Difference between revisions of "Malkaigan"

Revision as of 01:33, 4 April 2006

Malkaigan

Flag of Malkaigan
Motto: "Fure lyian!"
No Map Available Yet
Region	The Lexicon
Capital	Reiko City
Official Language(s)	Malkaigan, Malkaigan Sign Language, English
Leader	Kari Hazzard
Population	282 million
Currency	Euro
NS Sunset XML

The Federation of Malkaigan (or simply Malkaigan) is a large island country situated in The Lexicon. It is comprised of nearly one hundred islands, though the largest island, Setra, is by far the most populous. It it is a constitutional republic embracing a blend between the Parliamentary system found in the United Kingdom and the Federal system of the United States. Despite its cold and unforgiving landscape, it is the home to over 250 million people, many of which live in its densely populated capitol, Reiko City.

Government and politics

Malkaigan is considered a constitutional republic, with a detailed separtion of powers between its Legislative, Executive and Judicial Branches. The National Election Day, during which all Parliament seats are elected, is June 3 on every even-numbered year. All citizens aged 16 years or older are elegible to vote. All permanent residents aged 20 years or older who have lived in Malkaigan for at least four years are eligible to vote for Senate elections but not for House elections and are barred from running for public office until they are fully naturalised.

The Parliament

The Parliament is the "elected mandate to preserve justice and establish order and protect the Constitution" according to the Constitution of Malkaigan. The Parliament consists of a Senate (Lower House, Seira) whose 100 members are elected by popular vote in regions based on relative population and the House of Councillors (Upper House, Laira) whose 50 members are elected by popular vote by all residents of the ten Prefectures, each Prefecture being represented by five Councillors.

In 2000, the Liberal Democrats were able to able to court the Communists to form Malkaigan's first true coalition government. More recently, in 2004, a crushing blow was dealt to the opposition Conservatives when Councillor Mara Shukudai (F-Dira), the leader of the Freedom Party in the House announced that her party would be breaking away from the opposition coalition to join the government's coalition, thus giving the Liberal Democrats a strong grip on the reins of both Houses of Parliament.

As of the 2004 Senate election, the partisan breakdown of the Senate is as follows:

As of the 2004 House election, the partisan breakdown of the House is as follows:

The Cabinet

The Cabinet's leader, the Prime Minister, is elected by absolute majority vote of the House of Councillors. All other members of the Cabinet are appointed by the Prime Minister and approved by the House of Councillors. As a result of this, typically the Prime Minister and all other Cabinet members are members of the majority party or majority coalition in the House of Councillors. The Prime Minister is required to be a member of the House, but other Cabinet members need not be.

The current Prime Minister, elected in 2004, is Kari Hazzard (LD-Milane).

The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of Malkaigan is the sole arbiter for determining the validity, in reference to the Constitution of any Act of Parliament and prefectural laws. It is granted constitutional judicial review to allow it to nullify any laws passed which contradict the Constitution as well as prefectural laws that conflict with federal laws. Its members are appointed by the Prime Minister and confirmed by the Senate and House of Councillors in joint session. The current Chief Justice is Sara Iyai, appointed by then-Prime Minister Altair Terai (LD-Amarak) in 1992.

Foreign relations

Malkaigan is a member of the United Nations and typically complies with resolutions passed by that body, although the government often voices dissent.

Malkaigan is a military powerhouse, the military having well-funded air, land, sea and space components but seldom deploys its military outside of its borders unless it is required in the terms of a treaty.

Subdivisions

Malkaigan is divided into 10 prefectures, which are commonly grouped into four regions based on geography. Setra is divided into the Selto, Lenra and Tasho regions, while the islands surrounding it compose the Viera region.

The prefectures are further subdivided into districts, cities, towns and villages in a hierarchial format. For example, Reiko City resides in the Feila District of the Milane Prefecture, and is itself divided into North Town, South Town and East Town. The towns are then subdivided into a series of villages.

Economy

Malkaigan's economy is developing, with many attempts by the government to foster industry and innovation. Its retail, information technology, woodchip exports and arms manufacturing industries are particularly notable. The government has privatised a number of social services, in particular some parts of its penal system and its national postal system. The average income tax rate is 30%, with the highest tax bracket paying 40%. The government is considering eliminating graduated income taxes in favor of static income taxes, but accord has not been reached among the parties in the ruling coalition and it is unclear when the government will act.

Arms manufacturing sector

Malkaigan's military is well-funded, and the arms manufacturing industry thus has a large number of government contracts. With the development of the singularity charge and related technologies in January 2006, military spending has reached a new high and the arms manufacturing industry is growing rapidly.