Albinia

Albinian Republic Respüblike elbinyen
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Paçam defendiemis We shall defend peace
Anthem: Filer Natyonus Sons of the Nation
Capital and largest city	Noucastre
Official languages	Albinian
Ethnic groups	Albinian Taraesti Kayig
Demonym(s)	Albinian
Government	Unitary parliamentary republic
• President	Horat fil-Henövarib
• Prime Minister	Flavya fil-Serb Kretesüs
Legislature	Senet
Independence
• Principality of Noucastre	871
• Annexation into the Neo-Senitene Empire	1453
• Sulatian invasion	1702
• Albinian war of independence	1808-1812
• Constitution of 1962	1962
Population
• 2022 census	8,107,522
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	$57.38 billion
• Per capita	$7,078
HDI (2022)	0.795 high
Currency	Albinian denir ALD

Albinia (Albinian: Elbinye), officially the Albinian Republic (Albinian: Respüblike elbinyen), is a sovereign state in southern Auressia, bordered by Taraest to the west and the Hemetrian sea to the south. It has a population of over eight million, who are primarily concentrated in coastal cities. A unitary state, it is divided into eight provinces. The capital city and largest city of Albinia is Noucastre, a historical port city on the Hemetrian coast.

First inhabited by Plaskian peoples, the land making up Albinia was conquered by the Sabarine empire and settled as a frontier province. This province was named Albinia, after the white marble which was its major export. Over the period of Sabarine occupation, Albinia would be strongly sabarinised, as the temperate coasts were a favorite of retired soldiers seeking their pension land. Despite its cultural ties, its distance from the sabarine core meant that as the empire faded, Albinia would increasingly assert its own independence. The emergent Principality of Noucastre, centred on the provincial capital, grew increasingly well connected with the Senitene empire to the south and the various Hassab domains, a cultural connection which began to influence Albinian culture and religious practice. The Kayig invasion of the first Senitene empire and emergence of the Neo-Senitene Empire increased this trend, with the process accelerated by Prince Ignet II's adoption of Senit as his religion and marriage to a Kayig merchant. This triggered a series of wars of religion, in which the throne passed between a succession of Perendist and Senitene claimants before being secured by the Senitene side with Kasarian backing. Albinia would remain a Kasarian client state throughout the medieval period, before being directly annexed in response to a Sulatian invasion in 1690. Again on the periphery of a much more powerful state, Albinia saw new cultural changes and began to adopt a new cultural and national identity which saw itself as the child of both empires while being itself independent. As the Neo-Senitene empire faltered throughout the 1800s, these ideological currents led to the Renesketye, a rebirth of Albinian nationalism. Several political movements began organising a revolt, which would take place in 1843 and easily overwhelm the faltering Kasarian garrisons. Newly independent, Albinia was uninvolved in the First Great War as it concerned itself with consolidating its borders. However, during the interwar period, religious tenions between Senitenes and Perendists reignited and, following the outbreak of the Second Great War, a Kasarian-backed junta siezed power. Following the armistice, violence between different religious political factions threatened to spill over into a civil war, leading the military to sieze power in a coup in 1951. Military rule continued for ten years, enforcing a brand of laicity which helped keep religious conflicts contained in the short term. Following a return to civilian rule in 1962, Albinian politics have remained more or less stable, though with simmering sectarian tensions ocassionally leading to protests or violence.

The modern Albinian state is broadly recognised as a free democracy, with regular and transparent elections for both its President and Senet. Albinian politics have been marred by accusations of corruption and sectarianism, as while explicitly confessional parties are illegal under the Constitution of 1962 there are strong affiliations with parties. The dominant Senitene party is the National Rally, while Perendists tend to support the Albinian Workers' Party. The current President of Albinia is Horat fil-Henövarib of the National Rally. Economically, Albinia lags behind much of Auressia, a byproduct of its political divisions and corruption. The largest economic contributers to Albinia's economy are tourism, agriculture, especially in the production of cheeses and wine, and mining.

Politics and government

Horat fil-Henövarib
President

Flavya fil-Serb Kretesüs
Prime Minister

Albinia is a constitutional parliamentary republic, where the President serves as head of state and Prime Minister as head of government. The current constitution was written in 1962 during the transfer of power from military to civilian government and guarantees a tripartite separation of power between the executive (President), legislative (Senet), and judiciary. It also mandates the state be ruled according to secular principles and that one confessional community is not prileged over another. Sovereignty is held by the Albinian people, though with the controversial caveat of Article 12 which declares the military to be responsible for enforcing the constitution.

The executive wing of the government is represented by the President, who is directly elected via universal suffrage for a mandate of four years. Presidential elections are open, with all parties able to present a candidate, and typically involve a runoff election when no one candidate crosses the 50% threshold in the first round. The President serves as head of state, representing Albinia in foreign relations, presiding over official ceremonies such as the reception of ambassadors and national days. They also appoint the Prime Minister, though their selection must be approved by the Senet. The current President of Albinia is Horat fil-Henövarib, who has been in the position since 2015, having previously served between 2007 and 2011.

al-Palatyu al-Senetüs, which seats the Senet.

