Grand Duchy of Akrilius
The Grand Duchy of Akrilius (Russian: Великое Княжество Акрилиус; French: Grand-Duché d'Akrilius), also known as Akrilius, is a micronation located in a small territory of Ottawa, Canada. Akrilius has claimed independence from Canada since 2017 but just like most other micronations, has not been recognized by the greater international community. Akrilius' culture is primarily influenced by Russian culture due to its origins though it does also contain elements of Canadian culture. The overall style used by the Duchy is inspired by Austria-Hungary, the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of France. The political system of Akrilius is considered to be a semi-constitutional monarchy; where the monarch can influence the nation politically but is regulated by an elected prime minister and parliament. It also has a multi-party system that was chosen to provide more choices to the people.
History
Project state
Conceived by Stanislav Kovalev, the Akrilius micronation was originally a project state with its own political system, economy and laws. Stanislav worked greatly on the project, so that when the time came to make it an actual nation with an online presence, it would be ready. At the time, he was fascinated by historical and modern monarchies, which made him decide that a monarchy, specifically a duchy, would be the perfect system of government. He then worked on creating administrative divisions, including a capital that he named Mirograd (Mir meaning peace in Russian) as well as a judicial system. He finished working on the project in early 2017.
Duchy of Akril
After finishing the Akrilius project, Stanislav proclaimed the existence of a new micronation - the Duchy of Akril on April 21, 2017. He then crowned himself as Duke Stanislav I, simultaneously creating the Royal House of Kovalev. The Duchy's first political system was an absolute monarchy with a legislature known as the Great Akrilus Council, members of which were completely appointed by the Duke. The council's function was to discuss important state matters and suggest possible new laws and reforms that the Duke could decline at any given moment. Stanislav I largely focused on creating a stable nation, while also making reforms where necessary. The biggest and most notable reform was made when Stanislav I created a parliament with elected officials known as the Great Akrilius Parliament and also formed the position of Prime Minister, who was also elected. The Parliament would go on to contain only three parties - the Patriotic Party (right-wing), Liberal Union (left-wing) and Party of Active Reforms (centrist). The first two Prime Ministers were elected from the Patriotic Party, focusing on stability, traditionalism and keeping the Duke in power. The third Prime Minister; however, was the leader of the Liberal Union, Alexander Zorkin and unbeknownst to the Duke, was highly anti-monarchist. Zorkin's plot was to remove the Duke, abolish the monarchy and create a republic where he would automatically become president. His plot came into action while Stanislav I was away on a business trip. Zorkin took full control of the country, proclaiming it a republic and making sure that the news wouldn't come to the Duke. The Patriotic Party that was still loyal to the Duke, notified him of the plot and urged him to return as soon as possible. Stanislav I returned a day after his business trip to witness the mass chaos brought by Zorkin's plot, with online and real-life protests everywhere. Zorkin quickly proceeded to strip Stanislav of his powers and remove his title of Duke. He then replaced the Patriotic Party with the much more republican New Conservative Party and officially proclaimed the existence of the Akrilian Republic, bringing an end to the Duchy of Akril.
Akrilian Republic
After the dissolution of the Duchy of Akril, Alexander Zorkin formed the Akrilian Republic and made himself the President of the new nation. His first political decisions were focused on the removal and replacement of various institutions created under Stanislav I. These included: the Great Akrilius Council replaced with the Central Senate, the Great Akrilius Parliament replaced with the Central Assembly, the Royal Palace of the Duke replaced with the Presidential House and the Royal Academy replaced with the University of the Akrilian Republic. Many other things brought by Stanislav I were completely abolished, in favor of more republican alternatives. Any and all monarchist and anti-republican actions were banned and political organizations with monarchist tendencies were blocked from entering the Central Assembly. The largest of these organizations was the Patriotic Party, a party that was previously a part of the Great Akrilius Parliament. Lead by Vladimir Volkov, it constantly made protests and called for the return of monarchy. Zorkin put much effort to stop the Patriotic Party with one of his primary methods being the creation of anti-monarchy propaganda. Despite Zorkin's pursuits, the majority of the nation's citizen's (85%) were still loyal to the Duke and believed in monarchy. This attitude was further elevated due to the economical situation brought by the government. A new system of taxes introduced under the Republic forced all citizens to pay over $20 or lose their citizenship. Constant spending of government funds, corruption and uncontrollable protests soon lead the nation into a crisis. The situation worsened on February 6, 2019, when the number of online protests would become too much to handle, leaving the President no choice but to put the country into an emergency state with non-stop meetings of the Republic's ministers and President to find a solution to the problem. On February 10, 2019, the Patriotic Party started closing in on the nation's capital, forcing Zorkin to leave his post. On February 11, a provisional government under the Patriotic Party formed, making the Akrilian Republic no longer exist.
