Abeldane Empire
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Abeldane Empire Abeldänisches Kaiserreich | |||||
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Motto Deus regnat! Latin: God reigns! | |||||
Anthem The Abeldane Call | |||||
Logo of the Imperial Government | |||||
Capital city | Kaiserstadt | ||||
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Largest city | Pleston | ||||
Official languages | English German | ||||
Demonym | Abeldane | ||||
Government | Federal constitutional monarchy | ||||
• Monarch | Griffin I & II | ||||
• Vorsitzender | Anthony Clark | ||||
• Stellvertreter | Newton von Uberquie | ||||
Legislature | Reichsversammlung | ||||
• Upper House | Bundesrat | ||||
• Lower House | Volkstag | ||||
Formation | 6 June 2014 | ||||
• Establishment | 6 June 2014 | ||||
• Federalisation | 30 June 2016 | ||||
Area | 708 km2 | ||||
Population | 51 (2020) | ||||
Currency | Trimole | ||||
Time zone | UTC | ||||
Patron saint | Saint Stephen (national and imperial) Saint Philip the Apostle (imperial) | ||||
Official website |
Abelden, officially the Abeldane Empire and the Commonwealth[1] or more commonly the Abeldane Empire (German: Abeldänisches Kaiserreich), is a self-declared independent nation-state (more commonly referred to as a micronation by external observers) with claims in North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, Oceania and Antarctica. The Empire‘s capital is the city of Kaiserstadt, a federal territory separate from the imperial states.
The Empire was originally founded as a unitary state, as successor state of the Empire of Militarmia. It’s current federal model was introduced in 2016 following a referendum on the transformation to a federation. The Abeldane federal states have previously been members of the Abeldane Commonwealth before their accession as states following federalization in 2016. The government is mostly based on the former German Empire, and the Empire maintains democratic values and basic micronational ideas to be integrated everywhere. Cultural diversity has a prominent place in the history of Abelden. People from Abelden are known as Abeldanes.
Abelden operates under a system of federal hereditary constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy. The Empire consists of six federal states. Each federal state is headed by its own monarch and may also include a head of government. The federal head of state is the Abeldane Emperor (female form Empress), who is always simultaneously one of the state monarchs, and is formally vested with extensive executive power, though this is traditionally exercised by the elected government headed by the Vorsitzender. Abelden has a bicameral federal legislature named the Reichsversammlung which holds legislative power. It is divided into two houses; the state-appointed Bundesrat and the popularly elected Volkstag. The current reigning Emperor, since his accession in May 2020 is Griffin I & II of the Imperial House of Kaos, with Patrick Renwick serving as Vorsitzender from the National Royalists.[2]
Abelden is a "Fifth World" micronation, scoring 11/12 on Boodlesmythe-Tallini System and scoring 4.4 out of a 5 on David's Micronational Potential Index and 5.3 out of a 6 on Freayth's System of Classification.
Etymology
The name came from a list of names that supposedly rhymed with Alenshka, a nation that is now a state within Abelden and considered as one of its predecessors. Alenshka originated from the Russian name of Alexei, which came from Tsarevich Alexei of Russia, the only son of the executed Romanov family.
The official name of Abelden is The Abeldane Empire and the Commonwealth, with the shorter version of the official name, The Abeldane Empire, being more commonly used on government documents. The longer version is used more formally on treaties and official agreements with other micronations and organisations. The government advocates the usage of the shorter name due to the confusion between the demonym, Abeldane, and the shorter name, Abelden. The term The Empire is also often used to refer to Abelden, especially internally.
History
Background
In August 2012, Stephen Freayth established Militarmia, originally a Grand Republic then an empire afterwards, with Kaushik Legata and Donald West. The foundation of Militarmia would eventually lead to several events that will form Abelden in the end. Militarmia was an absolute monarchy and originally was supposed to be a militaristic cultured nation, but soon changed into a more absolute and Westminster style of government and monarchy through the transition.
On 18 August 2013, a year after the foundation of Militarmia, Emperor Stephen abdicated the throne in favour of Kaushik Legata, who took the regnal name of Ausolius. Subsequently, Freayth became the Prime Minister after becoming Emperor and would remain in the position until his own abdication after two months and Freayth would return to the throne and oversee the rest of the Empire. Militarmia briefly became a kingdom for a few days on December 2013 then reverted back to being an empire afterwards.
While a relatively stable nation, Militarmia often rocked into instability particularly on threats of the King to abdicate and in 2014, there were more often changes to the premiership than in 2012 and 2013. Five prime ministers were appointed from the beginning of 2014 until its dissolution. During this period, Militarmia's activity had greatly increased and prominent members or citizens from the Sorrennian Federation started to become involved in the running of the government of Militarmia. Donald West was in particularly a member of the Sorrenian government and had very close ties with a number of Sorrenian politicians.
As Emperor Stephen increasingly considered abdicating, the government was becoming a puppet of Sorrenia and therefore this worried the Emperor. Although not considering this, he then surprisingly decided to abdicate finally on April 2014 in favour of Trystan Cline, the Prime Minister, and left the Empire and had given up all administration rights of the Facebook group where business was conducted. Regretting this decision, after a few days abdicating from the throne, Stephen decided to ask Emperor Trystan for the throne once again and handover the rights of the administration back to him but did not result into anything and instead Miles of Sorrenia was given the administrative powers of the group and technically the rule over the government.
After the decision by the Emperor, Stephen decided to take matter into his own hands and setup a group chat to resolve the matter, which did not result in anything. By this time, there was a turbulent crisis and Miles had decided to take over the government and change the Empire to a democratic republic, which Stephen did not approve.
