Politics of Gemurtrak

Since the reintroduction of the monarchy in 1952, the politics of Gemurtrak has functioned under the framework of a, , with a. The Monarch of Gemurtrak is the, and the Minister of the Republic is the within a. is exercised by various members of government, with supreme authority vested in the monarch who holds final say on any executive decision. is vested both the government and the Imperial Chambers. is wholly controlled by the Constitutional Court of Gemurtrak, which is the only branch holding unopposed constitutional authority over the monarch, via the Imperial Court of Justice of Gemurtrak. The federation comprises of four duchies, each devolved into three states each, and a federal state, Suzhya, that is under the authority of the central government and the monarch.

The political structure of Gemurtrak has fundamentally changed on multiple occasions across the late 19th and 20th century, encompassing the extent of the poltical spectrum which has turned Gemurtrakian politics into a heavily divided environment which has had periods of collectivized government, such as the monopoly of legislative power held by the MIP over the 1960's and 70's, following by rampant chaos and division, most famously the 1998 constitutional crisis. The monarchy has however remained as an central pillar of stability and remains a supported and well liked portion of the Gemurtrak government.

Historical Background
Since 1876, Gemurtrak has dramatically shifted government on three seperate occasions on various parts of the political spectrum. The country became a republic following it's liberation from Salian colonization in 1876 and would be ruled by Korya Dzekana for the extent of the pure republic. The political foundations placed by Korya would remain some of the most influential to Gemurtrak, which still actively invokes parts of the original constitution in the modern rendition. The original structure of the country called for the unification of the entire nation into a single entity led by the unicameral Chamber of the Republic. The design of the country's political functions had immense power funneled into the position of the President of the Republic, which if confidently held could result in the head of government holding sweeping control over the country, like that of Korya's presidency.

In 1891, following the death of Korya, the political structure that had developed over the course of 15 years buckled under the uncertainty of future presidents. A precedent was reached to devolve power to ministers a part of the presidential cabinet, this however turned into the weaponization of these positions and the ability of the president to counteract these errant ministers was non-present due to the power of removing ministers was held in the Chamber of the Republic who were often paid off by these cabinet ministers to keep them in office. This would all remain an issue across the remaining decades of the republic which would become a constitutional monarchy in 1891 under the leadership of Kazhena. The position was by most parts a ceremonial role that held little influence over the day to day governance of the country. Some reforms of the government would be introduced following the turn of the century. These reforms would create a political structure very similar to the style adopted by the 1952 government but with most power maintained by the head of government still instead of the monarchy.

1907 would prove to be the biggest political turn for the country after members of the Party of National solidarity stormed the Kowruzhu and established the Osamian Federation. The Osamian Federation dramatically changed the country overnight and how the nation was to be organized. While maintaining a unicameral central government, the Federation divided the country into a multitude of republics who aligned themselves to the Central Economic Council, the center of the Federation. This decentralization of Gemurtrak and in extension the majority of Osamia would bring about a high demand for local representation within governance. While initially something encouraged by the Federation, the alignment of the republics to a local identity, whether cultural, racial, or political in origin. This slowly corroded the federal institutions which would give way to rebellion within the Federation after the pyrrhic victory in the Second Great Southern War. This loss of a united identity would continue to divide the continent into groups with aligned interests and would lead to the unification of northern Osamian countries as an arduous task.

The collapse of the Osamian Federation in the Osamian War would lead to the creation of the modern Federated Duchies of Gemurtrak. The growth of animosity among neighbouring republics in the former regions of Gemurtrak proved a difficult issue to overturn and unite the region under a single nation. Yamsa Zhentu, head of the emergency administration, in an attempt to unify the Gemurtrakian identity, reintroduced the Imperial house of Makazhu, former monarchs of the republic, in 1952. While most former Gemurtrak republics were initially reluctant, Akadu, head of the imperial family at the time, called for the creation of a monarchy led federation who acknowledged themselves both as their individual groups, but also as the wider Gemurtrakian people. The support of the federal model swayed these opposing republics into joining together in support of this Gemurtrakian ideal. This focus of the identity of a Gemurtrakian people would comprise the majority of the early writings of the Constitution.

