Juclandia
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- For the Federation, see Federal Juclandia. For the predecessor states of Juclandia, see Juclandian Republics.
| Juclandia Republica Juclandeză Pragma Juclandeză | |||
| |||
| Motto Omnes in unum (All in one) | |||
| Anthem "Trei Culori" (YouTube) | |||
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| Capital and largest city | Jucărești | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Demonym | Juclandian (ro: juclandez) | ||
| Official language | Romanian | ||
| Official religion | Church of Juclandia | ||
| Short name | Juclandia | ||
| Ethnic groups | 83% Juclandians 17% Romanians | ||
| Government | Unitary constitutional republic under a direct democracy | ||
| - Head of state | Ciprian | ||
| - President of the Council of Ministers | Ovia Bogi | ||
| - President of the Council of State | Gori Jucărescu | ||
| - President of the Council of Justice | Moș Crăciun | ||
| Sovereign | Great National Assembly | ||
| Established | 10 September 2001 | ||
| - Independence Day | 23 August 2008 (as Socialist Republic of Juclandia) | ||
| Area claimed | 1,650 m2 (est.) | ||
| Population | 164 national 32 federal | ||
| Currency | Juclandian avo | ||
| Time zone | EET (EEST) | ||
| This nation is a member of EMCO | |||
Official website | |||
Juclandia (IPA: [ˈʒuklandja]) is the first known micronation originating from Romania and a member state of the Federal Union of Juclandian Lands, alongside Sabia and Verona. It is, to date, the oldest historically-recorded micronation to have made plush toys an integral part of its national identity and culture.
Juclandia exists as a unique, dual micronational entity, divided in the Juclandian Pragma and the Juclandian Republic (Romanian: Republica Juclandeză). The dualist system was created with the adoption of the Charter of the Juclandian Pragma in 2019. While the Pragma is a non-territorial entity and its institutions are built around the human citizens that together form Juclandia, the Republic is the sovereign territorial state located in the northern part of the Wallachian Plain, surrounded by the Romanian county of Prahova. The institutions of the Republic, apart from the Head of the Republic, are exclusively comprised of nationals (plush toys).
Claiming an area of 1,643 square meters and a population of 181, Juclandia is a medium-sized micronation. Its capital and largest city is Jucărești, with about one hundred inhabitants.
Juclandia is a parliamentary republic with a unitary system of governance. Unlike in most other countries, power in Juclandia is divided between a state power and a sovereign power. The Great National Assembly is considered the sovereign power of Juclandia, and it has supreme authority over the Pragma (the nation). The state power is nominally held by the Head of the Republic, but it is exercised by the Royal Government of Juclandia, made up of the Council of State (Sfatul), the Council of Ministers (Guvernul), and the Council of Justice (Divanul). The human population exercises political power through the Congress of the Pragma, and exclusively controls the territory of the Free State of Lenia. The country is divided into municipalities and communes, which currently do not enjoy a significant degree of devolution, as a result of the small size of the country.
The official foundation date of the Juclandia is 10 September 2001, a date around which the Country of Toys (the first name of Juclandia) was formed in the territories now comprising Jucărești and the northern part of Lenia. Juclandia in its current state emerged with the advent of significant reforms in 2008, beginning with a renaming of the country and the drafting of a unilateral Declaration of Independence, adopted on 23 August 2008. Juclandia is currently a member of the MicroFrancophonie, and a former member of the GUM, the EMCO, the OAM, and the IMTO.
Juclandia in its current incarnation was officially known as the Kingdom of Juclandia from August 2010 to August 2017, and as the Socialist Republic of Juclandia from August 2008 to August 2010.
Etymology
The name Juclandia has its origins in the initial name of the country, "The Land of Toys" (Țara Jucăriilor). The particle "Juc-" comes from the Romanian word for "toy", jucărie, while "-landia" is a Germanic-inspired term for "country", "land".
History
 | This article needs to be updated. |
Legend
The claimed predecessor state of Juclandia was the "Communist Republic of Romania",[1] founded in 1990 by a former member of the Romanian Communist Party[2] in response to the new capitalist government of Romania. The state was disestablished in 1992, allegedly due to actions of the Romanian Police, who considered the new state a secessionist movement. After this, it is thought that an Arabian man arriving in the CR Romania and discovering the land's history founded the Great Socialist Arab Republic of Toys. The original owner of the land then came back and discovered that the land had been occupied, leading to the Arabian man leaving and resulting in the end of the GSART. The legend mentions that both CRR and GSART existed in the current Juclandian province of Cipimania.[3]
Foundation
At the beginning of the 21st century, Ciprian was discovering politics and administration in the meetings with his grandmother, Elena Iliescu. The young man was being fascinated by the role of the government and its composition, and was also fascinated by geopolitics. Having a quite big number of plush animals, Ciprian decided to form a nation to be called the Country of Toys, ruled by a democratic council called The Assembly of the Elders. The political landscape evolved that year, reaching its zenith in September 2001, when a first Prime Minister was selected by Ciprian, who decided to call himself President of the Country of Toys on advice of Elena Iliescu. It is believed that the political stability of the nation happened because of the influence Elena Iliescu had on the President, which insisted that Ciprian shouldn't change the nation's name and the Prime Minister almost on a monthly basis, as he initially planned to. In the spring of 2002, the President decided to name Elena Iliescu Prime Minister of the Country, after months of Iliescu holding a de facto position of head of government. The country continued its existence albeit with a limited governmental role, as there was no official Parliament nor any other real institution but the Government. It is also believed that the country was influenced by the hobbies and interests of the President.
