Mannatiua

Mannatiuan Free Association of Communes Kommunalvabamaa Mannatiulaane (Liidurian) Irekle Kommunal-Berlәšmә Mannatiyo (Forthons) Dibenindi'zobemaadzidkaa Mangitigweyaa (Ziibwingon)
Motto: "Peace to all, death to tyrants!"
Anthem: Unto The Breach
Capital	Chauegan
Largest city	Agogibing
Official languages	Liidurian
Recognised national languages	Forthons, Ziibwingon
Recognised regional languages	Regional languages in Mannatiua
Demonym(s)	Mannatiuan
Government	Libertarian Socialist Federation under a Unicameral Nonpartisan Consensual Soviet Democracy
• First Citizen	Remond Povel
• First Commissar	Ulle Must
Legislature	Revolutionary Federal Commissary
Formation
• Settlement by the Ziibwingon Peoples	12th Century CE
• Establishment of Mannatiua Colony as part of the Forthons Expulsion from Liiduria	19 March 1749
• Crown Colony	18 July 1805
• First Republic	18 August 1866
• Kevmian Empire	5 October 1867
• Second Republic	16 May 1895
• Free Association of Communes	18 December 1922
• Constitution	8 January 1943
Area
• Total	2,326,532.44 km2 (898,279.20 sq mi)
• Water (%)	5.4
Population
• 2020 census	21,442,089
• Density	9.22/km2 (23.9/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2019 estimate
• Total	219.24 Billion US$
• Per capita	10,225 US$
GDP (nominal)	2019 estimate
• Total	384.39 Billion US$
• Per capita	17,927 US$
Gini (2016)	26.1 low
HDI (2017)	0.833 very high
Currency	Mannatiuan Misuabic (28.37 MAM = 1 US$) (MAM)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Internet TLD	.mt

Mannatiua, officially styled the Mannatiuan Free Association of Communes, is a federal union of Nineteen Communes and four Federal Cities, including the nation's de facto capital of Chauegan. While acting as a sovereign state, the nation's governmental system is founded upon the principles of Communalist Anarchism, the Non-aggression principle, and direct Democracy, making the terminology of conventional statehood highly contentious in reference to Mannatiua.

While technically land-locked, Mannatiua is located in the core of the Vestric Great Lakes region, with all but one of the five Great Lakes composing significant portions of the nation's territorial waters. It is bordered to the Northwest by Skjoldeland, to the southwest by the Free Territories of Cartessa, and to the south by Encessia. In total, Mannatiua is 2,326,532.44 km² (898,279.20 sq mi) in area. Much of the country is unpopulated, with the south-central regions of the country being occupied by the Great Zhingwaakwag Forest, one of the largest boreal forests in the world - a region that has generally been left undeveloped for much of history, and is a WECO Ecological World Heritage Site. Due to the vast regions of wilderness in the center of the country, much of the population and economic activity takes place in and around the Mannatiua River Lowlands in the Northwest and the shores of Lakes Madakweda and Ostego in the South, with the largest economic center being located in Agogibing, the nation's sole current Alpha city.

Mannatiua has been host to native Vestric peoples since c. 1100 CE, with the Ziibwingon cultures being the most prominent, establishing major settlements along the Mannatiua River and Great Lakes. The earliest arrival of Asuran colonists came in the form of the Forthons people as a result of mass expulsions from Liiduria in the mid-18th Century, with promises of resettlement in the Vestric Interior being used to mask an attempt to halt Lhedwinic influence in the Great Lakes region. The contact between the Forthons exiles and the Ziibwingon was, in contrast to previous relations with the Liidurians, marked by cooperation and mutual respect. While Liidurian imperial interest in the Mannatiuan interior was low for much of the early history of the settlement, the discovery of vast mineral deposits near the North Shores of Lake Madakweda, primarily of copper and iron, resulted in much more rapid exploitation of these resources and a revocation of the First Colonial Charter that established autonomy for the Forthons, with the region being organized into the St. Aubert's Land colony in 1805. A string of revolts took place throughout the 19th century, largely started by the increasingly disenfranchised Ziibwingon and Forthons in response to combative colonial policies. The Colonial Governor held largely responsible for the violence was recalled in 1859, placing the colony directly under imperial control. This move forcibly ended slavery and indentured servitude in the colony, and restored many of the rights lost to the Forthons and Ziibwingon since 1805 thanks to reforms in Liiduria proper. This, however, led to a period of political and extrajudicial hostility by the Liidurian populations which settled in the Colony over the 19th Century, which resulted in a short-lived republic in 1866, and a coup in 1867 which established the Kevmian Empire that, while not reinstating the most egregious of abuses against formerly-enslaved peoples and persecuted minorities, was a brutally repressive and kleptocratic state, which through economic mismanagement and nepotism collapsed in 1895. Attempts by a new republic at meaningful reform were made, none of which were successful, leading to the radicalization of the nation's lower classes and an extremely violent Revolution in 1922 that installed the first iteration of the modern anarchist government. Political violence finally ceased in the country following reforms in 1942, setting the nation on a trajectory towards peaceful, independent development as a non-aligned nation during the Cold War years.

