Belarum

Federal Republic of Belarum
Flag
Motto: With Justice For All
Capital	Bastia
Largest	Costanja
Recognised national languages	English
Ethnic groups (2008)	78% Belarian, 22% Other
Demonym(s)	Belarian
Government	Federal republic
• President	Evan Burke (L)
• Vice President	Gabriel Foster (L)
• Senate Leader	Frederick Savinoy (L)
• Governing Party	Liberal-DemSoc Coalition
Establishment
• Unification Declared	May 5, 1906
• Recognised	January 1, 1907
• Current Constitution	September 15, 1910
Population
• 2008 estimate	660,000,000
GDP (nominal)	2009 estimate
• Total	24.5 trillion
• Per capita	37,196.55
Currency	Euro (EUR)
Internet TLD	.bel, .fr

Belarum, officially the Federal Republic of Belarum and sometimes abbreviated FRB, is a country in the European Union. It is the second-largest country by geographical area in the EU, as well as one of the most populous liberal democracies in the region. The Federal Republic, most notably, borders the nations of Aesop Rocks, Luvenburg, the former nation of Triera, and the regional governing district of Europolis. It also borders the Pas De Calais and the Arctic Ocean to the northwest. Belarum is in the vicinity of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Belarum is a constitutional federal republic, with its capital in Bastia.

Belarum was formed in 1906 by the unification of several smaller states with Belarian ethnic majorities into a federal system with a central government. Before 1906, these states entangled one another in constantly shifting conflicts and alliances, until the Gorzowan-Anatusian War consumed all of the Belarian states. After that conflict, the Kaiser-Chief of Gorzowa Arkidij Vondenglan shrewdly organized the unification of Belarum by appealing to the Belarian states already aligned with Gorzowa, eliminating the clause from the official Gorzowan-Anatusian Peace Agreements which blamed Anatusia for the conflict, and attaching generous reconstruction and aid provisions to any unification deal. Delegates from all seven states signed the Treatise of Unification of Belarum on May 5, 1906, which stipulated the beginning of a federal republic by January 1, 1907 and called for the drafting of a constitution, which was signed by the various heads of states on September 15, 1910.

Belarum emerged as a major regional power in 1930’s after the end of the Great Depression and the Baltan War. During the post war years, Belarum became a superpower of the European Union. This position in the region contributed to elevated tensions with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, a conflict dubbed the Cold War. Terrorism became an issue in 1989 when a bomb was detonated in the Oristano subway system. The domestic situation escalated when three senators were kidnapped by the same group, known as Black Winter. In recent years, Belarum has experienced a renewed faith in regional and international institutions, with Franklin Carter, Marcus Tristan, and James Stanton serving in regional and international leadership roles. As a consequence of its superpower status, the Federal Republic is culturally influential, militarily superior to most nations, and has one of the largest economies in the European Union, laying claim to the largest information technology sector in the region and one of the largest in the entire world.

History

On the fifth of May in the year 1906, several diplomats from the loosely federated states of Sarbonia, Galati, Gorzowa, Anatusia, Kaunus, Kalma, and Zamora convened on the city of Oristano to discuss their unification in order to create a single, federal government. The diplomats carved out the new nation and decided on the creation of a republic. Legislative, executive, and judiciary branches were created in order to run the new nation. The old nations were turned into new provinces. A new city was created in order to accommodate the new central government, and construction quickly began in 1907. By 1913, the legislature settled on the name Bastia for the capitol.

Very rapidly, the provinces soon lost their once great powers in favor of centralized control from the federal government. In 1923, General Marcus Budechenko led a violent splinter faction in Anatusia's principal military forces, which named themselves the Anatusian Liberation Force (ALF). For a little over four years, Budechenko's forces committed assassinations, kidnappings, and several bombings in Bastia and other regions which grew complacent and supportive of central rule. Marcus Budechenko was captured on June 19, 1927 in an apartment in Prezhnov, Zamora. He attempted to escape custody several days later, and was killed. The ALF quickly crumbled, and Belarum had regained control over the principalities. In order to combat such future actions, President Martin Khaskovo signed an executive order, resulting in the creation of the State Security Bureau, which would ultimately become the Belarian Intelligence Office.

