Difference between revisions of "Fortestan"

Revision as of 21:22, 19 November 2004

Fortestan

Flag of Fortestan
Motto: "Veritas!"
None available.
Region	The Proletariat Coalition
Capital	Ferroton
Official Language(s)	No official language
Leader	President Dr. Roland B. Durandana of Wassa
Population	823 million (11/18/04)
Currency	tolar
NS Sunset XML

The United Socialist States of Fortestan is a huge, environmentally stunning nation, renowned for its absence of drug laws. Its compassionate, intelligent population of 823 million enjoy extensive civil freedoms, particularly in social issues, while business tends to be more regulated.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, liberal government stops and the rest of society begins, but it is mainly concerned with Education, although Social Equality and Social Welfare are on the agenda. The average income tax rate is 100%. The private sector is almost wholly made up of enterprising fourteen-year-old boys selling lemonade on the sidewalk, although the government is looking at stamping this out.

Crime is totally unknown. Fortestan's national animal is the raphus cucullatus, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its currency is the tolar.

Government

Fortestan is a constitutional federal republic divided into eight states with a strong democratic tradition. Usually, matters within the borders of an individual state are dealt with by the individual state. The federal government is made up of the executive branch (administration), the legislative branch (law-makers), and judicial branch (court system). There are several different political parties in Fortestan, usually left on the political spectrum. These include the Social Democrat Party, the Democratic Socialist Party, the Liberal Democratic Socialist Party, the Natural Democratic Party, and the Fortestani Worker's Party. There are right-wing political parties, although they are not as widespread. These include the Right-wing Alliance, the People for Private Enterprise Party (PPEP), and the New Party for Change. Aside from the left- and right-wing parties, their exists political movements that aspire for political independence, such as the Alliance for Belostavian Independence (now the National Belostavian Front), the Federation for Rutasian Separation and Complete Independence, the Kalmiya Separatist Party, and the Patriotic Party for an Independent Chat Noy.

Any decision by the government can be overturned by the citizens through a referendum. This right has been protected by the Supreme Court on numerous occasions. Three wars have been fought since the foundation of the U.S.S.F. exercising this essential right, the Patriot War, the Democratic War, and the War for the Rights of the Citizenry.

Executive Branch

The Executive Branch of the Fortestan is headed by the President and is based in the Presidential Hall of the People. The President is assisted by the Vice President. The President and Vice President are directly elected separately. It is strictly forbidden in the Fortestani Constitution for any member of the executive branch to hold a position in the legislative branch or the judicial branch.

Duties afforded to the President include enforcing the law, conducting foreign relations with the aid of the Cabinet and the legislature, serving as commander-in-chief of the military, appointing judges and diplomats, and administering government departments and public services. The current President is Dr. Roland B. Durandana of Wassa. The current Vice President is Orlando Ferrara.

List of the Cabinet Secretaries:

1. Secretary of Treasury - Boleslaw D. Joyeuse
2. Secretary of Foreign Affairs - Tizona Kusanagi
3. Secretary of War and Home Defense - Tyrfing Szczerbiec
4. Secretary of Law and Order - Franklin Tepani
5. Secretary of Energy - Baeda Gratian
6. Secretary of Housing, Health, Education, and Social Welfare - Stsypan Os-Beorht
7. Secretary of Postal Services - Kata Messalina
8. Secretary of Natural Resources and Agriculture - Willem Adal-Heid
9. Secretary of Commerce and Labor - Ari Adnos
10. Secretary of Communications and Transportation - Courtney Conchobhar

Legislative Branch

The Federal Legislative branch is made up of the bicameral National Free People's Congress and various ministries. The Congress is made up of two houses, the People's House of Representatives and the Senate. The number of members of the People's House of Representatives is based on the population of each state. The number of members of the Senate is consistent, with three from each state and one from the capital district. The current number of senators is 25, and the current number of representatives is 216. The number of non-voting delegates, those from the territories, to the Senate and House is three to each. Any member of Congress can be "fired," by the people from the district where they were elected, through a referendum.

The upper house of Congress is the Senate, which is made up of three senators from each state. The Senate is meant to represent the government of the individual state, but are elected directly by the people instead of being appointed by the state governments. The Senate has the power to ratify treaties and to declare war without the House, though the actions of the Senate must be approved by the people through a referendum. It also has the power to approve presidential appoints to the Supreme Court and the appointments of diplomats.

