Leftonia
| |
| Flag of Leftonia | |
| Motto: Pax Sinistra | |
| Region | The East Pacific |
|---|---|
| Capital | Thrann |
| Official Language(s) | English |
| Leader | Chancellor Dino Snyder |
| Population | 5 million (2000 census) |
| Currency | the lemp |
| NS Sunset XML | |
Government
Leftonia has a 4-branch Federal government system, consisting of Executive, Legislative, Judicial, and Military.
The Head of State is the office of the Chancellor, who administers the governmental ministries as well as acting as the nation's chief representative on foreign matters.
Leftonia has a bicameral legislature, consisting of an upper house and a lower house, where lawmaking is the primary concern. The upper house is called the Supreme Council, consisting of 7 members, each in descending rank from Chairman, Vice Chairman, 3 Senior Council, and 2 Junior Council. The Chairman is considered the Head of Government, and presides over the council, which along with voting on legislation, is required to ratify any treaty with a foreign nation negotiated by the Chancellor. The lower house is called the Leftonian Assembly, consisting of 21 members from each of the nation's 21 districts. It's primary purpose is to facilitate and ratify the Supreme Council's directives, though it also creates its own legislation as well. Any legislation must pass both houses before becoming law, but does not require the signature of the Chancellor for approval.
The Judicial Branch currently consists of a single body called the Leftonian High Court. The High Court consists of 3 justices appointed for life by the Chancellor, pending the ratification by the Supreme Council. As the size and authority of the Leftonian government grows, it is expected that the court system will branch out into larger tiers, however at this time, a single, three member High Court seems more than sufficient to handle the current workload.
The Military Branch is called the Circle of Vice Marshals. The highest standard rank in the Leftonian Armed Forces is the rank of Marshal, however, the Chancellor has the authority, with Supreme Council approval, to appoint 12 Vice Marshals to oversee all military matters, with consultation with the Chancellor's Office and the Foreign Ministry. The Commander-in-Chief of the Leftonian Armed Forces is the Grand Marshal, elected by the 12 Vice Marshals after their appointments are confirmed by the Chancellor and the Supreme Council. The Circle of Vice Marshals then appoint amongst themeselves the heads of each of the 3 branches of the military to oversee internal matters. The Army is headed by the Sword Marshal, the Navy is headed by the Spear Marshal, and the Air Force is headed by the Arrow Marshal. While, the Leftonian Armed Forces is considered autonomous from the other branches of government, it is expected to adhere to the intents of the Chancellor and the Supreme Council, and work in close consultation with both.
Elections
There are two seperate elections held every year, one on June 1st, and one on October 1st. During even-numbered years (2000,2002, etc.), there is a Chancellorship Election held on June 1st, to determine who shall be the next Chancellor. While the Chancellor's terms are only 2 years long, there are no term limits, and a sitting Chancellor may not be removed from the ballot for re-election without his or her consent. The Chancellorship Election is based on the national popular vote, and the candidate with the plurality of votes gaining the office. Once officially inaugurated on June 9th the Chancellor is then expected to name his or her Deputy Chancellor, pending the approval of the Supreme Council. Typically, this office is given to the current Chairman of the Supreme Council, regardless of political ideology.
During odd-numbered years (2001,2003, etc.), The Council Elections are held on June 1st to establish the next Supreme Council. In this election, several candidates are expected to compete in a national election based on popular vote, and the 7 highest electors are named to the council. Their positions on the council are based on the order of popular vote which they gained. The highest plurality candidate gains the office of Chairman, the second-highest vote-getter is named Vice Chairman, third, fourth and fifth ranked candidates are named Senior Council, and the sixth and seventh place candidates are named Junior Council. The ranking on the Supreme Council has significant meaning in regards to the value of their votes, to be mentioned later.
On October 1st of every year, every member of the Leftonian Assembly must submit to re-election by their individual districts. Each of the 21 districts elects its own Assemblyman based on the local popular vote. Potential candidates are not necessarily bound to run for the Assembly only from their home district, however, they may only be a candidate in one race during a single election.
Succession
Should the Chancellor be killed, incapacitated, removed from office or otherwise incapable of rendering his or her duties, the Deputy Chancellor is then to assume the office of Chancellor. In the event of the abscence of a Deputy Chancellor, the line of succession turns to the Supreme Council, making the Chairman the next in line (assuming that they aren't already the Deputy Chancellor), followed in turn by the Vice Chairman, the Senior Councils and the Junior Councils. Beyond the Supreme Council, the line of succession falls to the Leftonian Assembly, based on the Assemblyman who has seniority of tenure (also called the Assemblymaster), followed in descending order of seniority.
With the exception of Deputy Chancellor, who has no official responsibilities other than succession, Nobody may hold more than one political office at the same time. This means that no individual may be Chancellor as well as on the Supreme Council, nor may an Assemblyman be in the Circle of Vice Marshals or a Cabinet Minister.
The Leftonian Constitution is set up to insure that the bulk of the control of the federal government is in the hands of officials who were duely elected by the populace, rather than by appointees or established power brokers. The concept of popular soverignty in Leftonia is based on the notion that no individual may gain any high office within the government unless elected by the people, or unless appointed directly by those who have been elected. As such, there are significantly shorter chains of command and influence within the government, to insure that the elected officials can and will be held directly responsible for the successes and failings of the government.