Afterwards, a compromise was reached with Miles and a new group was created by Stephen that united both Republicans and Monarchists factions. The new nation was to be a kingdom and the Monarch will have little to no power at all, essentially creating a constitutional monarchy, and the Prime Minister having all the power. Stephen became the King, with the former King Trystan the Prime Minister and Miles himself as Deputy Prime Minister.
Elections for Prime Minister were held afterwards, in which Miles was elected and Cline was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister. Angry with the result, Stephen refused the results of the election and abdicated afterwards on 15 April 2014. Militarmia was declared a Democratic Republic following his abdication. The idea for a new micronation had been set by Freayth following his abdication and he established Alenshka on the very same day as an Empire and became its Emperor with citizens mostly from Militarmia.
Foundation
Militarmia had lost most of its activity by June and the foundations for a replacement for Alenshka had begun. Freayth collaborated with Legata on the formation of a new Empire that will replace both Militarmia and Alenshka as his primary micronation. At 1 o'clock in the morning of 6 June 2014 (UTC +4), Freayth draw up in what is known as the Establishment Document, which formally established Abelden and became the Emperor of Abelden. Legata had already set up the new flag of the nation, which remains the flag of the Empire today. A day after the formation of Abelden, Stephen announced the merger of Militarmia and Alenshka under a new single Empire of Militarmia and established the second Militarmian Parliament with West being the Speaker. Those two acts would become the last known interaction in the group of Militarmia and would de facto seal the fate of Militarmia and bringing it to an end after more than 2 years in existence.
After the foundation of Abelden, several or most of the former citizens of Militarmia joined Abelden and were the founding citizens of Abelden. Legamilitarmia, a condominium state between Legatia and Militarmia, was renamed to Legabelden following the establishment of Abelden. Alenshka entered into a personal union with Abelden from the beginning of Abelden's existence until late August 2014, when it was broken off and Alenshka became a nominal independent state.
Three reigns
In late summer of 2014, Stephen abdicated in favor of Rachel. He abdicated in order 'to focus on his studies and spend more of his time on real life activities' and indicated that he wouldn't return to micronationalism unless it was important. Remaining as the founder of Abelden, Stephen retained powers to be used only during coups and wars as prescribed by the constitution and thus Rachel became Empress on 24 September 2014 after signing his abdication document.[3]
There was much inactivity during Rachel's reign. From September till December, there was no activity other than people asking "why are there no activities or posts in the group?". Rachel abdicated in favor of Donald on 16 December 2014 stating her reason for abdicating was that she needed to focus on her studies. Henceforth, Donald became Emperor on 16 December 2014 at 16:13 in the evening.[4]
Donald stated that he would remain as Emperor until Emperor Stephen comes back.[5] The first order of Donald was to appoint a Prime Minister, Andrew Janiszewski.[6] Emperor Donald would reign until 25 December 2014, when Emperor Stephen returned to the throne, taking the same name.[7]
On 27 December 2014, the Kingdom of Darmania was abolished as the nation had descended into deep inactivity. All titles and all governmental positions were abolished with this effective act.
Abelden held its first general elections from 8 January 2015 until 10 January 2015 with the voting held in the group lounge of Abelden.[8] Andrew Janiszewski won the position as Prime Minister, defeating HM King Michael I and the Duke of Pleston. The Emperor also introduced new positions, which were voted on for the first time in this election.
The second general election commenced on 28 February 2015. Duke of Pleston won the majority of positions, but at that time, an individual could only hold a maximum of three positions. Emperor Stephen appointed other citizens to the rest of the positions. The end of the elections saw the start of the 2015 Abeldane crisis.
The 2015 Abeldane crisis was a series of events that happened between 1 March 2015 until 8 March 2015. Newly elected Deputy Prime Minister Michael Thomas Brazeau was criticized for his views about opposing certain liberal ideas. The Prime Minister, Andrew Janiszewski, then started a petition on impeaching the Deputy Prime Minister and Brazeau promptly resigned as Deputy Prime Minister. A series of Prime Ministers were also appointed and the decision making of Emperor Stephen was criticized. Emperor Stephen then stepped down from the throne and enacted Act 6 (Election terms) and 7 (Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs) as his last decrees. On 8 March, he ended the conflicts and reappointed Andrew Janiszewski as Prime Minister again and abdicated the throne for the second time and the throne passed to Emperor Donald.
The crisis saw an increase, then decrease, in citizenship and loss of interest within the Empire. It was the first time that the reserved powers of the Emperor were ever used. Brazeau and Benjamin Norris were expelled from Abelden following the crisis. The position of Prime Minister was abolished from 4 until 5 March 2015, when the Duke of Pleston, who was the Emperor Donald, became the Prime Minister as well.
Emperor Stephen then became the Emperor of Munkkia from 6 March 2015 until 9 March 2015. The former Emperor stepped down from the throne after realising that he held dual micronational citizenship: Munkkia was exclusively for Munnkians only.
Intermediate period
On 24 March 2015, Emperor Stephen became Emperor for the third time following the abdication of Emperor Donald. The third general election was held on 15 July 2015, with all citizens running for election. The general election saw the first use of an online voting system. A group of people were called to vote online as a test from the Imperial Government.[9] On 4 August 2015, the Federal Republic of Demirelia joined as the fourth member of the Commonwealth, but under slightly different provisions than the other three: Demirelia was to continue as a full member of the Commonwealth for two and a half months, after which it would gain full independence.
On 7 August 2015, Emperor Stephen enacted Act 9 (Neutrality), a law that protects Abelden's neutrality in all cases. The act also describes that the Abeldane people may only declare war if the majority of the citizens agreed to do so.
