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Government of Alstin: Difference between revisions
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The '''federal government of the United Republic''' ('''U.R. federal government''' or '''U.R. government''') is the common government of the [[Alstin|United Republic of Alstin]], a federal republic in [[Crona]], composed of | The '''federal government of the United Republic''' ('''U.R. federal government''' or '''U.R. government''') is the common government of the [[Alstin|United Republic of Alstin]], a federal republic in [[Crona]], composed of 30 provinces, a city within a federal district ([[Alstin (City)|Alstin]], where most of the federal government is based), ten major self-governing territories and several overseas possessions. The federal government, sometimes simply referred to as '''Alstin''', is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial, whose powers are vested by the U.R. Constitution in the [[United Republic Parliament|Parliament]], the [[President of the United Republic|President]] and the federal courts, respectively. The powers and duties of these branches are further defined by acts of Parliamnent, including the creation of executive departments and courts inferior to the [[Supreme Court of the United Republic|Supreme Court]]. | ||
== Naming == | == Naming == | ||
The full name of the republic is "United Republic of Alstin". No other name appears in the Constitution, and this is the name that appears on money, in treaties, and in legal cases to which it is a party. The terms "Government of the UUnited Republic of Alstin" or "United Republic Government" are often used in official documents to represent the federal government as distinct from the provinces collectively. In casual conversation or writing, the terms "Federal Government" and "National Government" are often used by individuals, groups, and entities residing within or are based in the United Republic, while term "Alstinian Government" are often used by individuals, groups, and entities residing within or are based abroad. The terms "Federal" and "National" in government agency or program names generally indicate affiliation with the federal government. Because the seat of government is in [[Alstin (City)|Alstin, CDA]], "Alstin" is commonly used as a metonym for the federal government. | |||
== History == | == History == | ||
TBA | TBA | ||
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===Makeup of Parliament=== | ===Makeup of Parliament=== | ||
====National Council==== | ====National Council==== | ||
The Council currently consists of 467 voting members, each of whom represents a parliamentary district. The number of Councilors each province and the Capital District has in the Council is based on each province's population as determined in the most recent United Republic Census. All 467 Councilors serve a two-year term. Each province receives a minimum of one representative in the Council. In order to be elected as a Councilor, an individual must be at least 21 years of age, must have been a U.R. citizen for at least seven years, and must live in the parliamentary district in the province that they represent. There is no limit on the number of terms a Councilor may serve. In addition to the 467 voting members, there are | The Council currently consists of 467 voting members, each of whom represents a parliamentary district. The number of Councilors each province and the Capital District has in the Council is based on each province's population as determined in the most recent United Republic Census. All 467 Councilors serve a two-year term. Each province receives a minimum of one representative in the Council. In order to be elected as a Councilor, an individual must be at least 21 years of age, must have been a U.R. citizen for at least seven years, and must live in the parliamentary district in the province that they represent. There is no limit on the number of terms a Councilor may serve. In addition to the 467 voting members, there are 9 non-voting members, consisting of 10 delegates each from one of the territories. | ||
====Senate==== | ====Senate==== | ||
In contrast, the Senate is made up of two senators from each province, regardless of population. There are currently | In contrast, the Senate is made up of two senators from each province, regardless of population. There are currently 62 senators (2 from each of the 30 provinces and the Capital District), who each serve six-year terms. Approximately one-third of the Senate stands for election every two years. In order to be elected as a Senator, an individual must be at least 25 years of age, must have been a U.R. citizen for at least nine years, and must live in the province that they represent. | ||
====Different Powers==== | ====Different Powers==== | ||
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====Parliamentary procedures==== | ====Parliamentary procedures==== | ||
Article I, Section 2, paragraph 2 of the Constitution gives each chamber the power to "determine the rules of its proceedings". From this provision were created parliamentary committees, which do the work of drafting legislation and conducting congressional investigations into national matters. Additionally, each house may name special, or select, committees to study specific problems. Today, much of the parliamentary workload is borne by the subcommittees, of which there are around 160. | |||
===Powers of Parliament=== | ===Powers of Parliament=== | ||
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===President=== | ===President=== | ||
''Main article: [[President of the United Republic]]'' | ''Main article: [[President of the United Republic]]'' | ||
[[File:Jade Palace (Alstin).jpg|thumb|The [[Jade Palace]] includes the office of the U.R. president, and the offices of key presidential advisors and staff.]] | |||
====Executive powers and duties==== | ====Executive powers and duties==== | ||
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== Judiciary == | == Judiciary == | ||
''Further reading: [[Supreme Court of the United Republic]]'' | |||
The Judiciary, under Article III of the United Republic Constitution, explains and applies the laws. This branch does this by hearing and eventually making decisions on various legal cases. | |||
===Overview=== | |||
