Esteira

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Republic of Esteira República da Esteira (Esteiran)
Flag
Motto: “Liberdade e independência” "Liberty and Independence"
Anthem: Nossa Pátria, Esteira "Our Homeland, Esteira"
Location of Esteira in northwest Gondwana.
Capital and largest city	Porto Verde
Official languages	Esteiran
Recognised regional languages	Selvan Povosi
Ethnic groups (2021)	88.5% Esteiran human 4.5% Selvan human 3.5% Povosi human 2.2% Orc 1.3% Other species
Religion (2021)	51% Ademarist 29% Akronist 11% Thaerist 7% Irreligious 2% Other
Demonym(s)	Esteiran
Government	Unitary presidential republic under a dictatorship
• President	Luis Souza
• Prime Minister	Emilio Batista
• Assembly Speaker	Geraldo Torres
Legislature	National People's Assembly
Establishment
• Esteiran Confederation	c. 1057
• Kingdom of Esteira	c. 1398
• Treaty of the Republic	February 2, 1921
• Current constitution	April 4, 2002
Area
• Total	409,781 km2 (158,217 sq mi)
• Water (%)	2.2 (as of 2018)
Population
• 2021 census	29,891,268
• Density	72.94/km2 (188.9/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)	2021 estimate
• Total	$301,853,098,517
• Per capita	$10,098.37
Gini	52.3 high
SDI	0.685 medium
Currency	Esteiran prata (ESP)
Time zone	UTC-7 (EST)
Date format	mm/dd/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+519
ISO 3166 code	EST
Internet TLD	.est

Esteira, officially the Republic of Esteira (Esteiran: República da Esteira), is a country in northwest Gondwana, bordered by Vaklori to the north, the Federation of Bana to the south, the Danvreas to the east, and a maritime border with Tavaris to the west. A highly centralized state, the country is divided into 15 departments (departamentos). It covers an area of 409,781 square kilometers (158,217 sq mi) and has a population of nearly 30 million. Esteiran is the national language, and the indigenous Selvan and Povosi languages are regionally recognized in the departments with significant populations. The country's largest city is its capital, Porto Verde.

First existing as a small confederation of the people living near the western edge of the Danvreas Plateau, the confederation was pushed towards the coast due to orcish raids from the east. The confederation ultimately brought other indigenous groups into the fold, eventually beginning to reconquer lost lands starting in 1253. Conflict with orcs occurred until about 1274, when the Danvreas closed itself off to all foreigners and allowed Esteira to expand. Naval raids from neighboring Ni-Rao led to the centralization of power in the Confederation, with King Reinaldo I forming the Kingdom of Esteira in 1398.

The Kingdom of Esteira survived until the 1918 with the beginning of the Esteiran Civil War, which resulted in the creation of the Republic of Esteira. This multi-party republic was relatively stable and eventually transformed into a two party system, with elections contested between the Esteiran People's Party (PPE) and the National Liberal Party of Esteira (PLN). With the election of Luis Souza in 1991, the country began seeing an increase in corruption and oppression. Souza was heavily supported by both the PPE and conservative Esteirans, while he was decried by those on Esteira's left. Following what is now largely considered a false flag operation on dissidents within his own party, Souza seized total control of the government with the support of the PPE through a self-coup.

Today, the country has a single-party authoritarian regime where political opposition is not permitted. There are elections in Esteira, however they are not considered to be democratic. Censorship is extensive across both printed media and the internet, with independent journalism heavily surpressed.

Etymology

The name "Esteira" is purported to mean "those on the western edge" in the early Esteiran language, referring to the people who lived on the western edge of the Danvreas Plateau. As the indigenous population was pushed west away from their homeland by orc raids, the Esteirans began referring to the territory they lived on as Esteira. After taking back their territory, the Esteirans began calling the entire area "Esteira."

History

Esteiran Confederation

First existing as a small confederation of the people living near the western edge of the Danvreas Plateau, the confederation was pushed towards the coast due to orcish raids from the east. The confederation ultimately brought other indigenous groups into the fold, eventually beginning to reconquer lost lands starting in 1253. Conflict with orcs occurred until about 1274, when the Danvreas closed itself off to all foreigners. With little competition from orc warriors in the east, the Esteiran Confederation was able to re-secure the lowlands leading up to the Danvreas Plateau.

Kingdom of Esteira

Naval raids from neighboring Ni-Rao pushed the Confederation to unify into the Kingdom of Esteira in 1398, allowed the country to form a navy strong enough to counter the raiders. Military pressure began dropping drastically after centralization, though the country faced political and religious influence from all sides. Even with this influence, the country attempted to maintain neutrality in the region to avoid open conflict with its stronger neighbors.

This neutrality extended into the 19th and 20th Centuries, though the country found itself attempting to align closer to Asendavia through its colony in Vaklori and neighboring Tavaris. With the outbreak of the Great War, the Kingdom of Esteira maintained its neutrality but fell victim to the ensuing depression that followed. King Paulo IV was forced to flee to Vaklori following a popular uprising in mid-1918. Internal conflict broke out soon after and continued until late 1919, resulting in a stalemate between the country’s warring factions. To bring an end to the war the country’s various factions signed the Treaty of the Republic, establishing the Republic of Esteira on February 2, 1921.

