Cabinet Crisis (Secundomia)

The Cabinet Crisis
Date April 17–25, 2010 Location Republic of Secundomia Result Exile of Rahim I Ibrahim I found not guilty and issues apology Secession of Leospecsia
Belligerents
Republic of Secundomia Atlan Loyalists	Secundomian Protesters Rahimist-Ibrahimists	Leospecsia
Commanders and leaders
Parker I Luke of Secundomiapost trial of Ibrahim Empress of Atlan	Rahim I Ibrahim I Nate I Spencer Ipre-trial of Ibrahim Luke of Secundomiapre trial of Ibrahim	Seth I
Strength
1-3	3-5	1

This article is part of the series: Cabinet Crisis

Events Trial of Ibrahim I March 2010 Secundomian Elections May 2010 Secundomian Elections Groups Rahimist-Ibrahimists Secundomian Conservative Party Empire of Atlan People Rahim I Ibrahim I Parker I Luke of Secundomia Nate I Erised, Empress of Atlan

The Cabinet Crisis was a conflict in the Republic of Secundomia. Several protesters were unhappy with President Parker I's picks for his cabinet and launched a campaign against him. This escalated after negotiations and a trial failed to bring a conclusion to the conflict. The Cabinet Crisis was the darkest and most unstable time in Secundomian history and lead to the secession of Leospecsia and exile of Rahim I.

Background

In March 2010, The Republic of Secundomia held elections for the office of president. Parker I was victorious in a four-way race between himself, Luke, Liberal candidate Seth I and incumbent Spencer I. Secundomia was coming off an age of significant activity and Parker I hoped to further energize the nation. Despite this goal, he neglected his duty of appointing a cabinet for the first 15 days.

There were several contributing factors to the controversy. Secundomia was split into several groups. Parker and Spencer had been core founders of the Republic of Secundomia. The two brothers attended different schools and had different friend groups. The divisions between these groups often resulted in large swings depending on who was elected and tensions had risen in the past. Spencer's friend group made up the majority of the nation but these members were often sporadically active. Luke and Parker were most active in the leadership of the country but had slightly less of the population on their side. When members of Spencer's group such as Nate I, Phineas Snow, Ibrahim I or Rahim I became active they could radically change the course of the nation. Less access to electronic communication amongst this group also lead to miscommunication between the factions.

On 16 April 2010 Parker made his belated announcement of the makeup of his council. He had a balanced approach and sought to maintain a small council of mostly active members. Spencer's previous cabinet was much larger and contained a larger range of roles, however the inactivity of these members hamstrung progress. Parker assigned Luke as Secretary of Economics, Nate as Secretary of Development and Spencer as Secretary of Defense. Parker claimed that this small size was based on his commitment as leader of the Secundomian Conservative Party to Austrian Economics. He argued that attempting to increase employment numbers artificially would have a drastic negative affect on the Secundomian economy. However, several members of the public felt that they had a right to participate within Secundomia, kicking off a series of protests that would escalate into the Cabinet Crisis.

Conflict

Protest Begins

One day after the Cabinet announcement, Rahim I publicly announced his displeasure with the positions. Rahim was known as a somewhat volatile member of Secundomia, having left the country and returned several times. Despite his status as a member of Spencer's political supporters, he had also raised controversy by attacking Spencer's reputation during a game of soccer. He claimed to speak for many in Secundomia that were left out of the elite offices and highlighted a pattern of discrimination against the less active members.

In response, Parker defended his choices using both economic theory and his trust in the names he picked. After prompting by Ibrahim I, brother and close ally of Rahim, Parker asked for his critics to suggest jobs that would be needed in the country. Rahim doubled down on his criticism and Parker lashed out, threatening Rahim with prosecution under the constitution's controversial harassment clause. Parker, who had expected support from his nominees, soon found himself under attack from all sides. Economics Secretary Luke used the moment to launch a presidential campaign for the next cycle, claiming he would give everyone jobs.

