Government

Discussions about constructed worlds, cultures and any topics related to constructed societies.
User avatar
elemtilas
runic
runic
Posts: 3021
Joined: 22 Nov 2014 04:48

Re: Government

Post by elemtilas »

Micamo wrote:
The Second must, then, develop a strong personality in order to not be used as a tool of the First! Are there any checks the Second has over the First?
No, the purpose of the system is not to provide checks and balances but to make sure the transition between rulers is as smooth as possible.
I see. What happens if things don't run so smoothly?
Sensible. Do the Kirinthian conquerors impose the same scheme of civil service advancement among subordinate territories?
Only at the highest levels. The Kirinthi execute leaders of the conquered states who fail to meet the goals that are put in place for the whole nation, but then those leaders are replaced in the usual way by whatever system the conquered state used before they were conquered.
Kind of sucks for the post-invasion leaders! If the people view them as quislings or turncoats, it won't take much of a slow-down to put the country under its expected quotas. And then...
Do either of the Executors fall under the same Produce or Die imperative? Is the Heir / Second Executor necessarily a child of the First? Does the executorship pass naturally to a designated child, or does the First choose the Second?
No. Blame for policy failures passes to the scholars of Olos who proposed the policy, not to the Executors. Which is a bit of a double standard but I never claimed their philosophy was consistent: The royal family is just fine making exceptions to their own laws in order to preserve their power and status.
No, indeed! And I'm happy to see its inconsistencies!
As for inheritance, it usually passes to a child but the Second names which child they want to take their place. Said child is groomed and prepared and educated all their life to be ready to take the role when their time comes. A Second *can* name another person, but in the event that this happens said person is adopted into the royal family and is thus legally a child of the Second. A Second can change this designation at any time, however.
Gotcha.

Has it ever happened where one (or the other) Executor has sought to seize absolute power? .i. by abolishing the co-monarch (both person & office)?
User avatar
Micamo
MVP
MVP
Posts: 5671
Joined: 05 Sep 2010 19:48
Contact:

Re: Government

Post by Micamo »

elemtilas wrote:I see. What happens if things don't run so smoothly?
Then you have a succession war, with all the death and destruction that implies. The last such war was over 300 years ago, and it led to the Imperium breaking apart into several nations. This only lasted for about 70 years before the Imperium was brought back together in the Fifth War of Reunification.
Kind of sucks for the post-invasion leaders! If the people view them as quislings or turncoats, it won't take much of a slow-down to put the country under its expected quotas. And then...
Indeed, but people are more willing to work with one of their own, even one they perceive as a traitor, than with a complete outsider. Also, native rulers are more likely to understand how to utilize existing structure to meet goals. Kirinthi governors tend to want to just tear down the native system entirely and replace it with a Kirinthi one, which is less efficient.
Has it ever happened where one (or the other) Executor has sought to seize absolute power? .i. by abolishing the co-monarch (both person & office)?
It was the cause of the last succession crisis, actually. A Second, upon ascending to a First, decided not to allow their Heir to ascend to take their place as Second. This pissed the heir right off, so they gathered some of their friends in the army and staged a successful coup, eliminating the new First. Sadly, the heir died from wounds taken in battle before they could assume their throne and re-establish the line of succession. With things now up in the air, the leader of the faction of the military that defected decided to seize the throne for himself. This outraged the other members of the royal family, whom he unsuccessfully attempted to have murdered in their beds, who gathered up military loyalists and went to war against the False Executor. But then all the surviving members of the royal family, not being able to reach an agreement amongst themselves who should take the throne once the False Executor was dealt with, decided the best way to secure their claim would be to assassinate their family while they're distracted fighting the False. So they started fighting each other too and the whole thing collapsed into a giant mess. The fighting lasted four years before the Treaty of Asanthum was signed, breaking up the Imperium into 7 different nations. The False Executor kept his throne but was able to keep little more than the well-fortified capital.
My pronouns are <xe> [ziː] / <xym> [zɪm] / <xys> [zɪz]

My shitty twitter
User avatar
spanick
roman
roman
Posts: 1336
Joined: 11 May 2017 01:47
Location: California

Re: Government

Post by spanick »

elemtilas wrote:Another excellent point! I'm still trying to determine their role more clearly. They likely would either not have votes and function nearly the same as the Lords Spiritual or they would have nominal control of their votes but traditionally would not vote on purely political matters and would be expected to be apolitical.

That, I think, might be a véry modern interpretation of their role! And, perhaps, a little too American in basis!

