Difference between revisions of "Government of Allech-Atreus"

Revision as of 01:02, 2 January 2007

Great Star Empire of Allech-Atreus
Atirush en Allish Sab Har In Pharu

National motto: Ash Ha Majesi In Atirush, Seb Par In Allish (Gaddam: Praise be to Holy Atreus, Glory to Allech)
Official languages	Gaddam, Vepazanii
Capital	Imperia Prime, Vanda Khal
Most populated planet	Imperia Prime
Government  - Emperor  - Chamber of Regents	Imperial monarchy Allech-Atreus XVI, Walanda XXVI
Population  - Total (est.)	4.736 billion
GDP (PPP)  - Total  - Per capita	$57.482 billion $32,623 per capita
Currency	Imperial Klar
Region	Union of Independent Nations
National Animal	Visdach
UN Status
Map	[1]

The Government of Allech-Atreus is the main administrative body of the Great Star Empire of Allech-Atreus. Semi-federal in nature, the actual apparatus can be divided into three sections: The Imperial Household and Directorate; the Agundan (Judciary); and the Chamber of Regents.

While the upper executive branch and the Agundan operate efficiently, for the most part the government is a choked bureacratic morass where little gets done, and what does takes forever. Luckily, the upper Directorate moves quite quickly, preventing the Empire from stagnating. Massive amounts of money move between government agencies with little paper trails, and there are several hundred government agencies, some of which have not had anything to do for hundreds of years.

The Imperial House

The Imperial Family is the head of the government, with near supreme power vested in the Emperor himself. Allech-Atreus XVI, the current Emperor, is the current Emperor of the Allech-Atreus family, and one of the most popular at that.

The Imperial Royal Household is composed of Emperor Allech-Atreus XVI, Empress Uria III (Lady Kerana Lakarik), Imperial Crown Prince Scion Mammaran, Imperial Princess Orpheia As, Imperial Prince Theran, and Imperial Prince Perin. The Imperial family itself is a farflung assortment of lesser princes and nobles, tied together in blood and marriage. For example, the Allech-Atrean ambassador to the UN, Landaman Pendankr, is a cousin to the Emperor through his father's side, and by marriage on his grandmother's side.

The Emperor has a massive number of advisors and councillors, and it is often decptive how much power he actually does wield. The Emperor is advised in matters of state by the Star Chamber Grand Privy Council, made up of 4 Privy Councillors. He is advised secondarily by the Imperial Grand Directorate, composed of 10 Imperial Directors.

Star Chamber Grand Privy Council

The Star Chamber are the Emperor's closest advisors. The post of Star Privy Councilor is one of the most important and prestigious offices in the Empire, and His Most Excellent Majesty appoints each of them. They provide the Emperor with advice and information, and in some cases attempt to dissuade the Emperor from decisions. The Star Privy Councilors are allowed ultimate freedom of speech to assist the Emperor, and only a few have ever been executed for gross disobedience or foolishness. Most take their jobs very seriously, and those that displease the Emperor immensely are not kept for long.

Current Star Privy Councilors

• Irginisch Ruthyoumhan Polyari
• Thay Uiyun Robertson
• Khayarsha al In Muqtadar
• Hashal Kumra Rehashan Allech-Atreus

Imperial Grand Directorate

The Imperial Grand Directorate has a more functional, political role than the Star Chamber, as the Directors have a function more akin to a Cabinet. Effectively divided into "Greater" Directorates and "Minor" Directorates, the Greater Directorates function effectively, seamlessly, and efficiently, while the bloated morass of Minor Directorates and bureacratically hogtied and infamously confusing.

Currently, there are 10 Great Directorates, with 10 Directors, but in reigns past there have been as many as 23. Appointment is usually by the Emperor, with the exception of a few cases appointed by the Chamber of Regents. The Directors administer most facets of the vast Imperial bureaucracy, and are responsible for the Fleet and Army budgets. The upper Directorate is the fastest moving government body in the Empire, though most of the lesser UnderDirectorates and government agencies spend most of their time filling out paperwork and transferring money from one agency to another.

