In the past few hours, Austenasia has been plunged into an unprecedented constitutional crisis. Earlier today, His Imperial Majesty Emperor Aggelos I called for a general election, expressing dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Andrew Musgrave. The election was scheduled for July 20, 2025. However, both the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the House, Lady Addison O’Halloran, invoked the Elections Act of 2020, which restricts the Emperor’s constitutional authority to unilaterally call elections. Parliament has since declared the Emperor’s announcement “null and void”, and will not be happening as previously announced.

Prime Minister Andrew Musgrave has publicly called for Emperor Aggelos to abdicate the throne “in favour of Crown Prince Shiro,” the next in line. The PM also accused the Emperor of acting unlawfully, and tyrannically. This public denouncement has drawn criticism, with some members of Parliament accusing the Prime Minister of treason, while others are urging for “cooler heads” to prevail between the Emperor and the Prime Minister. Speaker of the House, Lady Addison O’Halloran announced to Parliament that she intended to spearhead an investigation concerning the Prime Minister’s demand that the Emperor abdicate, to determine if it’s grounds for impeachment.

The Senate, the constitutional body tasked with holding the Emperor accountable, attempted to question His Imperial Majesty regarding his decision to call a general election without first consulting Parliament or the Prime Minister. However, the Emperor responded curtly to the use of the word “demand” by the Princeps Senatus, stating, “[This isn’t how this]… works. You cannot make demand[s] of the Emperor.”

The Emperor was then reminded of how the system was designed to function, and the constitutional role of the Senate was explained to him. However, he dismissed the explanation, asserting that the “Senate [was] here to consult with the Crown,” rather than to hold it accountable. He went on to demand that the Prime Minister – who was posting messages in the Senate chamber demanding that he abdicate – cease speaking in the Senate chamber. Although the Princeps Senatus had previously given the PM standing permission to address the Senate, this was a controversial move, as the PM is legally barred from serving as a Senator and is not intended to be involved in Senate business. When Musgrave continued to interrupt, the Emperor proceeded to forcibly revoke the Prime Minister’s access to the chamber.

It has now become clear that a deep division exists between the two core pillars of governance within the Empire: the elected Government and the Emperor. At this time, it remains uncertain what, if any, resolution will emerge from this conflict.