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.

Demographics

Ethnicity

The total population of Allegheny is approximately 80 million people. Over 90% of the people are members of the Ursine species. With 7% being Feline, 2% being Vulpine and the remaining 1% belonging to other groups. Over 98% of the population are native born citizens. According to the Citizenship and Permanent Residency Act, in order to become a citizen, one has to have one parent who is a citizen and/or acquire citizenship after 10 years of living in the country and renouncing ones previous citizenship as Allegheny does not permit dual citizenship.

The Ursine people comprise over 60 ethno linguistic groups. The top ten largest ethnolinguistic groups are the Kunja (21%), Bindwa (19%), Sugunda (15%), Nduba (12%), Gayo (11%), Emande (9%), Ikwe (6%), Tinga (6%), and the Churundi (4%). Although Packilvanian is the lingua franca of the country and the official language, it is only spoken by 23% of the population as a first language.

Languages

Of the 56 languages and over 320 regional dialects spoken by the people of Allegheny, the largest languages by native speakers are shiKunja, nyiBindwa, kuySugunda, yaNduba, twiGayo, wayMande, tIkwe, chiTinga and jhaChurundi. The version of Packilvanian spoken in Allegheny is normally referred to as Alleghenian Packilvanian due to the influence of its native languages. All languages in Allegheny are written in the Packilvanian script which is the official writing system.

Religion

The most widely practiced religion in Allegheny is Paxism, with over 67% of the population professing adherence. Over 99% of Paxists, follow Melkezedekism and recognise the religious authority of the Magisterium of Paxism and the Bas Magdamar as the sole and holiest of the Writings of Paxism. Allegheny is represented on the Council of Great Magisters by 4 Great Magisters. The second largest religion is Vayan Catholicism. Allegheny fields over 3 Cardinals and 5 Bishops, with the most eminent being the Bishop of Kandarahan. Many people (approximately 43%) practice syncretism with animist and mystic traditions such as Ijawism, Akantwism, Kaynayism and Kandaharian Vudaic Religion, despite the heavy repression that they experienced. Over 99% of the population profess belief in the afterlife, deity, and attend religious services at least once a month. Vayan Catholic and Paxist holy days are recognised as public holidays in Allegheny.

Urbanisation

Over 60% of the population reside in rural areas with the remainder in urban areas. Over 12% of the population living in informal housing. Over 5% of people are nomadic pastoralists. The largest city in the country, Kandarahan has a population of 3.2 million, followed by Xaraat, Razaal, Danaanshtar, Faraan-Faleed, Bakhtan-Kapaan, Kakhaanshtar, Shratahan, and Latiyah.

Development

Over 97% of the population have access to clean potable water, over 91% have access to an indoor tap and over 88% have access to a flush or chemical toilet. The average life expectancy is over 68 years old, with the median age being 22 years old. Over 90% of people have access to electricity. The infant mortality rate is 2.2 infants per 1,000 people. The country has a literacy rate of 81%. Over 87% of children aged 7 to 18 are enrolled in formal education. Over 81% of people who write the Matriculation Exam actually pass. Out of an average 600,000 children who pass Matric, over 200,000 go into post-secondary education, with 80,000 enrolling in one of the country's over 50 public and private universities of which the most prestigious is the University of Kandarahan.