Political System of Savoria (prior to April 1049)

For the new article: Political System of Savoria (since April 1049)

Savoria is a Constitutional Monarchy with a Parliament and democratic elections. The Head of State addressed as King of Savoria is always a member of the royal family who is appointed for lifetime or until he steps down. The Head of Government addressed as President of Savoria is elected by the population. Savoria has a constitution which limits the power of the King and makes democratic elections mandatory. In Savoria there are many political parties and organisations. The nation also attempts to keep the Legislative, Justice and the Executive seperated.

Constitution (Regarding Politics in Savoria)
The Savorian Constitution defines Savoria as a Federation of 14 States, 1 Island State, 1 Province and 1 Territory. All of these have equal rights on federal level. The Savorian Consitution states that there needs to be a Head of State addressed as King. If the King dies or steps down another member of the Royal Family will take his position. The King can only be a male. The Head of Government addressed as President is elected by the population and serves a term of 5 years. The Federal Parliament consist of 250 Seats and serves a term of 5 years as well. The elections of the Head of Government and the Federal Parliament happen at the same time. The Council of State Representatives has no offical election or term limit. The states run their own elections to form their state governments. Every state government needs to send two representatives to represent its government in the Council of State Representatives. They vote on laws that have been passed by the Federal Parliament and therefore have a chance to influence internal politics on a federal level.

The King
The Savorian King who is appointed for lifetime represents the nation as the head of state. His power is limited by the constitution. While he can put his veto against laws that the Federal Parliament votes in favor for he cannot enforce a law by decree. He can not kick the Head of Government out of office but he can call a vote for it which drops the required votes for this from 75 % to 50,1 %. The Savorian King is the supreme commander of all military forces. Other than his right to put his veto on laws and being in command of all military forces the Savorian King has very limited power and cannot make important calls and decisions by himself. He can make diplomatic decisions on his own however when it comes to very important moves such as forming an alliance or declaring war the King needs the majority of the Federal Parliament to vote in his favor. The Savorian King receives a wage of 40 Million Askos per year. The King can propose laws but is not able to vote on them himself. The King cannot be forced to give up his position.

The President
The Savorian President is elected by the population and serves a 5 year term. To run for President a candidate must be a Savorian Citizen and at least 25 years old. Membership in a political party is not required. He is supposed to form a government after an election and to nominate the Savorian Vice President and the Ministers. For the Vice President and every minister he appoints he needs the majority of the Federal Parliament to vote in favor of the nomination. He can propose and vote on laws but unlike the King he isn´t able to veto laws that have been passed. He leads sessions in the Federal Parliament and can cancel them or exclude certain parties or personalties from a session if they misbehave. The President is also supposed to represent the Government in the public. After the King he is the second in command of all Savorian military forces. There is no term limit for the President as long as he gets reelected. The President can call for new elections if he believes that it is impossible to form or maintain a stable government within the Federal Parliament. The Federal Parliament can kick the President out of office if at least 75 % of the Federal Parliament votes in favor. If the King proposes that the President should be kicked out of office the required votes drop to 50,1% If the President steps down, dies or is kicked out of Office his Vice President will replace him. If the Vice President drops out of office as well new elections will be conducted within 6 months.

The Federal Parliament
The Federal Parliament currently consists of 250 seats which are always split between the parties according to the last elections results. In order to move into the Federal Parliament a political party must have received at least 7.5 % of all votes. If the total votes for a party are below 7.5 % the party can´t enter the Federal Parliament and their seats are split between the political parties that made it into the Parliament. The election of the Federal Parliament is synchronized with the election of the President. The Federal Parliament serves a 5 year term. Members of the Federal Parliament can propose and vote on laws. Only Savorian Citizens with at least 21 years of age and that are members of a political party can be elected into the Federal Parliament. The Federal Parliament is also able to kick the President out of office if at least 75 % of all votes are in favor or at least 50,1 % if the King proposed to kick the President out of office.

