Nicolaas Stoevenbelt

Nicolaas Stoevenbelt is a Christian Democrats politician who served as Prime Minister of Vilzland from 1937 to 1945 in a coalition with Union-Vilzland then as a stand-alone Prime Minister from 1945 to 1950 when he announced he would not be running in the next election. Stoevenbelt is often regarded one of the best Prime Ministers Vilzland ever had, and oversaw Vilzland engaging in its first international conflict as an independent state, as well as the only two major monarchic constitutional crisis in the country.

Political Confusion
Stoevenbelt started his life politically conflicted. Although a proficient politics student, he never put himself in any form of alignment. His views on the monarchy were split, as he held private thoughts on both side, with one part insisting that the monarchy was needed for national stability, and the other side suggesting a monarch should not have as much hereditary power as they are granted.

Without much political inspiration, Stoevenbelt turned his attention to the main parties. Still conflicted on his opinion, he followed the dead centre and joined Union-Vilzland, attempting to stand for election in 1914, but failed. He spent the next ten years debating his political position, unsure of himself what party to follow. Eventually, he came to believe that he would not find political success in Union-Vilzland, and began to captivate his political thoughts into writing, eventually writing himself into belief of monarchic stability, national strength and national economic encouragement. This essay became known as "Vilzland's Future: One of Maintenance and Improvement".

With this newfound political thought, Stoevenbelt changed lanes. He left Union-Vilzland and joined the Christian Democrats, and ran for election in 1924 under the leadership of Remi Badeaux. He was elected as an MP in what would become Wagnerbeck (back then a part of Waalhoven).

The "Fires of France" Speech
For the first few years of his career, Stoevenbelt never really got his name known. It wasn't until 1928 when he delivered his "Fires of France" speech that made him famous, or in some cases infamous, in the Senate. The speech declared: "the South hasn't lost its taste; while it seeks solace and virtue in Badeaux's words, it only ignites further its nationalistic pride, and still burns the fires of France. We have not heard the last of such warcry".

The speech was received with mixed reviews. Some Christian Democrats praised Stoevenbelt for "saying what they were all thinking", with even Remi Badeaux himself stating that he agreed with the concept of the speech, but various French delegates stated that Stoevenbelt was simply stirring up tensions when there was simply no need. The country was divided when the speech was publicised in the press, but popular polls suggested the populace sided with his realist view.

1930 Re-election
In 1929, Union-Vilzland won the election, but held a weak minority government. Believing they did not have the legitimacy to govern, the Prime Minister stepped down. A subsequent election was held in 1930, and the Christian Democrats won again, Badeaux once again coming to power. Stoevenbelt won his seat back in both 1929 and 1930, but still remained a controversial figure.

During the 1930 election, Badeaux pitted Stoevenbelt for a Cabinet position. When he was elected, however, he was heavily reluctant to grant Stoevenbelt the Cabinet position he was promised, believing he was too controversial for such a place yet. When Badeaux told the news to Stoevenbelt, he was visibly distraught. He spent that night walking through the streets of Ljochstad, depressed and longing for inspiration.

Assassination of Badeaux and Cabinet Position
The next three years, Stoevenbelt spent a private figure. Although he was still a prominent speaker in the Senate, the broken promise had left him largely unwilling to participate. In 1933, Badeaux was assassinated. The Deputy Prime Minister took control, and reshuffled the previous Badeaux Cabinet.

In 1930, Stoevenbelt was promised the position of Defence Secretary. In 1933, he was offered Foreign Secretary, a position he took with delight and enthusiasm. It was during this period that Stoevenbelt Diplomacy became more prominent. During his time as Foreign Secretary, he observed the rise of Adolf Hitler with much concern, and anticipated the possibility of another European war. In 1935, he was re-elected again and was once again made Foreign Secretary. He was sent as an ambassador to Nazi Germany in 1937, writing the pamphlet "The Plight of our Neighbours", in which he cited that Hitler's Germany was "...hostile, imperialist and the inevitable harbingers on the end of peace as we know it". These words were treated rather negatively from Britain and France who were on a path of appeasement, stating that Stoevenbelt was unnecessarily boiling over tensions when peace can still be an option.

Pitting for Leadership
The Prime Minister had found himself involved in a political scandal of potential voting fraud in 1935, as a means to secure his seat. When news caught wind in 1938, protests erupted and demanded for his resignation. The Christian Democrats polled lower than ever before, and it seemed that for the first time in a while, Union-Vilzland would win by a very substantial majority. Fearing a loss, the Christian Democrats had a hard decision ahead of them as to who would lead them in order to win back polling. All eyes turned to Stoevenbelt, who offered himself for leadership, willing to take the fall if Union-Vilzland won.