Constitution
While the constitution is generally regarded as a single document, the official constitution is comprised of two separate documents, both formulated in 1952 and later enforced following the conclusion of the Osamian War in 1957. These two documents, the Unity Edicts and the Rights of the Republic, detail the complete functions of the Gemurtrakian nation and the structure of power and positions within its governance. Both documents were ratified in 1957 at the first opening of the Chamber of Ministers.

Both documents discuss separate parts of the national structure. The Unity Edicts focus on the federal government, the position of the government and its powers over the various states, the structure of the executive, legislative, and judicial systems, and most key being the rights and definition of the Gemurtrakian people and the monarch, the supreme representative of the people and their ideals. The Rights of the Republic detail the structure and organization of the 12 states and their collation into duchies led by separate members of nobility independent to the monarch.

Unity Edicts
The Unity Edicts are separated into five unofficial sections which contain articles outline various rights and duties Gemurtrakians obtain and must be upheld by the acting government. The document first presents the wider goals and sought after outcomes of the sections and articles inside, citing a goal of peaceful unification and coexistence among the people who the document define as Gemurtrakian. The first section, colloquially termed the Edict of Lords, defines the monarch, who is constitutionally permitted the position of monarch, the powers, privileges, and restrictions of the monarch, as well as outlining the constitutional right of the people to overthrow the monarch should they breach any of the agreed upon articles via the judicial system.

Section two, called the Edict of Man, defines the Gemurtrakian people and their rights, privileges, and liberties. It classifies the four cultures of western Osamia as firstmost Gemurtrakians, followed by their separate cultures. A Gemurtrakian has the right to align with their culture and express it. The section also presents the five liberties; freedom of speech, education, movement, religion, and choice. The section also mentions the citizens right to vote, right to legal action, and the right to property. All of the articles in this section encompass the federal understanding of its individual citizenry under the leadership of the monarch who additionally have the power to supersede the monarch if they threaten the people's rights.

Sections three, four, and five detail the structure and arrangement of the executive (Edict of Rule), judicial (Edict of Law), and legislative (Edict of Choice) branches of the federal government and their process of arrangement, the powers they possess over the citizenry and states, and the process of elections. The executive is discussed as comprising of the cabinet, the representative of the cabinet and the leading party within the legislature, which is defined later, and the monarch who was previously defined. Following the executive is the judiciary which is defined as an independent body subject only to the citizenry of the federation and who hold the unique power of authority over the monarchy, allowing the monarch to be subject to the constitution. The Edict discusses the structure of the courts and the power over what cases each court holds. The legislature is the final sections outlined in the Edicts and presents the arrangement of the tricameral system. The section focuses the most on the Chamber of Ministers, the number of seats, the process of adding more seats, how to define electoral borders, the right to vote and who holds access to it, political parties and their structure, and the process of introducing and voting on bills. Both the Council of Lords and Chamber of States are only partially discussed in the Unity Edicts, only detailing the Chamber of Ministers and its position in the process of legislation between the other two houses. Both middle and upper houses of government are discussed in the separate Rights of the Republic.

The Unity Edicts stand as the bedrock of the institutions that define Gemurtrak and its people. As such, the Edicts are the most difficult articles within the collective constitutions to amend, constitutionally requiring a super majority within all houses of government, the approval of all four lords seated in the Council of Lords, and the approval of the monarch, to change anything within the Unity Edicts. Many note the difficulty of changing the constitution as paramount since changing the Edicts results in the transformation of what it means to be Gemurtrakian and the very structure that definition exists within. Despite this difficulty, the Unity Edicts have been changed one on two occasions during the political turmoil of the 1980's and the removal of these changes alongside new edicts following the 1998 constitutional crisis.

Rights of the Republic
The Rights of the Republic is a culmination of a variety of sections that collectively describe the rights, privileges, organization, and access of authority invested in the states and duchies that comprise the federation. The document is often regarded as comprising of two parts; The State, and The Duchy. both parts talk about the respective national subdivision and their position as subservient to the federal government but possessing a right to degrees of autonomy, and what those degrees are, in various functions of state practice.

