Flarmen

Consulate of Flarmen Consulat d'Flarmiéne
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Libartyé ů confidenze Freedom and confidence
Anthem: A Orlinèse The Orlinoise
Capital and largest city	Orlins
Official languages	Flarmish
Recognised regional languages	some
Demonym(s)	Flarmish
Government	Unitary multi-party parliamentary republic
• Consuls	Octave II Jehonne
• Captain-Regent	Lårenxe Berthovin (LC)
Legislature	Curia
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Ecclesia
History of Flarmen
• event	XXXX
• Act of Association	12 November 1701
Population
• 2018 census	38,433,600
• Density	105/km2 (271.9/sq mi)
Currency	Flarmish sol (₴) (FLA)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy (CE)
Driving side	Right
Calling code	+52
Internet TLD	.fl

Flarmen (Flamrish: Flarmiéne), known formally as the Consulate of Flarmen (Flamrish: Consulat d'Flarmiéne), is a country in Midgard. It is bordered by Suavia to the north, Orlav and Ruvia to the east, Lecia and Caria to the southeast, Learis and Kalve to the southwest, and East Engatia to the west.

Flarmen is a unitary multi-party parliamentary republic with its capital in Orlins. It is ruled by two consuls elected for life by the Senate, though in modern times they tend to hold a more ceremonial role, most of the political power being in the hands of the Captain-Regent and their government. This political system is practically unchanged since 1701, though revisions occured in 1785, 1920 and 2001.

Historically, most of current-day Flarmen was made of smaller, independent, often warring states. Overtime, the Grand-Consulate of Orlins, becoming the richest and most powerful due to extensive trading policies, gradually gained influence and progressively integrated the smaller states, spreading its political system, religion and dialect. Flarmen, in its current form, was eventually founded on 12 November 1701, with the signature of the Act of Association.

Geography

Captaincies

Population numbers = placeholders WIP

Modern-day Flarmen is divided into 30 subdivisions called captaincies (Flarmish: capitanerie). Despite Flarmen being, in theory, a unitary state, captaincies enjoy a relative degree of autonomy from the central government. Each captaincy has its own legislative assembly, which has the power to enact its own laws, granted they don't overlap with laws on the national level. Moreover, it also has its own government, led by a captain (Flarmish: capitane) elected by the legislative assembly. Captains are automatically given a seat in the Senate, though most of them decide to send a delegate to represent them in plenary sessions.

Number	Captaincy	Capital	Population	Ecclesia seats	Captain
I	Orlins	Orlins	8,852,390	XX		Florenxe Hénhart (PC)
II	Alzoum	Alzoum	352,109	XX		Rénhart da Vinjehonne (CS)
III	Bar	Bar sua Nière	183,852	XX		Childric Bronyart (CS)
IV	Botzaris	Botzaris	75,100	XX		Barte̊lem Sans-Salve̊r (D)
V	Chåmanye	Dixore	219,964	XX		Jehan Langler (LC)
VI	Dolonye	Dolonye	539,465	XX		h'Lowise Piël (MS)
VII	Éliontie	Élioz	361,031	XX		Octave Ségort (LC)
VIII	Falg	Falg	336,532	XX		Jehon-h'Lowis Magloir (LC)
IX	Gonon	Gonon	‎1,083,704	XX		Éricka Migenne (LC)
X	Henne	Chatélinåt	‎1,341,645	XX		Sylvanne Rebsamen (PS)
XI	Huberne	Huberne	406,506	XX		Ingrid Lavia (PC)
XII	Hunore	Hunore	143,104	XX		Félix Danche̊voirs (MS)
XIII	Islavakia	Islonye	371,515	XX		Istève Moujå (PS)
XIV	Jouriéne	Jours	209,161	XX		Bœrnhart Limoïs (PS)
XV	Laxovia	Laxou	2,341,531	XX		Piéter Mazenne (PS)
XVI	Liimes	Liimes	509,662	XX		Lårent Carel (LC)
XVII	Modernenxe	Modernenxe	209,779	XX		Alexandrie Loveto (SI)
XVIII	Nanivatia	Nanive	305,021	XX		h'Lowis Monitå (LC)
XIX	Olange	Olange	731,553	XX		Valère Yngrande (PS)
XX	Pontnůel	Pontnůel	4,587,021	XX		Jehon-h'Lovis Thyriet (PS)
XXI	Rével	Rével	387,638	XX		Istève Lůrins (LC)
XXII	Rothembůrg	Rothembůrg	795,839	XX		Sylvester Jehonlins (LC)
XXIII	Samurais	Samur	610,289	XX		Marie Valying (CS)
XXIV	Santia	Santia	638,425	XX		Josièf Miller (SI)

Government and politics

Executive

Consul Octave II

Consul Jehonne

Consuls

The Consuls are, according to the Act of Association, the heads of state of Flarmen. They are elected for life by the Senate by means of a special, symbolic vote commonly called the huiclos. Being generally former senators, they are seen as experimented, wise leaders that are qualfiied to ensure that the principles enumerated in the Act of Association are respected.

While they traditionally held more powers, the Consuls hold, since 2001 revision of the Act of Association, a merely ceremonial role. Their duties are to represent the State domestically and internationally, embody the union of the State with its citizens, and to officially appoint the Captain Regent. However, the Consuls still hold the power to overrule a law or decree that they judge goes against the Act of Association, while this remains relatively rare. Such action is called a Consular veto (Flarmish: Veto consulår). Consuls are also charged to appoint senators, and can also deliver Consular pardons. They are, by law, unaffiliated to any political party.