I'm sure they would at least be involved in debate, if not voting.
My bad, I meant non-partisan (still a fairly modern concept) rather than apolitical. They would certainly be involved in debates.
Have you thought at all about how this situation could have arisen among the historical Goths?
Sorta. The gist of it is that the Church was the actually the touchstone for a patriotic sentiment among the Goths, the history of which is on my Gutisk thread. With the advent of a sui iuris Church, the nobles felt encouraged to take advantage of the situation. They had always had some level of autonomous control while subservient to whatever political entity ruled the region de jure, so the basic structures were in place. They had already developed a rotating leadership system to deal with the outside rulers so it grew naturally from that.
User avatar
alynnidalar
greek
greek
Posts: 700
Joined: 17 Aug 2014 03:22
Location: Michigan, USA

Re: Government

Post by alynnidalar »

Micamo wrote:How their government works is an executor announces a policy goal, for example "increase the output of our solar panel network by 10% in the next 5 years."
What happens if the executor's policy goal is unreasonable? Is there anybody who is able to take the executors aside and quietly tell them their goals aren't possible, without being at risk for execution?
Micamo wrote:A "winner" of the lottery would be appointed to a governor position for life, and would be saddled with implementing the Executor's policy goals for the region. Success means rewards, but failure means execution. Governors are usually appointed and replaced very rapidly before the random lottery picks someone competent enough to stick around for a while.
How frequent are attempts to game the system or otherwise make it non-random? Personally, I'd like to avoid getting randomly picked...

Also, how far down does this go? E.g. does it just apply at a broad regional level, or does it apply down to city/neighborhood-level government as well? If so, are they under the same pressures as the higher governors, or is it more relaxed (and therefore, those positions might be more desirable, because you have a higher chance of reward with a lower risk of execution!)
User avatar
Micamo
MVP
MVP
Posts: 5671
Joined: 05 Sep 2010 19:48
Contact:

Re: Government

Post by Micamo »

alynnidalar wrote:What happens if the executor's policy goal is unreasonable? Is there anybody who is able to take the executors aside and quietly tell them their goals aren't possible, without being at risk for execution?
Freedom of thought and expression is surprisingly encouraged in the Imperium, despite its dictatorial form of government. The Kirinthi firmly believe that you can only tell good ideas from bad by having thorough debate and experimentation. The only requirement is that all opposition to the state must be "loyal opposition." Which basically means that you can say "The First Executor's policy goals are terrible" all day long but you can't say "We should behead the entire royal family and institute a democracy."

(Once again, the royal family makes an exception to its principles for the sake of maintaining itself.)
How frequent are attempts to game the system or otherwise make it non-random? Personally, I'd like to avoid getting randomly picked...
It's relatively easy to get an exemption from the lottery. Surprisingly few people actually do this though: Many Kirinthi have the hubris to think that everything would run perfectly if only they were in charge, and eagerly await the chance to prove themselves right.
Also, how far down does this go? E.g. does it just apply at a broad regional level, or does it apply down to city/neighborhood-level government as well? If so, are they under the same pressures as the higher governors, or is it more relaxed (and therefore, those positions might be more desirable, because you have a higher chance of reward with a lower risk of execution!)
There are 5 levels: Planetary, Continental, Regional, Local, and City. Sufficiently sparely populated regions have no City governor and are administered directly by the Local governor. The system is basically fractal: The Planetary governor has their Goals they are charged with achieving, and assign whichever goals they see fit to the Continental governors, who in turn assign goals to the Regional governors, etc. The same standards apply at all levels, but the Local and City governorships are the most desirable because at your ability to do your job depends on the competence of those below you. The more people below you, the more chances for someone else's mistake to screw you over too.
My pronouns are <xe> [ziː] / <xym> [zɪm] / <xys> [zɪz]

My shitty twitter
User avatar
Micamo
MVP
MVP
Posts: 5671
Joined: 05 Sep 2010 19:48
Contact:

Re: Government

Post by Micamo »

The Chosen of Yen'darik is a theocratic monarchy based on the principles of Yen'darism. Yen'darism teaches that all of reality is a corrupted, degenerate representation of a perfect realm simply called Heaven. Heaven contains copies of everything in our reality, including people and places, but in perfect, uncorrupted forms. No one ever ages or gets sick in Heaven and nothing bad ever happens. The senses of these flawed bodies are unreliable: True, untained knowledge can only be attained through direct communion with your counterpart in Heaven, which can be attained only by reflective meditation.

The priesthood is divided into two principle parts: The Keepers, charged with shaping Reality so that it more closely resembles Heaven, and the Prophets, kept in cells deprived of all contact with the outside world, diving deeply into themselves to obtain True Knowledge through communion with heaven. Between these two priesthoods is the Celestial Emperor, the leader of the government. The Celestial Emperor lives in a luxurious isolation (to resemble the conditions of heaven, of course, so they may better interpret the visions) listening to the reports the Keepers bring them about the outside world, and to the visions of the prophets. The Celestial Emperor, armed with information from both worlds, interprets the words of the prophets to translate it into actual policies that the Keepers then carry out.
My pronouns are <xe> [ziː] / <xym> [zɪm] / <xys> [zɪz]

My shitty twitter
User avatar
Foolster41
cuneiform
cuneiform
Posts: 155
Joined: 11 Aug 2012 07:45
Location: pacific Northwest, USA
Contact:

Re: Government

Post by Foolster41 »

GamerGeek wrote:
Foolster41 wrote:... in 447 KG ... in 3 NG ...
What year system do they use?
Salthan national year calcualtion is based on counting to when the republican senate was estalbished. KG (Kal Gishisenai, Lit. "Before senate") and NG (Ne Gishisenai, "after the senate"). Today's date is the 7th day of the 4th month of the year 2178 NG, according to the Salthan Calendar.

