Statement by the Chair of the Assembly
Fellow Members of the Assembly,
I’m here to provide an update on the recent transition in the office of Chair and to share some plans for the remainder of the term. I apologize in advance for the vaguely Napoleonic tone of this announcement; please read it in a friendly and excited tone rather than an imperious one!
Legal Formalities
First, let’s get some legal formalities sorted. I believe that this is the first time that such a Chair transition has occurred, so we should try to get these details ironed out correctly. After all, whatever we decide here will likely serve as precedent in the future. I have done my best to interpret the relevant legal provisions, but I also would appreciate the Assembly’s views if anyone disagrees or has anything to add.
As I am sure you are all aware, @lordnwahs has been confirmed to the Cabinet as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Pursuant to Article VIII, Sections (1), (2), and (4) of the Charter, Nwahs’ confirmation as MoFA constituted their resignation as Chair of the Assembly. And pursuant to Article 2, Section (4) of the Legislative Procedure Act, as the senior-most (only!) Deputy Chair, I became Chair upon Nwahs’ resignation.
As I interpret the Charter and Legislative Procedure Act, no Assembly resolution is required for me to serve out the remainder of Nwahs’ term, which ends on July 1. That said, if the Assembly feels that a new Resolution is necessary or simply beneficial, any member should feel free to introduce one. Most importantly, the Assembly should take this opportunity to elect a new Chair if there is someone whom they would prefer to me. The Legislative Procedure Act permits the Deputy Chair to assume the Chair in order to ensure continuity in Assembly leadership, not to enable a Deputy to become Chair without majority support in the Assembly. So if any member would like to put their name in to run for Chair, I would welcome the challenge.
While the Chair’s term continues under the pre-existing Chair resolution despite the transition, the change of Chair does begin a new Presidium. A Presidium is Chair-specific, in my view. Thus, I will be updating all Assembly-related materials to reflect the beginning of the 51st Presidium over the next few days.
Plans for the Remaining Term
Given the relatively short period of time remaining in the term and the fact that I was not directly elected, I don’t have any grand plans for change. Generally, I will endeavor to continue Nwahs’ steady and organized leadership, starting by tackling the substantial backlog of administrative work that I’ve allowed to pile up over the last week. That said, I hope to get a few projects done.
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Updating Assembly materials. As Deputy and Clerk under BlockBuster, I undertook a relatively comprehensive refresh of the Assembly’s written materials–onside dispatches, forum guides, etc. But things change quickly around here! Just scanning through over the last few days, it strikes me that these could all use another good scrub. I’ll start with the forums, where I can make changes directly, but I will ultimately need the support of folks with dispatch-editing powers to refresh the gameside materials.
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Assembly leadership. Things are relatively lonely in the Assembly leadership offices these days, so I will be looking for a new Deputy Clerk to join the team. I’ll keep the Assembly updated on this search.
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Legislation. I’ve discussed with many of you the idea that the Chair could be more politically active, in the sense of campaigning on and working to deliver a specific legislative program. I continue to believe that idea has merit, but I do not plan to pursue it in the remaining term. Having not been actually elected as Chair, I hesitate to make such a substantial shift in the Chair’s role. That said, I do plan to continue actively discussing and contributing to legislative debates. I share that with the Assembly for the sake of transparency. If members of the Assembly have concerns about that, I encourage you to voice them (or throw your hat in the ring for Chair–I would love a robust debate over the entirely neutral vs. legislatively engaged models of the Chair position!).
That’s all for now–look forward to lots more updates in the coming weeks as I dig out from the mound of paper on the Chair’s desk.