Essenia
Essenian Free State Esenijas brívvalsts (Essenian) | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Emblem
| |
Motto: Par cilvéku brívíbu pret masu tirániju. "For the freedom of the people against tyranny of the masses" | |
Anthem: Brívíbas koks "The Tree of Freedom" | |
 Map of Essenia | |
| Capital | Júrava |
| Official languages | Essenian |
| Recognised regional languages | Lec |
| Demonym(s) | Essenian |
| Government | Unitary one-party minarchist republic |
| Arturs Celminysz | |
| Arturs Celminysz | |
| Eduards Emsis | |
| Legislature | General Assembly |
| Establishment | |
• Kingdom | 9th century |
• Republic | 1924 |
• Revolution of Freedom | 1981 |
| Population | |
• 2015 census | 6,184,000 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | $104,3 billion |
• Per capita | $16,875 |
| Gini (2015) |  38.2medium |
| HDI (2015) |  .782high |
| Currency | Essenian lápu (El) |
| Date format | dd.mm.yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | 105 |
| Internet TLD | .es |
The Essenian Free State (Essenian: Esenijas brívvalsts) is a state located in Central Esquarium, bordering Lecia to the south, Charnea to the east and the Gulf of Rama to the west. The country has a population of 6,1 million, making it one of the smallest states in the region, and its capital and largest city is Júrava.
Kingdom of Essenia became independent sometime in the 9th century and was ruled by monarchs from the House of Kolka until the 15th century, when the cadet branch Jaunskolka took over. Jaunskolka line too died out with the death of its last monarch Charles IX in 1911. A decade of instability under a regency of Prince Edgars followed, resulting in disastrous participation and defeat in the Great War. In the aftermath, the Kingdom was overthrown by Colonel Ojárs Kalvinysz, who became the first president of Essenia. Kalvinysz's authoritarian rule lasted until 1953, when he too was overthrown and democratic elections followed. After a brief experiment with democracy, Ilmárs Staprans took power after a coup d'etat and ruled for further two decades. In 1981 after announcing that his son would succeed him, massive protests erupted which evolved into a full-blown revolution. Staprans was ousted in the Revolution of Freedom and was replaced by a governing council from members of the civil society. One of them was libertarian Arturs Celminysz, who argued for a new state that would preserve freedoms of its citizens. Celminysz's thoughts became popular, he was chosen as the president of the Transitional Governing Council while his Party of Freedom won a majority in the Constitutional Assembly. In a controversial move, the Assembly proposed a form of government where a single vanguard party would preserve social freedoms, while political freedoms would remain off limits. The protests that followed were squashed by the Freedom Guards, Party of Freedom's paramilitary force and the Constitution was approved in 1982. What followed was a massive Cultural Revolution during which tens of thousands of suspected communists, leftists and other groups were killed.
Today, Essenia is still a single-party state ruled by Celminyz and the Party of Freedom that is responsible for countless human rights violations. Officially the country is a "libertarian one-party vanguard state dedicated to preserving the rights and freedoms of its populace." Since the 2000's, Essenia has become a tax haven and has attempted to get investment from foreign companies that are attracted to the country due to lax regulations, ample supply of cheap labour and guaranteed influence in government. In addition, tourism has become an increasingly vital source of income, with hundreds of thousands of sex and drug tourists flocking to the country every year. Essenian government is only responsible for the military, the police, the court system and certain vital infrastructure like roads, with no education, healthcare or other public services provided. Essenian citizens are free to live out their lives as they wish, as long as they do not violate the non-aggression principle and do not attempt to change the political system.
History
Kingdom
Republican era
In the aftermath of the Great War, the Kingdom was overthrown by Colonel Ojárs Kalvinysz, who became the first president of Essenia. Kalvinysz ruled in the same way as the previous kings, ignoring most of the population and using the state as his personal bank account. Kalvinysz's authoritarian rule lasted until 1953, when he too was overthrown and democratic elections followed.
Left-wing populist Kárlis Rimszévics became the first democratically elected President in May of 1953. Rimszévics was a popular but inept ruler, who wasted government funds and managed to totally alienate the military with his ill-thought comments. He was deposed and later executed by the military in 1956, after a succesful coup by Major General Ilmárs Staprans. Staprans did not declare himself president, but set up former Minister of Interior Arnis Mazitis as a puppet president and ruled through him. In 1961, Staprans decided to depose Mazitis, who was beginning to show independence and declared himself President.
Revolution of Freedom
Two decades later in 1981 Staprans, who was at this point approaching the age of 80, announced that his son Juris Staprans would succeed him after he died. Juris, who had largely lived a playboy life and shown little interest in governance was considered by almost all to be an incapable ruler. Massive protests followed that the Armed Forces were unwilling to stop. These protests event, known as the Revolution of Freedom succeeded in ousting Staprans, who escaped to Katranjiev along with this son.
