect to Russia, we are open to discussion about any issue, especially the border problems. We’d be willing to lend a hand in helping reach an agreement.

Climate change is one of our top priorities: we want a better environment for our and the future generations, through renewable sources, safe and economically sound policies.

About Middle East policies, I have some reserves regarding the nuclear policies proposed by the Middle East relations party, considering it flawed in issues like storage and shipment of wastes.

About free trade, I want to say that we fully support it, seeing it as one of the bases of democracy.

PT: Do you find any common points with other parties, and have any alliances been established yet?

RK: Actually, no alliances have been set up, but we definitely have common points with some other parties. We support each other, and I would call this a situation of “pending alliances”.

PT: How do you plan to win the elections, considering the fact that your party in a middle-sized one, and that there are also other parties more or as likely as you to win?

RK: As I mentioned before, we are on our way to establishing alliances with other parties, but I think that we should be more concerned about choosing the most suitable person for all rather than being partial.

- DENISA QORI

The Buzzword is Unity: A Look at the Candidate from MEAP

It's only the second day of the 98th Parliamentary session, but intense campaigning and the attendant politicking and alliance-forming are already underway. Nowhere is this political process more apparent than in the official party room of the MEAP, where its members are constructing their candidate's campaign as if strategizing for war. Their party-elected nominee is Nasser Siadat, an intrepid candidate who chose to turn down a possible slot as a party official of the MEAP in deference to the neutrality and unity he seeks to promulgate should he be elected as leader of Parliament. “What I'm trying to do is to stay out our our party, because I'm not just focused on Middle Eastern affairs, I'm focused on unity,” Siadat explicated. “As leader of Parliament, I'll be there to serve 'them,' not just 'us'.”

Siadat seems relentlessly driven in his campaign to sell the idea of unity: indeed, it seemed to be his generic, go-to answer for this reporter's numerous and disparate questions. In response to an inquiry regarding his agenda: “My main focus is unity”; on how he plans on creating consensus within Parliament's many varying parties should he be elected: “I will focus on encouraging dialog via unity”; about how he plans on ensuring that the interests of all of Great Petronia will be protected, and not just those of the MEAP: “I'm going for unity within all of the various parts of the country.” It is not a little obvious that this concept of unity will be the driving point of Siadat's message. To this reporter, there exists a concern as to whether if one attempts to please everyone, one might end up pleasing no one, but this seems not to trouble Siadat. “All in all, I think everyone will realize that I'm working for a neutral stance,” he explains, “and that I'll ensure that everyone's two bills won't go to waste.”

- EMILY MOLINE

He Is It: "The Smartest Man"

Robert Forsberg, yesterday elected as the leader of the Trade Party, was today also chosen as the candidate for the elections as a leader of Parliament.

Before announcing Forsberg as the candidate representing TP, the party had to overcome mighty internal struggles. Though Forsberg was elected yesterday unanimously to be party leader, in today’s elections for candidate there was discord as two potential candidates, Robert and Akmal, fought for the nomination. The TP talked to other running parties to figure out which candidate they would prefer. The results of these surveys and how much influence they had on the decisions made in the party –i.e., whether they chose the most popular candidate, or the most suitable--are unknown.

Robert Forsberg, originally from California, living right now in North Carolina and also having lived in Canada, is sixteen years old and considers himself as an open-minded person. He says living and experiencing different cultures gives him the ability to understand different opinions easier and taught him how to make compromises. In addition, he is an experienced debater and has a wide range of knowledge about “random things”.

Forsberg supports the TP because his belief that “good economy leads to a better standard of life” is in concordance with the ideals of the party. Working for the benefit of people and country, his motto, makes it furthermore easier for him to run for the election as the Leader of Parliament, because his views and the tasks of a Leader don’t differ so much. Nevertheless, Forsberg emphasized, if the views of his party and his work as a future Leader of Parliament would interfere, he is ready to make compromises.