The Prime Minister agreed to hold an election in 1939, and stated his resignation from politics in its entirety. Stoevenbelt was put forward for candidacy, and was voted in by a substantial amount. He campaigned hard for the 1939 election, but could not win back the strong majority they held. The result saw a strong split between the Christian Democrats and Union-Vilzland, and Stoevenbelt agreed to a coalition.

The Tide of War
As predicted during his years of Foreign Secretary, war was coming. Stoevenbelt's inaugural declaration involved the line: "...war is inevitable. And once again, the Kingdom will not choose sides" following news of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Germany and the USSR. From 1939 to 1940, Stoevenbelt maintained Vilzland independence, but supplied the Allied Powers. The fall of France came as a shock to Stoevenbelt, who believed there would simply be another war of attrition, and soon came the feeling that Vilzland would become a target.

As a sign of reassurance, Stoevenbelt mobilised the army with Senate approval. He held a meeting with Churchill and agreed for Vilzland to join the Allies. Nazi espionage caught wind of the agreement, and Hitler came to the decision that for Germany to invade Britain, it would need naval superiority; Vilzland would be a good starting point.

In Exile
For the events of the invasion and annexation, click here.

When the Nazis invaded and annexed Vilzland, Stoevenbelt and the coalition government fled to Britain and formed a Government in Exile. During this exile, Stoevenbelt negotiated with Churchill and told him areas of vulnerability for an Allied counterattack. Vilzland soldiers who had fled to Britain were recruited as a branch of the British Army in preparation.

With the D-Day landings beginning in June 1944, Stoevenbelt became a symbol of Vilzland national pride, and his popularity skyrocketed when Vilzland was reclaimed.

Germanic Province Decision
During the German occupation of Vilzland, new provinces Wagnerbeck and Dubenring were established. When Stoevenbelt returned to government, this regions were now heavily Germanified, and he had no choice but to controversially recognise the ethnic provinces. Stoevenbelt justified this by saying "...there has to be national unity, no matter the ethnic tensions". Stoevenbelt believed this decision would not win him another election.

1945 Election
When the War in Europe was won in May 1945, Vilzland rejoiced. Stoevenbelt attended national celebrations and made dozens of unique victory speeches, a huge popularity boost for his campaign. When the 1945 election rolled around, Stoevenbelt once again ran as leader of the Christian Democrats. His war-time popularity won the Christian Democrats the election with a majority, and Stoevenbelt opted to be a stand-alone Prime Minister.

The Abdication
Stoevenbelt's second term in government became heavily centred around economic reforms and constitutional crises. The first of the latter involved the abdication of Philippe I, who agreed to abdication when rumours surfaced he was a Nazi sympathiser. The King sought out solace within Stoevenbelt, who gave his view that the King should abdicate in order to avoid national uproar. When it appeared there was no other solution, Philippe I abdicated, and Stoevenbelt halted government duties while a replacement was selected.

Robrecht II
The House of Aristocracy selected Robrecht van der Straeten to become Robrecht II. Robrecht and Stoevenbelt were already good friends; the prince had fought in the military and was a keen supporter of Stoevenbelt's strong government mentality. Robrecht and Stoevenbelt were often seen together during in the early years of his reign, and Stoevenbelt would often silence pro-republican critics of the monarch in heated speeches and debates. These did not come without repercussion, however, as in 1948, Stoevenbelt's loyalties began to dwindle.

The Rodier Crisis left Stoevenbelt wondering if the monarchy was going to survive. When Robrecht, like his predecessor, sought out solace from Stoevenbelt, the Prime Minister held true to his religious beliefs and stated he would not be comfortable with approving of the marriage. Stoevenbelt going against his strong advocacy of the monarch resulted in him becoming increasingly unpopular, and the Christian Democrats began coming under fire from the newly-rising Democratic-Republican Party.

Refusal of a Third Term
Stoevenbelt knew that his service had to come to an end, and that end would be in 1950. He made a speech in 1949, announcing his intentions to step down as leader for the 1950 election, and that decisions for the new leader of the Christian Democrats would occur in early 1950 before the election. He announced that the election would likely be a strong contest between the Christian Democrats, Union-Vilzland and the Democratic-Republican Party, but stated he did not believe socialism would take hold in Vilzland.

For the last year of his premiership, Stoevenbelt spent his days with the King, and convinced him to keep the marriage idea private and secluded, as to not aggravate the Church nor the government.

Stoevenbelt will continue to lead the Christian Democrats as Prime Minister until a new leader is chosen.