Early Republic

Leonardo Menezes, head of the Esteiran People's Party, was elected to be the country’s first president on March 31, 1921 and took power on May 1, 1921. While the peace was shaky, many within Esteira had hope the republic would last and bring stability to the territory. Menezes would go on to win a second term as president in 1926; he ran for a third term in 1931 election and lost to Isac Bastos. Bastos was inaugurated on May 1, 1931 and became Esteira’s second president. Esteira’s republic continued successfully for decades, evolving into a two-party system where elections were contested by the right-wing Esteiran People's Party (PPE) and left-wing National Liberal Party (PLN) with peaceful transfers of power occurring between the two.

Souza Era

See also: 2002 Esteiran self-coup d'état

The country began experiencing democratic backsliding in the early 1990s with the election of populist strongman Luis Souza, a high ranking member of the PPE. His reelection in 1996 was marred with claims of voter fraud, intimidation, and a marked increase in political violence. Souza’s time in office saw the weakening of the Constitutional Court, attacks on journalists and media Souza perceived as “anti-Esteira,” and the weakening of civil liberties nationwide. Terrorist attacks by “internal enemies of the state” became relatively common in the 1990s, which prompted several states of emergency and the creation of special powers by the National People's Assembly to give Souza nearly unchecked power during these states of emergency. Souza won a third term in 2001 with 61.55% of the vote in an election many international observers described as "totally fraudulent."

On the morning of April 4, 2002, a blast occurred at the Esteiran People's Party headquarters in Porto Verde which killed 12. Over the next hour, PPE representatives were targeted across the country for assassination. In total, eight were killed and 13 were wounded in coordinated attacks. Souza and the PPE claimed the attacks were committed by left-wing terrorists sympathetic to the National Liberal Party though these claims went unsubstantiated. That evening the Esteiran National Police arrested PLN leadership and locked the country’s opposition parties out of an emergency session of the National People’s Assembly.

The emergency session was made up of PPE representatives and was headed by Souza, who gave a fiery speech claiming that the opposition parties were plotting a coup to seize control of the government. Souza received a standing ovation from his party in the legislature, who subsequently passed the National Security and Stable Leadership Act of 2002. The act outlawed opposition parties and established the PPE as the country’s only legal political party. Souza was granted sweeping powers that he used to further strengthen his and the PPE’s grip on Esteira. The actions of Souza and the PPE following the attacks on PPE members has been widely described as an autocoup.

21st Century

A low-intensity conflict against left-wing guerillas has been ongoing since 2003, with much of the fighting centered on Amarpa Department.

Riots and protests led to opening up elections but only approved opposition candidates?

Geography

Main article: Geography of Esteira

Climate classification map of Esteira.

Esteira borders the Strait of Vaklori to the east, Vaklori to the north, the Danvreas to the east, and the Federation of Bana to the south. It is located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere, and covers 409,781 km2 (158,217 sq mi) of northwestern Gondwana. The country has three distinct regions: the Lowlands, the Central Highlands, and the Danvreas Plateau.

The highest point in Esteira is Mount Aguaterna, at 2,658 meters (8,720 ft). The highest volcano in the country is the Bosques volcano, at 1,394 meters (4,573 ft). The largest lake is Lake Fazendas, located in the country's south. There are 7 known volcanoes in Esteira, and three of them have been active in the last 75 years.

Government and politics

Luis Souza
President

Emilio Batista
Prime Minister

Esteira, by constituiton, is a multi-party presidential republic with separation of powers and is governed by a president and the National People's Assembly. The Constitutional Court of Esteira ensures laws and government actions are aligned with the ideas laid out in the constitution.

Esteira under Souza has been categorized as an autocracy where power is ultimately concentrated in the hands of the president. Elections are not considered to be free, the judiciary's independence has been significantly weakened, press censorship is widespread, and the legislature acts as a rubber stamp for the president.

The president is the Commander-in-Chief of the Esteiran Military Forces, can veto legislative bills before they become law, and appoints the cabinet and other officers, who administer laws and policies. A presidential term is five years and there are no term limits; they were abolished in 1999 by the National People's Assembly at Souza's urging. Luis Souza has been the president of Esteira since 1991. His victory in the 1991 election is widely considered to be Esteira's last free and fair election.

The National People's Assembly is a unicameral parliament comprising of 275 members, each coming from a single-member district. The National People's Assembly has the power to make laws, constitutional amendments, approve treaties, make suggestions on domestic and foreign policy, and can remove sitting members of government through impeachment. The parliament can also veto any local laws that may violate the constitution.

The judiciary comprises the Supreme Court and specialized courts like the Constitutional Court, which deals with specific issues relating to constitutional and business law. The Supreme Court is the highest court of appeal for criminal cases. The national court judges are appointed by the president and confirmed by the National People's Assembly, after which they serve for life. Judges may be impeached by the Assembly and removed with three-quarters of the body voting for removal.

Since 2002, members of the Esteiran People's Party are the only candidates in Esteira that may stand for election to a public office. Souza's government has taken steps to censor, intimidate, and discredit opposition parties that circumvent the political opposition ban that has been in place since the passing of the National Security and Stable Leadership Act in 2002. Membership of, voting for, or campaigning for an opposition party is a criminal offense in Esteira.

Military

See also: Military Forces of Esteira

Law and order

See also: National Police of Esteira

Administrative divisions

See also: Departments of Esteira