Voltan Democratic Republic

Voltan Democratic Republic Wolten Demokratische Republik (Dolch) Volta Tlācatlahtohcāyōtl Tlācatēpacholiztli (Tlaloc)
1864–1924
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Gelübde
Capital and largest city	Köstritz
Official languages	Dolch
Spoken languages	Tlaloc
Banned languages	Voltan
Religion	Aroman Catholicism
Government	1864–1876: Unitary presidential republic 1876–1924: Unitary presidential republic under a Presidential dictatorship
President
• 1864-1901	Eugen Rathenau
• 1901-1912	Friedrich von Baden
• 1912-1924	Otto Schmitt
Legislature	National Congress
Historical era	1860's-1920's
• Independence from Shffahkia	12 December 1863
• Established	17 May 1864
• Eugen's coup	14 April 1876
• Start of the Voltan Civil War	17 January 1917
• Proclamation of the Socialist Federal Republic	14 April 1923
• End of the Voltan Civil War	21 January 1924
Area
• Total	349,800 km2 (135,100 sq mi)
Currency	Voltan Gulden (₲)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Voltan Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Voltan Daylight Time)
Date format	DD/MM/YYYY
Driving side	right
Preceded by Succeeded by Provisional Government of Volta Volta Voltan government-in-exile

The Voltan Democratic Republic was a nation that existed from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century. It governed over present-day Volta and was located in Aurelia. Though it started as a democracy, it became a dictatorship after the 1876 Voltan coup d'état in which it's first President Eugen Rathenau, assumed absolute power.

Establishment

After Volta gained independence in the Voltan War for Independence, the Provisional Government of Volta exercised authority over the country as a temporary measure while a constitution was drafted. The new constitution was finalized and the Voltan Democratic Republic was declared and de jure established on 17 May 1864. However, the government wasn't de facto established until after the first Voltan elections on 12 November 1864. Prior to that the same institutions that made up the provisional government continued to exercise de facto authority. This time was mostly spent by the provisional government setting up the groundwork for the first Voltan election.

The election ended in a victory for Eugen Rathenau and the National Republican Party. Eugen Rathenau won the presidency with 71% of the vote, while the National Republican Party took 52% of the seats in the National Congress of Volta. After this election the institutions that made up the provisional government were either disbanded or absorbed into their counterparts in the new government.

Early years

The first few years of the Voltan Democratic Republic saw some measures introduced through compromises by the National Republican Party and the Federalist Party. Namely, a rudamentary form of what would eventually become Volta's former contract labor system was established. This was done as an attempt to deal with a labor shortage caused by a decline in the native Tlaloc population, as many Voltan plantations and farms relied on Tlaloc slave labor. In addition smaller measures were taken, such as the first steps to standardizing Voltan time zones, the establishment of the first Voltan currency, among many other measures. However, the Federalists found that their demands for federalization of the country weren't even being considered, with even the most basic of compromises moving in that direction being rejected by the National Republican Party.

Eugen won a second term after the 1868 Voltan general election. Shortly afterwards, the Federalist Party began engaging in obstructionism, objecting to any and all legislation brought forward by the National Republicans and using the filibuster to stop all legislation not proposed by them in its tracks. This was an attempt to force the National Republicans to compromise and enact some form of federalization for the country. However, this only led the National Republicans to also obstruct and filibuster and and all legislation proposed by the Federalists. This dedlock continued for the entirity of Eugen's second term, and would continue into Eugen's third term.

Eugen's third term started after the 1872 Voltan general election. The first few years of this term was mired by similar political obstructionism, and eventually Eugen decided that in order to get his full reforms into place he would need to stay president. He propsed a constitutional amendment that would elimintate the three-term limit, causing the Conservative Party and Liberal Party to split from the National Republican Party. The National Republican Party would rename itself to the National Party shortly thereafter.

1876 Coup

Template:Main:1876 Voltan coup d'état Eugen, facing his term limit and not wanting to give up power without implementing his reforms, decided that the only course of action left for him was to perform a Wikipedia:Self-coup. In preparation for this he conspired with the military and the national Party. On 14 April 1876, the Voltan military seized key locations in Köstritz. Though the opposition took refuge in eastern Köstritz and tried to impeach Eugen, they were quickly captured. A small number of revolts did attempt to stop the coup, but as the military was fully loyal to Eugen these rebellions were quickly put down and many who took part in them were summarily executed. Within a week after the coup, Eugen had gained full and absolute control over the country.

Eugen and the National Party then drafted a new constitution for Volta, that was adopted in a referendum of disputed legitimacy. The new constitution eliminated presidential term limits and gave Eugen absolute power over the country. Though elections continued to take place after this, they are widely regarded as being unfair at best and fraudulent at worst. The Conservative Party, Federalist Party, and Liberal Party continued to exist after the coup, but were never again allowed to threaten Eugen's authority. This coup effectively ended democratic rule in Volta.