Sapient rights in Packilvania: Difference between revisions

There are no elections of any kind at national level in Packilvania. The [[Sultan of Packilvania]] is the absolute monarch and he accedes by inheritance. All members of the [[Parliament of Packilvania]] and the [[Council of Ministers of Packilvania]] including the [[Prime Minister of Packilvania]] are selected by and serve at the pleasure of the Sultan. Officials of lower parts of the government are appointed without oversight of independent bodies. Although the government has attempted to create competitive selection processes for senior officials, they ultimately remain at the discretion of the most powerful political officials. Political parties are banned. Although corruption exists and state-owned corporations exert considerable political clout, extra-political entities are not widely known forto influence Packilvanian domestic and foreign policy. Nevertheless, the political interests of the [[Bedonite dynasty]] and their allies in the the defunct [[Carriers of Mercy]] (and now [[Association of the Friends and Veterans of the Carriers of Mercy]]) are inextricably linked with the policies and laws of the nation. Laws and policies are subjected to the frivolity and caprice of the head of state. The [[Packilvanian Armed Forces]] and the [[Intelligence agencies of Packilvania]] are fully under the control of the civilian government however their policy advice is not subject to external scrutiny making them vastly more powerful than therethey would be in more democratic nations.

Public consultation for legislative proposals exists.within Proposedthe statutes[[Legislative areprocess usuallyof Packilvania]] exists. The Parliament has invited and reviewed written submissions from the public, but it rarely holds open forums with citizens. Open forums have been held by city councils with members of the public over public projects and regulations however it is unclear to what extent the participation is open given the restrictions of freedom of speech and the lack of transparency as to whether these consultations are free and fair. Although laws and other government documentation is freely and easily accessible from the internet and from public bodies, the government has discretion to conceal material documents that affect its interests. Members of the Consultative Assembly cannot ask questions of the government and the Legislative Council can only question government ministers behind closed doors. Some larger cities allow attendance of the public in legislative deliberations and local councils can openly question executive and bureaucratic officials. Generally government contracts are appointed publicly and multiple bodies are required to approve such contracts, public scrutiny of contracts can be curtailed by senior levels of government arbitrarily. Asset declarations of the most powerful government officials and wealthy people are not available to the public.

Non-profit organisations must register with the state, disclose their sources of donations to state. They can be shut down by the government and registration is usually slow and difficult. Applications to form organisations centered around banned topics such sapient rights or democracy are explicitly banned. There are no trade unions orand professional associations. Professional registration bodies can refuse to grant their members licenses to operate at the request of the government for political reasons. Strikes are permissible but picketing associated with a strike is not. Nevertheless worker organisation especially in low-income work is basically impossible and employers have wide discretion to dismiss workers. Skilled workers benefit form the high demand and rarity of their skills and have superior bargaining power. The government has started to introduce labour protections but enforcement is poor and is based on government intervention following a formal complaint which is typically slow and ineffective. Worker intimidation is nominally illegal but practically difficult to enforce. However, business associations exists and operate fairly freely and tend to be significant media for the lobbying of the government. Paxist associations tend to operate much more freely than other civic society bodies and religious officials are well protected.