Council of State Representatives
The Council of State Representatives consists of 34 members, 2 from each State, Province or Territory within Savoria. As of April 1048 there are 17 States, Provinces or Territories within Savoria. The Council of State Representatives votes on laws that have been passed by the Federal Parliament and can therefore confirm or stop the law changes that the Federal Government is pushing forward. The Representatives in the council can also propose laws themselves that are then voted on in the council. If the votes are successful the laws will be passed on to the Federal Parliament which will make the final decision. The Council of State Representatives only votes on laws that affect the internal policy. They have no say in international and foreign policy. The Council of State Representatives is the only option that states have to influence internal politics on a federal level.

Internal Politics of the States
For the most part States are very unrestricted when it comes to internal affairs. As long as they do not violate federal law or move outside the limits that federal law sets for some areas there is only 3 major restrictions. The first one is that all diplomatic actions and the foreign policy are handled by the Federal Government and that all State Governments need to be appointed based on democratic elections. The second one is that the all armed forces no matter if they´re federal armed forces (like the SNA and SSDF) or if they´re armed forces of a state (such as the Malden State Security Forces) are always under the high command of the Federal Government. The third one is that states have to enforce taxes that are collected on a federal level regardless of their own tax policy. States have no right to veto federal laws. Their only way to stop federal laws is through the Council of State Representatives.

As of April 1048 there are 17 states in Savoria which are (sorted by population size, highest to lowest):
 * Dato
 * Venzi (Province)
 * Rejmington
 * Toreso
 * Suvor
 * Montan
 * Retah
 * Riverto
 * Vetena
 * Malden (Island State)
 * Grestin
 * Ostria
 * North Shiza (Territory)
 * Elbordo
 * Laria
 * Flutox
 * Mapeli

Political Parties and Organisations
Currently there is many Political Parties and Organisations active in Savoria that have different goals and opinions about the current political situation.

Political Parties (Active on federal level)
A Political Party is considered as active on a federal level if the Party is either active in the current Federal Parliament or is taking part in elections. Political Parties that are only active in certain states are not listed here. Each party also has a Popularity percentage. The Popularity percentage of all parties combined can go beyond 100 %. The reason is that this value doesn´t represent what amount of votes the party would get during an election but what percentage of all potential voters would consider voting for this party. All popularity values are as of April 1048.

Savorian Party of Progress and Unity (SPPU)
Current Popularity: 28 %, Last Federal Election Result: 12 % of all votes
 * The SSPU wants to push forward laws and take actions that "modernize" Savoria. They´re in favor of rather liberal economic laws without heavy regulations on private enterprises and subsidies for companies researching important technologies. At the same time the SSPU wants to introduce a minimum wage of 15 Askos per hour to ensure that the least successful of society are not left behind.
 * As for personal freedom the SSPU thinks that the government shouldn´t attempt to influence or limit the lifestyle of individuals as long as it doesn´t harm the interests of the nation.
 * The SSPU believes that Savoria needs a strong army. Not because Savoria needs to be scared of foreign attacks or because of imperalistic intentions. But the size, economic and military power of Savoria make the nation an important part of the international community with higher responsibilites to keep peace and order than smaller nations.
 * Taxes should be as high a neccassary and as low as possible. It will be a complicated act of balance as the SSPU wants to push forward educational subsidies for poorer families and provide basic healthcare for free if individuals can proof that they aren´t able to pay medical bills on their own.
 * The SSPU wants a more centralised government. They belive that less power to the individual States and more to the Federal Government will improve the unity of Savorian citizens.

Liberal Party of Savoria (LS)
Current Popularity: 54 %, Last Federal Election Result 25 % of all votes
 * The LS wants economic freedom with little to no regulation on privat enterprises. The LS believes that the Government should give up its own companies and shares in all sectors except for the armed force and law enforcement. The LS believes the economy would thrive through such an act and wealth would reach a level never seen before. The LS doesn´t believe in minimum wages as they think that a low wage serves as a good motivation for workers to educate themselves further and to become more successful.
 * The LS believes that individuals shouldn´t be limited in expressing their personality. No matter if it´s about sexual orientation, freedom of expression, religious freedom or anything else regarding personal freedom. What is worth mentioning is that the LS is in favor of allowing citizens to own firearms.
 * The LS thinks that maintaining a capable military is neccassary but it should be limited to what is needed to protect the nation to keep its cost as low as possible.
 * Taxes should be kept low for both companies and individuals. Healthcare and Education would be taken care of by private services for the most part so that the Government can save money in this sectors. The LS also believes that a high tax rate destabilizes the country and will weaken the economy severly.
 * The LS wants a decentralised government giving the states a lot of freedom except for some basic laws and rights that every state has to enforce.

