Vetonia

Veton Republic Javol: Republic vetonien Iverdonian: Republica vetona Rugrese: Republik Vetonien Rodenese: Republica vetonă Brillian: Errepublika Betoniako
Flag Coat of arms of Vetonia Coat of arms
Motto: Homo mensura (Classical Setentrian) "Man [is] the measure [of all things]"
Anthem: Od á la Patria (Javol) ("Ode to the Motherland")
Vetonia (dark green) in Gaia (grey)
Capital and largest city	Andraid
Official languages	None
Recognised national languages	Javol Iverdonian
Recognised regional languages	Rugrese Rodenese Brillian
Ethnic groups (2016)	Javol (45.8%) Iverdonian (22.3%) Rugrese (16.2%) Rodenese (7.2%) Brillian (5.6%) Other (2.9%)
Demonym(s)	Vetonian (vetonien)
Government	Federal parliamentary constitutional republic
• President	Agate Fromantin
• Prime Minister	Pierre Goulard
• President of the Chamber	xx
• President of the Senate	xx
Legislature	National Assembly
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Chamber of Deputies
Independence  from ?
• ?	?
• Independence declared	1913
• Constitution adopted	29 February 1916
• Treaty of ?	1920
• Federal reform	1958
Area
• Total	199,426 km2 (76,999 sq mi) (?)
• Water (%)	5.9
Population
• 2018 estimate	23,951,000 (?)
• 2016 census	23,681,712 (?)
• Density	118.75/km2 (307.6/sq mi) (?)
GDP (PPP)	2018 estimate
• Total	$1.248 trillion (?)
• Per capita	$52,705 (?)
GDP (nominal)	2018 estimate
• Total	$1.159 trillion (?)
• Per capita	$48,922 (?)
Gini (2015)	28.9 low (?)
HDI (2017)	0.939 very high (?)
Currency	Vetonian livre (VT)
Time zone	UTC? (?)
• Summer (DST)	UTC? (?)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Driving side	left
Calling code	+05
ISO 3166 code	VT
Internet TLD	.vt

The Veton Republic (Javol: Republic vetonien, pronounced: [rə'pi.bli.k və.tu'njen]; Iverdonian: Republica vetona, pronounced: [rə.pu'bli.kə və'tɔ.nə]), commonly referred to as Vetonia (Javol:, Iverdonian: Vetonia, Javol pronunciation: [və'to.njə]; Iverdonian: [və'tɔ.nja]) is a sovereign state organised as a federal parliamentary constitutional republic in northern Cardia. The country borders, clockwise, Brilliania to the east, xx to the south, Lavaria to the south-west and xx, to the north-west. The country borders the Hyghe Canal to the north and the Gulf of XX to the east. The country covers an area of approximately 199,426 square kilometres (76,999 square miles) with a mostly temperate, oceanic climate. It has a population of over 23.6 million people. Its capital and largest city is Andraid, with 1.7 million residents; other major cities include Camuns, Berné and Antoin and Holbec.

Vetonia is divided into four constituent states (païs in Javol, pajais in Iverdonian), Vellavia, Tosandria, Iverdonia and Rodenia. These states are divided by language, Javol-speaking Vellavia and Tosandria, Iverdonian-speaking Iverdonia and Rodenese-speaking Rodenia. There are also significant minorities of Hallanic Rugrese in Vellavia and Tosandria, as well as of Brillian in both Iverdonia and Rodenia.

old history

Vetonian independence from the xx was declared in 191? by ? and ?, although its independence would not be recognised until the signature of the Treaty of XX that ended the Continental War. After independence, a democratic constitution was adopted in 1916; and in 1920 the territory of modern-day Rodenia was annexed following the xx conflict. The period between the 1930s to 1965 was marked by heightened tensions between the country's various ethnic groups fueled by unequal economic development and linguistic differences between communities. Far-reaching reforms enacted in 1958 and implemented during the 1960s mollified ethnic conflict and resulted in the transition of the country to a federal system. Ethnic and territorial tensions have subsued but continue to mark the country's political and social cleavages (pillarisation).