First years
For the next two years, stability secured the existence of the Country of Toys, which was at one point renamed to the State of Toys, but official documents do not show how much this name lasted, nor do they show if this was the last name of the nation before the Socialist era. A political party was founded on the idea that it would be the only party and it'd represent all possible ideologies, and thus it ended having the name the Communist Christian-Democratic Liberal Ecologist Party. The party never ceased to exist, and its current incarnation is the Socialist Christian-Democratic Party, which is as of 2013 the biggest party in Juclandia by seats in the Great National Assembly and has always hold influence in Juclandia's politics.
In the summer of 2003, the President traveled to France, only to discover more of the world. Losing interest in the position of president, he resigned and with the help of Elena Iliescu and his friends at the time, he got Bestia Reformescu, a plush animal, be elected the new President of the Country. The position of head of state became then a merely figurehead position, with the real power being held by Elena Iliescu, which was no longer Prime Minister but the Governor of Cipimania, and Ciprian, who assumed the title of General Medical Doctor of Toys. Gradually, as Elena Iliescu was getting older and older, and with Ciprian becoming more mature, he renounced those titles and returned as President of the Country of Toys in the summer of 2005.
Elena Iliescu died on the 10th of September 2005, exactly on the birthday of Ciprian. The death came as a shock to the whole family, despite the fact that Elena Iliescu was ill and already was 93 years old. The President, visibly depressed by the death, lost again interest in the Country of Toys, and at one point intended to donate all his plush animals to an orphanage. In the autumn of 2005, the Country of Toys was being in a huge political crisis, risking to be abandoned and disbanded. Ciprian decided to keep the plush animals and the Country of Toys, as a memory of Elena Iliescu, while his political ideas were going further to the left-wing spectrum. He started spreading left-wing ideas to his friends as well, and this finally resulted in a big political move in the Country of Toys.
Socialist era (before August 2008)
Finding itself in a crisis of identity in the autumn of 2005, after the death of Elena Iliescu, and with the human citizens moving further to the left after propaganda by Ciprian of Juclandia, the Country of Toys had its first big political reform since foundation. In November 2005, with Elena Iliescu being no longer in the material world for about two months, the President decided to assemble all his friends in the house of Elena Iliescu (that was, after her death, kept in a good condition by her family) and together declared the formation of the Socialist Democratic State of Toys from the ashes of the Country of Toys. In December 2005, a move deemed strange by everyone commenced: the President nominated Pisica Democrescu, right-wing politician and founder of the Democratic Party (only founded in October 2005), as Prime Minister of Juclandia. 2006 was considered a very politically unstable year for the nation, as Elena Iliescu was no longer there to moderate the President's wish for continous change. The instability was marked by the existence of 3 Prime Ministers in only one year: something considered very controversial, as it never happened before during the life of Elena Iliescu.
In 2006, Gori Jucărescu arrived in the SDST. Gaining popularity on the political scene, he was named Prime Minister of Juclandia by President Ciprian of Juclandia. After two failed governments in less than 8 months, nobody expected the Government of Gori Jucărescu last more than 6 months. Nevertheless, when the work on a Constitution started in the summer of 2006, signs that the Jucărescu Cabinet would be a stable and strong one started to appear. At the same time, the government started making provisions for a more organised culture and economy, and made a plan for developing the agricultural output in Cipimania (after the death of Elena Iliescu in September 2005, the economy of Cipimania virtually crashed, and the agriculture got down with it). After the Constitution of 2006 passed in September, one year after the death of Iliescu, it was set to enter into force fully only on the 1st of January 2007, at the same time with Romania's accession to the European Union. The name of the country was modified, with the mention "Toys" being replaced with the name of Romania, thus formally the Socialist Democratic State of Romania. In October 2006, the Parliament set up by the Constitution assembled for the first time, and a new government was chosen, with Gori Jucărescu serving again as Prime Minister. This move made some claim that the government did indeed last less than 6 months, as it was thought by most of the people. The Gori II Cabinet lasted until April 2007 (which coincided with the suspension of the President of Romania) and brought out more reforms than any other Cabinet since the 2001 foundation: it has seen the SDST transition to SDSR, it has presided over the implementation of the first economic policy and the currency of the country, the Leu, it has successfully relaunched Cipimania's economy, it has started the path for the founding of certain educational and cultural institutions and it developed the transport infrastructure.