21st Century Mannatiua is a multiethnic and multicultural society, composed of numerous identities from across Vestrim and the Western Hemisphere at large, colonial and indigenous, all of which participate actively in the governance, economy and cultural development of the nation. Its official language is Liidurian, and its two subordinate national languages are the culturally-significant Forthons and indigenous Ziibwingon languages, both of which are taught in all schools across the country. It is considered a newly-industrialized nation, and is among the fastest growing economies in the world, though it continues to face issues rooted in relative political isolation due to its consistently radical policies and beliefs.

History

Main Article: History of Mannatiua

Pre-Colonial Mannatiua

Main Articles: Pre-Colonial Vestrim

Forced Settlement by the Liidurian Forthons

Main Articles: Forthons People, Antiforthonsism

Revolution of 1922 and Early Radical Period

Main Articles: Mannatiuan Revolution

The Terrors

Main Articles: Black Terror (Mannatiua), Little Terror (Mannatiua)

21st Century

• November 2012: Mannatiua comes under fire for support of the resurgent Chawpisuyu rebellion, though aid has been limited to providing food and developmental aid, no current plans to provide direct military support - volunteer units with Mannatiuan arms have been reported however, souring ties with Rosia
• January 2019: Point Sylvestri Observatory Incident in Isolaprugna results in five Mannatiuan scientists going missing alongside the other 27, status unknown
• May 2020: Mannatiua becomes the first signatory to the Tibu Charter, aligning with its founder Linavia, breaking with its post-Cold War policy of strict non-alignment.

Politics and Government

Main Article: Politics of Mannatiua

Further Information: Union of Citizens for the Federal Welfare (Mannatiua), Caucus politics of Mannatiua

While officially regarded as a federation which practices a form of semi-direct council democracy with universal suffrage, Mannatiua in practice utilizes an unconventional form of multi-party parliamentary democracy, filtered through the lens of Communalism and Libertarian Socialism. The Development of the Mannatiuan Constitution of 1942, which replaced the prior national governing document, the Proclamation of Universal Human Liberty, led to the country going from a full-on experiment in operating as a stateless society to becoming something more resembling a republic founded upon anarchist ideals, and codifying law rooted in the non-aggression principle and a more syndicalist mode of organization. The sole extant officeholding political party in Mannatiua at the national level is the Union of Citizens for the Federal Welfare, which is subdivided into a number of political caucuses, which perform the roles that political parties generally do in other democracies. Other regional interest parties are allowed to operate on the regional and community level, to varying degrees of prevalence.

Remond Povel
First Citizen
since 2016

Ulle Must
First Commissar
since 2016

Remond Povel is the current First Citizen since 2016, though the role of head of state is shared between all eight members of the Executive Commission in corpore. Ulle Must is the First Commissar, presides over the Revolutionary Commissary, and is head of government. Typically, the First Commissar is the more politically influential domestically, while the First Citizen is more focused on foreign relations and diplomacy.

Executive Commission

Main Articles: First Citizen of Mannatiua, Executive Commission of Mannatiua

The Executive Commission is a group of ten elected officials which act in corpore as the head of state of Cukobai. The First Citizen is the chief executive officer of the government primus inter pares and the head of Cukobai's order of precedence, though they do not hold any explicit powers which supersede the other nine members of the Commission. Sitting members are responsible for overseeing one of the ten Constitutional Departments, as well as to discuss inter-departmental policy with their fellow members of the Commission.

Each Member is elected during a meeting of the Revolutionary Commissary via secret ballot. The election process undergoes a number of rounds via the process of exhaustive balloting. No one District or Federal City can be represented by more than one member of the Directorate. During the first round of ballots, any citizen of Mannatiua is capable of putting their name in for consideration, though the pool of candidates are restricted to the top 20 candidates in the second, top 10 in the third, and so on until a candidate achieves an absolute majority of votes. This process repeats for each of the ten offices present in the Directorate, with the role of First Citizen going to direct popular vote among the general public out of the ten members of the Commission. Members are eligible for holding a total of four terms in office, for a total possible twenty years in office.

Legislature

Main Articles: Revolutionary Commissary of Mannatiua, First Commissar of Mannatiua

The Revolutionary Commissary of Mannatiua is the national-level legislative body of Mannatiua. It operates under a unicameral structure. Mannatiua utilizes a part-time legislature on the national level, as each representative also works as part of the political and administrative leadership of their respective regional jurisdiction, which are organized as citizen legislatures. Constitutionally, there are no explicit term limits to members of the Assemblies, though tradition typically dictates they serve a maximum of five terms on the national level. All elections take place every five years; the last set of elections took place in 2016, with the next set for 2021.

