Difference between revisions of "Nation/Soltsteed"

Latest revision as of 23:49, 3 November 2017

Soltsteedish Commonwealth Soltsteedish Gemeinweud
Motto: Wie sent en skal senten (Soltsteedish: "We are and shall be")
Anthem: Aferstannen yt ruinen (Soltsteedish: "Risen from ruins")
Location of Soltsteed in Atlantian Oceania
Region		Atlantian Oceania
Capital		Eswelle
Largest city		Port Michael
Official languages		Soltsteedish English
Languages of historical significance		Greek Italian French Spanish Swedish High German Scots Gaelic
Demonym		Soltsteedish Soltsteeder
Government		Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
-	King	William Thomas
-	Chancellor	Claudie Michälssen
-	Speaker of the National Council	Sophie Mickelssen
-	Speaker of the National Diet	Jacob Rotstad
Legislature		States General
-	Upper house	National Council
-	Lower house	National Diet
Currency		Shilling (HAS)
Time zone		SST
		DST not observed
Date format		dd-mm-yyyy
Drives on the		left
Internet TLD		.ha

Soltsteed (/sɔːltˈstiːd/; locally /sɒlʔˈstiːʔ/; Soltsteedish pronunciation: /sʌlʔsteːt/), officially the Soltsteedish Commonwealth, is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy located on the north-eastern end of the landmass of Cyanea in Atlantian Oceania.

Etymology

The name Soltsteed derives from Old Saxon: Solt is a dialectal form of the Saxon salt (which is reflected as saut in modern Standard Soltsteedish) and is cognate with the English word "salt"; the element steed derives from stedi, meaning "city" or "place". The name references the salt mines that were the source of Soltsteed’s historic wealth and fame.

Most Germanic languages use calques such as Dutch Zoutstad German Salzstadt and archaic English Saltstead, while Romance languages tend to use names derived from Salia, such as French Selie. Greek uses the similarly-derived name Aleia (Άλεια), from whose ancient form Haleia comes Soltsteed’s two-letter country code.

History

Geography

Geology

Climate

Biodiversity

Politics

Soltsteed is governed as a democratic, parliamentary constitutional monarchy with universal suffrage. The Soltsteedish political system operates within the bounds of and derives its legitimacy from the 1947 Constitution, which regulates the powers of state institutions and the relationship between the state and the people; it is founded on the principles of responsible government, judicial independence and the rule of law and guarantees fundamental and universal human rights that cannot be infringed upon by the state.

The Reigning King (de sittänne Köning), currently William Thomas, is the ceremonial head of state of Soltsteed, acting as "the symbol of the Commonwealth and of the unity of the people"; unusually, the Soltsteedish monarchy is a popular monarchy in which the holder’s power is linked to a popular mandate. The monarch has few de jure powers, the most notable of which are the power to nominate the Chancellor of Soltsteed, refuse a parliamentary dissolution and to refer bills to the Supreme Court to test their compatibility with the Constitution.

The Chancellor of Soltsteed, currently Claudie Michälssen, serves as the head of government of Soltsteed. The Chancellery initially possessed little power under the absolutist monarchy, but accrued significant power as the monarchy’s position weakened throughout the Soltsteedish Anarchy. The Chancellor later became the unchallenged leader of Soltsteed in the aftermath of the Soltsteedish Civil War and the fall of the Regency, with the war resulting in the depoliticisation of the monarchy and democratisation of Soltsteed. The modern Chancellor serves as the commander-in-chief of the Soltsteedish Defence Forces (SDF), negotiates the terms of treaties, appoints and dismisses government secretaries and exercises control over policies of the central government.

The Thingstead in Eswelle, the seat of the States General of Soltsteed.

The bicameral States General exercises legislative power and control over the executive through its ability to withhold confidence and supply. The National Diet of Soltsteed is elected by universal and secret suffrage for all Soltsteedish citizens over the age of 18, using a modified version of mixed-member proportional representation within 250 dual-member constituencies. As the lower house of the States General, Diet initiates most legislation and has the sole power to invest and dismiss the Government of Soltsteed, the power to initiate monetary bills and declare war and peace on behalf of the Commonwealth.