A new Abeldane Constitution was enacted on 5 October 2015 after a referendum was held on the same day, with the majority of voters agreeing to the constitution. The Constitution was officially enacted and promulgated throughout the Empire and the Commonwealth through an Act of the Parliament. Llewelyn Lawton was re-elected as Vorsitzender on 24 December 2015 and Harry, Duke of Johnstown was elected as Stellvertreter for the first time. Emperor Stephen also dissolved the first Reichsversammlung and opened the second Reichsversammlung on the same day to pave way for a new government under Llewelyn Lawton.[10]
On 24 March 2016, Emperor Stephen celebrated his Paper Jubilee, his first year of reign as Emperor of Abelden and Monarchs of the other Commonwealth nations. This was celebrated with a commemorative banknote issued by the Imperial Central Bank and a grant of personal arms by the Instürwappadel. The titles of the Abeldane Monarch were altered and peerages were granted to citizens in commemoration of the occassion.[11]
Federalisation
In June 2016, Emperor Stephen completed perhaps the largest reform in all of Abeldane history, by annexing most of the member states of the Abeldane Commonwealth. A referendum was announced on 26 June 2016 throughout the Empire and the Commonwealth which was to be held on 30 June.[12] The referendum ended with 92.9% in favour of a federal monarchy and 7.1% in favour of retaining a unitary state.[13] He reformed the Empire's structure to be like that of imperial Germany. Abelden's population was greatly expanded and diversified due to this. Notable states include Sinoland and the Kingdom of Morgannwg. New federal monarchs were appointed, while some continued in their respective thrones such as Patrick Renwick as King of Demirelia and Llewelyn Lawton continuing as King of Morgannwg.[14]
That same month, Stephen wrote a twenty-page constitution to replace the former one, due to the large changes in the empire. From late June to early July, Stephen reformed the Reichsversammlung, thus appointing a new Vorsitzender and Stellvertreter, as well as new members of parliament from each state. Emiel Hardy became Vorsitzender, and Isaac Reuel became Stellvertreter.
The Empire oversaw several changes during its federalisation, one of which was the abdication of King Dallin I as King of St. Castle because of his retirement from the micronational community. Emiel Hardy replaced him as King and Nuri van Dijk replaced Ned Gunderson as Grand Prince of Sinoland.[15] The regency, which had begun since September 2015, finally ended on 31 August 2016 and on its replace established the Reichsräte, the Council of State, which composed appointed members to take over the Emperor's state duties while he was away.[16]
During the first 4 months of the federal Empire, Abelden saw 3 federal states, Glaciania, Leganisberg, and Deoter, become part of Alenshka. East Nedland seceded from the Empire on September 2016 after a referendum and request by the Prince Edward I. Abelden oversaw the creation of the Grand Principality of Teodoria as the 13th federal state, headed by Grand Prince Lars. Two more states soon joined the Empire: the Duchy of Raonheim and the Landgraviate of Satirno, thereby making up the present number of states in the Empire.
On 26 October 2016, a referendum about the Monarchy was held which asked voters if they had confidence in the Monarchy and the Emperor. The vote, which was open to registered and non-registered voters, passed easily with a majority of 90.2% in favour of supporting the Monarchy and the Emperor.[17]
Henry Twain, who was elected as Vorsitzender on 27 February 2017 and garnered most of the seats in the Reichsversammlung, formed the first grand coalition in Abeldane history and has been a precedent to successive governments after him. Twain resigned on 29 March 2017 following his elevation as Acting Chair to the Grand Unified Micronational.
On 5 June 2017, Patrick Renwick was reelected for a second term as Vorsitzender and won the largest landslide since Horatio Eden's victory in the October 2016 general election. The election also set a record for having the largest turnout as well in Abeldane electoral history, where a turnout of 95% of the registered voters voted.
From absolutism to democracy
As the Empire slowly became more active than ever before, there were calls for a more democratic system to be installed, particularly in the way members of the Reichsversammlung were chosen. As Emperor Stephen increasingly appointed MPs that came from Abeldane Social Ecology, a party formed in June 2017, their MPs soon were the largest in the Reichsversammlung and thus the process for having an elected legislature was accelerated due to the efforts of their leader, Newton von Uberquie.
Abelden held its first-ever legislative elections on 20 August 2017, in which the Abeldane Social Ecology won most of the seats and votes. The legislative elections followed the single-transferable voting system and two days after, the Vorsitzender and Stellvertreter elections were held using the same system and in which Newton von Uberquie and Ava Neasa, both from the Abeldane Social Ecology, won the positions respectively.[18] This was the first time since John Smith wherein both the two highest elected offices in the Empire came from both political parties. Later in the day, von Uberquie formed a coalition government between the Abeldane Social Ecology, the Abeldane National Party and the Independence Party and presented his cabinet appointees to the Emperor.[19]
By December 2017, federal elections were due to occur again. There was a constitutional concern with the Elections Act, changing the voting system to a party list system. However, after a constitutional plebiscite, the elections occurred from the 15th to the 20th of December in 2017. Shiro of the newly formed United Rhinoceros Party was elected Vorsitzender and Patrick Renwick of the newly merged Abeldane National Independence Party (formerly the Abeldane National Party and Abeldane National Independence Party) was elected Stellvertreter. The election was quite controversial, as electoral fraud causing the first result of the executive election returned Newton von Uberquie incorrectly as Vorsitzender. However, this was overturned by the Reichswahlkommission which led to a revote of the Vorsitzender/Stellvertretar race. Investigations into the fraud are still ongoing, and the government has yet to name a suspect, though has confirmed that the suspect is one of the citizens of the Emperor's state of Alenshka. Soon after, on 24 December 2017, the 28th Ministry was announced, comprising of members of ANIP, URP, and NFP (as well as Tarik Karjasari of ASE).