The first year of the country being surrounded by the European Union came with great economic prosperity that indirectly derived from Romania, who was at the time considered the Economic Tiger of the European East. 2007 was also the year the country started approaching more leftist policies, and the government tacitly claimed the Socialist Democratic State of Romania was the actual successor of the Socialist Republic of Romania. Although not as politically stable as it was before Elena Iliescu died, the country started to flourish economically and politically: with formalised laws and a Constitution, the democracy started to actually made itself felt. It was also the year Cipimania started to be rebuilt after almost two years of remaining in nothing more than a ruin. But this also started with conflicts over who would hold the leadership in Cipimania, things that made the region be separated in East and West. While the West remained under the control of the central government in Jucărești, the East became nothing more than a garden in Romania. The situation remained unchanged until the winter of 2009/2010, when a reconciliation was obtained and a reunified Cipimania was granted autonomous status within Juclandia.
2008 came out as one of the most successful years, if not the most successful, in the history of Juclandia. The economic output was the greatest to be ever known since the 2001 foundation, and the politics started to be stable again. A period of distancing from Romania and Romanian customs also started. In July 2008, the government of Jucărescu realised that the country never formally declared independence from Romania. Only one week later, an official press release announced that a ceremony of presenting a Declaration of Independence was planned for 23 August 2008. In the month preceding the ceremony, the government started planning a new face for the Socialist Democratic State of Romania. The reform started with a new name for the country: after almost two weeks of searching for a name, at an assembly of human citizens in Cipimania, Adela I. presented the idea of renaming the country to Jucia, coming from The land of toys. The idea seemed ridiculous to some, but another two citizens find it inspiring and thus a final conclusion was reached with a unanimous decision: the new name of the country was going to be Juclandia.
Socialist era (after August 2008)
On 23 August 2008, the Socialist Democratic State of Romania officially transitioned into the Socialist Republic of Juclandia. This was marked with protests of the opposition, which sought to remove any mention of socialism from the name and institutions of the new state. Nevertheless, the amended version of the Constitution yet again mentioned it, despite the Democratic Party members of the Assembly leaving in protest when the amendment was passed. The position of President was again vested into the person of Ciprian of Juclandia, also head of state under the SDSR and SDST. In September 2008, the President named Gori Jucărescu in the office of Vice President of the Republic, and thus Jucărescu had to resign from his office as Prime Minister, ending his two years old rule as head of government. Shortly after, the Great National Assembly given confidence to Leopold Jucărescu for the formation of the Cabinet, which nominally had a minority in the parliamentary assembly, but ruled with an agreement with the Liberal Democratic Party, on the basis that the Government would name Bursuc Novac as Governor of the National Bank of Juclandia. The government's main activity was that of assuring a successful transition from SDSR to Juclandia, which sorted out to be more harder to implement than planned. For the next months after the transition, the official seal of the State and much of the symbols and infrastructure were still using the name "Socialist Democratic State of Romania".
In March 2009, dissatisfied with the activity of the Leopold Cabinet, the Liberal Democratic Party withdrew its support for him and the government lost a confidence vote in the Great National Assembly. After days of negotiation, the President successfully managed to impose Bestia Reformescu as Prime Minister, with the support of the Socialist Christian-Democratic Party, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Ecologist Party. Reformescu's government started reforms shortly after receiving confidence from the Great National Assembly. A financial reform was started, along with a reform of the election system. The economic prosperity, though, was halted by the indirect implication of the economic problems in Romania and the drought that happened in the summer of 2009, which resulted in great economic losses for Cipimania. The Government focused instead on developing Jucărești, which went through a total modernisation stage that resulted in the construction of new buildings for the Government, the Great National Assembly and nevertheless for extensive blocks of apartments that assured a new immigration wave in Juclandia. The country's biggest shopping center, Unirea was also renovated starting January 2010 (and was re-opened in August that year). The government's activity in developing the infrastructure of the country assured Reformescu a high degree of popularity among the people, which resulted in two consecutive losses for the opposition in the Parliament: from 45% at the start of 2009 to 42.5% in August 2009 and 38% in February 2010.
The spring of 2010 brought a new political crisis in Juclandia, started by a conflict between President Ciprian of Juclandia, the government of Juclandia and the authorities in Cipimania. Since 2006, the Eastern part of the province hasn't been under the de facto control of the authorities in Jucărești, but instead has been controlled by a separatist government with proclaimed independence and then autonomy under a Romanian rule. In the spring of 2010, part of Eastern Cipimania was put again under the control of Juclandia, with the other part building a fence at the border with the Juclandian-controlled area. This resulted in a crisis which only ended in 2011, when a comprehensive agreement was signed that gave Cipimania a large degree of autonomy from the government in Jucărești in return for the whole region coming back under Juclandian rule, both de jure and de facto.
At the same time, a monarchic feeling was gaining influence in the Juclandian society. With the President already holding a title in pretense of King of the Juclandians, some political factions thought it'd be most appropiate to transform Juclandia into a monarchy. In May 2010 the Great National Assembly started discussing the proposed political reform, and in June the President resigned from his post, Gori Jucărescu taking over as Acting President from his position as Vice President. In July 2010 the Great National Assembly approved the constitutional amendment which transitioned Juclandia into a monarchy, and on 23 August 2010, exactly two years after the Declaration of Independence, Ciprian of Juclandia was coronated in Juclandia by the Patriarch as Ciprian, King of Juclandia.
