Villore - Amid increasing accusations and counter-accusations of impropriety, a coalition of Senators have begun publicly calling for the resignation of Mentas Blaque. Chief among these voices of dissent is Senator Julian Hevard. Hevard, whose chief aide was arrested on suspicion of espionage, was frank in his condemnation of Blaque's policies. "It is clear that Mentas Blaque is using his FIO position as a tool of personal power. It is wrong. It must be stopped."
While Hevard's disagreement with Senator Blaque is widely believed to be personal in nature, others have presented similar points of opposition. Senator Suvio Bellaron, noted for his criticism of the method of public execution of Advent Eturrer, argued, "Senator Blaque's dual roles in both the executive and legislative branches violate fundamental rules of power-sharing. By occupying both, he is disrupting the delicate system of checks and balances that prevents the abuse of power."
Blaque is not without his defenders, however. Admiral Saven LeClerque, a highly-decorated Naval liaison officer, said simply, "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Are we so quick to forget that our own homeworld and most of our frontier are under Caldari control?" LeClerque further argued that "these situations call for decisive action. Decisive actions are not formed in committee."
Yet this line of reasoning has not placated Blaque's opposition. Senator Bellaron responded by pointing out that "as of this moment, no official state of war or emergency exists within the Federation. Without the approval of either condition by the Senate, we cannot label these 'desperate times.'" Senator Bellaron further posited that the erosion of governmental stability posed by a breakdown of checks and balances constitutes a greater threat to the Federation than the Caldari State itself. "If we descend into totalitarianism, what is left to separate us from the likes of Tibus Heth?"