Politics of the Oan Isles: Difference between revisions

The political system of the Oan Isles take place in the framework of a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy. The Constitution of the Oan Isles forms the highest law in the land. It sets out the three branches of government and places checks between them to maintain a balance of power.

The [[Emperor of Polynesia]] is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the [[Military of the Oan Isles|Oan Defence Forces]]. The Prime Minister, currently [[Maui Uye-Ahua]], is the head of government and comprises the executive branch together with the Cabinet. The Supreme Court and other courts make up the judiciary. The political system is strongly influenced by the center-left Progressive Party and the center-right Liberal Party, which have dominated elections for decades.

[[File:Oahoanu.jpeg|thumb|His Serene Majesty, Emperor [[Oahoanu]] succeeded his father Emperor Ehe in 2016.]]

The head of state, nominal head of government and commander-in-chief of the armed forces is the '''Emperor of Polynesia'''. In the Oan language, his title is ''Rangitanga-a-te-Moana'' which directly translates to Ruler of the Sea. He is referred to by the style of His Serene Majesty. The position originates in Mauist legend which holds that Ahua the Great, the first Emperor and founder of the Royal House of Ahua, was divinely empowered by the deity Maui to rule the Oan Isles and unite the Pacific Island people’s. This has been used throughout history to justify the expansionism of the Oan people. While the Emperor is not required to be religious, Mauist religious traditions and spiritual leaders play a large role in the Imperial Court.

The Emperor wields numerous powers vested in the Crown of Polynesia such as appointing government ministers, promulgating laws, dissolving the Council of the People, declaring war, bestowing chieftaincies, receiving the accreditations of foreign ambassadors, conferring chivalric orders, granting pardons and signing treaties. Additionally the Emperor appears on stamps, coins and notes, Oaths of Office are sworn to the Emperor, the Emperor's birthday is a national holiday and the National Anthem is "Heaven bless the Emperor". The powers of the Emperor, while nominally vast, are constrained by democratic traditions. In weekly meetings, the Emperor consults with the Prime Minister on state affairs and seeks his counsel on the exercise of imperial powers. The exercise of these powers has proven controversial for instance during the Second Auroran Imperial War when Oahoanu and Ehe played a large role in the crisis.

The Emperor is the nominal head of the executive branch. He appoints and heads the Council of Elders. The '''Council of Elders''' (''Tuhinga o Mua'') consists of eminent persons in society such as spiritual leaders, business people, activists and intellectuals. The Council of Elders counsels the Emperor on the exercise of Imperial powers and on matters within the remit of the Crown. The '''Council of Ministers''' (''Kaunihera o nga Minita'') is an autonomous sub structure of the Council of Elders which controls and directs the executive branch.

[[File:Official Portrait of Maui Uye-Ahua.png|alt=|thumb|Incumbent head of government, Prime Minister Maui Uye-Ahua who was appointed by the Emperor in 2017.]]

The Emperor has the power to appoint and dismiss the '''Prime Minister''' (''Pirimia'') and the '''Ministers of the Crown''' (''Nga Minita o te Karauna'') . If the Council of the People passes a motion of no-confidence in the Council of Ministers, the Prime Minister and the Ministers of the Crown are required to tender their resignations to the Emperor. The Prime Minister and the Ministers of the Crown comprise the Council of Ministers. The Prime Minister is the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers. He has the power to control and supervise the work of the executive branch and to advise the Emperor on the exercise of some Imperial powers. Each Minister heads an executive department and oversees an area of government policy.

The legislature of the Oan Isles is called the '''National Assembly of the Oan Isles''' (''Huihuinga Motu''). It consists of two houses - the the '''Council of the People''' (''Kaunihera o te Iwi'') and the '''Council of the Chiefs''' (''Tuhinga o nga Rangatira'') – and the Emperor. The more powerful house is the Council of the People. The Council of the People has the power to pass laws, the Council of Chiefs has the power to review legislative proposals and the Emperor has the power to promulgate laws, dissolve the Council of the People and open annual sessions of the Parliament. Every year, the Emperor reads the Speech from the Throne, to the Council of Chiefs - which is prepared by the Prime Minister – during the opening of the Parliament.

*The '''Pacifist Party''' has 54 seats. It promotes a smaller armed forces, multilateral foreign policy, stronger international trade and free market capitalism. The Kohatu Liberation Movement is an ally of this party.

*The '''Green Party''' has 48 seats. It believes in protection of the environment and promotion of green industry, better worker rights, universal basic income and health care.

Most of the work of drafting legislation happens in the committees. Each committee focuses on a particular issue and consists of a few members. Every party is guaranteed at least one seat in each committee. The Chairperson of the Council of the People presides over the plenary sessions of the Council of the People and supervises the administration of its affairs. The Council of the People may require members of the executive branch to appear before it to answer questions. All laws require at least half of members to pass. Some laws such as constitutional amendments require over two thirds of the members to pass.

The Council of Chiefs consist of all the Chiefs in the country. Chiefs are traditional leaders. They are all appointed by the Emperor. Chiefdoms are hereditary, meaning that a parent passes their title to their children or closest relative. The Emperor may strip a Chief of their title, create new titles or dissolve titles altogether. Chiefs are usually the symbolic leaders of a tribal group. Members of this council serve for life.

The Council of Chiefs has the power to read and debate bills before they are passed. It’s approval is not required but all laws must be sent to the Council of Chiefs before the Council of the People passes the final version. The Council of Chiefs has the power to pass non-binding recommendations on the bills that appear before it, which are sent to the Council of the People. The Council of Chiefs may also pass non-binding resolutions. These are symbolic proclamations or declarations on an issue.