Today, Vetonia is a developed country with a mixed-market economy. It ranks amongst the highest in international indexes of education, health care, quality of life, life expectancy at birth and human development, as well as happiness. The country is a founding member of the Assembly of Nations and a member of the xx, the xx and the xx.

Etymology

The name of 'Vetonia' (Vetonia) is a clipped compound derived from the three first syllables of the original three historical territories that formed modern-day Vetonia: Vellavia, Tosandria and Iverdonia.

History

Independence and consolidation

August Blanc, Pater Patriae and first President (1912-1935).

Politics

Main article: Politics of Vetonia

See also: List of political parties in Vetonia

Agate Fromantin, President of Vetonia since 2008.

Pierre Goulard, Prime Minister of Vetonia since 2017.

Vetonia has been politically organised as a parliamentary, democratic constitutional republic since the adoption of the 1912 Constitution and as a federal state following the constitutional reform of 1958. Vetonia has a multi-party system where coalitions are the norm and it is often classified as a consociational democracy. As a parliamentary democracy, the executive branch requires the support of the legislature to remain in power, whereas the judiciary operates indepedently.

The President of Vetonia (Presidén de la Republica, President da la Republica) is the country's head state, elected every seven years for a single, renewable term by a joint session of both chambers of the National Assembly. The President holds reserve power, such as appointing the Prime Minister and the members of its government, dissolving Parliament or returning with comments bills to the federal and state parliaments. The President's role does entail a significant role in conducting the country's foreign policy in cooperation with the Council of Ministers, as well as serving as the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces. The current President is Agate Fromantin, who was re-elected for a second and last seven year-term in 2015.

Executive power is largely vested in the Council of Ministers (Consail de Ministres, Cussegl dals Ministers), headed by the Prime Minister (Premer ministre, Emprim Minister), the country's chief executive. The Prime Minister is appointed to the President and is responsible to both the President and the lower house. The Prime Minister can be dismissed by the President and by the Chamber of Deputies by a vote of no confidence by a majority of the Chamber of Deputies's members. The current Prime Minister is Pierre Goulard (POV).

The Palace of the Estates in Andraid houses the Chamber of Deputies.

Legislative power is vested on the bicameral National Assembly (Assemble nazional, Assamblea naziunala), formed by the Chamber of Deputies (Cambre de Deputas, Chombra dals Deputads), the lower house and the Senate (Senat), the upper house. The Chamber of Deputies is formed by 300 deputies (deputa, deputas in plural), directly-elected every six years from 27 constituencies by a system of semi-open list proportional representation by citizens aged 18 or older. The Senate is made up of a 100 senators (senator, senators in plural), 25 from each republic, directly-elected every eight years by citizens aged 25 or older.

In both chambers, legislative work is carried out by parliamentary committees, which listen to experts and prepare legislation. The Chamber of Deputies is the more powerful of the two chambers (imperfect bicameralism), having the power to reject bills and amendments proposed by the Senate. Likewise, the Chamber is the only chamber with the power to dismiss a sitting government and the one where the budget is introduced. Nevertheless, Constitutional ammendments require the majority support of both chambers.

The Constitution provides for the use of referenda only in the case that a government bill is rejected by the legislative power. Constitutional amendments are expressly excluded from being subject to a referendum. Since 1912, however, this provision has never been used.

The political system is characterised by its consociational characteristics, a result of the country's proportional representation system without an electoral threshold, the proportional allocation of governmental positions according to ethnic quotas (Proporz) and the integration of civil society organisations, like business chambers and trade unions, in decision-making processes. As a result, political fragmentation and coalition governments are the norm, with 26 parties gaining at least one seat in the Chamber of Deputies in the last election. Voting is mandatory for all voting age citizens below the age of 70.

Law

Main article: Judiciary of Vetonia

See also: Law enforcement in Vetonia

The Constitutional Court reviews the constitutionality of legislation and mediates administrative conflicts.

The Veton Republic uses a civil law system where law is codified and judges have a very limited ability to interpret laws. The legal system derives from Classical Setentrian law and customary law, primarily Vellavia's coutumes. Vetonia's legal system is divided into civil, criminal and administrative law streams. The Vetonia judiciary is widely recognized as independent from the other branches of government. Judges are appointed for life.

