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The Disputed Territory of Free Port of Cristina.
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Government, Law and Politics
Cristina has again been governed under a constitutional monarchy since it's independence, with the King or Queen of Cristina as head of state, with some powers devolved to several advisory and legislative bodies.The executive branch consists of a Minister of State as the head of government, who presides over a ten-member Council of Government. The Minister of State can be Cristinese or Mantellan. However, Queen Nova Maxima Korvini appointed, on 20 January of 2021, the Afropan-Cristinese Keyla Rossi as Minister of State, after she had been elected by popular vote.
Queen Nova Maxima Korvini.
Cristina has pursued the development of the e-governme which should enable anyone visiting a city website to communicate and interact with city employees via the Internet with graphical user interfaces (GUI), instant-messaging (IM), learn about government issues through audio/video presentations, and in any way more sophisticated than a simple email letter to the address provided at the site.
Under the currently constitution, the Queen shares her veto power with the unicameral National Council. The 36 members of the National Council are elected for four-year terms; 24 are chosen through a majority electoral system and 12 by proportional representation. All legislation requires the approval of the National Council, which is currently dominated by the Classic Liberal Union for Cristina party which holds nineteen seats. The conservative Rally for Cristina holds twelve seats while the centre-left People's New Party holds five seats. The kingdom's city affairs are directed by the Communal Council, which consists of twenty one elected members and is presided over by a mayor, the Mayor of the City of Cristina. Like in the National Council, communal counselors are elected for four-year terms.
Executive branch
The Sovereign King (Cristinese: Re di Cristina) or Queen of Cristina (Cristinese: Regina di Cristina) is the reigning monarch and head of state of the Kingdom of Cristina. All reigning king and queen have officially taken the name of the House of Korvini, although some have belonged to other families in the male line, such as the Valentini, the Mandic, the Giordi and the Mantegni houses. The present reigning queen is Nova Maxima Korvini.
The King or Queen of Cristina exercises his or her authority in accordance with the Constitution and laws. He or she represents the Kingdom in foreign relations and any revision, either total or partial, of the Constitution must be jointly agreed to by the monarch and the National Council.
Minister of State Keyla
Mwanza Rossi
The Minister of State is the head of government of Cristina, being elected by popular vote and submitted to appointment by and subordinate to the King or Queen of Cristina. During their term of office, the holder is responsible for directing the work of the Cristinese government and is in charge of foreign relations. As the monarch's representative, the Minister of State also directs the executive services, commands the Police and the Military, and presides (with voting powers) over the Council of Government.
The Council of Government is under the authority of the monarch. The title and position of King is hereditary, the Minister of State appointed by the monarch after being elected a candidate by popular vote in general elections. Until the 2002 Cristinese constitution, only Mantellan nationals were eligible for the post.
The Council of Government of Cristina consists of ten members, the Minister of State, who chairs the council, and the nine members (counsellors or ministers); he or she also has voting rights, and has control of both the police and military.
• Minister of Internal affairs
• Minister of Economy and Finance
• Minister of Tourism and Urban Planning
• Minister of Social Affairs and Health
• Minister of Defense
• Minister of Foreign and Internal Trade and Telecommunications
• Minister of Justice
• Minister of Public Administration
• Minister of Science and Technology
The Council debates projects and bills proposed to the King by the other governmental councils, executive ordinances approved by the King, the Minister of State's ministerial orders, and other miscellaneous policy.
The monarch is advised by the Crown Council of Cristina. The Crown Council of Cristina is a seven-member administrative body which meets at least twice annually to advise the King of Cristina on various domestic and international affairs. It is one of three such councils designated by the Kingdom's Constitution, the other two being the National Council and the Communal Council.
The monarch appoints the council's President (chairman) and three other members, generally members of the Nobilità; the final three members are chosen amongst candidates put forward by the National Council. The current Speaker of the national council is Giancarlo Cecilia, Duke of Feliccia.
Though the Crown Council is simply an advisory committee and has no legislative power, the monarch must consult it before signing international treaties, dissolving the National Council, naturalizing citizens, or making certain other executive decisions.
The unicameral National Council (Consiglio Nazionale) has 36 seats. The members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. The Council can be disbanded by the King of Cristina provided that he hosts elections within 3 months. They are chosen in a national election in which Cristinese citizens of legal age are eligible to vote. Cristinese legislators can be members of political parties or independents but these men and women must have been citizens for a minimum of five years.
The Council meets at least once per month to vote on the country's budget and bills proposed by the king's government. Ordinances (executive orders) are debated in the Council of Government, and once approved, must be submitted to the king within eighty days for his signature, which makes them legally enforceable. If he does not express opposition within ten days of submission, they become valid.
Toni Minardi, Speaker of
the National Council.
The role of the Speaker of the National Council in Cristina is similar to that in most Commonwealth legislatures. The Speaker presides over the sittings of National Council, and enforces the rules prescribed in its Standing Orders for the orderly conduct of parliamentary business. In carrying out their duties, the Speaker must remain impartial and fair to all national counselors.
