Caselonia

The Caselonian Socialist Federated Republic
Каселонская Социалистическая Федеративная Республика

Flag and National Seal of Caselonia
State Motto:Честь и Слава! Transliterated: "Chest' y Slava!" Translated: Honor and Glory!
Official Language	Russian; (English widely spoken)
Capital	Novaya Moskva
President	Vladimir Chistyakov (KPKF)
Chairman of the Federal Soviet	Mikhail Gromyko
Chairman of the Council of Ministers	Aleksandr Fedorchuk
Area  - Total  - % water	22,402,200 km² 0.5% water
Population  - Total (2005)  - Density	293,000,000 (RP) 13.38/km²
Establishment  - Declared  - Recognized	7 November 1915 May 1919
Government type	Democratic Unitary State
Nation type	Socialist Democracy
National animal English name	Panthera tigris altaica Siberian Tiger
National flower English name	Rosa phoenicea Summer Damask Rose
National tree English name	Elaeagnus angustifolia Russian Silverberry
GDP (FY2005)   - Total (USD)   - GDP/capita (USD)	$179,066,869,374,217 $36,951.48
Currency  - Exchange rate	1 ruble (R) = 100 kopecks R1,00 = US$1.79*
National Charter	Caselonian Constitution of 1978 (Amended 2005)
Time Zone	UTC +0200 - +1300
International Abbreviations  - sport  - government	CSFR CSFR, KSFR
CHDI (2006)	TBD ()
Naval Craft Classification   - Military   - Civilian	КНВФ КМКК Note: Russian-only
National Anthem	Гимн Каселонии (Hymn of Caselonia)
Internet TLD	.cl, .kf
Calling Code	+7
* - Exchange Rate subject to change by order of Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Overview

The Caselonian Socialist Federated Republic; abbreviated CSFR; (Russian: Касело'нская Социалисти'ческая Федерати'вная Респу'блика (КСФР); tr: Kaselonskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Federativnaya Respublika [KSFR]); more commonly known as simply Caselonia is a multipartite socialist democracy that was founded in 1915. From 1915 - 2005 it was known as the People's Republic of Caselonia. Since 2005 its official name is the Caselonian Socialist Federated Republic.

The CSFR was created as a union of Caselonian republics formed within the territory of the Caselonian Empire abolished by the Caselonian Revolution of 1915 followed by the Caselonian Civil War of 1915 - 1918. The geographic boundaries of Caselonia have varied with time, but it is significantly smaller than the Caselonian Empire which controlled the modern republics of Daemoniata, Melbournistan, Palmbekistan, Ferretatia and Karakazia and, at one time, Cherisovia. Most of these republics either gained independence (such as Karakazia) or were absorbed by other imperial powers (such as Melbournistan and Ferretatia) during the collapse of Imperial Caselonia or during the Civil War that followed.

Caselonia eventually became a primary model for future communist states; the government and the political organization of the country were defined by the sole political party, the Caselonian Socialist Party. Modern Caselonia is a multipartite state led by the Communist Party of the Caselonian Federation.

According to the UN description, "The Caselonian Socialist Federated Republic is a massive, environmentally stunning nation, renowned for its devotion to social welfare. Its compassionate, hard-working population...enjoy extensive civil freedoms, particularly in social issues, while business tends to be more regulated. It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Education, Defence, and Social Welfare. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare."

History

The Caselonian Socialist Federated Republic is a successor of sorts to the Caselonian Empire. The last Caselonian Tsar, Leonid XII, ruled until March 1915 whereupon he abdicated and fled to New Preussen. The People's Republic of Caselonia was established in December 1915, ruled by the Caselonian Socialist Revolutionary party.

A spontaneous popular uprising in Petrograd, following a continued erosion of well-being, morale and stability during the Great War, culminated in the collapse of the imperial government in March 1915. The monarchy was replaced by the Caselonian Provisional Government, a coalition government of both right- and left-wing parties whose leaders intended to establish a Western-style liberal democracy in Caselonia and to continue participating on the side of Yannia and New Preussen in the Sunbelt Great War. At the same time workers' councils, known as soviets, began to spring up across the country. The Socialist Revolutionaries, a comparatively moderate socialist party led by Konstantin Maximovich Gromov, began to agitate for socialist revolution both in the soviets and on the streets, gathering support from battle-weary soldiers who wanted an end to the war and urban workers who had been subjected to harsh working conditions to support the war effort. After sweeping aside competition from the Caselonian Social Democratic Party and the Labour Party of Caselonia, the Socialist Revolutionaries seized power from the Provisional Government in November 1915. Only after the long and bloody Caselonian Civil War of 1915-1918, which included combat between government forces and foreign troops in several parts of Caselonia, was the new Socialist regime secure.

