Camel Revolution Gives Democracy the Hump?

They call it the Camel Revolution. Named they say after the most distinctive traditional sights of Babkha, the omnipresent dromedary seen violating the traffic regulations of every souk and bazaar the length and breadth of the Kingdom, though cynics have questioned whether this represented an official branding exercise cashing in on the recent trend in naming illegal regime changes after objects or colours as part of an effort to make the changes seem popular.

His Imperial Majesty has been out in the bazaar addressing a band of loyal followers promising to turn around the Kingdom's fortunes by slaughtering one of the sacred cows of his majestic herd, the democratic constitution of Babkha.

For those browbeaten by the heady rhetoric of the Rakesh years and the bitter rivalry of the Behsaz and Rastakhiz parties the debate about ending the long established democratic traditions of the Kingdom must seem something of an anticlimax. That in some respects is the entire point.

Administrations have come and gone, some popular like the Grand Vizierate of Tahmaseb, some competent like the Namvari governments, some visionary like the first Ackbar term of office. However all since the heady days of the first Rastakhiz, engineered by the well-nigh deified Abbas Namvari, have been to a greater or lesser extent treading water. Structurally the Kingdom remains stuck in 2003, the bills are paid and the infrastructure maintained, but the laws that have been passed by successive Majlis-i-Mellats have been only indifferently observed and the Babkhan populace has more often than not opted to favour Behsazi opportunism over high-minded ideals.

Indeed in recent months the Majlis-i-Mellat ceased to function as an organised body. When asked to consider dissolving the Majlis and calling for yet another round of elections the Shah replied

"At the present time I do not believe democracy in Babkha is fit to survive."

And with that the Camel 'Revolution' had begun.

Three days of level headed discussion in the Kamalshahr bazaar preceded to whittle down the options for replacing the democratic system. Both Grand Commonwealth intervention and a state of emergency have been more or less ruled out. The solution, which has the support of the Grand Vizier, the Attorney General and several Satraps appears to centre around appointing new delegates to the Majlis-i-Mellat to vote the constitution out of existence and replace it with a new text which provides for a new merged executive-legislature based on the Shahanshah who would be granted greater powers of rule by decree and an assembly of the satraps, appointed by the Shahanshah on account of their activity and loyalty, the Majlis-i-Satrapan.

A farman appointing the new delegates to the Majlis-i-Mellat is expected shortly.