MEAP, CHIPET, and PPP are hopefully going to support the TP; thus, the TP has no extreme views on specific issues, so that the views of these parties don’t interfere with those of the TP. By making compromises, perhaps some more votes for Forsberg can be reached.

Forsberg would like to be seen as a “good compromiser…able and ready to take action” and as a “mediator”. In his opinion it is important to unite the parties to avoid political divisions and to work for the good of the people.

“I hope other parties look past party barriers and vote for the person which is honestly the best to do this job.” - Robert Forsberg

- PATRICIA WEYKOPF

Progressive Petronians Party and Their Issues

"Russians" group called their party "Progressive Petronians Party". Dexter Zhuang was chosen as the head of the party. Armen Sahakyan became a vice president.

PPP is focused on different issues regarding Great Petronia's relationship with Russia. They care about international relationships, but they claim a "neutral position". The PPP's spokesperson, Damjan Denkovski, says that they are focused on trade with Russia, a nation rich with gas, minerals, and oil. They also want to address "gas relationships" between Russia and Ukraine. The PPP has yet to describe how they will solve this problem. The PPP is also interested in border issues with Georgia and Ukraine and developing a policy regarding the Black Sea.

Also PPP wants to address the terrorism problem in Chechnya. As Sana Paritova, a member of PPP, said: "We want to help Chechnya and Russia to repair their relationships. We do care." But the main question is still open: how they would help--by money or only by moral support?

All these problems are now in a process and need quick solving. And the Tribune will be waiting for new, fresh and actual information for readers.

- ANNA SHELESTUN

Getting Involved: What's New in the Climate Change Party?

The environment group, rumored to be called the ACP but yet not officially named, was asked to give the Tribune a statement about their platform and a confirmation of the name. However, we have yet to receive these facts. As soon as we get the required statement, the Tribune will bring you this breaking news. Despite the missing major information, the spokesperson gave a short statement to a member of the press team. The leadership of the party was released and we exclusively bring you the list of representatives. The elected party leader is Nicole Vournazos. For the role of the public relations person (PRP), the party chose Lauren Howard. To advertise the party's plan and to make the public aware of its opinions, Karina Fateyeva was chosen to be the leader of propaganda.

Good relations are very important in preventing trouble and endless debates in the Parliament. Therefore, the party selected two members to cover each party's interests. These chosen members have to cooperate closely with the chief negotiator (Liaison), Lillian Xie.

After this short but important statement, we managed to get an interview with the party's leader, Nicole Vournazos, who was not really focused on the issue and talked to random people as they went by and even ran away as we were asking her a question to show something to an anonymous person on the Internet. However, here is a partial transcript of the Tribune's conversation with Ms. Vournazos, from which we were able to get some answers:

Andrej Svetlosak: Does the party have any bills running at the moment?

Nicole Vournazos: At the moment we believe none of the parties have worked out a bill and are still trying to understand the issues.

AS: How do you see the relations with the other parties?

NV: We are working towards good relations with other groups.

After these two questions, she went to talk with her fellow party members. We hope that the party will supply us with the needed information so we can bring you exclusively the statement of the as-yet-unnamed party.

- ANDREJ SVETLOSAK

MEAP: Internal Strife, Fiery Debates

The air hummed with excitement as the five main parties of Parliament assembled for semi-private deliberation yesterday morning. A definite tension was present: there is distinct pressure to go beyond the widely recognized accomplishments of last winter's 97th Parliament of Great Petronia. Now, with a body composed of more freshmen parliamentarians than ever before in the nation's history, there is a compulsion to prove that nascent parties can succeed and strong coalitions can be constructed.

Nowhere is this heat felt more directly than in the newly formed Middle East Affairs Party (MEAP). Composed of many disparate members with distinctly opposing views, it seems that the party will have vicious internal debate to come, to follow what was seemingly the tip of the iceberg today in preliminary intra-party discussions. The most notable conflict seems to arise with the issue of Israel, about which a debate today escalated into members spewing vitriol and slurs unprintable in a family newspaper. Undoubtedly, the MEAP will face conflict ahead in regards to this internally volatile issue.

