The Regional Government failed to pass a signature piece of legislation that would transform RP in the region.
The Defence Forces Act, which was billed by Meercovo as a major piece of legislation and a key manifesto commitment, today failed to pass after a narrow defeat.
The law, which would have established a regional military and NATO style organisation faced much opposition from the North-West Trade Agreement (NWTA) nations, who all rejected the proposal.
Meercovo was keen to pass the legislation in an attempt to secure regional peace and security, brining the NWTA and Eastern Union (EU) together in a landmark military agreement, amidst growing tensions.
However, concerns were raised over membership fees among other issues, leading to the entire NWTA block voting against the proposal.
NWTA nation Mardata stated:
"The Mardatan government has officially decided to vote "no" on the proposal for the creation of the Citreon Defence Force based on the provisions listed within Article IV Section II, therein the governments of Citreon are required to provide 5,000 soldiers, 50 tanks, 25 fighter jets, and no less than 100 armed vehicles. This infringes on the right of a nation to not have an armed forces and infringes on those with economic woes that prevent it from fielding a force capable of maintaining such numbers. As such, until this section is amended to economically suit the poorer nations of Citreon, Mardata will vote against the creation of the Citreon Defence Force."
Meanwhile, fellow member Zanjact stated:
"Zanjact has surprisingly voted No in the CDF Act, with no response from the administration."
Meercovo responded, dispelling the claims of the Mardatan government by declaring that the provisions listed in Article 4 were a case-by-case basis and nations with economic woes would be able to commit lower forces.
The message of the government then focused on keeping the act afloat by reiterating the fact that membership was optional.
However, no compromise was found before the 3 day voting deadline, and the votes stacked up against the government with a 3-3 draw and 2 abstentions.
The PM of Meercovo Oleg Edwards is said to be "reeling" with anger at the decision of the NWTA to block the proposal.
Edwards later issued a statement saying:
"The NWTA has shown at every occasion that it is against regional peace. Its members voted against this proposal not because they had any genuine concerns over it, but because they want to prevent greater cooperation. Its a dangerous game to play for the NWTA, particularly as tensions are so high.
I am both disappointed and concerned at the lack of support for this proposal. This was a manifesto pledge and therefore I will revisit the issue in the remaining weeks of our term to get some form of regional defence in place, even if it is watered down"
However, concerns are now being raised in the NWTA.
With Meercovo in control of Orange Tax and the upcoming budget, some in Mardata are afraid that the funding they require to become a regional economic power will not be given.
Meercovo issued a statement saying that Mardata would be entitled to 500 billion RM in support, despite the opposition on this major policy proposal.
However, the division between the NWTA and EU is clearly widening, with the two groups seemingly split on the proposed law