From its first years, government in Caselonia was based on the one-party rule of the Caselonian Socialist Party, as the revolutionaries began calling themselves in March 1918. After the harsh economic policies of the war years, the government began to permit some private enterprise to coexist with nationalized industry and total food requisition in the countryside was replaced by a food tax. The elimination of total requisition proved immensely popular with the still-large peasant class in Caselonia during the 1920s and complete agricultural collectivization, as well as the total elimination of private enterprise, never took place in Caselonia, unlike many other socialist powers of the era.

In 1926 the collective leadership which took power after Gromov's death in 1925 introduced the "First Five-Year Plan For Building a Socialist Economy." Unlike the internationalism expressed during the course of the Revolution, and by many other socialist parties, both in Caselonia and abroad, the decision was made to pursue "single-state socialism." Caselonia became a major industrial power in the decade following, but immense growing pains were experienced in the form of occasional food shortages and the odd uprising of disgruntled peasants or workers. Yet despite this occasional turmoil, Caselonia managed to develop a substantially powerful industrial economy in the years leading up to the Great Motherland War.

Today Caselonia remains a powerful economy, lagging behind only a few much older "Western" republics in GDP and GDPPC. Caselonia is widely considered a regional superpower and is a major lender and aid provider to other socialist republics in the region as well as being considered the leader of such international organizations as COMECON, the Fuerzan Union of Socialist Republics and one of the founding members of The Organization for Security and Cooperation in the Sunbelt.

Politics & Government

Socialist Revolutionaries formed the People's Republic of Caselonia seizing power from the Provisional Government in 1915, which was renamed the Caselonian Socialist Federated Republic in July 2005. The Caselonian government has undergone several major changes, including the adoption of the first Caselonian Constitution in 1922, the adoption of the second Caselonian Constitution in 1978 and the legalization of opposition political parties in 2004. On 23 June 2005 Vladimir Vladimirovich Chistyakov, candidate of the recently-renamed Communist Party of the Caselonian Federation (CPCF), was elected President, defeating the candidate running on the Caselonian Socialist Party ticket. Chistyakov also declared the adoption of many tenets of the previous government's system but also began a program of fundamental reform, changing the country's official name from the People's Republic of Caselonia to the Caselonian Socialist Federated Republic.
The government now consists of a powerful head of state, the President, who appoints the head of government, known as the «Chairman of the Federal Soviet.» The Council of Ministers and the 965-member Federal Soviet, in turn, elect the 36 members of the «Presidium of the Federal Soviet», which carries out the day-to-day duties of the Federal Soviet, which officially meets only biannually. The 485-member «Congress of People's Deputies» is also elected by the citizens of Caselonia and can veto any legislation proposed by any other legislative body with a 2/3 majority vote. A Presidential veto cannot be overridden except by the Supreme Court of the CSFR.

Administrative Organization

Main article(s): Administrative Divisions of Caselonia

The Caselonian Socialist Federated Republic has 89 administrative divisions including 49 oblasts (oblasty, singular - oblast), 21 internal republics (respublik, singular - respublika), 10 autonomous okrugs (avtonomnykh okrugov, singular - avtonomny okrug), 6 krays (krayev, singular - kray), 2 federal cities (singular - gorod), and 1 autonomous oblast (avtonomnaya oblast').

Foreign Relations

Caselonia has a long history of international engagement, participation and cooperation. Caselonia has been, at various times, a member of the UN, IFTA and CACE. Disagreements over trade policy led Caselonia to withdraw from CACE in late 2004, but Caselonia remains a member of the United Nations and a signatory of the International Fair Trade Agreement. Caselonia has also formed the Committee for Mutual Economic Assistance, a Sunbelt economic alliance aimed at solidifying support among developing nations and developed socialist regimes for Caselonian policy through foreign aid and infrastructure upgrade incentive programs and is aggressively pursuing members for the Fuerzan Union of Socialist Republics, currently comprised of Caselonia, Melbournistan, Palmbekistan and Cherisovia. The FUSR is a treaty encouraging member states to adopt a common currency system based on the ruble, and establish tariff-free "common economic zones" between member states. Caselonia is also involved in the Organization for Security & International Cooperation in the Sunbelt (OSICS). OSICS, while off to a rocky start, is expected to act as a sort of regional UN, brokering peaceful resolutions to aggrieved nations and fostering a spirit of peace and stability in the region.

