Difference between revisions of "Zeng"

Revision as of 03:33, 22 May 2007

The Principality of Zeng is the largest Member in the Confederated Peoples although its lead over the second largest Member, Farinor is small one. Like Farinor, Zeng has 58 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and three seats in the Confederal Senate. This makes Zeng one of the most politically important Members in the Confederated Peoples.

Elections in Zeng are contested by all the major Confederal political parties although Democratic Concordance, the Conservative Democratic Party, the Progressive Democratic Party and the Labour Party dominate. The Communist Party is also influential locally and is represented in the legislature. The current government is a coalition between the Progressive Democrats and Labour.

Zeng is of great economic significance to the nation. The economy is rapidly growing and this growth is especially strong in the high-tech sector. However, Zeng also maintains a strong manufacturing base. It is a leading consumer of steel, concrete and oil and a leading producer of manufactured goods, information technology and agricultural products.

History

In 1982, the Danaan High Kingdom officially claimed a large island located to the south of Dana and outside the Islands of Mists. Aboriginal Danaan navigators had referred to the island as Zeng for reasons which are not now known and this was the name the Danaans used. The island was discovered to be hospitable for settlement and early settlements were established.

The first settlements were fairly representative of the Danaan population but settlement soon came to be dominated by people of Chinese extraction and Confucians both from the Danaan High Kingdom and from elsewhere. This was likely because the land reminded them of their ancestral lands and because they, like many other human groups, felt alientated during the period of the Fae.

In 1990, I Ma-huan, a Danaan nobleman, was created Prince of Zeng and the Principality was admitted the the Danaan High Kingdom as a principality in its own right and not just a claimed territory. That year, Zeng created its own constitution providing for a system of constitutional monarchy. With some amendment, that constitution still governs Zeng today.

Politics

Although the political executive in Zeng is led by the First Minister and is accountable to the legislature, a great deal of importance is attached to the roles of the Prince and of the High King. The system of constitutional monarchy is extremely popular and the role of the monarchy is revered and taken seriously by the people. It is unclear to what extent politicians familiar with the inner workings of the system share this view, but all must at least affirm it in their public statements.

Zeng has a parliamentary system. It has a unicameral Principality Popular Congress. The leader of the party or coalition commanding a majority in the Congress receive a mandate from the Prince to form a Government. If the government receives the confidence of Congress, the leader is formally appointed First Minister and the government ministers are admitted to the Council of State. The Council of State is formally chaired by the Prince who has the right to be consulted, the right to encourage and the right to warn. These rights, in Zeng, include the right to chair the meetings of the Council of State in person if and when he feels is necessary. However, this right is rarely exercised and the First Minister is normally the acting chair. The Council of State is collectively accountable to the Congress which can withdraw its confidence from the entire Council or from any individual minister. If the government receives a vote of no confidence, it is customary for the First Minister to sitting Congress to have some time to attempt to work out the issue of government and either for the First Minister to be able to form a new government capable of receiving the confidence of the Congress or for a new leader capable of doing so to emerge through the renegotiation of coalitions. If this does not happen, Congress is dissolved and new elections are scheduled. Regardless of political circumstances, elections are held at least once every eight years. Members of Congress are elected through a system of proportional representation.