Taigh

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Taigh
Taigh.jpg
Flag of Taigh
Motto: "Taigh I Bòidheach"
See Europe
Region Europe
Capital Ayr
Official Language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots
Leader Federal Chancellor Jack McMullen
Population <1,000,000
Currency copeck (ç) 
NS Sunset XML

Federated Clans of Taigh

Overview

The Federated Clans of Taigh, or simply the Federation of Taigh, exists as a small, sparsley-populated nation in western Europe. Taigh has recently rescinded a long-standing policy of isolationism and has begun to integrate itself into the regional economy, with its most profitable industry being Arms Manufacturing.

General Information

Conventional Long Form: The Federated Clans of Taigh
Conventional Short Form: Taigh
Government Type: Clan Republic

Head of Government: The McMullen Clan
Chief of State: Federal Chancellor Jack McMullen

Politics

The Clan Republic

The Clan Republic is a form of federal, republican government that is unique to Taigh. The nation is broken up into 35 different cantons, each of which is controlled by a specific clan. Each clan has the right to create its own bylaws within the canton, provided that those laws are in keeping with the Federal Constitution. Every Taighan citizen is a member of one of the 35 clans, and has voting rights only in his or her own clan's canton. Everyone over the age of 18 is required to vote in Taigh.

Intra-Clan Politics

The Clans of Taigh are ruled in the traditional patriarchal sense. The patriarch of a clan acts as the Head Executive of his canton. The patriarch serves for life, and is succeeded by his firstborn child upon his death. While it is possible fora woman to become matriarch of a clan, there have been only a handful of these instances since Taigh gained its independence from Great Britannia in 1707. The patriarch must answer to the High Council and the Federal Chancellor, and the national laws and Federal Constitution are considered superior to the regional bylaws that a patriarch may impose. Each canton also has its own Advocacy court system. The Advocates are appointed by the Clan Patriarch and serve for life.

The High Council

The High Council is made up of 350 freely elected representatives, 10 from each canton, in a unicameral legislature. The High Council is presided over by the Federal Chancellor. The High Council acts as the legislative body of Taigh, writing bills and passing them through the legislative approval process. Once a bill has been approved by the High Council with a simple majority, the bill moves to the High Chancellor, who can either sign it into law or deny the bill. If a bill is denied, the High Council can override the denial with a 2/3 majority. The High Council also approves all of the Federal Chancellor's appointments

The Federal Chancellor

The Federal Chancellor is the Head of Government and Chief of State of the Federation of Taigh. He signs bills into law and acts as the commander-in-chief of the Taighan Armed Forces. He also appoints cabinet positions, along with the special office of Advocate General.

Election of the Federal Chancellor

The Federal Chancellor is not elected to his office per say; that is, the people of Taigh vote a certain clan in as Head of Government. The patriarch of that clan is then appointed Federal Chancellor, barring incompetence or impeachment, in which case the closest able-bodied person to the patriarch in the clan's bloodline assumes the title of Federal Chancellor. The elections of the Federal Chancellor take place every 5 years, and all 35 clans are eligible each time. However, the ruling clan needs to get a plurality of cantons; in other words, a clan cannot be elected as Head of Government simply because it controls the most populous canton.

The Advocate General

The Advocate General is the most supreme judge of the High Advocacy, the Federation's highest court. The Advocate General appoints the other 10 members of the High Advocacy, who are known as the Lower Advocates. All 11 members of the High Advocacy serve for life. The High Advocacy rules on cases which it believes to be of national importance. THe High Advocacy also imterprets the laws of Taigh and makes sure that none of them violate the Federal Constitution.

The Federal District of Ayr

To prevent clan corruption in the nation's capitol, the city of Ayr is not affiliated with any specific canton. Instead, it has been declared a Federal District. The city is headed by a governor who is appointed by the Federal Chancellor. The Governor of Ayr serves for a term of five years, at which point the Federal Chancellor either renews his appointment or chooses someone else. THe High Council has the ability to impeach the Governor of Ayr if he is convicted of a felony, treason, or mental incompetence.