The Commissary is composed of [x] representatives, with a minimum of three being present from each District and Federal City, with additional seats being allocated for every 275,000 Citizens. Representatives are elected from the incumbent body of Commissars of each District-level Council, with the top candidates being granted positions proportional to their caucus' performance. Similarly to the Executive Commission, these representatives undergo an exhaustive ballot in which the field is narrowed down over the course of a single section until the top candidates remain.

The general electorate is capable of challenging, proposing, and altering legislation through the use of ballot initiatives and referenda, thus making Mannatiua a direct democracy. Legislation introduced through these methods are approved and enacted by a meeting of the Combined Assemblies, and enforced by the Executive Commission.

Jurisdictional Tier Structure and Direct Democracy

Participation in the local council is often considered the cornerstone of civic life in Mannatiua.

Direct democracy practiced through a nested arrangement of councils and federalism are key elements of the Mannatiuan political system. Citizens participate in three political jurisdictions: the municipal, regional, and national levels. In Federal Cities, municipal and regional jurisdictions are referred to as neighborhood and municipal levels, respectively.

All citizens of voting age are required by the 1942 Constitution to attend monthly sessions of their third-tier (municipal or neighborhood) council, in which policy and local happenings or issues are discussed, and proposals for legislation are made. Each council is overseen by a Political Commission, modeled on their national-level counterpart. Votes on the third-tier level are carried out by public, non-secret vote following the end of deliberation on a given matter. Members of these councils' Commissions are elected by secret ballot, however, with a different vote set for each of the positions mandated to be filled. Additionally, these Directors engage in monthly gatherings of their second-tier (regional or municipal) council to discuss region or city-wide policy - where they are collectively referred to as Commissars. While not a requirement of citizenship on this level, the general electorate is encouraged to participate as an observer in these councils as well, and are still permitted to present and discuss policy and issues before the council. Processes of voting and election take place similarly as on the Third-tier, though restricted to Commissars in this case. The body of each second-tier council composes the extent of the candidate pool from which national-level representatives may be chosen for that given District or Federal City.

All citizens are guaranteed the constitutional right to propose and submit initiatives and referenda, which may be utilized to alter, challenge, or overturn legislation on any of the three levels of government. Each level of jurisdiction require different numbers of signatures within 120 days of their drafting in order for it to be formally considered for passage in their given council - 1,500 for third-tier, 5,000 for second-tier, and 50,000 for national-tier consideration, respectively. Once achieved, the given proposal will be placed on the appropriate ballot during one of the three annual election days (20 April, 18 August, or 21 December), in which the motion can be passed or rejected upon achieving a simple majority.

Initiatives for constitutional amendments are similarly accomplished, but demand additional votes. First, the amendment process requires a motion by a total of at least nine Districts or Federal Cities for the calling of a special session of the Combined Assemblies for its consideration, as well as the gathering of at least 250,000 signatures from among the electorate within 18 months of its drafting. If it achieves the required signatures and motions for amendment, it is then put to a vote in the Combined Assemblies, which then can either pass immediately by achieving a supermajority. If this does not happen, the amendment will be put to a national vote, which then must only achieve a simple majority, similarly to standard initiatives or referenda.

Law and Order

Main Articles: Law Enforcement in Mannatiua, Mannatiuan Revolutionary Justice, Crime in Mannatiua, Citizen Guard(Cukobai)

With its basis in the philosophy of Communalism, the legal system utilized in Mannatiua is largely divergent from most conventional forms of law present around the world, though it shares many attributes with common law systems. The Mannatiuan Constitution of 1942 is the de facto source of rule of law in the MFAC, though it states that the "popular will" is the source of its legitimacy. Under the country's hybrid policy of distributive and restorative justice, cases are taken to be issues that affect entire communities, and as such, demand arbitration and consultation with all affected parties therein. Unlike conventional legal systems, offenses are not considered to be made against the state, but instead to the directly affected party or parties. Legal authorities are separate from the legislative and executive, and must be consulted for constitutionality when legislation is considered or reviewed. As such, the processes of judicial review and habeas corpus are highly important to Mannatiua's unconventional legal system.

