The Leftist Assembly

The Leftist Assembly is a pan-leftist region in NationStates. It was founded on 14 January 2016, and is currently one of the largest User Created Regions in the game. It is a member of the NSLeft, a left-wing interregional bloc which is the largest alliance in NationStates.

History
There have been several history projects written by members of the region. This has included the Regional History Project (Episodes 1, 2, and 3) by Cedoria, which is a series of perspectives on the origins of The Leftist Assembly, and A Comprehensive History of The Leftist Assembly by Llorens, which is a short book detailing the entire period from the founding of The Communist Region to The Leftist Assembly's fourth anniversary.

Origins


The Communist Region was founded by CSSR on 3 November 2012 and was refounded on 13 November the following year after a period of stagnation by the original founder's new nation, New CSSR. Socathei was elected in April 2014, serving the longest uninterrupted term of any leader in the active era of the region. After public pressure on the Delegate and founder, a new election for the Delegacy was called in September that year, where Atealia ran against Socathei with a reformist platform; with the tally neck-and-neck on the final day of voting, Socathei convinced New CSSR to banject Atealia on the false grounds of being a spy. Atealia and Cedoria, followed by their supporters, founded the new region of the Democratic Socialist Union with Cedoria on 20 September. Another major breakaway occurred in The Communist Region when military leader Lipno feuded with the founder over elections, leading the majority of his forces to form The Leftist Union, which rapidly emerged as a major leftist military, but quickly collapsed in January 2015 after Lipno's deletion for violating game rules.

Following a period of renewal under Delegate USSRs, Socathei returned to power in April 2015, but they ceased-to-exist after a brief period on 31 May, creating a power vacuum. A rushed election saw The Final Horseman ascend to the Delegacy on 8 June, with a Democratic Socialist Union military alliance being the highlight of their term. However, in what at the time appeared to be a power grab, the new Delegate suddenly suspended the Constitution and banjected a number of their opponents from the region; led by Cedoria, the military of the Democratic Socialist Union supported Kitchenia to take back the Delegacy from The Final Horseman on 10 July. The Final Horseman later claimed that his motives were more complicated, seeking to protect the progress he made in bringing both regions together by making himself out as a common enemy.

Founding and development


The Final Horseman's auto-coup was the trigger for improving relations between both regions, leading to talks of a merger under a series of different leaders on both sides. The Leftist Assembly was officially founded on 14 January 2016 by Leftist Assembly Founder, an account held jointly by four nations - British Accia and LAN from The Communist Region, and Atealia and Cedoria from the Democratic Socialist Union. The Constitution, primarily authored by New Prague Workers Republic, was ratified on 19 February, instituting a party-based political system, a popularly-elected Secretary, and various appointed and elected Ministers. Atealia was elected as the first ever Secretary in the first ever regional election. Despite the new activity in creating the Code of Laws and The Red Star newspaper, the planned June 2016 election failed due to a lack of candidates, with the incumbent Secretary announcing a new provisional government to govern as the 2nd General Assembly for the next term.

The party system collapsed after it was revealed on 21 August that two separate mergers would soon reduce the total number of parties from four to two. A poll ending on 31 August decided to move to an independent General Assembly model consisting of the Secretary, Prime Minister, and all the Ministers and Justices. This was first used in the September 2016 general election, which saw Cedoria elected as the new Secretary. In government, the 3rd General Assembly passed critical legislation instituting the legislative process and referendums, while the Diplomatic Corps was formed and embassies were discontinued with USSD following their invasion of the Social Liberal Union. Cedoria was re-elected as Secretary in the December 2016 general election, with the 4th General Assembly passing laws on term limits and emergency banjections.

The April Crisis


Llorens, Losinia, and Auven all nominated for Secretary in the March 2017 general election, with the first two reigniting a rivalry that began with Llorens being elected as Chief Justice by one vote six months earlier. Following significant debate over policy divisions such as the regional military and the Diplomatic Corps, Losinia beat Llorens by a single vote after the distribution of preferences. A month of turmoil and political tension ensued, beginning on 7 April with the announcement of the new Leftist Defence Force to replace the United Armed Forces as the regional military, which was criticised as a non-solution and led to the Minister of Defence New Tuva SSR revealing a lack of consultation. Drama again ensued when the General Assembly voted to remove First Justice Celera due to inactivity, just one day before the passage of new legislation to enshrine public votes for removing members of that body. Losinia unexpectedly dismissed their close ally, New Tuva SSR, on 18 April as part of a broader push to improve discipline and efficiency amongst their Ministers.

