Politics of Haesan
Since the founding of the Second Commonwealth in 1985, the politics of Haesan take place amidst the context of a unitary, democratic, republican system. An elected President serves as the head of state, while the leader of the governing coalition in the Chamber of Delegates serves as the Prime Minister, Haesan's head of government. Haesan's government structure is outlined in its constitution, while its politics are marked by high levels of corruption, close working relationships between politicians and corporations, and a dynamic political framework which in theory encourages cooperation amongst diverse political parties, but in practice has engendered long stretches of single-party control.
Structure of Government
Haesan uses a semi-presidential system, with both a president and a prime minister. The President of Haesan is the head of state, is responsible for overseeing all international relations, serves as the commander in chief of Haesan's armed forces, can appoint ministers to the Cabinet of Haesan, proposes judicial appointments, and serves as the tiebreaker in both the Chamber of the Commonwealth and the Chamber of Deputies. The Prime Minister of Haesan is the leader of the governing party or coalition in the Chamber of Deputies and is responsible for setting the legislative agenda. ]
The National Assembly of Haesan's lower chamber, the Chamber of Deputies, is the most important organ in Haesan's government. The majority party or coalition has the ability to pass legislation, manage the budget including levying taxes, vote to impeach the President and start a trial in the Chamber of the Commonwealth, and define the scope and function of the Cabinet agencies. The upper chamber of the National Assembly, the Chamber of the Commonwealth, retains veto power over all Chamber of Delegates legislation, and can strike any legislation down with a two-thirds vote. Additonally, the Chamber of the Commonwealth approves all judicial nominees, run the trial of the President in case of impeachment, and serves to advise the Chamber of Deputies throughout the legislative process.
Haesan has an independent judiciary. The High Court of Haesan has supreme jurisdiction over all legal matters, including maintaining the right to final appellate review. The High Court seats 11 justices, and they serve 24 year terms. There are provincial high courts, one in each province, which serve as the next highest courts for appeal. Because Haesan uses a common law system, judicial precedent is of the utmost importance.
Elections
At a national level, Haesan's populace elects the President, 400 deputies to the Chamber of Deputies, and 100 regents to the Chamber of the Commonwealth. All Haesanites that are not convicted felons and are above the age of 18 may vote. Haesan's elections usually have high voter turnout, with Presidential elections having around 80% voter turnout, with the number around 65% for National Assembly elections.
The President of Haesan serves 6 year terms, and at the end of their term, or in case of resignation or impeachment, an election will be held. The election date will be 1 month before the conclusion of the President's term, or in 5 weeks from the time of any resignation or impeachment conviction. Haesan's presidential elections use ranked-choice voting. The election period lasts for 5 weeks, and by the conclusion of the second week, all interested candidates must have officially declared their candidacy and filed the required paperwork. This period is usually marked by fierce internal competition, often with inter-party debates taking place at party conventions. During the remainder of election season, candidates usually campaign near non-stop, often in whistle-stop style campaigns. Debates are typically held several times over those weeks by major newspapers and broadcasting outlets, like the Suyang Times Courier, the Anfa Star, Suyang Broadcasting Services, and the Haesan News Network. For 24 hours before the last polls are scheduled to close, Haesan enforces a media blackout.
Chamber of the Commonwealth elections
Political Parties
| # | Party Name | Ideology | Seats in the Chamber of the Commonwealth | Seats in the Chamber of Deputies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conservative Party | Conservatism, fiscal responsiblilty | 8 | 44 (in government) |
| 2 | Liberal Democrats | Liberalism, globalism | 16 | 23 |
| 3 | Free Democrats | Neo-liberalism, growth oriented | 36 | 97 (main opposition) |
| 4 | Moderate Party | Centrism, anti-corruption politics | 9 | 35 |
| 5 | Onwards Haesan! | Lagardian futurism | 2 | 11 |
| 6 | One Haesan | Populism, Haesanite reunification | 6 | 51 (in government) |
| 7 | Liberty! | Populism, libertarianism, agrarian rights | 10 | 104 (in government) |
| 8 | New Bargain | Anti-corruption politics, green politics | 7 | 17 |
| 9 | Parti du Nord | Federalism, French language rights | 3 | 7 |
| 10 | Neutral Haesan Today | Single issue, political neutrality | 1 | 5 |
| 11 | Our Haesan | Single issue, closed borders | 0 | 1 |