Reign of Griffin and inactivity
On 10 January 2018, Emperor Stephen decided to go on a long term hiatus from Abelden, and thus Prince Regent Griffin began leading the micronation on 12 January 2018. Two months later, on 24 March, the third year of his reign, Stephen abdicated the throne, and Griffin ascended to the throne as Emperor Griffin.[20] He was acclaimed as Emperor on the same day in the presence of all members of the Reichsversammlung.
Alejandro Whyatt was elected as Vorsitzender in the April 2018 elections but soon after the elections, inactivity had hit its lowest in the Empire since 2015 and the Whyatt Ministry was known for its inability to fulfill its promise during the elections.
On the 18th of May 2018, the Landgraviate of Satirno seceded to become a federal state of the Nordkavn Federation.
In June 2018, following a period of personal and national inactivity, Emperor Griffin announced his intention to abdicate in favor of the then-Prince Regent Newton, who was first in line. On 16 June 2018, Newton officially ascended to the throne as Emperor Newton I. Among his first actions were declaring a snap election on June 21, and appointing the former Emperor Stephen, who had returned to Abeldane politics, Ervecysarich and first in line to the throne.
Reign of Newton
Following the abdication of Emperor Griffin, Ervecysarich Newton assumed the throne on 16 June 2018 and became the second person after Griffin to come from a different house other than the three founding houses. One of his first actions as Emperor were declaring a snap federal election on 21 June, and appointing the former Emperor Stephen, who had returned to Abeldane politics, Ervecysarich and first in line to the throne.
Freayth, who ran under the Die Rechte ticket, formerly called the National Federalist Party, won the election for Vorsitzender in a landslide against Ava Neasa, of Abeldane Social Ecology. In the Stellvertreter election, Max Pollack won all of the votes with no opponents during the election. In the Reichsversammlung elections, Die Rechte captured all 4 of the 16 seats up for election, winning in total 10 out of the 16 seats in the Reichvsersammlung, and became the first party to successfully form a single party majority in the Reichsversammlung and using that majority, he also formed the first single party majority government in Abelden and the first one-party government since Donald West.
Several reforms were instituted following the elections and one important reform was the enactment of a new constitution. The constitution, which was prepared by the delegates of the Reichsversammlung and by Anthony Clark, was enacted on September 2018 by the Emperor due to the inability of the Reichsversammlung to convene and all previous laws with the exemption of some were all repealed, including Imperial Decrees. A new law called the Code of Abelden was also enacted by the Emperor on the same day, which set out some new laws for the Empire. The total number of states were also reduced from 10 to 5 and all the affected states were merged into other states.
On August 2018, Abelden became a founding member of the Konmalehth, an organisation whose aim is to promote a close relationship between its members through cultural and economical means. It was also joined by Pacem, a long time ally of Abelden, Legatia and Uberquiesenberg. Other nations like Sabia and Verona and Atovia soon joined.
Tarik Kârjasary of Social Ecology was elected as Vorsitzender and Griffin Kaos of Die Rechte as Stellvertreter on the last simultaneous election of the executive and the legislative branch of the government.[21] Kârjasary then formed the 33rd ministry in a grand coalition government with Die Rechte and Liberty Front. His ministry saw major changes from 2018 finally implemented such as the term limit and the staggering of elections between the executive and legislative.
Decentralisation
Edward Daniels, former Stellvertrer under the Second Freayth Ministry, was elected Vorsitzender in March 2019 for Liberty Front.[22] His term would go on the beat the record Vorsitzender term, formerly held by Llweyln Lawton, at 366 days. Daniel's executive would become notable for its radical dencentralisation reforms, and a concentration on State Activity. This was marked by the successful politicisation of Morgannwg and Tusmore, and the reoccupation of the defunct Alexander and Rai governments.
The year 2019 was notable for the events of the Behemothgate, in which accusations of espionage lead to the expulsion of several prominent members of the Behemoth Party, and eventually a mass migration away by most of the party members from Abelden. The period also marked the rise of the Party of Royalists and Cooperatism as the second largest party in the empire, and the fall of Abeldane Social Ecology and Liberty Front to minor parties.[23][24] Alongside this, the foundation of six state parties ensured the legacy of a diverse political atmosphere in the Empire.
As states became more active at the expense of the federal government, several states saw a change in their leaderships and governments because of reforms and changes. Alexander saw their long-time Grand Duke Max replaced by Nicholas Randouler after pressure was made to the Emperor by the Reichsregierungskabinett and other concerned citizens.[25] This saw the first change in a state's monarch since the replacement of Anthony Clark as King of Morgannwg by the Emperor with his consort, Empress Sian in January 2019.
Defreaythification
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Geography
The Abeldane Empire consists of six federal states, the largest of which is the Kingdom of Morgannwg. Before the federalisation of Abelden, all federal states were either independent or were a part of an another independent state before joining, or were created in the Empire. The Abeldane crown is inherited on a rotational basis by the state monarchs, though it was previously permanently held by the King of Alenshka. Originally, Abelden was composed of 15 federal states. Three duchies were annexed to Alenshka on the 10 September 2016.[26] The federal states are divided into 4 kingdoms and 2 grand duchies each ruled by their respective monarchs.
