Allegheny

This page or section is not canon and should not be considered part of current TEP Evolved RP.

Politics

The politics of Allegheny take place in the framework of a multi-party secular constitutional democracy and federal presidential republic. The highest law with which all other laws must align is the Constitution which creates and structures the government into the following branches:

• Legislature: Parliament of Allegheny comprised of the Legislative Council and the Representative Assembly
• Executive: President is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces of who appoints the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers of Allegheny
• Judiciary: Supreme Court of Allegheny and other courts

The President is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Allegheny, currently Khamood Jabat. He is elected every four years on one ticket with his Deputy President through a general election that takes place in the framework of a run-off two-round voting system whereby if a candidate does not receive more than 50% of the vote in the first round, a second round with the two leading candidates will be held. The President may only serve two consecutive terms, but they may serve an unlimited number of non-consecutive terms.

The President has the power to appoint as Prime Minister a member of the Representative Assembly who will most likely command the confidence of the Representative Assembly, normally the leader of the largest party or coalition. The President also appoints the Ministers of the State who comprise the highest body of the executive branch: the Council of Ministers of Allegheny. Should the Representative Assembly pass a motion of no-confidence in the Prime Minister and/or the Council of Ministers, they are required to resign or the President can dissolve the Representative Assembly.

The Prime Minister chairs the Council of Ministers and directs the work of the executive branch. The Council of Ministers deliberates and decides on important matters of governments and through the civil service and executive departments implement and propose legislation under the leadership and direction of Ministers of State who preside over specific portfolios. The President has the power to set the government's agenda and every year, they open the Parliament with a speech prepared by the Prime Minister which outlines the state's objectives and plans for the year.

The President appoints the Justices of the Supreme Court for terms of 10 years on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission. The Supreme Court has the power to review laws and strike down provisions thereof that violate the Constitution of Allegheny. Beneath the Supreme Court are the High Courts which receive appeals from Magistrate Courts within their provinces. Magistrate Courts handle the bulk of the trials in the country barring special courts such as Shureeh Courts (which rule according to Paxist law) and Military Courts.

The Parliament consists of two houses, the Legislative Council (upper house, providing equal representation to the provinces and elected by their respective legislatures) and the Representative Assembly (lower house, elected by the eligible population by party-list proportional representation where a threshold of 10% is required for entry). The approval of the Legislative Council is required for matters affecting the provinces. Nevertheless, the Representative Assembly wields most of the legislative and oversight powers. Members of the executive branch are held accountable by answering oral and/or written questions from members.

The most recent parliamentary election was in 2022, which was broadly characterised as free and fair under the oversight and administration of the Independent Electoral Commission. The Yasterian Paxist Liberation Front (YPLF) is the largest party in the Parliament by the number of seats, with 345 out of 500 seats in the Representative Assembly and 60 out of 100 seats in the Legislative Council, whose leader, Benham Shadeen is the Prime Minister. The second largest party is the Alleghenese Socialist Democratic Association (ASDA) whose leader, currently Rabeen Askhadan, is the Leader of the Opposition, with his party having 120 seats in the Representative Assembly and 25 seats in the Legislative Council.

Administrative divisions

The first level territorial sub-division of Allegheny is the province of which Allegheny has six. The provinces are given power by the Constitution to pass laws on matters not reserved for the central government. The provinces share sovereignty with the national government. The provinces may not secede without the approval of the national government and the rest of the provincial governments. Each Province has a Constitution which governs how it functions which is passed in accordance with and subservient to the National Constitution of Allegheny.

The provinces are Southern Talavero, Northern Talavero, Uliveru, Upper Ufrata, Lower Ufrata and Kandarahan. Kandarahan is directly administered by the National Government and contains the capital of Allegheny. The rest of the Provinces are administered as constitutional republics with a three branch government comprising a directly elected legislature (Legislative Assembly), an executive branch consisting of a directly elected Governor and a Provincial Executive Council which he appoints, and an independent judiciary consisting of the High Court and other lesser courts.

The Provinces exercise a high degree of autonomy for instance over healthcare, education, environmental conservation, urban development and public housing, water, electricity, transport, local government, police, budget, telecommunications etc. Each Province has a branch of the National Bank of Allegheny which acts as the lender of last resort, and sole banker of the Provincial Government. Every Province maintains a paramilitary organisation known as a Provincial Guard responsible for emergency response and supporting the Defence Forces in case of an invasion.

In the past, the Provinces were permitted by the National Constitution to recognise their own official languages and established religions, but after the 1997 Civil War, formal agreements between the Magisterium of Paxism and the Vayan Catholic Church prevent this from happening, with the National Government assuming responsibility for and oversight of both and the sole official language being Packilvanian, with speakers of indigenous languages permitted to use them in education and government where their Provincial Government grants regional recognition.

Although the provinces may not restrict the freedom of worship and belief arbitrarily, they may designate an established religion. Southern and Northern Talavero recognise the Vayan Catholic Church as their state religion. Upper and Lower Ufrata recognise Paxism as their state religion while Uliveru and Kandarahan recognise both. Although all provinces may recognise an official language alongside Packilvanian, only Southern Talavero has adopted one, which is Unonian.

• Province of Southern Talavero: The Bishop of Danaanshtar is the ceremonial figurehead. He is appointed in line with the traditions and laws of the Vayan Catholic Church. Political power is vested in the directly elected unicameral Legislative Assembly of Southern Talavero, from which the Bishop appoints the leader of the largest party as Premier and head of the Provincial Executive Council to administer the Provincial Government. The judiciary of Southern Talavero is helmed by High Court of Southern Talavero. Vayan Catholicism is the state religion. The largest ethnic groups are the Bendaw, Imbomi and Sugunda.
• Republic of Northern Talavero: The Governor is the head of government elected by the population every 4 years who leads the Provincial Executive Council. The popularly elected Legislative Assembly comprises the