Politics of Pontunia

The Kingdom of Pontunia is a asymmetrical federation governed by an constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system. The Monarch, currently Andrew I, is the head of state, and the Prime Minister, currently Alexandra Ikerlandis, is the head of government. Legislative power is invested in the unicameral Parliament of Pontunia. Parliament oversees His Majesty's Government. The Prime Minister must have the confidence of the Assembly, and is usually the leader of the largest party or coalition within the House. The Supreme Court of Pontunia holds judicial power.

During the early months of Pontunian history, the sole legal political party, sponsored by the Monarch, was the Coalition of National Unity (KNU). However, since February 2021 several new political parties were formed legally, but most of them do not last for various reasons.

The Monarchy

The Monarch of Pontunia is known as King if male, and Queen if female. The position is hereditary by male-preference (cognatic) primogeniture. The Monarch has significant powers that can be exercised through Royal Decrees, one of the many forms of legislation in Pontunia. In addition to this, the Monarch occupies a number of positions, such as Marshal of Pontunia. The Monarch is considered the most powerful and influential office in the country; so far King Andrew I has been the only Monarch, him being responsible for founding Pontunia and for the vast majority of its development.

The Monarch is represented by a political entity known as the Crown of Volcavius. It is this office which issues Royal Decrees and exercises the Monarch's other powers. The powers of the Monarch are sweeping - they can grant or revoke titles and citizenship at will, send back bills, and call elections.

The Monarch is also an important diplomatic figure. As head of state, the Monarch is Pontunia's main representative and ambassador. Andrew I serves as the representative of Pontunia in numerous organizations.

Government

The long-form title of the Government is His Majesty's Government; however, despite this name, the Monarch does not have any direct control over the Government. The head of government is the Prime Minister, who is nominated by the Parliament and appointed by the Monarch. For this reason, the Chief Minister is usually the leader of the largest party or coalition within the legislature. The Chief Minister then appoints Ministers for the government departments; together these form the Pontunian Cabinet, the political committee which runs the government and is the main source of government authority.

Legislature

Parliament is the Kingdom's legislature. It can legislate by Acts of Parliament, and it oversees and directs the Government. The Government needs the consent of Parliament in order to carry out certain actions, such as levying taxes, spending public money, signing treaties, or declaring war.

Parliament comprises a number of MPs, one for each province and territory. These MPs are elected using Party List Proportional, in a general election which takes place at least once per year. Parliament elects its own Speaker, and the Speaker can appoint Deputy Speakers.

Parliament nominates, by vote, the Prime Minister, who is then confirmed and appointed by the Monarch. Therefore, the Prime Minister must have the confidence of the Assembly, and this usually requires obtaining the support of a majority of MPs, or at least a large minority. For this reason, the Prime Minister is usually the leader of the largest party or the largest coalition in the House. This party or coalition subsequently forms the Government. The Leader of the Opposition is the leader of the largest party which is not part of the government.

Judiciary

The legal system of the Kingdom of Pontunia is a statutory civil law system. The main source of law is primary legislation, which takes the form of the Kingdom's constitution, its subsequent amendments, and Royal Decrees issued by the Monarch. A two-tier court system has jurisdiction over Pontunian law, with first instance courts for criminal and civil cases, followed by the Royal Court of Pontunia, overseen by the Monarch themselves, as a court of final appeal. In cases where the Codex may have been violated or interpretation of the is required, responsibility instead goes to the Supreme Court of Pontunia, which has the power to act as a constitutional court, with a Royally appointed person acting as judge.

In practice, due to a lack of legal disputes, no court in Pontunia has yet heard a single case to date; crime is virtually non-existent, and most issues that do arise are settled either by passing emergency legislation, or by arriving by consensus in an informal convention.

Elections

There are two main types of elections in Pontunia - provincial elections and general elections. The former are used to elect local leaders for each province. Though they can be held individually as by-elections, such as if a new province joins the Empire mid-way through the term, they are usually all held on the same day, which is generally in December of each year. They are open to all residents of the province in question. These elections use Approval voting.

The general election elects the entirety of the Royal Assembly using single transferable vote, via the Weighted Inclusive Gregory Method.

In practice, the low populations of most provinces make provincial elections a foregone conclusion, rendering the provinces similar to rotten boroughs. Provincial elections are seen as more ceremonial, a re-affirmation of a province's confidence in its current governor, rather than an actual contest. In contrast to most provincial elections, the general election is seen as a genuine contest, with multiple parties or political groups. Historically, Pontunian general election candidates have put almost no effort into their campaigns.

Political parties

There are currently only two active registered political parties in Pontunia: the Coalition of National Unity (KNU), and the Awesome Party of Pontunia (AWE). Former parties include the National Alliance of Pontunia, the Socialist Party of Pontunia, and the satirical Amogus Party.

KNU

The Coalition of National Unity was formed in March 2020 and is the oldest continually active party in Pontunia. Colloquially known as the "Navies" due to their blue sashes, often worn by KNU's Leaders.

At its core, the KNU is a big-tent Socially conservative party, intent on keeping the Pontunian status quo. Some Party members subscribe to PRM, an ideology seen by adherents as the successor to Huey Long's policies.

Its supporters are strongest in the Pontunian Heartlands, especially New Rouen. It remains a strong force in local government, and is the largest party by membership, although many of its members are inactive.

AWE

The Awesome Party is the Empire's second oldest party, founded by Christian Fras in March 2021. It is is a one member party.

The Awesome Party's ideology is Frasism, Falangism, Centrism and Anti-Communism.

Current political landscape

Party			Ideology	Spectrum	Leader	Foundation	Seats			Logo
Party			Ideology	Spectrum	Leader	Foundation	Local Government Seats	Members of Parliament	Cabinet Members	Logo
Parties Represented in Legislature
	Coalition of National Unity Puntunan Kohlaliton uf Natonal Unitat Coalición de Unidad Nacional	KNU	Popular Revolutionary Monarchism	Right Wing	Andrew I	2020	1 / 21	3 / 11	1 / 9
	Awesome Party of Pontunia	AWE	Frasism, Falangism, Centrism, Anti-Communism	Center	Christian Fras	2021	0 / 21	1 / 11	1 / 9	None
	Independents	IND	Various	Various	None	None	20 / 21	0 / 11	7 / 9	None

Local government

Each province of Adammia has its own local council, consisting of every citizen living in the province who is of age. These local councils are yet to play much of a role.

International organisations

The only international organisation Adammia has any kind of relationship with is the Grand Unified Micronational, of which it is an observer state.