(The calendar is a bit confusing, it uses 25 day months made of 5 weeks each containing 5 days, except for the extra 19 days tacked on at the end of the year).

Before that it was based on the current year of the king (The last year year of Kakel's reign was simply "Year 68 of Kakel")
User avatar
Creyeditor
MVP
MVP
Posts: 5091
Joined: 14 Aug 2012 19:32

Re: Government

Post by Creyeditor »

I've been working on two government systems in my conworld now and I will show the first one here. It has bureaucratical, democratic, authoritarian and meritocratic elements. Disclaimer: This is neither a dystopia nor an utopia.

The president is the head of state and the commander-in-chief of the army. His term is very long and he is elected by the ministers from the ministers. Afterwards he is approved by the people with a yes-no vote. He can issue national decrees and presedential orders (in accordance with the constitution). He can also create and abolish authorities or regions, if approved by responsible ministers. Apart from enacting laws proposed by the ministers, he can also he also has the power of pardon.
The ministers each are responsible for a certain authority or region. Their terms are long and they are appointed by the president from the group of governors for special merits. The merits have to verified by the ministry of merits. They advise the president wrt a certain authority or region and also either govern a region or chair a central authority. Only the vice president is an exception. They can draft legislation concerning their region or their authority, which has to be enacted by the president. They also have to call meetings of their authority/regional governors every short time. They are immune from criminal prosecution, except if approved by president.
The governors are responsible for a certain province. They also chair their provincial court, head the administration in their province and can propose and enact provincial laws in accordance with all higher laws. They can also can suspend all senators in their province. They are basically sub-dictators, but they also have certain duties. They have to reside in their province, they have to send a report to the president every 'very short time' and have to attend regional meetings every short time. They are elected by the senators in their province and approved by the governors of all neighbouring provinces and the president. Their term is short. There are also special governors that either function as embassadors in other countries or work in certain departments.
The senators are each responsible for a certain district. Their term is long. They are appointed by the governor after they apply. They can only do this, if they already finnished a special training at the central administrative school. They govern a district and can enact district laws in accordance with all higher laws, but they also head a district court and the administration in their district.
Spoiler:
Image
Creyeditor
"Thoughts are free."
Produce, Analyze, Manipulate
1 :deu: 2 :eng: 3 :idn: 4 :fra: 4 :esp:
:con: Ook & Omlűt & Nautli languages & Sperenjas
[<3] Papuan languages, Morphophonology, Lexical Semantics [<3]
User avatar
Rheddie
rupestrian
rupestrian
Posts: 23
Joined: 10 Jun 2017 23:53
Location: The Land Which Rhyme Forgot
Contact:

Re: Government

Post by Rheddie »

The supreme ruler of Torn is a dictator called the Brenhyn. Here is what the Encyclopaedia Rupticus has to say about him:

"The Brenhyn, the Bear, the Swordrent - the Chosen High Lord of Torn who went away across the waters into the Cloud but came again to rule and guide us, the greatest and only leader the people of Torn have ever known. Their beloved King and Saviour, whom they worship and adore.

According to myth, was once married to the Rhianon Eve."

Extract from my novel The Qorbenic Programme when the Brenhyn first appears:
He was at least nine feet tall, but he seemed taller. He had a full head of curly brown hair that glistened like chestnuts, a full fine beard and a noble, pure face: his eyes were like black jewels and his nose could have been hewn by the Archangel Michael himself. His face seemed to glow with radiant light. He wore a gold circlet round his head (often, on TV, he wore many greater crowns, with diamonds and still more precious jewels, that only he, the Brenhyn, could have dared to imagine the existence of) and a breastplate set with row upon row of precious stones. Many medals hung from a gold sash across his chest and his cloak was scarlet. From his waist hung the Sword Itself, by which a Brenhyn was made and through which all of Torn was justly ruled.
Underneath the Brenhyn are the Lords called the Circuli, each of whom rules one of the cities of Torn.