Monarchy
Transitional years
As the monarchy was finally put in place, the thing it needed the most was stability. As the original republican Constitution was preserved (the monarchy being established by a constitutional amendment rather than a brand new basic law), most of its provisions were also of republican inspiration and a lot of things related to the normal functioning of a monarchy (such as succession and the clear powers of the monarch) were ambiguous or not mentioned at all. As the Liberals, by tradition supporters of the republic, have retired from the government, Bestia Reformescu made a grand coalition with the Democratic Party, which was sworn in by the new monarch a day after the coronation, on 24 August 2010. To avoid conflicts, the National Workers' Bloc and the Democratic Party signed an agreement on basic principles of governing the country, which brought great stability in the next months and helped the government focus on other things apart from politics.
The grand coalition cabinet of Bestia Reformescu started reforms right after it was sworn into power in August 2010. The first reform was to introduce a new currency, the Juclandian leu. Despite being reformed to Juclandia in 2008, the country continued to use the old currency of the Socialist Democratic State. With the leu introduced, the cabinet was able to continue the economic reforms by founding several companies in the secondary and tertiary sector of the economy. An initial unitary wage of JŁ100 was given to all citizens of Juclandia, for the first time in history. As governmental spendings increased, the economy developed and the importance of the local currency grew at the expense of the Romanian leu. More services for the ethnic Juclandians were implemented, and as such, traditional Juclandian provinces such as Jucărești, Culinar and Paradissi experienced an economic boom.
In November 2010 the government adopted a foreign policy that ended, for the first time, the isolation of Juclandia on the international stage. Various letters of greetings have been sent to member states of the United Nations and the country has also started being represented in the micronational community, such as MicroWiki. In January 2011 the country has signed the first mutual recognition treaties with foreign nations and has joined the Organisation of Active Micronations as a full member. With a quite fast ascendancy on the intermicronational stage, the head of state of Juclandia became Vice Secretary-General of the Organisation of Active Micronations in March 2011.
But as Juclandia was developing her foreign affairs, Reformescu started the plans for a brand new Constitution, so as to eliminate the republican-inspired Constitution that was in place, which had a great level of ambiguity. However, the ideas for the Constitution within the coalition were conflicting and the Democrats have decided to withdraw from the government in February 2011. As a response, the King of Juclandia dissolved the Great National Assembly and called for snap elections, but at the same time suspended the Constitution. Until the election, Reformescu moved away the attention of the electorate from more important things by founding the Football Society of Juclandia through a governmental decree, while he officially served just as caretaker Prime Minister. After the election, in March 2011, the left-wing have decreased their share of the votes but managed to form a government on their own, with the support of the Liberals and the Christian Democrats. They successfully drafted a new Constitution in a relatively short time, and in April 2011 it was approved in a referendum.
Gori Jucărescu Era
The left-wing government sworn into office in March 2011 increased spending by 75% and yet again changed the shape of the capital Jucărești. From a city dominated by socialist messages and murals, advertisements and company signs filled the streets of the city, as well as the streets of the rest of Jucăreni. It was considered a sign of economic prosperity and of a healthy market. However, Reformescu's government never endorsed private initiative and tried to suppress it. Instead, it subsidised cooperatives and collectives. These economic actions have brought economic advancement, but it is not known whether this prosperity would have been greater or would have not existed at all whether private, instead of collective initiative, would have been promoted.
At the same time, the government reformed the administrative divisions of the country and granted some degree of devolution to its constituent region, with Cipimania (now divided into the provinces of Lenia and Grădinari) getting a very high level of devolution, which created a discrepancy between it and the rest of Juclandia, which developed differently. After 23 August 2011 the government started a law reform, and got the Great National Assembly, with the approval of the King, to cancel all previous legislation and start a new one from beginning. The first three laws passed by the legislative assembly and proposed by the government was the Statute of the Government of Juclandia, the Law on National Economy and the Statute of the Royal Army of Juclandia. The last law finally brought into existence armed forces for the nation. In December 2011, general elections were organised for the first time on the planned date and were not postponed. The election concluded with a defeat of the left-wing parties.
On 28 January 2012, almost a month after the fifth legislature of the Great National Assembly convened, for the first time in history, a government which had no left-wing parties in it was given confidence by the Assembly after it has been nominated by the King. The government, led by Iepurica Democrescu, has promised economic and social reforms focused on the individual, rather on the collective. However, a radical change couldn't be possible, as a large part of the reforms of the left-wing government were irreversible. The center-right government has however started its own foreign, social and economic policies, even if they remained under the influence of previous left-wing reforms. Democrescu focused on law and order and strengthened the Royal Army of Juclandia by adding a fourth division and raising the number of soldiers by 30%. Another important reform in the first months of her term was the foundation of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, which increased transparency and created a direct communication link between citizens and the government, at the same time increasing the online presence of the government. Democrescu continued with economic reforms and founded several state-owned enterprises (the most important being ELCAP S.A., the utilities company) and reformed Juktelecom and Teleradio Juclandia. After the economy was considered stable, Democrescu, with the endorsement of the Monarch, started a debate on a constitutional revision. Due to the ambiguity of the original 2011 constitution, it could be amended in every possible way, as there was no explicit article on what may not be changed in the Constitution. Thus, the government decided to change the Constitution by a revision rather than making a new one, and that way there was no need for a Constituent Assembly. The debate ended in July 2012 and the Constitution raised from 27 to 133 articles, which defined most things related to the general organisation of the state. Along with this, a territorial reform was made and Juclandia was divided for the first time in provinces, administrative divisions with a high level of devolution. Some have argued that the country was going on the path of federalisation, but Democrescu has denied this. Another important modification was the establishment of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the first judicial body of Juclandia. Before it, the justice was entirely controlled by the monarch. The Great National Assembly was transformed into a bicameral legislative and local legislatures were also formally sanctioned by the Constitution.
