Provinces (Caphiria): Difference between revisions

Only by majority vote from the [[Imperial_Senate|Senate]] can provinces be formed or dissolved; not even the Imperator has the (legal) unilateral authority to admit a province into the Imperium.

==Types of provincial-level divisions ==

=== Province ===

The government of each standard province is led by its Praetor, who is elected from the citizens of the respective province. Standard Provinces hold legal and administrative jurisdiction within its bounds and share parallel autonomy with the central government. Provinces receive their power and authority from the [[Constitution_of_Caphiria|Constitution of Caphiria]], which delineates the admission of provinces, the concept of 'parallel autonomy', and the governance of provinces. Parallel autonomy refers to the unique relationship in which provinces - and by extension the provincial government - are administered directly by the Imperator, who passes autonomy to them through his ''imperium maius''. This means that provinces have their own sovereignty that is separate from the Imperium yet they are directly controlled by it.

=== Autonomous Province ===

Autonomous Provinces (AR) are highly autonomous and self-governing divisions that are directly under the control of the Imperium. Each Autonomous Province has a chief executive as head of the province and head of government. The provincial government is not fully independent, as foreign policy and military defense are the responsibility of the central government, according to the basic laws. Autonomous Provinces typically have a higher population of a particular minority ethnic group or are culturally dissimilar enough that they are afforded the ability of self-governance.

=== Special Administrative Province ===

Special Administrative Provinces (SAR) are governed under the direct administration of the central government. Nominally, they fall under the jurisdiction of the Imperator but locally elected officials manage the operations and functions. The only SAR in the Imperium is the Special Administrative Province of [[Sator|Sator]], which is led by the ''Praetor Proprius'', (Special Praetor).

=== Possessions ===

Possessions are the major overseas territories under the control of the Imperium. Caphiria does not classify its Possessions as subdivisions of the Imperium itself; rather, each is treated in law as a separate jurisdiction. Most have their own legislatures and a degree of autonomy usually exceeding that of the autonomous provinces, including fiscal independence. Still, The Imperium retains varying degrees of responsibility in all of the territories, currently ranging from full political control to a largely ceremonial presence. The main reserved matters are the areas of diplomacy, international treaties, defense and security. Possessions of the Imperium still follow the same organization of administrative divisions, though the naming scheme may differ based on cultural and historical contexts.

== Government ==

The central Imperial government delegates many functions (such as education and the police force) to Provinces and Regions, but retains the overall right to control them. The ''provinciarum'' - the provincial government, is free to organize its executive departments and agencies in any way it likes. This has resulted in substantial diversity among provinces with regard to every aspect of how their governments are organized, though the Imperium does mandate certain things for the sake of continuity across the state.

Provinces can perform additional functions, based on varying local laws in each region. In addition, provinces have considerable discretionary power over infrastructural spending, e.g., education, public transit, universities and research, and assistance to business owners. This has meant that the heads of wealthy provinces such as [[Luria|Luria]] and [[Caseni|Caseni]] can be high-profile positions.

== List of province-level divisions ==

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