Conservative League (CL)
Current Popularity: 66 %, Last Federal Election Result: 35 % of all votes
 * The CL is for keeping the rules and laws for the economy as steady and stable as possible. The CL believes that major changes in economic laws harm the economy as it becomes difficult for companies to plan their business for a long time ahead. If at all those major changes should be announced a long time before they become active and that their introduction should be slow and careful instead of fast. Therefore the CL usually tries to stick to the current economic laws but favors an economy with mainly private enterprises.
 * The CL believes that old values should be kept up and changes that are neccassary need to be taken on slowly to keep the peace within society. Freedom of expression and a free press are key values to the CL. However regarding sexual orientation or religious freedom the CL thinks that old values shouldn´t be forgotten. Overall the CL is slow to follow when it comes to giving people more freedom with this kind of choices and encourages the value of family, marriage and having multiple kids.
 * The CL thinks that maintaining a strong military is not only important to protect Savorias interests but also helps with preparing young people for life in the Savorian society. Values such as discipline, honesty, bravery and the will to work hard are taught in the military and will help the young soldiers to be more successful in their career and therefore their life once they leave the military. The CL wants the military to be more respected for their service and supports active as well as retired soldiers with problems they might have. Further the CL wants to intiate more programs that help soldiers that have been injured in combat and are suffering a permanent disability or soldiers that are struggeling financially after they have left the military.
 * Taxes should be kept on a stable level and simplified as much as possible. The CL thinks the income tax should have the same percentage for any income to keep administration costs low. Company taxes should preferably be low but most importantly stable and not very complicated.
 * The CL wants the Federal Government to have influence on all important internal matters. Changes within the states could endanger the Federal Governments agenda otherwise.

Social Democratic Party (SDP)
Current Popularity: 37 %, Last Federal Election Result: 23 % of all votes.
 * The SDP wants to regulate the economy heavily. It still wants private enterprises to represent the majority of the economy but it wants to limit their attempts to maximize profit at the expense of their employees or others. The SDP thinks that even though this would limit the economic growth compared to more liberal economic policies it well increase the average wealth. If a company has no limits the SDP believes that only the owners will turn a profit and their employees or in general all working people will not profit from the increased wealth at all. The SDP wants to introduce a dynamic minimum wage that forces each company to pay a individual minimum wage depending on their current financial status. So more successful company owners can not keep all the newly generated wealth just for themselves instead they´re forced to share with their hard-working employees.
 * The SDP doesn´t want to set limits to the personal freedom of individuals. However the SDP is strictly against Citizens being allowed to own firearms. They only want to allow Citizens to own firearms that have a profession that requires firearms.
 * The SDP believes that the military should be kept small but efficent and should only be used for defensive purposes. Therefore the SDP is against extensive military funding especially when it comes to offensive weapon systems.
 * Taxes should be a kept on a high level to make sure the Government is able to spread the nations wealth equally among the population. It also wants to fund extensive Education and Healthcare programs that ensure that each citizen receives the best medical treatment and has fair chances to get a good Education.
 * The SDP thinks that the state governments should be limited to enforce the laws and regulations that the Federal Government has decided on but respects the Council of State Representatives.

