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The passing of the Constitution changed The Sovereign of Equaa into The Federal Republic of Equatannia, "''The Land of Equals,"'' as well as expanded the regional governments into having a separate congressional assembly, The Regional. The framework listed in the Constitution calls for Representative, Regional, and Presidential elections every four years, with direct representation from percentage of voters approving a political party or independent candidate. There are no term limits, as direct representation and separation of government branches disallows for the evolving of a dictator. It instates Olympia Starr as the nation's first President, with the first Presidential election planned to be held along with the regularly scheduled elections on December 5, 1940. This legislation also officially established the governments of the three regions that make up Equatannia today, while declaring the city of Equaa as the nation's federal capital and December 5 as Equatannia's Federal Holiday.
=== Period of Isolation (1937-2019) ===
==== The End of the Starr Presidency ====
January 1, 1937 marked the Third People's Inauguration as the third People's Assembly and first Regional were sworn in by President Olympia Starr. In the early months of 1937 that followed, regional tensions rose as natives from the eastern portion of Irnac attacked the northern capital Nuuvari from the shore using canoes and simple weapons on several occasions. These attacks, along with separate rising tensions from nearby nations, lead President Starr to propose The Foreign Affairs Neutrality Resolution (FANR) to Congress on April 29, 1937. This proposed resolution would forbid Equatannia's federal government from directly contacting any foreign national state, making any declarations of war, and conducting federalized trade. With strict guidelines for the President, Cabinet members, and Congresspeople to abide by, the resolution gave much more power to the Regional governments when it came to foreign trade, but still forbade the regional governments from initiating any trade deals with foreign nations.
The FANR was approved by both branches of Congress on May 10 and was signed the following day by President Starr and the second Speaker of the People, Cristofer Benyne, who won his reelection bid. As no foreign embassies had been established by the federal government by this time, the only relocation of government officials after the resolution was passed was the retreat of ambassadors that had been traveling between the Meagharian capital and the southern capital Canora. The FANR contained legislation that redirected foreign affairs funds toward urbanization of infrastructure, education, and welfare. The resolution also contained guidelines on how the Head of State needs to respond when contacted by a foreign government, which includes thanking them for making contact while also explaining that Equatannia is currently focusing on internal development. The federal government began working on initiating the legislation of the new resolution while distributing funds to different departments, especially expanding the Citizen Welfare Department, over the course of the next three years leading up to the first presidential elections in Equatannia.
==== The Benyne Presidency ====
President Olympia Starr announced that she would not be seeking a reelection campaign on January 3, 1940. She explained in a public speech in downtown Equaa that she felt she has accomplished everything she has set out to do for the people of Equatannia, and that she knows it is time for new leadership to begin leading the country forward with "effects of unimaginable progression." The general election came down between former Speaker of the People, Cristofer Benyne, Representative Sulan Guraun from Nuuvari, and Equaan Chancellor Pamela Krit. The election was held on the Federal Holiday December 5, 1940 and Speaker Benyne was announced as the victor the following morning across national news outlets. President-elect Benyne received open endorsements from many Representatives during his campaign, and won with 78% of the vote. Madame Starr spoke of her disfavor of endorsing any candidate, as she stated she entrusted the people of Equatannia to "vote with their mind and heart." President Benyne was sworn in as the second President of Equatannia on January 1, 1941, with Sulan Guraun being sworn in as the nation's first Vice President.
Over the next few decades, Equatannia's four major metropolitan areas went under intense urbanization and modernization under President Benyne's leadership. Roadways were expanded and paved, railroads were connected to various communities, and skylines began to grow year by year. The national economy initially shrunk, but eventually stabilized to where it has remained since around 1964. Internal trade among regions, cities, and villages was at an all-time high as separate regions imported and exported various goods that were unique to the region. The Equatannian culture encountered a renaissance that brought new light and internal appreciation to Equatannian arts. Museums and education centers containing various Equatannian artifacts, art, and performance venues were funded by the regional and federal governments while enrollment in primary school, secondary school, and higher education became the national norm by 1949. The University of Equaa was established in 1949 by President Benyne, with multiple smaller colleges being founded in Equatannia's other major urban cities; Nuuvari, Freebelsta, and Canora. The Equatannian Armed Forces surprisingly continued to grow during the next few decades as career benefits and competitive salary allowed for many young Equatannians to enlist after attending higher education.