Meanwhile in Júrava, a five-member Transitional Governing Council that represented the Armed Forces and underground political parties and trade unions had taken power. Arturs Celminysz, chairman of the small liberal Party of Freedom became the Chairman of the Council. He quickly became popular among the protesters, and in 1981 Essenian Constitutional Assembly election his party won 64% of the vote and a majority in the Assembly.
Celminysz was aware that the military might overthrow him, and he was also worried that eventually a left-wing government might come to power and restrict the rights of Essenian citizens. In February 1982 Celminysz struck a deal with the Armed Forces, guaranteeing their power if they agreed to his plan: Formation single-party state led by a libertarian vanguard party and protected by a strong military, that would squash left-wing and liberal movements that threatened the economic rights of the population. Political freedoms would remain off limits to most of the population. Public services and taxes would be cut, while the remaining money would mostly go to the military. The leaders of the military accepted.
Consolidation of the Free State
In April 1982 the Constitutional Assembly released its proposal for a new constitution that featured a single-party form of government with no elections. Many were outraged, believing that the new Constitution would create a new, even more authoritarian dictatorship. The riots that followed were violently broken up by the Armed Forces and the Freedom Guards, Party of Freedom's new paramilitary force. The new Constitution was approved in the 1982 Essenian constitutional referendum, which was marred by irregularities, ballot stuffing and voter fraud.
The new Constitution came into force on 1 June 1982, a date that heralded the start of the Essenian Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution meant to weed out opposition and create the a stable basis for a new, libertarian vanguard state. The Revolution targeted mostly leftists, while around half of the previous military government joined the new government and the other hald was purged. During the Revolution, tens of thousands of suspected communists, leftists and other "treasonous" groups were arrested, tortured or killed. Hundreds of thousands escaped to Lecia and Milenka.
During the Revolution, the Freedom Guards and the State Political Police closed down all universities until they could be cleared of "communist filth" and reformed. A large portion of the civil service was purged, and members of opposition movements like the Workers' Party and the National Liberal Party were hunted down. Display of the symbols of the previous government was prohibited and symbols of former regime were destroyed. It also involved privatization of nearly all parts of the former state with the exception of the police, the courts and the military: ownership of state-owned companies, schools, universities and hospitals were distributed to the populace through "freedom vouchers", though most ended up selling their vouchers for money or other services.
The Cultural Revolution came to and end following the second Party Congress in 1986, when Celminysz declared that the Revolution had run its course. Even then, the State Political Police and Freedom Guards have continued to violently crack down on the opposition.
Present day
Geography
Essenia is located in Western Esquarium, close to the equator. It is bordered by Lecia to the south, Charnea to the east and the Gulf of Rama to the west. Geographically Essenia can be divided into two separate parts: a low-lying coastal plain covering roughly western third of the country where five-sixths of the population live, and rugged mountainous area known as the Kalnstiene in the eastern part of the country.
The western plains are the country's most fertile and productive area. It includes the capital city of Júrava and most major cities, large cash crop plantations and resort hotels on long sandy beaches. It is crisscrossed by rivers of all sizes that originate from the Kalnstiene mountains. The highest mountain in Kalnstiene is Mount Mísa that reaches the height of 5340 meters. Sventána River that also forms the northern border of the country creates a large river valley that stretches over 300 kilometers, and is also where most of the population of the western part of the country live.
Administrative divisions
Essenia is divided into eight regions (Essenian: novads) that replaced 17 pre-revolutionary counties in 1985. Each region is de jure ruled by a state-appointed Regional Administrator together with a Regional Assembly appointed by a Regional Selection Council. De facto power lies in the Regional Leader of the regional Party of Freedom branch who usually, but not always, is also the Regional administrator.
| Map | Province | Capital | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Austrumu Zemiene | Mityely | 730,000 |
| Duogave | Plyava | 320,000 | |
| Kalnstiene | Baltspils | 370 000 | |
| Madane | Júrava | 2,190,000 | |
| Rietumu Zemiene | Zilskrastá | 850,000 | |
| Szaurume | Szaurumspils | 910,000 | |
| Upper Lecia | Daline | 240,000 | |
| Ventije | Mezszi | 510,000 |
Government
According to the Constitution approved in 1982, Essenia is a free state under the leadership and guidance of the Party of Freedom, with the ultimate task of government being the preservation and protection of the individual freedoms and property rights.
Despite the purported libertarian and minarchist nature of the government, in practice this only extends to economic freedoms. Opposition to the regime is violently repressed and people are regularly executed for it. The lack of any kind of public services means that the rights of most vulnerable groups like women, children and the elderly are regularly violated.