The crisis eventually boiled over when Cedoria, who had endorsed Losinia in the previous election, motioned the only vote of no confidence against a sitting Secretary in history for Losinia's “plain simple incompetence,” prompting the Secretary to label his critics, particularly Atealia and Llorens, as “shadow plotters turned public firebrands” that had planned to remove him from power ever since he was elected. Losinia's decision to commence a three-day referendum on renaming the military to delay the vote of no confidence worsened the situation, followed by an illegal ten-day state of emergency on 28 April saw the founder temporarily strip the Secretary of his Regional Officer abilities. Losinia suddenly departed on 31 April, with Prime Minister Atealia assuming the role of interim Secretary until Losinia was officially removed on 3 May.

Recovery and reform


The remainder of the 5th General Assembly saw significant progress as a result of the resignations of several inactive Ministers and the spearheading of a raft of new legislation by Second Justice Llorens, with a focus on amending the issues exposed during the April Crisis. He was the only candidate to nominate for Secretary in the June 2017 general election, being overwhelmingly confirmed in a confidence vote to become the first ‘Assemblian native’ elected to the position. The 6th General Assembly saw Llorens once again lead an overhaul of legislation, removing the Secretary’s voting advantage, expanding the banjection code, and amending the Constitution to apply a new numbered format. The following term, after another strong show of support in the September 2017 general election, he passed bills abolishing the Leftist Defence Force, as well as separating the legislative and judicial branches.

The Secretary also organised the first quarterly census in October, as well as the 1st Culture Competitions, which became a biannual event to design, propose, and vote on new features of the region. In foreign affairs, the region became tied up in a dispute over the proposed NSLeft membership of the Social Liberal Union. While most NSLeft regions had voted in favour of their membership by 23 November, scepticism led by some vocal figures concerning the acceptance of a ‘liberal’ region into the alliance and perceived antagonism from members of the Social Liberal Union towards authoritarian leftists prompted regions to reconsider their stance. The Leftist Assembly reaffirmed its vote in favour but would be the only region to do so as all others abstained or voted against, seeing the bid fail on 30 November.

The new generation


The rival tickets of South Miruva/Atealia and VegemiteIsGross/Libertasnia emerged in the December 2017 general election, with each campaign emphasising different foreign policy visions. The former was narrowly elected on a campaign seeking to continue "unity-oriented foreign policy," as opposed to their opponents' plan to ban embassies with regions tagged as Liberal and move the region closer to The Internationale. In this term, the 8th General Assembly featured two particularly contentious bills, with Cedoria narrowly passing a bill prohibiting Justices from dually serving as Ministers, promoting Senators as Ministers "where possible," and allowing all Ministers to view internal General Assembly communications, while a subsequent bill by Llorens to repeal most of the new provisions failed by one vote in a referendum. The first population boom of the region also occurred during this time under Minister of Recruitment Kavagrad, more than doubling to over 250 nations by the term's conclusion.

South Miruva was the first incumbent Secretary not to opt for a second term in the March 2018 general election, with Cedoria/Kavagrad being easily confirmed to replace them after a short-lived campaign from the Talao/Talaoia ticket that fell apart after a ‘joke’ about Nazism. Following Atealia's departure from the region due to increasing dissatisfaction with the direction of the community, Llorens was selected as the new co-founder of the region, being joined by The Final Horseman just under one month after on 15 April following British Accia's disappearance. Tensions again flared with the NSLeft after Cedoria's decision to close embassies with The Federation of Anarchist Communes and North Korea for failing to satisfy embassy requirements; though the matter was resolved by new legislation to keep the embassies, the incident exposed widespread concerns about the controlling nature of some members in the alliance.

In the June 2018 general election, Kavagrad ran unopposed for Secretary with Halfblakistan as their running mate, being strongly confirmed in their confidence vote. The term was marked by the introduction of new Minister positions, while the 10th General Assembly passed court trial reforms that were quickly put to the test in the first-ever Supreme Court case, Tobostan v. Llorens (2018). Minister of Foreign Affairs Llorens established the ambassador program on 26 June and the region joined the Interregional Legislative Coalition on 5 September. In the September 2018 general election, Kavagrad ran again with New Arkados as their new running mate, while Morvan launched a counter-ticket with Hecknamistan. The challengers contended that there was lacking community involvement that needed to be remedied, though the debate period came to be dominated by a comment made by Hecknamistan equating hostility to religion with homophobia, which sparked some criticism. On 8 September, their ticket withdrew from the race due to real-life difficulties for Hecknamistan, allowing Kavagrad to unanimously secure a second term in office. The new term was marked by a reduction in the number of Ministers and a simplified rewriting of the Constitution and Code of Laws by Llorens.

