Alduria
| The Republic of Alduria | |||
| |||
| Motto: In victoria virtus "In Victory, Virtue." | |||
| Anthem: | |||
| |||
| Map versions | |||
| Capital | Punta Santiago | ||
| Largest city | Alkhiva, Narbonne, Tudela, and Susa. | ||
| Official language(s) | Alexandrian (French), Martino (Spanish), Others. | ||
| Official religion(s) | Church of Alexandria, Church of Caputia | ||
| Demonym | Aldurian | ||
| - Adjective | Aldurian | ||
| Government | Federal semi-presidential constitutional republic | ||
| - President | Alejandro Campos (N-LA) | ||
| - Prime Minister | Natalia Cotilla (N-LA) | ||
| - Legislature | The Parliament of Alduria | ||
| Establishment | March 31st, 2019 | ||
| - Ranked | NA | ||
| Area | |||
| - Ranked | |||
| Population | 14,243,123 | ||
| - Active | 3 active citizens | ||
| - Ranked | |||
| Currency | Aldurian Écu | ||
| Abbreviation | ALD | ||
| Time zone(s) | {{{timezone}}} | ||
| National website | http://www.alduria.cc | ||
| National forum | http://www.alduria.cc | ||
| National animal | Alexandrian Eagle | ||
| National food | Spiced Striped Bass | ||
| National drink | Aldurian Rum | ||
| National tree | Euran Cedar | ||
Alduria, officially the Republic of Alduria, is a country whose territory is located in western Eura. It is bordered by the Haifo-Pallisican Imperial Trade Union to its northeast and the Imperial State of Constancia to its south. The rest of its borders face the Euran Green or the Raynor Sea. Alduria is a sovereign state, organized as a unitary federal republic with nine constituent states. Its capital and largest city is Punta Santiago, the country's main cultural and commercial center. Other major urban areas include Alkhiva, Narbonne, Tudela, and León.
The area that is now Alduria was previously inhabited by many different nations and Empires. The area was historically most consistently held by Babhka for centuries, which has shaped heavily the regional and national identities that make up the country. Later on, the area came to be dominated by a succession of different nations including among them Leon-Venezia, Alexandria, Ashkenatza, and most recently the nation of Iteru. Alduria began forming around 1668, in the aftermath of the Second Euran War. The region had endured a devastating series of conflicts that ended with the collapse of Iteru and the rise of the union between Constancia and Raspur. Regional clans and city-states began to coalesce early into a new Republic, the Altusian Republic as soon as 1655. Altus did not achieve immediate permanence as a nation until 1660. Composed of Constancians, Iterans, Alexandrians, Caputians, and sympathetic Euran native populations numbering in the millions, much of what is now Alduria did not join the Armée Altusienne Unie in creating Altus. Altus soon collapsed over its excessively oppressive military regime in 1669.
Following the collapse of Altus and the disintegration of the Armée Altusienne Unie, a large Constituent Assembly began to meet in a burgeoning refugee settlement in the Euran Green called Punta Santiago. These Alexandrian refugees had spent decades building up a modern city that resembled the old Alexandrian cities of Geneva and Franciscania, in the hopes of one day achieving recognized city-state status. Determined to build an inclusive, liberal, and free society, the delegates to the Constituent Assembly came from all over what is now Alduria and officially declared their independence and ratified a new Constitution that enshrined their new ideals. The Constituent Assembly appointed a former Altusian Army General turned liberal called Alejandro Campos as its first President and Natalia Cotilla as its first Prime Minister.
Alduria officially became a sovereign state in Micras when the Micronational Cartography Society accepted the Aldurian claims in early 1672. This was a key victory for the nascent Republic, a feat that its predecessor state Altus could not achieve.
Alduria is known for its "Law of Graces", which stipulates that any and all refugees from the Alexandrian and Caputian diasporas are automatically given citizenship and property in the country, in exchange for their commitment to build and develop the country. There are other refugees that may be extended the privileges of the Law of Graces, but these are considered on a case by case basis by the Aldurian Government.
