Megelan
Commune of Meᵹelan Comune di Meſiolano (Tuscan) | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
Anthem: "Toccata"  | |
| Capital | Vergate sul Membro |
| Largest | Alba |
| Official languages | Tuscan |
| Recognised national languages | Eastern Lombard Emilian Western Lombard |
| Recognised regional languages | Ladin Walser |
| Ethnic groups (2020) | 88.6% Meᵹelanese 11.4% Other |
| Religion (2020) | 88.6% Striaria 11.4% Other |
| Demonym(s) | Meᵹelanese |
| Government | Confederal direct democracy under a non-partisan consensus directorial republic |
• Consulate of the Commune | Directory of 10 people |
• Elder of the Credenza and Captain of the People | Davide Ruggiero |
| Legislature | Grand and General Council |
| Credenza | |
| Arengo | |
| Establishment | |
• Independence | 20 March 1117 |
• Joined the Common Sphere | 25 March 1957 |
| Area | |
• Total | 34,112.37 km2 (13,170.86 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 4.2 |
| Population | |
• 2020 census | 4,237,301 |
• Density | 124.2/km2 (321.7/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2020 estimate |
• Total | $262 billion |
• Per capita | $62,014 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2020 estimate |
• Total | $356 billion |
• Per capita | $84,140 |
| Gini (2020) | 28.7 low |
| HDI (2020) | 0.946 very high |
| Currency | Meᵹelanese scudo (▽) (SCU) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (UTC) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (UTC) |
| Date format | dd.mm.yyyy (CE) |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +37 |
| Internet TLD | .me |
Politics
The constitution of Meᵹelan is uncodified, and consists mostly of a collection of disparate written sources, including statutes, judge-made case law and international treaties, together with constitutional conventions.
Under it, the states retain sovereignty over all governmental functions not specifically relinquished to the Grand and General Council, which is empowered to make war and peace, negotiate diplomatic and commercial agreements with foreign countries, and to resolve disputes between the states.
There are three main governing bodies in Meᵹelan: the legislative Grand and General Council, the executive Consulate of the Commune, and the judicial Consulate of Justice.
Legislature
The Grand and General Council consists of 2 houses: the Credenza, or Grand Council, which has 20 representatives - 2 for each state - and the Arengo, or General Council, which consists of 200 members who are elected under a system of proportional representation, depending on the population of each state.
The most important task of the Credenza is to provide preliminary advice on the constitutional and legislative proposals to be placed before the Arengo; the Arengo, on the other hand, elects the executive and the judiciary, and votes on the issues put forward by the Credenza.
The Grand and General Council is presided over by the Elder of the Credenza and Captain of the People.
Executive
The role of collective head of state and of government of Meᵹelan is taken on by the Consulate of the Commune, a 10-member executive council; each Consul of the Commune heads one of the 10 ministries of the country.
The position of Elder of the Credenza and Captain of the People, or President, of Meᵹelan rotates among the ten Consuls of the Commune on a yearly basis. The President chairs the government and assumes representative functions, but is a primus inter pares with no additional powers, and remains the head of a ministry within the government.
Moreover, the Consuls of the Commune can not enact decrees or executive orders; they only enforce the law as written by the legislature and interpreted by the judiciary.
During the length of their office, the Consuls of the Commune write a Breve, or Brief - an archive and list of all the endeavours undertaken but not finished, to be read and taken into account by their successors in a given ministry.
As of 2020, the ministries are: Foreign and Political Affairs; Internal Affairs; Finance and Budget; Industry and Crafts; Territory and Environment; Tourism; Health and Social Security; Education and Culture; Labour and Cooperation; Justice and Government Relations.
Judiciary
The role of supreme court of Meᵹelan is taken on by the Consulate of Justice, a 10-member judicial council; the Consuls of Justice are the final arbiters on disputes in the field of civil law, the public arena, as well as in disputes between states or between states and the Commune.
