One day in December, the sky turned black. On that day a message from God went out to the world and broke apart the Commission as surely as any shockwave.

In some places, the Commission survived, limping, barely enough remaining loyal to maintain order. In other places, it dissolved, its agents seeping away into the rising tide of democracy. In yet other places, their headquarters were stormed and their occupants dragged out into the street by cheering mobs.

A world long united must divide.

A splintered Wesmarch could not stand alone. First, the Commission destroyed its Government. Then, the death of God destroyed the Commission. Overnight, Wesmarch ceased to be a district anywhere but in maps. Isolated towns and cities attempted to reach out to one another, their shared pride in their common Wesmarchian heritage drawing them together.

But then evil struck. Agents of foreign powers conspired to rig dual waves of fraudulent referenda, tearing the land asunder. The cursed ground fell prey to vicious Wickland from the east. The rest was befallen by perfidious Éllière from the south. Even little Bexgate refused to hear the call of the homeland and declared itself independent.

How can this be tolerated? To Hell with Wickland! To Hell with the sham “Wesmarch-Éllien Union”. To Hell with an independent little Bexgate. They attempt to divide us by religion, when in our hearts we are united as the people of Wesmarch.

- Leaflets seized alongside weapons during a raid on the headquarters of a revanchist extremist movement operational in Wyegrove.

From the fragments of the old world, sharp-elbowed political operators worked to piece together the new one. The order to evacuate the east became unworkable. All but the most pious flooded back to resettle their homes. The world threatened to be divided into two, the pious west and the impious east. A future of conflict and danger loomed.

Things rarely transpire exactly as anticipated.

Life on cursed ground was not easy. Demons, loosed from Hell and concentrated into that half of the world, were a constant menace. It became a cliché for politicians to defend their record of anti-demon defence by noting that citizens are more likely to die by chronic lower respiratory diseases than in demon attacks. Satirists have noted that this is the only time politicians ever mention chronic lower respiratory diseases. Life on the cursed side of the rift was forced to adapt. Not all wanted to shoulder the burdens of adaptation. Over time, flows of people from east to west left the latter almost twice as populated. This did, at least, blunt the divide between the impious east and the (variably) pious west.

Density is not destiny: Re-evaluating geographic factors in authoritarian government

Abstract: Recent analyses of the causes of authoritarianism have de-emphasised the role of geography, arguing that states upon cursed land are only slightly more likely to be authoritarian than states on non-cursed land. This article challenges this conclusion by including in its analysis the effects of urbanisation upon political openness. A regression using the OPEN index of political accountability finds a robust correlation between more urban and denser populations and democracy. As states on the cursed side of the rift tend to be much more urbanised and to have denser cities than those on the non-cursed side, the location of states upon cursed or non-cursed ground re-emerges as an important factor in political openness or authoritarianism. The SD of authoritarianism remains high across states on both sides of the rift, particularly in the west.

REFOUNDATIONALIST PARTY WINS SECOND PLACE IN ASHMEREAN ELECTION

The neo-Commissionist Refoundationalist Party has won second place in the Ashmere’s general election, increasing its share of the vote by 12% to 34% overall. Early results suggested a greater Refoundationalist surge and perhaps even an outright victory, causing a flash sell-off on the Ashmere Stock Exchange and crowded airports as some citizens attempted to flee the district.

The victorious Progressive Democratic Party, which achieved 41% of the vote, has won 83 of 200 seats in the Ashmerean Legislative Council and six of 15 seats on its Executive Council. This represents a fall in voteshare of 11% from the last election in 3927. The new chair of the Executive Council, Siobhan Duffy, sought to reassure citizens and foreign onlookers in a wide-ranging acceptance speech. Duffy promised to increase homebuilding and boost investment in technical education. In a move which analysts widely consider an attempt to appeal to voters lost to the Refoundationalist Party, she also proposed a new committee to regulate the provision of religious education in schools, to be chaired by the angel Manatana. This announcement provoked outrage among members of the third largest party, the Better World Alliance, who have declared their mission to be the full decommissionisation of the district.

Lacking a majority in the Councils, the Progressive Democratic Party will depend upon the support of either the Refoundationalists or the Better World Alliance to pass legislation. Governments and citizens around the world watch expectantly to see if that which was so recently unthinkable may come to pass – a coalition agreement between neo-Commissionist and mainstream democratic parties.

Developments in Ashmere are likely to increase tensions in the Wesmarch-Éllien Union, which faces its own elections next month. Angeline Dankovska, until last year Chair of the LCC Metacouncil and now recently returned to Wesmarch-Éllière to serve as Secretary for External Relations, said that she is following the growth of neo-Commissionism with concern, whether it be abroad or domestic. Recent polling has seen the neo-Commissionist Fidelity Party rise from 13% to 20% of the vote, and analysts are concerned that further rises remain possible. Tonight, many in Wesmarch- Éllière and around the world shall ask themselves – could it happen here?

In such a time of disintegration, how could the Large Coalition of Councils be explained?

A world now divided must unite. Or, at least, in part.

Divided and with threats within and without, democracies did that which their critics least expected. They chose to come together again, as they were before, and cooperate hand-in-hand where they had been expected to compete. A vast confederation with members upon every continent, and upon both sides of the rift, came together. Sensible voices opined that the effort was doomed to failure – that an effort to piece together what had been broken was doomed without God and the Commission. Less sensible but more insightful voices said that such assessments forgot the new animating force of the world and of history. Hope.

TENSIONS RISE AS BEXGATE ARRESTS KHAMVALI SPIES

The Bexgate Council announced today that two spies from the Khamvali Republic have been arrested as they attempted to sabotage the city-state’s connection to outside power stations. General Bedekar, Khamvali Secretary for Security, recognised the spies as Khamvali but denied that they intended to sabotage civilian infrastructure, instead claiming that they aimed to tap Council lines of communication. General Bedekar further claimed that such espionage was a fair response to the Stowebridge Protocol, the breakthrough diplomatic agreement achieved last month whereby New Duttom agreed to wide-ranging arms control restrictions in return for an easing of LCC sanctions. General Bedekar declared that the treaty demonstrates the commitment of LCC leadership, and in particular Metacouncillor Adalli Nafaro, to fostering neo-Commissionist movements until the time is right to abolish democratic governance and return to Commission dictatorship.

The row has led to fears that relations between Khamvali and the LCC, only normalised two years ago, may now return to their earlier frosty tone. Diplomatic relations were severely curtailed between the two following a declaration by the Khamvali government that they had extended an offer of asylum to the Wicked Witch of the East. Diplomats have expressed concern that, unless contained, the row may jeopardise ongoing negotiations to regulate Khamvali synthetic biology research.

According to Endang Redjosentono, Professor of Politics at Intengaluh University, the views expressed by General Bedekar are not the official attitude of the Khamvali Republic and are therefore an indication that the General is positioning herself for the leadership. Sudha Deshpande, the current President of the Khamvali Republic, has announced her intention to retire at the age of 75. Without a clear successor, senior members of her government are preparing to seek the leadership of the hegemonic Safety and Freedom Party. Professor Redjosentono speculates that the choice of Bexgate is not merely due to its role as a centre for international diplomacy, but rather also as a deliberate attempt to court the favour of the Wicked Witch of the East. In a tightly contested field, the Wicked Witch’s endorsement may prove a decisive demonstration of anti-Commission credentials.