President and Chairman
The highest office of the Party of Freedom is the Chairman of the Presidium of the Party of Freedom, who is also ex officio the President of the Executive Council of Essenia. The office merges both the highest office of the state and the highest office of the Party. In general, someone holding this position is simply referred to as President and Chairman, though when they are acting as a leader of the Party they are only referred to as the Chairman, and when they are representing Essenia as a state they are referred to as the President.
President and Chairman has broad powers: he nominates and dismisses members of the Executive Council, although they must be approved by the General Assembly. They must also sign all laws for them to go into effect and can veto them. However, their most significant power is that of appointment: As the President, they appoint and dismiss members of the State Selection Council, which reviews and approves people nominated as members of the General Assembly; Supreme Constitutional Tribunal which reviews all laws and monitors members of the State Selection Council, and members of all judicial courts. As the Chairman, they appoint and dismiss members of the Selection Committee, which approves Party of Freedom membership applicants and also appoints members of the biannual Party Congress; and the Control Committee, which monitors and reviews all party members, the Selection Committee, Party Congress and the Presidium.
The President and Chairman is elected by the Presidium of the Party of Freedom from among its members for a term of four years. Since the Revolution of Freedom, the office has been held by 77-year old revolutionary hero Arturs Celminysz. He has been re-elected unanimously by the Presidium for nine times, most recently in 2018.
State Apparatus
Essenia does not hold elections, as that is seen as democratic and as an instrument that can and will be used to violate individual freedoms. Instead, citizens can at any time nominate members to the 400-member General Assembly, the highest legislative authority in Essenia. These nominations are then reviewed by the State Selection Council, which can appoint these nominations to the Assembly based on their skills and party loyalty. Members of the General Assembly serve at the Council's pleasure, and can be replaced if a more suitable candidate is found. Usually, only the most loyal party members get to serve more than two four-year terms.
In practice, the General Assembly is little more than a rubber stamp since its agenda is almost totally controlled by the Executive Council and its President. The Assembly usually only votes on bills and does not debate them, and the only significant de jure power that the Assembly holds is the right to confirm other members of the Executive Council that are appointed by its President.
While the supreme executive authority in Essenia is exercised by the President of the Executive Council, the council itself takes care of the day-to-day running of the state. Besides the President, it consists of a variable number of councillors responsible for various chancelleries (which are analogous to ministries in most other countries). Chancellors can be dismissed by the President at any time.
The judicial system is entirely controlled by the President, who appoints and dismisses all judges. It consists of an independent constitutional court known as the Supreme Constitutional Tribunal, which reviews the constitutionality of all legislation as well as actions of the lower courts and the State Selection Committee. The lower courts are divided into 55 Courts of Justice, whose decisions can be appealed to four Courts of Cassation.
Party Apparatus
The Party of Freedom is the sole legal party in Essenia, and around 20% of citizens are members of the party. Party membership brings various perks and is a de facto requirement for any higher office. Prospective members of the party must apply to join, and their application is reviewed by the Selection Committee, which takes into account the personal and family history of the applicant before making a decision. If they are accepted, they become members of one of the over 16,000 branches of the party. Underage members become members the Free Essenian Youth League instead.
All branches of the Party send delegates to the biannual Party Congress, which in theory is the highest leading institution in the Party. It elects, at least in theory, the Party Council of the party to act on the conference's behalf when it is not in session. In practice, the Party Congresses are a largely staged event meant to show unity and celebrate achievements of the Party, with the members to be elected to the Party Council decided in advance; usually, its members include chancellors, party functionaries and military leadership. The Party Council usually convenes 6-10 times a year and elects the members of the Presidium.
The Presidium in turn is the highest executive committee of the Party. It consists of 8-15 high ranking members, who elect the Chairman of the Presidium from amongst themselves. The Presidium is responsible for setting the policy of the state, although in practice it has been a largely symbolic office dominated by its Chairman. Its members outrank the chancellors of the Executive Council.
Besides these party organs, there are also various secretariats for implementing the policies of the Party, with the most powerful being the Secretariat of the Presidium. In addition, there is the Control Committee, which is often said to be the most powerful office of the Party. Its members are appointed directly by the Chairman and are responsible for monitoring and reviewing actions of all other party organs as well as individual members.
Military
Essenian military is divided into two parts: The first, the Essenian Defense Forces is controlled by the by the State and consists of the Essenian Land Force, Essenian Naval Force and the Essenian Air Force. The Freedom Guards is the official military of the Party of Freedom that also has its own air and naval detachments. It functions as paramilitary gendarmerie with some law enforcement functions.
The EDF has a strength of 34,000 soldiers. The country spends 6% of its GDP in the military, which accounts for almost 70% of government spending. Most of the EDF is stationed along the Essenian-Lecian Demilitarized Zone in the southern part of the country.