Lavalon
Contents
Introduction
History
Lavalon was conceived by Kieran Bennett in 1998 in the the Kupang Province, West Timor, Indonesia. He was on a backpacking trip and stayed at a hotel called Lavalon Hotel, which provided the name.
In 2002 Kieran Bennett got a computer, and discovered that there were others on the Internet who shared his dream to declare sovereignty and create a model government and culture. Kieran declared himself Prince Kieran I and oversaw a democratic government, the Independent Principality of Lavalon.
By 2003 the Independent Principality had folded. In late 2003, Prince Kieran founded a new government on the principles of absolute monarchy, the Sovereign Principality of Lavalon. Kieran's attempt at democratic reform, the Second Charter, was found too weak by a revolutionary faction headed by Matthew Vasroixe and Pardraic Nevin. On March 14, 2004, the revolutionary citizens revolted and proclaimed the Republic of Lavalon, an action for which the government now apologizes. The Republic of Lavalon is the same government which continues to function to this very day, like a solid rock. Mr. Bennett is now on friendly terms with the Republic.
Lavalon has had a strong relationship with the Sovereign Imperial Republic of Natopia. Natopia has influenced greatly the policies of the officials of the Lavalonian government; their influence began with the election of Tasneem Chowdhury, herself a Natopian, to to the Presidency in January 2005. This unofficial relationship became official on May 29, 2005, when Lavalon's General Assembly voted to enter the Venerable Union of Aligned States, which is headed by Natopia.
The relationship between Natopia and Lavalon was dealt a very severe blow on July 11, 2005, when the Supreme Court of Lavalon found the VUAS treaty to be unconstitutional. That same ruling also required Lavalon to move its online forums off of the ProBoards system used by Natopia. Citizen Matthew Vasroixe donated the replacement phpBB forums.
On July 20, 2005, Tasneem Chowdhury installed Matthew Vasroixe as her Vice-President. That same day, she resigned from the Presidency, and Matthew Vasroixe succeeded her as the President. Interestingly, Nathan Waffel-Paine also renounced his citizenship in Lavalon and broke off Natopia's diplomatic ties with Lavalon shortly after. July 20, 2005 thus marked the end of the specter of Natopian influence in Lavalon's government.
Lavalon rid itself of its ailing basic laws on July 30, 2005, when the Assembly (now shortened from General Assembly) approved overwhelmingly the Third Constitution. The Third Constitution was largely written by President Vasroixe, but included a number of key compromises in order to garner enough support for its passage and subsequent recognition.
The Third Constitution is now in full effect as the Republic of Lavalon has proclaimed its sovereignty and the government is functioning. The recent election success and the active involvement of its citizens shows that a bright future is in store for Lavalon.
On Friday, July 28, 2006, the Lavalonian General Assembly approved a constitutional amendment to be annexed by Natopia. Lavalon became a Principality again but its government remains largely unchanged.
Government
Culture
Lavalon as of now does not subdivide its government.