The National Council is the upper house of the States General and is formed on a corporative basis, representing the interests of various sectors of society. The Council has the power to delay legislation, but lacks veto power; decisions and amendments made by the Council can be overturned by an absolute majority in the Diet. The Council’s status as a non-partisan body and its insulation from public opinion gives it the power to act as a chamber of sober second thought and gives the body a more collegial atmosphere than its elected counterpart; as the Government does not need to rely on the support of the National Council to remain in office and cannot rely on its automatic support, the Government commonly faces more serious scrutiny in the upper house than the lower.

Law and judiciary

Administrative divisions

Soltsteed is divided into 30 administrative counties (lannen), which are grouped into three historic provinces: Walland in the north, Saxland in the south-east and Sealand in the south-west. The counties are in turn divided into ridings (tredinge), which are themselves divided into municipalities (gemeinnen).

Ridings are governed by a directly elected riding council (tredingsraat) and have powers over housing, social service administration, planning applications, public transportation, utilities, leisure, recreation and waste collection. Counties are similarly governed by a county council (lannesraat) and are responsible for roads management, waste disposal, policing, fire services, vehicle licensing, civil registries, transport planning, health services, tourism and water and flood defence. On the other hand, provinces and communes exist largely as points of geographic reference, and retain only limited administrative significance.

Military

Soltsteed maintains a military force with ??? active and ??? reserve personnel, built around a defence policy of deterrence and non-interventionism. Divided into the Army, Armada, Air Force and Constabulary, the Soltsteedish Defence Forces are headed by the Chancellor as commander-in-chief and the Defence Staff appointed by the Defence Secretary. The armed forces operate under a policy of conscription, with all Soltsteedish males and females (including those with dual citizenship) over the age of 18 required to serve at least twelve months in the military. Deferment is available for those entering higher education until three months after graduation, while conscientious objectors are permitted to do eighteen months of alternative civilian service instead of serving in the military, such as in the police, fire department, education, public hospitals, homes for the elderly or international humanitarian service.

The Soltsteedish Defence Forces are empowered by the National Defence Act and given the mission to "preserve the independence, sovereignty, peace and security of Soltsteed", "protect the interests of Soltsteed" and "overcome any organisations or regimes responsible for aggressive acts that imperil the peace and security of Soltsteed." Soltsteed maintains a strict policy of deliberate ambiguity on whether it possesses nuclear, chemical and biological weapons to aid in its deterrence strategy.

Economy

Transport

Energy

Science and technology

Tourism

Demographics

Ethnic groups

Urbanisation

Language

Education

Healthcare

Religion

Culture

Architecture

Literature

Art

Music

Theatre

Film

Cuisine

Sport

Holidays

v t e Soltsteed topics Region: Atlantian Oceania History Tribal era Saxon settlement Mediaeval Soltsteed Union of the Crowns Anarchy Union of the Parliaments Glorious Revolution Civil War Democratisation Geography Climate Environment Flora and fauna Forests Mountains Rivers Subdivisions (Provinces Counties Ridings Communes) Politics Governance States General (National Council National Diet) Elections (Political parties Electoral system Direct democracy) Monarchy (William Thomas List) Chancellor (Claudie Michälssen List) Cabinet Foreign relations National budget National debt Law Constitution Judiciary (Supreme Court) Chapter IX institutions (Procuracy National Electoral Tribunal Human Rights Commission) Law enforcement (Camera) Military Soltsteedish Defence Forces (Army Armada Air Force Constabulary) Standards Decorations Uniforms Units Conscription Weapons of mass destruction Economy Currency (Central bank) Communications Communications Energy Media Poverty Social security Stock exchange Taxation Trade unions Transport Culture Architecture Art Cinema Cuisine Dance Folklore Literature Music Names Public holidays Sport Television Theatre Demographics Languages (Soltsteedish English) Religion People Education Health Symbols Flag Coat of arms Motto National anthem Royal anthem