The Orlins Citadel is the official office of both Consuls.

Before 2001, the Consuls were given a right of initiative (Flarmish: dret da iniziative) which allowed them to dissolve the Ecclesia, revoke or refuse to approve the Government, and sign official decrees. After controversies caused by Consul Rénhart IV (1961-1988) tendency to use those powers to their fullest, sometimes stepping into illegality, this right of initiative was put into question and eventually abolished in the 2001 revision of the Act of Association. Nowadays, a large number of politicians and citizens advocate for the return of this right of initiative.

Upon accession to the position, Consuls represent, despite not having the sense of nobility found in monarchies, some sort of supreme figure in national mythology, characterized by the use of a regnal name, an official style, the wearing of the olive costume (Flarmish: Habit olivé), and the delivery of an official portrait to every public facility in the country. Though a Consul is elected for life, resignation is possible, though it has to be approved by the Senate. Consuls are numbered since the accession to power of the first Grand-Consuls of Orlins in 1012.

The incumbent Consuls of Flarmen are Octave II, 210th Consul, elected in January of 1989, and Jehonne, 212th Consul, elected in November of 2018.

Government

Captain Regent Anne̊ Berthovin

The Government of Flarmen is led by the Captain Regent, who, according to the 2001 revision of the Act of Association, holds the essential part of the executive power. After a general election, the leader of the largest party is appointed by the Consuls as Captain Regent by interim and are given the priorité (priority), which means that they are the only person legally able to form an official government. Once formed, that government must then be approved by both the Consuls and the Ecclesia.

According to the Act of Association, the Captain Regent is the commander-in-chief of the Flarmish Army. The Captain Regent is also able to dissolve the Ecclesia, with approval of the Consuls. Their term is infinitely renewable. The Captain Regent can issue ordonnances as well as force laws into effect by engaging the government's responsability in the Ecclesia.

In the case a Captain Regent decides to resign or dies while in office, their political party is charged by the Consuls with running an internal election to choose its new leader, who will thus become the next Captain Regent, within a delay of 50 days, otherwise the priorité is given to the leader of the second-largest party in the Ecclesia.

The incumbent Captain Regent of Flarmen is Anne̊ Berthovin of the Liberal Conservative Party, since January 24th, 2016.

Legislative

The legislative power is held by the Curia, a bicameral parliament consisting of an upper house, the Senate, and a lower house, the Ecclesia.

Senate

The Senate of Flarmen constitues the upper house of the Curia. Meeting in the Biaubourg, a fortress located on the Valtin hill of southern Orlins, it is made of 90 senators, of which 50 are directly appointed for life by the Consuls. The remaining 30 seats are given to the 30 captains of Flarmen, though most of them prefer sending a delegate to represent them, preferring to focus on their local duties. Captains effectively seat at the Senate on ceremional occasions only, such as the huiclos or the first adress of a newly-elected Consul, for example.

Like the Consuls, the Senate has few actual political power, and exists mostly for ceremonial and traditional reasons. Although laws de jure have to be approved by the Senate to be enacted, the 1920 revision of the Act of Association statued that the approval of the Consuls was enough.

It is the Senate's duty to elect a new Consul when the previous one dies or decides to resign. This process, called the huiclos (Flarmish for "closed on all sides"), locks the 90 senators in the Biaubourg, until they eventually elect one of them to be the next Consul in a two-thirds majority, at a rate of 2 votes per day. This process typically lasts a few days (the shortest huiclos took place in 1812 with the unanimous election of Rénhart on the 1st vote), though there has been cases where the huiclos has been exceptionally long.

The latest huiclos took place from October 28 to November 18 of 2018, following Consul Hugon V's death. It resulted in Senator Josiette Dubrez-Howald being elected as the 212th and first female Consul of Flarmen, taking the regnal name Jehonne. This huiclos, lasting 21 days, was the longest in modern Flarmish history, and the third-longest to take place since 1012.

Ecclesia

The Ecclesia of Flarmen constitues the lower house of the Curia. Meeting in the Grand Curia of Orlins, it is made of 500 members called ecclesiastes (Flarmish: ecle̊siastes), which are all directly-elected by Flarmish citizens.

The Ecclesia is the main organ of power in the Flarmish political system. It gives (or can take back) its confidence to the Captain Regent and their government in a vote, approves and can amend laws and other projects such as the state budget, and has the power to trigger a referendum.

Ecclesiastes generally sit for a term of four years. Houwever, a number of political events can lead to a general election being held sooner than this four-year threshold. The Ecclesia can be dissolved by the Captain Regent, with the mandate of the Consuls.

Since the 1785 revision of the Act of Association allowing the existence of political parties, the Ecclesia (and therefore the Flarmish political landscape) has always more or less been dominated by a dynamic consisting of three to five main parties. Currently, those main parties are the Socialist Convention on the left, the Social Platform on the centre-left, the Citizenship Party on the centre-right and the Liberal Conservative Party on the classical right. Those main parties coexist with a number of smaller political formations, which makes one-party majority governments rare. Multipartisan effort and formation of coalitions is therefore essential to form a functioning government.