Actually (SPOILERS):
Spoiler:
Secretly the country is ruled by the Prime Minister from Castle Qorbenic.
Ordinary law enforcement is the preserve mainly of the police:
The Qorbenic Programme wrote:The police were woodlice, segmented isopod crustaceans from under the Earth, but they were the size of two or three men, and could eat a person in a single swallow. This was the arrangement the Brenhyn had with the police: they would keep law and order in the cities, and in return they could feed upon any maiden who was stupid enough to venture out of doors and night, and when they could not find enough others would be sentenced to death by police as punishment for their crimes.
During a period when the maidens of Ƿeograncesos had been particularly sensible, and gone out little – it was the summer too, Juno’s moonth, so there was little nighttime – one of Adam and Rose’s classmates had been sentenced to death by police as punishment for only a small sin. She had dropped a ruler in class during an exam and disturbed the silence. As a result she was taken up before the magistrates and there handed over to the police. All her hair was shaven from her head and body the way the police liked it most. She was tied up in globwebs and the police did not eat her in a single bite but sucked on her slowly over moonths and moonths, as they sometimes liked to do, until there was nothing left, and she was conscious for all of it, but could not scream because the globwebs prevented her.
The police spoke only in their own language, a system of hisses and clicks and whispers, which you had to learn to talk as best you could, because if you did not answer their demands you could be punished for it. Adam had a scar on his left hand from when he had failed to give his name to a polouse when he was five, and it had burned him with its whiplike tongue, because he had not understood the request.
The chief of the police in each town was a creature like a hornet, with a sting that caused agonising death, but these chiefs were generally pleasant enough creatures, and rarely harmed anybody.
The police are not to be confused with the Anti-Sex Police, a separate organisation charged with preventing sexual activity and thoughts amongst the ordinary people. They report to the Sinquisition, a secretive body of nine hooded, black-robed judges.

But there are also various officials groups responsible for handing down punishment. On the ordinary city level the magistrates. Nationally the Uniqorn (A hideous bipedal rhinoceros-like creature with far too much skin for its body.)monitors (a selection of) broadcast thoughts and punishes those which break the law.
ωqések zusada axbuqev́ : cuaqek cuaqzaént epbióv́
User avatar
LinguoFranco
greek
greek
Posts: 613
Joined: 20 Jul 2016 17:49
Location: U.S.

Re: Government

Post by LinguoFranco »

I don't really have a conworld at the moment, but I am thinking about having one culture with a diarchy or an elective monarchy.
User avatar
Pabappa
greek
greek
Posts: 577
Joined: 18 Nov 2017 02:41

Re: Government

Post by Pabappa »

Rheddie wrote: 24 Aug 2017 23:11 The police were woodlice, segmented isopod crustaceans from under the Earth....
Wow. I'm impressed. I am interested in reading this novel when it is published, and that's also very rare for me.
I originally wrote " Very rarely do I stumble upon an idea that makes *my* imagination seem tame. " but realized that i sound like Im full of myself ... i think what I meant was that it's rare that my fascination with parasites and other dangerous creatures hasnt prepared me for the mental imagery i get when i come across someone else's idea ... at any rate, i dont mean to offer praise that really is thinly disguised self-praise.
The police are not to be confused with the Anti-Sex Police, a separate organisation charged with preventing sexual activity and thoughts amongst the ordinary people. They report to the Sinquisition, a secretive body of nine hooded, black-robed judges.
...and thoughts?

It looks like you lighten up the dark setting with comic relief in the form of puns, too.

------------------------

I'll try to add here things that arent already available on FrathWiki. These societies are based in a world where the technology is comparable to Biblical times on Earth, so they may seem unrealistically complex, but I plan to allow for tolerance of a low level of disobedience and inefficiency to be built into each system.

MOONSHINE:

http://www.frathwiki.com/Proto-Moonshin ... government

Moonshine is a cold-climate empire stretching from 37N to 60N on the planet Teppala. They are famous for their extremely feministic culture, expressed in every facet of life from day-to-day interaction to the laws and structures of their government. Because the Moonshines (sic) originated as a branch of the Crystal political party, however, they are unique in many other ways, and these other traits have come to be associated with feminism.

Moonshine is a single-party state, and therefore the form of government is prescribed by the Moonshine political party:
  • Only women can hold power. Men cannot hold an office of any kind, even as a temporary stand-in for his wife. This is a law rather than a political position, and therefore cannot be changed.
  • There is no head of state; the top level of the government is instead a committee of 8 women, one for each of the eight departments of government.
  • These women do not have absolute power, either; their power can be overruled at lower levels by toparchs, the women who run each city within the Moonshine Empire. Thus, Moonshine can be considered a confederacy, in which the local governments are much stronger than the federal government.
  • Uniquely in the world, much of the Moonshine government is based on a circular power structure, where everybody has authority over people below them, but is checked by people above them. In this system, from any woman in power, it is possible to draw a line down to officeholders of ever-decreasing power, only to end up eventually at the woman who directly supervises the woman at the beginning of the line. Thus all of these women can be considered equipotent, and decisions are usually made cooperatively.
Moonshine's government employs a large subset of its female population, far more than in other empires. There is no democracy; women join the government by enrolling in school and indicating that they wish to serve in the government. Any student who passes their courses is awarded a government job upon completing their coursework, and therefore the government is very large. It is difficult to accumulate inordinate amounts of power in Moonshine, however, so few women are tempted to enter the government solely to wield power over other people. Likewise, the constant influx of teenage girls fresh out of university prevents old entrenched power structures from developing and excluding newcomers who may have more liberal (or atavistically conservative) ideas.

