King proclaims Year of Independence, Sandum friendship week ahead of Überstadt’s decennial

SEATTLE – King Adam has proclaimed a Year of Independence to celebrate Überstadt’s decennial this Friday, 6 March. He has also joined Sandus in declaring the start of March to be Sandum-Überstadti Friendship Week.

The royal proclamation makes March 2020 through February 2021 a time for “celebrations, special events, and projects of national significance.”

The friendship week was first declared by Sôgmô Gaius Soergel Publicola in anticipation of an official Sandum presence at the Überstadti celebration.

The Royal Family will host an Independence Day celebration in Rosewood this Friday, which will include an official dinner with Sandum council facilitator and foreign minister Artemis Berry. The King is also planning a speech and live discussion with citizens around the world that night, as well as visits to important sites in Überstadti history.

Berry will also join in tours of Seattle and of Western Washington University, where she will begin undergraduate studies this fall.

 

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From the King: Überstadt is still here!

Friends, allies, colleagues, well-wishers, and citizens abroad:

I end the Kingdom’s media silence to assure you all that Überstadt is still here. In this message, I will discuss why we have been quiet, our ongoing activities, and our plans for the near future.

Why have we been so quiet?

Last year’s census called into question whether certain people were still legally citizens, which is a serious problem in a direct democracy. Parliament’s activity ceased. Meanwhile, developments in my “civilian” career and living circumstances kept me from devoting much time to governing or maintaining our online presence. Fortunately, a recent judicial decision will allow us to revive our democracy, and I am in a position to give our country the leadership it deserves again.

What we have been doing

Anyone who has been a micronationalist for very long understands that the nation keeps moving even when the state does not. Even though our government idled, our people continued to observe our holidays, fly our flag, and live Überstadti lives. I also had the pleasure of representing the Kingdom at MicroCon 2019, reaffirming relationships with the broader micronational community.

Promises to citizens and friends

To citizens of Überstadt who live outside our borders, I promise that my government will do more to engage you in national life and give you opportunities to contribute to the Kingdom in your own ways.

To our friends in other nations, I promise to resume official communication on issues of shared importance. I believe we become better leaders and creators when we share our undertakings with each other, so I will also make sure to share glimpses of Überstadti life more often.

Überstadt turning 10

Whether citizen or foreign friend, I invite you all to help us celebrate Überstadt’s tenth anniversary, which is on 6 March 2020. My government’s efforts in the coming months will focus on making this a grand celebration of Überstadti culture, industry, and friendship. We are organizing celebrations in Rosewood to be attended by many of our citizens and leaders of allied states, and we intend to create ways for interested people and groups to participate remotely.

I eagerly look forward to further developing the Kingdom and celebrating ten years of the Überstadti state with its citizens and friends!

A R

Überstadt participates in GUM’s charity 24 Hour Quorum

BELLINGHAM, Washington  – An Überstadti delegation is presently engaged in the second-ever 24 Hour Quorum of the GUM, a community-building and charity event first held in 2012.

The 24 Hour Quorum is meant to be an informal GUM meeting permitting nonmember attendance in an effort to maintain a five-delegate quorum for an entire day. King Adam and Crown Prince Aaron are both currently in the meeting.

Sponsorship of the Quorum in the form of charity donations has raised over $130 at press time, including Überstadt’s $24 donation to Action Against Hunger. The 2012 event raised $128 for various charities, an amount expected to be generously surpsassed.

Adam resigns as GUM Chair

BELLINGHAM, Washington – King Adam quit the chairmanship of the Grand Unified Micronational on 28 March, having served half of the six-month term for which he was elected. The reason cited for the resignation was an inability to spend sufficient time fulfilling the office’s duties. Henry Clement of Esse is to serve as acting chair until the GUM’s June elections.

Adam resigned in a statement given in the GUM Lounge given the day after he missed a meeting of the Quorum of Delegates he had scheduled specifically for his ability to chair on that date. Vice-Chair Henry Clement ran the meeting, and Adam indicated that he had missed it due to continued travel connected to his recent trip to New York.

At that meeting on 27 March, the Quorum of Delegates passed a motion requesting that the chair carefully consider whether he was able to give enough attention to his GUM duties, rather than holding a confidence vote. In his statement, Adam thanked the body for allowing him to assess his workload and make his own decision.

The king is in his final year of university and deeply involved in several extracurricular activities in addition to his political roles in small nations. The official explanation for his resignation published by the GUM Archivist on MicroWiki was “other commitments infringing on his available time.”

Upset over meeting attendance previously caused Adam’s first vice chair, Emperor Thomas of Zenrax, to resign his post.

King Adam delivers UN address

BELLINGHAM, Washington – On 23 March, King Adam spoke in the United Nations General Assembly Hall on Überstadt’s place in the global community.

Though acknowledging that Überstadt would never have a permanent seat in the General Assembly, Adam affirmed Überstadt’s “commitment to the values of the UN Charter and the principles codified by the international system.” He expressed hope for the global community’s respect for the dignity of small nations, or micronations, in general. Speaking from the seat of the Republic of Macedonia, he declared Überstadt’s recognition of that state by its constitutional name.

As reported before, the king had access to the General Assembly Hall to attend the final meetings of the United States’ foremost Model United Nations conference. The General Assembly was not in session at the time of the address, but this is believed to represent the first time a micronational leader was able to speak in this venue, and Adam is known to be the first sitting GUM Chair to deliver a speech at the United Nations.