Article III section I of the Constitution establishes the [[Supreme Court of the United Republic]] and authorizes the United Republic Parliament to establish inferior courts as their need shall arise. Section I also establishes a lifetime tenure for all federal judges and states that their compensation may not be diminished during their time in office. Article II section II establishes that all federal judges are to be appointed by the president and confirmed by the United Republic Senate. | |||
The Judiciary Act of 1689 subdivided the nation jurisdictionally into judicial districts and created federal courts for each district. The three tiered structure of this act established the basic structure of the national judiciary: the Supreme Court, 13 courts of appeals, 99 district courts, and three courts of special jurisdiction. Parliament retains the power to re-organize or even abolish federal courts lower than the Supreme Court. | |||
The U.R. Supreme Court decides "cases and controversies"—matters pertaining to the federal government, disputes between states, and interpretation of the United Republic Constitution, and, in general, can declare legislation or executive action made at any level of the government as unconstitutional, nullifying the law and creating precedent for future law and decisions, all via the power of judicial review. Below the U.R. Supreme Court are the United Republic Courts of Appeals, and below them in turn are the United Republic District Courts, which are the general trial courts for federal law, and for certain controversies between litigants who are not deemed citizens of the same province ("diversity jurisdiction"). | |||
There are three levels of federal courts with general jurisdiction, meaning that these courts handle criminal cases and civil lawsuits between individuals. Other courts, such as the bankruptcy courts and the Tax Court, are specialized courts handling only certain kinds of cases ("subject matter jurisdiction"). The Bankruptcy Courts are "under" the supervision of the district courts, and, as such, are not considered part of the "Article III" judiciary. Also as such, their judges do not have lifetime tenure, nor are they Constitutionally exempt from diminution of their remuneration. The Tax Court is not an Article III court (but is, instead an "Article I Court"). | |||
The district courts are the trial courts wherein cases that are considered under the Judicial Code (Title 27, United Republic Code) consistent with the jurisdictional precepts of "federal question jurisdiction" and "diversity jurisdiction" and "pendent jurisdiction" can be filed and decided. The district courts can also hear cases under "removal jurisdiction", wherein a case brought in Provincial court meets the requirements for diversity jurisdiction, and one party litigant chooses to "remove" the case from provincial court to federal court. | |||
The United Republic Courts of Appeals are appellate courts that hear appeals of cases decided by the district courts, and some direct appeals from administrative agencies, and some interlocutory appeals. The U.R. Supreme Court hears appeals from the decisions of the courts of appeals or provincial supreme courts, and in addition has original jurisdiction over a few cases. | |||
The judicial power extends to cases arising under the Constitution, an Act of Parliament; a U.R. treaty; cases affecting ambassadors, ministers and consuls of foreign countries in the U.R.; cases and controversies to which the federal government is a party; controversies between provinces (or their citizens) and foreign nations (or their citizens or subjects); and bankruptcy cases (collectively "federal-question jurisdiction"). The Eleventh Amendment removed from federal jurisdiction cases in which citizens of one province were the plaintiffs and the government of another province was the defendant. It did not disturb federal jurisdiction in cases in which a provincial government is a plaintiff and a citizen of another state the defendant. | |||
The power of the federal courts extends both to civil actions for damages and other redress, and to criminal cases arising under federal law. The interplay of the Supremacy Clause and Article III has resulted in a complex set of relationships between provincial and federal courts. Federal courts can sometimes hear cases arising under provincial law pursuant to diversity jurisdiction, provincial courts can decide certain matters involving federal law, and a handful of federal claims are primarily reserved by federal statute to the provincial courts. Both court systems thus can be said to have exclusive jurisdiction in some areas and concurrent jurisdiction in others. | |||
The U.R. Constitution safeguards judicial independence by providing that federal judges shall hold office "during good behavior"; in practice, this usually means they serve until they die, retire, or resign. A judge who commits an offense while in office may be impeached in the same way as the president or other officials of the federal government. U.R. judges are appointed by the president, subject to confirmation by the Senate. Another Constitutional provision prohibits Parliament from reducing the pay of any Article III judge (Parliament is able to set a lower salary for all future judges that take office after the reduction, but may not decrease the rate of pay for judges already in office). | |||
====Relationships between provincial and federal courts==== | |||
Separate from, but not entirely independent of, this federal court system are the court systems of each province, each dealing with, in addition to federal law when not deemed preempted, a province's own laws, and having its own court rules and procedures. Although provincial governments and the federal government are legally dual sovereigns, the Supreme Court of the United Republic is in many cases the appellate court from the Provincial Supreme Courts (e.g., absent the Court countenancing the applicability of the doctrine of adequate and independent Province grounds). The Supreme Courts of each province are by this doctrine the final authority on the interpretation of the applicable province's laws and Constitution. Many provincial constitution provisions are equal in breadth to those of the U.R. Constitution, but are considered "parallel" (thus, where, for example, the right to privacy pursuant to a provincial constitution is broader than the federal right to privacy, and the asserted ground is explicitly held to be "independent", the question can be finally decided in a Provincial Supreme Court—the U.R. Supreme Court will decline to take jurisdiction). | |||
