Ni-Rao
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Empire of Ni-Rao | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Capital | Amao |
| Largest city | Krist |
| Official languages | Raonish |
| Ethnic groups (2020) | Feline 83% Elven 14% Other 3% |
| Demonym(s) | Raonite |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
• Empress | Morau XII |
• Grand Vizier | Doran Imo |
| Legislature | Council of Five Hundred |
| Establishment | |
• State of Ni established | c. 1800 BCE |
• State of Rao established | c. 1600 BCE |
• Merger of the Crowns | c. 900 BCE |
• Charter of Amao ratified | July 19th, 1791 CE |
| Area | |
• Total | 599,237 km2 (231,367 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2020 census | 45,074,215 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | $425,250,000,000 |
• Per capita | $9,450 |
| Currency | New Deben (NRN) |
| Time zone | UTC -8:00 |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +454 |
| Internet TLD | .nr |
The August Empire of Ni-Rao, commonly known as Ni-Rao, is a constitutional monarchy located in northwestern Gondwana.
History
The two immediate predecessor states of Ni-Rao were the State of Ni, a city-state on the northwestern coast of Gondwana that dates to approximately 1800 BCE, and the Kingdom of Rao, which was originally located further inland and has been dated to approximately 1600 BC. The primary population of both states were felines who are believed to have migrated to the coast from the interior of the continent. As the historical record indicates that the languages spoken in Ni and Rao were written in similar scripts with nearly identical grammar, it is believed that both groups of felines descend from the same population. Fragments of tablets found in Ni dated to 1500 BCE show that the royal court of Ni was concerned at the time that "countrymen of Rao are almost indistinguishable from our own [citizens] and can commit crimes among us unnoticed."
Conflict between the two states was common, although not typically severe. Villages on the frontiers of both states often changed hands. In 900 BCE an event known as the "Merger of the Crowns" occurred and Ni and Rao were merged into a single state. However, the records written in each state both indicate that it was their own army that conquered the other state. As literacy and the ability to write were both restricted to a select class of scribes in both states, written records are scant, and it remains uncertain if the Merger was caused by one state conquering the other or by mutual consent.
And then like 3000 more years of stuff happens idk
Government
The Sovereign
Ni-Rao is a constitutional monarchy. The current reigning sovereign is Empress Morau XII, who has been on the throne since 1964. The Empress is nominally the Head of State, but in actuality can act only on the advice of the Prime Minister. Unlike such monarchies as Acronis, the Empress has no reserve powers. Any action of the Empress must be countersigned by the relevant Vizier (equivalent to a Minister in other countries), and it is the Viziers - not the sovereign - who are politically responsible for the actions of the state. However, under the law, it is the Empress who appoints the Grand Vizier and members of the Supreme Council (known otherwise as the Cabinet), dissolves and summons the Council of Five Hundred, and is the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The Empress is briefed regularly on matters of state and, while she holds no governing authority, she holds significant influence in the government.
Council of Five Hundred
The legislature of Ni-Rao has consisted of exactly 500 people for over a thousand years. Originally the Council was an advisory body summoned by the sovereign at will to provide advice, not to ratify laws. Over the course of time, it came to be that the Council's assent was required for the imposition of taxes and for permission in raising a standing army. However, these conventions were never entrenched law until the ratification of the Charter of Amao in 1791, which created the modern constitutional monarchy that Ni-Rao has today. Prior to the Charter, the sovereign tended to hold to these conventions primarily because of political pressure or even armed revolt from the populace.
Several different methods have been used to elect the Council over the course of time. Since 1999, members are elected in a closed-list proportional system, in which citizens cast a vote for a political party and parties are granted a number of seats in the council in accordance to their proportion of the vote. In order to be granted seats, a party must reach at least 4% of the national vote. The office of Grand Vizier, the head of government of Ni-Rao, is appointed for nomination by the Council of 500, and the government must hold the confidence of the Council in order to remain in office. Other Viziers in government are appointed from among the members of the legislature by the Grand Vizier to the Supreme Council, which is usually called the Cabinet to distinguish it from the Council of 500.