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Rokkenjima's Crown Princess Adriana Visits Tytor TSARGRAD -- The Empress and Crown Princess of Rokkenjima made a stop in Tsargrad Wednesday morning on the first leg of a trip that also included Dartfordia. During her visit, the Crown Princess spent several hours volunteering at a Tsargrad soup kitchen run by St. Margaret's Altruistic Relief Team, and gave a statement to the press before departing for the remainder of her trip.
"Today I saw all walks of life in Tytor: the technologically savvy who follow developments on Twitter and other means of social media to the disadvantaged who rely upon charity to fulfill their needs," she said, "From the every-day Tytorian taking a picture with me to the Tytorian Royal Family welcoming myself and my Aunt at the Royal Palace, from working in soup kitchens to a Royal Palace's kitchen answering to my whims and desires. We can do better, we must do better, for the least advantaged of those amongst us. Following my departure from the Palace, I instructed the Imperial Culinary Staff of Rokkenjima to craft a package of aid to those disadvantaged in the Kingdom to ensure their dietary needs are met. So long as the weakest mouth is hungry, we each have a responsibility to see that their mouth is fed before we even sit at a table, and I'll continue to do all I can to see that goal is met.
"Before I leave, I have always loved Tytor, but we can recognize each nation is not perfect. We can always do better for the least advantaged amongst all of us, and so long as we endeavor to see our efforts towards them succeed, we can change the world. This is why I am establishing the Cross-Straits 'Pay-It-Forward' system, which will see banks linked to the Imperial Rokkenjiman Bank round up all purchases towards the purchase of a meal for one who can't afford it. It's my hopes that this system of forward payment will reach out to all banks throughout the Cross-Straits System, and that we'll see a future where those who have will willingly provide for those who do not have."
The initiatives announced by the Rokkenjiman Crown Princess received almost immediate responses from the leaders of Tytor's contending legislative coalitions. Prime Minister Madeline Thatcher was quick to praise the proposals, telling reporters that she and her cabinet "appreciate the gesture". She went on to say that "Princess Adriana is absolutely right. As citizens of Mundus, we both can and must do more to relieve the suffering of the disadvantaged in our midst."
Former Prime Minister John H. Goodfellow, leader of the Conservative Alliance, took a less positive view of Crown Princess Adriana's visit. "While I appreciate the sentiment," he said to reporters later Wednesday night, "We do not need these projects. Tytor is strong enough to fight its own battles, and the Prime Minister's meek acceptance of this foreign meddling is unacceptable, no matter how strong our alliance is with Rokkenjima, and no matter how well-intentioned the interference. As Tytorians, it is our job, not Princess Adriana's, to assess what our nation needs. The Crown Princess may have negotiating experience with the Morelanders, but she is still only a teenager, and she needs to leave the actual governing to the adults in the room. Besides, she has grossly overestimated the scope of the problem she proposes to fix; while there are undoubtedly poor people in Tytor, this is hardly a second or third-tier nation like Clysperis, Merina, or Jugland, where such programs might be more desperately needed."
Popular Front leader Benjamin Morales, MP for Rothbury, offered a muted mix of his two rivals' positions, telling reporters that he was "cautiously optimistic about this whole thing, though I cannot help wondering if maybe we should be doing it ourselves instead of relying on the charity of our Rokkenjiman friends and neighbors".
As of press time, Pyrena Castle had not responded to a request for comment. Full coverage of the visit by Rokkenjima's Empress and Crown Princess can be viewed online at
www.tbs.co.ty.
Polls Close - Several Races Too Close to Call
TSARGRAD -- General election polling places have closed all over Tytor Saturday night following a relatively quiet campaign period. The election, called by Prime Minister Madeline Thatcher in December after a failed attempt to ratify the Mundus Convention of Universal Rights, has led to what seems to be a disappointing result for the governing Coalition for Democracy. While around twenty races remain too close to call as of the time of writing, TBS has already projected the CfD's loss of seven key seats to the Conservative Alliance and the Popular Front, with only one seat projected to flip to the CfD so far. With only a twelve-seat majority heading into the election, the CfD appears to be on shaky ground, and some pundits have already begun speculating that Tytor may see all three coalitions fail to secure a majority at all. If that were to happen, it is unknown what it would mean for the current party system, as no election has delivered such a result since the coalitions took their present form in the 1980s.
The primary contenders in the push to secure the prime minister's chair - incumbent Madeline Thatcher of the CfD, former Prime Minister John H. Goodfellow of the CA, and opposition leader Benjamin Morales of the PF - have each taken distinct stances on various issues confronting the nation. Thatcher has touted her record as prime minister as she has pushed more globalistic policies and international norms than her rivals, telling supporters in a rally on Monday that she believe "it is time for this nation to move out of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first". Goodfellow, in turn, has taken a far more nativistic position than his opponents, calling at a Tuesday town hall event for "a return to basic Tytorian principles of hard work and self-sufficiency". Morales, meanwhile, has struck a comparatively middle-of-the-road position, calling for many of the same measures as Thatcher, but with a localized focus similar to Goodfellow's emphasis. As the vote count continues into the night, and likely on into Sunday morning, it remains to be seen which strategy, if any, will emerge triumphant.
This is a developing story and will be updated.