--------

KAVA:
Kava is a literal plutocracy in which the government is controlled by the legislature, and voting rights are purchased from the central government. Therefore, the more money someone has, the more potential votes they have, but in order to vote, they must spend their money. All voting is done by referendum, and therefore, anyone can choose whether to vote on a given referendum or wait for an issue they care more strongly about to come up.

--------------------
edit: finishing earlier post.

GHOSTS OF COMFORT:
The curiously named Ghosts of Comfort came to power in a chaotic era with no stable power. They were descended from many diverse tribes united by a common political philosophy. They reintroduced democracy to an area of the planet which had seen it only briefly several hudnred years earlier. However, theirs was a one-party democracy, in which only Ghosts who had been approved by the party leaders could run for office, and non-Ghosts were exlcuded from both officeholding and voting. Most commoners cared little about politics, and signed up as Ghosts regardless of their personal beliefs, since there was no monetary requirement for party membership. However, in order to run for any government office, they had to be approved by the Ghost party leaders at the national level. This was intended to prevent the rise of any resistance movements in which local party leaders agreed to band together in defense of a typically non-Ghost philosophy and therefore approve as members new recruits who did not embrace the traditional Ghost ideology.

Originally, the Ghosts rejected the idea of a national constitution, saying that the entire structure of government was open for change, and that the Ghost party retained the right to allow other parties to stand for election, and that the Ghost party could even vote to abolish itself if enough party leaders changed their minds. However, as hteir military power grew, the rank and file of the Ghost leadership became more open to embracing liberal ideas, and the old guard perversely wished for war so that the younger, more liberal members would close ranks in defense of their neighbors and therefore allow the original Ghost philosophy to survive unchanged for future generations. Instead, however, the Ghost leaders voted to enact a constitution limitign the power of the Ghosts to modify themselves and their government. The Ghosts forswore many powers in this new constitution, but all of what they were giving up were powers that they feared would soon be used against them by the liberals members within their party.

With the new constitution, the liberals were locked out of power, and the Ghosts began a purge of all of the dissenters, depriving them of their party membership in order to deprive them of the right to vote. To pacify the rejected members, the Ghost leaders improted a large number of slaves from nearby weaker nations, and gave them mostly to non-Ghosts so that the children of the slaves would grow up thinking of non-Ghosts (who soon came to call themselves Dreamers) as their primary enemy.
Kavunupupis, šiŋuputata.
When I see you pointing at me, I know I'm in trouble. (Play)
User avatar
Reyzadren
greek
greek
Posts: 684
Joined: 14 May 2017 10:39
Contact:

Re: Government

Post by Reyzadren »

There are many cultures and countries in my conworld, so I'm quite sure one can find all kinds of government systems. Though, most griuskant regions seem to prefer anarchy/minarchy.
Image conlang summary | Image griushkoent thread
Anarel
rupestrian
rupestrian
Posts: 22
Joined: 07 Nov 2017 14:07

Re: Government

Post by Anarel »

I have several kinds of government in my conworld, but I still have to work on many of them. However, I can describe the government of the Ark-Empire.

Years before its foundation, the continent of Aeziniar was composed of a miriad of small and big kingdoms, territories dominated by the Great Houses and some small lands outside the law.
But then, Malakur Arkon, a nobleman head of a small House controlling a small kingdom, united everyone under a single banner and a single government by the use of dragons and a strong army.
This feat was possible thanks to a unique magic named "Novga" he gained, according to the legends, from a Red Dragon he managed to kill deep down the Charred Mountains far in the South of the territories controlled by the Aezin.
A unique characteristic of the Ark-Empire is how they manage successions: the Novga can be inherited by the descendants of who has the power, but it NEVER is lineal. Meaning that the first born son is not always the one that has inherited the power. It was then established very early the title of "Heir of the Novga" to designate the next emperor or empress.

Ok, now on to the workings of the Ark-Empire:
The government is hierarchical, highly structurated and based around a lot of burocracy.
Noble men and women are the core of the different structures of power. For the Aezin of the Ark-Empire a noble man/woman should and must be of usefulness to the Crown and to the People. They have all sorts of responsibilities, jobs and titles. They manage, control and are in charge of justice, burocracy, army, taxes, etc. "An idle noble is a shameful noble", as the saying goes.
There is a distinction between "high", "middle" and "low" nobility, which are all based on the degree of responsibilities and from what House the noble is from. For example: only the Great Houses can "produce" high nobles. There is movement between degrees of nobility. A low noble can ascend to middle noble, but the opposite is also possible. However, high nobility cannot be accessed and a set number of high nobles is established each year by the Crown.
Ok, regarding hierarchies, from top to bottom we have:

-The Great Council, formed by the current emperor/empress, the Heir of the Novga and the eldest and wisest of the high/middle/low nobles. They have legislative and administrative competences, and are in charge of the defense of the Empire. Its members are representatives of all the Houses, Provinces and Regions of the empire.

