Cuthland

Federated States of Cuthland and Waldrich Forbonded Rikes of Cuthland and Waldrike (Cuthish) Bûnsrykten Cutlân en Wâldryk (Waldish)
Flag
Capital	Kingsham (executive and administrative) Grienfjild (legislative and judicial)
Largest	Kingsham
Official languages	Cuthish, Waldish
Ethnic groups (2020)	44.2% Cuthish 40.7% Waldish 15.1% Other
Religion (2020)	76.5% Ditanery 13.3% Unaffiliated 7.3% Dísitrú 2.0% Marism 0.9% Other
Demonym(s)	Cutho-Waldish
Government	Federal dominant-party diarchic directorial republic
•      Grand Wardens	Clifford Goodwin (presiding) Ale Dykstra
Legislature	Grand Assembly
• Upper house	Council of States
• Lower house	Council of Citizens
Establishment
• Cutho-Waldish Realm	21 February 1444
• Terms of Union	12 June 1560
• Cornice annexation	7 October 1803
• Treaty of Wesselstêd	19 June 1944
• Constitution	30 March 1945
Population
• 2020 census	22,794,500
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$803.461 billion
• Per capita	$35,248
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$422.519 billion
• Per capita	$18,536
Gini (2020)	27.4 low
HDI (2020)	0.854 very high
Currency	Pound (CWP)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+39
ISO 3166 code	CW
Internet TLD	.cw

Cuthland-Waldrich (Cuthish: Cuthland-Waldrike, Waldish: Cutlân-Wâldryk), officially the Federated States of Cuthland and Waldrich (Cuthish: Forbonded Rikes of Cuthland and Waldrike, Waldish: Bûnsrykten Cutlân en Wâldryk) is a sovereign state located on the Cutho-Waldish Peninsula in northwestern Cardia. It is bordered by Fawster and Vetonia to the south, and shares a maritime border with Velsken to the west via the Quatrines Islands. With a population of 22.8 million and spanning an area of X square kilometers, Cuthland-Waldrich is the 12th most populous and X largest state in Gaia.

Cuthland-Waldrich is a multinational state consisting of the two autonomous constituent states of Cuthland and Waldrich, each with its own distinct ethnic identity. The Cuthish are the country's largest ethnic group and constitute a slim plurality of its population at 44.2%, while the Waldish make up a large minority at 40.7%. This ethnic diversity forms the basis for Cuthland-Waldrich's unique structure, which splits many institutions between the two states. The country is officially bilingual, recognizing both Cuthish and Waldish as official languages. Kingsham, the country's largest city and the state capital of Cuthland, serves as the federal executive and administrative capital, while Grienfjild, the country's second largest city and the state capital of Waldrich, serves as the federal legislative and judicial capital. Other major cities include Whitford, Stanbridge, and Wesselstêd.

Cuthish and Waldish peoples from modern day Erdara first settled in the Cutho-Waldish Peninsula during late antiquity. Although initially divided into various petty kingdoms during the early middle ages, by the 11th century the entirety of the Cuthish and Waldish lands were united into their own respective kingdoms. In 1444, the Kingdom of Cuthland and the Kingdom of Waldrich were brought into a personal union under Edwin III of Cuthland, establishing the Cutho-Waldish Realm. The Terms of Union in 1560 further integrated Cuthland and Waldrich into a dual monarchy, effectively establishing the first unified Cutho-Waldish state. The Realm reached its height during the 17th and early 18th centuries, achieving great prosperity through trade between the nations of Cardia, Erdara, and Hallania. The country entered nearly a century of decline following the Crisis of 1715, culminating in its annexation by Cornicae in 1803.

Cuthland-Waldrich remained under Cornice rule for nearly 140 years, a period now known as the Era of Subjugation in the country. Cornicae began to weaken after the Continental War, resulting in rising pan-nationalism that sought to reunify the territories of the former Cutho-Waldish Realm into a "New Realm". The empire's dissolution in 1943 resulted in the emergence of independent states in Cuthland and Waldrich for the first time in centuries. However, lingering economic malaise from the collapse resulted in hyperinflation and further fueled nationalist sentiments, allowing nationalists to sweep into power in both countries' first elections. These new governments signed the Treaty of Wesselstêd in June 1944, reunifying the two for the first time since the Cornice annexation.

