Council republic

A Council republic is a term used to refer to the system of government used by socialist states where directly elected councils play a central role. While the exact government structure often varies, the universal characteristic is that elected councils are a fundamental unit of governance. It may also feature direct democracy, an emphasis on collective leadership, and nonpartisanism. The term is often used to differentiate these states from Euclean capitalist liberal democracies. It is the predominant form of government for socialist states in the world, such as Dezevau, Valduvia, and Lavana. Council republics are generally considered to be democratic, but some states such as Asase Lewa has been accused of authoritarianism. In 2020, South Kabuese President Tirto Sutikno announced his intention to transition the country towards a councilist form of government.

The political thought associated with the establishment and continuation of a council republic is known as councilism or council republicanism and those who adhere to the principles of councilism is referred to as a councilist. Councilism can also refer to the Socialist ideology practiced in a council republic.

Characteristics

Although the term council republic encompasses many different structures of governance, they all feature legislative bodies that are the fundamental unit of governance for all levels of the country's administration from the national level to the local. Political power is distributed between these councils in a federal system that functions from the bottom upwards. Council republics tend to emphasise localism through local councils that function through direct democracy. Usually these councils would elect councils on the next levels of administration who would be responsible for regional or statewide authority. In turn, these can elect members to the next level on a national level, which would be the national government. Alternatively each level of governance may be directly elected by the population or use a combination of both systems. These councils usually also have executive and judicial powers, which is similar to the concept of legislative supremacy in parliamentary republics.

Association with socialism

All council republics in the world are socialist states, which political experts consider to be its defining characteristic. In some republics, the councils may be workers' councils or another body that represents the interests of the workforce in politics. A council republic may also feature a Section of the Workers' International which usually plays a prominent role in the country's politics. Often these political parties are organized through local, state, and national councils that function alongside government institutions.

Comparisons of council republics

Collective leadership

The concept of collective leadership has been ingrained in former Council republics. The State of North Vinalia, a constituent state of Vinalia, and the former Peoples Republic of Vinalia elects its municipalities differently than the state of South Vinalia. Where in the south a single leader or single party is elected to the leadership of a municipalities council (Vinalias lowest administrative division), in the north municipal councils are bigger and a single leader is not elected. The municipal elections for the city of Orlavo in North Vinalia were held to elect members to a 15 member municipal council which then elect among themselves a member to serve a 2 term limited 3 month leadership position. The North Vinalian Assembly also operates in a similar manner with a 5 member leadership council, that represents and governs the constituent state with leadership collectively held by all members. Although no longer a council republic, the values of collective leadership have become imperative to the functioning of institutions in the constituent state.

Decentralisation

localism/federalism

Economics

Workers' self-management, as exercised by these sugar refinery workers in Asase Lewa discussing and voting on production schedules, is a feature present in many contemporary council republics' economic systems.

All council republics maintain a socialist economic system, the defining characteristic of council republics; however, the nature of such a socialist economic system has varied considerably across time and place. During the mid-twentieth century, the bulk of council republics adopted a basically state socialist economic model, notably the Valduvian model of state socialism prior to the 1985 Valduvian coup d'état and the Tretyakist advocacy of a command economy as necessary for rapid industrial growth to defend socialism from foreign threats, which led to the establishment of command economies in Chistovodia, Sappania, and Asase Lewa. During the mid-to-late twentieth century, however, many council republics' economies hsifted away from a state socialist model towards systems increasingly based on workers' self-management. In Valduvia and Auzance, for example, this shift led to the adoption of a market socialist economic system, with the result that some council republics, such as Auzance, exhibit tendencies - such as tolerance of small enterprises, and co-operative but otherwise private companies - which may be more resemblant of a capitalist or hybrid system, but identify as (and are institutionally) socialist. Conversely, in Asase Lewa and Sappania such a transition to workers' self-management eschewed market economics in favor of a transition to participatory economics, which remains the economic system practiced in these countries today.

In many councilist countries, the transition from state socialism to systems based on workers' self-management was closely associated with democratic transition and/or political liberalization; in Asase Lewa, Auzance, and Sappania, the transition to participatory economics or market socialism was concomitant with the end of the single-party rule and introduction of multi-party elections, while a transition from state socialism to market socialism occurred alongside the end of Equalist rule and establishment of a council republic in the former Austerian People's Republic. Similarly, Valduvia initiated its transition from state socialism to market socialism in the 1990s following widespread political liberalization in the wake of the 1985 coup d'état.

Elections

Elections in Lemovicia are a hybrid of direct democracy, where people elect district councils who in turn elect municipal councils, regional councils, and provincial councils, and a representative democracy where people directly elect legislators to the National Assembly, who in turn select from amongst themselves the presidency and the cabinet.

(TBC)

Elections in Lavana are similar, with voters electing members to City, Municipal, Provincial, and National councils. Lavana differs in that members of lower councils cannot vote for members in councils above, and vice-versa. The Workers International, approves all candidates, and a hybrid system with lower councils voting for members in higher councils, exist solely inside the party structure.