-The Imperial Judiciary, formed by Judges and Defenders. It is the supreme judicial authority. They administer and give justice and have branches all over the Ark-Empire. The Judge-Knights depend on this organism, who controls their actions and deeds.

-Central Administration, formed by the core of the high nobility and a part of the middle nobility. It is the main burocratic organism, they control, look after and administer burocracy. It has branches in all territories.

-Houses (great, small), formed by nobles from all degrees. Houses provide the empire with public servants, public officers, burocrats and governors. Houses also provide with knights, soldiers, paladins, etc. Each Lord of each Great House has the title of Archduke and control and administer one of the 21 Provinces. Lords from small Houses administer each one a Region and have the title of Dukes. By the way, the middle mobility control the whole system of taxes and local burocracy through a hierarchical system of Dukes, Counts, Barons, Mayors and management/overseer positions in several imperial organisations (warderns of prisons, treasurers, etc).

-The Faith accepts members from all hierarchies of society. The strict hierarchy of the Faith provides the Empire with Mainverem or Sacred Healers, Priestess of Light, Abbots, White Ladies, Paladins, etc. Each one has a series os tasks and a holy mission they must obey. The Faith is controlled by the Enlightened, chosen from the most faithful and wise of the clergy and above them is the Great Enlightened, the supreme sub-leader of the Faith, as the true leader is the late Māqar Ishterēk, who was the one that started it all.

This is the classic social hierarchy, but in more modern times another power rose: the Common People united together and started to protest against the harsh working conditions. After repeated strikes, demonstrations and much social unrest, the Crown had no other way but to please the Commoners. Thus, the Unions were created. There were already Guilds for several jobs (specially arts, metallurgy works, etc) but the Unions actually protected the workers, improved working conditions, reduced working hours, wages rose, etc. Unions and Guilds ended up, in time, merging together into the Imperial Union and Guild Organisation.
User avatar
eldin raigmore
korean
korean
Posts: 6352
Joined: 14 Aug 2010 19:38
Location: SouthEast Michigan

Re: Government

Post by eldin raigmore »

I must return to this.

Adpihi's planetary government has a unicameral parliament of 625 members which elects a 5-member executive council from among its members.
They serve staggered terms, and the executive council has a rotating chairmanship.
There's a complicated set of rules to keep the 24 representative districts un-gerrymandered and to make sure the executive council has geographically-diverse support as well as support from a majority of the voters.
Power within the parliament depends partly on seniority.

The 144 regional governments have their own constitutions, own legislatures (mostly unicameral miniature copies of the planetary legislature), and own executives or executive councils.
Some of the sub-regions also have their own constitutions; most have their own legislatures; all have their own executives.

Reptigan's interplanetary government is very complicated and I haven't worked it all out. For an action to be taken, it must be approved by a majority of the inhabited bodies and a majority of the constituent species as well as a majority of the voters. Some parts of it are like the Earth's bicameral legislatures; some parts of it are like the Earth's electoral colleges; some like various historical tricameral and 4-chambered parliaments. All of that is subject to change.

This is not a complete description. But I wanted to at least start.
User avatar
elemtilas
runic
runic
Posts: 3021
Joined: 22 Nov 2014 04:48

Re: Government

Post by elemtilas »

eldin raigmore wrote: 26 Nov 2017 17:31 Adpihi's planetary government has a unicameral parliament of 625 members which elects a 5-member executive council from among its members.
They serve staggered terms, and the executive council has a rotating chairmanship.
There's a complicated set of rules to keep the 24 representative districts un-gerrymandered and to make sure the executive council has geographically-diverse support as well as support from a majority of the voters. Power within the parliament depends partly on seniority.
Wow. How much inhabited territory does this government encompass?

For comparison, Earth's 148.3 million km2 would make 24 regions of 6,179,000 km2 each a little smaller than Canada or the US. 26 MPs from each region --- if the US were a region, each state would send 1/2 MP.

How did they come about choosing a unicameral system? They have an executive council, so a kind of parliamentary system. If there is one, is the judiciary independent or unified with the Parliament? Does the planetary government have a single Head of State that represents it to other worlds?
User avatar
eldin raigmore
korean
korean
Posts: 6352
Joined: 14 Aug 2010 19:38
Location: SouthEast Michigan

Re: Government

Post by eldin raigmore »

elemtilas wrote: 27 Nov 2017 00:28Wow. How much inhabited territory does this government encompass?
As much as Earth has (about).


