NationStates Jolt Archive

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Federal Piccavian Commonwealth
Piccische Staatenbund

Cadent Arma Togæ

The Federal Piccavian Commonwealth gained its independence from the German Empire in 1919 after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, becoming a monarchy in its own right in 1934 after the suspension of the British mandate over the the country. In 2007, after the death of the country's third sovereign, Wilhelm III, civil war broke out between royalist elements of the Reichswehr and pro-democracy forces; 2008 saw the conclusion of hostilities with a victory for the republican Federalist Party, which oversaw the dissolution of the Dominion of Piccavia and the formation of the modern Federal Commonwealth. Piccavia remains a leading producer of consumer goods, beef and tropical fruits, and armaments.

Table of Contents:

Geography (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13717596&postcount=2)
Population (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13718743&postcount=3)
History (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13719060&postcount=4)
Government

Federal Triumvirate (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13771191&postcount=6)
Parliament (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13771252&postcount=7)

Military
Economy
Communications

Geography of Piccavia
Map of Piccavia - Link (http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z259/pertinax201/Maps/Piccavia.png)

Location:
Mediterranica

Area:
Total: 253,911 sq km
Land: 249,881 sq km
Water: 4,230 sq km

Comparative Area:
Slightly larger than Great Britain

Coastline:
13,429 km

Maritime claims:
Territorial waters: 12 nautical miles
Exclusive Economic Waters: 200 nautical miles
Continental shelf: 417 nautical miles

Climate:
Subtropical; moderated by northeastern winds surrounding currents; over one-half of the year is overcast.

Terrain:
Mostly rugged hills, flat savannah and low mountains; level to rolling grassland in central Piccavia

Natural Resources:
coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber

Land use:
Arable land: 23.23%
Permanent crops: 0.2%
Other: 76.57%

Irrigated land:
1,900 sq km

Total renewable water resources:
173.6 cu km

Natural hazards:
Tsunamis, volcanic eruption, typhoons, earthquakes, monsoons, thunderstorms, flash floods

Population of Piccavia

Population:
223,942,312 people (July 2008)

Age Structure:
0-14 years: 16.7%
14-64 years: 68.1%
65 years and over: 15.2%

Median age:
Total: 37.4 years
Male: 36.6 years
Female: 38.3 years

Population growth rate:
.8%

Birth rate:
11.9 births/1,000 population

Death rate:
7.62 deaths/1,000 population

Net migration rate:
3.4 migrants/1,000 population

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female

Infant mortality rate:
total: 2.75 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 2.91 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.58 deaths/1,000 live birth

Fertility rate:
1.76 children born/woman

Nationality:
Noun: Piccavian(s)
Adjective: Piccavian

Ethnic groups:
Native Piccavian: 71%
Vetalian-Piccavian: 23%
Vante-Piccavian: 3%
Armenia-Piccavian: 3%

Religions:
Roman Catholic: 62%
Protestant: 19%
Atheist: 11%
Muslim: 5%
Buddhist: 3%

Literacy:
definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99%

History of Piccavia

[+=]Forthcoming[=+]

Government of Piccavia

Country name:
Conventional long form: Federal Piccavian Commonwealth (Piccische Staatenbund)
Conventional short form: Piccavia

Government type:
Federal parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Name: Helvetia
Time difference: UTC+9

Administrative divisions:
7 cantons, 1 special administrative region*; Helvetia Capital District*, Appenzell, Sandwich, New Bavaria, Ösel-Wiek, Dorpat, Sachsen, Salvelt

Dependent areas:
None

Independence:

National holiday:
Commonwealth Day, 22 May; Independence Day, 11 November

Constitution:
Federal Constitution for the Commonwealth; 4 March 2008, effective 22 May 2008

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory

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The Triumviratspitze houses the offices of the Piccavian triumvirs in Helvetia.

The Federal Triumvirate (die Bundesdreigestirn) serves as the nominal, collegiate head of state for the Federal Commonwealth of Piccavia. On the whole, it acts as a largely ceremonial check on the power of the legislative branch, but still maintains an important role in the daily governance of the Commonwealth. Currently, the triumvirs comprise Alfred Bagradian, Theodore Hürst, and Amelia Ebert. The triumvirs are elected by the three chambers of the legislature, and are individually put up for election every three years.

The duties of the Triumvirate are composed of the following:


Appointment of the Federal Government: The Triumvirate proposes an individual as chancellor (almost always the leader of the majority party) and then, provided they are subsequently elected by the Parliament, appoints him or her to the office. However the Parliament is free to disregard the Triumvirate's proposal and elect another individual to the post, who the Triumvirate is then obliged to appoint. The Triumvirate appoints and dismisses the remaining members of the Federal Government "upon the proposal of the Chancellor". The Triumvirate can dismiss the prime minister but only in the event that the chancellor passes a Constructive Vote of No Confidence. If this occurs the Triumvirate must dismiss the chancellor and appoint the successor requested by the Parliament.
Other appointments: The Triumvirate appoints federal judges, federal civil servants and military officers. All such appointments require the counter-signature of either the chancellor or the relevant cabinet commissar.
Dissolution of the Parliament: In the event that the Parliament elects an individual for the office of chancellor by a plurality of votes, rather than a majority, the Triumvirate can, at his discretion, either appoint that individual as chancelloror dissolve the Parliament. In the event that a vote of confidence is defeated in the Parliament the Triumvirate may dissolve the body within 21 days, but only on a proposal from the incumbent chancellor.
Promulgation of the law: All federal laws must, after counter-signature, be signed by the Triumvirate before they can come into effect. Ordinances must be signed by the agency which issues them, and then by the Triumvirate.
Foreign relations: The Triumvirate, generally the most senior triumvir, takes part in foreign visits and receives foreign dignitaries. They also conclude treaties with foreign nations, accredits Piccavian diplomats and receives the letters of accreditation of foreign diplomats.
Pardons and honours: The Triumvirate grants pardons if the person concerned had been convicted under federal jurisdiction (which is rare) and confers decorations and honours.
State of emergency: In the event of a national crisis, the laws designate the triumvirs as a mediator. If the Parliament rejects a motion of confidence, but neither the chancellor is dismissed nor the Parliament is dissolved, the Triumvirate may, by request of the cabinet, declare a "legislative state of emergency", which is quite different from a conventional state of emergency: If it is declared, during a limited period of time, bills proposed by the cabinet and designated as "urgent", but rejected by the Parliament, become (with the consent of the provinces) law nonetheless. But it does not suspend basic human rights nor does it grant the executive branch any exceptional power.

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The chambers of the National Assembly in Helvetia.

The Federal Parliament of Piccavia comprises three chambers, an oddity amongst the scores of bicameral liberal democracies littering the world; Piccavia chooses such a tricameral system to ensure greater transparency, accountability, and democracy to the Piccavian people.

The first chamber is the National Assembly (Nationalversammlung), with two hundred and twenty seats, with elections every four years. Each canton receives thirty seats, and the capital territory ten. The National Assembly is Piccavia's primary legislative body, where the vast majority of bills originate, and is the chamber from which the Chancellor and his cabinet are drawn.

The Piccavian Cabinet (2009)

Chancellor of the Federal Commonwealth - The Rt. Hon. Richard Adenauer
Deputy Chancellor - The Rt. Hon. Ioakim Speer
Minister of Finance - The Rt. Hon. Panchayati Singh
Minister of Foreign Affairs - The Rt. Hon. Martin Accardi
Minister of Justice - The Rt. Hon. Angela Zugspitze
Minister of War - The Rt. Hon. Victoria Foyle
Minister of Civil Protection - The Rt. Hon. Ginevra Vauxhall
Minister of Intelligence - The Rt. Hon. Chase Ryan
Minister of Health - The Rt. Hon. Elizabeth Tredagar
Minister of Transport - The Rt. Hon. Thomas Seymour
Minister of Media and Culture - The Rt. Hon. Chloe Yuhjijad
Minister of Education - The Rt. Hon. Aiko Kobayashi
Minister of Industry and Trade - The Rt. Hon. Albert Nazarbayev
Minister of Agriculture and the Environment - The Rt. Hon. Tejas Avakian
Minister of Energy - The Rt. Hon. Hans Bender
Minister of Labour - The Rt. Hon. Marcus Fulvius Iotapianus


The second chamber of the Piccavian legislature is the Federal Diet (Bundestag), which, with a total hundred seats, proportionally represents the cantons and special administrative district. The Federal Diet is elected every seven years. While legislation is constitutionally enabled to be initiated in either the Diet or the Assembly, the latter generally is the launcher of all major legislative actions. Under the Piccavian constitution, the Federal Diet is restricted in most of its veto powers over the National Assembly. Legislation deemed by the Assembly to relate solely to taxation or public funds, for instance, cannot be delayed by the Diet for over a month, and other types of bills cannot be delayed for over one calendar year; convention, though not constitution, also prohibits the Diet from vetoing any legislation passed by the Assembly that comprises part of the ruling party's manifesto. The exception to the veto restrictions, however, arises with questions of constitutionality. If any legislation is found unconstitutional, the Diet has the obligation to reject it wholesale. The Diet also acts as the Commonwealth's last court of appeal, and as the umbrella for the Commonwealth's court system; this renders the Diet the de facto Piccavian judicial branch.

The third, and final, chamber of the Piccavian parliament is the Council of Auditors (Rechnungsrat). The Council is composed of twenty-three members, with a seat for a representative from each government ministry, and a seat for each canton and the capital district. The primary role of the council is to externally check if federal budget has been implemented correctly, in that Piccavian funds have been spent legally and with sound management. In doing so, the council checks the paperwork of all persons handling any income or expenditure of the Commonwealth and carries out spot checks. The council is bound to report any problems in the Council reports for the attention of the whole country, these reports include its quarterly general report as well as specific and special reports on certain bodies and issues. The council submits its quarterly Council Budgetary Review to the Federal Diet and National Assembly, and, each year, is required to sign off on the government handling of the budget; if the Council refuses to do so, then the triumvirs are constitutionally obligated to dissolve the parliament and hold new, interim elections.

Military of Piccavia (Piccische Bundeswehr)

Service Branches:
Bundesheer, Piccavian Army; Bundesmarine, Piccavian Navy; Bundesluftwaffe, Piccavian Air Corps

Military service and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; both sexes are obligated to military service; conscript service obligation - 36 months for enlisted personnel 48 months for officers; reserve obligation to age 41-51. (2008)

Military Strength:
See the 2010 Piccavian Bundeswehr Annual Report to Parliament (http://issuu.com/jbabs/docs/bundeswehr)

Forthcoming