The State
Part one; referred to coloquially within government as The State , presents and codifies the definitions of the federal format within Gemurtrak. A state within Gemurtrak refers to a region within the wider federation that is led by an independent democratically elected government which has surrendered absolute sovereignty under the pretense that the autonomy of it's government and it's citizenry are upheld so long as both uphold their constitutional contract with the federation. The contract refered is a series of promises and obligations each state must uphold so as to be recognized as a state. These obligations are numbered and written as such:


 * We, the people of our nation hereby declare ourselves as Gemurtrakian, and thereby acknowledge and accept the definitions as so written in the [Edicts].
 * 1) We swear ourselves before the King/Queen and recognize him/her as the highest representative of ourselves, our ideals, and our people, and swear none above them.
 * 2) We acknowledge the act of surrender of any and all authority of foreign affairs, military, and other matters of the federation so as written in the [Edicts] to the federation.
 * 3) We acknowledge the act of surrender of absolute authority in matters of executive, judicial, and legislative power, of which will be partially subject to the federation as per the [Edicts].
 * 4) We acknowledge and accept to form a government under the guidelines of the constitution, ensuring any government is democratically chosen in free, fair elections and respect the decision of the citizenry regardless of outcome.
 * 5) We acknowledge all other members of the Federation as our brothers and sisters and as fellow Gemurtrakians who are free to move, live, work, and prosper within our borders in so much as our citizens can in theirs.

Both the state and federation hold power against one another should a party believe this contract has been breached in the form of the right to secession for states, and the right to use forceful action to enforce these agreements for the federation. All states are otherwise permitted to maintain a semi-autonomous government that is partially subject to the federal government so long as they maintain, as a minimum, a separate Judicial, legislative, and executive branch, allow wholly democratically elected legislatures which decides the executive occupants with a maximum period of 5 years between elections, and allow all legal citizens the right to vote and the right to represent. Each state is otherwise free to pass their own laws, where there is no federal overlap, manage their own public services and standards, and administer as they see fit. The state and it's citizens are further represented via the Chamber of States in the federal legislative model which allows each state to have a say in the decisions of the entire federation.

The Duchy
Part two; referred to as The Duchy, outlines the structure of the Duchy model and level of administration within the Federation. Gemurtrak is fundementally regarded as a collection of duchies federated under the leadership of the Monarchy of Gemurtrak and the permission of the wider Gemurtrakian people. Each duchy, as defined by the constitution, is a macro level representation of the cultural, historical, and political identity of the various people groups of Gemurtrak. These duchies are defined as being sources of cohesion and cooperation between neighbouring states so as to ensure the benefit of each individual state while unifying the region towards a similar subnational direction. The document outlines the goals of the system of the federated duchies, paramount to this is the goal of a chain of centralization, concentrating the nation and it's political process through a pyamid model of the focusing political power to a handful of individuals who remain subject to the constitution and the will of the people. This process is realized via the Council of lords and the administrative function of the duchy.

The Rights of the Republic institute the legislative office of the Council of Lords, a semi-advisory office comprised of the four lords of the respective duchies within the federation. The constitution declares these people do not hold the same executive power which the Monarch of Gemurtrak holds, instead many of them holding ceremonial roles in their respective governments and acting as a voting body for highly important elements of the collective state. The council stands as a central hotline for the subjects of a respective duchy to voice their concern and have it brought directly to the highest levels of authority. While they hold some power in the executive office of the federal government, the lords possess very little control over the functions of government within their duchy. All duchies were defined as comprising of three states, all of the same peoples, who are all subservient to the lord and his office, which is comprised of offices across the various states. How the executive office is styled is determined by the Duchy and the choices of the states. The lord is stated as having limited over the executive offices of the three states, acting as an emergency power in the event of extreme political turmoil and distress. Lords are also heavily detailed in the constitution with numerous federal institutions, such as the Electoral College of Lords, ensuring the process of electing lords to duchies maintains and upholds the standards and practices demanded by the constitution. The constitution also defines the old imperial households that are permitted to maintain their status and take office as a member of the council of lords. None of these houses however are permitted to ever claim the office of the Monarch of Gemurtrak, which remains soley permitted to the Imperial house of Makazhu.

