The People's Public Media Cooperative of Zyng

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The People's Public Media Cooperative of Zyng

The People's Public Media Cooperative of Zyng was created by the law of December 13, 2011 passed by the People's Assembly. The necessary executive orders and decrees were taken by the People's Committee of Public Media and Communications on December 19, 2011.

The People's Public Media Cooperative of Zyng is a national non-profit public broadcasting cooperative receiving the majority of its funding from government sources. The executive editor is elected for a term of 2 years in a free and democratic national election (art. 61, Constitution of Zyng).

The law of December 13, 2011 strictly prohits government interference in the media.

It's primary mission is public service.

"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers."

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The People's Assembly Passes Minimum Wage Bill

Nouvelle-Zyng (17 feb. 2012)-- Article 66 of the Constitution created the right to a minimum wage since October 2011, however, the People's Assembly had not yet been able to come to an agreement.

The People's Majority, dominated by the People's Communist Party (235/636 seats), had some difficulties deciding on just how the minimum wage should be set. The People's Communist Party, and the People's Commissionner Ivan Leonov, insisted upon the fact that the Constitution strictly states that the minimum wage is set by the law and indexed automatically to the annual level of inflation. However, some coalition partners did not share this opinion.

The Democratic Socialist Party took the position that the minimum wage should be decided through negociations, sector by sector, between unions and management. The People's Socialist Party wanted a monthly minimum wage of 1200 Zyng Germinals before taxes (1 Zyng Germinal = 1 € =1.31 USD$). However, despite these differences, Leonov's project was ultimately passed by the People's Assembly.

The bill, which takes effet today, sets the minimum wage for 2012 at 1700 Zyng Germinals/month (2233$) after taxes. The legal workweek is 32 hours in the People's Republic of Zyng.

René de Briattz
Political Journalist

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The People's Assembly Votes Maximum Annual Income Bill

Nouvelle-Zyng (17 feb. 2012)-- In a vote of 369-152, the People's Assembly of the People's Republic of Zyng passed a Maximum Annual Income bill that had been introduced by the People's Communist Party under the sponsorship of the People's Commissioner Ivan Leonov.

The bill creates a maximum annual income of 360,000 ZG. (473,000 USD$). Any annual income over 360,000 ZG will be taxed at 100%. The tax mechanisme is the following: all annual income up to and including 360,000 ZG is taxed at the progressive tax rates set by the annual budget authorization bill. All annual income over the 360,000ZG is taxed at 100%.

Leaders of the Social-Liberal Party and the Union for the Republic denonced this measure as anti-business and undemocratic.

Right before the vote, about 3 million people railled before the People's Assembly building in support of the bill. A recent poll released yesterday showed that nearly 80% of those polled were favorable to the measure.


René de Briattz
Political Journalist

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The People's Finance, Budget and Public Accounts Committee Releases Expenditure Report

Nouvelle-Zyng (18 feb. 2012)-- The People's Finance, Budget and Public Accounts Committee released today before the People's Assembly the most recent budget predictions.

Since the new Constitution abolished private property and socialized the means of production, 100% of Zyng's economic is now public, say Government sources.

The People's Assembly predicts that 23% of the People's Budget will be dedicated to Public Welfare programs, 20% to education, and 12% to social policy. This seems to have paid off, since the People's Republic of Zyng is in the top 5% of nations in the world with the best income equality.

14% of the People's Budget is dedicated to Healthcare, 13% to the administration, and 11% to the environment. The intensity of funds in these sectors has allowed Zyng to train some of the most dedicated helathcare professionals in the world, and to become a global leader in green development. Finally, 7% will be dedicated to the public transportation system, which is one of the largest in the world and 1% to industry.

The People's Finance, Budget and Public Accounts committee expects the economy to continue its development over the next quarters.

Guilaine Ekovich
Economic Correspondant

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Communists win Major Victory in Social Security Debate: Everything Is Now Reimbursed!

Nouvelle-Zyng (24 feb. 2012)-- Today's session in the People's Assembly per the assembly's rules, was dedicated to the oppositions legislative agenda. The leader of Social-Liberal Party, the largest opposition party, proposed a bill to limit reimbursements of certain medical acts such as abortions or hospitalizations.

The bill aimed at cutting the Social Security budget by tens of millions of dollars, supporters stated. Prescription drugs, reimbursed at 75% would have been reimbursed at 35%. Visits to the primary medical care providor, reimbursed at 90% would have been reimbursed at only 65%. Hospitalizations, reimbursed at 65%, would have been reimbursed at only 10%, with a mandatory 18 Zyng Germinal patient participation charge.

To counter this bill, the People's Commissioner, Ivan Leonov, decided to use a rare procedure in the assembly's rules referred to by its detractors as the "Guillotine procedure". This procedure consists of cutting off debate on the legislation currently before the Assembly and allows the People's Commissioner to present a bill of his choice before the Assembly. The Assembly then votes upon the text presented by the People's Commissioner. If the Assembly votes in favor of the text, the People's Commissioner wins the confidence of the Assembly and the law is adopted. If the Assembly votes against the text, the first bill is adopted into law, however, the People's Commissioner is considered to have lost the confidence of the Assembly. The Assembly is automatically dissolved and new elections are held within the month. Some refer to it as a form of political blackmail.

Champions of universal single-payer non-for-profit public healthcare, the People's Communist Party used this procedure thus to present a bill eliminating all out-of-pocket medical expenses for every resident of Zyng, and raising all reimbursement rates to 100%. Ivan Leonov certainly used this procedure because certain members of the more liberal parties of his coalition risked to vote in favor of the Social-Liberal Party's bill.

In a vote of confidence that came down to party lines as usual, Ivan Leonov received the Assembly's confidence, and the PCP's bill was adopted. Starting March 1, 2012, Social Security will now reimburse all of your medical expenses.