The August election, for the presidency and the Council of State, is considered by public opinion to be the fairest election in history. Gori Jucărescu defeated Iepurica Democrescu and returned to the office of President for another one-year term. This way, the presidential/vice-presidential pair of Gori and Pisica got into its third term. Meanwhile, the government continued the road to reform and adopted several bills in the Assembly of Deputies, aimed at a better regulation of political parties, the creation of a freer market and the protection of the rule of law. The same year, overseas territories of Tianita, in June, and Sabia and Verona, in October, joined the Kingdom of Juclandia.
In 2013,after the implementation of the running-mate presidential election system, Gori Jucărescu and Pisica Democrescu decided to compete as a pair in the August 2013 presidential election, and managed to defeat the Ovia Bogi/Bestia Reformescu pair and got its fourth term, while in December 2013 Iepurica Democrescu's coalition lost the parliamentary election, and Teddy Populescu became Juclandia's first Communist Prime Minister, elected on a platform that vows the strengthening of Juclandia's cooperative system and the enhancement of the civil rights of the citizens. In 2013 a political crisis also started in Juclandia, crisis which led to the dissolution of the traditional parties in 2014 and Juclandia's transition to the current party system. Later in 2014, at the 2014 presidential election, the Ovia Bogi/Coccolino Jucărescu pair defeated Gori Jucărescu and Pisica Democrescu, thus ending the Jucărescu Era.
Government and politics
Juclandia is a parliamentary republic whose head of state, despite its republican nature, bears the title of King of Juclandia. The constitutional system of Juclandia is divided between what is called 'the sovereign power', represented by the Great National Assembly, and the 'state power', represented by the Royal Government of Juclandia. The Royal Government of Juclandia exercises its power in the name of the King, but it is dependent on the Great National Assembly for confidence and supply. Administratively, Juclandia is a unitary state, in which the power of the local governments derives from the power of the central government. The King of Juclandia is elected for a term of eight years, which can be renewed. The current King, Ciprian, is exempted from this provision, which means that he serves as King for life.
The Royal Government of Juclandia, as 'state power' is made up of the Council of State, which serves as legislative power, the Council of Ministers, which serves as executive power, and the Council of Justice, which serves as judicial power.
The Constitution of Juclandia provides for a state under the rule of law in which the separation of powers is absolute.
In Juclandia, political pluralism is heavily emphasized on. There are currently three registered political parties and one political group for independent citizens.
Great National Assembly
The Great National Assembly is the sole holder of sovereign power in Juclandia. It is made up of 159 members, corresponding to the entirety of Juclandia's national citizens. In this sense, the University of Jucărești Law School calls it the direct instrument through which the Juclandian people exercise their sovereignty. Before 2017, referendums were also a tool for citizens to exercise their sovereign power, but they were abolished by a constitutional revision. While it is traditionally considered that the Great National Assembly's legislatures coincide with those of the Council of State, the Great National Assembly is a permanent and perpetual structure that is not renewed, nor dissolved.
Royal Government
Juclandia is a parliamentary democracy, in which the supreme state body is the Great National Assembly. It is comprised of 159 members, which form the entirety of Juclandia's national (non-human) citizenry, and as such it can be considered a direct democracy. However, it must respect the constitutional order and it cannot violate the rule of law imposed by the constitutional order.
The head of state is the King of Juclandia, and he is the nominal holder of state power. This power is however exercised by the Royal Government of Juclandia, which comprises the Council of Ministers, the executive power, the Council of State, a quasi-legislative power and the Council of Justice, the judicial power.
Council of Ministers
The Council of Ministers is the executive and Juclandia and manages current affairs of the nations, implementing policies and legislation adopted by the Great National Assembly It was first formed in 2001, when Juclandia was founded as the Country of Toys, and has been led during its existence by 12 prime-ministers who served in 20 cabinets. The executive body of the state is composed of the Prime Minister and their Cabinet. The incumbent Council of Ministers is led by Gori Jucărescu, leader of the United Revolutionary Front.
Head of state
The head of state of Juclandia bears the title of King of Juclandia and is the nominal holder of state power, which is exercised in their name by the Royal Government of Juclandia, the body that comprises the three branches of government. The title of the head of state does not change depending on the gender of the officeholder.
Until April 2013 Juclandia was rendered as a constitutional monarchy with an active monarch, but after a constitutional amendment gave the President of Juclandia power over most of the King's prerogatives, it was thereafter considered a constitutional monarchy with a ceremonial monarch.
