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Government and Politics of Ktismandrasi
Parliament of Ktismandrasi People
Ν ΠΟΛΙΤΑΛΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΑΝΘΡΟΠΟΔΟΥ ΚΤΙΣΜΑΝΔΡΟΣΙΟΥ
He Politalia Tou Anthropodou Ktismandriou
Protarchon (Prime Minister) Dikesarchon (Justice Minister) Chrematarchon (Finance Minister) Artemiarchon (Health Minister) Stratelatesarchon (Military Military) Ktismarchon (Environment Minister) (Culture Minister) Hodosarchon (Transportation Minister) (Education Minister) (Foreign Relations Minister) (Intelligence and Information Minister) (Xenodemonian Relations Minister) (Gaianaxian Relations Minister) (Labour Minister) (Tourism Minister)
Overview
Ktimandrasi government is a proportional parliamentary republic, with twenty Huparcheia (administrative regions), and two special cultural administrative districts, Gaionaxia and Xenodemonia. The national government (He Ktimandrasia Demokratia) is divided into a national legislature (He Politalia) and an executive council (He Arche). Each of Huparcheia sends twenty-five members to the Politalia. Gaionaxia sends twelve speaking observers, and the Politalia sends an elected delegation of thirty-one members to meet with and reconcile legislation with their counterparts in Xenodemonia. The Politalia also elects Archons, who may be chosen from of the twenty provinces, though often they are drawn from the legislative body itself, who each run one department of the executive branch. They also elect a Protarchon, comparable to a prime minister. These ministerial positions hold a fair bit of, but may not be held simultaneously with a position in the national legislature. The Politalia also approves judges (Balbidouchoi) nominated by the Archon of Justice, who judge cases deemed to transcend sub-national units, such as disputes between administrative regions or cases that are particularly prominent. Regional governments may make their own laws, but national law usually supersedes local law, except in special cultural administrative districts and in certain political cases.
Electoral System
Elections for the Politalia are held every five years. There is no nationwide election, instead, voters choose twenty-five members of their province to represent them and their province in the national government. Though political parties are officially banned, candidates and their supporters usually publish lists, usually composed of personal friends of the main candidate. Candidates are overwhelmingly drawn from other levels of government, especially legislative bodies. The term "main candidate" refers to a candidate that is independently viable, and will likely receive a large number of votes. Voting is also simplified in many provinces by sub-districts, usually drawn up by the local legislature, where voting is restricted to residents of that sub-district. This is usually combined with a province wide election, which allows for greater solidarity of prominent candidates while limiting voter burden. Elections are organised by local committees with legal oversight by national judges. Common practice is for polling stations to be open for 24-hours on election day. The national voting age is 16, and each province has specific standards of identification that are required to vote. All citizens are expected to show up in person on voting day, most districts have a fine for non-voters.
Ktismandrasi has a well-established tradition of electoral corruption which has been on the decline for several decades. The primary problem is variable transparency. Because local elections are overseen by the judges appointed by the justice minister, candidates in high favour of the judges are more likely to win, and often ballot totals of the past varied wildly from election to election and from year to year. Furthermore, apathetic voters would often sell their votes, with little accountability. After several major scandals in the eighties, where unpopular but victorious candidates were assaulted by large crowds and forcibly detained, regulations were put in place by the Politalia. These regulations include the publication of the number of votes cast per candidate, and the number of participating voters. The education system has also been modified to emphasise the importance of voting as a part of civic duty from an early age.
Campaigning is primarily done through speeches and public debate, and skill in rhetoric is usually equated with skill in governance. According to a now long-standing tradition, candidates will "challenge" a candidate to a debate in large public arenas. The nature of these debates often provide an accurate prediction of electoral result: candidates who draw small audiences or viewership are generally though of as less viable, and candidates who can make a show of humiliating their rivals in the election are generally more popular. Refusing to accept a challenge is usually fatal for a candidates campaign. The only exception to this rule is "list members," who usually have no exceptional rhetorical skill on their own, but have the advantage of being loyal to their main candidate, who usually enjoys more broad support engendered by being in the public eye.
Endorsement also plays a major role in elections, for in addition to publishing lists, major candidates will often endorse each other to raise their own voting totals. Endorsement is usually sought from local government officials and prominent lawyers, as well as the candidates themselves. Usually endorsers expect to receive favours in exchange. Though political parties are officially banned, the web of endorsements and lists creates informal voting blocks by province. Usually the main candidates will command a voting block of six to eight people, which makes alliance building very important in the Politalia which has five hundred members, and a number of prestigious offices. Often main candidates who have served a number of terms will not seek re-election, but will endorse a number of supporters and try to secure an archonship for themselves. This is done by having a motion raised in the Politalia recommending the candidate for for the position, after which the candidate may give a speech in favour of themselves, whence the floor is open to discussion by the legislature, who speak for and against the candidate. Once everyone is done speaking, a vote is taken, and a majority determines whether the candidate is approved. In the regular case of multiple candidate, each candidate is given a chance to speak and then rebut, in a "random" order, after which proceedings continue in the same fashion.
Legislation and Executive Functions
The relationship of the executive branch and the legislative branch in Ktismandrasi is that of a contractor and an employee. The Politalia is meant to represent the will of the people overseeing the powerful but dependent executive.