Executive
The executive branch of the Gemurtrakian government consists of two blocs, the unelected Nobility, and the elected & appointed Ministers. Both have high degrees of power in the function and maintenance of the state, with the unelected branch having the final authority.

Head of state
Gemurtrak, as a monarchy, has a monarch as the head of state who is granted the title of King/Queen and Emperor/Empress, typically to the discretion of the citizenry, following their coronation. The monarchy is hereditary, currently following a Primogeniture Inheritance Law currently only allowing members of the offical royal family, the Makazhu Family, as capable of holding the title. Its current head, Metenyanu, as is the current monarch since 1997.

Theoretically, the monarch possesses all powers of the state, however the constitution enforces an implied willing surrender of these powers to be delegated to other members of the various branches of government. The monarch is still a powerful entity in the Gemurtrakian government with legitimacy of these powers granted via a consent of authority. This consent is practiced when an Imperial decree is submitted by the monarch whereupon it is judged by the Imperial Court of Justice to ensure it does not threaten constitutional integrity. It is then brought before all state legislatures and must obtain a supermajority consenting to the decree with a simple majority of states consenting to allow it to pass. Imperial decrees have strict policies around them and only be used for a number of actions, typically relating to the enforcement of bills into law or overruling a veto.

The monarch also holds the authority to select and remove the Minister of the Republic but holds neither power towards the MR's cabinet. It is not necessary for the selected Minister of the Republic to be the leader of the largest party in the Chamber of Ministers, so long as the chosen member is part of the largest party, however politics and social dynamics within the parties generally discourage from choosing otherwise. The monarch also holds the authority to dissolve the legislature and initiate elections as well as being commander-in-chief of the military and the final authority in foreign policy, being the only one permissable to ratify and create treaties with another sovereign entity.

Council of Lords
Alongside the hereditary monarch is the Council of Lords, a semi-advisory board comprised of four members or families, each of noble origin, who are the heads of state for a respective duchy. The four families that make up Council are the only noble families granted permission to attend the council, all other houses are disallowed except in the event of a deceased family line. Unlike the monarch of Gemurtrak, the lords of the council hold no executive power over their individual duchy and are unable to overrule decisions made by their state governments. The council exists as a voting body for the major elements of government structure as well as extreme events in foreign policy that are considered at risk of being undermined or spurred by a wave of political zeal. The council determines five of the total ten judges part of the supreme federal court, approves the yearly budget, appoints the reserve cabinet as well as legislative watchdogs, vote on Imperial laws, and is the body that can initiate a declaration of war. Apart from these extreme cases, the Council acts as an advisory body for the legislative government who can inform and caution the other legislative chambers but cannot stop a bill from passing into law.

Head of government
The Minister of the Republic (MR), alongside their cabinet, is the only elected part of the executive government and is the head of government for Gemurtrak. The MR is typically the party leader of the majority party within the Chamber of Ministers and is elected every four years with no term limit. Once elected, the monarch appoints them the powers of the MR office which the monarch has the right to remove or overrule. The Minister of the Republic must be a member of the Chamber of Ministers, be a successfully elected seat, and not a serving commissioned rank of the Imperial Armed Forces. The powers the MR include the right to:
 * Assemble a cabinet
 * Recommend choices for the members of the Imperial Court of Justice
 * Represent the monarch in the event of death, disappearance or ineptitude.

Cabinet
The Minister of the Republic has the right, appointed to them by the monarch, to form a cabinet consisting of the heads of Duties as created by the agreement of the legislature and MR. A member of the cabinet is granted Duty Bearer and is designated the head of the department of the respective duty. The cabinet members must all be seated members of the Chamber of Ministers and have to be permitted the position by the monarch, who typically grants the power to do so towards the MR. The cabinet consists of the following active Duties excluding the Deputy MR:
 * Duty of the Treasury
 * Duty of the Army
 * Duty of Health
 * Duty of Justice
 * Duty of Foreign Affairs
 * Duty of Internal Management
 * Duty of Public services
 * Duty of Rural Affairs and Development
 * Duty of Commerce
 * Duty of Industry & Urban Affairs
 * Duty of Culture & Tourism
 * Duty of Environmental Affairs
 * Duty of Socialist Cooperation efforts

Judiciary
The courts of Gemurtrak are broken into 3 separate blocs, each domination above having superior control over the judicial decisions of those below. The Gemurtrakian judicial system has immense power, being the only branch in which the monarch bears no power over the outcomes decided within it. The monarch possesses the right to appoint judges (within the Imperial Court of Justice), however the monarch has no control on their final decision and cannot force actions within the court.