==== The Jamaal Presidency ====
President Benyne won his reelection campaigns in 1944 and 1948 before deciding to not run in the 1952 election cycle at the age of 88. January 1, 1953 brought the inauguration of the third President of Equatannia, Derek Jamaal. President Jamaal was a Representative of the southern isle of Olepaut and was the first President not from the original party in power, The Federal Party. Jamaal was a member of The Free Party, which primarily dominated among the southern Isles and along the eastern coast of Starr Peninsula. President Jamaal quickly directed funds from the budget of the national armed forces toward small-business support that began to greatly stimulate the economy over the next six years. His plans to combine socialist and capitalist ideals became increasingly popular during his first term, which lead to his reelections in 1956, 1960, and 1964. During the '60s, many pieces of legislation were barely passed to expand the powers of the federal government over the regional governments due to corruption in Greater Equatannia and dissenting views from opposing parties. The elected Regional official of Greater Equatannia, Gabrii Haj, resigned after being arrested on domestic violence and racketeering charges. Chancellor Haj was sentenced to six years in rehabilitation confinement and was also subjected to thousands of equos in fines. The legislation expanded multiple departments in an effort to further the federal government support for citizen welfare and internal trade, despite not having any foreign trade to oversee themselves. After announcing his impending resignation on June 18, 1968, President Derek Jamaal endorsed legislation that would create a National Park Department with the founding of Equatannia's first National Park in the area of Mount Friedenliebe that is located just north of Equaa.
==== The Banjohn Presidency ====
The Green Party's presidential nominee Cristol Banjohn, an education system superintendent from Equaa, was elected as Equatannia's fourth president on December 5, 1968. Banjohn ran on the ideas of the approval of many social issues plaguing the nation that President Jamaal had ignored during his last term. In her first year as President, Banjohn endorsed legislation that legalized same-sex marriages, same-sex adoptions, and gender reassignment surgery, as well as enacting workplace protections, housing protections, and equal pay protections for LGBT citizens as well as other social minorities, with all of this legislation being passed and signed by the end of 1969. President Banjohn's administration went on to greatly expand the green energy and national park sectors while further increasing tax rates on Equatannia's wealthiest citizens to fund the various newly established programs. The administration worked diligently to erase Equatannia's poverty, illiteracy, and crime rates, which greatly improved the well-being of the nation's citizens. The legalization of marijuana and various other natural substances occurred in 1973 after Cristol Banjohn primarily ran her reelection campaign on the issue with great success. She then backed legislation establishing a federal buyback program of all assault-style firearms after banning their ownership through an executive order in response to the only mass shooting Equatannia has faced, the shooting at Freebelsta Primary School in 1974. Sixteen students and five teachers were murdered by a man running from the police after being pursued for a domestic violence incident that left his wife deceased. The buyback program started with great success after much of the nation was horrified at the massacre, and President Banjohn declared Equatannia's citizens free of all assault-style weapons in 1976.
==== The Gulland Presidency and Assassination ====
President Banjohn was the first President to lose a reelection campaign after conceding to her Federal Party opponent Jermine Gulland in the 1976 elections. Fifth President Gulland riddled his campaign with brutal attacks on Banjohn regarding her lack of immediate response to the Feebelsta Primary School shooting and her lack of action toward various far-left extremist groups that had begun recruiting in Equatannia's poorer neighborhoods. Banjohn was alloted the Vice President slot regardless of Gulland's attacks due to her second-place finish in the general election. President Gulland launched campaigns of non-violent attacks on the extremist groups throughout the late 1970s, which greatly affected their recruitment efforts and political influence. He then halted the federal buyback program of assault weapons after pressure from various Cabinet members that were "personal-defense advocates."
On December 9, 1980, a man claiming to be a member of the nationalist group Freetania used an illegal sniper rifle to assassinate President Gulland during a public appearance in Nuuvari. Gulland was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead shortly after arrival. An immediate outpouring of anger and distress erupted from Equatannia's citizens, who had greatly confided in President Gulland and his ideals. The man was on the run for two weeks until he was apprehended by citizens at a diner in Gangruuse, a village in north-central Equatannia, after officials publicized his image on television and print. The assassin admitted that he was angry with Gulland for promoting such far-left policies while also attempting to suppress various organizations, and was ordered to carry out the assassination by Freetania's leadership. Despite this information, some theorists claimed that Vice President Cristol Banjohn had hired the man due to her disagreements with President Gulland, but she vehemently denied these claims and no evidence ever appeared. Banjohn assumed the role as President until the elections later that year, when she announced she would be resigning after the coming election.
==== The Tengrin Presidency ====
The people of Equatannia voted Representative Judy Tengerin, an attorney from Canora, to be the sixth President of Equaa in 1980, with her primary opponent Mikael Johns being selected as Vice President. President Tengrin's four terms as President were filled with years of increased industrialization and urbanization, as well as the decline and extermination of a majority of Equatannia's extremist groups. Tengrin did not publicly endorse a piece of legislation until her third term in 1989 when then Speaker of the People Karine Roswuud proposed a bill that would create the foundation for a Federal Supreme Court and a district system of federal courts to better implement and enforce laws. President Tengrin helped write the legislation considering her past experience as an attorney and signed the bill into law in March 1990. The first judges on the Supreme Court were appointed by Speaker Roswuud after being approved by both chambers of Congress later that year.
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