Republic of Gumeus
Republic of Gumeus | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Motto: Et Progressus, Pacem, Felicitatem And Progress, Peace, Happiness | |
| Status | Active |
| Location | Ankara, Turkey |
| Official languages | Turkish, English |
| Government | |
• President | Slaeyd |
• Prime Minister | Grant Shadbolt |
| Legislature | Congress |
| Independence | |
• Independence | 24 June 2023 |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 57 |
The Republic of Gumeus, also known as Gumeus, is a micronation located in Ankara, Turkey. It was founded on June 24, 2023, by Slaeyd, together with Grant Shadbolt, with the vision to consolidate and teach democratic traditions and to raise awareness among youth. It is known for its unique governmental system, known as the Republic Loop.
This structure provides the foundations for the government of Gumeus. Under it, the President advises the Prime Minister, who in turn advises the G-Convention and Gumeusian Central Agency. The office of President is held for life, while the Prime Minister and Congress are elected in the biannual general elections. The G-Convention and Gumeusian Central Agency function as the executive branches of the government, while the Congress serves as the legislative. One of the fundamental principles of the Republic Loop is the total independence of the judiciary, with the judicial system functioning as a self-sufficient organism. Gumeus also has component parts with local government, each serving a specific purpose, such as Prudentia.
History
Early history
Gumeus was originally founded as a region on NationStates on January 9th, 2023, and the Discord server dates to this time. During the 2023 Turkish elections, the decision was made by Slaeyd to create a micronation with the aim of raising awareness and education regarding democracy, particularly given the political situation in Turkey. He decided to reshape the NationStates community into a micronation, and some aspects of Gumeusian culture and governance date from this time, such as the Constitution and first Prime Minister, Grant Shadbolt. Since its founding, it has steadily grown, filling its governmental positions with people from all over the world, and is becoming a rising star in the micronational world.
On the 9th of August, 2023, a special election was held for the Congress, which resulted in the first legislation published in the nation, the First Amendment. Less than two weeks later, the nation absorbed the NationStates community of Prudentia. Later that month, the nation experienced explosive growth due to a partnership with a large Turkish Discord server, experiencing the largest single-day growth in its history. This growth prompted the founding of several new political parties, and demand began for a new election.
September Congressional crisis
On the 11th of September, 2023, Jamie Simpson, the President of Congress resigned from Congress, citing a "ridiculous bureaucracy" and "inept" government. The sole remaining member of Congress, Aurora Twinkle, did not take the role, and a State of Emergency was declared at 5:42 pm the next day. During the State of Emergency, the President passed the Second, Third, and Fourth amendments, and called a snap election for the 15th of October. The State of Emergency was ended 15 hours later.
Politics and government
Overview
Gumeus' political environment is notable for being shaped by the Republic Loop. This system was created by the first President, Slaeyd, and is unique among both micronations and macronations. It combines aspects of a Presidential system with those of a Parliamentary system.
President
The President of Gumeus holds the office for life, and serves a mostly ceremonial role. The primary purpose of the President is to serve as the nation's Head of State, although the President also formally signs treaties, and has reserve powers to appoint members of the G-Convention. The President also holds authority over states of emergency, which allows the President to intervene in the case of a governmental crisis.
Prime Minister
The Prime Minister of Gumeus is elected by the Gumeusian citizenry in the general elections every six months, and manages the G-Convention and Gumeusian Central Agency, and they also have the ability to propose laws to the Congress, with the approval of the President. The Prime Minister is the nation's Head of Government, and due to the position's elected nature, the Prime Minister is sometimes seen as more representative of the populace.
Congress
The Gumeusian Congress functions as the main law-making body of Gumeus. It is a unicameral institution, and is elected through a Mixed-Member-Proportional (MMP) system. The populace are divided into electorates based on the alphabetical list of citizens. During the general election, each citizen is given two votes - one vote to select the Member of Congress (MC) to represent their electorate, and one vote for a nationwide political party. Once the electorate seats are allocated, extra seats are allocated so that the percentages of seats won in Congress match the percentages of the nationwide vote.
The functions of Congress are fairly broad-ranging. Congress can propose and repeal laws, with the approval of the President, and is also required to administer international treaties. Congress is the only body in Gumeus authorised to impeach officials, and is the sole organ of government allowed to intervene in the judiciary.
President of Congress
The duties of the President of Congress are very vaguely described in the Constitution, as in addition to presiding over Congress and leading its meetings, the President of Congress is simply authorised to "perform related duties". Indeed, as the position is elected following every General Election, the position risks becoming politicised. However, it has so far remained neutral.