Modern day Cuthland-Waldrich is governed as a federal dominant-party diarchic directorial republic. The Union of Farmers, Laborers, and Shopkeepers (UFLS), has remained the dominant party in every level of government since reunification, largely due to constitutional restrictions on political expression that have led observers to label the nation as a hybrid regime. Cuthland-Waldrich maintains a modern military force and a revanchist foreign policy that seeks to enforce irredentist claims on traditional Cutho-Waldish territories. It is a developed country, boasting a high standard of living and diverse mixed economy regulated through protectionism and competition law. Scholars have characterized the country's social, political, and economic structure as Hartnellist, named after pan-nationalist leader Gerrit Hartnell whose populist and nationalist ideas shaped the formation of the modern Cutho-Waldish state.

Etymology

"Cuthland-Waldrich" is a double-barrelled name combining the names of the nation's two constituent states, Cuthland and Waldrich. "Cuthland" is a Cuthish word derived from the Old Cuthish Cuþland, which translates to "known land" or "famous land". "Waldrich" is derived from the Waldish Wâldryk, which is itself derived from the Old Waldish Waldrīke, meaning "forested realm".

Politics

Government

The political framework of Cuthland-Waldrich was established by the nation's current Constitution, ratified in 1945. It is structured as a federal Diarchic directorial republic with a unique division of power that reflects its status as a multinational and multicultural state. Cuthland-Waldrich's two constituent states, Cuthland and Waldrich, are granted substantial autonomy over their internal affairs, and most of the federal political institutions are divided between the two states.

Legislative power is vested in the bicameral Grand Assembly, which consists of the Council of States (upper house) and Council of Citizens (lower house). The Council of States consists of 100 seats, evenly divided between the states. Members are elected to staggered four year terms, with half of the seats up for election every two years. Constitutionally, each state determines its own method of filling its allocated seats on the Council. In practice, however, members from both states are elected through a nearly identical process by the respective state legislature. The Council of Citizens consists of 300 seats, allocated based on the population of each state. All members of the Council of Citizens are directly elected every two years by mixed-member proportional representation. Half of the seats are elected by equally populous single-member districts using single transferable voting, while the other half are elected statewide by an open party-list with a 5% electoral threshold in order to balance out the seats proportionally by party.

The executive branch is diarchic, consisting of two Grand Wardens who collectively serve as head of state. They are elected by a joint session of the Grand Assembly to four year terms staggered every two years. One Grand Warden is elected from each state, chosen from a list of five candidates nominated by their state's legislature. The Grand Wardens hold the reciprocal right to veto, and no executive decision is considered official unless both have consented. One Warden is always considered to be "Presiding", a position which rotates between the two on an annual basis. The presiding Grand Warden is considered to be primus inter pares, and has the ability to make emergency decisions during times of national distress without first consulting his counterpart. The Grand Warden who is not presiding may veto an emergency decision at any time, and must be consulted by the presiding Warden within 30 days of its enactment. The current Grand Wardens are Clifford Goodwin (presiding) from Cuthland and Ale Dykstra from Waldrich.

Cuthland Waldrich's highest court is the Grand Court, which is the final court of appeal in the federal judicial system. The Grand Court consists of 7 justices, who are appointed to 14 year terms staggered every 2 years. Appointments for all federal justices are proposed by the Grand Wardens, and must be confirmed by a two-thirds supermajority vote of a joint session of the Grand Assembly.

Cuthland-Waldrich operates under a dominant party system, with the populist and pan-nationalist Union of Farmers, Laborers, and Shopkeepers (UFLS) maintaining power in every federal and state election since 1945. Other political parties with federal representation include the center-left Liberal Progressive Party (LPP), socially conservative Ditanerist Union (DU), and anti-corruption Democratic Alliance (DA). As of 2020, the UFLS holds a supermajority in both houses of the Grand Assembly.

Cuthland-Waldrich has been described as an illiberal democracy by observers. The 1945 Constitution places heavy regulations on the formation and activities of political parties, notably banning movements that advocate certain stances and objectives from engaging in the electoral process. Additionally, the voter registration process is highly complex and restrictive. Prospective voters are required to fill out a lengthy application and appear before a local Electoral Review Board, with supporting statements from two currently registered voters who can vouch for the applicant's status as a "hard-working and upstanding member of society". A 2011 study on global political freedom by the Assembly of Nations stated that institutional barriers to competition have made Cuthland-Waldrich a de facto one-party state, with the UFLS holding "nearly uncontested authority" over the nation's socio-political institutions.