The Constitution of 2015 removed all references to the monarchy and explicitly mentions that the word King is merely a title used to describe the Head of State. Some constitutional scholars at the University of Jucărești claim that this would make Juclandia a royal republic. However, as the Head of State was still elected for life, the opinion of the government was that the country would still be a monarchy. In 2017, a constitutional amendment set the term of the King at eight years, effectively transforming Juclandia into a constitutional republic.
Politics
Political parties
| Party | Logo | Short name | Leader | Foundation Date | Position (Juclandian) |
Colours | Great National Assembly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Popular Front & Liberals | 
|
FUP / FRUNIP | Ovia Bogi | February 23, 2014 | The Left | purple | 62 / 165
|
| United Revolutionary Front | 
|
FRU / FREVUN | Gori Jucărescu | June 3, 2013 | The Right | dark red | 45 / 165
|
| Moderate Group | 
|
FRD / FREDEM | Leo Libereanu | August 8, 2012 | The Centre | green | 33 / 165
|
| FLOU. The Miscellaneous Movement | 
|
FLOU | Kusch Niedlich | June 11, 2018 | Syncretic | light gray | 18 / 165
|
| Union of Independent Citizens | Independents | N/A | January 15, 2015 | N/A | light gray | 7 / 165
|
The number of members is equal with the number of seats in the Great National Assembly.
Law and order
Law enforcement and upkeep of public order in Juclandia is carried out by a branch of the Royal Army of Juclandia called the National Force (Forța Națională), which has a special status within the army and a different rank system. The National Force was formed in December 2014, under a system that involves cooperatives in local law enforcement. This system has been formalised by Juclandia's 2015 constitution.
Before the implementation of the current system, the Juclandian Royal Army had the unofficial duty to act as the country's police force. However, this was in fact largely not enforced, and public order was upkeeped by citizens' groups. An independent police force called the National Police was founded in 2009, but it was dissolved after two days due to its unsustainability.
Diplomacy
Following years of strong isolationism, Juclandia first pursued a more open policy in the spring of 2009, when the country's first website was opened to public view, and the government's YouTube account was created. However, the then-government of Juclandia was not aware of the existence of any other micronational entity, and thus the country was unable to contact any hypothetical diplomatic partner. However, in the summer of 2010 the government found diplomatic partners in some other micronations in the YouTube sector, all of which have ceased to exist in due time. In the autumn of 2010, MicroWiki was discovered by the government. Shortly after, a law proposed in the Great National Assembly by Leon Jucărescu that provided for the opening of foreign relations with other nations was passed, and Juclandia's first official diplomatic relations were started in December 2010 with the now-defunct Corbonian Empire.
Juclandia currently enjoys a vast system of diplomatic relations, while being a full member of the Grand Unified Micronational and of the European Micronational Culture Organisation. It espouses neutrality in any kinds of conflict as a national policy, and it promotes peaceful diplomatic relations with a guarantee of non-involvement in the internal affairs of the sovereign countries.
Recognized nations
Juclandia recognizes every nation that has signed a treaty of mutual recognition with the country.
Military
The military of Juclandia consists of several divisions of terrestrial and aerial armed forces, grouped together into the Royal Army of Juclandia, formally called in official documents the Royal Juclandian Armed Forces. The purpose of the army is both for self-defence and for ceremonies, military parades playing a big role in the culture of Juclandia.
Geography
With a surface area of 1,643 square meters, Juclandia is a medium-sized micronation. Juclandia has no mountains and is land-locked. Because of its position on the Romanian Plain, it is agriculturally well-developed, and has a wide diversity of flora and fauna.
Climate
| Climate data for Kingdom of Juclandia (Floral County and parts of Cipimania Region) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 1 (34) |
4 (39) |
10 (50) |
18 (64) |
23 (73) |
27 (81) |
28 (82) |
28 (82) |
24 (75) |
18 (64) |
10 (50) |
3 (37) |
16.2 (61.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | -6 (21) |
-3 (27) |
0 (32) |
6 (43) |
10 (50) |
14 (57) |
16 (61) |
15 (59) |
11 (52) |
6 (43) |
1 (34) |
-3 (27) |
5.6 (42.1) |
| Average Precipitation mm (inches) | 40.6 (1.598) |
35.6 (1.402) |
38.1 (1.5) |
45.7 (1.799) |
71.1 (2.799) |
76.2 (3) |
63.5 (2.5) |
58.4 (2.299) |
43.2 (1.701) |
33 (1.3) |
48.3 (1.902) |
43.2 (1.701) |
596.9 (23.5) |
| Source: Weather Channel | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Kingdom of Juclandia (Jucareni County and parts of Cipimania Region) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 29 (84) |
27 (81) |
27 (81) |
26 (79) |
23 (73) |
27 (81) |
28 (82) |
28 (82) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
27 (81) |
30 (86) |
26.6 (79.9) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 13 (55) |
14 (57) |
14 (57) |
18 (64) |
21 (70) |
23 (73) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
18 (64) |
16 (61) |
16 (61) |
13 (55) |
17.83 (64.09) |
| Average Precipitation mm (inches) | 0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
| Source: Government of Juclandia | |||||||||||||
Administrative divisions
Before the adoption of the Constitution of the 2015, Juclandia, while still a unitary state, was organised under the principles of devolution and was divided into states and territories, making the country a de facto federal state. While states enjoyed greater devolution and had their own legislative, executive and judicial authorities, territories were directly controlled by the central government. Each state and territory had its own head of government, while states also had their own head of state, either a "Prince", a "Duke" or a Governor. Territories had the King of Juclandia as their head of state.
