by Max Barry

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Political and Governmental System

Vancouvia has one primary branch of government: the Vancouvian Congress, which exercises both Legislative and Executive powers. The Vancouvian Congress rules from the capital, Vesuvius.

Vancouvia is a pseudo-republic. The Congress of Senators is the sole federal ruling party.

ELECTIONS PROCESS

Candidates for congress must first pass ethical and judgment tests (administered through questionnaires, lie-detector tests, interviews, and virtual reality scenarios). Those that meet the weighted standards on the ethical tests must then pass intelligence tests. The ten top scoring candidates move on to the next stage. These ten contenders now must prove themselves to the public through long televised debates, political essays, and complete disclosure of their private and public lives. This period usually takes two months. Next, a direct popular election is held. The three candidates who get the highest number of votes then compete in a final election. The winner instantly becomes a senator and must move to Vesuvius to serve in the Congress.

The elections process lasts exactly three months. Therefore, the elections process is always occurring, four cycles a year.

REMOVALS PROCESS

Senators can be removed in one of three ways:

1. Passive Removal. All senators must retake similar intelligence and ethical tests every six months. The senator that scores the lowest is automatically removed from office. He or she may reapply to go through the elections process again in the future.

2. Vote of no confidence. At any time, Vancouvian citizens can vote no confidence on any senator. This vote is done through the Vancouvian Online Interface of Citizen Entries (VOICE). At any given moment, all Vancouvian citizens are either confident or not confident about each senator. The default is confident, but any citizen can change this vote to not confident. If over 60% of citizens are not confident about a senator, they are immediately removed from office. They may NOT reapply for the elections process.

3. Self-removal. Senators can remove themselves from office at any time for any reason. They may go through the elections process again in the future.

Thus, in every year, exactly four new senators are added and at least two senators are removed.

POLITICAL PARTIES and INTEREST GROUPS

Political parties are strongly discouraged, although not outlawed. Currently, there are no political parties that retain more than 1% of Vancouvia's population.

Neither candidates nor senators may advertise in any form on any media. Instead, facts are presented in an easy-to-understand format. Senators' voting histories are distributed to all citizens, and senators must answer all inquiries and requests in a timely manner.

Some senators have begun to represent certain interest groups i.e. Senator Timothy Hawking is known for his wide-spread support of the fishing industry. However, this kind of support is discouraged both by the public and the senators. There is an unspoken agreement that senators must represent the best interest of the population as a whole.

Bribery of any form is actively rooted out, and offenders on both sides are condemned to life in prison, as political office is a position of great public trust.

CONGRESSIONAL POWERS

The Vancouvian Congress can enact whatever legislation it pleases. Any piece of legislation requires at least 75% of the senators' yes votes to become law. Laws become active exactly one month after acceptance. Similarly, any active law requires at least 75% of the senators' no votes to be repealed, and laws are repealed exactly one month after the no vote.

Congress allows local governments to enforce all laws through the Vancouvian police forces. If a local government is failing to adequately enforce laws, Congress may remove the local government and replace it with appointed leaders (typically these leaders are second or third place candidates).

Congress is responsible for all domestic and foreign trade, the postal system, the highway and rail networks, the upkeep of the military, and the protection of citizens.

WARTIME

As is necessary in war, Congress must act swiftly in war to ensure victory. After a declaration of war (requires 75%), senators immediately elect an Acting Speaker from within the pool of senators. If there is a tie, Vancouvian citizens elect between the tied candidates via direct popular vote. The Acting Speaker is given unlimited powers over the military and police forces for the length of the conflict. Congress retains all other powers.

The Acting Speaker is automatically removed from office during peacetime.

The Acting Speaker serves as commander-in-chief of all military forces. He or she is free to execute military maneuvers, promote and demote military officers, and issue a draft.

JUDICIARY

Arbitration is the only way to solve civil disputes. Both parties must agree on an arbitrator. If they cannot decide, they are randomly assigned an arbitrator.

Criminal law takes place in small, local courts. A jury of 7 decides the defendant's fate. There are no appellate courts. However, a defendant can request one new jury if they have no criminal record.

The Free Lands of Vancouvia

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