Federalism in Delkora

Federalism in Delkora refers to the division of powers between the federal government and the five constituent states outlined in the federal constitution.

History

Delkoran federalism arose from the Kingdom's origins as an alliance of formerly independent fiefdoms. By the 300's CE, these fiefdoms had coalesced into the High Lordships of Cybria, Bandorel, Faurelia, Norvia, and Vassengaard, and were frequently at war with one another. In 324 CE, the high lords of the five states signed the Vydenhelm Covenant, agreeing to form an alliance to fend off incursions from the Arkoennite Empire. The Covenant formed the basis of a confederal government in which the high lords agreed to share power with an elected military leader known as a Kaizich, whose major decisions had to be unanimously approved by the high lords. In 982, after successfully routing the Arkoennites at the Battle of Norenstal, the Kaizich Illyar declared himself King of Delkora, a title which was mostly ceremonial, as his power continued to be contingent upon the support of the high lords.

This arrangement greatly hampered the development of a unified state, as subsequent kings were subordinated to the high lords, who retained powerful personal armies that they frequently used to assert control over the king and wage war with one another. King Belmyyr III sought to address this growing crisis in 1385 by negotiating the Peace of Aberald, which established a federal system of government in which issues of national importance were governed by the King, while the high lords would each continue to be sovereign in their respective states. Violation of the Peace by King Vallgaar III, who attempted to interfere in the domestic matters of the states by ordering them to disband their peasant councils, was a major factor leading to the outbreak of the Delkoran Civil War.

During the constitutional convention that followed the war, the Peace of Aberald was used as a framework in the development of a new federal system that sought to balance the power of the national government with that of the states to ensure that neither could completely dominate. The arrangement that finally emerged saw the national monarch reduced to a mostly ceremonial figure who could not act without the advice of the elected government. The high lords remained in power as absolute monarchs, and continued to have authority over domestic matters in their respective states, while the federal government was mostly confined to handling foreign policy and national defense. The newly established Chamber of Nobles, consisting of delegates sent by the high lords, ensured that the states had to be consulted on all federal legislation. This system remained mostly unchanged until the passage of the High Lords Amendment in 1885, which reduced the high lords to constitutional monarchs. The newly empowered state parliaments were quick to do away with the customary law that had been enforced by the high lords, opting instead for modern legal codes modeled after the federal codes. This marked the beginning of a trend toward legal uniformity throughout the Kingdom.

As the federal government began taking on more responsibilities in the early 20th Century, a model of collaborative federalism emerged in which the formerly clear boundaries between federal and state competencies began to blur. This was facilitated by the establishment of the National Executive Council in 1935, a body comprised of the Federal Executive Cabinet and the state cabinets intended to facilitate intergovernmental dialogue. The NEC was mostly successful throughout the 20th Century at mitigating potential conflicts between the federal and state governments, although there were several instances of coercive federalism during the chancellorship of Gamdymyyr Feldengar in the 1970's, when the federal government sought to impose its will on recalcitrant states by threatening to withhold federal funding. Nonetheless, the trend in recent years has been toward increasing standardization of most major policy areas.

Division of Powers

The four categories of government power outlined in the federal constitution are exclusive federal powers, which can be exercised only by the federal government, exclusive state powers, which can only be exercised by the state governments, concurrent powers shared by both, and residual powers, which are retained by the states and encompass all matters not explicitly mentioned in the constitution. The federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over national defense, foreign affairs, interstate and foreign commerce, currency regulation, immigration, the conduct of elections, and the environment. States, meanwhile, have exclusive jurisdiction over cultural matters, education, intrastate commerce, local government, and policing. Concurrent powers include energy, communications, public health, social welfare, transportation, public safety, taxation, and banking. Where federal and state law conflict, federal law prevails.

Local Government

Local government in Delkora consists of county and municipal governments. Municipalities are the lowest level of government, consisting of a single city or town, and are responsible for zoning regulations, building codes, public transportation, public housing, local infrastructure, managing schools and hospitals, and administering some social welfare programs. They are governed by a municipal council which, in large metropolitan cities, shares power with a separately elected mayor. In most other municipalities, the council governs as a collective body, electing a president from its membership who serves as a ceremonial mayor. Most municipalities of sufficient size maintain a municipal court that handles family law and small claims. Counties consist of groups of municipalities, and are responsible for public utilities, regional transportation systems, property assessment, licensing and inspections, emergency management services (with the exception of policing, which is handled by the state government), maintaining libraries and public records, and regional economic development. They are governed by a county council that shares power with a separately elected county commission that serves as the executive branch of county government.

Because the federal constitution does not address local government, the status of counties and municipalities is determined by each state's constitution. Cybria and Faurelia are home rule states in which municipalities may pass laws on any subject matter not reserved to their state parliament by the state constitution and thus have wide discretion in passing laws. Counties in these states serve primarily as administrative divisions that implement state laws and have little autonomy. Meanwhile, in Bandorel, Vassengaard, and Norvia, states that have not adopted home rule, both county and municipal governments can only exercise those powers explicitly granted to them by their state constitution. Counties in these states tend to be more influential than municipalities.

Norenstal

As the seat of the federal government, the capital city of Norenstal holds a unique place in the federal structure in that it does not have the status of a state. Instead, it is designated as a federal city under the Delkoran Constitution, which granted the Federal Parliament the authority to govern it directly. Following passage of the Norenstal Administration Act of 1907, the city was granted a devolved legislature known as the Norenstal Assembly and a separately elected mayor. Since then, the city has been governed independent from the federal government, although Parliament retains the ability to reassert control over the city by repealing the NAA or, in the case of a civil emergency or budget crisis, assume temporary control over the city government under Article 48 of the Act.

Despite not being considered a state within the Delkoran constitutional structure, Norenstal nonetheless has many of the privileges of a state. It is, for example, allocated seats in the Chamber of Representatives, has its own constitution and laws, possesses the authority to levy taxes, and receives federal equalization funds. Still, Norenstal lacks privileges in other areas, a notable example being that it is not entitled to seats in the Chamber of Nobles.