On June 15 of 2011, our Empress Daesiga graduated highschool, marking, from an educational perspective, her ascension to adulthood.

Four years ago on that day, Empress Silvia won victory in the War of Unification, founding the DaeZig Empire in an event that marked the end of over a year of chaos for the DaeZig people, ushering in a matured state which would guide the nation to the present day.

Twenty-six years ago on that same day, Johnathan and the Lazars are known to have held one of a series of meetings discussing the creation of the Carsiekan state.

According to Carsiekan lore, the Kingdom of Carsieka was sanctioned by “Heaven” when a “stone from the moon” (Carsi Stone) fell into the Salinas riverbed, triggering a visionary episode in the man who would leave the riverbed determined to found the kingdom. Found it he did, but it collapsed 13 years later. In the wake of the collapse, the “stone from the moon” fell into the hands of a certain prince. Everyone knows this story, and one thing this news agency tries not to be is redundant.

Because that prince, or rather Lord Vamont as he is now called, handed off DaeZig to Lord Silvia, he effectively transferred the stone’s “divinity” onwards. After all, if the stone had actually been sent by heaven, one is to imagine that its arrival in Vamont’s hands had to be intended.

Now, years after Lord Silvia in turn handed over DaeZig to the present Empress, the events of June 15 have taken place. The divinely instated Empress’ graduation ceremony marked by a lunar eclipse, on the day our Carsiekan successor state was founded, on the day a meeting was held about the founding of Carsieka itself. An interesting set of coincidences.

If this was 1990s Carsieka, people would no doubt be using this as yet more proof of the King’s divinity, the Moon Cult in full effect. In 2010s DaeZig however, reactions by those who actually notice these events will be more subtle. Everyone clearly knows that if “Heaven” (the Carsiekans never speculated on what that was supposed to be, leaving it to people’s own belief systems to fill in) actually exists, then surely these stories do not require more proof. Of course DaeZig, with its perfect society and infallible ideology is divine! Of course the Empress is divine!

The “Moon Cult” is not necessary to modern DaeZig. DaeZig’s people clearly know that their society is one of the best in the world, that Ziggism (and world progress under its various international names) is greater than anything before. The Empress does not need to openly claim to be superior to the world’s deities. It is clear that she is, and if the events of June 15 actually mean something, then it can only be expected. Such is the viewpoint of world progress.

¡Hih-Zaul! (That’s “Hail on High”, in case the reader didn’t know. Take that, religious dogmatists!)

A slip in voting procedure by the DaeZig delegate, Lord Vamont, at the Organization of Active Micronations saved Secretary-General Philip Fish from impeachment.

In an unusually chaotic week at the Organization of Active Micronations, a Motion of No Confidence was put forward against the Secretary-General Philip Fish. The motion declared him to be in contempt of members’ sovereignty, politically corrupt and religiously intolerant.

In a long debate, seen as one of the worst in the OAM’s short history, diplomats from various micronations began throwing insults at each other. DaeZig’s delegate sought to distance her from the “commotion”, putting forward an abstention to the Motion of No Confidence. When the idiocy reached its peak, Vamont moved to oppose the motion.

Later in this most idiotic episode of OAM politics, Vamont again changed DaeZig’s vote to “abstain”, but the vote was invalid due to a procedural error. Vamont had failed to specify whether he was abstaining from voting on the original motion or a later amendment, proposed by New Guinea. This resulted in a 15-15 outcome which invalidated the motion and allowed Philip Fish to retain his position. Since the failure of the motion, a number of micronations of different types have withdrawn from the organization in protest. Vamont, Tsar Kuri I of Gishabrun and the delegate from New Guinea quickly criticized the withdrawals. Vamont later sent a cable to Fish, apologizing for the failed re-abstention after the 15-15 outcome surfaced and, while noting that DaeZig would have preferred to be in a neutral position, stated that he would not have been apathetic if Fish had lost his office.

Voting is now open in DaeZig. For the first time in its five and a half year history, the cyber-state is holding scheduled and completely free elections. The Overseer and all three Community Administrators will now face the polls in what will be a deciding month for DaeZig. The people have three options to choose from: The status quo under the Valstrazian Ziggist Conservative Party, a return to regimentation under the right-leaning New Iron Party or an ultra-hardline Ziggist state under the Valstraz Party.

As elections begin, it seems that the people favor the status quo. DaeZigs demonstrated their support for their present Community Administrators during the nomination period. In Sinsira, no nominations were put forward opposing the present Community Administrator, Lord Kabaka (except for a second nomination made by his own party for Lord Entibo for the purpose of giving the people two choices). Even in the the vast IndoSinsira Subcommunity, no effort was made to replace Lord Kabaka. In Vamont, things were only slightly different. Several joke nominations were put forward in addition to one made for an International Ziggist Commission worker, marking an almost definite victory for Lord Vamont. In Daezaer, which was never expected to be much of a contest, only Lord Kasei made it to the ballot.

The battle for the position of Overseer is almost as predictable as the other elections. Lord Kabaka was nominated by the Valstrazian Ziggist Conservative Party, Lord Maleificus by the New Iron Party and Lord Sakon at the last moment by the cobbled together Valstraz Party. Not a single nomination was put forward. “I don’t know who would be able to run it,” said one citizen, demonstrating the collective feeling when asked by his Community Administrator to make nominations. “You guys know best.”