elemtilas wrote: 27 Nov 2017 00:28For comparison, Earth's 148.3 million km2 would make 24 regions of 6,179,000 km2 each a little smaller than Canada or the US. 26 MPs from each region --- if the US were a region, each state would send 1/2 MP.
The legislative districts aren't single-member districts, nor are they mutually exclusive.
There are 12 districts whose boundaries are lines of longitude; 12 districts whose boundaries are lines of latitude; and 1 at-large district covering the whole planet.
Each of the twelfths has the same population as each of the other twelfths. But it's just luck if any intersection of a longitudinal district and a latitudinal district, happens to be the same population as some other such intersection; indeed, it's possible that some such intersections may be uninhabited.
Each district elects 25 representatives, one inhabitant of each district. Each twelfth elects a member from each twelfth, including themselves, and a member whose residence is unrestricted. Also, the planet at large elects an at-large representative from each twelfth and an additional at-large representative whose residence is unrestricted. That makes for 25*25 = 625 members.
Spoiler:
When a member of the executive council must retire (temporarily) from it, the parliament votes on his/her replacement. To be eligible to replace the outgoing executive, the candidate must not have been elected either by or from any twelfth the current executives (including the outgoing executive) is by or from. Furthermore, in voting for such a candidate, a member-of-parliament may not vote for a candidate who is elected either by or from any of the same twelfths s/he were elected by or from.
A candidate-executive must have been voted for by at least 1/3 of the representatives to be elected to the executive council.

Members who are from the twelfth that elects them can't be elected executives. Nor can members who were elected by the whole planet at-large; nor can members whose residence was not restricted in their election. It happens that these 71 members are also the members who are likeliest to be re-elected to parliament many times; so they tend to gain influence in parliament by seniority. Also, in electing members of the executive council, they have the freest choice. This gives them a certain extra influence with MPs running for executive.
Relevant fact; the planetary population is restricted to 1,512,000,000 (1.512 billion) persons.


elemtilas wrote: 27 Nov 2017 00:28How did they come about choosing a unicameral system?
Two answers:
(Real-World) They didn't choose it; they're fictional characters. I chose it for them.
(In-Story) I don't know how, nor even whether, they chose it. I haven't gotten that far.


elemtilas wrote: 27 Nov 2017 00:28They have an executive council, so a kind of parliamentary system.
That's right. The executive council is kind of as if the Prime Minister were a committee instead of one person.


elemtilas wrote: 27 Nov 2017 00:28If there is one, is the judiciary independent or unified with the Parliament?
I haven't worked on that yet. I have a kind of vague impression that the judiciary is at least as "independent" as the U.K.'s House of Lords, and probably at least as "independent" as the U.S.'s Supreme Court.


elemtilas wrote: 27 Nov 2017 00:28Does the planetary government have a single Head of State that represents it to other worlds?
I've been assuming that's the current chairperson of the executive council; the one who has been sitting on it longest, and is next to retire.
(OTOH the most-recently-elected member of the executive council is the one who comes closest to representing the "current will of the people".)


Spoiler:
Adpihi's planet is divided into 144 geographic regions that each have their own constitution, their own legislature, their own executive, and their own laws.
These average about 3,333 km east-west and about 1,667 km north-south.
There is wide variance around those averages. From equator to poles they tend to get slimmer east-west and taller north-south.
But that's subject to their having equal population.
Each has a population averaging about 10,500,000 people. There's less variance in that than their areal dimensions, but there's some variance in that, too.
These regions occupy a position somewhere between what a Nation-State or Country occupies in current real-life Earth, and what a State or Province, or its equivalent in other federal nation-states, occupies.

Each of those 144 regions is divided into an average of about 144 subregions (most often exactly 144), that occupy a position somewhere between what a State or a Province does in modern real-life Earth federal nations, and what a county or parish or some equivalent occupies in countries that have subregions of "states". Each of these "countyoids" has a population, averaging around 72,917 each. This is too small for the "countyoids" to have their own home-written constitutions, so the regions promulgate the constitutions of their subregions; however, it's more than large enough to have their own legislatures and executives and laws.
The geographic size of a subregion averages about 278 km east-west by about 139 km north-south. These dimensions vary even more about their averages than the dimensions for the regions, because the nature of the terrain can be more homogeneous in each subregion, and vary more drastically from that of some other subregion in the same region. Since their population varies a lot less about its average, densely-populated subregions may have a lot less area than sparsely-populated ones.

Each subregion may be divided into about 144 subsubregions, like American "townships" or "municipal districts". Their average size will be about 23km EW by 12km NS, and about 506 people. This is considered too small to have its own laws or its own legislature; but it usually will have its own executive (normally just one citizen) and its own judiciary (normally just one judge).

----------------------

Adpihi's planetary government lasts into the Reptigan era.
But the Reptigan Union is an interplanetary interspecies society; and its government is more complex.
(And I have less of it worked out.)
Last edited by eldin raigmore on 30 Nov 2017 02:13, edited 3 times in total.
User avatar
spanick
roman
roman
Posts: 1336
Joined: 11 May 2017 01:47
Location: California

Re: Government

Post by spanick »

The Kingdom of Svartsberg (government described in Page 1 of this topic) was invaded and occupied during the Second World War. In 1946, the country was reestablished as the Republic of Svartsberg (Republik Svartsbergs). It is a parliamentary, unicameral, constitutional republic.

