Federalism in Delkora
Federalism in Delkora refers to the division of powers between the federal government and the seven constituent states outlined in the Delkoran Constitution. Delkoran states have a high degree of autonomy and possess the authority to legislate on any matter not reserved to the federal government. Delkoran culture has long been characterized by a preference for local governance and a distrust of centralized government.
History
The early Delkoran states were governed by jarls who ruled as essentially absolute monarchs in their respective regions. Although a national monarch was installed with the coronation of Asmund I, de facto power continued to reside with the jarls, who continued to possess large personal armies they would utilize to force the monarch to enact favorable policies and oust recalcitrant monarchs.
This arrangement greatly hampered the development of a unified state, as subsequent kings were subordinated to the jarls, who retained powerful personal armies that they frequently used to assert control over the king and wage war with one another. King Haldor 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 national monarch, while the jarls 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 jarls 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 jarls, ensured that the states had to be consulted on all federal legislation. This system remained mostly unchanged until the passage of the Jarls Amendment in 1885, which reduced the jarls to constitutional monarchs.
Since the adoption of the Jarls Amendment, there has been a trend toward collaboration between the federal and state governments rather than antagonism. There have, however, been instances of coercive federalism, notably the Blockade of Banderhus in 1935 and during the chancellorships of Mette Elvensar and Geirbjørn Feldengaard in the 1960's and 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 major policy areas through consensus-driven policy coordination.
Division of powers
The four categories of government power outlined in the federal constitution are exclusive federal powers, exclusive state powers, concurrent powers shared by both, and residual powers, which are retained by the states and encompass all matters not mentioned in the constitution. The federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over national defense, foreign affairs, interstate and foreign commerce, currency regulation and banking, and immigration. States, meanwhile, have exclusive jurisdiction over cultural matters, education, intrastate commerce, local government, and the organization of their governments. Concurrent powers include policing and public safety, energy, communications, public health, social welfare, transportation, and taxation. Where federal and state law conflict, federal law prevails.
Local government
Local government in Delkora consists of county and municipal governments. Because the Delkoran Constitution assigns control over local government to states, the status of counties and municipalities is determined by each state's constitution. Cybria, Førelskov, and Lebøvenland are home rule states in which municipalities may pass laws on any subject matter not prohibited by the state constitution. Counties in these states serve primarily as administrative divisions that implement state laws and have little autonomy. Meanwhile, in Banderhus, Vassengård and Norvia, county and municipal governments can only exercise those powers explicitly granted to them by their state constitution. Counties in these states tend to have more influence.
Political significance
Since most of Delkora's parties operate on a federal structure, with branches in each state, it is possible for political differences to arise under the influence of states' different political cultures. Notable examples include:
- The Liberals' left–right struggle of the 1930s gained a regional dimension, with northern states being dominated by Venstre and southern states by Højre. The southern branches largely defected to the Reform Party in the Liberal Party split of 1940.
- The Conservatives' internal battles of the New Kingdom between Vassengård's progressive conservatism and Banderhus' social conservatism.
- The Norvia branch of the Agrarian Party breaking ties with the federal party and instead forming the Farmers' Alliance.