Vetonia's general court system is hierarchical. It is divided into four levels: district, regional, state and national. Typically, original jurisdiction lies with the district courts, and decisions can be appealed at the higher levels. The state and national courts only act as court of appeals. At the national level, the Supreme Court (Tribunal Suprem) is the court of last resort for civil, criminal law matters. Administrative law matters are handled by a separate court system in which the court of last resort is the Supreme Administrative Court (Tribunal Suprem Administratif). There are also various specialized courts to deal with matters related to labour, commercial, anti-trust and family law at the state and national levels.

The country's apex court is the Constitutional Court (xx, Tribunal Constituziunal), the world's second-oldest court of such kind. The Constitutional Court is responsible for constitutional matters, with the power of judicial review. It is also tasked with mediating in conflicts between the country's federal and state governments. The Court is formed by twelve appointed members, four members by right and a President, appointed for ten-year terms.

Unlike in most federal systems, law enforcement is not a competence of the states. At the federal level, law enforcement is divided between the agencies: the Federal Police (Segurte federal, Segirtad federala), a civilian police force and the Federal Constabulary (xx, xx), a gendarmerie tasked with customs enforcement, border patrol and counterterrorist duties; and the Coast Guard (xx, xx). Larger municipalities also operate their own municipal police forces. The presence of Constabulary and Federal Police forces in Silurian and Tarbel-majority areas was a major cause for tension for the better part of the 20th century. As a result, in 1959, as part of the federal settlement, police forces' personnel is required to match the ethnic composition of the areas they patrol.

Administrative divisions

Main article: States of Vetonia

File:Map of states of Vetonia.svg

States of Vetonia

Vetonia is divided into four states (païs, pajais, land, herrialde, paese). These are Vellavia, Tosandria, Iverdonia and Rodenia. The states have plenary powers over those matters not constitutionally allocated to the federal level, like defense and foreign policy. On shared competences (like welfare provision or taxation), the states have residual legislative powers. Each state has its own constitution, government and legislature. The states also partake in the federal decision-making, as matters like trade policy require the approval of state legislatures.

The Rugrese and Brillian minorities have autonomous education and cultural policies at the state level. Cultural autonomy is guaranteed through the existence of sui generis parliamentary committees charged with legislating and overseeing education in minority-majority areas and over the Rugrese and Brillian higher education institutions.

The states are divided into 244 districts (xx, Cirquit). Districts have limited competences, such as supervising local government administration. The 244 districts are divided between 214 'rural' districts (xx) and 29 statutory cities (xx citad statutara). The capital city, Andraid constitutes a single, special district, the Andraid Metropolis. Rural districts are further subdivided into municipalities (comun, vischnanca), whereas the statutory cities and Andraid are subdivided into boroughs, known as xx.

Code	State	Capital	Area (sq km)	Population (1 Sept. 2016)	Density km2	GRP (I$, 2018)	GRP per capita
I	Iverdonia	Camuns	57,527	6,714,557	116.7	284.47 bn	42,366
R	Rodenia	Salonta	30,166	1,916,185	63.5	63.854 bn	33,324
T	Tosandria	Berné	50,055	5,011,655	100.1	272.14 bn	54,301
V	Vellavia	Andraid	61,678	10,039,315	162.8	627.68 bn	62,522

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Vetonia

View of the Foreign Affairs Ministry building in Andraid.

The foreign policy of Vetonia is conducted primarily by the President, presently, Agate Fromantin. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, currently ?, usually plays a subordinate role to the President in that capacity. The Foreign Affairs Ministry coordinates the activities of various agencies such as Business Vetonia, the Vetonian Institute, the Board of Trade or the IVAD as well as the country's network of embassies and consulates abroad.