The Lödsmot (Parliament) consists of 78 voting members and seven non-voting members. The seven non-voting members are the bishops of the Gothic-Greek Catholic Church, which is written into the Constitution as the State Church. This is a holdover from the Ričmot of the Kingdom of Svartsberg, on which the current Lödsmot was modeled. In fact, the original draft for the constitution also included a large number of seats for the Adlos (Nobles) just as the Ričmot had. However, this was widely unpopular because many noble families collaborated with the Nazis and was ultimately not approved. Regardless, a large number of politicians come from the noble families.

Each Abahts (MP) is elected for a four year term and may serve up to five terms. The whole of the Lödsmot is elected at once using a closed-list proportional system. The Prezident (President) is elected by the people separately using single transferrable vote. The Prezident serves for a term of six years and may serve up to two terms. One of his duties is to nominate a candidate for Premjer (Prime Minister) to be approved by the Lödsmot.

The current Prezident is Petros fram Nüborgs (KP) and the current Premjer is Vladzimer Herdz (HDP). The most recent election for the Lödsmot was in 2014. Elections for the Eighteenth Lödsmot will be held 30 June 2018. The current seated parties are as follows (ranked from most seats to least):

Hhrestljeko Demokratsko Parti (HDP) “Christian Democratic Party” – 38 seats
Koservatorsko Parti (KP) “Conservative Party” – 12 seats
Demokratsko Socialistsko Parti (DSP) “Democratic Socialist Party” – 9 seats
Socialistsko Löds Parti (SLP) “Socialist People’s Party” – 6 seats
Liberal-Demokratsko Parti (LDP) “Liberal-Democratic Party” – 5 seats
Srbskis Anasos (SA) “Serbian Unity” – 3 seats
Anasos fož Svartsberg (AfS) “Unity for Svartsberg” – 3 seats
Bošnjaksko Parti (BP) “Bosnian Party” – 1 seat
Hrvatsko Gabed (HG) “Croatian League” – 1 seat

The ideologies of the parties in parliament:
HDP – Christian Democracy; Liberal Conservatism
KP – Svartsberg Nationalism; Euroscepticism; Conservatism
DSP – Social Democracy; Pro-Europeanism
SLP – Left Wing Populism; Social Democracy
LDP – Classical Liberalism
SA – Serbian Unionism; Conservatism
AfS – Svartsberg Nationalism; Centrism; Populism
BP – Bosniak minority interests; Social Conservatism
HG – Croatian minority interests; Social Conservatism

The HDP and the KP have historically worked closely together and are currently in a coalition giving them an impressive 50 seats (64% majority) in the Lödsmot. The DSP and SLP are the main opposition coalition. The LDP and the AfS often form an independent coalition and are together seen as swing votes. The remaining parties are all independent although they do sometimes join other coalitions.

The Lödsmot meets in the capital city of Losk, which is the historic capital of the Kingdom of Svartsberg and meets in the historic Mothus. The Prezident resides in the former residence of the King which is now called the Prezidentspalac. Losk is also the site of the Nacjonal Vetodhus Republikos (National Court of the Republic) which is the highest court in the country. There are seven Stuvan (judges) who are nominated by the Prezident and approved by the Lödsmot.
User avatar
eldin raigmore
korean
korean
Posts: 6352
Joined: 14 Aug 2010 19:38
Location: SouthEast Michigan

Re: Government

Post by eldin raigmore »

Reyzadren wrote: 23 Nov 2017 00:34 There are many cultures and countries in my conworld, so I'm quite sure one can find all kinds of government systems. Though, most griuskant regions seem to prefer anarchy/minarchy.
What's "minarchy"?
Is it just a typo for "monarchy" (I hope not!)?
Or is it something else I don't remember hearing of before (I hope so!)?
User avatar
Dormouse559
moderator
moderator
Posts: 2945
Joined: 10 Nov 2012 20:52
Location: California

Re: Government

Post by Dormouse559 »

eldin raigmore wrote: 30 Nov 2017 02:17 What's "minarchy"?
Rule by King Minos. By extension, a rule characterized by a labyrinthine system of taxation (Can I claim the Athenian youth deduction?) and a very … particular attraction to certain prize bulls. [:x]
User avatar
spanick
roman
roman
Posts: 1336
Joined: 11 May 2017 01:47
Location: California

Re: Government

Post by spanick »

eldin raigmore wrote: 30 Nov 2017 02:17
Reyzadren wrote: 23 Nov 2017 00:34 There are many cultures and countries in my conworld, so I'm quite sure one can find all kinds of government systems. Though, most griuskant regions seem to prefer anarchy/minarchy.
What's "minarchy"?
Is it just a typo for "monarchy" (I hope not!)?
Or is it something else I don't remember hearing of before (I hope so!)?
Minimal government
Post Reply