Chapter 274 West African Group

Before the general election in Colo, the interim parliament of the transitional government first abolished the original constitution of Colo and formulated the "Interim Constitution of the Republic of Colo".

The provisional constitution was formulated with input from the Socialist Party of Colo, headed by Thomas Kabore.

The more important points of this "Interim Constitution" are -

First of all, the "Interim Constitution" stipulates that the country of Kolo is called the Republic of Kolo and implements a presidential system. The president is elected for a four-year term and can be re-elected for a maximum of two terms.

After the president is elected, it is up to the president to nominate and form the government.

At the same time, in order to prevent future elections in Kolo from being influenced by certain countries, the interim constitution also stipulates that candidates participating in the election are not allowed to accept funding from foreign companies or groups. Once found, they will lose their candidacy.

In addition to stipulating matters related to elections, the interim constitution also mainly establishes the following points -

First, Colo will have English and French as its official languages.

Before that, because Colo was once a French colony, their official language was French for historical reasons. Now English has been added to Colo’s official languages. However, in the future, English will be the main language in Colo’s schools. teaching so that after a number of years only English will remain as the official language.

Currently, the official language remains French. On the one hand, the citizens need time to make the transition. On the other hand, it is also to temporarily appease France.

Second, Kolo implements a policy of national reconciliation, and all ethnic groups have equal status.

At present, there are nearly 7 million people in Kolo, divided into 41 tribes. Before this, the reason why Kolo had constant internal disputes and the opposition between ethnic groups was also one of the reasons. The development of Kolo must require a stable internal environment to avoid another confrontation between anti-government armed forces and government forces. Therefore, national reconciliation is also necessary.

Third, guns are banned in Colo. Private weapons will be collected within a specified period. After that, it will be illegal to keep guns and ammunition.

Because of the previous years of civil war, a large number of weapons and ammunition were scattered among the people. Barron did not have the NC concept of "everyone has a gun, so he will not be chaotic." He did not want to learn from the so-called "advanced experience" of Europe and the United States. Referring to the later Chinese Based on experience in public security, banning guns is naturally a must.

Fourth, the administrative division of Kolo is divided into 5 provinces and 1 city, namely Maritime Province, Plateau Province, Central Province, Kara Province and Prairie Province, and the capital Loti is a municipality.

In the past, Kolo was administratively divided into five regions, with 21 provinces established under the regions...

For such a small place, its area is less than half that of Zhejiang Province in China. In Barron's view, there is no need to make it so complicated. Just turn the five regions into provinces and divide them into cities below.

Fifth, Kolo implements defense outsourcing in the military and does not establish a standing army.

This is also the most critical point for Barron to control Kolo, which is to control its military. Kolo's defense will be outsourced to the Kolo Corps, and the Kolo Corps will finance the purchase of all facilities and equipment from the previous Kolo government forces.

On the one hand, it can enable the new government to obtain a certain amount of funds for national construction; on the other hand, it can also ensure his control over Kolo.

Sixth, Kolo respects citizens’ freedom of belief. Religious affairs are managed by specialized national agencies and crackdowns on cults are severe.

Currently, about 70% of the residents of Colo believe in fetishism, 20% believe in Christianity, and 10% believe in Islam. Kolo will remain open to normal beliefs and respect people's freedom of belief.

These are the main contents of the Constitution. Other provisions on the rights and obligations of citizens will refer to the relevant provisions of British law, which are not much different from them before.

This kind of system in a country itself does not mean that it can be developed by copying the so-called "developed countries". Instead, it is the kind of "dissident" system in Europe and the United States. For weak countries, it is more convenient for them to support "dissidents" "Interference in its internal affairs.

For example, according to the standards of Europe and the United States, the countries with the most "advanced" systems are probably Haiti and Liberia. Their constitutions, to put it bluntly, are just a renaming of the American constitution, but the result...

Instead, they have become two of the least developed countries in the world...

…

It was also during this period that West Africa Industries Holdings registered a company in Kolo, the West Africa Group.

Well, this is a serious local company in Kolo.

After the West African Group was established, it took over Kolo's only television station and several of the largest newspapers and radio stations in the territory.

These industries were not originally state-owned, but were held by the family business of former head of state Nassin Dema. Now they have been fully taken over by the West African Group for US$20 million.

At the same time, they also took over a 30-story building located in the center of the capital Loti.

This building, which originally belonged to Nassin Dema's family business, was now renamed West Africa Building and became the headquarters of the West Africa Group.

At the same time, West Africa Mining, a subsidiary of the West Africa Group, also included the shares held by the Nassin Dema family in multiple banks.

Including 60% of the shares of United Bank of Kolo; 75% of the shares of Kolo Industrial and Commercial Bank; and 100% of the shares of Kolo Development Bank.

UCB Union Caulo de Banque, founded in 1964, is 40% state-owned, has 200 employees, and has 12 branches in Colo.

BCCI Banque Caulo pour le Commerce et l`Industrie (BCCI Banque Caulo pour le Commerce et l`Industrie), the state shares account for 25%. Number of employees: 250.

BCD Banque Caulo de Développement, 200 employees.

After acquiring these shares, the West African Group merged the three banks into the United Bank for West Africa (UBWA United Bank for West Africa). The West African Group held 80% of the shares and the state held 20%. This bank became a bank in Kolo. largest bank.

In addition to the United Bank of West Africa, Kolo also has foreign banks such as African International Bank and West African International Bank, as well as small banks with less than 50 employees such as Kolo Financial Bank. Their scale in Kolo is smaller than that of West African Bank. The United Bank for Africa is far behind.

The industries taken over by the West African Group also include the Nassing Dema family’s 60% stake in Port Loti and Kolo Telecom, the largest telecommunications operator in Kolo.

It can also be seen from here that the previous dictatorial rule of Nassin Dema in Kolo can be said to have completely enriched their family and transferred many of Kolo's key industries to his own company.

Now, the West African Group is considered cheaper.

Of course, they didn't take over for nothing, there are still rules, otherwise it would be too ugly...

For these industries, the West African Group paid a total of US$200 million to the Colo government.

As the CEO of West Africa Group, Barron hired a mixed-race man of African descent named Noe Duran, who is 3/4 black and 1/4 white.

Noe Duran, 45 years old, graduated from the University of London and is considered a Barron alumnus.

His father once served as the Minister of Finance in the previous government of Nassin Dema. However, during Nassin Dema's coup, his father was also arrested and imprisoned for five years before being released.

Later, after he graduated and returned to China, he worked at Colo Industrial and Commercial Bank until he became the president of this bank. His management ability is good. Kolo Industrial and Commercial Bank, which was originally ranked third in Kolo, became the largest bank in Kolo under his leadership.

Barron also took a fancy to this, and after talking to him, he directly hired him as the CEO of West Africa Group.

After all, as a "local" company of Kolo and owning many key industries of Kolo, if the CEO of the group is a white face, it would be a bit... inappropriate.

Just after the initial integration of the West African Group was completed, Kolo's big moment came when national elections were held.