Difference between revisions of "Fortestan"

Revision as of 19:38, 6 October 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	562 million (10/6/04)
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 562 million enjoy extensive civil rights and enjoy a level social equality free of the usual accompanying government corruption.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent government stops and the rest of society begins, but it concentrates mainly on Education, although Social Welfare and Social Equality 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 with a strong democratic tradition broken into seven states. Usually, matters within the borders of an individual state, then the states deals with the problem. The federal government is made up of the executive branch (administration), the legilative 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.

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. 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. The current number of senators is 21, and the current number of representatives is 125. The number of non-voting delegates, those from the territories and capitol district, to the Senate and House is three to each house of Congress. Any member of Congress can be fired by the people if enough signatures are gathered by the people in the district from which they were elected.

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. 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 has the power to create taxes, which is required by the Fortestani Constitution. The House is also 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 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 seven semi-autonomous states, one capital district, and two territories. The states are Rutas, Pellucidar, Laconia-Messinia, Ozymanda, Golgafrimchan, Belostavia, and Wassa. The two territories are Kalmiya 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, currently, defining how a state must be run. Rutas, for example, is a benevolent dictatorship, while Ozymanda is a civil rights lovefest, 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 they 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

The two 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.

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 FCT 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 FCT 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, whoe 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

to be written.

Culture

to be written.

See Also

http://nseconomy.thirdgeek.com/nseconomy.php?nation=Fortestan