Difference between revisions of "Latao"

Revision as of 05:33, 12 April 2005 (view source) 212.98.60.100 (Talk) ← Older edit		Revision as of 11:03, 12 April 2005 (view source) 212.98.60.100 (Talk) Newer edit →
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	==Internal Policies==		==Internal Policies==
−	This section is currently under construction.	+	===Current Discussions===
		+	There are currently three major issues discussed in the government of Latao:
		+
		+	'''''More Competences for the Federal President'''''
		+
		+	Latao is currently being ruled by a committee of seven members, including a president. The president of this committee (''NEC'') only has minor privileges over his colleges; such as planning meetings and representing the country in abroad. When it comes to make a decision, all members of the ''NEC'' must participate on an internal vote.
		+
		+	The issue currently discussed in the government and the medias (as well as the society) is if this should be changed. The job of the ''Federal President'' would then be called ''Prime Minister'' and the holder would have clear competences over the ''NEC''.
		+	If the issue would pass, the ''Prime Minister'' would be elected directly from the citizens of Latao after the other “common” seven members of the ''NEC'' have been elected. The elected seven members can then run for the office of the ''Prime Minister''.
		+	(Currently, the ''Federal President'' is voted indirectly by the members of the ''NEC'')
		+
		+	'''''Representative Office'''''
		+
		+	Where required, for example in the Atlantian Oceania regional council or the UN, Latao is represented by the ''Federal President''.
		+
		+	The issue currently discussed in the government and the medias (as well as the society) is if this should be changed and a new office should be created. This new job would be titled ''Federal President'' in case the above issue passes or probably simply ''President'' if not. The idea is to create an office that represents the Confederacy of Latao in all other nations or international institutions without being “abused” by the political parties for their interests, to guarantee stability by political independence. The holder of this office would not have permissions to rule, but he/she can support the government with suggestions.
		+
		+	'''''Limited Terms'''''
		+
		+	There is currently no limitation for political terms defined by the constitution. The constitution only says, that a term is four years; for all offices on all administrative levels of the nation. We never saw a holder of an office for more than four terms (16 years).
		+
		+	The issue currently discussed in the government and the medias (as well as the society) is if terms should be limited. The ideas vary from two up to four terms.
	==Foreign Policies==		==Foreign Policies==

---

Revision as of 11:03, 12 April 2005

Latao

Flag of Latao
Motto: We make the World go around
none
Region	Atlantian Oceania
Capital	Luzern
Official Language(s)	German
Leader	NEC
Population	1 Billion
Currency	Latinum
NS Sunset XML

What the UN says about us

The Confederacy of Latao is a huge, economically powerful nation, notable for its complete absence of social welfare. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, intelligent population enjoys a sensible mix of personal and economic freedoms, while the political process is open and the people's right to vote held sacrosanct.

There is no government in the normal sense the word; however, a small group of community-minded, pro-business individuals juggles the competing demands of Commerce, Law & Order, and Education. Income tax is unheard of. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Book Publishing industry, followed by Automobile Manufacturing and Gambling.

The military frequently holds bake sales to raise funds, citizens are frequently held up at gunpoint by their local pizza delivery boys, children deemed 'disorderly' or otherwise unfit for public schools are shipped off to military academies, and the nation is experiencing a severe shortage of sporting events. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is a problem. Latao's national animal is the scooby-doo and its currency is the latinum.

Constitution

The Constitution of the Confederacy of Latao defines a democratic federal state with direct-democracy. Citizens and Parliament members, may request to change the constitution and laws using the democratic instrument ‘Referendum’.

Constitutional Referendum

The Constitutional Referendum is the most powerful democratic instrument in the Confederacy of Latao. This type of referendum targets at changing one or more articles in either the Federal Constitution or a District’s Constitution. A Constitutional Referendum can be called either by members of the parliament or by the citizens directly:

Constitutional Referendum called by Citizens

The Citizens of the Confederacy of Latao may force a poll for changes in the constitution by collecting signatures. 100.000 signatures are required to call a poll on Federal Level. A smaller number of signatures, that is defined by the Districts Constitutions, is required to call a local poll for changes in the constitution on District Level.