While the territories were divided into communes, states were divided in subdivisions of their own choosing: for instance, the state of Jucărești was divided into communes, while the state of Culinar was divided into parishes. This government arrangement greatly complicated things and led to confusion as to what were the boundaries between the duties of the central government and the duties of the provincial governments. As a result, all the provincial and local governments were dissolved by a royal decree approved by the Great National Assembly in 2014, using the argument that Juclandia was ultimately a unitary state and the central government had ultimate authority over the territory of the country.
In 2015, the National Constituent Assembly decided that Juclandia would return to being a fully unitary state, divided into communes and municipalities. However, these would not have equal status: the Constitution states that by default the subdivisions do not enjoy any self-government, but can create local or municipal councils as a result of petitions and local referendums. As of 2018, no commune or municipality triggered these provisions, and as such the central government in Jucărești provides all public services in a centralised fashion.
There is also a degree of asymmetrical federalism, as the Constitution also creates the sui generis autonomous entity of the Free State of Lenia, which is a particular way of the constitutional framework to deal with the two kinds of citizens that Juclandia has: national (plush toys) and federal (humans). As such, Lenia is the government which belongs of the federal citizens, while officials in the central government are national citizens. The Head of State, the King, acts as a link between the federal and the national citizens. In this respect, some municipalities and communes fall under the administrative authority of Lenia, whose government has the duty to take care of all aspects of governance in its respective territorial jurisdiction, apart from issues such as foreign affairs, defence, borders or administrative divisions.
The municipalities in the region of Grădinari, while under the nominal authority of the government in Jucărești, are managed by the Lenian government, under an informal agreement.
Furthermore, Juclandia is divided into three historical regions: Jucăreni, Cipimania and Nisipești. Jucăreni is the home of the provincial citizens of Juclandia, the plush toys. Cipimania is an area comprising Lenia and Grădinari and is exclusively made up of humans, while Nisipești is not populated.
Municipalities
The territory of Juclandia is divided in six municipalities and two territories, which are themselves further divided in sixteen communes, the most basic unit of local government.
Note: 'nat' denotes national citizens (plush toys), whereas 'fed' denotes federal citizens (humans). The 'fed' number denotes registered citizens, as federal citizens do not necessarily live or have their permanent residence in their respective municipalities.
| Flag | Coat of arms | Municipality | Municipality code |
Communes | Region | Population (inh.) |
Area (est.) (cm2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Municipality of Jucăreşti |
JC | Arcudiopol, Aqatic, Jucărești | Jucăreni (Inner Juclandia) | 116 nat 1 fed |
490,000 |
| Municipality of Culinar |
CL | Culinar, Vestia | Jucăreni (Inner Juclandia) | 27 nat 1 fed |
150,000 | ||
| Municipality of Ihrașcodar |
PD | Ihrașcodar | Jucăreni (Inner Juclandia) | 12 nat 2 fed |
280,000 | ||
| N/A | 
|
Municipality of Floral |
FL | Floral, Lizidava | Floral-Nisipești (Outer Juclandia) | 4 nat 0 fed |
1,030,000 |
| Territory of Nisipeşti |
NP | Nisipești, Zaphorozia | Floral-Nisipești (Outer Juclandia) | 0 nat 0 fed |
430,000 | ||
|
|
Municipality of Nănăuți |
NN | Christineville, Nănăuți | Lenia | 0 nat 18 fed |
|
| Municipality of Petridava |
PT | Petridava | Lenia | 0 nat 1 fed |
|||
|
|
Territory of Grădinari |
GD | Cipimania, Legumipol, Sorcami | N/A | 0 nat 0 fed |
4,510,000 |
Economy
Juclandia's economy is divided between the state sector, the co-operative sector and the private sector. The co-operative sector accounts for more than 70% of Juclandia's economy, and is relatively free from government intervention, the co-operative markets enjoying a very high degree of freedom and self-regulation. Juclandia's state sector comprises state-owned companies that operate public services on a for-profit basis. The private sector is limited and heavily regulated, being almost impossible to create a private non-co-operative company under the current rules.
While taxes have been abolished in 2015 and there is no minimum wage, government spending is funded by profits of the state-owned companies as well as voluntary co-operative contributions, decided upon by the co-operatives themselves on an yearly basis. Juclandia has a universal income of JŁ50 per month, as well as a subsidised system of basic food intake which accounts to JŁ150 per month.
Currency
The Leu (J£) is the official currency of Juclandia. The Leu is widely used in the cultural regions of Jucăreni and Nisipești and in the province of Grădinari, though in Lenia the Romanian Leu is much more used than the JCL. The current sum of physical Juclandian lei in circulation is estimated at 30,000.
Agriculture
Juclandia's agriculture varies by area. The largest agricultural center is Cipimania, with production of vegetables, fruits, eggs, meat and seeds taking place, while in Floral County (Juclandia Region) there is an agricultural center that produces seeds, flowers, vegetables and fruits.