Nationalist Party of Savoria (NPS)
Current Popularity: 8 %, Last Federal Election Result: 3 %
 * The NPS wants to build up an economy that is independent from foreign trade. The economy should be mostly privatized but regulated by the federal government when it comes to trade. The NPS believes that an economy is only strong if it can retain its strength even if all goods that are being imported would be cut off from one minute to another.
 * The NPS believes in the traditional idea of family which means a Wife and a Husband together with multiple children. This is also the reason why they want to ban any form of sexuality that isn´t heterosexual. The NPS also wants to restrict the rights of foreigners compared to native Savorians and disallow immigration.
 * The NPS believes that the military should be the most important security asset for the Federal Government. Not only when it comes to external but also internal threats. The NPS always favors laws that increase military funding and would never turn an opportunity down to increase the strength of the Savorian armed forces.
 * The NPS doesn´t have a specific stance when it comes to taxes but wants to put high tariffs on foreign goods that are being imported into Savoria.
 * The NPS thinks that the Federal Government should be the only government in Savoria forming a completly centralised Government.

Party of Savorian Supremacy (PSS)
Current Popularity: 1,5 %, Last Federal Election Result: 0,5 %
 * The PSS wants to focus on building an economy that always favors the native Savorians before anyone else. They´re for a privatized economy as long as the companies owners are native Savorians and only force regulations onto the economy to ensure that Savorian investors, workers and products come before anyone or anything else.
 * The PSS believes that the only way to a bright future is by ensuring that there are stable families consisting of a Husband, his wife and as many children as possible. The PSS favors males for any important positions be it within the Federal Government or in private enterprises. They´re against any form of sexuality that goes against their idea of a stable family and want to implement harsh punishments. The PSS believes that native Savorians should be allowed to own guns at least until all foreigners have left the country. The PSS aims for a Savoria with only native Savorians and wants to force any other citizens to leave the country while keeping their valueables and money in Savoria.
 * The PSS believes that the military is a key element to keep order within the nation. It should always be strong enough to defeat any other nation to make sure that no foreigners can become a danger to native Savorians.
 * The PSS is for low taxes and wants to keep state expenditure low when it´s not security related. Foreigners should be forced to pay high taxes as long as they live within Savoria.
 * The PSS thinks that the Federal Government should be in total control of the nation with State Governments eradicated.

Party of Social Justice (PSJ)
Current Popularity: 3,5 %, Last Federal Election Result: 1 %
 * The PSJ wants an economy that is controlled and regulated by the Federal Government. All industries that are considered as important to the nation will be owned by the Federal Government while there is heavily regulated private companies as well. Wages would be dictated by the Government. With this the PSJ wants to prevent big gaps between the richest and the poorest members of society.
 * The PSJ doesn´t want to limit the personal freedom of Savorian Citizens as long as they don´t pose a threat to the nation. This also includes that the PSJ wants to forbid citizens to own any sort of weapons.
 * The military is important for the PSJ when it comes to defending the nation. However the funding should be kept on the level neccassary to guarantee it´s ability to successfully defend the nation.
 * The PSJ wants to apply high taxes to privately owned companies. No other taxes are neccassary as the PSJ wants to dictate the wages and can therefore already decide how much money goes to the Government.
 * The PSJ thinks that State Government are important to help the Government enforcing it´s regulations, laws and taxes and therefore wants to keep the Council of State Representatives unchanged.

Federal Alliance of Savorian Socialist Parties (FASSP)
Current Popularity: 2 %, Last Federal Election Result: 0,5 %
 * The FASSP wants to establish an economy that is fully controlled by the Federal Government with any private enterprise being illegal. Wages should be mostly equal.
 * The FASSP doesn´t put limits to the personal freedom of citizens as long as they don´t act in ways that could endanger law and order within the nation.
 * The military plays an important role for the FASSP defending the nation and its values. The military should be capable on defense and offense and also be able to support the nations police forces if neccassary.
 * The FASSP doesn´t think that taxes are neccassary as the whole economy would already be controlled by the Government and all the money flow would be directed by government officials including the wages.
 * The FASSP wants a centralised Federal Government with no power for State Governments at all.

Political Organisations (Active on federal level)
A political organisation is considered as active on federal level if the organisation is active in more than just one state. The difference between a political organisation and a political party is that a political organisation is not taking part in any elections. If a political organisation decides to take part in an election its status changes from an political organisation to a political party. Political Organisations try to influence politics and unite people with the same political opinions. They can also try to push certain political parties or to organise protests, strikes or riots.