Caselonia, since its widespread recognition in 1919, has maintained diplomatic relations with a majority of nations with which it has contact, both regional and international. Relations with capitalist nations, while often strained, have been steadily improving over the past two decades and currently Caselonia maintains substantial trade links with many of the capitalist powers in the region. The glaring exception has been the Holy Empire of the Water Cooler which declared war on Caselonia in 2004 and, although ending without a single shot being fired (due to ceaseless work on the part of Caselonian and intermediary nation's diplomats), continues to rattle its saber in the region, having recently invaded the nation of Publik. The majority of Caselonia's defense budget is geared toward protecting itself and its interests against Caselonian aggression. Caselonia continues to maintain diplomatic links with Publikan officials in areas of the nation under not under Coolian control and has offered asylum to the citizens of Publik.

Additionally Caselonia has close relationships with two "client states" which, although entirely sovereign, are closely tied to Caselonia through economic and defense agreements as well as being recipients of large amounts of foreign aid. The Democratic Republic of Melbournistan, freed with Caselonian help from a colonial monarchy in 2003, went on to elect a socialist President that works closely with Caselonia on both international and domestic issues has pledged staunch allegiance to the socialist superpower. Caselonian construction firms built substantial numbers of modern apartment blocks and public buildings in Melbournistan before, during and after the elections in 2004 and continue to perform work on infrastructure upgrade projects. The Soviet Socialist Republic of Palmbekistan, Caselonia's second "client state," while not very vocal on the world political scene, has converted the bulk of its power grid to nuclear with help from Caselonian engineers and is a major shipping hub for Caselonian export goods destined for southerly markets. Both client states were once part of the Caselonian Empire which fell in 1915, as was the Democratic Republic of Karakazia, which achieved independence in 1918 during the Caselonian Civil War. Karakazia does not receive foreign aid from Caselonia and has very limited ties to it, although in recent months relations have begun to thaw and several economic agreements are being discussed.

Culture

Main article(s): Culture of Caselonia

All forms of media in the Caselonian Socialist Federated Republic are controlled by the state including television and radio broadcasting, newspaper, magazine and book publishing. This extends to the fine arts including the theatre, opera and ballet. Art and music is controlled by ownership of distribution and performance venues. While limited censorship is still practiced it is rapidly falling out of favor even with Party leadership as reforms begin to open Caselonia up more to Western-style democratic practices. Recently a privately-owned weekly news journal entitled Caselonia Today has been authorized, even allowing partial ownership by foreign stockholders.

National Anthem

United forever in friendship and labour,
Our mighty Republic will ever endure.
Our great peoples' Union will live through the ages.
The dream of a nation, its fortress secure.

[Chorus]
Long live our Soviet Motherland,
Built by the people's mighty hand.
Long Live our people, united and free.
Strong in our friendship tried by fire.
Long may our crimson flag inspire,
Shining in glory for all men to see.

Through days dark and stormy where oft fate did lead us
Our eyes saw the bright sun of freedom above
and faith in our leaders with love for the people,
Inspired us to build up the land that we love.

[Chorus]

We fought for the future, destroyed the invaders,
and brought to our homeland the laurels of fame.
Our glory will live in the memory of nations
and all generations will honor her name.

[Chorus]

Geography

Main article(s): Geography of Caselonia

Caselonia occupies the eastern portion of the Fuerzan continent. Most of the country is north of 50° north latitude and covers a total area of approximately 22,402,200 square kilometres. Due to the sheer size of the state, the climate varies greatly from subtropical and continental to subarctic and polar. 11 % of the land is arable, 16 % is meadows and pasture, 41 % is forest and woodland, and 32 % is declared "other" (including tundra).

Caselonia measures some 10,000 kilometres from Murmanks on the Northern Sea in the west to Ratmanova Island in the Eastern Ocean. From the tip of the Taymyr Peninsula on the Polar Ocean to the town of Kushka near the Ferretatian border extends almost 5,000 kilometeres of mostly rugged, inhospitable terrain.