Juclandia exports only agricultural products, 2010's exports being situated at somewhere around €200 (approximately 5000 JCL), much fewer than 2009's, which were approximately €350.
Industry
Juclandia's industry is based on food and energy. The industrial centers are Jucaresti, Floral and South Cipimania, each of them having food enterprises. South Cipimania also produces electric energy through planned windmills and functioning solar systems.
Transport
The country is underdeveloped in terms of human transportation, especially due to its limited size, which makes it practically impossible to build reliable roads. The largest road in Juclandia is situated in the Territory of Grădinari, and has a length of 150 meters. In regards to Juclandian transportation, the States of Jucărești, Culinar and Floral have an extensive system, with daily and weekly schedules between the states. There is also a weekly route for Juclandians between the two Juclandian enclaves.
For the Juclandians, a special transportation vehicle has been designed by the government back in 2007, generically called "Jukbuses" (Romanian: Jukbuze). This vehicle serves as the only transportation mean for the internal Juclandian-only routes in Jucărești, Floral, Culinar, Paradissi and Câinești. A mini-railway system was also in place in Juclandia, in the state of Lenia (then called Cipimania), but it was decommissioned when the economic recession started in 2008 and it is no longer active.
The Juclandian Society for Transportation is the state-owned enterprise which has a government monopoly on the transporation sector in Juclandia, and thus it is the only operating company. The costs are subsidised by the state.
Culture
The culture of Juclandia is based on Western standards and liberal influences. Philosophy plays a major role in the country's cultural formation, and utilitarianism is a philosophical theory upon which Juclandia's political system and national culture are formed. The main cultural institutions of Juclandia are the Academy, the Church and the national cultural centre - CuArTZ.
National symbols and holidays
The National Symbols of Juclandia are decided by the Constitution. Following it, the national symbols are:
- The National Flag
- The National Coat of Arms
- The Local/Dependencies Flags and/or Coats of Arms
- The National Currency
- The National Anthem
- The Royal Motto
Sport
In Juclandian culture, sport plays a very important role. The most popular sport is football, but sports like athletics, swimming and basket are also practiced. The Ministry of Health and Sports is committed to investing in sport venues for the population, and it also invests in recreational activities and professional football.
Football
Football has been mainly played informally in Juclandia, but in August 2011, the National Football Association was founded, placed under the coordination of the Ministry of Health and Sports. With a state budget of JŁ7,500 per year, along with private investment of around JŁ20,000, football is an important economic activity in the country. There are two football leagues, each with 6 teams. The main football teams are:
- FC Royal Jucărești (owned by the Royal House)
- FC Flacăra (owned by the Truda co-op)
- FC Libra Jucărești (owned by Libra Spiti co-op)
- FC Mercur Jucărești (owned by the Ministry of Industry)
- FC Democrația (owned by the Briviba co-op)
- FC Energia Culinar (owned by the National Bank of Juclandia)
- FC Trinitas (owned by the Juclandian Orthodox Church)
Media
The Constitution of Juclandia guarantees absolute freedom of speech and of press, and this is strongly enforced by the country's government. There are no legal or economic prerequisites in order to open a media outlet, and several co-operatives manage their own newspapers. While Juclandia's only printing house is state-owned, access to it is subsidised and supported by the government. There is only one international newspaper, the English version of the state-owned Scânteia, and only one broadcasting corporation, Teleradio Juclandia.
Television and radio
The public broadcaster of Juclandia, Teleradio Juclandia, manages one television station and one radio station. While the television station has irregular broadcasts and limited self-produced content, Radio Jucărești, the country's national public radio, broadcasts a daily service in Romanian and a monthly international service in English.
Originally, there were three television channels: Juclandia 1, Juclandia 2 and Juclandia Info. However, in 2015 Juclandia 2 and Info were disbanded due to financial issues, and Juclandia 1 was rebranded as "Télé" in June 2016.
Newspapers
As bureaucracy is minimal in regards to the foundation of a newspaper, print media in Juclandia is one of the most popular and most used means for the propagation of information. Currently, there are several news outlets, most of which are privately owned by co-operatives of journalists. There is one government-owned newspaper, Scânteia, that also has an online edition in English.
In Juclandia there is no daily newspaper, as they have been proven to be unsustainable in such a small country. The number of total issues printed by the media on a weekly basis ranges between 105 and 130.
List of newspapers
- Scânteia (government-run newspaper)
- Juclandia literară (academic journal, run by the Royal Academy)
- Universul (quality newspaper run by Briviba Coop.)
- Adevărul (quality newspaper run by Royal Coop.)
- Timpul (tabloid run by Orizont Coop.)
- Munca (editorials and op-eds, run by Truda Coop.)
External links
References and notes
- ↑ The Communist Republic of Romania is considered apocryphal, as no existing historical documents regarding it are known.
- ↑ The "founder" was a relative of Elena Iliescu, and died in 2003.
- ↑ Part of it, more than half being property of Elena Iliescu.
Juclandia is a member state of the Federal Union of Juclandian Lands | |||||||||||||||
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