Praetor of Fontasia
| Praetor of the Kingdom of Fontasia | |
|---|---|
| Jyetman ub Fontasya | |
 Emblem of the Fontasian Praetor | |
| Head of Government | |
| Style | Mr. Praetor (informal) His Excellency (formal) |
| Status | Head of government Representative of the people Presidium of Supreme Directorate |
| Member of | Supreme Directorate |
| Nominator | Supreme Directorate |
| Appointer | King of Fontasia |
| Term length | 6 months |
| Formation | 1 March 2022 |
| First holder | Joseph Montgomery |
| Abolished | 2 June 2023 |
The Praetor or Praetorix (if female) (Fontasian: Jyetman literally "Leader") was the head of government and representative of the people of the Kingdom of Fontasia, holding the office known as the Presidium. Elected every six months by the Fontasian Electoral College, the Praetor was equal in power with the King of Fontasia however had far less numerous responsibilities than the King. The last to serve the office of Fontasian Praetor was Joseph Trick, who was elected on 25 May 2023, just 8 days prior to the abolition of the office on 2 June 2023.
The position of Praetor dated back to the Assemblic Imperium, however the position of a head of government dated back to 2018 during the Third Assemblic Empire when the Assemblic Prime Minister was the official name of head of government for some time.
Brief History of the Fontasian Presidium
The term "Praetor" (Latin for "protector") originates from the Assemblic Imperium. The first Praetorial election in an Assemblian state occurred in late October 2020. The modern Assemblian usage of the term Praetor does not correlate at all with the Ancient Roman usage of the term.
Montgomery Incumbency (1 March 2022-25 May 2022)
The first Fontasian Praetor was Joseph Montgomery, the Emperor of Meritia. He was apart the Ergatist Party of Fontasia (EPF), which at that point was the only political party in the Kingdom of Fontasia. Under his incumbency Fontasia grew out of its infancy phase and advanced greatly both politically, economically, diplomatically and militaristically. Widely regarded as the best Fontasian Praetor, he lost to Dillon Fletcher in the 2022 Spring Praetorial Election.
Fletcher Incumbency (25 May 2022-25 November 2022)
The second Fontasian Praetor, also of the Ergatist Party of Fontasia was Dillon Fletcher. Praetor Fletcher in his incumbency saw the rise of crisis with Zeprana and the loss of Mappal, however he was rarely involved with Fontasian politics. King Conor I practically filled in the role as Praetor during his service.
In late September 2022 Fletcher was caught by the Fontasian Central Security Agency (FCSA) drinking alcohol at a house party, which violated Fontasian law as no parental supervision was present. The governments of the Kingdom of Scynja and the Empire of Meritia, close Fontasian allies called for his immediate removal from power, however the King himself and the government of the Republic of Roscamistan believed such demands were absurd. The King of Fontasia and the Fontasian Supreme Directorate conceded to suspending the Praetor for two weeks. The Republic of Roscamistan then jokingly declared war on the Kingdom of Fontasia, which was reacted as a measure of humor by the two micronations.
Just before the 2022 Fall Directorial Election, Fletcher's approval ratings dropped as low as 0% before rebounding to around 33%, concluding his reputation as the worst Fontasian Praetor to hold the office.
Second Montgomery Incumbency (25 November 2022-25 May 2023)
The result of the 2022 Fall Praetorial Elections elected Joseph Montgomery to a second term as Praetor, becoming the First and Third Fontasian Praetor. He was the candidate for the Free Fontasia Party, and won over Thomas Jacobs of the Ergatist Party of Fontasia. Early in his second term, Montgomery quickly reformed the Fontasian election system, as well as establishing a Fontasian Judicial System and Cabinet.
Trick Incumbency (25 May 2023-2 June 2023)
After an unexpected landslide victory in the 2023 Summer Praetorial Elections, Joseph Trick became the 4th Fontasian Praetor. His time in office was extremely brief, as just 8 days later he witnessed the departure of Conor I from micronationalism, which rendered Fontasia as forever defunct despite no formal statement of dissolution ever being made. Trick campaigned on many of the same policies that Joseph Montgomery sought to establish during his extensive time in office, however due to his very short tenure, he was unable to fulfill many of his promises.
Duties
The Praetor had several major duties in the legislative and popular governance of the Kingdom of Fontasia that included:
- Being head of government and the representative of the people in the Kingdom of Fontasia.
- Equal in power to the King of Fontasia
- Leader of the Fontasian Supreme Directorate
- Ability to veto laws
- Coordinator of some military activities partaken by the Fontasian Defense Forces with Supreme Directorate approval.
- Could act as official leader of the Kingdom of Fontasia if the King of Fontasia is severely incapacitated.
- Could be suspended for a maximum of two-weeks if voted by the Fontasian Supreme Directorate for violating Fontasian micronational law, and occasionally macronational law.
Election Process
The Praetor was elected every six months from a popular vote held in the nation, and certified by the Fontasian Electoral College. Elections took place on 25 November and 25 May of any given year. During most Praetorial Elections, each of the newly elected Directors of the five Fontasian political parties were applicable for running for the position of Praetor. There were two rounds in the election, with the final one certifying and finalizing the Praetorial election results.
First Round
During the First Round, Citizens of Fontasia voted for the candidates in a popular vote. The candidate with the highest percentage of the popular vote became the de facto winner of the election, however they were not officially declared the victorious candidate until the Second Round concluded.
Second Round
In the second round, the Electoral College of Fontasia convened to cast their votes on the candidates. These Electors were nominated to the position during the election by their Governorate. Citizens of Governorates which they were not registered under could not be nominated as the Elector for that Governorate. The amount of Electoral Votes which a Governorate holds was determined by how many incorporated municipalities there were within it. The Electors could only have their Governorate vote for a single candidate, and they could not split their Electoral Votes in any way. Once the Electoral College casted their votes, the candidate with the most Electoral Votes (typically the winner of the popular vote), would become the de jure winner of the election.
Directorate and Royal Approval
Once the Praetor was elected, the Supreme Directorate voted to approve the electoral votes with a simple majority vote (3/5) and the process was finalized by the King of Fontasia. After this process is complete, the elected candidate was inaugurated as Praetor, and their party became the lead party in the Supreme Directorate, and they themselves became the leader of the Supreme Directorate. The King of Fontasia formally appointed them as Praetor.
List of Fontasian Praetors
| Name: | Party: | Incumbency: | Length of Incumbency: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Montgomery | Ergatist Party of Fontasia (EPF) | 1 March 2022-25 May 2022 | 77 days |
| Dillon Fletcher | Ergatist Party of Fontasia (EPF) | 25 May 2022-25 November 2022 | 184 days |
| Joseph Montgomery | Free Fontasia Party (FFP) | 25 November 2022-25 May 2023 | 181 days |
| Joseph Trick | Christian Democratic Party of Fontasia | 25 May 2023-2 June 2023 | 8 days |
Praetorial Oath
The Praetorial Oath was the oath that was said after a new Fontasian Praetor was elected, formally inaugurating them as the Fontasian Praetor.
I, (name) swear to humbly and correctly command the Kingdom of Fontasia as a representative of the Fontasian people in its own government. I pledge my loyalty to His Royal Majesty, King Conor I, and will defend, uphold and protect his laws. I shall command with honest power the Directorate, and heed it as its Protector. So help me God.