Etymology
The word "Alduria" comes from the failed attempt to build the Altusian Republic. One of the constituent city-states that composed Altus was called Alduria, called so because its founder was an Alexandrian merchant called Aldur Gerzog. The Gerzog family brought great riches to the small settlement and invested heavily in its development. The venture, however, soon floundered and was seized by the Armée Altusienne Unie in 1656 AN.
As Altus collapsed, the delegation of Senators representing the city-state of Alduria escaped to Punta Santiago. During the debate over what to name the new nation in the Constituent Assembly, the delegates settled on the name of Alduria by a landslide, proposed by one of those escaping Senators (and later future 1st President of Alduria) Alejandro Santos.
History
See: Timeline of Alduria
The region now known as Alduria has historically gone through the possession of many different nations and Empires, most notably the grand Kingdom of Babhka that for centuries dominated all of Eura. The region was called Alhkiva by the Babhki. Later on, Babhka collapsed and the area came under a succession of powers such as Leon-Venezia, Alexandria, Ashkenatza, and most recently the nation of Iteru.
A series of large nation collapses in Micras due to the devastating pandemics Alexandrian flu and the White Plague created a large population of stateless persons that circle the globe. Coming mostly from Alexandria, Caputia and the Wechua Nation. These migrant caravans were often sustained and supported by the efforts of several post-collapse non-governmental organizations like the Alexandrian Patriots' Association. A large portion of the Association's fundraising became targeted at helping as much of the Alexandrian diaspora to survive abroad. This led to many Alexandrian refugees, and later Caputian and Wechu refugees, to seek refuge in the irradiated continent of Eura, particularly the Alhkiva region and the former Alexandrian islands of Valenciana and Valladares. The origins of Alduria are closely tied with theese Alexandrian, Caputian, and Euran diasporas.
The vast majority of the refugees from these nations that settled in Alkhiva did it with the intention of setting up a temporary staging area from which to travel on the ground to Constancia and request the eventual admittance into allied realms like Constancia and Raspur. Political units began to form around the settlements of refugees as they fought marauding roves of raiders and looters from the Euran interior.
The compelling need to organize and cooperate in common security became even more pressing when these marauding roves of raiders started coming from Çeridgul. This was the first time for many refugees to come into contact with the dragon-like Çerid, and it quickly mobilized populations to build, settle, and organize to protect themselves. It eventually became depressingly evident to many that the trek through the treacherous deserts of Eura to reach Constancia and claim asylum needed to be given up, in exchange for building a new state in Alkhiva as a place of refuge.
The rise of Altus
The strongest of the refugee protection networks was the Armée Altusienne Unie (AAU), strengthened by the rolling donation cycles coming from the wealthy Alexandrian disapora in Natopia. Led by self-proclaimed General Eugene Fouche, the AAU solidified their control of the former Alexandrian territories of Valladares, Valenciana, and Hatkrou, and used this to seize additional islands in Eura they called Norvind and Alduria. The short but brutal campaign waged by the AAU to consolidate their control over these islands led to the founding of the early Altusian Republic in 1655.
As Altus began to build and develop, many of the Alkhivan settlers began to form their own small political units mainly around the settlements of Punta Santiago, Tudela, Alkhiva, Narbonne, and Nueva Geneva. Out of all of these settlements, the strongest and largest became Punta Santiago, soon becoming a top port for smuggling and trade in the Gulf of Susa.
Trade and protection pacts began to develop among many of the refugee and stateless settlements in Alkhiva. The growing strength of neighbors and the campaign of attrition against native Euran populations brought together many of the disparate paramilitary organizations into the Aldurian Armed Forces. Soon the Aldurian Armed Forces began to receive financial and logistical support from Alexandrians in Natopia, particularly from the House of Carrillo and the wealth concentrated in the majority Alexandrian cities in Natopia of Triegon and Dos Gardenias. Appealing to the ongoing confrontation between the Raspur Pact and USSO blocs, the leadership of the Aldurian Armed Forces secured large amounts of support from both the Government of the Most Serene Union of Demesnes and private pro-Alexandrian interest groups as a group of anti-USSO partisans. The Aldurian Armed Forces, however, never truly intended to enter any conflict between the powerful Micran blocs and only sought to secure the support to build a stronger military force that could eventually create a viable state in Alkhiva.