The People's House of Representatives, or simply the House, is the lower house of Congress. The House represents the population of the states. The House is important when it comes to approving funding for government projects. Also, while every member of Congress can join as many ministries as they like, only representatives may serve as the head of a ministry. The Prime Minister has always been elected from the ranks of the House, though this is not a requirement.

The Congress is headed by the Prime Minister, who is elected by all members of Congress. The Deputy Prime Minister assists the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister chooses an advisory council, who become the heads of each legislative ministry, and are approved by the whole Congress. The current Prime Minister is Wilhuff Arn-Wald. The current Deputy Prime Minister is Franklin Al-bric.

List of Heads of Ministries:

1. Finance Minister - Anta Situwa
2. Justice Minister - Undine Timur
3. Foreign Affairs Minister - Vinzenz Cephas
4. Tourism, Arts, Culture, & Heritage Minister - Diarmaid Fuerte
5. Interior Minister - Achilles Vrijheid IV
6. Science and Education Minister - Makaio Manlius
7. Labor, Trade, and Industry Minister - Hros Adal-Bern
8. Environmental Protection Minister - Saggezza Astuto, Jr.
9. Health and Social Welfare Minister - Araqiel Thoth
10. Citizenship and Immigration Minister - Ovis Leng
11. Transport and Technology Minister - Horatio Bence
12. Constitutional Affairs Minister - Matija Tullio

Judicial Branch

The Supreme Court of Fortestan has the final say in all legal matters in Fortestan. The Supreme Court is made up of five Supreme Justices and ten Associate Justices. Each state has its own State Superior Court, which serves in a similar vein as the Supreme Court. The Supreme Justices are appointed for life by the President and the Senate. The Associate Justices are appointed for ten years only and may never continue to sit on the Supreme Court after those ten years unless being appointed to the position Supreme Justice.

The main job of the judicial branch is to adjucate legal disputes and to interpret the law. The judicial branch is made up of the Supreme Court, the State Superior Courts, and State Inferior Courts. The State Superior Courts are the highest courts in the individual states. The justices of the Superior Courts are appointed by the state Governor and approved by the state legislature.

The Current Supreme Justices:

1. Supreme Justice Arthur Whitebeard
2. Supreme Justice Yarad Juncus
3. Supreme Justice Art-Viros
4. Supreme Justice Hrod-Beraht
5. Supreme Justice Po U Pe

Political Divisions

Fortestan is made up of eight semi-autonomous states, one capital district, and three territories. The states are Rutas, Pellucidar, Taatos, Laconia-Messinia, Alexein-Aner, Golgafrimchan, Belostavia, and Wassa. The three territories are Kalmiya, Achos, and Chat Noy. Each of the seven states is allowed to set up its own legislature, its own court system, and its own administrative branch. The state laws must be compatible with federal law, and federal law takes precedence over state law. Each state is run by an elected Governor, who heads the state-unique administrative branch. The Governor also serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the state militia.

States

Each member-state of the Fortestani Union has a certain level of independence, though state law cannot contradict federal law unless the Fortestani Supreme Court says otherwise on a case by case basis. Each state has a similar form of government administration, though in some cases it differs greatly. Each state maintains a state militia, which can be called to duty to serve alongside the Federal Military if the state legislative, executive, and judicial branch allow it to do so. There is no federal law, currently, defining how a state must be run. Rutas, for example, is a benevolent dictatorship, while Pellucidar is a tyranny by the majority, and Golgafrimchan is a democratic socialist state.

The states have a long tradition of independence, stemming from the various wars of independence from the Divine Empire of Holy Dystopia. Each state fought a war of independence from this empire, although some were allied with other states. This war led the states to want complete self-rule, without interference from each other. Not until a bloody 12-year war between the states of Wassa and Belostavia did the states realize that a form of union could keep the peace. The states made sure to hold great independence, although the federal government has given itself a more centralized role in governing the nation.

The process of gaining Fortestani citizenship is the same in each state. If you are born in a state, you are a citizen. If you are born outside of the nation, but one of your parents was a citizen at your birth, then you are a citizen. If you are an immigrant under 12 years of age and your parents gain citizenship, then you are a citizen automatically. If you served a full six years in the military, you are granted citizenship. These rules are different if they apply to the territories, with the exception of military service.