The Belarian economy, based entirely on the free market at the time, soon took a horrid turn beginning in the 1930's because of the Great Depression. The Belarian Socialist Party won a landslide election in the Senate and the Presidency, and rapidly took control of commerce and what industry was available at the time. The government quickly instituted welfare state policies and nationalization of major industries, and the state of the nation's economy began to improve by 1938. Belarum quickly rose in the European Union as a regional power, as it rapidly mechanized and industrialized the economy. The military of the Federal Republic would be revamped as well because of the open hostility of the Baltan Empire, a fascist country which openly sought to expand it's borders under the leadership of Imperial Emperor Gustav Harster.

By the year 1941, the Baltan Empire declared war on the Federal Republic of Belarum. Other nations would join the fight against the Baltan Empire and Gustav Harster, most notably Aesop Rocks and the Soviet Union. Aesop Rocks, Belarum, and the USSR banded together to form the Grand Alliance, in order to defeat the hostile Baltans. In perhaps one of the most brutal wars in the history of the European Union, the Grand Alliance was victorious over the Baltan Empire by the end of the year 1947.

The devastation of the war was felt across the whole European Union. Billions of dollars of damage had occurred, almost 47% of all economic capabilities in the region were destroyed, and over 134 million lives were lost. The Baltan Empire was quickly absorbed by surrounding nations, including Belarum, and the healing process began.

The economy surged in the post war years, as GDP per capita in Belarum rose sharply and new markets emerged, including arms manufacturing (private ownership of firearms was legalized in Belarum in 1940's; gun control would be instituted and repealed several times in the nation's history). As economic prosperity in Belarum skyrocketed, it created an unnatural dominance of Belarian markets across the ravaged private sectors of the European Union. From 1949 to 1979, Belarum became a dominant force politically and economically in the EU.

Democratic Socialism became very popular in the late 40's, and soon large chunks of the Socialist Party melded with parts of other center-left parties to create the Democratic Socialist Party, which seized 56% of the popular vote in the presidential election in 1952 after an advertising blitz for the past year. This also allowed the party to pass landmark legislation in matters of healthcare, education, and welfare during significant periods in government. Every political party which gained power since the Baltan War was forced to concede certain programs like universal healthcare and university tuition payment assistance, at least until the 1980 elections.

In 1979, economic slowdown occurred and came to be seen as caused by excesses in the welfare state. Politicians on the right took advantage, and the center-right party NRP captured the Presidency for the first time since before the Great Depression. During government, the party was influential in privatizing much of the economy and reducing the size of the welfare state. The party overstepped its bounds when it attempted to dismantle the national healthcare service and cut tuition assistance, which caused them to lose handily to the DSP in 1988.

Belarum pursued isolationist policies after mild turmoil in Gorzowa exploded in national headlines when an ethnic Gorzowan terrorist group led by Andre Vikza detonated a large explosive device in the Oristano subway system in 1989, killing hundreds of innocent civilians and prompting action from the Belarian Intelligence Office. Shortly after, the same group kidnapped three senators and executed one, leading to a dizzying array of arrests and raids on the terrorist group that would come to be known as Black Winter. The group's leaders were captured by the BIO, and have since been sentenced to life imprisonment. The rise of Black Winter brought issues of ethnicity and class back to the foreground of Belarian political discourse, which caused nonviolent mainstream Gorzowan separatist movements to be undermined.

In December of 2005, Franklin Carter of Belarum was elected UN Delegate for the EU. In January of 2006, the Federal Republic was elected to the EU's new Security Council. Belarum celebrated its centennial on May 5 in 2006. On June 1 of 2006, Franklin Carter resigned from service as UN Delegate for the EU; shortly after this Carter passed away. Marcus Tristan, a native Belarian Senator, stepped into the regional spotlight and filled the new position of European President in Fall 2006, and served in that capacity until Summer 2007, at which point a new regional government was formed. The new position of Premier Commissioner of the European Commission, the highest executive rank in the new regional government, was quickly filled with James Stanton, another native Belarian, who served in that capacity on two separate occasions.

Early in 2008, President Viktor Draugen opted to not stand for election for a third term, opening the possibility of capturing the Belarian Presidency to the three major parties: the Liberals, the Conservatives, and the Democratic Socialists. After a grueling campaign, Liberal candidate Evan Burke and Conservative candidate Fredrik Hatcher advanced to a runoff election. On the day of the election, several counties in Zamora province reported vote irregularities, which caused a full investigation and the eventual arrest of prominent members of the Election Systems and Services company for voter fraud and vote tampering. Eventually Evan Burke emerged the victor.