People

Main article(s): People of Caselonia

Caselonia is one of the world's most ethnically diverse countries, with more than 150 distinct ethnic groups within its borders. The total population is estimated at more than 293 million in (for roleplaying purposes). The majority of the population are ethnic Russians (Caselonian) (50.78%), followed by Melbournis (15.45%) and Ferrussians (5.84%). Other ethnic groups include the Palmbeks, Karakazians, Khabanans, Cherisovians, Ferretatians, Daemonians and others.

Branches of Government

Executive Branch

The executive branch of the Caselonian Socialist Federated Republic is the most powerful, with the President wielding a veto over the «Congress of Peoples' Deputies» that cannot be overridden except by order of the Supreme Court of Caselonia, whose justices are all appointed by the President. The Federal Soviet, however, in league with the Council of Ministers can vote to remove a President from office with a 2/3 vote. Caselonia has a long history of strong executives, be it Arkadiy The Conqueror, who united the warring Slavonic tribes, the «modern» Tsars (Leonids I - XII), or Vyacheslav Polezhaev who led the Socialist Revolutionary party to power in 1915. Modern Caselonian Presidents are no different, though they tend to value the opinions of their Ministers and advisors, even when they are at odds with their own.

Heads of State & Government

President Vladimir Vladimirovich Chistyakov waving to the press after voting in the first Presidential election in Caselonia since 1915.

President Vladimir Vladimirovich CHISTYAKOV (President since 23 June 2005);

Chairman of the Federal Soviet (Premier) Mikhail Yefimovich GROMYKO (since 24 June 2005);

Deputy Premier Aleksandr Dmitriyevich FEDORCHUK (since 24 June 2005)

Vladimir Chistyakov was the Presidential candidate of the Communist Workers' Party of Caselonia (CWPC) which has since changed its name to the Communist Party of the Caselonian Federation (CPCF). Chistyakov defeated Grigorii Ivanov, the candidate of the incumbent Caselonian Socialist Party (CSP) after President Eamon McGinnis, having led the nation for more than 10 years as Caselonia's only ethnic Irish President, retired and named Ivanov as successor. McGinnis also made the decision to allow Presidential elections and legalized opposition political parties, including the Communist parties. Chistyakov was elected on 23.06.2005 and, while continuing the economic and political reforms started by McGinnis in his final days in his office, he is working toward consolidating the power of the Communists while pushing for increased prosperity in Caselonia as well as doggedly pursuing rebel Khabanans, Islamist insurgents, in the south.

Mikhail Yefimovich Gromyko, the Chairman of the Federal Soviet, was appointed by President Chistyakov on 24.06.2005 and was previously a Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs. He joined the CPCF after it was legalized last year and explained his change of parties as, «An attempt to get back to our socialist roots; to get closer to the people.» The idea that the Socialists had become distant and elitist was a common thread in Communist election campaigning and worked marvelously.

Aleksandr Dmitriyevich Fedorchuk, the Deputy Premier and a member of the Council of Ministers, was previously a Deputy Minister of Labor. Deputy Premier Fedorchuk remains a member of the Caselonian Socialist Party.

Elections

President elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 20 June 2005 (next to be held June 2011); note - no Vice President; if the President dies in office, cannot exercise his powers because of ill health or resigns, the Premier (officially - Chairman of the Federal Soviet) succeeds him; the Premier serves as acting President until a new presidential election is held, which must be within three months; Premier appointed by the President.

Election Results

Vladimir Vladimirovich CHISTYAKOV elected President;
percent of vote - Vladimir Vladimirovich CHISTYAKOV (Communist Workers' Party of Caselonia) 51.2%,
Grigoriy IVANOV (Caselonian Socialist Party) 43.7%,
Nikolay VOZNESENSKY (Social Democratic Party) 5.1%

Legislative Branch of the CSFR

Congress of Peoples' Deputies & Federal Soviet

The legislature is decentralized, consisting of the «Congress of Peoples' Deputies» (485 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the «Federal Soviet» (965 seats; directly elected; 36-member Presidium appointed by Chairman). Furthermore, the Council of Ministers has law-making authority through each Ministry's control over its particular area of specialization. President Chistyakov is currently working toward re-centralizing legislative authority to the two main bodies mentioned above although, naturally, he is meeting stiff resistance from hard-line bureaucrats.

Caselonian Ministries

The Caselonian bureaucracy is maintained by a large number of government ministries each tasked with handling a specific area of government, etc. In essence, every aspect of Caselonian life is overseen by a ministry responsible for that aspect. The Council of Ministers, a powerful political institution in Caselonia, oversees the Ministries themselves (a list is available in the related Council of Ministers article).

