2022 Neo-Swiss crisis

2022 Neo-Swiss crisis
Date 1 November 2021 – 15 February 2022 Location Ebenthal Result Concession Federative Act approved. Unitary Act approved. Neo-Swiss monarchy maintained. Formerly reigning princely families kept their titles and privileges. Secession avoided.
Belligerents
Government of Ebenthal	New Switzerland Schwarzberg
Commanders and leaders
Henri Sãens Raphael Sousa	Antônio I Jonathan Scherer Francisco Arrais Prince Fernando Hugo III

The 2022 Neo-Swiss crisis (Portuguese: Crise Neo-Suíça de 2022) was a major national political conflict that almost escalated into civil war with threats of secession in Ebenthal. The conflict revolved around the policy of the Moderate Party government, led by the Prime Minister Henri Sãens, to transform Ebenthal from a federation into a unitary state. The provincial governments of New Switzerland and Schwarzberg, of the Conservative Party, felt threatened that their autonomy would be reduced, and when the Central Government announced the abolition of principalities with little political activity and the imposition of direct rule over those territories, Antônio I, Prince of New Switzerland threatened to proclaim the independence of his principality if the action of the Central Government was repeated over New Switzerland, having been supported by the Schwarzberger politicians and princely family who, although they did not openly declare their intention to secede if threatened, refused to acquiesce to national laws that were not in their best interest. With the enactment of the Unitary Act on 5 February 2022 abolishing all sub-national monarchies and turning principalities into provinces, the crisis reached its peak when the Neo-Swiss Government refused to obey the parliament and declared not to recognize the deposition of their reigning prince, further declaring that the principality would proclaim its independence if the situation was not promptly resolved. In light of this, King Arthur II of Ebenthal directly intervened and brokered an agreement between the Ebenthali and the Neo-Swiss Governments on 15 February 2022.

Henri's Unitary Reform

On 8 September 2021 Henri Sãens was elected a member of the House of Councillors and was subsequently appointed Prime Minister of Ebenthal in a political arrangement with the President of the Moderate Party, Raphael Sousa, held before the election, when Henri was Minister of Culture and Education of the Duchess of Frumar's cabinet. A seasoned micronationalist politician, Henri has a distinguished record as a "realist" and "idealist" politician. Noting what he thought were flaws in Ebenthal's bureaucratic administrative system, Henri outlined his political project to transform the federation of Ebenthal into a unitary state, identifying the underrepresentation of provinces and the great political power of others as an imbalance. For that, it would be necessary to gather great political support beyond its party base, which was dominant in the lower chamber of the parliament, to carry out the necessary constitutional amendments and profound changes in the national bureaucratic machine, and still contain the reactions opposites that were already expected.

Henri's bill was approved by the party and was officially introduced to parliament on 1 November 2021 in the form of the Ebenthali Federative Act. According to Henri's outlined vision, the three principalities with negligible political activity (Alvorada, Lyns and Carlenburg) should be converted into territories under the direct administration of the Central Government and the remaining three (Negromonte, Belmonte and New Switzerland) would have their monarchies abolished and would be governed by politicians elected by regional suffrage or appointed by the Central Government for limited terms. With this, the Prime Minister intended to be able to manage and expand the internal political activity of the administrative units converted into territories and would encourage the political activity of the units transformed into provinces, further developing local cultures and regionalities, without necessarily losing the link between all of them. Ebenthal's national identity. The state would be formally transformed into a unitary state, allowing the Central Government greater management over local policies, but without necessarily removing their political autonomy; self-government would be preserved (according to the structure dictated by the Central Government, however).