The Speaker regulates and enforces the rules of debate. They decide who has the right to speak, and put the question for the Council to debate on and vote. The Speaker does not take part in the debates, but can abstain or vote for or against a motion if they have a vote as an elected national counselor.
As the guardian of parliamentary privileges, national counselors look to the Speaker for guidance on procedures, and for rulings on any points of order.
The Speaker is second in the order of succession for the office of Chief of State of Cristina. Should the King's Throne be vacant, and the chairman of the Crown Council is unable to take up the role, the Speaker will assume the duties of the monarch. In terms of state protocol, the Speaker sits at the same level as the Chief of Justice of Cristina. The current Speaker of the national council is Toni Minardi.
There are six political parties officially recognised and registered by the Tribunale Elettorale Nazionale (TEN), the organism which oversees elections and electoral results at all levels of Cristinese government since September 2002. Those Parties, however, receive no subsidies from the Government to pursue their political activities. TEN may also recognize independent candidates to participate to the political life of the Kingdom.
Logo | Name | Orientation | Seats in the National Council | Seats in the Communal Council | Popularity | Ideology |
| Right-wing | 12/36 | 8/21 | 43% | Conservatism, economic liberalism, fiscal conservatism, monarchism. | |
| Centre-right | 19/36 | 7/21 | 39% | Social liberalism, economic liberalism, classical liberalism, monarchism. | |
| Centre-left | 5/36 | 2/21 | 8% | Social democracy, democratic socialism, labourism, Cristinese nationalism. | |
| Centre | 0/36 | 1/21 | 5% | Libertarianism, cultural liberalism, economic liberalism, fiscal conservatism, laissez-faire, decentralisation, non-interventionism. | |
| Left-wing | 0/36 | 1/21 | 3% | Democratic socialism, eco-socialism, cultural liberalism, left-wing populism, socialism of the 21st century. | |
| Centre | 0/36 | 1/21 | 2% | Modern republicanism, centrism, Cristinese nationalism. |
Adriano Saubi, Chief of Justice.
The supreme courts are the Judicial Revision Court (Corte di Revisione Giudiziaria), which hears civil and criminal cases (as well as some administrative cases), and the Supreme Tribunal (Corte Suprema), which performs judicial review. Both courts are staffed by judges appointed among judges of lesser courts, such as the Tribunale Elettorale Nazionale, members of the Crown Council and university professors.
The Chief Justice of Cristina is the highest post in the judicial system of the city-state. The Chief Justice is appointed by the reigning monarch, chosen from candidates recommended by the Minister of State. The incumbent Chief Justice is Adriano Saubi.
The Free Port of Cristina is the smallest country by area in Europa; It is also the smallest monarchy, and is one of the most densely populated country in the world. The state consists of only one municipality (commune). There is no geographical distinction between the State and the City of Cristina, although responsibilities of the government (state-level) and of the municipality (city-level) are different. According to the former constitution, the kingdom was subdivided into three municipalities:
• Santo Cristo (Saint Christ), the old city, where is located the Korvini Palace and the ruins of the Castle of Aline;
• Centrale (Central), the principal residential and resort area with the Cristina Opera House in the east and northeast;
• Sabatini, the southeastern section including the Port St. Izabella.
The municipalities were merged into one after the independence, after accusations that the government of Mantella was acting according to the motto "divide and conquer," and they were accorded the status of Quartiere (Ward) thereafter.
Additional wards were created and settled by new land reclamation and subdivisions of existing ones. Queen Nova Maxima announced in her New Year Speech of 2017 a new development called Ancoraggia that will become the eleventh Quartiere.
The Communal Council (City Council) is the body responsible for the civil administration of the ten Quartieri of the city of Cristina. Because Cristina is both a nation and a city, the council chooses the Mayor of the City of Cristina and his/her officers. It consists of twenty one members, elected by direct universal suffrage to four-year terms, and a mayor, selected by the members. It meets a last once per month. Since the Cristinese government power is substantially delegated to local authorities, the city councillors hold great importance in their respective Ward's political life. The main responsibilities of the City Council and the Mayor concern the social and cultural spheres. These responsibilities include support for daycares, home care for seniors, and the Academy of music, as well as organization of elections, granting of marriage licenses, and encouraging engagement in the life of the city. The current Mayor of the City of Cristina is Petro Paolino (UPC).
Law and Order
The legal system of Cristina is a form of common law. Trial by jury was abolished by the Queen so that judicial decisions would rest entirely in the hands of appointed judges.There is Capital punishment in Cristina for murder, as well as for certain aggravated drug-trafficking and firearms offences.
Law enforcement is the responsibility of the Royal Civil Security Force (Forza Reale di Sicurezza Civile - FRESIC), which encompasses the civil police force of Cristina and is subordinate to the Department of Safety of the Ministry of Justice. FRESIC fields about 5.000 uniformed officers. National security and counterintelligence are the responsibility of the Royal Security and Information Agency (Agenzia Reale di Sicurezza e Intelligenzia - ARSI).
