Sileria

Republic of Sileria Gweriniaeth Penfro
Flag Emblem of the Republic
Motto: "Ar gyfer fy Mamwlad" "For My Homeland"
Capital	Ardlech
Largest city	Freeport
Official languages	Silerian
Ethnic groups	Silerian (88.3%) Albish (5.6%) Other (6.1%)
Demonym(s)	Silerian
Government	Unitary directorial parliamentary republic
• President	Rhiannon Rhys-Lloyd
• Vice President	Evan Owen
Legislature	Cynulliad
Independence from Albeinland
• Declaration	1917
• Independence and republic	1920
Population
• 2019 estimate	4,600,000
• 2011 census	4,463,300
GDP (PPP)	2019 estimate
• Total	200.558 billion
• Per capita	44,935
GDP (nominal)	2019 estimate
• Total	172.868
• Per capita	8,731
Gini (2018)	23.7 low
HDI (2018)	0.82 very high
Currency	Ceiniog (₡) (SCG)
Date format	dd-mm-yy
Driving side	left
Calling code	+21

Sileria (Silerian: Penfro), officially the Republic of Sileria (Silerian: Gweriniaeth Penfro), is an island country located in Berea. It shares a maritime border with Albeinland. Sileria is a small country, with an area of pending square kilometres. It has an estimated population of 4.6 million and a low population density of pending inhabitants per square kilometre. Most of the population is located in urban centers along the banks of the River Gwenfro and the River Wen, with over two-thirds of the population residing in urban areas. The capital is Ardlech and the largest city is Freeport.

Foranic people migrated to Sileria from mainland Berea in the fourth century BCE. There were several early confederations throughout modern day Sileria. The Silures were the most prominent of these tribal confederations. A number of petty kingdoms emerged during the Middle Ages. Starting in the 13th century, Sileria came under gradual Albish control. Sovereignty was claimed but full control was not established until conquest in the 16th century. Starting in the 18th century, colonization by Ablish settlers and a forced Albiscization took place. Sileria was also made a part of the Kingdom of Albeinland in 1741 and lost all autonomy. Home rule was restored in 1892 after a failed uprising. Nationalist sentiments continued and after the Great War Silerian revolutionaries declared independence in 1917. A royalist government-in-exile was established. Sileria experienced a political crisis and civil war after a rival republican faction emerged. The civil war resulted in the victory of the republican faction.

After the war for independence, a republic was established in 1920. The BWC established itself as the dominant-party of Sileria, securing an uninterrupted absolute majority in the legislature from 1920 to 1966. Economic stagnation and rising unemployment, coupled with social issues, saw the BWC defeated for the first time. Since its independence, Sileria has maintained a dual policy of neutrality and non-alignment.

Sileria is a parliamentary republic with a unitary and directorial government. Powers are separated between the legislature, the council, and the judiciary. The Executive Council serves as the collective head of state and as the cabinet. The President of the Executive Council, currently Rhiannon Rhys-Lloyd, serves as the head of government. Legislative power is vested in the Cynulliad Cenedlaethol (National Assembly) and the Supreme Court is the highest court. Sileria maintains a welfare state that provides universal healthcare and universal basic income to all citizens. The country has the highest trade union membership out of any country in the world. Sileria ranks high in many democratic, equality, and social stability indexes. Its citizens are also among the happiest in the world, with Sileria regularly topping world happiness reports.

Silerian culture is distinct and it is the only independent Foranic nation in the world. A majority of the population speaks Albish as their first language. However, attempts to revive the Silerian language have been successful and over two-thirds of the population can speak it as a second language. Silerian is the only official language, but the use of Albish is common in most settings. Despite the nation's independence, Silerian culture remains heavily influence by Albish. A distinct cultural identity was retained and has grown since independence. Sileria is one of the only countries in the world where the majority of the population identifies as irreligious.

Etymology

Sileria is the modern form of the more ancient Siluria, the name given to the island by the Cambrans. The name comes from the Silures, a Foranic tribe that the Cambrans encountered on the island. Silures is a Cambran word of Foranic origin. It is derived from the Common Foranic root *sīlo-, which means "seed".