The position of Podestà, or Chief Justice, of Meᵹelan rotates among the ten Consuls of Justice on a yearly basis; the Chief Justice chairs the supreme court, but is a primus inter pares with no additional powers.
Moreover, the Consuls of Justice are precluded from reviewing acts of the Grand and General Council, unless such review is specifically provided for by statute.
Electoral system
In a general election, all eligible citizens in each rural village and urban district elect an aspirant delegate to the Credenza and an aspirant delegate to the Arengo; in total, 6072 aspirant delegates representing 3036 districts and villages.
The final 20 delegates to the Credenza and the final 200 delegates to the Arengo are chosen through a procedure - restricted to the aspirant delegates - of alternated sortition and election: the initial pool of 6072 is halved through sortition; then, the resulting pool of 3036 is halved through election, and so on.
The Arengo then elects - by consensus and without reference to political parties - a directory of 10 Consuls of the Commune, to serve as the country's executive, and a directory of 10 Consuls of Justice, to serve as the country's judiciary.
The delegates so chosen are directly responsible to their constituents, are bound by their instructions, and may accordingly be dismissed from their post at any time or be voted out through a recall election. Each year, 1 Consul of the Commune out of 10, 1 Consul of Justice out of 10, 2 delegates of the Credenza out of 20 and 20 delegates of the Arengo out of 200 are replaced.
Said by-elections involving 10% of all delegates are routine; general elections, on the other hand, are held only in exceptional cases.
Members of the executive, legislature and judiciary only serve part-time; they receive regular payment, but at a much lower rate than a full-time professional politician. Moreover, they have to reside in and hold the citizenship of the quarter or district they represent in a given election.
Direct democracy
The delegates to the Grand and General Council are directly responsible to their constituents, are bound by their instructions, and may accordingly be dismissed from their post at any time or be voted out through a recall election: before the Arengo can approve or reject a constitutional or legislative proposal drafted by the Credenza, said proposal has to be approved or rejected by the constituents of each delegate; then, the delegates approve or reject the constitutional or legislative proposal, according to their constituents' vote on the subject.
If the constitutional or legislative proposal is approved, it then has to be approved by the rest of the country through a compulsory referendum; this form of direct democracy effectively grants the voting public a veto on laws adopted by the elected legislature.
The voting public also has the right to push for a citizen-initiated referendum, to propose - by petition - specific statutory measures or constitutional reforms to the government; if successful, such a proposition is then placed directly on the ballot to be subject to vote.
Moreover, the Arengo of each rural (civil parish, village) and urban (quarter, district) administrative division of each state of the Commune is open to all eligible citizens, that decide on specific issues, elect delegates and representatives, and vote on local questions in the open air, through a public, non-secret ballot voting system operating by majority rule; voting is accomplished by those in favor of a motion raising their hands.
States
The Commune of Meᵹelan consists of 10 states, that have a high degree of independence: each state has its own constitution, and its own parliament, government, police and courts. The states consist of rural civil parishes and urban quarters, that consist of rural villages and urban districts; in total, there are 218 civil parishes and quarters, and 3036 districts and villages.
Meᵹelanese citizens are therefore subject to and can hold the citizenship of four legal jurisdictions: nation, state, civil parish/quarter and district/village.
| Colours | Code | State |
|---|---|---|
| AB | Alba | |
| AD | Abdua | |
| AR | Aria | |
| AT | Altilia | |
| BR | Barra | |
| CL | Coloniola | |
| CR | Carra | |
| MS | Mosa | |
| GD | Gradaro | |
| TC | Ticena |
Foreign relations
Meᵹelan joined the Common Sphere in 1957; at first a recipient of development assistance, Meᵹelan eventually backed and provided several ideas and policies to the regional organization.
Inside the Common Sphere, Meᵹelan is often seen as being part of a bloc also including Akashi and Gylias, founded on a cooperative, decentralized ethos; nonetheless, it has historically expressed opposition to certain aspects of the organization, and is opposed to the strengthening of the organization beyond its function as a hub for intergovernmental cooperation spurring mutual development.