United Free People's Federation

The successor state of the Republic of Agathos after its civil war, the UFPF was created by members of several arthenian factions who met during the events of the Chaos Miracle. After quelling the civil war the UFPF would become a major power in the alliance against the USC in the Long War.

Geography

History

The UFPF originally started as an outgrowth of the Rovlin Provincial Assembly, one of many non-binding groups created after the Chaos Miracle where factional disputes could be quelled and defenses against USC incursion could be coordinated. A closed-door “Committee on Ordered Liberty” spent considerable time and effort evaluating where the old republic's constitution had failed, and produced a new constitutional draft to send to the assembly. The report would be used as the basis for a constitutional referendum that was held on 241/09/21. Most factions objected to the vote, and boycotted the affair. With only a low 25% participation rate given old republic voter rolls, nonetheless the assembly announced a 72% vote ratio for ratification. It declared all territory that sent returns to be bound by the so-called Rovlin Constitution, and called for an election of offices to fill the new government. The assembly then disbanded itself.

The lack of participation in the formative referendum would be a frequent point of attack by the federation's rival claimants in the still-raging civil war. After hostilities ceased, terms of the cease-fire specified new congresses were to be elected for each region of the old republic. These in turn sent delegates to a one-time constitutional congress and ratified the Rovlin Consitution for a second time. With this mandate the federation declared the unification of the republics and an official end to the civil war. It also took on the mantle of the Federation of the Republics of Agathos, the Federation of Agathos, and the Republic of Agathos.

Parties, Ideology, and Politics

Political Divisions

While inspired by the same ethos as the Republic of Agathos, the United Free People's Federation was structured quite differently to 1) allow for more devolvement of powers to the regional or local level compared to the old republic and 2) to prevent accumulation of power behind the scenes and to lash the military to civilian control.

The UFPF government, by nature of being a federal republic, is divided into levels; the broader the government's jurisdiction the less authority it is given. The main levels of government are local, provincial, republican, and federal.

Local Governments

Local governments are given broad authority over most any aspect of a citizen's life - more authority than any other level. They are also given maximum lee-way on what form they take. While city councils and rural assemblies are common, exotic forms such as trade conglomerates and even hereditary counties are known to exist and perfectly legal.

With all their authority and flexibility, however, local governments are still bound to the laws of all higher levels of government. They can also be challenged in the constitutional court for any infractions against the Enumeration of Natural Rights.

Local governments can be “emancipated” (dissolved) by the provincial governments for repeated violations of natural rights, but the locales themselves are responsible for re-forming the government after that occurs.

Provincial Governments

Federation provincial governments saw the largest change compared to their old republic counterparts. They are variable in governed land area, and their borders are decided at the republican level (though these boundaries can be challenged in the constitutional court). They are the final level of government that has “general powers,” meaning they can enact and enforce most any law unless it is explicitly forbidden, namely those things enshrined in the Enumeration of Natural Rights and the republic/federal government's Enumeration of Citizen Rights.

Provincial governments can also take a variety of forms, but they are decided at the republican level, and must feature a division of legislative, executive, and judicial powers in at least 3 branches. At least one branch must allow direct representation or voting of some form, and that branch must have broad governmental powers. Provincial government forms can be challenged in the constitutional court.

Provincial governments are subject to all laws of it's republic and the federation. Republican governments can emancipate provincial governments, but are themselves emancipated if a majority of the citizens in the province disapprove of an automatic referendum. After a successful emancipation the republic can re-form the provincial government as usual.

Republican Governments

Republican governments each represent one of the Free People's Republics that make up the federation; they are intended to govern an entire “people.” While that definition is intentionally left vague in the Rovlin Constitution, it is classically understood to mean an ethnicity or distinct culture. At its second referendum the federation had four such republics - the Republic of Arthos, the Republic of Filos, the Republic of Vernick, and the Republic of Pyrkagia. The federation would quickly add new republics in its early years. Each republican government is represented on the federation flag as a seven-pointed star.

Republics must conform to explicit forms - namely that they must have a congress with at least one house being directly elected, must have a governor charged with executive and military authority, and must have an independent court system.

Republican governments only have enumerated powers - they cannot enact or enforce laws except for specific, but broad, topics. Like provincial governments, laws may not run afoul of the Enumeration of Natural Rights and Citizen Rights. These include:

Law Enforcement & Public Order

Republican governments have the authority to enact laws that are universally present in provincial governments, and to enforce those laws with republic-level agencies. These agencies can be empowered to protect the natural rights and safety of its citizens, and generally maintain public order and just law.

Provincial Governments

Republican governments have powers to form, reform, and emancipate provincial governments. They can also enact laws that ensure provincial or local governments are adhering to the emancipation of rights they are respectively bound to.

Taxation & Budgeting

Republics are required to enact laws to provide their share of the federal budget. They may also raise additional funds and provide spending (in specific ways) to provincial governments.

Checks Against the Federal Government

Republics have final say on the running and validation of elections at all levels of government. They may also vote alongside other republics to emancipate the federal government.