The MEAP's members did manage to come together on several issues. They collectively support free trade of Great Petronia with the nations of the Middle East, and vouch for the Beijing Olympics. However, further discord erupted when one member asserted that regarding Middle Eastern conflict “we should have diplomatic relations before force is used,” while another interjected that “peaceful bombardment” should be instated instead.

The nation of Petronia surely awaits future development of policy within this conflicted yet vibrant party.

- EMILY MOLINE

ChiPet: Relations with China at Any Cost

The recently formed China Petronia (ChiPet) political party performed today its first, semi-closed meeting, to come up with the names of its leader and chairs which are as following: Becky San was elected as the party leader, with Andreea Ramona Onofrei as vice-leader; Tatsiana Kuzmiankova was assigned as the liaison of the party; two members, Haroula Gotsi and Lea Lojanicic have the position of press correspondents; Iskandar Konunov is the secretary.

Being asked about their platform and position on different issues regarding The People’s Republic of China, the press correspondent, Haroula Gotsi, giving the official position of this party, claimed that ChiPet was for a close trading relationship with this country, and that their party was unwilling to sacrifice this relationship, which they considered being fairly important, for almost any reason.

The ChiPet expressed the readiness to involve itself in discussions with the government of China in order to help improve their human right conditions, policies and actions, also lending a hand in their social and political development. Being asked about how far would this policy of close association go, which would be their position if China’s pose continued to cause dissatisfaction in the world’s stage about delicate issues like human rights, Darfur, environmental agreements, Gotsi gave a diplomatic answer, saying: "We’ll try to persuade China that improving the human rights situation within the country would be better for the country itself, and we are ready to engage in disputes with it, and in extreme situations even put economic sanctions, but we don’t believe that such decision will be necessary”. But what is the definition of “extreme situation”? Will this party be more affiliated to the economic connections with China or global issues and concepts like human rights protections since they say to deeply care about both, even though until now even powers like the US and the UN haven’t been able to set a common language with China about this issues. Will the ChiPet be able to resolve this problem by convincing China? That is still to be seen.

- DENISA QORI

"We're Amazing": A Report on the TP

The TP, the official name released by the party, is one of five currently established parties represented in the 98th Parliament. The TP, one of the smallest parties with only six members, claims to promote open trade.

"We are working for the benefit of the country and people," proclaimed Josh Beasley, the official spokesperson of the TP. He continued, "We're amazing." Their policy does not include any new movements or big changes. However, they want to maintain the current economical situation of Great Petronia and are open for negotiations with every country regardless of those nations political attitudes or the situation of the local people. During a second interview Beasley emphasized once again that the TP is willing to interact with all nations, including countries like China or Russia, regardless of their individual trade policies, political systems, and human rights issues.

Today, Mr.Robert Foresberg was elected as the leader of the party by a unanimous vote. Members of the TP say that Foresberg is the smartest man they have and that he is well-educated and a good debater.

Nevertheless, the party is not yet sure who they are going to nominate as a candidate for the President of Parliament.

- PATRICIA WEYKOPF

Special Coverage of 98th Parliament Deliberations

The Petronian Tribune is pleased to announce a new feature which will run every day for the duration of the Parliament's brief summer session, from today, July 16th to Tuesday, July 22nd. An in-depth look will be taken at each of the five major parliamentary parties, with the Tribune assigning to five of our top journalists the task of reporting on daily party deliberations. With the same journalistic integrity that has served as the hallmark of the Tribune since its inception in 1987, readers can be assured of the pleasure of reading well-balanced articles daily with comprehensive issue coverage and a hawk-eyed analysis of the concerns which affect us all.

- EMILY MOLINE