Territories

Two of the territories are considered 'experiments in capitalism' for the traditional social democracy. Kalmiya and Chat Noy were two colonies set up by the young, united Fortestani nation, but either did not meet the qualifications for statehood or did not want to be apart of the Fortestani Union. The terriories are run by an elected legislature, called the Territorial Assembly, and a Governor-General who is appointed by the Fortestani President and approved by the National Congress. Neither territory is allowed to set up a militia, and are subject to the laws of the Fortestani Supreme Court. People born in either of the territories do not become Fortestani citizens automatically, as if they were born in the states, instead they must go through an exhausting procedure for acquiring citizenship. Even if someone does meet all requirements for citizenship, it is still up to the Governor-General and his/her appointed Citizenship Council to decide who becomes a Fortestani citizen.

The third territory, Achos, has been designated an official warzone by the Fortestani government. Conflict in the small region began when the individual states were drawing there borders after winning independence from Holy Dystopia. The states of Wassa and Pellucidar both claimed the land, but neither wanted to give up control. This led to a series of border wars between the two states prior to unification. Both states are against Achos becoming an independent state within the U.S.S.F., although every other state supports its right to do so. In recent years, a third claimant to the land, Taatos, has popped up. Taatos was Pellucidaran territory prior to the First Great War. Taatos does not recognize Pellucidar's claim, and vice versa. The federal government of the U.S.S.F. has made clear its suspicions of paramilitaries in the region being funded by any of these three states.

Capital District

The Fortestani Capital District (FCD) contains the third largest city of Fortestan and its capital, Ferroton. The Federal City of Ferroton itself is nearly as old as the unified Fortestani state. The FCD lies directly under the control of the federal government, and not under the control of any state. This was to allow the federal government to operate efficiently without showing favoritism towards a particular state.

It was formed nearly 20 years after the states unified and ratified the Constitution. Prior to the FCD being formed, but after the Constitution was ratified, the capital of Fortestan was located at the capital city of one state and after a year it rotated to another state's capital. The logistics of transfering all administrative functions to another city for only a year proved devastating for the young, fragile Fortestani economy. Eventually, the idea for a federally-controlled city, independent of any state, was considered and the "Act of the Capital of AUCW 2224" was passed in both houses of the Free People's Congress.

The FCD borders the states of Wassa, Rutas, and Pellucidar. The FCD is controlled by an elected Federal Mayor, who heads the FCD administrative branch, and is represented in the People's House of Representatives by a three representatives. The District, as the inhabitants call it, is not represented in the Senate.

Demographics

Ethnicity

Most Fortestanis are of a mixed-race background. This is due to the forced submission of the old Kingdoms of Wassa and Rutas and Republic of Belostavia by the Empire of Holy Dystopia. The Holy Dystopian leaders decided to turn these lands into colonies. Belostavia and Wassa were used primarily as prison colonies where labor camps operated. Rutas was the commercial center of the colonies, being the only colony with fully developed ports on the sea.

This is a list of ethnic races in Fortestan in descending order:

• Wassan - 28.33%
• Rutasian - 20.62%
• Belostavian - 20.59%
• Pellucidaran - 7.01%
• Messinian - 6.55%
• Golgese - 5.28%
• Frimian - 4.89%
• Laconian - 3.45%
• Chanite - 3.25%

Religion

Fortestan is a mostly secularized society, albiet with a very devout population. 44.1% of Fortestanis are members of the Holy Universal Church of Fortestan, which broke away from the One Divine Church of the Empire of Holy Dystopia. The number of the Church of Fortestan (CoF) is concentrated mainly in the Wassan and Belostavian races. Rutasians are more than likely to be members of Buddhism, which makes up 18.5% of the Fortestani religion. Muslims are mostly immigrants and make up 6.8% of the population. Hindus make up 1.6% of the population, and are also mostly immigrants. The Northern Orthodox Church finds many of its members in the Messinian and Laconian peoples, making up 8.2% of the population. 10.2% of the Fortestani population claim to be atheists. About 10.6% of the population claim to be gnostics or agnostics. 5% of the population belong to the holiest religion of Discordianism. Hail Eris! All hail Discordia! The other 5% adhere to various local traditions.

Culture

Dating System

A day in Fortestan is divided into two parts; the solar day and the lunar day. The solar day lasts from sunrise to sunset, and the lunar day lasts from sunset to sunrise. These are usually combined to form a single universal day on calendars for official records. The solar and lunar days are each approximately twelve hours long. Therefore, during the solar day the time is listed as, for example, 6:00 solar time (or s.t./st for short). Likewise, during the lunar day the time is listed as, for example, 6:00 lunar time (or l.t./lt for short).

Different states divide the week into a different number of days. more to be written.