Return of monarchy
As soon as it took control of the nation, the provisional government under Vladimir Volkov and the Patriotic Party started a monarchy rehabilitation process, slowly bringing back institutions removed by Alexander Zorkin and restoring the economy. The government then contacted Stanislav Kovalev as they wanted him to return to being the Duke. Stanislav declined the offer in favor of his eldest son, Kristian Kovalev. Kristian agreed on becoming the new monarch, taking the title of Kristian I. He was coronated on March 15, 2019, and proclaimed the creation of the Grand Duchy of Akrilius with the a legislature — the Akrilian Parliament and a political head — the Prime Minister with a two-year position.
Modern times
Kristian I started improving many things within the nation, including the formation of a multi-party system to avoid long-rulers and dictators. The first and current Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Akrilius, Andrew Mark from the Patriotic Party was elected on March 16, 2020. Kristian I, being an enthusiast of international relations, launched a detailed program of diplomatic trips to a multitude of different countries. During the COVID-19 crisis of 2020, the Grand Duke and Prime Minister agreed on placing the nation into quarantine, after numerous requests were made from the Akrilian Parliament.
Government
Akrilian Administration
The Akrilian Administration (Russian: Акрилийская Администрация; French: Administration Akrilienne), also known as the Government of Akrilius and the Akrilian Government, is the primary governing body of the Grand Duchy of Akrilius. It exercises its duties in the name of HRH The Grand Duke of Akrilius* and is lead by the Prime Minister. The Akrilian Administration consists of two institutions: the Akrilian Parliament and the Akrilian Council of Ministers.
*Note: Although the Grand Duke is not a part of the Akrilian Administration, the Akrilian Administration acts on behalf of his name, meaning the Grand Duke is still able to influence decisions made in the Administration and is also able to recall the Administration as a whole.
Grand Duke
The Grand Duke of Akrilius is the head of state of the nation with special political powers. The Grand Duke must sign each new law or reform presented to him by the Akrilian Parliament or the Prime Minister and is fully capable of declining it if he believes it goes against the interest of the nation or monarchy. Some examples of changes that may be declined include: extremely neoliberal or nontraditional views, removal of the monarch's powers or the separation of the church from the state. The Grand Duke also has the ability to remove a person from the post of Prime Minister at any time if he is going against the nation's interest. Another ability held by the Grand Duke is dissolving the Parliament or calling for an emergency Parliament. All other political duties are typically performed by the Prime Minister and Parliament, without the Grand Dukes involvement. The Grand Duke can; however, act as an observer in the Parliament during debates. In terms of international affairs, the Grand Duke is considered the main diplomatic representative and is commonly the one that goes on diplomatic trips, sometimes he is also accompanied by the Prime Minister. The current position of the Grand Duke is held by Kristian I of the House of Kovalev.
Prime Minister
The Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Akrilius is the head of government and primary political leader, elected by the people for a two-year term. After a Prime Minister's term finishes, the same person can not be reelected and the party that the previous Prime Minister was in, must present a new candidate. The Prime Minister's duties are composed of governing the nation, presenting new laws and reforms to the Grand Duke and presiding over the Akrilian Council of Ministers. The Prime Minister has the ability of accompanying the Grand Duke on diplomatic trips or going on diplomatic trips on his own. The Prime Minister is also able to chose new ministers and remove old ones at any time. If for any reason the Prime Minister is unable to perform his duties, his duties will be temporary performed by the Vice Prime Minister. The current Prime Minister is Andrew Mark of the Patriotic Party.