The great expansion


New Arkados was the sole nominee for Secretary in the December 2018 general election, being sweepingly confirmed in a confidence vote with Nottinhaps as their running mate. The 12th General Assembly passed important legislation on citizen-initiated votes of no confidence and Military Voting citizens, but the term's most notable legacy would come from the second, more sustained population boom under Minister of Recruitment The Final Horseman, more than doubling the regional population once again by the end of 2019. Separately, a heated feud that arguably dipped into personal attacks saw the collapse of The Red Star as the regional newspaper after months of stagnation. New Arkados decided not to run for a second term, leaving the door open to a ticket bid from The Final Horseman and two-term Senator Argentigrad, who were the only pair to nominate for the leadership posts in the March 2019 general election. They were convincingly confirmed, with the new Secretary delivering the first State of the Assembly address, commencing a tradition that continues to date. Dawtania emerged as an increasingly vocal member of the 13th General Assembly, with their proposal to separate the elections of the Secretary and Prime Minister sparking strong opposition, resulting in it narrowly failing in a referendum.

The leadership pair was reconfirmed in the June 2019 general election with an agenda emphasising a continuation of their first term. However, the term began with a major disruption, with the decision of Minister of Foreign Affairs Hecknamistan to close embassies with The Versutian Federation resulting in a demand by Senator Kavagrad on 18 June that the Minister immediately reverse the move given a previously-vocalised lack of support from the General Assembly, which culminated in Hecknamistan's unexpected resignation. Two major bills defined the legislative term, with Greylyn, Llorens, and Uan aa Boa's 'Separate Cabinet' legislative package being broadly supported, instituting an independent Cabinet and a Speaker to lead the General Assembly, while a controversial proposal by Dawtania to separate civil and criminal court cases, which was criticised by some for a lack of clarity, narrowly passed the required supermajority in a referendum.

Contemporary history


Argentigrad and Dawtania faced off in the September 2019 general election to succeed The Final Horseman as Secretary. The election centred on experience and personalities, with Argentigrad going on to defeat his opponent by a small margin and, in doing so, became the first Secretary to lead an independent Cabinet. The 1st Argentigrad Cabinet was relatively uneventful, though the 15th General Assembly under the first-ever Speaker, Kavagrad, legislated on the removal of nation category restrictions, an endorsement cap, and a legally-mandated Minister of Information. The idea of an executive civil service from MGA Greylyn was the only rejected legislation in this term, failing narrowly in the General Assembly. Argentigrad did not run for a second term, leaving open the December 2019 general election to former Secretary Llorens and incumbent Vice Secretary Greylyn, who were strongly divided over a civil service, as Greylyn had failed to pass previously. Llorens ultimately won the election in a landslide, returning to the office for the first time in two years. The 1st Llorens Cabinet was marked by the introduction of a new regional roleplay and the Revolutionary Support Exchange (RoSE) program, which encouraged nations to join the World Assembly and exchange endorsements. The 16th General Assembly, led by Nottinhaps as Speaker until they were replaced by Kavagrad, passed laws on dual citizenship and public feedback on embassy changes.

Greylyn sought to challenge the incumbent for a second time in the March 2020 general election, again staking their campaign on the civil service idea, but ultimately falling short by just one vote as Llorens secured an unprecedented fourth term as Secretary. The 2nd Llorens Cabinet introduced the first-ever co-Ministers and a new regional roleplay commenced. In the 17th General Assembly under Speaker Podria, legislation extending dual citizenship and abolishing the nomination poll in general elections in favour of RMB nominations passed, though drama arose when the Secretary contacted the final MGA yet to vote on the nomination poll legislation. The matter, which was revealed by the Secretary himself in response to a private conversation with Speaker Podria, divided commentators over whether it was acceptable conduct, with most supporting the Secretary. The Final Horseman decided to step down as a founder after more than two years in the role, with Kavagrad being nominated and unanimously approved by citizens as their replacement on 31 May.