Judicial Branch of the CSFR

Constitutional Court;
Supreme Court;
Superior Court of Arbitration;

Judges for all courts of «Superior»-level above are appointed for life by the Council of Ministers and approved by the Federal Soviet and the President.

Congress of Peoples' Deputies by Political Party

Party	Leader	Platform	Seats	Percentage
Communist Party of the Caselonian Federation (CPCF)	Aleksei Zyuganov	Came to power in June 2005 with the election of Vladimir Chistyakov to President. Chistyakov has continued the reform programs begun by the CSP, including multipartism and economic reform. Opposes privatization of state enterprise, but very tolerant of small-scale private enterprise. Revamping the government along more orthodox «Soviet» lines while continuing to expand democratic institutions. Oppose independence of Novaya Khabana, doggedly pursuing rebels. Pursues program of "destruction of terrorists" while investing in economic aid to the embattled internal republic.		%
Caselonian Socialist Party (CSP)	Grigoriy Ivanov	Previous ruling party from 1915 - 2005; in favor of limited political and economic liberalization. Has lost significant ground in recent years by appearing "distant and elitist"; entered into, and subsequently withdrew from, IFTA, CACE and the UN. Responsible for opening political process to other parties, trade links with capitalist nations and limited privatization schemes. Champions the existing "balance" within Caselonia and is resistant to a rollback of liberalization programs.		%
Social Democratic Party (SDP)	Nikolai Voznesensky			%
Caselonian Democratic Union (CDU)				%
Motherland Patriotic-Union Party (MPU/Rodina)				%
				%

Economy

Main article(s): Economy of Caselonia

There is no tax rate in Caselonia, but the State Planning Committee, known as «Gosplan» (an acronym devised from its Russian name, Gosudarstvennyi Planovyi Komitet), controls wealth redistribution in the nation. All income generated by all industry is appropriated by the State, which then redistributes currency via a wage system «based on the value of the labor performed to the State.» In short, «Gosplan» sets and adjusts all wages, and workers are paid according to that schedule. Any surplus is reinvested in segments of the economy which need it, based on the recommendations of several Ministries and Bureaus. Private enterprise, while only recently legalized on a small scale, has opened new areas of economic growth and an increase in availability of consumer goods. Private enterprise that would interfere with State enterprise, however, remains illegal. The federal government consists of an executive, legislative, and judicial branch. The executive branch wields the most power, with the President being able to veto any bill passed by the legislature, and only the Supreme Court of Caselonia can overrule a Presidential veto. Decentralized administration includes regional economic planning councils which recommend local economic planning policy, whereupon «Gosplan» accepts the regional policy or adjusts it accordingly. Administration is highly centralized with All-Union Ministries having final say over all regional committees' recommendations, though regions are given a certain degree of autonomy with both economic and political issues.

Caselonia ended 2004 with its sixth straight year of growth, averaging 6.5% annually since the reevaluation of its economic system, and the appointment of a new Economic Affairs Minister in 1998. Although high oil prices and a very strong ruble are important factors in this economic rebound, since 2000 investment in the emerging markets of allied developing and developed nations and foreign demand for Caselonian goods have played a noticeably increasing role. Real fixed capital investments have averaged gains greater than 10% over the last five years, and real personal incomes have realized average increases over 12%. Caselonia has also improved its international financial position since the 1998 financial change, with its foreign debt declining substantially. Strong oil export earnings have allowed Caselonia to increase its foreign reserves from only $32 billion to some $620 billion at yearend 2004. These achievements, along with a renewed government effort to advance structural reforms, have raised foreign business and investor confidence in Caselonia's economic prospects. Oil, natural gas, metals, and timber account for more than 50% of exports, leaving the country somewhat vulnerable to swings in world prices. Caselonia's manufacturing base is becoming more and more modernized and the country is poised to achieve broad-based economic growth.

Military

The Caselonian armed forces consists of four branches: the People's Army, People's Navy and People's Air Force; Airborne troops comprise a fourth independent branch which also encompasses the «Strategic Rocket Forcess» which performs security and provides operations personnel for strategic-level missile units as well as providing cosmonauts for Caselonia's manned space program.

Transnational Issues

Coming Soon

External Links

The Sunbelt Official Forums
Caselonian Website (Outdated)