In Auzance, elections exhibit similar tendencies; a particularity of Autuzian elections being its voluntary sortition basis of council elections, whereby random, refusable nominations elect candidates who seek the approval of their respective council. National elections are multi-party and transparent, and the Premier of Auzance is directly elected.

Gun ownership

A table at BSL Šovs 2008, the largest regularly held gun show in Valduvia. In many councilist countries, such as Valduvia, Chistovodia, and Asase Lewa, gun ownership rates are high and gun ownership is associated with the country's perception of councilism.

Though not a universal characteristic of council republics, many councilist states are notably for high rates of gun ownership and a belief in the right to keep and bear arms. This widespread gun culture is notable in Valduvia, where a majority of households are gun owners and the modern Valduvian Constitution imposes strict restrictions on the state's ability to impose gun control. Similarly, Tretyakist theories of an armed proletariat resulted in the governments of Chistovodia and Asase Lewa arming their population, providing training on firearms usage, and organizing the population into popular militias. In many councilist countries, high rates of gun ownership and a widespread gun culture are closely tied to the country's interpretation of councilism itself; Tretyakist theories about an armed proletariat, for example, were closely related to Chistovodian perceptions of encirclement by hostile, capitalist foreign powers and the need to organize the workers to defend the councilist state, a perception shared by leaders in Asase Lewa.

In Valduvia, conversely, belief in the right to bear arms and a culture of gun ownership has been closely connected to a belief that such gun ownership is a necessary check on the councilist government itself, as connected to substantial increases in gun ownership since the transition to democracy, and with the extension of gun control being associated with the Burish genocide in the early 1980s and with anti-Burish persecution and political authoritarianism more broadly. In contemporary Valduvia and Asase Lewa, the right to keep and bear arms is associated with a broader constitutional and ideological belief in the right to resist and right of revolution, guaranteed in these countries' constitutions and seen as a guarantee of political and military power being in the hands of the working-class rather than hostile political forces, either an authoritarian bureaucracy, as in Valduvia, or foreign invasion or perceived capitalist roader bureaucratic forces, as in Asase Lewa.

Section of the Workers' International

The role of Sections of the Workers' International ranges significantly in council republics. On one end of the pole, council republics such as Dezevau, Nirala and East Miersa are largely non-partisan democracies, in which the local Section was dissolved after social struggles in the 1960s or 1970s. On the other end of the pole, in council republics such as Asase Lewa, the local Section continues to exist and exercises great influence over the country's politics; the Asalewan Section of the Workers' International, for example, exercises a particularly strong influence over Asalewan politics, vetting candidates in the country's elections, enjoying close links with the country's military, and counting the vast majority of Asase Lewa's population as members of its mass organizations.

Weak separation of powers

Lavanan council republicanism sometimes called Saravanism after Saravan Khouph, emphasized the weak separation of powers in the establishment of the People's Republic of Lavana, with the Section of the Workers International imperative to the functioning of the state. Although reforms have limited the involvement of the party in the proceedings of the Lavanan government, it has maintained the weak separation of powers with all branches of government given ample power to overrule each other. Although the Lavanan system has been categorised as chaotic, it cements the position of the Premier. The Lavanan premier although elected from the Lavanan Congress, which are in turn directly elected by the people, must be approved by the Workers International. The Lavanan Premier embodies the principals of Saravanism which emphasize strong reliance on the Workers International and its integral part in the inner functionings of the country.

On the other hand, Auzance's democratic constitution has ensured a strong separation of powers after initially weak separation before 1971. In Auzance, the Premier is the head of state, who is separated entirely from the legislature (Tchambe, led by the Prime Minister), and the judiciary - self-appointing, with no influence from either legislature or executive - self-appoints, while councils - which, again, run independently - oversee devolved powers. Auzance, although a council republic, is multi-partisan and has parties stretching from council communist tendencies to ideologies seen more widely in liberal capitalist democracies.

List of council republics

State	Capital	Primary language(s)	Population	Area (km²)
Asase Lewa	Edudzi Agyeman City	Asalewan	70,636,291	828,719
Auzance	Cestiène	Autuzian	11,401,386	57,953
Chistovodia	Misto Myru	Soravian	84,932,446	2,399,981
Dezevau	Bazadavo	Ziba	331,710,157	2,000,000
East Miersa	Żobrodź (de jure) Dyńsk (de facto)	Miersan	21,740,000	197,568
Lavana	Pers	Kachai	86,842,742	713,879
Nirala	Amit Rahul Sidhu City	Nirali	236,301,792	251,678
Valduvia	Priedīši	Valduvian	55,279,300	423,489

Former council republics

State	Capital	Languages	Years	Population	Area (km²)
Austeria	Kartha	Tethian	1988–2005		62,532
Amathia	East Arciluco	Amathian	1935–1959		405,798
North Vinalia	Orlavo	Soravian	1935–1993	10,500,000 (1990)
Shangea	Rongzhuo	Shangean	1940-1960	350,000,000 (1960)