Actual courts are referred to as "arbitrations" under the Mannatiuan system, with the judge, called "Mediators", acting as an impartial referee between the plaintiff and defendant. During civil cases, the Mediator can call for no third-party legal representatives to be present in order to immediately address issues between the plaintiff and defendant if suitable for the case, unless it is a class-action suit. In criminal cases, legal representatives are required to be provided, and often resemble more traditional court trials seen elsewhere utilizing a common law system, especially in cases of violent offenses. Due to the basis of legal proceedings in the smallest possible jurisdictional circles, legal appeals are generally limited in use, though sometimes can act as a change in venue if a case is deemed too high-profile to be handled objectively. During an active case, compulsory gag orders are generally employed by most communities, though press sources can gain limited access if the Mediator approves. Juries are selected from the immediate locale(s) of a given offense, or from neighboring areas if the population is not sufficient enough to provide for an adequate jury pool. The changing of venue for a suit is extremely rare, as it is generally seen as avoiding adequately addressing the impact to the community an offense happened in.

The earliest form of this legal system was implemented in the final days of the Mannatiuan Revolution, though it would not truly come into widespread use until the cessation of the events of the Black Terror. This was accomplished through the introduction of the Peoples' Revolutionary Committee for Truth and Justice. This committee granted victims of offenses associated with the pre-revolution regime in the country a platform to give accounts of violations of their rights, discrimination, and hate crimes, as well as granting those associated with these offenses to air their perspectives and seek forgiveness or amnesty, and provide the means for reconciliation with affected persons. The latter was intended to draw out associates of the Sword of St. Aubert, the military cabal associated with the events of the breakdown of the second republic, the Marxist-Leninist Red Faction, as well as other individual perpetrators of other anti-minority and counterrevolutionary offenses, to discredit the organizations and promote a process of genuine reform that improved the conditions of minorities and disenfranchised groups in a grassroots manner, as well as work to dismantle the nation's historic problem with political violence. After these peaceful, mediated confrontations and processes of arbitration between victim and offender were proven successful in many cases, the practice was encouraged among developing municipal and neighborhood councils, gradually leading to its mass deployment throughout the country and enshrinement at the core of the nation's legal tradition.

Law Enforcement

Mannatiua utilizes a largely decentralized model of policing based upon the principles of proactive community and consent-based policing. Police agencies are non-heirarchical on an operational level, with each third-level jurisdiction holding control over their given police precinct. All officers are recallable at any time if found in violation of policy in their given jurisdiction. Officers are required to live in their area of policing (often known as a "beat" colloquially), work in community outreach services that promote personal and public safety, as well as neighborhood watch efforts. "Red Flag" identification programs, which are aimed to prevent self-harming or publicly dangerous behavior (such as suicidal ideation, substance abuse, violent designs, or domestic abuse and violence, etc.) and aid affected persons in accessing the necessary remedial services, is heavily reliant on maintaining an open channel of transparency and non-hierarchical relationships with police officers, and is generally the most common form of investigation beyond regular patrols.

One of the members of the Directorate for a given area is the Administrative Chief of Police for that area, though like the First Citizen, they act as primus inter pares for policing in that area, though still in practice a regular line officer, as the general concept of the police arrangement is to require greater initiative and discretion from all officers on duty. Additionally, local officers can be called upon by their respective second-level council for issues which affect the entire region on a temporary basis, though they do maintain a permanent force of their own. This structure is immediately condensed in Federal Cities, with a single Administrative Chief presiding over the entire city as opposed to its more confederal regular structure. Areas in which Regional Police Forces have direct permanent authority include national parks, nature preserves, regional public facilities, highways, rail stations and yards, ferries and docks, and airports.

At the national level, Mannatiua employs a national police force known as the Citizen Guard (CG). It is by far the most thoroughly organized and advanced police force present in the country, with three distinct divisions - the active police services (Federal Police Service; MFPS, or P-Division), intelligence and support services (Federal Investigative Service; MFIS, or I-Division), and penal services (Rehabilitation Facilities Service; MRFS, or R-Division). Members of the Citizen Guard are actively recruited from within the regional and local policing services on the basis of professional merit and public commendations, from which they receive additional training in the field they gain employment into free of charge prior to their deployment into federal police work. P-Division is actually the smallest of all portions of the CG, with its staff only accounting for about 20% of its total composition. It is assigned to handling cases which cross regional and sometimes national borders, financial crimes, smuggling, cybercrime, hostage situations, and anti-terrorist operations. I-Division is the largest portion of the Kaval, acting as the central and often sole provider of services related to crime scene investigations, forensics, criminal psychology and profiling, public outreach, and mortuary services. All police operations rely heavily on I-Division resources and expertise, especially outside of the Federal Cities, where little or no local services of similar purpose might be available. R-Division administers the nation's non-local rehabilitation facilities, and oversee criminal rehabilitation and therapy programs. R-Division also assists other policing services in the country with addressing of "red flag" cases, though actual arbitration on the matter is carried out on the appropriate level of jurisdiction.

Military

Main Articles: Free Association Army of Mannatiua, Black Navy