Grand Directors

• Director of the Interior Umhiran Thurgan
• Director of Commerce Jacob Nashruf Ashur
• Director of Regional Government Samkavadi O Warshathayn
• Director of the Fleet Or Yun Thuy
• Director of Economic Affairs Bijunsin Purinthansin
• Director of Foreign Affairs Thuryaman Pendankr
• Director of State Ruhomash Gishgashani ur Thurima
• Director of the Imperial House Orph Kut Rimashal
• Director of the Army Rugh Yure Walandamar
• Director of the Directorate Regius Keltan
• Director of UN Affairs Landaman Pendankr dan Samda

Minor Directorates

There are literally hundreds of Minor Directorates that have mundane and often redundant duties. Most of these agencies fall under the auspices of a Greater Directorate, while a few are autonomous. Some are complete duplications of another agency, and some have been completley forgotten, still performing their duties even though their existence is a trivial matter.

The hideously bloated bureacracy extends into nearly all facets of Imperial life, making it hard to distinguish from genuine civic organizations and errant minor Directorates. Money simply disappears quite often, going to military pet projects, palaces, space travel, and myriad other useless and obscure expenses. There is a specific Directorate of Foreign Gifts, which gives gifts to foreign powers. It hasn't had anything to do for three thousand years.

The Agundan

Agundan is an archaic Gaddam term meaning "The Eye." The Agundan are the eyes and ears of the Emperor, disseminating throughout the Empire and collecting information and applying Imperial Law. The Agundan system was originated by the Valten Emperor Jiygan II, and was reformed under Yanovus I. The agents of the Agundan, called Aushedars, were a sort of magistrate, assisting the Imperial Governors in their application of Imperia Law. They function as quasi-judges, hearing grievances and condemning criminals.

The Agundan is divided in terms of application: the lowest of the system are Ur Gan, or simple magistrates. Next come the An Yun, advisors to the Governor or the Planetary Judge. Above them are the Au Hat Pharnatay, who oversee the regions and hear important cases. Working in close conjunction with the regional governments, they are very important people.

The highest echelon of the Agundan is the Council of Five, five lord of the Agundan who serve as the highest wing of the system. although technically the Emperor has the highest Agundan office, the Council is the most important.

The term Aushedar was originally applied to a distinct group of functionaries within the Agundan system, a broad class of secret agents who tested loyalties and ensured Imperial loyalty. However, they began to alienate local governors and became troublesome and corrupt. In the reign of the Keltan Emperor Itanda XVII, the Regents eliminated the Aushedars, and the term was henceforth applied to all in the Agundan system. However, Allech-Atreus III re-instated the Aushedar rank, and turned them into a sort of quasi-inquisitional justic of the peace, investigating disturbances and acting as an interstellar marshal/detective.

The Agundan moves fairly quickly in it's judgements, and the Aushedars are empowered to perform summary executions. Unfortunately, appeals take an incredibly long time, and prisoners have been known to die before their appeals are heard. Luckily, most of the repeal paperwork falls through the cracks anyway, so the actual number of appeals is quite small.

The Chamber of Regents

The Chamber of Regents, or Ao In Ten, is the main legislative body in the Great Star Empire. Created by the Jeddawan Emperor by the Kam En In Law Code, the Chamber is made up of 400 or so Regents, two elected from each planet with a sufficient IPCS rating. Imperia Prime and Vanda Khal do not have any Regents, and the four Fortress Worlds of the Core Worlds have only one Regent.

Only recently, the Chamber of Regents was abolished by Imperial decree.

Election

Regents are chosen by the the planetary governments of individual planets, and they are required to hold a noble title. Each candidate is then put up for popular vote by the people, who have the power to confirm or reject the choice of Regent. In this way, the people have some measure of control over the Regents and their own planetary governments. However, the planets are not required to send their Regents at any specific time, and elections do not have a limit. This often causes tremendouse deadlock on the planets, with the people refusing to confirm an unpopular Regent and the government refusing to compromise. Some planets have not sent a Regent to the Chamber for three hundred years.