Before the federalisation in 2016, Abelden was divided into administrative regions and each administrative regions were further divided into cities. Administrative regions were headed by a Governor and cities were headed by a Mayor. The administrative regions were named based on their regional location and all administrative regions located in the United States either had the word 'west' in their names.
Abelden's capital is Kaiserstadt, a federal territory separate from the federal states. Kaiserstadt was established as the capital of the empire following the reforms of 1 August 2020. Previous to this, Abelden had 2 capitals; Pleston and Alexton, which symbolised the two continents where Abelden's claims originated; Pleston being located in Asia with Alexton located in North America. These cities Were part of Alenshka and were simultaneously the co-capitals of the Kingdom.
Crown Dependencies, which are autonomous territories but federal laws or state laws do not specifically apply to any of the territories unless specially enacted into law by the Reichsversammlung; however they fall under Abeldane sovereignty and the Crown is directly responsible for governing it, through High Commissioners.
Federal states
Flag | Arms | State | Code | Capital | Pop. | Area (km2) |
Official languages |
Head of state | Head of gov. |
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Kingdom of Alenshka |
ALN | Sentallares | 6 | 20.95 | English Spanish |
Nicolas II King of Alenshka |
Vacant Prime Minister | ||
Kingdom of Morgannwg |
MGW | Dubhlaith | 11 | 34.74 | English Welsh |
Sian Queen of Morgannwg |
James Frisch Prif Weinidog | ||
Kingdom of Demirelia |
DMR | Volkania | 10 | 0.15 | English Norwegian |
Patrick King of Demirelia |
Lise Naesheim-Renwick Statskansler | ||
Kingdom of Tusmore |
TSM | Pacem | 9 | 0.19 | English Irish Latin |
Robert King of Tusmore |
Chase Nanatovich Premier | ||
Grand Duchy of Alexander |
ALX | Richmond | 8 | 6.2 | English | Andrew Grand Duke of Alexander |
Carl von Joseph Werzberg First Minister | ||
Grand Duchy of Rai |
RAI | Batori | 8 | 4.67 | English Sabian |
Tarik Grand Duke of Rai |
Vacant Seneschal |
Government and politics
Abelden |
This article is part of the series |
Politics and government of the Abeldane Empire |
Constitution |
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Reichshöchsgericht |
Foreign relations |
Political parties |
Abelden is a federal, parliamentary democracy with a hereditary, constitutional monarchy headed by the Abeldane Emperor, with the imperial crown being inherited on a rotational basis by the monarchs of the Empire’s federal states. The basic laws of the Empire is prescribed in the Constitution. The current constitution was adopted in 2018 but saw profound amendment in 2020. The constitution grants the Monarch, known as the Abeldane Emperor, executive powers. The federal government, officially known as His Imperial and Royal Exalted Majesty's Government or also known as the Imperial Government, consists of ministers in the government and are responsible for the daily governance of the entire Empire through their respective duties as prescribed in the law headed by the Vorsitzender, who is the head of government, and is assisted by the Stellvertreter and various ministers within his Cabinet.[27]
Structure
- Main articles: Reichsregierungskabinett and Reichsversammlung
The Monarch is the head of state of the Empire and as such is the head of The Crown, which in turn is the state in all aspects and the legal embodiment of the executive, legislative and judicial governance in the Monarchy. The Monarch has the right to appoint and dismiss ministers or any members of the Imperial Government and is counselled on the matters of state by the Vorsitzender and the Cabinet of Abelden. The Monarch is a constitutional monarch as the Monarch is subjected to the laws of the Empire, but may also do some independent decisions without consent. Traditionally, though constitutional, the monarchy exercises significant political influence.[28]
Under the Crown is the Imperial Government, which maintains the daily governance of the Empire and ensures the well-being of its citizens. In a legal sense, the Crown is the legal embodiment of all the three branches in the Imperial Government and as such the names His Imperial and Royal Exalted Majesty's Government is where it derives from. The Imperial Government is divided into three: the Emperor-in-Council (the executive), the Emperor-in-Parliament (the legislative) and the Emperor-in-Court (the judiciary).
The Reichsregierungskabinett is the main body in the executive that is entirely composed of ministers and secretaries who are appointed by the Monarch or the Vorsitzender. All members are accountable to the Reichsversammlung. The cabinet is headed by the Vorsitzender.
The Vorsitzender is the head of the government, who is directly elected by the people and/or appointed by the Monarch. The Vorsitzender operates the day to day running of the nation. The Stellvertreter acts as the deputy of the Vorsitzender in the event that the Vorsitzender may become incapacitated, lose contact, or resigns. The Stellvertreter, like the Vorsitzender, is also elected by the people as one of the two directly elected officials in the Imperial Government.
The Reichsversammlung is the bicameral legislature of the Empire. The Reichsversammlung is divided into two chambers: the upper Bundesrat and the lower Volkstag. The Bundesrat consists of 1 representative from each federal state, chosen by whichever method each individual state finds suitable. The Volkstag consists of popularly elected representatives, known formally as Members of the Volkstag or MP/MV. They are elected every six months via a system of party list proportional representation. Previously, members were appointed by the Monarch and the only way members could gain a seat was if a vacancy occurred. Acts passed by the Reichsversammlung are done in the name of the Monarch and are known as an Act of the Parliament.[29]
Since 10 July 2020, Patrick Renwick of the National Royalists has been Vorsitzender, leading the Seventh Renwick ministry, which is in a government consisting of the National Royalists, formed in the aftermath of the August 2020 Executive election. Renwick’s Stellvertreter is Newton von Uberquie, also of the National Royalists.