Republican governments also set residency and citizenship regulations. Citizens of the federation are actually primarily citizens of their respective republics, but then granted automatic citizenship in the federation from that. While immigration rules are handled by the federal government republics can determine the citizenship or residency status of individuals. These are, like all other laws, bound by the enumerations.

Additional Citizen Rights

Republics can recognize a super-set of those rights provided by the federal Enumeration of Citizen Rights, but must at minimum recognize the federal-level rights. Additional citizen rights are only enforceable within that republic. The Enumeration of Natural Rights may not be added to at the republic level.

Military

The federation has extensive oversight for the running of standing armies, but the majority of the powers are invested in the republican governments. Republics must raise, equip, and train a standing military. The size, either big or small, is determined by the federal government. If a republic fails to raise enough troops or raises too many, then a portion of the force may be temporarily federalized under order of the constitutional court.

Republics are mandated to be the primary defender of their territory from foreign threats, but cannot make war against other republics of the federation. Forces may be temporarily federalized by an act of the federal congress to make foreign war or common defense, but the constitutional court has the authority to de-federalize troops.

Federal Government

The final level of government is the federal level, which has very narrow and limited powers. It is primarily responsible for resolving conflicts between the Free People's Republics, and providing a unified execution of foreign affairs.

Structure

The federal government has the most specific and strict form specified in the constitution. It includes:

1. Congress (Legistlative)
   1. Free Peoples' Assembly
      1. Members directly elected from the republics, according to republic election law.
      2. Members serve three year terms, and can only serve a total of six years.
      3. Seats apportioned by population.
      4. Empowered to pass bills with the senate.
   2. Senate
      1. Members sent from republican governments, according to republican government discretion.
      2. Members serve six year terms, and can only serve a total of 12 years.
      3. Seats are split equally among republics - three seats each.
      4. Empowered to pass bills with the assembly.
   3. Nominating Council
      1. Seats split equally among republics - two seats each. One is reserved for an assemblyman and one a senator.
      2. Members elected by the assembly and senate for their respective reserved seat. Members must be sitting congressmen.
      3. Special working council used to nominate individuals for the presidency and constitutional court.
      4. Meets as necessary and does not hold a regular session.
      5. Seats in the council do not count for the purposes of calculating the total number of seats in congress, since members already hold seats in other houses.
      6. Members serve four year terms aligned with the presidential term, and can only serve one term.
      7. Members cannot serve in any federal post after their term, but can continue to serve out their current congressional seat term.
      8. Empowered to provide oversight of the executive branch and can delay implementation of executive orders to bring before the constitutional court. Does not participate in bill-making as a group.
2. President (Executive)
   1. Has a veto power over new laws, but can be overwritten by a two-thirds margin in both law-making houses of congress.
   2. Serves a four year term aligned with the congressional nominating council. May only serve a total of eight years if re-elected but may not serve any non-contiguous terms.
   3. May not serve in any governmental post at any level after their term(s).
   4. Two candidates nominated per republic, one by the nominating council and one by direct election in each republic. Current president may be among the nominees if not term-limited.
   5. Selected from the nominees via election based on a point system between republican elections held simultaneously. Presidential election points are apportioned by total seats in congress. Citizens are given three votes (1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice), and an instant run-off is conducted until a candidate receives two-thirds of the republican point total.
3. Courts
   1. High Court
      1. Judges serve for life.
      2. Two judge seats apportioned per republic.
      3. Appointed by the president, confirmed by the senate.
      4. May not hear constitutional questions or declare rulings based on enumerations of rights.
   2. Constitutional Court
      1. Judges appointed for 20 year terms. No additional terms allowed.
      2. Judges may not serve in any government post at any level after their term.
      3. One judge seat apportioned per republic.
      4. Nominated by the nominating council, with seven candidates per seat.
      5. Selected by the republican government, according to their discretion. Selection may be vetoed by the assembly or the president, and either veto can only be overridden by a three-quarters margin in a direct referendum of that republic's citizens.
      6. Judges hear constitutional disputes and interpret enumerations of rights.

Enumerated Powers

The federal government has the following powers:

1. The constitutional court system has the final say on matters of natural and citizen rights abuses.
2. The constitutional court system has the final say on disputes involving the structure of provincial and republican governments.
3. The president can sue a republic for failing to live up to obligations to the federal government. The constitutional court hears the case and can issue injunctions if it rules in favor of the executive.
4. Common defense forces or expeditionary forces may be federalized from among the republican armies.
5. Binding treaties can be made with foreign powers and enforced domestically.
6. Other matters of foreign espionage and diplomacy may be accomplished by the president.
7. A federal budget may be created, and taxes may be raised to pay for it. Additional funds may not be raised or sent in-bulk to the republics. Taxes are levied on a per-republic basis and must be proportional to population, and cannot be raised on individuals directly.
8. New natural and citizen rights may be recognized and added to the Enumeration of Natural Rights and Enumeration of Citizen Rights. how
9. The high court has final say on disputes between republics, as long as they do not deal directly with UFPF consitutional matters.
10. 

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