After threatening suits against both Rahim and Luke, Parker quickly redacted the statement and issued a formal warning. This tactic backfired and only sparked further protest. The situation continued to escalate after Luke garnered support of Rahim and Ibrahim and Parker accused Luke of encouraging socialism. Rahim teased a potential bid for president but the situation reached a fever pitch when Ibrahim emailed the chain "Dude you suck at being president." Even Luke attempted to calm the fires after this point, but it was too late. Rahim coined the term "cabinet crisis" as several citizens joined in displeasure of the president. Spencer joined the thread and called for calm but supported the demands of the public to assign jobs more equally.

The President gives in

Soon Parker I gave in to the protestors demands and gave each citizen positions in the cabinet. Nate was reassigned to director of Urban Development, Seth I to Education, Erised to National Parks/Environmental Development, Ibrahim to Event Planning and Rahim to State to State Relations (internal relations).

Ibrahim I, however, was not content with his position. He sent the following in an email response: "wtf parker you b**** you gave a me a freakin job i dont like it[.]" Secundomian law banned "swearing" and harassment on official discussions. Luke, who had earlier criticized Parker for his application of this law, reversed course and called Ibrahim's latest email "a legitimate violation." Parker I announced that a trial would commence as a result.

Trial of Ibrahim I

Main article: Trial of Ibrahim I

The Trial of Ibrahim I was the only trial in Secundomian history. President Parker I called the trial on April 18, 2010. He served as Prosecuting Attorney and Judge. As per the constitution of Secundomia, the President always serves as chief justice. Luke, Rahim and Spencer were appointed to the jury. Opening statements began just minutes later. Ibrahim initially wanted to defend himself but soon enlisted the help of Attorney Nate I. Nate had not participated either way during the inception of the crisis and was an extremely popular and prominent citizen, having developed the Secundomian flag. Some Secundomians considered him a co-founder of the micronation.

Secundomian Law was clear that swearing and harassment were banned. However, Ibrahim had censored or abbreviated his swears, raising the question whether "wtf" or "b*****" constituted swearing. However, defense attorney Nate I did not focus on disputing these facts, with he and his client claiming that Ibrahim's actions were justified as a momentary lapse in judgement due to anger. Nate later relented on this point and argued that Ibrahim was justified for the greater good of Secundomia, as citizens who did not enjoy their jobs would not be productive.

Although the earlier crisis had been heavily vitriolic, the trial itself was relatively muted. Parker and Nate were in the process of negotiating a settlement in a sidebar discussion. Nate declined a plea deal of a 1 day exile and removal from the Cabinet, countering with moving Ibrahim to a new job. The trial ceased however with a breakdown in order in the courtroom. After several days, Parker announced the cancellation of the trial and return to normalcy.

Atlan and Leospecsia

During the Trial of Ibrahim I, Erised, Empress of Atlan returned to the Secundomian email server after a month's absence to support Parker I and criticize Ibrahim. Atlan entered into the conflict, escalating the situation. At one point, Erised called for a "civil war." Rahim and Ibrahim soon began attacking Erised, intimating at an alleged personal relationship between her and Parker I. This became Secundomia's darkest hour, as the Rahimist-Ibrahimists began to also harrass and troll the remainder of the nation. Even Spencer I, who had started firmly on the side of Ibrahim, began criticizing the protestors.

Due to vitriol and endless emails, Seth I of Leospecsia announced he was seceding from Secundomia. Leospecsia dissolved and returned to the United States. After Seth was accidentally included on a few continued emails from the trial, he blocked all the members of Secundomia.

Exile of Rahim I

Finally a majority group of Secundomian citizens affected by the Protest Group, including Spencer I, the Empress of Atlan, Parker I, and Luke of Secundomia issued a "temporary exile" of Rahim I, and a warning to Ibrahim. This process was done extra-legally, with no official trial or proceedings being held. Despite this, Rahim did not dispute his exile and both members of the group apologized for their actions.

Aftermath

Secundomia returned to a period of relative calm after the Cabinet Crisis. Rahim never re-applied to Secundomia, although his name was brought up as a deciding vote during disputes about the May Election results. Most Secundomians agreed that the exile was the correct move given the context, with jurist Nate I being a notable dissenter, arguing that the legal process should have been followed. Ibrahim remained politically active in Secundomia, running for presidential office multiple times throughout 2010, but he was never successful.