Constitutional Referendum called by Parliament

The Members of the Legislative (Confederacy Council & Senator Council) may force a poll for changes in the constitution by collecting endorsements from other members. 10 endorsements (out of 300) are required to call a poll for changes in the constitution on Federal Level from the Federal Council; 2 endorsements (out of 45, 2 per District) are required to call a poll for changes in the constitution on Federal Level from the Senator Council

Administrative Referendum

The Administrative Referendum targets at changing one or more laws on either Federal or local (Districts & Communities) Level. Since these changes are not deeply reflected in the Constitution, an Administrative Referendum can be held easier than a Constitutional Referendum. An Administrative Referendum can be called directly by the citizens:

Administrative Referendum called on Federal Level

The Citizens of the Confederacy of Latao may force a poll for changes in laws on Federal Level by collecting 50.000 signatures.

Administrative Referendum called on District Level

The Citizens of the affected District may force a poll for changes in laws on District Level by collecting signatures. The number of required signatures is defined by the District’s Constitution.

Administrative Referendum called on Community Level

The Citizens of the affected Community may force a poll for changes in laws on Community Level by collecting signatures. The number of required signatures is defined by the Community’s local government (Execute & Legislative authorities)

Dogmas

We believe in Democracy, Neutrality, Freedom and Federalism packed into free social-market economy. Our keywords to success are strong political rights for citizens, low tax duties and wide economic freedoms.

Electoral System

The electoral system of Latao defines rules that apply to all institutions at all levels of the nation:

1. Elected directly by the citizens of Latao
2. The election period is four years

Periods

Elections are held on the second Sunday of October, every four years. If a member quits his service of an institution due to any reasons, replacement elections must be held within a period of 30 days.

Voters

Everyone is encouraged to vote who meets the following requirements:

1. Citizen of the Confederacy of Latao
2. Completed their 18th year of living

Electioneers

Everyone is encouraged to run for political office who meets the following requirements:

1. Citizen of the Confederacy of Latao
2. Completed their 18th year of living
3. Must not have any criminal records related to manipulation of elections or corruption.

State Organization

The Confederacy of Latao consists of 15 Districts, each formed by numerous Municipalities.

Confederacy

The Confederacy of Latao is the administrative top level of the nation. It concentrates the base State leading authorities, which enjoy some exclusive special privileges over Districts and Municipalities.

The Confederacy operates the centralized Executive, Legislative and Judicative authorities, which form the final instances of the governing bodies. It deals with all matters of national interest and releases authoritative laws for all Districts and Municipalities, based on the Confederacy-Constitution (federal Constitution).

Some of the most important competences of the Confederacy are federal law, military & financial management on the State level and the exclusive privilege of international relationships.

District

Districts form the actual parts of the land that makes up the Confederacy of Latao. As the nation’s pre-title tells, Latao is a federal State. This means, every District has wide independence within the country. That’s why a District is also often referred to as a State. Therefore, every District has its own Executive, Legislative and Judicative authorities, which operate on District/State level.

The District (or State) has competence over most matters that affect it. Every District has its own Constitution and may inherit laws from it, as long these laws and the underlying District-Constitution does not violate the federal Constitution of the Confederacy or federal laws. Districts have also control over their law enforcement authorities (such as police) and their tax authorities, as well as financial management and numerous local administrative privileges.

Municipality

Most Municipalities have their own Executive and Legislative authorities – some of them even their own Judicative. In some Districts, several Municipalities centralize all of these authorities (which is based either on historical inheritance or simple financial optimization). This administrative local form of State Organization is called a Region.

The Municipality or Region has competence over many local matters, such as tax authorities, financial management and numerous local administrative privileges.

State Institutions

The federal Constitution demands the separation of powers within the entire nation. Therefore, the State of Latao is founded on three fundamental institutions:

Executive

The Executive authorities of all levels of the nation are elected directly by the people for a period of four years. It leads together with the Legislative by releasing laws and directives and giving orders to the Legislative.

The Executive authorities on District and Municipality level consist of five members, including a president. There are a few differences in the organization of the federal Executive authority, which is named the National Executive Committee (NEC) as described below:

1. The NEC consists of seven members, including a president.
2. The NEC-members take the office as a “full-time job” and are paid by the State of Latao.
3. The way the NEC is assembled is based on the strength of each political party in the federal Legislative (Confederacy Council) – the stronger a party is, the more people it can send to the NEC.
4. No District may send more than one member to the NEC at once.