Vetonia foreign policy is by-and-large determined by the country's relationship with its eastern neighbor, Brilliania and by the country's trade policy, which emphasizes internationalism and free trade to access to foreign markets for Vetonia's businesses. something

the 1920 Treaty of xx, espousing irredentist claims over Rodenia. As a result, armed clashes and skirmishes were common along the Vetonia's eastern border during the Border Conflict period (1920-1978), prompting the creation of the State Defense Guard, a paramilitary force. Brilliania allegedly funded various secessionist movements in Vetonia during the Turbulent Decades.

Since the 1960s, Vetonia has pursued an aggressive internationalist trade and foreign policy pursuing the opening of protectionist markets to investment and goods of Vetonian firms. The Vetonian economy's trading sector represent a major economic agent in the country and the country foreign policy is often identified with the pursuit of global governance, soft power and economic globalization. Vetonia is a founding member of Assembly of Nations, xx and xx and the country makes the world's xth per capita development aid contribution, with 0.8% of the country's GNI.

Vetonia maintains diplomatic with ? countries, maintaining a diplomatic presence in ? countries.

Military

Main article: Vetonian Armed Forces

See also: Vetonian Army, Vetonian Navy, and Vetonian Air Force

Vetonian Army soldiers during military exercises in 2016.

The Vetonian Armed Forces (Armá Vetonien, Armada Vetona) are the armed forces of the Veton Republic and are composed of three independent branches, the Army (xx, Forza terrestra), the Navy (xx, Marina militara) and the Air Force (xx, Aviatica militara). In cases of war of siege, the officers of the Federal Constabulary can also be called upon to operate as a distinct branch of the Armed Forces. The nominal commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces is the President, currently Agate Fromantin, albeit the effective running of the Armed Forces in the hands of the Joint Military Committee. Unlike all other federal institutions other than the court system, the Armed Forces operate exclusively in Javol.

The Army consists of

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Vetonia

View of Andraid from the summit of the Temple of xx.

Vetonia has, as of 2019, an estimated population of over 23.9 million people, making it the 11th most populous country in the world and the 3rd most populous in Cardia after neighbouring Lavaria. Its population density stands at 119 inhabitants per square kilometre (308 per square mile), the fourth highest in the world and the highest in Cardia.

Vellavia has a population of 10.04 million people, Tosandria has a population of 5.01 million, Iverdonia of 6.71 million and Rodenia of 1.92 million. Vellavia is the most densely populated state of the country, with a population density of 167.8 h/km2 (421.6 h/sq mi) whereas Rodenia is the least, at 63,5 h/km2 (164.5 h/ sq mi). The most populous cities in the country are Andraid (1,685,422), Camuns (600,174), Berné (453,112), Antoin (289,495), Holbec (249,026), Falera (199,568) and Salonta (156,901).

Life expectancy at birth is 81.4 years, 79.4 for men and 83.4 for women. The country's total fertility rate in 2016 stood at 1.8 children per woman, below the replacement-level fertility line. The number stands above the 1.38 rate of 1983, but significantly below the 4.85 rate reported in 1901. Despite the sub-replacement fertility rate, demographic growth remains positive thanks to net immigration and increasing longevity.

Demographic growth has been historically far higher in Iverdonia and Rodenia than in the western half of the country: Iverdonia's population nearly doubled between 1900 and 2019, whereas Vellavia began experiencing the fourth phase of demographic transition in the 1920s and 1930s as a result of its early industrialisation.

Languages

Main article: Languages of Vetonia

Main language of Vetonian citizens (2016)

  Javol (45.8%)

  Iverdonian (22.3%)

  Rugrese (16.2%)

  Rodenese (7.2%)

  Brillian (5.6%)

  Other (2.9%)

Vetonia is a multilingual country which recognizes five different languages as either national languages or regional languages. Javol was the official language of the country from independence until 1958, and it remains in use as the lingua franca of the federal court system and the armed forces. All federal publications have to be published in all five languages. These languages are Javol, Iverdonian, Rugrese, Rodenese and Brillian.

In 2016, the languages most spoken at home by Vetonian citizens were Javol (45.79%), Iverdonian (22.33%), Rugrese (16.17%), Rodenese (7.20%) and Brillian (5.64%). Other languages spoken at home amounted to 2.88% of all citizens, primarily Iparinan (0.72%) and Lirian (0.58%).