Political parties
Currently, there are four political parties in the Republic of Gumeus. All parties must follow the Rules for Political Parties, which state that parties must exclude any extremist or offensive ideologies, remain loyal to Atatürk's principles and reforms in a modern sense, and abide by the laws and Constitution of Gumeus. Due to the young age of the Republic, major political issues have not yet had time to develop.
| Party | Logo | Party Leader | Membership | Ideology | Members of Congress | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Şanlı Vatan | ŞV | .png)
|
Aurora Twinkle | 1 | Democratic Socialism, Progressivism, Left-wing nationalism | 1 / 1
| |
| Laik Kemalist Party | LKP | .jpg)
|
Ö | 7 | Kemalism | 0 / 1
| |
| Milliyetçi Party | MP | .jpg)
|
HKN | 2 | Nationalism | 0 / 1
| |
| Yenilikçi Cumhuriyet Partisi | YCP | .png)
|
Serhan | 1 | Nationalism | 0 / 1
| |
Judiciary
The judiciary of Gumeus is entirely independent from the government, and is composed of the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, and the Lower Courts. The Lower Courts are established by the rest of the judiciary, and deal with common cases, such as criminal offences and civil lawsuits. The Constitutional Court, which is second in the hierarchy only to the Supreme Court, deals exclusively with matters of constitutionality, both of new laws, and requests for clarity from the government or private citizens. The Supreme Court is the court of last resort, only seeing cases that are appealed up to it from the lower courts, and thusly its rulings are final. In order to ensure total separation of powers between the judiciary and the other two branches, the various judicial organs oversee each other. Thusly, the appointment of judges is administered by the rest of the judiciary, barring extraordinary situations where that power is reserved in the executive.
G-Convention
The G-Convention is the council of ministers, overseen by the Prime Minister, that administer Gumeus' various ministries. These ministries perform the large-scale tasks required for the smooth running of the Republic, and currently consist of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Communication and Media, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Defence. All of these ministries perform tasks related to their respective domains. For example, the Ministry of Communication and Media manages the government's social media accounts, while the Ministry of Defence ensures protection against digital threats.
Gumeusian Central Agency
In contrast to the large ministries run by the G-Convention, the Gumeusian Central Agency (GCA) runs smaller departments, which either serve unique, niche purposes, or have a degree of independence from the government. While an exhaustive list is not possible, examples of departments include the Election Safety Department, tasked with overseeing elections and ensuring the fairness thereof, and the Linguist Department, which is responsible for ensuring that government statements are translated correctly in both English and Turkish.
Foreign relations
Gumeus maintains a fairly self-centred foreign policy, preferring to focus on internal matters. However, it does have relations with some micronations, and it is a robust member of the Mediterranean Cooperation Council.
Mutual embassies
Unilateral embassies
Gunaka Gunakian embassy in Gumeus
Yusienia Yusenian embassy in Gumeus
Land of the Bears Bearish embassy in Gumeus
Culture
Gumeusian culture is based on a foundation of Turkish culture, combined with aspects from the culture of other citizens, including New Zealand and American cultures.
Etymology
Gumeus is an anglicisation of Gümenüs, the name of a settlement made by the Kıpçak Turks, ancestors of President Slaeyd.
National Days
| Date | Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day | A public holiday to celebrate the passage of the previous year. |
| 6 February | Unity Day | A day to celebrate the unity of all peoples of humanity. |
| 7 February | Constitution Day | A day to celebrate the publishing of the nation's Constitution. |
| 23 April | Young People Day | A public holiday to celebrate children and youths. |
| 1 May | Labour Day | A public holiday to celebrate workers and their contributions. |
| 19 May | Atatürk Day | A public holiday to celebrate Mustafa Kemal and the principles of Kemalism. |
| 24 June | Republic Day | A public holiday to celebrate the foundation of the Republic of Gumeus. |
| 15 August | Democracy Day | A public holiday to celebrate the start of the first session of the Congress of the Republic of Gumeus. |
| 30 August | Victory Day | A public holiday to commemorate the triumphs of liberty and freedom over tyranny and oppression. |
Flag
The flag of Gumeus was designed by President Slaeyd, inspired by the Khazak Khanate. While this design contains Turkic elements, it also carries meanings about its own culture. The loop symbol in the middle represents the network system formed by many state organs in the Republic Loop by having a tie with each other. The stars below represent the independence of the legislature, executive and judiciary, but also represent the supreme court, the constitutional court and the lower courts as stated in Chapter 4, Section 1 of the Gumeusian Constitution.