Council republic

A Council republic is term used to refer to a republican system of government where directly elected councils play a prominent role in a country's politics. While the exact government structure often varies, universal characteristics are councils as a fundamental unit of governance and the state's adherence with socialism. 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 adhering to or based on the principles of councilism is referred to as councilist. Councilism can also refer to socialism practiced in a council republic.

Characteristics

Although the term council republic encompasses many different structures of governance, they all feature directly elected legislative bodies. In this system, councils 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. 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.

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

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.

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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.

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 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	Volosovo	Narodyn	73,491,200	2,399,981
Dezevau	Bazadavo	Ziba	190,902,213	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
Lemovicia	Topagunea	Lemovician	1,014,866	13,548
Nirala	Desaghara	Nirali	236,301,792	251,678
Valduvia	Priedīši	Valduvian	55,279,300	423,489

Former council republics

State	Capital	Languages	Years	Population	Area (km²)
Amathia	East Arciluco	Amathian	1935–1959		405,798
Champania	Lièn	Champanian	1937–1960	7,948,012 (1960)	139,991
North Vinalia	Orlavo	Soravian	1935–1993	10,500,000 (1990)