Nearly all speakers of Javol live in Vellavia and Tosandria, where the language is co-official together with Rugrese. Javol is a neo-Setentrian language closely related to other Cardian languages, and particularly close to Iverdonian. It is the mother tongue of over 6.7 million Vellavians (67.5%) and over 3.6 million Tosandrians (72.6%), with small minorities in both Iverdonia and Rodenia. Iverdonian is a neo-Setentrian language primarily spoken in Iverdonia, where it is the first language of 72.7% of the population, or nearly 4.9 million people, as well as the first language of 4.2% of the Rodenese population.

Rugrese is a Hallanic language, closely related to Tuskish and Veranish, as the vast majority of Rugrese people descend from Hallanic settlers that migrated in the 10^th and 11^th centuries CE. Rugrese-speakers make up 26.6%, 19.7% and 2.2% of the populations of Vellavia, Tosandria and Iverdonia respectively. Rugrese-speakers concentrate in western and southern Vellavia as well as south-western Tosandria. The language is co-official in both states.

Rodenese is a neo-Setentrian language, distantly related to Javol and Iverdonian and the majority language in Rodenia, where it is the first language of 65.5% of the population. Brillian is spoken by 14.3% and 18.3% of the population of Iverdonia and Rodenia, where the language is recognized as co-official. Most Brillian-speakers are concentrated along Vetonia's eastern border with Brilliania.

Schools are mandated to teach one of their state's official languages other than the instruction one. As a result, bilingualism is common, particularly among the country's linguistic minorities. According to a 2013 poll, over half of the respondents indicated speaking more than one language regularly albeit with considerable regional variation.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Vetonia

Education

Main article: Education in Vetonia

View of the entrance to the Rugrese University in Andraid.

Education is a competence of Vetonia's four states that further delegate that authority to communitarian education authorities in the case of education of the Brillian and Rugrese minorities. The federal government establishes the minimum criteria to be met by all education authorities.

Education is compulsory between ages 6 to 16. Compulsory education covers both primary and lower secondary education. Basic schools (scola basica) cover teaching between these ages. Students need to pass a test at age 15 in order to access non-compulsory upper secondary education. Education at the primary and lower-secondary levels is also provided by private schools, such as Ditanerist temple schools, particularly in Iverdonia.

Non-compulsory upper secondary education is divided into various, specialised paths. Gymnasium (ages 16-19) offer academically-oriented education, either through a mathematical-scientific or a linguistic-humanistic branch. The ultimate goal of gymnasia is to prepare students for tertiaty education. Other upper secondary education schools are commercial schools (business-oriented education) and technical schools (technical and practical science-oriented education). Vocational education can last between 2 and 5 years and trains young people for eight different trades through both formal teaching and apprenticeships.

Tertiary education is offered free-of-charge for citizens and permanent residents at the country's universities and university colleges beginning at age 19. There are no tuition fees, instead, university students receive fixed financial grants from the state, disbursed monthly. Recorded upper secondary school completion rates stand at approximately 95% and tertiary enrollment and completion rates stand at approximately 60%.

Health

Main article: Health care in Vetonia

View of the Polyclinical Hospital of Camuns, opened in 2017.

Healthcare spending in Vetonia accounts for 9.1% of the country's GDP, slightly below the average for developed economies, although according to ? estimates, the number is expected to rise as a result of ageing. As of 2016, Vetonia has a life expectancy at birth of 81.4 years, 79.4 for men and 83.4 for women, the xth highest in the world. Likewise, the country's healthy life expectancy is 71.3 years (70 for men, 72.8 for women). Significant health problems include smoking, drug abuse, alcohol as well as sedentary lifestyles.

Vetonia has a single-payer universal health care system largely financed through the country's income tax. Healthcare provision is managed by the states, who are responsible for the provision of healthcare, and often own most hospitals and hire doctors and other medical staff. As a result, most health care provision is free at the point of delivery. Additionally to the public system, roughly two-fifths of the population have a private insurance plan that covers services not fully covered by the public healthcare system, such as non-essential dentistry or physiotherapy.