Hamanian Empire

King

The King of Hama is the head of state, head of government and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

The King is elected by the Council of Chief from among its members for a fixed term by simple majority. In practice the chief of the Manonites tribe, the largest tribe of Hama, is reelected King until death, incapacitation or abdication. The incumbent King is His Majesty, Maduallahu.

The King has the power to execute laws. He appoints Ministers of the Crown at his discretion and pleasure to helm departments and advice him on policy issues. They meet regularly and form a Cabinet, over which he presides, acting as a chairman. He has the power to promulgate laws, and by refusing to do so, vetoes the law. This veto can be overturned by a ⅔ majority of the Council of Chiefs.

He has the power to dissolve the House of the People, but he is empowered to call new elections and announce the results thereof as expediently as possible. He opens annual sessions of the legislature as a whole with address discussing the outcomes and plans of his government's policies.

He appoints ambassadors and receives the accreditation of foreign emissaries. He has the power to commute a sentence. He has the power to confer titles and honours. He has the power to appoint judges of the Supreme Court, but it has become precedent for him to appoint a candidate advised by the Judicial Commission of the Privy Council, which is made up of legal experts.

The Privy Council is a body that advises the King on the exercise of his duties. In practice, executive control and direction over the daily affairs of government lies in the hands of the Executive Commission, known colloquially as the Cabinet, and the appointment of judges lies in the hands of the Judicial Commission.

The King has the power to declare war and make peace. He has the power to negotiate and sign treaties, but only the Council of Chiefs has power to make them legally enforceable. The King has the supreme direction of the armed forces. He has the power to appoint Generals. He usually relies on the advice of the National Defence and Security Committee (a committee of experts led by the Minister of Defence) on the exercise of his duties in that regard.

The King exercises a great deal of control over the civil service, the police and the armed forces of the land. Although the Kings are benevolent and have largely tolerated popular dissent and listened to the will of the people, especially through the House of the People, they have used this power to suppress opponents in the past. The King himself is inviolate before the law and unanswerable to any court. He is in essence a autocrat.

His hold on power however is not absolute. He works with Chiefs and the Governors of Hamanian colonies when making decisions and exercising his powers. These officials wield a great degree of personal influence and legal authority within the realms they are charged to oversee, thereby diluting the extent to which the King can exercise absolute despotic power.

Parliament

The Parliament of Hama forms the legislative branch of the government. It passes laws, ratifies treaties and approves the annual budget.

It has the power of the purse (to lend and borrow, to dispense funds, to coin currency and to make use of reserves). It has the power to fix the the borders and powers of colonies, tribes and provinces and other subnational divisions. It has the power to ratify treaties. The Parliament is technically the highest institution in the realm, even higher than the King; the King is appointed by the Parliament and he is not the Sovereign - God is the Sovereign.

The Parliament is made of two chambers. The power of effect is given to the Council of Chiefs. In reality the Council of Chiefs wields all the power. The House of the People has the power of counsel. In practice it is merely an advisory body that issues non binding recommendations and resolutions. It has the power to summon civil servants to question, but requires the permission of the King to do so. In reality these question times and reports are opportunities to orchestrate support for the state rather than critically censure the government.

The Council of Chiefs is comprised of the chiefs of the twelve tribes of Hama. Each chief comes to office according to the traditions and customs of their people. Some tribes elect their chiefs. Others inherit the office (one allowing women to accede and others not). Others must compete for the office according to their rites.

The House of the People is elected by the adult citizens of the Kingdom of Hama (in practice Hamanites). They are elected by proportional representation. Without a minimum threshold, many parties are elected and rarely does any party win over half the seats. The Hamanian People Party is the biggest party. It is a centrist party supporting the status quo, reinforcing the government's policies. While people have agitated for more radicality, the charitable activities of the HPP have led to its widespread social support.

Governance

Hama is a benevolent dictatorship. This means that the state apparatus is designed and able to oppress the people but in practice gives them more rights than the law actually affords them.

Gender

Women and men are generally equal. Discrimination against women for public services is illegal, in fact there are services specifically catered to women. Women are equal to men in pay, workload and worker rights, and receive equal consideration in government and business employment and promotion opportunities. Women have the right to own property, give testimony in court and adopt children (even without a husband). Women, however may not serve in the army or inherit chieftaincy of a tribe, and by extension rulership of the Kingdom.

In terms of the law of personal status there are some discrepancies. Women are guaranteed maternal leave and protection of their jobs in the time that they are gone. Women have equal rights of inheritance. They have equal right to property accrued before and during marriage, or to financial support depending on the situation. A women may adopt a child and generally is favoured in child custody contestation. Women, however, do not have the right to abort a pregnancy unless their lives are in danger or they were raped. Social and cultural expectations of women and men are different and are largely conservative but do not typically arise from the law or policies.

Press

The press is generally free to discuss any issue and journalists are protected from coercion or repression. But lesé majeste laws exist to protect the Monarchy from criticism. As Kings have generally been more liberal, they do not act on lesé majeste except in extreme and overly disturbing cases (which generally fall under slander and anti defamation laws). Explicitly calling for the usurpation of the monarchy is sedition.

Transparency and Accountability

Extrajudicial killings are not allowed. Bribery, fraud, money laundering, racketeering and nepotism are taken seriously and there is significant punitive action against those who break the law. The laws governing this in other parts of the empire (outside of Hama-proper) are more vague leaving more gaps in the law.

In general the government is fairly transparent and accountable. State officials are investigated and punished for illegal acts. The state communicates its flaws and takes questions from the press and consults with the public. Unfortunately it has not attained the level of transparency and accountability that exists in mature democracies.

Sexuality

Homosexual marriage is not recognised by the law. Technically homosexuality is a criminal offence, but the law has limited the definition of homosexuality to explicit sexual acts rather than stereotypical behavioural characteristics or displays of affection between people of the same gender. The law of criminal procedure also makes it difficult to prove and successfully prosecute homosexual sexual acts as the law defines them. In practice homosexuality is added as an additional charge in cases of pedophilia, sexual harassment and possession, dissemination and production of pornographic material.

Environment

Environmental protection within Hama-proper is good while in the rest of the empire it is average or below average. Illegal dumping is taken seriously. Broad powers have been given to the Office for the Environment, Water and Wildlife to prosecute and investigate such acts. Hama has also benefited from breeding projects, so animal products such as ivory can be acquired legally and sustainably. Hunting is not really a popular sport even among the rich. Carbon tax laws are in place and enforcement has improved. But there are still flaws in the system that must be addressed.