Imperial Court of Justice
The Imperial Court of Justice is the highest legal power in Gemurtrak and possesses a high level of authority over the legal conditions of the federation. The Imperial Court is a collection of 10 members, four of which are selected by the monarch, one by each duke, and two selected by the two most popular parties (by total seats) in the legislature. They remain seated until 30 years of service, turning 80, self resignation, or death. A member can only serve for a single term, disallowing anyone who has served 30 years but is under 80 from serving again. All members cannot be removed following appointment except for an impeachment which requires 90% support ratio in both houses to go through. The seated members of the Imperial court have supreme command over the daily judicial functions of Gemurtrak, possessing the authority to interpret and codify the constitution and other overarching federal laws.

The Imperial Court of Justice is the only judicial branch with the power to legally charge and oversee a case involving a member of nobility. The Imperial Court’s primary focus of jurisdictions are towards the following:
 * Breaches of federal or constitutional Law
 * Between duchies or states within multiple duchies
 * Between an individual or group of individuals against the Federation
 * Concerning political representatives of other countries
 * Nobility or members of noble title
 * Cases from lower courts may also become of interest to the Imperial Court through appeals or through the escalation of legal action.

Supreme Federal Court
The Supreme Federal Court manages most legal affairs surrounding multi-state issues that do not require the intervention of the Imperial Court and its authority, which is commonly reserved for actions that affect multiple duchies or the entirety of the Federation. The Supreme Federal Court has a far more democratically elected group of judges compared to its superior. The court is split into four separate groupings, each associated with a duchy, the judges selected for these courts are chosen by the state leaders and permitted by the duke of the respective duchy. The duke also elects a singular judge who is deemed the head judge of the specific court group.

These four groups work individually within the jurisdiction of their duchy. Each duchy follows their own code of law which focuses on legal matters involving financial concerns, multi-state legal connections, and corporate functions, to name a few. These courts also manage other federal concerns denoted to them by the Imperial Court of Justice should the matter fall into their area of jurisdiction. These matters such as customs, immigration, and other laws involving the movement and activity of people, services, and products, follow legal code set out by the federal government and not by the state members of the duchy so as to ensure consistent ruling between multiple duchies. The federal courts have primary jurisdiction over the following:
 * Multi-state legal affairs (homicides within multiple states, theft in one state and perpetrator in another)
 * Corporate entities and their affairs
 * Bankruptcy
 * Immigration and customs

State Court of Affairs
The State Court of Affairs handles smaller legal affairs in relation to events within a state border and its subdivisions. Single state affairs, such as those of defamation, theft, murder, and an assortment of petty crimes. Multi-state affairs are placed into the efforts of the federal courts

Legislature
The Imperial Chambers is the collective term of the collective houses of public governance consisting of two chambers (three if the Council of lords is included): the Chamber of Ministers and the Chamber of States. Both have public elections held every four years where all seats are voted upon. Both chambers functionally act for the purpose of presenting, discussing and approving/disapproving bills (with greater authority given to the Chamber of States).