In Silerian, the name is Penfro meaning "Land's End". Pen means "head" or "end", and bro means "region", "country", "land".

History

The earliest evidence of human settlement in Sileria, a butchered deer bone, is dated at 9500 BCE. There is evidence that Mesolithic communities were established around the island. Additional settlement by Neolithic peoples took place prior to 4000 BCE. The earliest evidence for agriculture in Sileria dates back to this period.  A flint knife and cattle bones discovered in Pending have been carbon-dated to around 4200 BCE.

Foranic people migrated from continental Berea to Sileria around 375 BCE based on archaeological findings. They settled on the southern coast and gradually expanded their settlements northward. The Foranic people established trade routes throughout Berea and had contact with the Cambran Empire. During this period, several tribal confederations located in different parts of modern-day Sileria. The Silures were the most prominent of these tribal confederations. The Cambrans identified a total of five tribes in modern-day Sileria: the Albi, the Critani, the Senni, the Silures, and the Trevonii.

Politics

Rhiannon Rhys-Lloyd, President of the Executive Council

Evan Owen, Vice President of the Executive Council

The Constitution, adopted in 1920, established the organization and structure of Sileria's government. It outlines the civil and political rights of citizens. Power is centralized in the nation government, which is unitary. Sileria was established as a republic with a parliamentary system. The Constitution officially classifies Sileria as a nation on the path to socialism and includes other socialist rhetoric and language. However, the country is not actually socialist. At a national level, the three branches of government are the unicameral parliament, the Executive Council, and the Supreme Court.

The Palace of the Nation, seat of the Cynulliad Cenedlaethol

The Cynulliad Cenedlaethol (National Assembly) has 175 members, known as Assemblymembers (Aelodau'r Cynulliad), which are elected through proportional representation. Assemblymembers serve for four years before new elections are held, as mandated by the Constitution. Snap elections may be held between the regularly scheduled elections. There is a 2.5% threshold for parties to achieve representation in the legislature. 88 of the 175 seats are needed for a majority.

The Executive Council is the seven-member council that serves as the collective head of state and as the cabinet. The President of the Executive Council is selected from among its members to serve as the head of government for one full term. A simple majority is needed in order to become the President of the Executive Council. The Executive Council constitutes the national government and directs the activities of national government agencies. Rhiannon Rhys-Lloyd is the current President of the Executive Council. Evan Owen serves as the Vice President.

The judicial branch at a national level is made up of various levels of courts. The highest court of Sileria is the Supreme Court (Goruchaf Lys). It has appellate jurisdiction over all national courts and over provincial court cases involving issues of national law, plus original jurisdiction over a small range of cases. The Supreme Court alone has the final say on constitutionality, although it may only act within the context of a case for which it has jurisdiction. There are seven judges, known as justices, that serve on the court. It is presided over by the President and is composed of six additional judges. Members of the Supreme Court are appointed by the Executive Council and confirmed by the legislature. Once appointed, judges have life tenure unless they resign, retire, or are removed after impeachment. There are three tiers of parallel courts systems below the Supreme Court. One system deals with criminal and civil cases and the other deals with constitutional law. The Supreme Court has the power of precedent in both instances. The country is divided into three circuits Provinces are grouped into circuits based on population, and jurisdiction may change with each census.

Political parties and elections

National elections always take place on the first Wednesday of September Voting is mandatory. Election day is also a national holiday and is observed throughout the country in order to make it easier for citizens to comply with the mandate. Elections to the National Assembly use open list proportional representation. Voters may vote directly for the party or for a specific candidate. This allows candidates to gain entry to the legislature despite their placement on a list or the performance of their party. Elections to the Executive Council are held parallel to elections to the legislature. A different method is used in this election. Elections to the Executive Council use ranked choice voting. Candidates are ranked by voters in order of their preference. Parties are only allowed to campaign for a period of 60 days before the election is held. Sileria allows both early voting and voting by mail, which allows citizens to comply with compulsory voting.