The Second Euran War and the collapse of Iteru further sped up the development of these networks of protection and further prompted Altus and the Alkhivan refugee city-states to cooperate with each other on protection and support.
The development of the foundations for the Aldurian state, later on, was based around the "settlement trinity" of government (mainly paramilitary), missionary (Church of Alexandria), and private company interests. The city-states gave top privilege to commercial interests in Constancia and Natopia, especially when the cities of Punta Santiago and Alkhiva began to set up their own oil extraction operations and sell this in world markets. Large amounts of capital began to flow into Punta Santiago and Alkhiva and those individual city-states became specialized. The interests of the city-states' governments and these private enterprises became closely tied, with paramilitary forces helping companies break strikes and remove other barriers imposed by the indigenous Euran populations.
The Aldurian Destiny
- Altus was quickly one of the strongest and most developed "spontaneous hierarchies" in Eura, but internal infighting and a counterreaction to the oppressive methods of Eugene Fouche leads to movement to found a new state in Eura at the mouth of the largest river (name???) in Eura.
- Escape of the Aldurian Senators, Fall of Altus, infighting, Armee Altusienne Unie disbands, resource and support shift to nascent government effort in Punta Santiago.
- proclamation of the Republic, Plan de Santos (national development plan/agenda), Constituent Assembly, nation-building, rise of political parties.
Geography
Location
Climate
Environment
Administrative Divisions
The Republic of Alduria is divided into 9 states and 2 overseas territories. Each of these states are then subdivided into municipalities, named after its seat, which is usually its largest urban center.
| Coat of Arms | Name | Constitutional Status | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Aldurian Capital District | State housing the capital of the Republic. | Punta Santiago |
 |
Asuara | State of the Republic. | Narbonne |
 |
Biscarrose | State of the Republic. Unsettled. Part of the Biscarrose Company. | Gramercy |
 |
Compostela | State of the Republic. | Alkhiva |
 |
Mondego | State of the Republic. | Corrada del Río |
 |
Murcia | State of the Republic. | Santa Paula |
 |
Napoléon | State of the Republic. Unsettled. Part of the Napoléon Company. | Fontainebleau |
 |
Saint Ignace | State of the Republic. | Tudela |
 |
Valoria | State of the Republic. | Susa |
| Valenciana | Overseas Territory of the Republic. Part of the Alexandrian Patrimony. | Valenciana | |
| Valladares | Overseas Territory of the Republic. Part of the Alexandrian Patrimony. | Valladares |
The Alexandrian Patrimony
The Alexandrian Patrimony is the community of Aldurian Overseas Territories composed by the former Alexandrian islands of Valenciana and Valladares. It was created by the Constitution of Alduria, and granted a common Territorial Government, pending further efforts to define the new government by the Transitional Government or other pending legislation on the matter from the Aldurian Parliament.
Politics
The Republic of Alduria and its politics take place with the framework of a hybrid presidential/parliamentary system determined by the Constitution of Alduria. The nation declares itself to be an "indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic". The constitution provides for a separation of powers.
The political system consists of:
- The executive branch;
- The legislative branch;
- The judicial branch.
Executive power is exercised by the President of the Republic and the Government. The Government consists of the President, the Prime Minister, and the Cabinet Secretaries. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President, and is responsible to Parliament. The government, including the Prime Minister, can be revoked by Parliament through either a motion of censure or a motion of no confidence, ensuring that the Prime Minister is always supported by a majority of Parliament.
