The Confederal Republic of Michaelia
Confederal Flag
Major State Arms
Minor State Arms
Presidential Seal
Head of State & Government: President Henry Baker
Legislative Body: National Confederal Assembly & National Congress
Government Type: Presidential Confederation
Motto: "To be kept right or set right"
National Anthem: The Archangel's Justice/ The Legend of Saint Michael
Capital City: Free City of Capital
Population: 100.73 million (83 million: Core Michaelia; 17 million: Occupied Moravian States)
GDP per Capita: 43,600 USD
Government Structure:
The 35 States
Michaelia is divided into 35 states. Each state has its own governments that are responsible for managing and administrating the state, as long as they do not counteract national law or the constitution. Each state‘s government can organise itself as it pleases, and appoints two Assembly Members (AMs) to the National Confederal Assembly. Each state can levy taxes on its populace as it pleases, provided that the state can provide the required quota of taxes for the Confederal Government and balance its own budget.
The National Confederal Assembly
The National Confederal Assembly (NCA) is made up of 70 AMs, who are appointed by the 35 states. The NCA is the Upper House of the Confederal Government. The NCA can create bills, and if a majority of AMs vote in support of the bill, it will be sent to the National Congress (NC) where if passed it will become law. The same is true vice versa for the NC. However, the NC can bypass the NCA if it blocks a bill three times.
The National Congress
The National Congress is made up of 160 Congressmen, who are appointed by parties every national election (held every 6 years) who in turn receive a set amount of seats to fill depending on their electoral share. The electorate is made up of every able adult citizen (18+). The NC is the Lower House of the Confederal Government.
The President & Cabinet
The President is appointed by the NC every national election. They have veto power over any bill that makes its way through both the NCA and NC. They are head of state and government as well as commander in chief, and are responsible for the execution and enforcement of the laws of the state. They appoint a cabinet who leads departments in the day-to-day running of the country. The President must have held a government office for at least 15 years prior to their appointment (these 15 years need to be in total, not continuous), but may not hold any other government office whilst President.
The High Court
The High Court is made up of 12 High Judges, who hold the position for life or retirement with the current President appointing a new Judge if a vacancy is created. They are the final court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in Michaelia, and are also tasked with making sure legislation passed by the Confederal Government conforms with the National Constitution. They have the power to overturn legislation which violates the Constitution, however this in turn can be overturned by a super majority vote in the NC with the consent of the President (the same requirement for changing the Constitution. In the event this happens, the NC will be tasked with amending the Constitution so that it and the new legislation do not conflict, with any changes requiring a supermajority from the NC. If a change is not confirmed within a month, the troublesome legislation is permanently struck down.
Ceremonial Monarchs
Whilst Michaelia is a republic, the state does recognise the existence of several ceremonial monarchs within its borders, who have a traditional claim to a domain within the borders of the Republic. These monarchs are subservient to the Republic rather than above it. They receive a small grant split between the Confederal Government and any state governments they own land in and in return the state controls any political activism and control (though not ownership) over any royal property deemed to be culturally significant to the Michaelian people.
Segregation
Michaelia is divided by a system of informal segregation, on both state level and Confederal level. Examples include the limiting of movement between states based off of citizenship, the limit of suffrage to those who can pass a civics test, exclusionary zoning laws, formalised state-level segregation in workplaces, etc. The system has only intensified after the invasion and conquest of Olympia, Oregon and Portland, with the occupied Moravians lacking basic rights and living under martial law, with their status as part of the Confederal Republic still hanging in limbo.