Legislative

The Legislative authorities of all levels of the nation are elected directly by the people for a period of four years. It leads together with the Executive by releasing laws and giving orders to the Executive. There are a few differences in the organization of the authorities of the State levels as described below:

On the Confederacy Level:

1. Latao’s parliament is a two-chamber legislative. The big chamber is named Confederacy Council (CC) and represents the people of Latao, while the small chamber, the Senator Council (SC) – which is sometimes simply referred to as Senate represents the Districts of the country.
2. The number of citizen living in a District determines the number of people that District may send to the Confederacy Council (CC). The Confederacy Council itself is limited to 300 seats.
3. The Senator Council (SC) is limited to 45 seats, which means, that each District may send exactly three people to the Senate to represent it.

On the District Level:

1. The parliaments of the Districts are also two-chamber legislatives, organized the same way as the federal parliament. The terms used to refer to District-level parliaments are Small Chamber and Big Chamber. The small Chambers represent the Municipalities and the Big Chambers represent the people who live in the District.
2. The number of citizen living in a Municipality determines the number of people that Municipality may send to the District Council (DC).
3. The numbers of seats in the Chambers depend on the District’s Constitution and may vary.

Judicative

The Judicative authorities of all levels of the nation ere elected directly by the people for a period of four years. It controls the governing bodies (Executive and Legislatives) by wrangling over legal matters and it may cancel laws that are in conflict with constitutional definitions.

The first instance for justice cases is the Judicative authority of the Municipality or Region. Adjustments can be taken up to the Confederacy Judicative (Confederacy Court), which then is final.

Internal Policies

Current Discussions

There are currently three major issues discussed in the government of Latao:

More Competences for the Federal President

Latao is currently being ruled by a committee of seven members, including a president. The president of this committee (NEC) only has minor privileges over his colleges; such as planning meetings and representing the country in abroad. When it comes to make a decision, all members of the NEC must participate on an internal vote.

The issue currently discussed in the government and the medias (as well as the society) is if this should be changed. The job of the Federal President would then be called Prime Minister and the holder would have clear competences over the NEC. If the issue would pass, the Prime Minister would be elected directly from the citizens of Latao after the other “common” seven members of the NEC have been elected. The elected seven members can then run for the office of the Prime Minister. (Currently, the Federal President is voted indirectly by the members of the NEC)

Representative Office

Where required, for example in the Atlantian Oceania regional council or the UN, Latao is represented by the Federal President.

The issue currently discussed in the government and the medias (as well as the society) is if this should be changed and a new office should be created. This new job would be titled Federal President in case the above issue passes or probably simply President if not. The idea is to create an office that represents the Confederacy of Latao in all other nations or international institutions without being “abused” by the political parties for their interests, to guarantee stability by political independence. The holder of this office would not have permissions to rule, but he/she can support the government with suggestions.

Limited Terms

There is currently no limitation for political terms defined by the constitution. The constitution only says, that a term is four years; for all offices on all administrative levels of the nation. We never saw a holder of an office for more than four terms (16 years).

The issue currently discussed in the government and the medias (as well as the society) is if terms should be limited. The ideas vary from two up to four terms.

Foreign Policies

Latao's primary interesst in its foreign policies are the good reletationships with its regional neighbour countries in Atlantian Oceania. The Latin Confederacy is interessted in economy & trade relationships with its neighbours.

Memberships

The Confederacy of Latao is a member of the following international Organisations:

AORDO

The Atlantian Oceania Regional Defense Organisation is the Region's main defensive alliance, protecting the Region as a whole from attack, headed by Starblaydia

Regional Council

The Atlantian Oceania Regional Council is the Region's international co-operation institution.

Allies

As a neutral State, Latao does not really have 'allies' in the normal sense of the word. The Confederacy of Latao, however, turns towards the following friend-nations that share our ideology and visions:

1. The Sacrosanct Realm of Xile
2. The Free Republic of Lamoni
3. The Protectorate of Starblaydia

Embassies

The Confederacy of Latao does not operate embassies in every country. We do currently not have any embassies outside the region of Atlantian Oceania.