A Provincial Supreme Court, other than of its own accord, is bound only by the U.R. Supreme Court's interpretation of federal law, but is not bound by interpretation of federal law by the federal court of appeals for the federal circuit in which the province is included, or even the federal district courts located in the province, a result of the dual sovereigns concept. Conversely, a federal district court hearing a matter involving only a question of provincial law must apply the substantive law of the province in which the court sits, a result of the application of the Davis Doctrine; however, at the same time, the case is heard under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and the Federal Rules of Evidence instead of provincial procedural rules. Together, the laws of the federal and provincial governments form U.R. law. | |||
== Budget == | == Budget == | ||
{{Pie chart | |||
| radius = 100 | |||
| thumb = right | |||
| caption = Federal Tax Revenue (FY 2028) | |||
| other = | |||
| label1 =Individual Income Taxes | |||
| value1 =47 | |||
| color1 =Blue | |||
| label2 =Social Security and Payroll Taxes | |||
| value2 =32 | |||
| color2 =Green | |||
| label3 =Corporate Taxes | |||
| value3 =12 | |||
| color3 =Gold | |||
| label4 =Miscellaneous Taxes | |||
| value4 =4 | |||
| color4 =Red | |||
| label5 =Execise Taxes | |||
| value5 =2 | |||
| color5 =Orange | |||
| label6 =Tariffs | |||
| value6 =3 | |||
| color6 =Purple | |||
}} | |||
The budget document often begins with the president's proposal to Parliament recommending funding levels for the next fiscal year, beginning October 1 and ending on September 30 of the year following. The fiscal year refers to the year in which it ends. | |||
For fiscal year (FY) 2028, the federal government spent $1.875 trillion. Spending equaled 21.7% of gross domestic product (GDP), lower than the 50-year average. The deficit equaled $134.56 billion, 1.56 percent of GDP. Tax revenue amounted to $1.740 trillion, with receipt categories including individual income taxes ($817.8B or 47%), Social Security taxes ($556.8B or 32%), and corporate taxes ($208.8B or 12%). | |||
== Elections == | == Elections == | ||
''Main article: [[Elections in Alstin]]'' | |||
== Provincial | |||
TBA | Suffrage has changed significantly over time. In the early years of the United Republic, voting was considered a matter for provincial governments, and was commonly restricted to men of Occidental-descent who owned property. Direct elections were mostly held only for the National and provincial legislatures, although what specific bodies were elected by the electorate varied from province to province. Under this original system, both senators representing each province in the Senate were chosen by a majority vote of the provincial legislature. Since the ratification of the Twenty-seventh Amendment in 1889, members of both houses of Parliament have been directly elected. Today, U.R. citizens have almost universal suffrage under equal protection of the laws from the age of 18, regardless of race, gender, or wealth, with the only significant exception to this is the temporary disenfranchisement of convicted felons for the duration of their sentence. | ||
== Provincial and Local Governments == | |||
''Main article: TBA'' | |||
Provincial governments have the greatest influence over most Alstinians' daily lives. The Twelfth Amendment prohibits the federal government from exercising any power not delegated to it by the Constitution; as a result, provinces handle the majority of issues most relevant to individuals within their jurisdiction. For instance, provincial governments are not authorized to print currency or impose tariffs on imported goods. As a result, they generally have to raise revenue through either taxes or bonds. | |||
Each province has its own written constitution, government and code of laws. The Constitution stipulates only that each province must have, "a Republican Government". Therefore, there are often great differences in law and procedure between individual provinces, concerning issues such as property, crime, health and education, amongst others. The highest elected official of each province is the Governor, with below them being the Lieutenant Governor. Each province also has an elected provincial legislature whose members represent the voters of the province. Each province maintains its own provincial court system. In some provinces, supreme and lower court justices are elected by the people; in others, they are appointed, as they are in the federal system. | |||
The institutions that are responsible for local government within provinces are typically counties, municipalities, and special-purpose districts, which make laws that affect their particular area. These laws concern issues such as traffic, the sale of alcohol and the keeping of animals. A county is an administrative or political subdivision of a province, with specific governmental powers of counties varying widely between the provinces. These can range from counties existing only as geographic distinctions in some provinces, to county governments having powers such as collecting taxes and maintaining law enforcement agencies in other provinces. Population centers may be organized into incorporated municipalities of several types, including the city, town, borough, and village. These municipal entities also vary from between the provinces, and typically subordinate to the government of a county. However, many rural and suburban regions are in unincorporated areas that have no municipal government below the county level. Certain cities have consolidated with their county government to form consolidated city-counties, or have been legally separated from counties altogether to form independent cities. Provinces may also create special-purpose districts that perform a single function or a set of related functions within an area inside one or more counties or municipalities, like school districts, water management districts, fire management districts, and library districts. | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
{{Country topics | {{Country topics | ||
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}} | }} | ||
[[Category:Alstin]] | [[Category:Alstin]] | ||
[[Category:IXWB]] | [[Category:IXWB]] | ||
{{Template:Award winning article}} | |||
[[Category:2022 Award winning pages]] | |||