Press Conference: Announcing the New Government

[Alfonso Velez]

Good Morning everyone,

I'm pleased to announce the formation of a coalition Government between the Liberty & Democracy Party and the New Center Party. Our two parties are natural allies--both of us are committed to ensuring that the rights and liberties of our citizens are protected, while also promoting economic growth and security. 

The composition of the next Cabinet will be as follows:

Prime Minister: Alfonso Velez of the Liberty & Democracy Party
Deputy Prime Minister & Secretary of the Cabinet: Tzvi Barak of the New Center Party
Secretary of State: Augusto Benavides
Secretary of Defense: Adrian Gonzales of the Liberty & Democracy Party 
Secretary of Finance: Dr. Bernadette LaVoy of the Liberty & Democracy Party 
Secretary of Justice: Madeline Petras of the New Center Party
Secretary of the Interior: Gerhardt Seydlitz of the Liberty & Democracy Party

This Cabinet represents experienced people from all perspectives who will guide this nation well and will be committed to protecting the people's rights and furthering the people's welfare. This Government has also elected to re-invite Mr. August Benavides to serve as Secretary of State in this Government. His diplomatic skills will continue to serve our nation in the formative months that lay ahead of us.

With such a diverse group of people, disagreements are likely to emerge from time to time. I encourage this. This will be a Government of diverse viewpoints that will work to find the best solutions to help our great nation—not the easy solutions. Per our agreement, the Cabinet must approve all Government bills, and that process will allow us opportunities to consider all perspectives and forge better solutions. This will be a Government of collaboration, not dictation.

What can you expect to see from this Government? Our first priority will be adding protections into the Bill of Rights of our Constitution to ensure that the rights of all citizens are protected—basic rights like the right to a jury trial, the right to a public trial, the right of responsible citizens to own firearms. We will also enshrine the right to privacy and against any unreasonable searches without warrants. These protections and others will be enshrined by this Government into the Constitution to ensure that the liberty of all citizens is protected now—and long after this Government is gone.

We will also make it a top priority to create an environment ripe for business by removing unnecessary business, helping small businesses grow, lowering taxes, and promoting free trade. This will not only benefit our business owners who serve as the backbone of our economy and our communities, but this will also create jobs and wealth for all of the citizens of this great nation.

The Defense of Aludria will be a paramount priority for this Government. We will work to grow our armed forces and our navy in particular. We will not grow these forces to wage wars of aggression, but rather to act as protectors for our nation and its trade routes and to defend our nation from any threats which may arise and to deter any who would seek to harm us. This Government will make it an equally high priority to stay out of pointless foreign wars, feuds, and other entanglements which might result in Aldurian citizens being placed in the way of harm for foreign interests. We will engage and trade with any friendly nation who wishes to do so—but we will always put Alduria and its interests first.

Finally, a priority of this Government will be supporting families—all families. We will introduce legislation to provide tax credits for families so that they can use that money to become more prosperous and, by spending that money, will make Alduria’s economy as a whole healthier and more vibrant. We will also protect the rights of all families. This Government will introduce legislation to legalize same-sex marriage while respecting the rights of religions to determine for themselves what criteria they will use to conduct their own religious ceremonies. We will also introduce legislation to remove barriers to both same sex and unmarried individuals who wish to adopt children in need of a home.

This agenda is ambitious—but I am confident that we can work together to see these goals realized. I look forward to working with Mr. Barak and New Center to ensure that we always keep the interests of Alduria and its citizens first in our hearts and minds.

Thank you—we’ll now take any questions you may have for us!