President Burke began his Presidency with many pressing issues, such as the disintegration of the European Commission, the growing tensions between the Federal Republic and the Soviet Union, and the eventual outbreak of the Animortus Virus in the region. After the successful containment and elimination of the virus, a new crisis emerged in Neo Venetia, which is currently ongoing.

Culture and society

The culture of the Federal Republic stems from its history as a patchwork of former seperate states unified by a common language and race, with minority ethnic groups consenting to the creation of one nation-state. Over time, these minorities have come to be included in Belarian culture on a wide scale.

Language

The most commonly spoken language in the Federal Republic by far is English, however the nation's diversity has made other languages somewhat common in everyday life, such as French, Russian, and Spanish. Belarians developed English over the course of centuries, and all ethnic groups which could be considered Belarian in the 18th Century learned the language, although each ethnic group has different dialects.

English became the official language of almost all of the seven states that would become the Federal Republic of Belarum, and when each state conducted relations, English was the de facto language of diplomacy. When the unification of Belarum was complete, however, it was not made the de facto language of the nation-state so as not to widen cultural gaps between the joining parties.

Race and ethnicity

Although once fairly homogeneous, the Federal Republic of Belarum is a multicultural society, much like other liberal democracies in the region. According to the most recent government estimates, "Belarians" make up 78% of the population. However, "Belarians" could be seven different ethnicities, such as Anatusian, Gorzowan, or Kaunusian, not to mention that all citizens of the Federal Republic regardless of race or ethnicity may identify as "Belarian".

A more accurate breakdown of ethnicities in the Federal Republic was ordered by the Census Bureau in 2008, which reported exact figures for the seven separate ethnicities within the more fluid term "Belarian". It determined that 28% were Gorzowan, 21% were Anatusian, 19% were Kaunusian, 11% were Sarbonian, 9% were Kalman, 7% were Zamoran, and 5% were Galatian.

Outside of the fairly heterogeneous "Belarian" ethnic group, the population breakdown includes mostly different ethnic groups native to the European Union, such as Russians, Italians, Trierans, Aesop Rockians, and Luvenburgians simply to name a few. Roughly 12% of the population can trace their ancestry back to an ethnicity which originates outside of the European Union. This portion of the population is entitled to the same rights and privileges of all the citizens of the Federal Republic by law since the government passed the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution of the Federal Republic.

Religion

Although once playing an important role in the lives of almost all Belarians, today organized religion is on the decline in the Federal Republic. Most citizens identify as not belonging to any religion (roughly 43%), while 12% identify as either Agnostic or Atheist.

Out of the 45% of the population that identifies as having a religion, 23% claim to be Roman Catholic, while 12% say Presbyterian and 2% say Methodist. 14% identified as a non-denominational Christian. 4% identified as Muslim, 3% identified as Hindu, 1% identified as Sikh, and 5% identified as Jewish. The remaining 36% of those who identified as belonging to a religion belong to various separate organized religions which make of less than 1% of the total sum.

Suffrage

Universal suffrage, which extends the right of a citizen of the Federal Republic to vote in elections, join the armed services or be eligible for the draft, smoke cigarettes or marijuana, and consume alcohol is 18 years of age.

Government and politics

Belarum is a constitutional federal republic which drew its government from many examples, most notably Ancient Greece and the Roman Republic. Voting is not compulsory, and the Federal Republic has suffered a relative decline in voter participation since 1984, although the 2008 Elections attracted 76% of those eligible to vote. Those 18 and older who are citizens of the Federal Republic are eligible to vote.

The capital city of the Federal Republic is Bastia, which was built in the early years of Belarum's existence in order to accommodate the executive, legislative, and judicial branches as an administrative zone.

Executive branch

All executive power at the federal level is vested in the President of the Federal Republic, who selects a cabinet of ministers to aid him or her in running the government with the "advice and consent" of the Senate. The President of the Federal Republic is elected by popular vote with a running mate who serves as Vice President to a four year term, and is eligible to serve for three consecutive terms. The President is the head of state and government, as well as chief citizen, chief diplomat, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

The President of the Federal Republic is tasked by the Constitution to "carry out the laws passed by the Senate in good faith". The President has veto power, which he or she may exercise at his discretion. If the President uses a veto, it takes 2/3 majority in the Senate to override it. The President also has the power to appoint judges to the High Courts of the Federal Republic.