Specifics

The most powerful man in the Chamber is the Lord Provost, who directs the voting and floor debates. the Lord Provost is elected from within the Chamber, and can be voted out at any time. The position confers upon the holder a noble status, and is highly coveted. The second most powerful man in the Chamber is the Lord High Chancellor, the representative of the Emperor in the Chamber. He wields voting power, and is empowered to refuse legislation on the Emperor's will.

Under the Ren Yem Bak, political parties of any kind are illegal, but the Chamber is often divided into voting blocs based on political ideology. For years, the largest bloc were the Conservative-Monarchists, with the Conservative-Theocrats in close second. Liberals and Libertarians were the smallest parties. However, in recent days the Liberals have surged, and the Theocrats have largely been absorbed by the Monarchists or pushed to the side. The Lord Provost, Hanmegura Pansureng, was elected with unanimous support from the Liberals and Theocrats. He has led the Chamber well, by comprising with the Monarchists whenever possible.

The Lord High Chancellor, currently Ruhomash Zagszer, has an important position and usually takes the role of "minority leader" when the Monarchists are not in majority. His Imperial veto is rarely excercised, and is more often used as a tool of leverage.

The Chamber does not require a quorum to pass legislation, merely a plurality of Regents in the chamber. The Chamber also has the right to affirm Imperial Decrees, but they do not have the power to veto them.

Laws of the Empire

The Empire is a nation ruled by law and decree, although in many cases the two mingle. For thousands of years, the Emperor ruled exclusively by decree, as an absolute monarch. However, the Jeddawan Emperor affected the first major development in Imperial law when he issued the monumental Kam En In, or Great Imperial Law Code. The Kam En In established the Chamber of Regents, the Agundan, and delineated the powers of the Emperor. A wide-sweeping law code aimed at standardizing and modenizing many of the draconian, outdated laws and statues of the past, the Kam En In is still reference in the modern day as a sort of quasi-constitution.

Where the Kam En In laid the groundwork for Imperial law, it was further expanded on by the Ren Yam Bak, or the Code of Proper Government. Issued by Emperor Itanda X of the Keltan dynasty, the Ren Yam Bak expanded more on the Chamber of Regents, and established the first Imperial Royal Household in an official government capacity. The Ren Yem Bak did not update any of the original statutes, however, and the Kam En In was not replaced by this new code.

The Ren Yem Bak was succeeded by the Alastar Law Code, issued by Emperor Alastar II Khoomsai. The Law Code did not survive it's creator's death, but was taken to pieces when loyalist forces defeated the Alastar. The Law Code, which revolutionized the legal system and introduced elements of a civil code that replaced the original rule by precedent, was eliminated, but many parts of it were incorporated in regional government systems.

The final great law code was the monumental Ren In Kam, issued by Emperor Allech-Atreus V. It clearly set up the modern government system and seperated the powers between the three branches, while expanding the possible power to be wielded by the Emperor himself. The Ren In Kam firmly established that all Chamber of Regents decisions had to be approved by the Emperor, and enshrined official support for the divinity of the Imperial personage.

Bureacracy

The bureacracy in the Empire is compounded by the law codes themselves, which sometimes contradict each other or build a house of cards out of legislation. If it weren't for some provisions, the Empire would collapse through bureacratic necrosis. Luckily, the Emperor has the sole ability to declare war, collect taxes, and declare emergencies. He also has the power to create government agencies.

Even within the upper regions of the government, there is still a degree of muddled bureacracy and obfuscation. Many members of the upper government have never met the Emperor, the head of the Empire, and instead must deal with the Imperial Regent, who is charged to speak for him. This is the product of thousands of years of cultured nobility and court protocol. The current Imperial Regent is Wen Potray Kurman, an allodial duke.