The Government of Polar Svalbard

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The Oligarchy
Technically the nation of Polar Svalbard is a Dual Consular Republic although it is more accurate to say that it is an Oligarchy. The only true positions that are attainable by the common man are in the Senate and the Consular position, although it is extremely difficult to gain either unless you are well connected as corruption, bribery, and coercion run rampant through the dubious government. Those who lead are the strong, the powerful, the wealthy, and the well-connected. Oddly enough though the average Svalbardian is fine with this arrangement as it has worked out for the most part and while political freedoms aren't great, economic and civil freedoms are sponsored and there is always the possibilty that you will attain the Dream of becoming an "Oligarch" no matter how small and insignificant that chance is.

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The Executive Branch
The Executive Branch holds most of the power in the government, through the two consuls and their Counsels of Advisers. Their are two distinctive heads of the Executive Branch, the two consuls. The first is the Consul Bellum, generally held by a man due to cultural beliefs, the Consul Bellum chiefly deals with Economics and the Military. The Consul Bellum's counterpart, the Consul Adstutia, is culturally and thus generally taken up by a woman and deals with Foreign and Domestic Affairs. The two Consuls are meant to work together, although they usually disagree on many things and the fact that they are distinctive gives them power, but the fact that there are two gives a balance. For some reason this part of the government is usually the least corrupt, political analysists seem to believe it stems from a mix of culture, publicity, and the need to gain the people's trust in that position.

The Consuls are assisted by their Council of Advisers. This works like the Secretaries in the U.S and ministers in other nations. The Council Bellum holds the SMI Director, the Minister of the Economy, the Minister of the Armed Forces, the Infrastructure Minister, the Environmental Minister, and the Chief Adviser. The Council Adstutia holds the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Education, an SMI Liason, and the Chief Adviser.

For elections in the Executive Branch the Consuls are elected every two years and they handpick their Councils themselves. The election day is set for December 1st, and the inauguration happens on January 1st. Consuls have no term limits and people can be picked to be on Councils as many times until they die. The only requirements for being a Consul is to be 35 years or older and have been a citizen of the nation for 14 years at least.

Interestingly this Executive Branch came into being in 1891 after the abolition of the monarchy. The 1891 Uprising of the Wolves was a large Civil War which focused on taking down the corrupt and ineffective monarchy, the dynasty having reigned for over 400 years, the people were finally sick of it. Stylizing themselves as wolves, huge sections of the Svalbardian populace and military rose up and overthrew the monarchy. After executing the royal family the Wolves established the current government and formed the Nationalist Party, the oldest party in the Svalbardian Senate.

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The Svalbardian Senate
The Svalbardian Senate is located in the Hall of Voices in Alta, Polar Svalbard. Contained in a large semi-circular chamber, there are 100 seats which contain all the members of the Senate. The Senate is led by the Speaker of the People. The Speaker of the People is appointed by a party, or coalition, that contains over 50% of the seats. The Senate makes the legislative laws of the State, declare wars, and levy taxes. Senators are elected every two years.

The Senate contains four main parties, and a few smaller ones. The four main parties are the Nationalist Party, the Federalists, the Worker's Party, and the Noble's Party. Some notable smaller ones include the Libertarians, the Wake Nationals Party, and the Together is Strength (TS) party. There are a few others but they do not hold seats in the Senate. Current Seat count is, Nationalist Party with 43, Federalists with 25, Noble's Party with 12, Worker's Party with 10, Libertarians with 5, TS party with 3, and the Wake Nationals Party with 2. The current majority coalition is the Alliance for Strength which contains the Nationalists, the Federalists, and the TS Party. The minority coalition is the Past is the Future with the Noble's Party and the Wake Nationals Party. The other minority coalition is the Rights of the People with the Worker's Party and the Libertarians.

The Nationalist Party (Blue) is the oldest party in the Svalbardian Senate. It began in 1891 with the execution of the Monarchy and has endured ever since. It holds much sway with the Svalbardian populace for its policies, age, and honor. It focuses on a policy of Polar Svalbard first, working to strengthen its position in the Isles, working to strengthen the economy, and keeping check on immigration. It supports the Abrahamic religions although it maintains the right of religion for all. While it is not liberal nor conservative totally it supports people's rights in that they wish the government out of the bedroom, but the party does not support total abortion, rather only in special cases. While not facist it normally works with the TS party as they share many views, although the Nationalists' are less radical.

The Federalists (Green) was founded in 1939 after the World's Great Depression. It is held up by many in the Upper and Middle classes for its economic and foreign affairs policies. The Federalist Party holds economics above all other policies and seeks to maintain a strong Svalbardian economy. It in many cases works with the Nationalist Party but in many years has gone against it and sided with the Noble's Party. Unlike the Nationalists it favors open immigration and wide reaching Visa systems. It supports Technical Education just as much as post-secondary education. It favors a trickle down economic policy and is against Welfare and instead works with workfare. In the penitentiary system it has gotten laws passed that make prisons more like work camps.

The Noble's Party (Yellow) was founded in 1893 and is favored by those of high stature and power along with many Svalbardians who wish a return to a monarchy. The Noble's Party tries to protect old rights in the Svalbardian System, and wishes to set up a Constitutional Monarchy. It favors strong economic policies, although it is conservative on civil liberties.

The Worker's Party (Red) is the communist party in Polar Svalbard. Founded in 1920 it is supported by the lower class of Polar Svalbard. They are against MSTO, the CFN, and the League. They look at the economy, civil liberties, education, and in general work towards helping the poor. They are always at odds with the Federalists and much of the time with the Nationalist Party.

The Libertarians (Pink) was founded in 1975 and is the second youngest party in Polar Svalbard. It is supported by many across Polar Svalbard in different classes and races. It is the largest minority party and looks towards the 10 seats required of being a majority party. It works towards wide reaching civil liberties and a strong economy. It often works with the Worker's Party although it also has coalitioned in the past with the Nationalists or the Federalists.

The Together is Strength Party (Light Blue) was founded in 1934 and is the Fascist Party in Polar Svalbard. It has greatly fallen in stature since the thirties and forties when it was a major party and between 1952 and 1984 it wasn't even in the Senate. It works towards a fascist Polar Svalbard, although it normally coalitions with the Nationalist Party.

The Wake Nationals Party (Orange) was founded in 2002 and basically works towards keeping the Wake Islands in National Politics and makes sure they are represented. They normally coalition with the Nobles although have many times coalitioned with the Nationalists.

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The Svalbardian High Court

The Svalbardian High Court is the supreme court of the land, handling cases concerning the government and the rich of the nation. It is led by The Seven, seven justices who are over the age of 50 and have 20 years of experience in the Justice System. It typically handles suits against the government and disputes between the Senate and the Consuls.

The Svalbardian High Court as it is known today was founded in 1507 when the Monarch signed the Laws of Equality which were introduced by an uprising by the people. The High Court had authority to cancel decisions by the king if they went against the Laws of Equality, although they oft became quite corrupt.

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The Constitution of Polar Svalbard
The Svalbardian Constitution is the basis for the nation of Polar Svalbard. Ratified in 1891 after the fall of the Monarchy it established the current government, and has been amended to fit what Polar Svalbard needs.