The judiciary of the Empire is divided into two parts: the federal courts and the state courts. The judiciary has extensive powers of judicial review. There are three tiers of federal court: first-tier federal court, circuit court and the Reichshöchsgericht, which is the court of last resort. At present, the Chief Justice is Thomas Bainbridge. States have the right to establish their own judiciaries (at present, only Alenshka and Alexander have done so), but their judgements may still be appealed the Reichshöchsgericht. Otherwise, cases concerning state law are heard by first-tier state courts, which are regulated by federal law and staffed by federal judges.
Ministries and Cabinet
The executive branch of the Empire is exercised by the Privy Council of Abelden under the Constitution. The Privy Council is divided into two bodies: the Kronrat, which is the Monarch’s advisory and executive council, and the Reichsregierungskabinett, the elected government exercising principle governmental power. The Reichsregierungskabinett is composed of the Vorsitzender, the Stellvertreter, the Great Offices of State and other ministers who are appointed by the Monarch, usually on the advice of the Vorsitzender. In order to be eligible as a member of the Reichsregierungskabinett, and therefore as a minister, a person must be a full Abeldane citizen and not have been found guilty of any misconduct by the courts. At present, there are 6 ministers in the Kabinett including the Vorsitzender and Stellvertreter.
The Ministries are currently—
- Ministry of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs - led by the Lord Ambassador, responsible for maintaining diplomatic relations with other nations.
- Ministry of Finance - led by the Lord Chancellor, responsible for the maintenance of the economy and overseeing the works of the businesses in the Empire.
- Ministry of Media and Orthography - led by the Media and Orthography Minister, responsible for maintaining all the social media platforms and internet presence of the government.
- Ministry of Justice - led by the Lord Advocate, responsible for maintaining records of all legislation and Imperial Decrees passed and representing the Imperial Government in legal cases.
- Ministry of Homeland and Geographical Affairs - led by the Lord Procurator, responsible for the defense and affairs regarding the geographical structure of the Empire.
- Ministry of State and Kabinett Affairs - led by the Cabinet Office Minister; ex officio held by the Stellvertreter, responsible for arranging the meetings of the Reichsregierungskabinett and recording all of its meetings, along with overseeing federal-state relations.
- Ministry of Culture, Education and Social Welfare - led by the Generalmememarschall, responsible for the development and enhancement of Abeldane culture and welfare.
Elections and federal political parties
General elections are usually the core of activity within the Empire as registered voters get to vote. Usually, general elections happen every 6 months, thereby making 2 general elections per year. Previously, general elections were held every 3 months. The longest gap between general elections was the gap between the December 2015 elections and the June 2016 elections, a period of six months, following the official constitutional rule on elections per year.
Political parties in Abelden are very common and the oldest political party still in existence is the Liberty Front, established on 17 January 2019. The Liberty Front rose to this position after the merger of the Abeldane National Union and the Party of Royalists and Greens. The youngest political party in Abelden are the Confederals, founded in July 2020. Presently, there are three federal political parties operating in Abelden, with all three represented in the Reichsversammlung.
Logo | Name | Ideology | Spectrum | Leader | Bundesrat | Volkstag | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberty Front Front für Freiheit |
LF | Libertarianism | Centre | Brandon Wu | 0 / 6
|
2 / 13
| ||
Confederals Konföderative |
PL | Confederalism | Left-wing | Connor Stumperth | 1 / 6
|
5 / 13
| ||
National Royalists - The Greens Nationale Königstreue - Die Grüne |
NRGU | Royalism Environmentalism |
Centre | Patrick Renwick | 2 / 6
|
6 / 13
|
State governments
Monarchs
The Abeldane Empire is at present composed of six federal states, each one having their own respective monarch or monarchs as head of state. The heads of the states are collectively referred as Federal Princes or in German as Bundesfürst. The Imperial Monarchy is inherited on a rotational basis by the Federal Princes, in order of statehood and, if statehood having been simultaneous, alphabetical order. Each federal monarch is distinct in terms of their styles, with the two titles currently used being "king" and "grand duke", though in the past the empire has also had monarchs titled "grand prince", "archduke", "duke", "landgrave" or "prince".
The following are the present Emperor and the federal princes or monarchs of the six states of the Empire:
Political parties
Law
There are several sources of federal law in Abelden:
- the Constitution;
- Orders of the Kronrat
- Imperial decrees;
- Acts of the Reichsversammlung;
- federal court judgements;
- orders of executive office holders;
- international law.
Permanent public law is codified in the Code of the Abeldane Empire (current revision). The Code is authoritative, and contains an edited and organised compilation of permanent Acts and Imperial decrees. It frequently also contains entirely new material. New editions are published infrequently, but revisions that note new laws and court rulings are published more frequently.
The Abeldane judiciary is powerful, and can strike unconstitutional laws. It can also order public authorities to act or to refrain from acting in a certain way. The power of judicial review extends to the Crown; but only in its official governmental capacity, as the Monarch in a personal capacity enjoys total immunity.
Foreign relations
Abelden has maintained a record of creating relations with other nations since its formation in 2014, with the Principality of Lomellina being the first nation to recognise Abelden. The Ministry of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs is responsible for maintaining all treaties and agreements signed by the Empire and ensuring that requests from other nations are delivered to the government. The Lord Ambassador is the head of the Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Ministry, and as such is the chief diplomat of the Empire.
Several nations including Legatia and Andrestan that are under the influence of Abelden are part of the Abeldane Commonwealth, which recognises the Emperor as the head of state. Other nations that Abelden maintains close relations include Pacem and Verus.
It is a member currently of four intermicronational organisations: the Grand Unified Micronational, International Agricultural Development Pact, Union Against Micronational War and the Asia-Pacific Alliance.