Legislative branch

The legislative branch of the Federal Republic is a bicameral body made up of a lower house and upper house: Parliament and the Senate respectively. The legislature is made up of 600 members (480 members of Parliament and 120 senators) directly elected by the people through first past the post simple majority. Parliament elects a speaker, who presides over that body and sets the legislative agenda and is also the second in the line of Presidential succession. The Senate is led officially by the Vice President of the Federal Republic, although the office is vested with little actual power. In the event of a tie, the Vice President is brought in to cast a vote.

Members of Parliament propose bills, which if voted for by a simple majority move to the Senate. The Senate may vote to either pass a bill, which sends it to the President's desk for his signing, or may vote to reject a bill. If the President vetoes a bill, the veto can be overridden by a 2/3 majority vote in both Parliament and the Senate. The Senate also has to confirm important nominations to the executive and judicial branches made by the President of the Federal Republic. Nominated candidates for such positions are confirmed by a simple majority.

Judiciary branch

The judicial branch is made up of the High Court, the highest legal authority in the Federal Republic. The High Court is made up of seven judges, one of whom is elevated to the position of Chief Justice. The other six are usually referred to as Associate Justices. It is the duty of the High Court to interpret the constitutionality of the laws passed by the Senate and carried out by the President, also known as "judicial review". Cases on which the High Court adjudicate set legal precedent throughout Belarum, and their decisions are binding.

Justices of the High Court are appointed by the President of the Federal Republic and must be confirmed by simple majority by the Senate before they can take their appointed position. Once appointed, justices serve for a one term period of ten years, after which they are required to leave the High Court.

Economy

he Federeal Republic of Belarum has a capitalist mixed economy, which benefits from a highly developed infrastructure, high productivity, low unemployment, and heavy public investment in health, education, and job training. Belarum has one of the largest economies in the European Union in real terms. It also has one of the highest GDP per capita in the region, which rarely dips below $38,000 USD. The Belarian economy is largely geared toward the service sector, although the country has maintained a sizeable and efficient manufacturing base. While agriculture constitutes less than 2% of total gross domestic product (GDP), the Belarian economy boasts the largest agricultural sector in the European Union. The leading industry is information technology and telecommunications, although the economy is highly diversified.

Top trading partners include signatories to the European Economic Community, a free trade agreement amongst democracies with market economies in the European Union. Costanja is the financial capital of the nation, which is home to the Costanja Stock Exchange, dubbed "Dane Street" by investors. The CSE is the region's largest by monetary value, and represents the beating heart of market economics in the region. With the reduction of barriers to capital in the EU, Costanja has emerged as an economic powerhouse in not only the country, but in the wider region, generating economic activity larger than many EU member states GDP.

A little over 40% of the workforce in the Federal Republic is unionized, which generally allows the equitable distribution of wealth to the employed population. With less than 3% of the nation unemployed, the Belarian economy is hailed region wide as an example of sound public economic policy, which balances investment in public services and the regulation of financial markets with reasonable economic freedoms and pro-growth policies such as recent tax cuts geared towards small businesses and low-income earners. This creates a climate where economic gains flow to the population in an equitable fashion.

Belarum was one of the first nations to join the Eurozone, or nations which use the Euro as its official currency. Because of this, Belarum is able to trade more freely with other EU nations on the Euro. It also stands to reason that the Euro is so highly valued because it is the official currency of the Federal Republic, one of the most important economic engines in the region.

Human Development

The Federal Republic is a postindustrial developed nation, with wide ranging social services which act as a safety net in order to mediate the extremes of the market economy. The state invests substantially in the population in the form of education and healthcare, goals championed by left-wing and center-left political parties in government during and following the Baltan War. This has created a highly educated and healthy workforce, attracting service sector economic activity on a large scale. Literacy rates for the total population over 15 has remained over 99% since the 1960's, and life expectancy for the population as a whole is 79.12, as measured in 2007.

HIV/AIDS prevalence was a concern which emerged in the 1980's, although serious breakthroughs have occurred in antiviral treatments as well as awareness campaigns encouraging safe sexual practices which have significantly lowered the HIV/AIDS population to roughly 0.2%.

Discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, and religion were prevalent social issues in the 20th Century, but have since been rectified through action on the part of both activists and the state. The income gap between males and females as well as citizens and newly arrived immigrants remained significant until the mid-1970s when the Equal Rights Amendment gained popular support amongst the voting public and was signed into law, ending housing, pay, and service discrimination.