Parliament is unicameral, and passes statutes and votes on the budget; it controls the action of the executive through formal questioning on the floor of Parliament. The constitutionality of the statutes is checked by the Supreme Court of Justice, members of which are appointed by the President of the Republic, on advice of the Prime Minister, and confirmed by Parliament. The independent judiciary is based upon civil law system which evolved from Alexandrian law.
Alduria is a unitary state. However, its administrative subdivisions have various legal functions, and the national government is prohibited from intruding into their normal operations.
Government Officials
The current President is Alejandro Campos. He is the leader of the National-Liberal Alliance and was appointed President by the Constituent Assembly.
The current Prime Minister is Natalia Cotilla, heading a coalition government between the National-Liberal Alliance and the New Center. The Constituent The Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of the Government is Marie-Madeleine Moitessier of the New Center.
The Constitution of Alduria establishes a Transitional Government to last 1 AN year, with the next general elections (presidential and parliamentary) in 1672.
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Alejandro Campos | National-Liberal Alliance | 1670 |
| Prime Minister | Natalia Cotilla | National-Liberal Alliance | 1670 |
| Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of the Government |
Marie-Madeleine Moitessier | New Center | 1670 |
| Secretary of State | Isidoro Villalba | National-Liberal Alliance | 1670 |
| Secretary of Defense | Thomas de Verrau | National-Liberal Alliance | 1670 |
| Secretary of Finance and Commerce | Zakaria Atlasi | National-Liberal Alliance | 1670 |
| Secretary of Justice | Rémy Carpentier | National-Liberal Alliance | 1670 |
| Secretary of Interior | Jean-Baptiste Courbet | New Center | 1670 |
Political Culture
Aldurian political culture is greatly influenced by the economic, social, and geographical characteristics of Eura and the collapse of the "Altusian Experiment". Many important characteristics of the Aldurian population have also shaped the national political culture. A big social and economic gap exists between Punta Santiago and the rest of the country with per capita income in Punta Santiago about 60% higher than in the rest of the country.
Aldurians are fascinated with their own shared history and love abstract and symbolic discussions. The modern tendency to distrust government probably has its roots in the reactions many had to the formation of the oppressive Altusian Republic, and the resulting conflicts between the Altusian Union and the different democratic dissent groups that left Altus and landed in Punta Santiago.
The legitimacy of the government is based largely on a broad-based civic nationalism, a love of history, and instinct to preserve the elements of the common nationhood that are alive in the hearts and minds of most Aldurian citizens. The Aldurian civic nationhood is a political identity built around shared citizenship within Alduria. Alduria is a very diverse state, counting on the presence of Alexandrians, Caputians, Iterans, Constancians, and Babhki as citizens. Thus, the Republic isn't defined by a language or culture, but by its political institutions and liberal principles which its citizens pledge to uphold. This is central to the "Law of Graces", an Aldurian law that extends Aldurian citizenship to any and all refugees from the Alexandrian, Wechu, and Caputian diasporas, in exchange for their commitment to build and develop the country. Other refugees and stateless persons from the Green may be extended the privileges of the Law of Graces, but these are considered on a case by case basis by the Aldurian Government often pledging as well to help build and develop the country. Citizenship or residence in the Aldurian nation is, in practice, open to anyone who shares the values of the Republic. Despite the conflict and disagreements that come with an active and free democracy, Aldurian political culture is held together by this very important nationalism.
A very strong characteristic of the Aldurian political culture is the agreement to disagree. The division in political opinions into "left" and "right" can at times lead to vociferous disagreement, but consensus often has been reached by uniting behind a common purpose or uniting behind a strong, charismatic leader, only to be lost when the leader dies or goes into disfavor. Cycles of consensus followed by alienation seem to be typical of the Aldurian political culture.
Political Parties
Main article: Political parties of Alduria
There is a multi-party system with a great many different political parties. Altusian political parties can be roughly categorized as ‘Left’ or ‘Right’. Here are the main ones:
- The center-right National-Liberal Alliance is one of the largest parties in Alduria. It covers a broad range of opinions ranging from traditional conservatives, social liberals to more-right leaning libertarians and neo-conservatives.
