Difference between revisions of "Edvardus"
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| − | At | + | At 5180 sq.km (the size of the Atlanta metropolitan area), Edvardus is made up of 6 provinces, 12 counties, and 276 towns. |
==Geography== | ==Geography== | ||
Revision as of 11:53, 5 May 2006
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| Flag of Edvardus | |
| Motto: Ad maiorem dei gloriam | |
| [ ] | |
| Region | Middle Earthen Tards |
|---|---|
| Capital | Imperial City |
| Official Language(s) | English |
| Leader | Paul VII |
| Population | 10 million |
| Currency | Dollar |
| NS Sunset XML | |
The Holy Empire of Edvardus, or Edvardus, is a small, devout nation, notable for its complete lack of prisons.
Contents
History
The area presently known as the Middle Earthen Tards has developed several nations in the past ten years. One of which is the Holy Empire of Edvardus, which arose eight years ago. It used to be a democratic socialist state. However, six years ago in response to the threat of war from a neighboring nation, Emperor Paul VII invoked reserve powers and caused the UN to classify Edvardus as a corrupt dictatorship.
Politics
Edvardus is a semi-presidential republic headed by the Emperor. The head of government is the Prime Minister, who is the head of foreign affairs. The President is the head of Parliament and domestic affairs. The legislative body is unicameral. The Holy Empire of Edvardus is ruled with an iron fist by the dictatorship government, which ensures that no-one outside the party gets too rich. In their personal lives, however, citizens are relatively unoppressed; it remains to be seen whether this is because the government genuinely cares about its people, or if it hasn't gotten around to stamping out civil rights yet. The government -- a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, corrupt, socially-minded morass -- juggles the competing demands of Social Welfare, Religion & Spirituality, and Education.
Executive Branch
This branch of government is headed by a Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is currently selected by the National Assembly for a term of six years.
The Constitution names the Prime Minister as head of government. The Prime Minister is responsible for conducting foreign relations, such as concluding treaties, declaring war, and making peace. The Prime Minister must promulgate all laws and has no right to veto. Other powers of the Prime Minister include granting amnesty, pardon, or clemency, declaring martial law, conferring honors and decorations, and appointing the President of Edvardus.
The President presides over the Cabinet. The Vice President, ministers, and chairpersons of the Cabinet are appointed by the Prime Minister on the recommendation of the President. The President's official duties also include presenting administrative policies and reports to Parliament, responding to the interpellations of legislators (much like Question Time in some parliamentary systems), and, with the approval of the Prime Minister, asking Parliament to reconsider its resolutions. Laws and decrees promulgated by the Prime Minister must also be countersigned by the President.
In the event of vacancies in both the Prime Ministry and the Deputy Prime Ministry, the President serves as Acting Prime Minister of the Holy Empire for up to three months.
One-third of Parliament may initiate a no-confidence vote against the President. If approved with simple majority, the President must resign from office within ten days and at the same time may request that the Prime Minister dissolve Parliament. If the motion fails, another no-confidence motion against the same President cannot be initiated for one year. This power has never been used. In practice, the president has enough legitimacy and executive authority to govern in the face of a legislature controlled by the opposition, and would likely respond to a vote of no-confidence by nominating another person with similar views.
Legislative Branch
The National Assembly was established to serve as a constitutional convention and electoral college. It is responsible for any amendments to the constitution and electing the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Edvardus.
The Parliament is the main legislative body of Edvardus and has the power to pass all ordinary legislation. Whenever there is disagreement between Parliament and the Cabinet, Parliament may pass a resolution asking the Cabinet to alter the policy proposal in question. The Cabinet may, in turn, ask Parliament to reconsider. Afterwards, if Parliament upholds the original resolution, the president must abide by the resolution or resign. The Cabinet may also present an alternative budgetary bill if the one passed by Parliament is deemed difficult to execute.
Judicial Branch
The Supreme Court consists of 15 Grand Justices, two of which also serve as the President and Vice President of the Court. Appointed by the President of Edvardus, the President and Vice President, along with six other justices serve four-year terms. The other seven Justices serve eight-year terms.
Political Divisions
At 5180 sq.km (the size of the Atlanta metropolitan area), Edvardus is made up of 6 provinces, 12 counties, and 276 towns.
Geography
Desite the oasis-like look, the average temperatures in Edvardus range from higher than 48 degrees Celsius (120 Fahrenheit) in July and August to below freezing in January. The summer months are marked by two kinds of wind phenomena: a dry, dusty wind with occasional gusts to eighty kilometers an hour from the south and southeast, occurs from April to early June and again from late September through November; a steady wind from the north and northwest, prevails from mid-June to mid-September. Very dry air which accompanies the latter permits intensive sun heating of the land surface but also provides some cooling effect. Dust storms accompany these winds and may rise to height of several thousand meters, causing hazardous flying conditions and closing airports for brief periods of time.