Akrilian Parliament
The Akrilian Parliament is a body consisting of various political parties with right-wing, left-wing and centrist views. The Parliament's function is to discuss important state matters, provide solutions to issues, propose and read new laws and reforms and partially govern the nation. The Parliament has 20 seats in total. The current Speaker of the Parliament is Nicholas Alexandrov.
Akrilian Council of Ministers
The Akrilian Council of Ministers is an entity consisting of each ministry of the Grand Duchy of Akrilius and their respective representatives. The council is lead by the Prime Minister, who also schedules and heads the meetings of the council. The council's purpose is analyzing the work and proposing projects for each ministry. It may also conduct emergency meetings in case of a crisis.
The Council consists of these ministries:
Ministry of the Royal Court
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Ministry of Internal Affairs
Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Online Affairs
Russian Orthodox Representation
Political parties
Because the Grand Duchy of Akrilius follows a multi-party system, there exists a variety of different parties with their own political views.
There exists 9 political parties in total:
Right-wing:
Patriotic Party - 5 seats in the Akrilian Parliament
Orthodox Assembly - 2 seats in the Akrilian Parliament
Royal Conservative Union - 1 seat in the Akrilian Parliament
Left-wing:
Liberals of Akrilius - 3 seat in the Akrilian Parliament
Social-Monarchist Party - 2 seat in the Akrilian Parliament
Socialist Monarchy - 1 seat in the Akrilian Parliament
Centrist:
Party of Active Reforms - 3 seat in the Akrilian Parliament
Great Democratic Party - 2 seat in the Akrilian Parliament
Progressive Party - 1 seat in the Akrilian Parliament
Administrative divisions
There exists five physical administrative divisions in the Grand Duchy of Akrilius in total. Specifically, there are three regions and two specially designated areas. Central Region, Upper Region, Lower Region, Royal Gradens and Travel Hub.
Elections
Elections are held for the Prime Minister and the 20 seats of the Parliament. Elections are done by the citizens of Akrilius, either online or in physical form. When they are done online, they are supervised by the Ministry of Online Affairs. Elections are divided into the Central Electorate, Upper Electorate, Lower Electorate and Foreign Electorate. After each election finishes, the results are collected and then published for the citizens of Akrilius.
Foreign affairs
The majority of Akrilian citizens live abroad, primarily in Europe and Russia, therefore making foreign affairs an immensely important aspect of the nation. The Grand Duchy of Akrilius has a multitude of different diplomatic headquarters around the world, each with a Foreign Citizenship Representative. The Foreign Citizenship Representative's job is to maintain a connection with the Grand Duchy, monitor foreign Akrilian elections done in physical form, meet with Akrilian representatives during diplomatic trips and provide a living space to the representatives when they arrive. The diplomatic trips themselves are a way for Akrilian representatives to reconnect with foreign citizens and discuss important matters regarding the Grand Duchy. There have already been 3 diplomatic trips with 5 planned for the near future. The majority of these trips were made exclusively by HRH The Grand Duke of Akrilius, without any other representatives. There is a special diplomatic relationship between Canada and Akrilius as Akrilius is essentially an independent micronation inside of Canada. Every resident, including the Grand Duke travels to Canada almost everyday for a multitude of purposes and a lot services of the Grand Duchy are entirely dependent on Canada. Some of these services include: an airport, factories, food products, currency, travel aid, delivery services, television services and internet services.
Economy
Currency
The Grand Duchy of Akrilius uses the Canadian dollar as its main currency as it does not have its own. Therefore, all transactions, transfers and payment are done in Canadian dollars. Upon arriving to Canada, travelers planning to visit the Grand Duchy should exchange their money for Canadian dollars and then proceed to their route. Online transfers and transactions from foreign citizens of Akrilius can be done in any currency since the money will automatically switch to Canadian dollars when retrieved.
Taxes
Under the Tax Removal Act of 2019, all citizens of the Grand Duchy of Akrilius are exempt from paying any kind of taxes to the Akrilian Government unless a state of emergency occurs, in which case citizens who are willing and able to help will pay taxes and citizens who are unable to help for financial reasons will not be obligated to pay.