- The New Center is a centrist liberal movement composed of self-proclaimed "democrats" and independents.
- The Liberty and Democracy Party is a libertarian and classical liberal political party. It has firmly pushed economic liberalism and has aligned itself closely to the promotion of free markets, privatization, human rights, civil liberties and internationalism.
- The Movement for Alduria is a small sovereigntist and humanist party positioned between the right and the far right.
- The National Congress for Social Democracy is the main party on the Left and was formed from an alliance of parties of the non-Communist left.
- The Communist Party of Alduria is a small yet vocal political force in the far left.
Law
Alduria has a legal system that arises primarily from written statutes, with judges restricted to interpreting the law and not making it. The Constitution of Alduria states that law should only prohibit actions detrimental to society. Freedom is the rule, and its restriction is the exception; any restriction of freedom must be provided for by law and must follow the principles of necessity and proportionality. That is, Law should lay out prohibitions only if they are needed, and if the inconveniences caused by this restriction do not exceed the inconveniences that the prohibition is supposed to remedy.
The basic principles of the Republic of Alduria are laid out in the Constitution of Alduria. Aldurian law is mainly divided into two main areas: private law and public law. Private law governs relationships between individuals. Public law defines the structure and the workings of the government as well as relationships between the state and the individual, such as criminal law. Criminal laws are limited to addressing the future and not the past (criminal ex post facto laws are prohibited). To be applicable, laws must be officially published in the Aldurian Register. The Aldurian Register serves as the official journal of the government of Alduria, and it contains promulgated legislation, government agency rules, proposed rules, and public notices. It is published daily, except on national holidays.
Freedom of religion is constitutionally guaranteed, but there are exceptions for "cults and faiths that motivate crime by prejudice and hate." The Constitution proclaims that the Republic is secular.
Foreign Relations
Main article: Foreign relations of Alduria
Alduria is not a member of any international organizations, despite containing a strong internationalist streak in its political culture. Post-formation Aldurian foreign policy has been largely shaped by a view that during its beginning, the Republic must secure itself and its borders first. The Republic favors having relationships with other Euran nations, but does not shy away from reaching beyond the confines of the Euran continent.
Alduria has strong political and economic influence among the Alexandrian and Caputian disaporas, with many Alexandrians and Caputians in richer countries setting up a large network of remittances, making it one of the largest financial inflows to Alduria.
Military
Main article: Military of Alduria
The Aldurian Armed Forces are the military and paramilitary forces of Alduria, under the President of the Republic as commander-in-chief. They consist of the Aldurian Army, Aldurian Navy, Aldurian Air Force, the Aldurian Auxiliary Forces, and the military police called the National Gendarmerie, which also fulfills civil police duties in the rural areas and borders of Alduria.
While the Gendarmerie is an integral part of the Aldurian armed forces (gendarmes are career soldiers), and therefore under the purview of the Department of Defense, it is operationally attached to the Department of Justice as far as its civil police duties are concerned. The following special units are also part of the Gendarmerie: the Republican Guard which protects public buildings hosting major Alexandrian institutions, the Maritime Gendarmerie serving as Coast Guard, and the Provost Service, acting as the Military Police branch of the Gendarmerie.
As far as the Aldurian intelligence units are concerned, the Directorate of Intelligence is considered to be a component of the Armed Forces under the authority of the Department of Defense. The other, the Directorate of Public Security, is a division of the Department of Justice and manages the National Police Force.
Government Finance
The Government of Alduria has run a sizeable budget deficit each year since its foundation. Aldurian government debt levels are predicted to reach critical highs over the next 10 years, with the costs of nation-building reaching into the trillions of Aldurian Écus even in some of the more conservative estimates.
Taxation and spending in Alduria is determined by a Finance Act that is passed at the beginning of every Parliament to cover its entire term. In the Finance Act, the Government outlines which kinds of taxes can be levied and which rates can be applied, as well as the general outlines of government spending.