Extremes of temperatures and humidity, coupled with the scarcity of water, will effect both humans and equipment. During the dry season, clouds of dust caused by vehicle movement will increase detection capabilities in desert regions. Flash flooding in dry riverbeds that contains water only during times of heavy rain and across roads will hinder trafficability and resupply efforts during the rainy season. Clear, cloudless skies make air superiority a prerequisite to successful offensive operations throughout Edvardus. Air operations may be reduced during windy season.
Edvardus receives most of its precipitation accompanied by thunderstorms in the winter and early spring. The average annual rainfall for this area is only about 10 to 17 cm. Half of the days in winter are cloudy, and in the summer the weather is clear most of the time.
Edvardus's national animal is the chicken, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.
Economy
As a once industrializing nation, Edvardus exports much more than it imports. Its GDP is roughly $15 billion, making its per capita GDP about $1498. Despite its growing ecomony, the unemployment rate is a staggering 13.80%. With a staggering increase in unemployment and much inflation, the economy of Edvardus looks as if it is about to embark on an uncertain future.
Edvardus enforces a degree of private economic freedom (including privately owned industry) intermingled with centralized economic planning (which includes intervention for environmentalism and social justice, or state ownership of some of means of production). A substantial private sector is led by the Beef-Based Agriculture industry, followed by Retail and Pizza Delivery. The government has also imposed punitive tariffs to protect local industry.
Citizens are free to: possess means of production, travel, buy, sell, hire, fire, organize, communicate, and protest peacefully. With tax-funded, subsidized, or state-owned services and infrastructures, citizens may access: legal assistance, information services, transportation, education services, health services, personal and property protection at home and abroad, subsidies to agriculture and other businesses, government monopolies and government-granted monopolies, and state-owned industries, such as telephone service and electricity. The state provides some autonomy over personal finances but includes involuntary spending and investments such as transfer payments and other cash benefits such as: welfare for the poor, social security for the aged and infirm, government subsidies to business, and mandatory insurance. The state also imposes: environmental regulations, labor regulations, consumer regulations, antitrust laws, intellectual property laws, incorporation laws, protectionism, and import and export controls. The state may also impose taxes and fees written or enforced with manipulation of the economy in mind.
The average income tax rate is 41%, but much higher for the wealthy. The government spends over half of the income tax revenue on administrative expenses and social welfare programs. It spends a third of the revenue on education and religious programs. The remaining amount on healthcare and commerce. Parliament has stripped back military funding. There is speculation that the government may consider budgeting some funds towards law & order, public transport, cleaning up the environment, and social equity programs.
At the same time that the government outlawed gambliing, the retail industry collapsed. With the rapid deterioration of the backbone of the economy, Edvardus lost its status as a developing nation. Soon after, the beef-based agricultural workers threatened to strike because they were not being paid fair wages. Partially because the President and Parliament feared that a strike would completely destroy the Edvardian economy, Parliament passed a law meeting the demands of the union. With the retail industry gone, beef-based agriculture is the main source of revenue for Edvardus. However, the passage of the Fair Wage Act only incited daily union strikes.
Demographics
As of today, there is an estimated 10 million people in Edvardus. The largest ethnic group is indigenous, accounting for 50.3% of the entire population. Other ethnic groups include white (23.7%), black (13.2%), Asian (12.0%), and Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Culture
Emperor Paul VII has instituted a program that promotes a traditional lifestyle and social ethics while rejecting individualism and capitalistic values. It also aims to build up morale in a nation that was besieged with corruption. Some goals include courtesy to neighbors, following rules set by the government, keeping streets clean, conserving energy, and so forth. The Emperor uses the notion of self-cultivation and correct living for this movement. While some have praised the movement for its role in raising the quality of life somewhat, other have criticized it for its lofty goals that were out of touch with the suffering of the general populace. Due to this program, which involves rehabilitation of criminials rather than incarceration, crime is totally unknown.
Parliament also allocates a significant portion of its annual budget towards fostering a religious lifestyle amongst its citizens. The government declares that all citizens must attend religious services on the sabbath and believe in a monotheistic entity. While not required, citizens are highly encouraged to set aside some time weekly to do charity events or volunteer work. The government has also outlawed: genetically modified goods, public nudity, racist remarks in public, adultery, fornication, pornography, divorce, stem cell research, same-sex marriage, euthanasia, abortion in cases where the mother's life is not in danger, capital punishment, and birth control.
Rankings
Edvardus is ranked 1st in the region and 68,807th in the world for Safest Nations, 7th in the region and 79,976th in the world for Nudist, 7th in the region and 68,081st in the world for Largest Gambling Industry, 3rd in the region and 50,191st in the world for Largest Mining Sector, and 7th in the region and 76,430th in the world for Most Eco-Friendly Governments.
