Forseti

Republic of Forseti Forseti
Motto		"O pace o guerra" (Either Peace or War)
Common Name		Forseti
Anthem		"Havets stjerne"
Demonym		Forsetian
Official languages		Delrassi, Alecton, Erusi, Gallante
Currency		Forsetian Sterling
Politics
Capital		Forset
Government		Federal presidential republic
Foundation		2140
Prime Minister		Alexander Eriksen
Demography
Ethnicities		Forsetti 87% Blythe 11% Other 2%
Population		2,964,000
Area		42,541km² km²

Forseti, officially The Republic of Forseti and known alternatively as Forsetti, is a prosperous nation located in the Doren. Bordered by Alectonova to the north, Canstana to the west and South Forseti to the south, Forseti is an ethnically diverse nation filled with natural resources. The nation is known for its expansive coastline, with its large and strategically important ports having easy access to the Soltem Sea, the Greater Bay of Baskay and the Bulge Bay. The nation has a mild climate, yet its winters are often sub-zero.

Etymology

The name Forseti comes from the Old Southern word Fosite meaning "The Presiding One" which is believed to be referring to a pre-medieval monarch who controlled great amounts of land in what is presently known as Lower and Upper Forseti. Despite this King being found in legends, and with currently no historical backing for his existence, the name was used by a wealthy lord who founded a city on the Soltem Sea named Forset, a contraction of the original name, which grew prosperous and wealthy on the back of its impressive fishing industry. As the city grew more powerful surrounding lands started to submit and the name was given to the region.

Government

Parliment

The Forsetian Government consists of a bicameral legislature and is made up of two houses: the lower house is called the House of Representatives and the upper house is named the Senate. The lower house currently has 165 members, each elected from single-member constituencies, known as electoral divisions (commonly referred to as "electorates" or "seats") using full-preference instant-runoff voting. This tends to lead to the house being dominated by two major parties, the Nationalist Party and the Social Party. The government must achieve the confidence of this House to gain and hold power. The leader of the House of Representatives is known as the Chancellor.

The upper house, the Senate, is elected by provincial councils, who are themselves also voted in by the people, under the single transferable vote system of proportional representation. There are a total of 60 senators: 10 senators are elected from the region of Forset and each outlying region elects 5 senators. This makes the total number 60, i.e. 10x5 + 1x10.

The Senate is vested with significant power, including the capacity to block legislation initiated by the government in the House of Representatives. As a result of proportional representation, the chamber features a multitude of parties vying for power. The governing party or coalition, which must maintain the confidence of the lower house, rarely has a majority in the Senate and usually needs to negotiate with other parties and Independents to get legislation passed. The leader of the Senate holds the most powerful position in the country, they are known as the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister appoints a Second Minister who must have a position within the Senate. Together they handle all affairs both internal and foreign, given the rare chance of a majority in the senate the Second Minister is usually the head of the next largest party in the senate.

Currently, the Liberal/Nationalist Coalition controls the House of Representatives. The Prime Minister is a member of the Nationalist Party and the Second Minister represents the Liberals.

Voting for both Houses, and provincial councils happens every five years, with the council elections taking place 4 months prior to the national elections.

Judiciary System

The judiciary system is overseen by the Chief Justice, a member of the leading party in the House of Representatives and does not need to have a seat. All judicial matters are handled by the High Court, with a provincial judge being elected by the provincial councils every ten years.

Military

The Armed forces of Forseti are led by the Forseti High Command with the Prime Minister and Chancellor at its head. The High Command itself is led by the highest authority figures of each branch of the military, the Field Marshal from the Army, the Admiral of the Fleet from the navy, the Chief Air Marshal from the air force and the Chief of Space.

The nation's military is large with recent conscription laws being enacted as part of the Nationalist Party's moves for a more powerful nation on the global stage, however, military technology is lacking and underdeveloped partly due to the country's recent formation. As a result, many military technologies are being imported from other nations as Forsetti continues to design and test its own equipment, with the air force being at the forefront.

States

The Republic of Forseti is made up of eleven states (referred to as "provinces") ten of which are governed by provincial governments, which are elected by the peoples every five years. These councils have large amounts of power in their respective region and give each province a large amount of autonomy, yet the state still maintains full control of these provinces.

The only region not to have a provincial council is Forset, as its governing is managed by the Chancellor and the House of Representatives directly.

Economy and Infrastructure

Forseti's economy is predominantly based on its access to the sea. The nation has a large, well developed and globally significant fishing industry owing to the nation's long expanses of coastline and rich produce filled inland sea, along with a number of lakes. In the early twenty-second century, the nation's road network was expanded improving links between coasts, and between its neighbouring nations in an effort to improve international trade.

The regions bordering the Orion Castana are more agrarian and provide most of the nation's food due to their extremely fertile soils, however, efforts have been made to start farming industries elsewhere as more and more companies are interested in mining efforts there.