Citizens of other countries that wish to get in contact with officials or Latin authorities, please use the embassy that is closest to your location. You may see on the list of embassies, which place that is responsible for you. People living outside of Oceania, are encouraged to send their request directly to the office for International Communication (Ministry of foreign Affairs) to Latao.

Please note, that specific terms may apply for a country, even if that country is served by a Latin embassy located in another nation. Regarding services and terms please see the declaimer below.

The service times of an embassy may vary, please note, that we can only serve requests made in either the official language of Latao (German) or English – any other documents will be ignored. We do not provide translation services; please contact your local service provider instead.

Please use the official forms for any requests and fill them in correctly. Invalid forms or other, “hand-made” documents will be ignored or extra charged.

Official embassy buildings are called “Embassy of the Confederacy of Latao”. Since many processed are internally submitted to the responsible ministry in Latao, your request may take up to 10 weeks to proceed – express requests are available in some embassies.

Service & Terms Disclaimer

As mentioned above, some specific terms may apply to a country and not all services may be available for a specific country. The following manifesto should answer the most important questions:

Which embassy should I contact ?

Please contact the embassy that is the closest to your location, even if the embassy is outside your own country.

Why is there no embassy available in my country ?

Due to budget limitations, we can not operate embassies in every country. We do however not operate embassies outside the region of Atlantian Oceania and in war zones, including “dangerous areas” – countries that can not ensure the security of our diplomatic personnel.

Is there are any key used to determine where an embassy is located ?

Except the above killer-criterias (war-zone) we do operate an embassy in countries of Latin interests. This means, economy partner nation with a yearly GDP per capita above $30.000 and common vacation destinations, as well host-nations for international institutions, such as the Atlantian Oceania Regional council. We also operate an embassy at the United Nations head quarter; this is the only embassy outside Atlantian Oceania.

Is there any special terms that apply for my country to enter Latao ? Citizens from countries with a gross domestic product per capita of less than $10.000 per year are required to pay a deposit of 50 Latinums per day for their stay in Latao. The deposit must be paid onto a locked account on a Latin bank (required forms are available from the embassy). The deposit is returned on the day of departure from Latao (the bank account will be unlocked and you can remove and/or close the account if you do not need it anymore)

What is the purpose of that deposit ?

We charge this deposit as a security for travelers from economically weak countries. The deposit is used in case travelers need basic social support, such as food or a place to sleep, hygienic care and clothes as well as basic medicine services provided by the state of Latao (or actually a municipality) – the deposit is also used if a traveler does not return to his country due to the date specified in his visa or stay permission; please note, that the deposit can be confiscated in this case.

Is a visa required to enter Latao ?

Citizens of countries with a GDP per capita of more than $35.000 per year do not need a visa to enter Latao, if they do not stay in Latao for more than 90 days per year and no stay is longer than 30 days without an interruption of at least 2 days. These travelers may also request an express visa where a visa is required.

Citizens of countries with a GDP per capita of more than $25.000 per year and an unemployment rate of less than 15 % do not need a visa to enter Latao, if they do not stay in Latao for more than 60 years per year and no stay is longer than 30 days without an interruption of at least 2 days. These travelers may also request an express visa where a visa is required.

Citizens of countries with a GDP per capita of more than $10.000 per year and an unemployment rate of less than 10 % do not need a visa to enter Latao, if they do not stay in Latao for more than 14 days per year. These travelers may also request an express visa where a visa is required.

Citizens from other countries or countries outside Atlantian Oceania are required to obtain a visa from their responsible embassy.

Student visas and work permissions are available to citizens from all countries in the world, except countries listed on a “black list”.

Where a visa is required, travelers must provide an address of a host (such as a hotel, private people etc.) where they are living and how they can be reached. This information is submitted to the office of migration.

List of Embassies

Based on international research data from April 12, 2005 the following 10 countries meet the economic requirements (GDP per capita > $30.000) to host a Latin embassy:

Bedistan

New Manhattan

Nova Roma

Coketown

Doujin

Mirimana

Starblaydia

Abbatoir

Rendition*

The Lowland Clans*

(*)These nations have been suspended, because the Confederacy of Latao does not co-operate with regimes classified by the UN as Dictatorships.