Chamber of States
[[File:Chamber of States 2022.svg|thumb|250x250px|Seats and current political occupants in the Chamber of States

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Opposition (26){{legend|#D72424|PJP (26)}}League of United Unions (26) unofficial {{legend|#1A6DF3|GWP (2)}} {{legend|#3DA3F7|UUP (4)}}{{legend|#1F6544|FUP (10)}}{{legend|#8A16D2|SLP (10)}}

Other parties (26){{legend|#925151|NPP (7)}} {{legend|#B41818|NCP (9)}} {{legend|#E2C662|IUP (1)}} {{legend|#000000|MIP (9)}}]] The Chamber of States is the upper house of the legislature and possesses the highest degree of authority in the legislature. There are a total of 115 seats with varying numbers depending on the state and total population within the area. All states start with three seats minimum and can increase to a total of 13 based on a milestone system. Additional seats are added based on the total population of the collective duchy which add additional seats that rotate between states if the total pool does not equal a multiple of 3. The Suzhyan federal territory functions differently, instead having a number of seats equal to the total territory population at one seat per million, resulting in 23 seats as on 2020. Autonomous territories and regions are not included in the count for the Chamber of States, Nyiki swe being the most notable absentee of the chamber. This collection of 115 members act as the representatives for their direct state and the duchy of which they're under. The chamber acts as an area for discussion between states and for handling business of that nature including the concern of bills and their effect on a state, as well as the important yearly budget which is determined and subsequently split between the duchies and the central government. Of the 115 seats, each State Premier is automatically placed into one seat of their respective state. The Minister of the Republic can be leader even without popular control of the Chamber of States, so long as they hold majority within the Chamber of Ministers, however greater authority is given to the state chamber majority leader. Candidates must come from the state or duchy which represents the state of the seat available and must have represented a seat within the state for either one elected term or two election cycles.

Chamber of Ministers
[[File:Chamber of Ministers 2022-2026.svg|thumb|331x331px|Seats and current political occupants in the Chamber of Ministers

Government (331) {{legend|#AF436D|DPP (212)}} {{legend|#C7B580|NNP (119)}}

Opposition (150)

{{legend|#D72424|PJP (150)}} League of United Unions (148) unofficial {{legend|#1A6DF3|GWP (20)}} {{legend|#3DA3F7|UUP (44)}} {{legend|#1F6544|FUP (37)}} {{legend|#8A16D2|SLP (47)}}

Other parties (91)

{{legend|#925151|NPP (72)}} {{legend|#B41818|NCP (28)}} {{legend|#E2C662|IUP (41)}} {{legend|#000000|MIP (12)}}]] The Chamber of Ministers is the lower house of the legislature and is representative of the whole federation and its civilians. There are 783 total seats representing 100,000 people per seat. The Chamber of Ministers is the only house of legislature to present bills that can be voted upon (excluding the budget which is exclusively a right of the Chamber of States). Each member is elected for a four year term with unlimited terms. A party who holds the most seats is regarded as the leading party of the country with its head minister given the title of Minister of the Republic. The party with the second most seats in the Chamber of Ministers is deemed the opposition. Under Imperial decree 214-01, members of the Chamber must not be active commission ranked military officers and must not ever have possessed the rank of !field marshall, !general or !lieutenant general.

State council
The state council is the legislative branch of every state with each having control over the lawmaking decisions within the state as well as having the primary authority to determine the state budget. This can be overruled by the duchy Duke should complications occur. Each state has a different number of seats based on population. Members of a state council are permitted two four year terms as the standard. However, other states may have more terms permitted.

Political parties
With the reintroduction of the monarchy in 1952, the Monarchist Interest Party (MIP) has existed as a political representation of the power of the monarchy. Previously a one-party state, the MIP lost their monopoly of political power following the collapse of political order in 1998 after the discovery of terrorist activities committed by high ranking members of the party to maintain public opinion in their favor and coerce the public to act against growing Noyonist forces and influences in Gemurtrak and abroad. The conspiracy demolished the party overnight leaving the political landscape to drastically change in the following years. While the MIP still exist as a fringe party, numerous other parties have achieved a majority in the Chamber of Ministers since. Parties of all political alignments are permitted to be represented, following the 2001 revocation of the 1980 emergency laws, however, Gekezikism and parties claiming to represent the ideology are banned and only permitted a status of observer. The following are currently seated parties in the Gemurtrakian legislature:
 * Democratic Peoples Party
 * Farmer Unions Party
 * Imperial Union Party
 * Monarchist Interest Party
 * National Protection Party
 * New Century Party
 * New National Party
 * Peace & Justice Party
 * Social Labour Party
 * United Unions Party
 * Workers Party of Gemurtrak