Constituencies of Çeridgul

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Çengulid (lit. "voice-gatherings", sing. çengul), are the primary unit of Çeridgul's political life above the individual or family level. The term is generally translated constituencies, perhaps one of the least problematic of a number of possible linguistic mappings.

In this context, a constituency is essentially a form of advocacy group that falls somewhere between the roles of political party, electoral district, and trade union; their purpose is to gather together those who have some common interest or concern and improve their bargaining power through coordination. Constituencies have scopes as varying as the groups they represent, ranging from protection of the interests of a geographic area, to opposition to a particular attitude toward foreign affairs, to advocacy and attention for a particular breed of goat.

Most Çerid affiliate with only one constituency at a time, but there is a substantial minority with multiple affiliations. Most constituencies take no interest in their members' other affiliations unless they directly conflict with the constituency's own goals, in which case one of the opposing constituencies will exile the offender from its meetings. Since most of them keep no formal roll of their memberships, even these infractions must be inferred from one's presence and activity at meetings or gatherings of any given constituency (mutually opposed constituencies will sometimes spy on each other for this purpose).

The only other situation in which simultaneous memberships present a potential conflict of interest is at a Vocal Assembly, where in any given discussion a individual is expected to declare oneself caucused with a particular constituency and to represent only that one for the duration. Changing one's chosen caucus mid-discussion is possible, but since this is seen as a public repudiation of one's allies and tends to result in exclusion from that constituency, this tactic is usually reserved for situations where an individual has either genuinely and urgently adopted the priorities of another constituency or (more often) has been bribed to change sides.

While constituencies can be classified by their aims, the most important and basic distinction is between those, by far in the majority, who feel bound by the Vocal Assembly, and those few that do not. Many of the latter are essentially outlaw organizations, who engage in criminal or other activity that most Çerid find abhorrent. Others, however, are simply 'refuser' groups who, though not operating in a fashion particularly detrimental to anyone else, desire no greater affiliation than with their own constituency, whether because of simple isolationism, a major philosophical disagreement with Çer society at large, or a desire to live in a fashion not adhering to societal norms.

While criminal groups are dealt with harshly, no one is particularly interested in forcing refusers to participate in the wider consensus, and for the most part they are allowed to govern themselves. The refuser constituencies are, in this sense, sovereign entities, though from the point of view of foreign relations they are in free association with Çeridgul, especially since they rely on it for goods and transit. The refusers and Çeridgul alike are generally happy for the latter to handle foreign affairs; for the refusers because they have no interest in the matter themselves, and for Çeridgul out of a desire to keep their brethren from being unduly influenced by the ovareshid.

List of Constituencies

Any comprehensive list of constituencies would be lengthy and nigh-impossible to keep updated; the fluid, some might say distractible, nature of Çer politics being what it is, many constituencies do not last long, at least not in a form that can be nailed down. New constituencies appear, old ones die, existing ones split or merge, and the speed of communication means that their members might not all be aware of the latest changes until the year's Vocal Assembly. Nonetheless, some constituencies remain stable over a period that allows them to be usefully documented.

Mutual Profit League

One of the three major constituencies focused on foreign policy approaches, and probably the largest, the Mutual Profit League has a strong following among traders and in the region between Gultaj and Gejlak Beach. Its primary aim is the expansion of economic contacts between Çeridgul and human nations, on the grounds that this can only make everyone involved richer, and will in addition gain the Çerid access to interesting and useful foreign devices.

Among the more immediate steps advocated by the League are an investigation into locations for future port facilities, support for native shipbuilding, and the introduction of coinage.