President Tattar is today leading commemorations on behalf of the country to former Eastern Republic President Nado Milutinovic who died last Saturday after suffering a stroke.
In a private funeral, organised by the Milutinovic family, the President will offer a eulogy ‘on behalf of the Polascianan people’ and will offer praise and thanks to the late leader for his “dedication and drive for peace”. Evoking the spirit and language of Milutinovic’s opening address at the Unity Conference held in Leipoa in April 1996, the president will commend the former Eastern chief for “recognising the need and opportunity for a lasting and peaceful new settlement for all the people of The Polamar”.
The relatively low-key ceremony in the outskirts of Arvi will also be attended by Eiffelland Chancellor Rudolph Kögler who will be present on behalf of Polasciana’s regional neighbours, ITO and the Gallian and Centrican League. A guest at the Niveri Palace last night, the chancellor travelled to Polasciana’s largest city this morning alongside the president to join the commemorations which are taking place this lunchtime. The decision to hold a closed, private, funeral has also been subject to growing criticism, given the large number of citizens that wish to pay their respects to Mr Milutinovic. Streets around Central Square in Arvi’s city centre have been laden with flowers and messages since Mr Milutinovic’s death was announced last Sunday, and several community and cultural leaders have commented that they believe the private nature of the event is a ‘missed opportunity’ to allow people to mourn.
In his own address last Sunday the president said that he recognised the ‘pain and hurt’ that losing Mr Milutinovic would mean for the country, and asked people to “grieve in their own personal way for someone who meant and means so much to us and our history”. The president and the government took the joint decision to suspend the Federal Executive until this coming Friday, whilst the stock exchange in Karasicena will re-open tomorrow morning. But further emotions have been stoked by a number of unsavoury and controversial comments by the Deputy Leader of the Nationalist Party, Drakan Slivinski, who was caught on tape referring to Milutinovic as a ‘traitor’. Trying to stem criticism, party leader Alexei Sukhorukov said he had asked Mr Slivinski to apologise, but was attacked by Security Minister Evgeny Almarav last night during a television interview, where the government minister said the Nationalist politician had ‘offended the entire country’.
