Independent cities of Vyvland

Independent cities (Vyvlander: vrisdeden, singular vrisdad) are a type of administrative division of Vyvland, combining the functions of a municipality with most of those of a province. Legally however, independent cities are still classed as municipalities and are still within the boundaries of their respective 'parent' provinces. There are six such independent cities, each of which covers one of the six largest cities in Vyvland, namely Jesel, Lorence, Lyksdal, Mafiy, Strossen and Vlud. The status of independent city was formally created in 1968, though some cities had held a similar status for a long time before this.

History

The independence of some cities from control of a larger political body has been a status held by many cities throughout Vyvland's history. Upon the creation of the system of provinces in the late eighteenth century, all but four cities lost this status, these four being Lorence, the parliamentary capital; Vlud, the royal capital; Pegerms, a city long associated with the governance of Vyvland; and Mafiy, then the country's second-largest city. Pegerms became fully subsumed under the control of the province of Pegerm in 1820, thus leaving just three independent cities. These three cities varied in the exact powers that each held; Mafiy, for example, delegated many of its municipal powers to the province of Wik, while Vlud had power over taxes not held by any other province or city.

After the 1967-8 Stanmer unrest, Lyksdal gained independent city status. In the same act of parliament, the status of independent city became formalised in law. Independent cities were to be legally municipalities with all powers of a province but utilities distribution and policing (except for Vlud and Lyksdal which both have their own independent police forces). The powers have changed only marginally since then. Despite their independence from the vast majority of provincial control, independent cities were - and still are - officially below provinces on the hierarchy of administrative divisions. Thus, voters in independent cities may vote for the members of their province's respective Provincial Diet.

Two new independent cities have been created since Vyvlander reunification in 1983: Jesel, in 1987, and Strossen, in 2014. These cities are the third and sixth largest cities in the country. The processes for both of these cities' independence were set in motion by left-wing coalitions, who tend to be much more in support of the independent city model as it usually benefits the political left due to the left's greater strength in major cities. The right, however - and particularly KDC - has tended to lessen the powers of these cities while in power nationally.

List of independent cities

Coat of arms	Name	Area (km²)	Population 28-4-2012	Density (per km²)	Established	Governing party or coalition	Mayor
	Jesel	664	1,219,117	1,836	1987	S-G-YW		Enrig Benson (S)
	Lorence	262	751,520	2,868	Time Immemorial	S-L-G		Marcel Manger (S)
File:Lyksdal coa.png	Lyksdal	752	1,961,201	2,607	1968	S		Anjrea Rud (S)
File:Mafiy arms.png	Mafiy	582	948,781	1,630	Time Immemorial	S-L-G		Han Wengel-Houtman (KDC)
	Strossen		624,980		2014	S-G-L		Ernsde Howedman (S)
	Vlud	588	2,087,572	3,550	Time Immemorial	KDC-KLP-VSB		Moijel Angkeuk (KDC)