Yurtyzstan concludes Snow Festival

The Snow Festival, Yurtyzstan's annual week-long winter holiday, ended this past Saturday.

An extinguished candle display near Gingmai Square
in Yurtpyitaw.

Panel of linguists assembled to complete national language

Chairman of the Presidium Yurt Kyong-yon has recruited several Yurtyzstani experts to assist in the completion of the Yurtyzstani constructed language.

Hakimoto appoints new officials to oversee implementation of market reforms

Chairman of the Presidium J.J. Hakimoto made several appointments today, completing the executive framework set out in the May market reforms legislation.

Analysis: Important month approaching for Yurtyzstan

It is becoming clear that September will be a critical month for Yurtyzstan as it marks one year of recovery from the July 2012 governmental collapse, its 3rd anniversary as an independent state, and nearly six months of stable democratic government.

Hakimoto announces cultural development initiative

Chairman of the Presidium J.J. Hakimoto has announced a new cultural development programme in a post on the Kamponghkan blog.

Weekend for Workers demonstrations conclude

After more than a month of protests, the Weekend for Workers movement has disbanded.

Oon Em Pyo Iid, Chairman of the Yurtyzstani Workers' Party and member of the Supreme People's Assembly, announced this week that he considered the results of the 2-5 August plenary session to be satisfactory, and that he would stop organising the protests. Today, there were no domestic reports of more protests, and no demonstrators were seen in Yurtpyitaw.

Inactivity and updating posts

Greetings to our loyal readers! Thank you for continuing to follow the New Light of Yurtyzstan.

As you will have noticed, we have fallen quite behind in updating this site. This does not reflect on the nation itself, which has experienced a parliamentary election, market reforms, and the establishment of a national conlang. It also does not reflect on our domestic activity, as we have published articles through 6 July to domestic audiences. We have begun the process of catching up but it will take several weeks; please bear with us.

Analysis: North will lean left, PYC will win supermajority

Note to readers: This analysis is based on discussions with Yurtyzstani analysts and with representatives of various political organisations, and is intended to be as neutral as possible. New Light of Yurtyzstan does not endorse candidates or parties.

The New Light of Yurtyzstan predicts that, while the northern regions will remain a stronghold for Yurtyzstani communist candidates, Prosperity for Yurtyzstan will emerge as the big winner in the 1 May 2013 legislative election.

Okryu poll: Strong support for capitalism, cultural modernisation

A poll conducted by Okryu Applications and the University of Yurtpyitaw yesterday has confirmed that support is strong among Yurtyzstanis for capitalist reforms and for new cultural directions proposed by J.J. Hakimoto and others.

Yurtyzstani Committee for the Study of the Juche Idea established

With elections less than a week away, popular left-wing figure Yurt Cheung Ho has announced the establishment of his new party, the Yurtyzstani Committee for the Study of the Juche Idea.

PYC members touring country

Members of Prosperity for Yurtyzstan have ramped up their nationwide campaigns with only a week until the polls open.

Provisional Government encourages voting

With the nation's fourth democratic election fast approaching, the Provisional Government has released a statement encouraging citizens to vote.

Yurt Myaung-hye lectures at EYTC Frontier Town

Yurt Myaung-hye has commenced his bid for the Supreme People's Assembly today with a lecture entitled "Yurtyzstan's Future: Reconciling New and Old" at the East Yurtyzstan Technical University, Frontier Town.

Yurt Kyong-yon visits New Seoul

Provisional Government member and Assembly candidate Yurt Kyong-yon today visited New Seoul, the capital of the New Taedong Kingdom, to settle a border dispute and to discuss the potential of a close diplomatic relationship in the near future.

Culture, domestic economy primary issues for Yurtyzstani voters

The results of an Okryu/University of Yurtpyitaw informal survey taken over the past two weeks, provided to New Light of Yurtyzstan today, indicate that Yurtyzstani voters are most interested in candidates' stances on the nation's culture and the development of its internal economy.

Socialists circulating election flyers

With one month to go before Yurtyzstan holds its fourth legislative election, socialist groups have quickly begun to circulate flyers.

Elections to open in one month

The fourth democratic election held in the history of Yurtyzstan will take place 1-5 May, one month from today.

Provisional Government: No early elections

The Provisional Government has released a statement announcing that elections will be held on the constitutionally defined date rather than at an earlier time, more than one month after Yurtyzstanis approved the 2nd Constitution in a referendum.

Constitution approved by Yurtyzstani voters

In a referendum from February 22-24, Yurtyzstanis overwhelmingly approved the Constitutional Committee's proposal, allowing the Provisional Government to begin organising parliamentary elections.

Referendum for proposed constitution underway

Yurtyzstani citizens are now voting on a draft 2nd Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Yurtyzstan, proposed by the Constitutional Committee.

Voting officially opened on February 22 at 12:00 am. The votes are being submitted physically, rather than online as in the last referendum, due to problems with the BallotBin online voting service which prevented the administrative account from being accessed. Voting will close at 11:59 pm on February 24, the date on which Yurtpyitaw Day is celebrated.

Yurtpyitaw Day approaching

A cherished and iconic image of the "average People's yurt"
in Yurtpyitaw, taken February 2011 and used in Workers' Party
propaganda and on early Yurtyzstani banknotes.

On February 24, during election season and a referendum for Yurtyzstan's new Constitution, Yurtyzstanis will celebrate Yurtpyitaw Day.

