The Supreme Tribunal of Justice, Milintica’s highest court, has declined to overturn the results of the presidential election on September 1st. The court’s decision means that President-elect Neina Arana of the Milintican Communist Party will be able to assume the presidency on October 1st.
“While there are significant discrepancies and evidence of misconduct by both the Peoples’ Party and the Communist Party during this election, there is simply not evidence either way to justify this court reversing what appears to be a valid vote of the people,” Chief Justice Tlazohtlaloni stated in the Tribunal’s written decision. All nine justices voted not to overturn the election results. The written decision went on to state that the lawyers representing outgoing President Matōchmizalo “had not conclusively proven that any of the discrepancies or misconduct presented would materially alter the vote count or change the results of the election.”
“I thank the Tribunal for upholding the will of the people as expressed in a free and fair election,” Arana told the media outside the National Hall of Justice when the decision was announced. “Now that the futile attempts by the outgoing administration and their foreign backers have been thwarted, we can begin planning and working for Milintica’s future in earnest.”
A subdued President Matōchmizalo announced that “despite my tremendous misgivings about the validity of this decision”, he would reverse course from his previous threat to refuse to vacate the presidency. Matōchmizalo confirmed that he would step down on October 1st as required under Milintican election law and the country’s constitution. Matōchmizalo did, however, continue to accuse the MCP and the Peoples’ Electoral Committee of falsifying Arana’s win. “We will reluctantly enter the opposition, even though we know that something is seriously wrong and suspicious about this outcome. We do not believe that the PEC, or the Tribunal for that matter, are no longer unbiased or uncompromised. As a result, we will continue to oppose the unlawful and illegitimate regime about to take over Haven House and the Assembly with every single iota of our energy.”
Matōchmizalo said that the MPP would take “all possible and available legal measures” to obstruct and prevent the incoming Arana administration from implementing its “divisive, destructive and regressive agenda.” Matōchmizalo emphasized that he expected the MPP and his followers to do so legally. “Unlike the illegitimate incoming ‘President’, we obey the law and honor its terms.” Matōchmizalo also urged other countries to continue investigating the results of the election, stating that he was certain that the new MCP government would shut down all such investigations on the Milintican side once taking power.
The promise by Matōchmizalo that his outgoing administration and party would pull out all the stops to try to obstruct Arana and the MCP appears to already be well on track, according to inside sources within the Milintican government. “In all their offices, the outgoing MPP officials are destroying or sabotaging computers and records. They’re finding every excuse they can not to meet with their MCP replacements to discuss the transition. They’re conveniently ‘losing’ or ‘forgetting about’ things we need to know as we take over,” a high-ranking member of the incoming Arana administration told DTNS on condition of anonymity. The official expressed frustration at the “childish, unprofessional, sore-loser conduct of Matōchmizalo’s entire administration,” saying that it would only hurt Milintica overall as Arana tries to assume governance of the country. While Arana has threatened to have any outgoing officials engaging in sabotage criminally prosecuted, her threat has “only accelerated the obstructionist efforts of Matōchmizalo’s people,” the official said.
Huenya demands release of diplomats, courts replacements for UCS
After two Huenyan diplomats acting as election observers were detained in a small town in northern Milintica, Huenya’s government has demanded their immediate release. President Xiadani has threatened that there will be “significant repercussions” for the incoming Milintican government if the two diplomats continue to be detained.
The two Huenyan diplomats were interviewing residents of the town of Aropaonui about alleged election misconduct when local police arrested them. The two diplomats have been charged with refusing a lawful order from police and resisting arrest by Aropaonui local police. However, incoming Arana administration officials have also threatened to bring charges of espionage against the two. President Xiadani warned that “escalating the situation by pressing national-level charges against two accredited diplomats will result in matching escalation by the Huenyan Federation.”
“They shouldn’t be charged with anything or detained, period. The charges against them are spurious and ridiculous. Our people who have been detained are also diplomats. They have diplomatic immunity. I would remind Neina Arana that’s why the phrase ‘diplomatic immunity’ has the word ‘diplomat’ in it,” a clearly furious President Xiadani told the media today. “I expect that our diplomats will be released immediately, either by the outgoing administration of President Matōchmizalo or the incoming administration of Arana. If they are not released voluntarily, I reserve the right to take all possible and needed actions to ensure their release.”
The Huenyan government has called for a meeting of the UCS nations to discuss the detention of the Huenyan diplomats. However, with Matōchmizalo’s administration reduced to lame duck status, it is unclear that they could meet the Huenyan demands even if they wanted to. Huenya’s ambassador to Milintica, Nochpalli, told DTNS that Milintican officials “appear to either sympathize with Arana, or fearful to act because Arana is about to take over. Either way, the Milintican government is currently paralyzed and may well remain so until after inauguration day.”
One act, however, that the outgoing government was able to help Huenya with is their goal to prepare possible replacements for Milintica should Arana withdraw from the UCS. Matōchmizalo has signed a bill hastily pushed through the Representative Assembly approving the potential admission of Manabí Rive to the UCS, getting it in under the wire before Arana takes over. “Arana and her people have made it clear that they don’t value the UCS. They could well block the UCS from admitting any new nations, as a form of leverage to strengthen her threats to withdraw from the UCS if she doesn’t get her way. Approving the Manabí for membership before Arana takes power will help negate her threats to a degree,” a Huenyan State Department official told DTNS under condition of anonymity. Huenya has also approved potential Manabí admission to the UCS, and it is expected that they will ask Eiria to fast-track Manabí approval as well.
Manabí Rive had dropped its previous bid for UCS membership after threats from the Xiomeran Empire. When asked about that by DTNS, the ruler of Manabí Rive, Sapa Tanqui, said that the Manabí had chosen to renew their bid for UCS membership following Xiomera’s continued interference in Huenya. “We believe that the Xiomeran Empire will turn its own ambitions to Manabí Rive next, trying to rile up ethnic Xiomerans here as an excuse to take our land like they did in Huenya with the manufactured Golden Blade insurgency. We have to protect ourselves before that happens.” When asked if that would cross previously stated Xiomeran red lines and provoke Xiomera, the Manabí leader shrugged. “What doesn’t provoke Xiomera? We can’t live in fear of them anymore.”
