2024 Arstotzkan constitutional crisis

2024 Arstotzkan Constitutional Crisis
Date 1 August 2024 - 11 August 2024 (11 days) Location Gollandiya Capitol Territory, Arstotzkan Union Result Crisis declared over 11 days later  • Executive Committee declares declares dissolution. Grants powers to Office of the Presidency.
Belligerents
Arstotzkan Union	Empire of the Benereich
Commanders and leaders
Ethan Brinkman Peter Gedye Zion Ormsby	Wesley von Dookington
Units involved
AFPS  • Federal Police Command Arstotzkan Army Corps  • 2nd Army Infantry Regiment	None

The 2024 Arstotzkan Constitutional Crisis was a political crisis in the Arstotzkan Union. The crisis began on 1 August 2024 with the resignation of former Second President Wesley von Dookington. A day later, First President Ethan Brinkman removed him from office and declared his actions treason against the Arstotzkan Union.

First President Brinkman acted quickly and immediately promoted former Vice President Zion Ormsby to the office of Second President and Minister of Justice Peter Gedye to the office of Vice President.

Later that evening, the Executive Committee announced it would dissolve for the emergency situation in the nation.

Eleven days after the crisis began, the Executive Committee published Public Memorandum 20, also known as the Dissolution Letter and announced that on the advice of the Office of the Presidency, it would dissolve. It stated that it had begun convening with the House of Representatives to form legislation to officially dissolve the office. The end of such a powerful office in Arstotzkan Politics marked a shift in the political field, leaving the nation in an uncertain future.

Background

On 31 May 2023, First President Ethan Brinkman was contacted by former Field Marshal of the Empire of the Benereich, Wesley von Dookington about seeking refuge in the Arstotzkan Union. Brinkman accepted and placed him as the Vice President of the Arstotzkan Union as a gift for joining the nation. Since the end of the Benereich - Coalition War in November 2022, the relations between the Arstotzkan Union and Empire of the Benereich had been incredibly low. During the Inter Coalition War in May 2023, the relations had reached an all time low. The loss of the Arstotzkan Union and its allies against the Coalition completely ended all relations with the two nations.

Following the end of the war and the joining of von Dookington in the Arstotzkan Union, the Empire made an attempt against the Vice Presidents life. After joining the Arstotzkan Union, von Dookington was handed an arrest warrant by the Senate and King of the Empire of the Benereich. Around the same time, Arstotzkan intelligence officials in the State Committee for National Security and Intelligence were made aware of an image of King Bendolf threatening von Dookington in his territory in the Rangitaiki. This image was passed to the Chief Ambassador of International Affairs and Executive Chairman of the SCNSI. They quickly alerted First President Ethan Brinkman who became outraged. A letter regarding the validity of the arrest warrant placed on von Dookington was already being drafted and was about to be delivered to King Bendolf when the First President decided that he would take the matter to court.

On 15 June 2023, First President Ethan Brinkman signed a court summons and writ of arrest on behalf of the Supreme Federal Court of the Arstotzkan Union and sent it to King Bendolf. The summons also informed King Bendolf that so long as he was in Arstotzkan territory he would be considered under arrest and that he must face court.

Bendolf never showed and the Arstotzkan Union's Supreme Federal Court made the ruling in absentia, stating that the King was banned from the Arstotzkan Union for the rest of his life, however he would be allowed to enter the Vice Presidents territory with permission from the Vice President and Executive Committee.

From that point, the Empire and Arstotzkan Union chose not to involve each other with their affairs.

In 2024, Second President Peter Gedye, who had been in power since 2020 announced his retirement. Wesley von Dookington who was the Vice President was immediately appointed but he did serve his Acting time, being the first leader to do so since the resignation of First President Brinkman in 2021.

Crisis

1 August

In the late hours of 1 August 2024, former Second President von Dookington sent a letter to First President Brinkman. In it he stated that he would be leaving the nation and retiring his positions. He stated that his intentions in the whole situation were that of being a major espionage operation by the Empire of the Benereich. Brinkman was furious by this news. However he chose not to alert the media until the morning.

2 August

At 10:01 am, the X (Twitter) account of the Arstotzkan Union National News Network announced the news of the resignation. They published the resignation letter for the public to see. That morning a meeting of the Executive Committee was convened to decide who would replace von Dookington. Seven hours later, First President Brinkman published the official government response to the letter. He announced Zion Ormsby, the 10th Vice President would become the 3rd Second President of the Arstotzkan Union, immediately. Minister of Justice, Peter Gedye would be pulled out of retirement and was announced as the 11th Vice President. Both were immediately sworn-in, breaching Article 7, Section 4 of the Constitution.

In response to the emergency situation, the Executive Committee announced it had been recommended by the Office of the Presidency to be temporarily suspended. It had accepted this and declared its suspension nearly three hours after the First Presidents response and after declaring a Constitutional Crisis at 5:34 pm.

It is believed that the Office of the Presidency is meeting all weekend and will be announcing an update to the situation in the coming days.

11 August

After nearly two weeks of discussion, the Office of the Presidency, advised the Executive Committee to dissolve. In the early afternoon of 11 August 2024, the AUNNN published Public Memorandum 20 of the Executive Committee that announced the end to the crisis and its dissolution. The Executive Committee announced that legislation would be in the works to have it made official. No end date was published.

See Also

• January 2023 Attempted Coup
• April 7 Coup
• December 2019 Coup