Military
Abelden maintains a ceremonial military called the Imperial Armed Forces. It has three branches: the Imperial Army, responsible for protecting the lands of the Empire; the Imperial Navy, responsible for protecting the coastal and sea claims of the Empire; and the Imperial Air Force, responsible for protecting the skies of the Empire.
The federal states are also allowed to maintain military forces in the form of state armies, navies and air forces. At present only the state of Demirelia has a military, the Royal State Forces, divided into the Landvern and the Statsleidang.
There are ongoing interests on reviving the military and turning it into an active organisation. In the past the Empire maintained a base in Bosmansk at the request of the Bosmanian government but its status is currently unknown due to the dissolution of Bosmansk.[30]
Economy
The economy of Abelden can be considered as a mixed economy due to the constant interventions of the government on businesses and at the economy in general. Several businesses in Abelden are also state-owned like Reichsdruckerei but some new businesses are no longer state-owned. There have been several instances when the economy was dissolved or abolished due to the unsatisfactory results it delivered.
States like Alenshka are developing their own economies and it is encouraged by the Imperial and State government to let residents establish their own businesses in order to stimulate and functioning and active economy within the state and the Empire.
Abelden's currency, the Trimole, is the national currency and used by several members of the Commonwealth. The trimole is issued by the Imperial Central Bank, the central bank of the Empire, and responsible for maintaining the interest rates and money supply within the economy. Currently, the Imperial Central Bank is lead by Samuel Carnogursky, the Governor since August 2020.
Demographics
Historical population | ||
---|---|---|
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
2014 | 10 | — |
2015 | 20 | +100.00% |
2016 | 50 | +150.00% |
2017 | 105 | +110.00% |
2018 | 56 | −46.67% |
2019 | 69 | +23.21% |
2020 | 75 | +8.70% |
Source: Statistics Abelden. |
Languages
According to the Abeldane Constitution, the official languages of the Empire are English and German. English is the most commonly used language in the Empire and is required to be learned by all citizens. German is rarely spoken, but is used on official government documents and most institutions and offices are named in German. Other official languages used in the federal states are Norwegian, Irish, Spanish, Welsh, Latin and Sabian. Previously, the federal government also recognised French as an official language, alongside the constructed Abeldane language. Both of these languages lost their constitutional status following the August 2020 reforms.
Religion
Abelden is a secular state and all federal states are also secular. Since its foundation, the freedom to exercise religion has been guaranteed and given to the people by the Constitution. Religion plays no part in the government but it plays a minor role in the Monarchy, wherein the Church of Abelden is recognised as the sole and primary institution that can crown the Emperor.
The Church of Abelden is the state organised church that exists within Abelden, and is responsible for the spiritual well-being of its Christian citizens. The Church considers itself as a nondenominational Christian church and is headed by a Patriarch.
Most of the population are adherents to Christianity, with Roman Catholicism compromising the largest group followed by Protestants. There are other minor religions which include Islam, Hinduism and Judaism, of which all do not compromise more than 20% of the population. While half of the population adhere to a religion, 38% of the population are irreligious and it is only behind Christianity in terms of numbers. Since foundation, Christianity has remained the largest religious group in the Empire.
Culture
Abelden derives elements of its culture from Asian, European and American culture. The influence can be seen from the fact that Abelden's federal states are found in 4 continents. In Alenshka, dishes are usually in traditional Arab cuisine and some dishes are influenced from Western cuisine; dressing manner are usually to be done in a conservative manner in some cities and in some in a liberal way. Religion is freely expressed in the Kingdom, but during holy months in the Islamic Calendar, respect must be given for all Muslims in the Kingdom.
The culture is mostly influenced by the federal states in North America, of which it brought influences of liberty, democracy, music, language and more. Western music is widely accepted in the Empire, as are some of the things that citizens usually enjoy doing. Federal states in Europe tend to have strong independent cultural and linguistic identities, with especially heavy focus on language protection. European languages are mostly dominant in the Empire, with English and Norwegian being mostly spoken daily by citizens in the Empire.
Traditions
History is usually a general knowledge within the Empire and most citizens at least know about World War II. A new kind of art culture emerged from the Empire after federalisation begun and is usually known as "Memes." Memes are quite common within the Empire and at least every citizen has created a meme for themselves and has integrated into the usual activities in the Empire and the Imperial Government. The creation of Microball comics has also emerged and is usually very popular amongst the citizens.
Media
Abelden's media is well and richly written. The constitution provides citizens freedom of speech and many other liberties that they may use. The first newspaper in Abelden is The Abeldane, formerly known as The Abeldane Times. Other prominent newspapers in the empire include the Amerston Post. There also exist other Abeldane newspapers, such as the Home-made Crown Journal alongside the Rai Journal.
Other media outlets that occasionally cover news for Abelden but are not local, include the Daily Micronational, FLAMN and the Messenger.
Cuisine
Abelden's cuisine and eating habits are influenced mostly by Arab and Philippine cuisine. Alenshkan cuisine is mostly well-known by the use of meat and chicken often in all kinds of food. Alenshkans usually feed on rice with an unlimited assortment of viands, which is a normal way of eating for Asians. In Alexton, vegetables are mostly consumed by citizens and sweet dishes like cakes and pies are also consumed daily. People in Pleston usually go out in malls for traditional Western cuisine or Asian cuisine or mixed and don't usually eat at homes.
Holidays
National holidays in Abelden are of an importance to all. Each federal state has their own respective holidays, but the Empire have holidays that applies to all federal states and not just to one. All holidays are not usually regulated, and may be removed or added with the discretion from the federal government.