BELOW: King Adam speaks at the UN General Assembly Hall. Credit: Terrah Perera

King Adam to speak at UN

BELLINGHAM, Washington – The Überstadti government announced Thursday night that King Adam will speak at the United Nations General Assembly during his upcoming trip to New York City.

The king is traveling to New York later this month as a member of Western Washington University’s International Affairs Association to participate in National Model United Nations – New York conference. A portion of the conference will take place in the General Assembly chamber, during which time Adam intends to make an address in his royal capacity.

Royal sources indicate that this speech, which is expected on March 23, will detail Überstadt’s position on UN membership and major issues in international politics. The king is expected to make special mention of the Republic of Macedonia, which his university’s team is representing at the conference and at whose place in the General Assembly he will be seated.

Adam and his entourage will also meet with staff of the Macedonian Permanent Mission to the UN, and the king may visit other diplomatic missions in addition to various sites of historic and cultural importance.

Überstadti officials are looking into possible meetings with other leaders of small nations.

Also on the trip will be High Chancellor Terrah Perera, who has offered to record the king’s UN speech.

King Adam chairs first GUM Quorum, faces shock rejection of VC nominee

BELLINGHAM, Washington – On Monday, King Adam of Überstadt presided over his first GUM Quorum as Chair in a marathon session that passed 12 motions. The meeting lasted nearly two-and-a-half hours, extended in part by votes on several of Adam’s officer nominations.

After giving remarks on the start of his tenure as chair, Adam formally nominated Emperor Adam of Adammia as GUM Vice Chair. In a shock to the king and several other delegates, the vote quickly failed, posing the first challenge to the new chair’s leadership. A somewhat confused discussion of why the nomination was rejected followed. No delegation that opposed the motion or abstained from voting provided an explanation for their decision.

After a delay, King Adam nominated Emperor Thomas of Zenrax instead. Thomas, who ran against Adam for chairmanship, was confirmed vice chair with only one vote against.

Other appointments made included Emperor Jonathan of Austenasia as GUM Archivist and Bradley of Dullahan, delegate from Wyvern, as Supreme Justice.

Eight votes on membership were taken, resulting in the admission of four new observers and one new candidate for full membership. The Quorum also voted to sponsor a project to chart the diplomatic relations of members of the MicroWiki community.

Adam takes charge of GUM

ROSEWOOD – King Adam of Überstadt is the 25th Chair of the Grand Unified Micronational after winning half the vote in a three-way race. He assumed office on 25 December at 00:01 UTC, relieving Acting Chair Jonathan I of Austenasia.

Adam received nine of 18 votes, with three member-states not voting. King Eden of Edenopolis placed second with six votes, and Emperor Thomas of Zenrax came in third with three votes. Seven votes were sufficient to guarantee victory, which Adam attained two days into the week-long voting period.

Eden found some of his strongest support among younger members, while nations often counted among the so-called “old guard” of the MicroWiki community tended to favor Adam. Such preferences were not without exception. Paravia, Roseland, and Shorewell, all founded since 2014, voted for the winner. The new chair will still face a generational gap in the organization, and will have to avoid alienating younger members.

Adam has not yet made a public statement on his victory, but reports that he has already received private messages of congratulations from other GUM members.

King Adam in GUM Chair bid

ROSEWOOD – King Adam of Überstadt has begun campaigning to be the next Chair of the Grand Unified Micronational, a long-time institution of the MicroWiki community. The other candidates are Emperor Thomas of Zenrax and King Eden of Edenopolis.

The king released a statement Saturday night highlighting his political experience and outlining his platform. He emphasized education and using GUM activities to promote members’ internal development. The other candidates have also publicly detailed their platforms, and similarities between the three have led some within the organization to say the race will be decided by personal loyalties rather than ideological differences between the candidates.

Adam nominated himself in the late hours of 4 December and announced his campaign to the GUM Lounge the same night. The other candidates’ declarations of candidacy preceded his by days or, in the case of Thomas, weeks. The news confirmed rumors that he would run, and it became clear that the election would be a three-way race when Bradley of Dullahan, Wyvernian delegate acting Vice Chair, refrained from nominating himself. Emperor Jonathan of Austenasia, acting Chair, had previously indicated that he would not run.

No GUM member has publicly indicated preferences in the race. Voting will begin on 18 December, and on Christmas Day, the 25th Chair of the Grand Unified Micronational will assume office.

Social System treaty enters effect

BELLINGHAM, Washington – The Social System treaty strengthening ties between Kumano, Sandus, and Überstadt recently entered effect following ratification by all three states. By agreement of the three governments, 7 November was the effective date.

A national referendum in Kumano ended on 7 November with 80% in favor of the treaty. Sandus and Überstadt previously ratified the agreement with unanimous votes of their legislatures, and the three leaders chose the date the agreement would enter into effect upon learning of the referendum’s passage.

The Treaty on the Establishment of the Systema Socialis restructures and strengthens the relationship shared by the member-states of what has come to be known as the Social System. The system originated as a Sandum project to allow foreigners to become partial citizens of Sandus. The new treaty turns the system into a multilateral organizations whose members allow each other’s citizens to apply for partial ranks of nationality. This is meant to enable citizens of member-states to contribute to the political and cultural life of others. Members retain the right to reject applications for “Social Citizenship” and to define Social Citizens’ rights and duties within the treaty’s guidelines.

The treaty also allows the Social System to adopt common policies by consensus of the membership. Leaders of the three ratifying governments are already discussing a conference on security issues, with King Adam of Überstadt emphasizing the concept of human security as a guiding principle.