The legislative wing of government is composed of the Senet, a 141-seat unicameral legislative assembly elected by a system of first-past-the-post voting. The Senet is elected every four years, with a two year delay between these elections and those for the President. The largest parties in Albinia include National Rally, the Albinian Workers' Party, Do nosos, and the Alternative Republicans and Greens Alliance. From the Senet, the Prime Minister is selected by the President to lead the government. The Prime Minister chooses the cabinet, typically with Presidential consultation. The current Prime Minister is Flavya fil-Serb Kretesüs of National Rally.

Albinia's legal systems are based upon the principles of Civil law, with a legal code largely inspired by that of the Sabarian Republic and other Occidental Auressian states. Principles such as gender equality and secularism are legally enshrined. However, due to the cultural heritage of Albinia's Senitene population, Albinia has also legally recognised abortion, homosexuality, and polyamoury well before its western counterparts. The highest court in Albinia is the Supreme Court, presided by 9 judges who serve for life. There is also a Constitutional Court, which has been controversial as the military are able to veto candidates.

Despite functional democratic institutions, Albinian politics are marred by corrution and political dynasticism. Politicians will regularly accept large campaign donations from private interests and not declare them, including from foreign commercial actors. Though this is convictable under corruption and even treason legislation, a culture of apathy and entrenched interests has made combating graft difficult. Political dynasties are also influential, the current Prime Minister Flavya fil-Serb Kretesüs being the daughter of Serb Kretesüs fil-Ignet, who served as President in the 90s and niece-in-law of the President. Despite the constitutional laicity of Albinia, inter-confessional tensions play a major role in voter behaviour and individual politicians will often draw upon such tensions for votes. An infamous example was in 2012 in the Perendist-majority town of Pöntip, where a mayoral candidate implied that a vote for the National Rally was a vote for "Cihatic churches", implying that the party would force churches to follow Senitene geomantic design. A major political football hich often serves as a euphemism in these debates is relations with Kasaria, which is seen as a close cultural partner by many Senitene Albinians and a despotic enemy by Perendists.

Demographics

Religion

Main article: Sectarian relations in Albinia

Grand Türbe of Noucastre, the largest Senitene temple

Cathedral of Noucastre, a historic Perendist church

On a religious faultline between the Perendist and Senitene worlds, religion has historically played a highly influential role in the country's social structure. 59% of the population adheres to Senit, while 38% follows Perendism, with the remaining 3% being composed of atheists and other religions, primarily among migrant populations. Due to the significant importance of religious identity in cultural and political relations within the country, many Albinians identify with a religion even if they rarely attend official religious ceremonies.

Before Sabarine contact, the Pleskians followed a religious system based upon ancestor worship. This was supplanted first by the Sabarine Pantheon, then by Perendism which arrived in Albinia during the late period. Perendism was especially popular with the Mönteli clans in the highlands, who as the offspirng of Sabarians who had interbred with the Pleskians saw it as an act of resistance against the more pure Sabarians of the lowlands. Perendism would come to dominate the region as imperial power receded. This hill Perendism maintained some traces of the initial Pleskian faith, which can still be observed in more traditional communities. Marginalised from power by the Neo-Senitene Empire and for several periods since independence, the Perendist community remains concentrated in the upland regions especially in the north of the country bordering Taraest.

Senit came to Albinia through trade. A centre of marble export, Hassab traders valued many of the commodities which were available in the area and Noucastre in particular became a prominent entrepot of Galene sea trade. As these merchants became more influential, their faith attracted local converts in greater numbers, a process which accelerated after the emergence of the Neo-Senitene Empire and conversion of Prince Ignet III to the faith. Victorious in the Albinian Wars of Religion, Senit became the dominant faith of much of the country's seaboard region. Under the Neo-Senitene Empire, Senit's institutional position was strengthened, and the religion has at times since independence been tied to national identity.

Due to this religious split, there have been several instances of sectarian violence since the Albinian wars of religion. This became especially prevalent following independence, as despite the laicity of the Albinian constitution religious identities remain stratifying factors in society with the Senitene majority often privileged. One area where the divide is visible is in the naming of children, with names often specific to one group even where such traditions do not exist in the religion. This can be seen in the name of politician Serb Kretesüs fil-Ignet, as his name "Serb Kretesüs" translates to "Servant of Kretes" and his father's name, Ignet, is used by Senitenes in honour of Ignet III. These tensions rarely result in violence in recent times, but remain prevalent in politics and employment. Efforts at interreligious dialogue have grown stronger in recent years, but Albinian society remains divided.