The '''Supreme Court''' (''Kooti Hupirimi'') is the highest court of law. It is the final court to which cases from other courts can be appeal and its judicial precedent is binding on all courts in the land. It has the power to review laws for their constitutionality and strike them down if they violate the Constitution. It consists of 12 judges including the Chief Justice. The Chief Justice is the head of the judiciary and highest ranking judge in the land. Judges are symbolically confirmed by the Emperor after being chosen by the Prime Minister from nominations from the '''Commission on Judicial Appointments''' and approved by the Judiciary Committee of the Council of the People.

The Commission on Judicial Appointments consists if eminent persons in law from numerous areas and it recommends judges for appointment and dismissal. Whereas the approval of the Council of the People is required for Supreme Court justices, the Chief Justice oversees the nomination of Magistrates. Magistrates administer justice in the rest of the judicial system. Magistrates must be experienced lawyers who have passed a magisterial exam.

'''Magistrate Courts''' are courts of first instance which hear cases. The magnitude of the case and the scale of the judgements it my impose vary based on rank with power diminishing from regional, district to local level. Although cases may be heard in any court, courts of greater will likely ask smaller and less powerful courts to hear smaller and less significant cases. These courts rely on extensive laws, judicial precedent, political conventions and cultural traditions to judge cases and administer judges.

The Oan Isles is a highly democratic country with characteristics such as free and fair elections, consistently peaceful transfer of power, free press and freedom of speech, the rule of law and an independent and impartial judicial system. The Constitution is a written document that promotes and protects these fundamental ideals through the distribution of political power in different branches of government.

The Oan Isles has a highly active civil society and political participation is very high. For instance, non-governmental organizations such as [[Freedom International]], [[Oan News]] and the Water Project have been instrumental in policy reform and public life. For instance, in 2017 Freedom International sued the government for allowing the Emperor to exert excessive influence over decision-making during the Auroran-Pacific War and the Supreme Court ruled in their favour - passing judicial precedent that restricts the exercise of the monarch's emergency powers. Another example, is Oan News which has defiantly issued scathing rebukes of the government such as an investigative piece alleging that the Oan government orchestrated or turned a blind eye to a terrorist attack on the country for political gain.

* The '''Pacifist Party''' is the largest party by number of seats in the Council of the People and by annual income (100 million KRB average annual income). It believes in the Oan principle of peaceful development which loosely translates to Pacifist in Staynish. This encompasses participation in multilateral organizations, openness to trade and alignment with democratic counties. This party is led by the incumbent Minister of Finance, [[Kia Uye]]. Prominent politicians aligned with this party include former Foreign and Prime Minister, Locklyn Le Roy.

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* '''Conservatism''' i.e. a strong army, strictly aligning Oan Foreign policy with other democratic nations, and strategically intervening in the internal affairs of foreign nations. Oan political environment is more accurately assessed on the basis of factions. They strongly supported Oan entry in the Auroran-Pacific War, formation of the Auroran Union and resented Oan membership in the United Nations of the Auroran Continent. Former Emperor Ehe, Tipene Rahua and Locklyn Le Roy are believed to be part of this camp.

* '''Pan-Polynesianism''' holds the belief that all Polynesian people should be united under the Emperor of Polynesia in some form. For this reason, they strongly supported the 2017 [[The Oan Isles#War of the Kohatu Isles|War of the Kohatu Isles]], support the independence or reintegration of the [[Morstaybishlian West Pacific Territories]] into the Oan Isles and they resent [[Justelvard]] becoming a Constituent Country of Great Morstaybishlia. Prime Minister Maui Uye-Ahua and Emperor Oahoanu are believed to belong to this group.

The last and least significant, but nevertheless, important factor which affects political culture is clan and tribal affiliation. Large and wealthy families or clans can have a disproportionate influence on policy. For instance, the Ahua Clan is probably the most powerful family in the country. Their power does not only come from the Emperor being the head of the Clan, but the family has amassed wealth from entrepreneurial ventures and strategic marriages especially with foreign powers e.g. The former Emperor Ehe married Princess Eleanor Constantine of [[Staynes]], sister to the High King of Great Morstaybishlia, [[Lambertus VII]]. The Uye Clan has also become very wealthy, but they also have the benefit of having many of their members in powerful political positions for instance they control the three most powerful posts in the government: Defence, Finance and the Premiership as General Oahuoa Uye, Kia Uye and Maui Uye-Ahua are members of this house. Other prominent families include the Marama, Rahua, and Iparoha Clans.

Tribal affiliation also plays a large role. Most Oan people strongly identify with a particular ancestral group that is usually based on an island called a tribe. Each tribe has a hereditary or elected Chief who represents it in the Council of Chiefs, the upper house of the Oan legislature. For instance, the Toka tribe which is based in Tokamotu is regarded as the most powerful tribe in the country because it controls the wealthiest island. The Noa tribe was a big influence in the autonomy of the Konoa Semi-autonomous Region. This is also why the [https://tep.wiki/wiki/Great_Morstaybishlia#Late_Modern_(1803_-_21st_century) Morstaybishlian partition of the Oan Isles] in the late 19th century was so devastating as the Koroi tribe was divided in half, an act for which the nation has not fully forgiven the Morsts over a hundred years later. Moreover, this is why the slave trade by the Morst is a source of [https://forum.theeastpacific.com/oan-news-t3208-s90.html#p241684 historic friction] as many clans and tribes were broken.

The major political parties are as follows:

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