In a surprising announcement this morning, Prime Minister Jaques Arquette (Gaks Arket) announced that, after weeks of a tense standoff with members of the United Aurian Commune (a communist militia and activist group), a deal has been reached to break the blockade around the town of Juraceda. According to the full text of the agreement, in exchange for the UAC rescinding its independence declaration and standing down from its defensive position inside Juraceda, the Aurian government will allow some of its members to remain in Juraceda, declining to press charges. In addition, as part of the deal, elections (both local and parliamentary) must be held by the end of March.
However, neither of those provisions were the most surprising elements of the agreement, as the election provision also specified that before the elections are held, two conventions must be held. The first will be to discuss what reforms could be made to Aurian regional governance, as municipal governments have historically seen more and more of their duties given to the Masterial’s regional committees (particularly by the Masterial Organization Act of 1942, the Bureaucratic Efficiency Statute [1977], and the Karlia Act of 2004). The second convention will be the more interesting, however, as it would involve discussion on the merits of noble titles, the Masterial, and the Monarchy in general. It is unclear how much power these meetings shall have, but if they are full constitutional conventions (as stipulated in the Aurian Constitution), serious changes to the basis of Aurian governance could be made.
It has been rumored that this deal was negotiated through a Milintican negotiator, and that Prime Minister Arquette also reached out to the Eirian ambassador to Auria in order to discuss the enforcement provisions of the deal. Whatever the case, a few hours after the press conference to announce the agreement, a spokesman for Chancellor Stendē announced that the Eirian government will be putting together a neutral policing force in order to ensure that Juraceda (and the UAC as a whole) remains disarmed. Invitations have already been extended to the leaders of several nations, including Haesan, Laeral, and Lauchenoiria, to contribute members to the force. While the Haesanite and Lauchenoirian governments have already politely declined the offer, Eirian foreign policy analysts speculate that this may be a good first step towards inviting Eiria’s allies back into Aurian security policy.
The Aurian response to this truce agreement has been mixed. While sighs of relief have been breathed across the nation, the exact terms of the deal have raised eyebrows. Kuren Paul Lefāv, an independent member of the Masterial, was quoted by the United Aurian Press as saying that the deal “put the entirety of Aurian politics on the table to appease terrorists and radicals.” Conversely, Social Democratic MP Ana Limaja said that the deal “will help to address issues that have been neglected for too long.”
Regardless, this new truce deal brokers an uneasy peace throughout Auria. With the standoff in Juraceda cooling down and many coup plotters (including the disgraced Andrew Laurent-Ćordonnier) in government custody, a particular question is slowly getting louder in the minds of many Aurians: Is the Aurian Civil War finally over?