On 20 January 2016, Emperor Stephen declared two new holidays in the Empire: the Autism Acceptance Day and the Anxiety and Depression Week. The ADD takes place every 2 April whilst the A&DW takes place every first week of May. The two holidays were dedicated to the Former Empress, who herself has autism and depression.[31]
On 13 June 2020, Emperor Griffin declared a national holiday in remembrance of Nicholas Randouler, who had passed 10 days prior at a young age. The declaration was due to Randouler's importance in Abeldane history since 2018, and was decreed alongside his Knighthood to the Order of Memery.
Name | Date | Remarks |
---|---|---|
New Year's Day | 1 January | The beginning of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. |
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Day | 6 January | Celebrates the demotion of Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell to Senate Minority Leader following the Democrat-majority in the United States Senate. |
Autism Acceptance Day | 2 April | Day of acceptance for all autistic people and children. Created in honour of the HI&RM the Former Empress. |
Dementia Awareness Week | 3-9 April | Dedicated to all people who have dementia. |
Holy Week | 18-20 April | The three important days in the Christendom: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. |
Anxiety and Depression Awareness Week | First week of May | Dedicated to awareness of the dangers of depression and its dangers. |
Remembrance Day | 4 May | In remembrance to those who died in the Second World War. |
Randouler Remembrance Day | 3 June | Remembrance for Nicholas Randouler, a notable Abeldane citizen, on the day of his untimely passing |
Imperial Day | 6 June | Foundation of the Abeldane Empire. |
Federalisation Day | 30 June | Establishment of Abelden as a federal empire. |
Grand Duke Donald's birthday | 21 July | Public holiday on celebrating the birthday of Grand Prince Donald. |
Constitution Day | 1 August | Celebration of the enactment of the 2020 Constitutional Reform Act. |
Death anniversary of Axel Nielson | 19 September | A close friend of Ervecysarich Stephen; he dedicated this day for him. |
Bob Ross Day | 29 October | In honour of the late painter, Bob Ross. |
All Soul's Day | 31 October/1 November | Day of remembrance for all the deceased people of the world. All activities silenced until the third day. |
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Day and Emperor Griffin's birthday | 18 November | Celebration of the ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) day, an emoji, and the birthday of Emperor Griffin. |
Grand Duchess Rachel's birthday | 29 November | Celebration of the birthday of the former Empress Rachel |
Christmas Day | 25 December | Celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. |
New Year's Eve | 31 December | Last day of the Gregorian calendar. |
References
- ↑ (German: Abeldänisches Kaiserreich und dessen Commonwealth), is a micronation in North America. The full name is used rarely, only applied on special documents. The prefix The is a part of the full name in English.
- ↑ Karjasari, Tarik. "Reichsversammlung dissolved and executive elections postponed as Renwick is restored to Vorsitzendership" L'Sydunche. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "Emperor Stephen abdicates" Abeldane Times. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "Empress Rachel abdicates" Abeldane Times. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "The Baron Westness becomes emperor" Abeldane Times. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "Andrew Janiszewski becomes Prime Minister" Abeldane Times. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "Emperor Donald abdicates in favor of Emperor Stephen" Abeldane Times. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "General Elections January 2015 results" Abeldane Times. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "July 2015 Third General Elections results" Abeldane Times. Retrieved 7 August 2015
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "General Elections results; Emperor dissolves and opens new Reichversammlung" Abeldane Times. Retrieved 24 April 2016
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "The Emperor and King celebrates his Paper Jubilee" Abeldane Times. Retrieved 24 April 2016
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "Referendum on a federal monarchy to be held on 30 June" Abeldane Times. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "Referendum ends in favour of a federal monarchy" Abeldane Times. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "New federal monarchs appointed" Abeldane Times. Retrieved 28 Decmeber 2016.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "King of St. Castle abdicates" Abeldane Times. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "Regency ends, Reichsrate established" Abeldane Times. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "Referendum ends with 90% in favour of the Monarchy" Abeldane Times. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ↑ Kârjasary, Tarik. "Reichswahlkommission Official Report - Abeldane elections, August 2017 Reichswahlkommission. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "ASE forms coalition government with ANP and IPA" L'Sydunche. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "Emperor Stephen abdicates in favour of Ervecysarich Griffin" L'Sydunche. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ↑ Karjasary, Tarik. "Karjasari government takes office" L'Sydunche. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "Election 2019: Daniels wins a second term; Griffin Kaos is the new Stellvertreter" L'Sydunche. 12 October 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ↑ Renwick, Patrick. "Decision 2019 II – Populares landslide and Royalist surge as Liberty Front and Social Ecology collapse" L'Sydunche. 28 December 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ↑ Renwick, Patrick. "Royalists and Demirelia National Alliance enter electoral pact" L'Sydunche. 4 January 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "Nick Randouler becomes Alexander’s new Grand Duke after former Grand Duke Max’s removal" L'Sydunche. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "Glaciania, Leganisberg and Deoter annexed to Alenshka" The Abeldane Times. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- ↑ About Imperial Abeldane Government Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ↑ The Imperial and Royal Monarchy Imperial Abeldane Government Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ↑ About Reichsversammlung Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "Abelden leases new bases in Bosmansk" Abeldane Times. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- ↑ Freayth, Stephen. "Emperor declares new holidays in Abelden" Abeldane Times. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
External links
- Official website
- Citizenship form
- Twitter account
- Facebook page
- Abeldane Register, official gazette
- Reichsversammlung
- Abeldane Times website; January 2015 - March 2015 archives
- "Abeldane Empire" in Swedish
Further reading
- Abelden on the Konmalehth Libraries