Nolis

Symmetric federalism is a major part of Capetian constitutionalism. Framed by [[Melvyn Kalma]] in the first meeting of the Supreme National Assembly during the [[Capetian War of Independence]], it maintained the tenuous alliance between the settlers and Indigenous factions that comprised the independence-seeking [[National Revolutionary Army]]; promising them each strong provinces with equal rights in the post-war Cape. These rights, while written into the Fundamental Statutes of the 1901 Constitution, and each subsequent constitution, existed primarily on paper. Kalma and his [[Republican Nationalist Party]] had cemented a {{wp|one-party system|one-party state}}. With each province controlled by Republicans and Kalma loyalists, interprovincial disputes were resolved in the organs of the RNP rather than through the organs of state. This arrangement would remain until the [[1992 Republic Day revolution]] and the subsequent partial democratization of the country. The RNP, while retaining power under the provision of [[Planoarita politics|''Planoarita'' politics]], would become a largely federal organization to encourage democratic development, with the intention of beginning these reforms in the sphere of provincial politics. In effect, each provincial chapter of the RNP was split into its own ''de-facto ''independent party, and while each provincial Republican party continues to maintain power in each province, the informal party-based mechanism for adjudicating disputes was removed overnight.