The Quorum of Delegates of the Grand Unified Micronational has voted down the Sandum application with 4 votes in opposition, 3 votes in support, and 2 abstentions. Many members in the Quorum were concerned with the Denton Protocol, an intermicronational agreement to which Sandus has been a signatory since 28 July 2014. The result produced immediate ire from the Palace of State, which announced that a statement would be published later this evening from the Sôgmô and that he had sent “messages of disappointment” to key members in the GUM. The Sôgmô entered discussions with key advisers, Facilitator Bee Rodgers Albina and Party Secretary Adam von Friedeck, soon after.
This article has three updates.
Sandus has been a long-time member of the GUM, which it joined in June 2009. If the application had been accepted, Sandus would have been the eldest GUM member. Sandus decided not to sign the former Charter in February 2014, however, before the organisation fell stagnant and was reestablished earlier this year. Sandus recently decided to apply again as a result of a unanimous decision by the Council, following high-level diplomatic talks between the monarchs of Austenasia, Sandus, and Überstadt.
The Denton Protocol is an intermicronational agreement drafted in late-July, early-August 2014 to protect transgender micronationalists from discrimination, especially if they decided to transition during their lives as micronationalists. The protocol allows signatories to refuse micronational styles of address if the addressee refuses to address transgender micronationalists by their gender. Sandus and other signatories have consistently argued that it is in effect an extension of already established diplomatic decorum.
The Sôgmô will release his statement later this evening. It is expected he will argue that Sandus must re-examine its relationships with some GUM members and will speak harshly of the decision.
Update: The Palace of State has published the Sôgmô’s statement here.
Update: Zealandian Chairwoman of the State Council, Charlotte Lindström, has announced Zealandia will not apply to join the GUM.
Update: Austenasian Prime Minister, Joseph Caesar, has announced that “it is not a priority of the Imperial Government to repair or maintain our alliance with the State of Sandus.”
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