On his third attempt, Greylyn was elected unopposed in the June 2020 general election, with a campaign staked primarily on his Civil Service Initiative again. Controversy arose during the term when Secretary Greylyn and Vice Secretary Podria presented legislation to increase government control of the social Discord server, which culminated in a vote of no confidence against Vice Secretary Podria that pressured him to resign on 25 July. Greylyn decided not to run for a second term, with former two-term Secretary Kavagrad being comfortably elected back into office unopposed on a platform pledging to roll back the Civil Service Initiative.

Cabinet


The Cabinet is the executive of the region. It consists of the Secretary, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Information, Minister of Recruitment, and any other appointed deputies and/or Ministers.

The Secretary is responsible for serving as the head of the Cabinet, with final decision-making power concerning its delegated responsibilities, and representing the region as its Delegate to the World Assembly. The Cabinet is responsible for advising the Secretary as relevant to each member's designated portfolio, assisting the Secretary in their responsibilities, and enforcing the laws enacted by the General Assembly.

The current members of the 1st Kavagrad Cabinet are:
 * Secretary - Kavagrad
 * Minister of Apocalyptic Affairs - Cedoria
 * Minister of Community Affairs - Wascoitan
 * Minister of Foreign Affairs - Antinios
 * Minister of Information - Greylyn
 * Minister of Recruitment - Sincadenas
 * Minister of Roleplay - Podria

The Secretary's term commenced on 14 September 2020 and is expected to conclude on 14 December 2020. No other Cabinet positions have fixed terms.

General Assembly


The General Assembly is the legislature of the region. It consists of six Members of the General Assembly (MGAs), one of which is internally elected as Speaker.

The Speaker is responsible for organising the activities of the General Assembly, maintaining an order of legislation to be considered by the General Assembly, communicating information of bills, amendments, and voting records to the public, and representing the General Assembly to the Cabinet in matters requiring urgent and direct communication. The General Assembly is responsible for proposing and voting on new laws and amendments to existing laws.

The current members of the 19th General Assembly are: Their term commenced on 14 September 2020 and is expected to conclude on 14 December 2020.
 * Antinios (Speaker)
 * Dyl
 * Nangka
 * New Samon
 * Sincadenas
 * Wascoitan

Supreme Court


The Supreme Court is the judiciary of the region. It consists of three Justices appointed by the Secretary and approved by the region, one of which is internally elected as Chief Justice.

The Speaker is responsible for organising and leading discussions with the Justices, and communicating judicial information to the public. The Supreme Court is responsible for handling legal disputes between citizens, hosting court cases to settle criminal charges and lawsuits to deliberate on civil cases, voting on charges upon the conclusion of a fair and public hearing, and being the highest authority on the interpretation of all regional law.

The current members of the 19th Supreme Court are:
 * Illyrian States (Chief Justice)
 * Libertasnia
 * Vandensia

Their term commenced on 19 September 2020 and is expected to conclude with the confirmation of the next Justices in December 2020.

Demographics
As of the time of the August 2020 census, the region has 503 nations, 261 of which are World Assembly members. The region is in the top 30 regions by total population and the top 15 regions by World Assembly population.

The region has a very young population, with 48.7% of the region aged 19 years old or younger, and another 29.7% aged between 20 and 24 years old.

Ideological affiliations are broad across the spectrum of left-wing politics in the region, with 45.9% identifying with democratic socialism, followed by anarchism with 25.7%, Marxism-Leninism and social democracy with 23.0%, and market socialism with 18.9%.

Most citizens reside in predominantly English-speaking countries, with 50.0% in the United States, followed by 11.1% in the United Kingdom, 4.2% in Australia, and 2.8% in Canada. The major non-English-speaking countries represented are Germany with 4.2%, and Poland, Portugal, and the Netherlands with 2.8%, while the remaining 19.4% reside elsewhere.

The main non-English languages spoken by citizens are Spanish with 19.1%, French with 16.2%, German with 14.7%, and Dutch with 5.9%.

More than three-quarters (76.0%) of the region identify as male, while 12.0% identify as female and 12.0% identify as non-binary or genderfluid. The significant LGBT+ community in the region is also evident in data on sexual orientation, with 53.1% of the region identifying as either homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, questioning/queer, or asexual, while the remaining 46.9% identify as heterosexual.

Complete data and trends for all censuses since October 2017 can be found here.