Impressions of Life

The following words are impressions from an anonymous traveler who has visited Latao last summer. Have fun…

I came to this land in the south of Atlantian Oceania this summer. Latao really is an amazing country, where everyone can see something he likes. It was somehow difficult to get a visa, since Latao does not operate embassies in all countries of the region – due to financial reasons, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Intensive Border Checks

We’ve had some kind of a delay because of the intensive control of people and goods the Latins perform at airports. Latao engaged a half army to rigidly enforce its entry laws and rules, which sometimes is a bit scary. I’ve seen several people – probably with invalid or faked passport documents that were arrested by border troops with automatic UZI-guns.

They have too much Money

Once we passed these checks, a really luxury designed airport was the first we saw of this nation. A huge jumbo-sized flat screen welcomes passengers with amazing multimedia shows; patriotic marketing mixed with half-naked women that promote Latao’s pristine beaches and other places of interests. I knew that Latao is a rich country, but this airport really impressed me. Latao spends a lot of money to cherish its image of a clean, well-styled and modern nation, especially at places with many international people. All halls look really great with this bright style of gray marble floors and glass and chrome constructions. A troop of cleaning personnel in snow-white uniforms works around the clock to keep everything clean and shiny – maybe this describes the relatively high airport taxes…

Patriotism & Commerce

Sex sells…this statement also applies for Latao. The Latins like people with less cloths, both sexes do, but this might be based in the nice warm weather they have in the south of Atlantian Oceania ;-) No one seems to mind topless females in commercials and beaches, the mixture of sex and patriotism actually seems to be the number one hit for selling all kinds of products. Buildings and motorways are clogged with commercial ads – some of them even animated on flat screens. Amazing, that this doesn’t lead to rear-end collisions on the roads all the time ;-) Latao doesn’t have legal regulations that define opening times for business. Shops, restaurants and party clubs are either opened around the clock, or as long they have people in.

Great Party-Life

Since ten of the twelve months the year Latao has finest summer temperatures of 25° C and more, the open-sky party scene is the essential realm for young people from all over the world, natives and tourists. Great beach parties are held with all kind of music, especially trance-techno is widely spread in the country. Even small villages hold cool parties.

People & Traditions

I’ve never seen a country that holds the tenet of free speech as dear as Latao. Free speech stands above everything – people make statements for which you’d get sued and end up in jail in many other countries, this sometimes leads to an aggressive style in political debating. Latao is one of the less countries I know, where it’s nothing unusual that members of the parliament make daily use of swear words to additionally express their thoughts. As mentioned above, patriotism and therefore the right of personal arming are the next tenets the Latins hold sacrosanct. Confederacy Flags decorate many buildings and the number of firearms in private households is one of the highest in the world; criminality is although quite low. I couldn’t research of more than three murdering cases in the past 10 years.

Media Scene

Regarding the tenet of free speech, Latao is known for its rich offer of medias, which find great attention in the entire region of Atlantian Oceania. The nationalist government however demands, that medias broadcasted from Latao must use native language of the country, but primary foreign languages are allowed as long as translations are provided. The government says this is required to prevent medias from broadcasting illegal content such as Islamic calls for terrorism. The only thing the government has banned in medias is the promotion of religious content, commercial advertisements for alcohol is limited and tobacco is banned. Political contents from parties and other groups of interest and sexual content don’t seem to be regulated.

Crowded Cities, hurried Drivers

Cities are usually crowded with cars, the driving style of Latins is southern – I’m not saying aggressive. Speed limits are understood as ‘recommendations’; government nor police do much to change that. Driver’s wont get speed tickets for exceedings of less than 30 km/h – the license is taken away for a month for excessive speeding and road rage in cities and living areas only. Most motorways have six lines (three per direction) including a still line – the most important highways have eight lines. A ticket in the form of a sticker for your car’s windshield is needed to use highways. The stickers costs 30 Latinums (about 60 USD) and allows driving for one year.

After all, I’ve had a great time in Latao and I enjoyed my stay there. The only thing that ‘sucked’ are the damn expensive prices they have there. I do however agree when saying, Latao is the ultimate free land, without being anarchy ;-)