Yurtpyitaw Day celebrates the construction of the first standing Yurtyzstani structure in what was then Yurt Clearing in 2011; this act led to the foundation of Yurtyzstan's capital, Yurtpyitaw. To celebrate, Yurtyzstanis flock to the capital, showering it with decorations and providing a strong boost to construction efforts there. In preparation for this increased travel, regional construction officials have moved to improve the navigability of main roads, particularly the Chunjiain River Expressway which runs from Honggang in the far west to Yurtpyitaw.

"Cold gold": Yurtyzstani ice industry growing

Yurtyzstani ice workers
outside Ice Lake 1A.

The Yurtyzstani economy is experiencing considerable growth as a result of its abundance of winter ice.

As bottled water is central to Yurtyzstan's export future, ice is highly essential; Yurtyzstani waterways, however, are mostly too shallow for moderately clean water to be collected. Ice, on the other hand, can be cleaned, boiled, and filtered for maximum safety and is also far easier to harvest and transport.

Provisional Government allows People's Reactionary Party to participate in elections

After nearly two years of suppression, the People’s Reactionary Party will finally be allowed to register Yurtyzstani members and field candidates in the March parliamentary election.

The Provisional Government voted 4-2 to add the People’s Reactionary Party to a list of legally registered political parties yesterday as it planned for the March 1 elections. This represents the first time that the organisation has been allowed to legally exist; it was founded in June 2011 by Felix Yurtzhinsky but never officially recognised.

Referendum date pushed back by Provisional Government

The Yurtyzstani Republic Provisional Government has pushed back the date of the constitutional referendum to February 22 at the request of the Constitutional Committee.

Yurt Kyong-yon, one of the five members elected to the Constitutional Committee in the January 1 referendum, reported that disputes between conservative socialists and right-leaning members had delayed the approval of a final draft. According to Yurt, founder of the centre-right Prosperity for Yurtyzstan Coalition, the two opposing factions disagreed over the inclusion of specific provisions for economic structure and regulation; moderate Yurt Ma-shin had been unable to broker a compromise as of January 26, the scheduled start date.

The statistics of a changing Yurtyzstan

Under the Onward Yurtyzstan Plan, which was approved by the Yurtyzstani Republic Provisional Government this past September, the economy remains under tight government control until Independence Day 2013 to ensure stability. Printing and circulation of Yurtyzstani currency -- when it commences -- will be strictly limited, wage and price controls are in place and heavily enforced, and all businesses are currently nationalised. On 22 September 2013, all of this will go away in an instant and theYurtyzstani economic landscape will shift dramatically. This is what the change will look like on paper.

Referendum and election results

The polls have closed across Yurtyzstan on the government structure referendum and the Constitutional Committee election.

Voters chose to reinstate the Supreme People's Assembly government by a wide margin, with 40% of the vote. Even the Revolutionary Presidium proposal, whose supporters were expected to make up a heavy portion of voters, lagged 13 points behind it. Few Yurtyzstanis voted for a Supreme Potentacy or a military junta, which received 20% and 11% respectively. However, this hardly entails a return to political status quo; there has been a dramatic shift towards liberalism recently, the Workers' Party has significantly declined in influence and membership, and most (if not all) of Yurtyzstan's old bureaucracy will likely be waylaid by informality advocates.

Trees: the spiritual ancestors of Yurtyzstan

I was inspired to write this article after reading an excellent cultural commentary by M. Lucas Campos published on the Sacerdotium blog. I wondered, "Why does Yurtyzstan not have mythology? Should I begin creating one?" After some thought, I realised that Yurtyzstan has provided an answer -- trees.

Yurtyzstan, unlike many culturally-focused micronations, lacks a constructed mythology. Languages, with their almost mathematical structure, are one thing; myths are another. Meaning no disrespect to nations with mythological constructs, I feel that constructed mythology to be akin to synthesising history and so have never found it appealing. Rather, Yurtyzstan places all of its ancestral focus and significance on the tree.

Update on national voting

The Provisional Government has released information today on the current results of the referendum and Constitutional Committee election.

Voting opened yesterday at 12 am Eastern Standard Time; since then, nearly half of 28 registered Yurtyzstani citizens have voted. Current projections, calculated by BallotBin, show the an overwhelming 42 percent (14 points over the next most popular option) voting for the Supreme People's Assembly option, which would reinstate Yurtyzstan's previous parliamentary government with four more seats and a more informal and transparent approach to legislation. Projections for the Committee election show Yurt Kyong-yon as the leading candidate. South Yurtyzstani entrepreneur and rightist figure Po Er Kwa Deul, East Yurtyzstani politician Yurt Myaung-hye, and revolutionary Yurt Cheung-ho are also predicted to gain seats on the Committee, with a runoff election between former Workers' Party legislator Yurt Ma Shin and former Vice-Chairman of the SPA Oon Em Pyo Iid (tied at 10%).

The vote closes at midnight on January 5.

Referendum on government structure begins

Today in Yurtyzstan, voting began on a referendum to determine the political structure of Yurtyzstan and on an election for a five-seat Constitutional Committee.

The referendum ballot lists four options for government type, selected by the Provisional Government based on several informal surveys. The Revolutionary Presidium government, proposed by Po Er Kwa Deul, would entail a council of influential Yurtyzstanis -- intellectuals, entrepreneurs, revolutionary figures, etc. -- chosen by write-in elections or by the other members of the Council. The Supreme People's Assembly government,