Holidays

to be written.

Fortestani Names

to be written.

Internal Disputes

There are a number of violent disputes occuring within the borders of Fortestan. These range from the federal government combatting violent secessionists, ethnic cleansing, left- and right-wing terrorists, religious extremists, etc.

Belostavian National Front / Alliance for Belostavian Independence

The Alliance for Belostavian Independence is the political party whose militant branch is the Belostavian National Front, a paramilitary group seeking to create an independent state of Belostavia. This group has been deemed a terrorist organization by the State of Belostavia and the Federal Government of Fortestan and has thus been outlawed and all members arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit terrorist deeds. The Front has been fighting a guerilla war against Unionist (Federalist) forces since the end of the First Great War, which ended with much state autonomy taken away. The Alliance has existed since the unification of the states into the U.S.S.F. "Patriots," as members of the National Front are called by each other, often target the state-run FortePetrol oil fields that are prominent in Belostavia. This group has, on occasions, advocated extensive private enterprise, though many terrorism experts believe this is a tactic meant to gain support from foreign right-wing nations.

Federation for Rutasian Separation and Complete Independence

The Separatist Federation is a political party only. It has not been linked to any terrorist activity, unlike its Belostavian separatists. Of all the separatist organizations in Fortestani history, the Federation is the most successful. Current laws protecting individual state autonomy and restricting the federal government can be traced back to the original legislation pushed forward by the Federation. The party started out as a state's rights social democrat party, but since the end of the First Great War it has become more leftist and has strived for complete independence, as its name implies. The intelligent leaders of the Federation also believe that if Rutas does become independent, then relations with the U.S.S.F. should remain cordial and they also believe that militant activities are detrimental to the separatist cause. The Federation currently controls 34% of the seats in the Parliament of Rutas, and the Benevolent Dictator has been known to sympathize with separatist ambitions.

Chat Noyan People Against Socialist Oppression (PASO)

PASO, or People Against Socialist Oppression, is a small, international, right-wing organization that is based in Jinopolis, Alexein-Aner. The Chat Noyan branch of PASO has been active since the Winter Wars in which a violent communist regime came to power. This regime lasted only a few months until the free-market democracy came back to power. The international PASO seeks to reverse socialist legislation through democratic means, but the Chat Noyan PASO uses violent militant tactics against communists in power and sympathizers of any socialist programs. PASO is seen by outsiders in Fortestan as semi-fascist, instead of free-market advocates as the other PASO organizations see themselves. During the Second Great War, the mainland territory of Chat Noy was lost and Chat Noy itself had to be occupied by Fortestani forces. PASO switched priorities from domestic communists to the social democratic occupiers. Popular support for the Chat Noyan PASO dwindled, since Fortestan was seen as a liberator to many Chat Noyans. In recent years, Chay Noyan PASO has gained almost as much support as before the Second Great War, due to a new generation of Chat Noyans seeing their home controlled by a "foreign" government without equal representation due to their territorial status. The Fortestani government has alleged that there is a connection between the Chat Noyan PASO and the Belostavian National Front.

Kalmiyan Liberation Front

The KLF is a terrorist organization operating primarily within the borders of Kalmiya, though they have claimed responsibility for attacks in Wassa. The KLF was formed shortly after becoming a territory of the U.S.S.F. and being left out of democratic decisions within the Union. There is no specific right- or left-wing political ideology anymore, it lies in the center. Modern KLF doctrine has become racist against minorities in Kalmiya, and it is believed they are in favor of creating a tyranny by the majority in which ethnic and religious minorities are brutally suppressed. The KLF has garnered little support outside Kalmiya from other terrorist organizations, and it is highly feared inside Kalmiya.

Knights of Wassa United in Truth

The KWUT is a widespread religious organization operating within the State of Wassa. It performs many public service programs meant to encourage morality. Critics of the KWUT claim that they are involved in sexist, racist, anti-tolerant, and illegal activities. Among the alleged crimes committed by the KWUT are bribing government officials, forced labor of so-called "inferior" races, illegal drug use, murder of rivals, and financial support for like-minded terrorist groups. KWUT operates out of the city of Wassa, and they hold regular rallies around the state of Wassa in support of politicians or fundamentalist legislation. The Federal Government of Fortestan has launched numerous investigations into KWUT's activities, but none has produced a conclusive answer. There is a small minority that believes that KWUT has been able to get away with their activities by infiltrating the government, though these people are dismissed as simply conspiracy theorists.