Politics in Kulpania

The Republic of Kulpania is a liberal democratic nation headed by the President of the State. The Kulpan government is re-elected every four years, and every citizen of Kulpania over the age of 17 is eligible to vote. The Republic of Kulpania was formed in 1811 after the monarchical Kingdom of Kulpania was dissolved, following the "New November" in the same year. The current President of the State is Numtel Lízmeś (lIzmeS numtel), who was elected into the position in 2014.

History

The Kingdom of Kulpania was founded in 1224, following a victory for the nationalist forces in the Battle of Yolkin (modcosimla jolcin). The first monarch of Kulpania was King Nazhin I (umja naZin), who only ruled for two years, due to an accident on a swimming trip in 1226. The position of monarch continued to be passed down through the royal family of Kulpania until 1691 when King Olim IV (binja olim) died without an heir, meaning that the position passed to his third cousin, Frúnlan.

In 1414, Kulpania was invaded by Orla, a nation of the time west of Kulpania. Orlan forces managed to conquer a large amount of land in what became known as the Niyihah Occupation (nijiha modcosot). The Niyihah Occupation remained until 1574, when Orla fell. During this time, the Niyihah Occupation was overseen by an Orlan Emprúl (earl), who had almost complete control over the land in the Occupation and its people. The rule of the Emprúls was considered almost universally as corrupt and dysfunctional. Not much literature has survived from the time of the Occupation due to the strong belief in censorship imposed on all of Orla from 1538 onwards, however historians do know that the area was severely impacted by Orlan activities as many animals and plants were removed from their natural environments and taken back to Orla for sale as exotic goods. The land in the Niyihah Occupation was quickly re-incorporated into Kulpania once Orla fell, and the land has remained Kulpanian ever since.

Civil unrest began in Kulpania around 1809 as citizens began demanding more social reform of Queen Ghaníl. Other nations had begun programmes of improving the living conditions and job opportunties for citizens, but Kulpania had not. The Queen did not pay much heed to the protestors in 1809, but by 1810 a large proportion of the country's population had joined the movement and were demanding changes in the nation's political structure. In response, Queen Ghaníl did introduce new laws on working hours of citizens, but citizens were not satisfied with the amount of change she had introduced. As a result, large numbers of riots broke out during 1811, ultimately culminating in the Middex Massacre where an estimated 4,000 royalists were killed in a fish market in Lowtah and a meat market in a nearby village. Queen Ghaníl abdicated, and the Republic of Kulpania was declared less than a week later. As a result of all the changes felt in Kulpania in this period, November 1811 gained the title of "New November", and the Kulpan Independence Day holiday is celebrated on 26 November every year. The first President of the State was Æntes Gelnós (gelnOs Xntes), who developed the first revision of the Kulpan democratic political system.

General structure

In order to facilitate voting, the Republic of Kulpania is divided into 408 electoral districts, each electing a House Representative. All 408 House Representatives meet in Nation Hall in Dalow City where votes on new laws and changes to existing laws take place. Clause 14.8 of the constitution of the Republic of Kulpania states that "Legitimate citizens of the Republic may exercise their democratic rights through attendance of diplomatic referendums.", meaning that any citizen of Kulpania may enter Nation Hall to observe a vote. There are usually two or three votes in the Hall per week, but most are to decide on minor amendments to law and as such do not receive widespread media attention.

Elections for House Representatives occur every four years. Every rightful citizen of Kulpania will receive their voting card at least a week before the election takes place, but this voting card is not required to vote and instead serves to provide citizens with information on who the possible candidates are in their electoral district. Almost all House Representatives are members of a political party, but there are sometimes independent candidates sitting in Nation Hall. There are three major political parties in Kulpania: Beśelsotvirośa (slightly left of centre), Jóráta (slightly right of centre), and Nístir (also slightly left of centre). The current President of the State, Numtel Lízmeś, is a member of Beśelsotvirośa, the party with the largest proportion of House Representatives in the 2018 election, having 185 HRs. Jóráta has 131 HRs and Nístir has 75.