An Interim Secretary-General to emerge from the crisis.

It's been a tough week for the Microfrancophonie. Very tough. This micronational organization, once admired for its stability, is now experiencing its worst storm since its founding.

Mr. Léopold Deuff, Acting Secretary-General of the Microfrancophonie, appointed by Dominic Desaintes for reasons of neutrality.

Open crisis in the Microfrancophonie: five departures in one week

Following the resounding resignation of Prince Jean-Pierre IV d'Aigues-Mortes from his post as High Commissioner (see our previous article), the organization is now experiencing a veritable hemorrhage of members. It all began with a simple but unanswered question: how to replace a High Commissioner... when nothing in the Charter provides for it? This statutory void, highlighted by the departure of one of the founding members, immediately triggered a series of debates. And not just any debates.

Two visions, one fracture

Two camps quickly emerged: on one side, those who advocated a strict reading of the Charter to ensure its authority; on the other, those who advocated a pragmatic, more flexible interpretation in the face of unprecedented situations. This divide is not just legal. It is cultural, generational, and diplomatic.

These exchanges have revealed the masks. The Microfrancophonie is no longer a group of old friends gathered to promote micronationalism, but rather an administrative dinosaur, mired in its own procedures, almost as slow and opaque as some European institutions.

The end of carelessness

Over time, a procedural drift set in: the desire to regulate and control everything through the Charter became an obsession. The essentials were lost sight of: the cordiality, spontaneity, and initial spirit of the Microfrancophonie, which was above all a space for friendly and creative exchanges.

In the past, meetings were organized regularly, collective projects flourished, and members enjoyed sharing their passions. But step by step, statutory debates took over. Endless discussions, often without a solution, led to wear and tear. People grew tired, then withdrew into their corners, abandoning shared projects for a polite but oppressive silence.

The result: inertia replaced inspiration, and excessive attachment to the texts stifled the collaborative energy that once made the collective strong.

The stampede

The result? Five departures in one week.

On May 26, the Principality of Aigues-Mortes formalized its withdrawal. The shock was immediate, and within 24 hours, it was joined by another historic founding member: the Empire of Angyalistan. Then came the Principality of Anthophilia and the Autonomous Republic of Europa, two important figures of the new wave, who also left the organization, deploring a procedural shift to the detriment of friendship.

Finally, the Kingdom of Navasse also announced its departure, simply citing "a different diplomatic orientation" and deeming it a lack of professionalism. When questioned by microcosme.info, Queen Marie-Adelina's response was scathing: "I didn't join this organization to be part of a 'Bros club,' but a professional organization."

An interim under high tension

Faced with this explosion, Secretary-General Dominic Desaintes temporarily stepped back. He appointed Léopold Deuff (Republic of Jaïlavera) as interim Secretary-General, deemed more neutral to manage the storm.

The new Secretary-General's immediate reaction? To attempt a procedural countermeasure to stem the flow. Thus, some micronations that had announced their withdrawal were denied official recognition of their departure, on the grounds that their statement had not been published in the correct Council Facebook group, as "stipulated by the Charter."

The problem? Several of them had already been removed from the Council, thus preventing them from expressing their views. In other words, they were criticized for not having walked through a door that had already been slammed in their faces.

This maneuver perfectly illustrates the crux of the problem: an unhealthy attachment to procedure, even when it was the very procedure that caused the crisis. And now it is up to the interim Secretary-General, appointed for two months to embody neutrality, to serve this administrative soup to an assembly already suspicious, if not disillusioned, by so many internal conflicts.