Venland

Democratic Republic of Venland Vennish Demokratische Republik
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto: Horizonte der Einheit ("Horizons of Unity")
Anthem: Der heimliche Aufmarsch ("Restless March")
Capital and largest city	Burggen
Ethnic groups	Asur
Religion	Secular state (de jure) State atheism (de facto)
Demonym(s)	Vennish Venn
Government	Unitary Marxist-Leninist one-party socialist republic
• General Secretary	Eric Mueller
• Chairman	Ferdinand Ulmer
• Premier	Theodora Ehrhardt
Legislature	National People's Congress
Currency	Lind Mark (ŁM)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+09

Venland, officially the Democratic Republic of Venland (Vennish: Vennish Demokratische Republik) or VDR is a Marxist-Leninist sovereign state. Venland's government and economy are highly centralized, the country is a one-party state governed by the Communist Party of Venland (CPV) with its capital in Burggen, the nation's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. With a population of x million and a land area of xkm².

Politics

Venland's constitution states that The Democratic Republic of Venland "is a socialist state under the people's democratic dictatorship led by the working class and based on the alliance of workers and peasants," and that the state organs "apply the principle of democratic centralism." The Vennish government has been variously described as communist and socialist, but also as authoritarian and corporatist, with heavy restrictions in many areas, most notably against free access to the Internet, freedom of the press and freedom of religion. Its current political, ideological and economic system has been termed by its leaders as a "consultative democracy" "people's democratic dictatorship", "socialism with Vennish characteristics" (which is Marxism adapted to Vennish circumstances) and the "socialist market economy" respectively.

Communist Party

File:NPC 1.jpeg

National People's Congress (NPC) in the capital of Bruggen

Since 2018, the main body of the Vennish constitution declares that "the defining feature of socialism with Vennish characteristics is the leadership of the Communist Party of Venland (CPV)." The 2018 amendments constitutionalized the de facto one-party state status of Venland, wherein the General Secretary (party leader) holds ultimate power and authority over state and government and serves as the paramount leader of Venland. The electoral system is pyramidal. Local People's Congresses are directly elected, and higher levels of People's Congresses up to the National People's Congress (NPC) are indirectly elected by the People's Congress of the level immediately below. The political system is decentralized, and provincial and sub-provincial leaders have a significant amount of autonomy. Another eight political parties, have representatives in the NPC and the Vennish People's Political Consultative Conference (VPPCC). Venland supports the Leninist principle of "democratic centralism", but critics describe the elected National People's Congress as a "rubber stamp" body.

Government

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Venland and Head of State Eric Mueller.

The General Secretary is the titular head of state, elected by the National People's Congress. The Premier is the head of government, presiding over the State Council composed of four vice premiers and the heads of ministries and commissions. The incumbent general secretary is Eric Mueller, who is also the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, making him Venland's paramount leader. The incumbent premier is Theodora Ehrhardt, who is also a senior member of the CPV Politburo Standing Committee, Venlands's de facto top decision-making body.

There have been some moves toward political liberalization, in that open contested elections are now held at the village and town levels. However, the party retains effective control over government appointments: in the absence of meaningful opposition, the CPV wins by default most of the time. In 2017, Mueller called on the communist party to further tighten its grip on the country, to uphold the unity of the party leadership, and achieve the "Vennish Dream of national rejuvenation". Political concerns in Venland include the growing gap between rich and poor and government corruption. Nonetheless, the level of public support for the government and its management of the nation is high, with 80–95% of Vennish citizens expressing satisfaction with the central government, according to a 2011 survey.

Emerging superpower status

Venland is regularly hailed as a potential new superpower, with certain commentators citing its rapid economic progress, growing military might, very large population, and increasing international influence as signs that it will play a prominent global role in the 21st century. Others, however, warn that economic bubbles and demographic imbalances could slow or even halt Venland's growth as the century progresses. Some authors also question the definition of "superpower", arguing that Venland's large economy alone would not qualify it as a superpower, and noting that it lacks the military power and cultural influence of other superpowers. Others have argued that Venland's investment in renewable energy has positioned it to be a likely superpower in that area, especially due to a shift in global trade relations.