Sanmatar Shakor Calls for Assembly of the Seven Tribes

Pator – Sanmatar Maleatu Shakor has issued a call for the Seven Tribes of Matar to meet "in grand assembly in not less than three months time." In his short address to the Republic Parliament's second session in a week, Sanmatar Shakor went on to say that the assembly would "determine the future of the Minmatar people, whatever their tribe and wherever they may live."

Parliament members reacted to the call with sustained applause. Chants of approval were heard by government supporters, who represented a comfortable majority in the chamber. Others in the room looked less enthusiastic, with members of the emerging 'democratist' faction, for example, seen to argue furiously among themselves.

A spokesman for the Sanmatar later admitted that Shakor has been quietly working toward holding a tribal assembly ever since he took office. According to the spokesman the official statuses of the Thukker, Starkmanir and Nefantar tribes have been the main stumbling blocks on the path to that goal, presenting a number of issues which Shakor had been hoping to resolve before making an announcement. Increasing political pressure and domestic strain stemming from the rising population are understood to have forced Sanmatar Shakor's hand, leading to today's parliamentary address.

While the Starkmanir and Nefantar have both yet to appoint tribal chiefs, it is the Thukker Tribe's position as a sovereign power in the Great Wildlands region that has proven the most delicate matter in negotiations. However, a major breakthrough in Minmatar-Thukker diplomacy is rumored to be close, something which informed sources have cited as an explanation for the Sanmatar's call for an assembly of all seven tribes at this time.