| The Parliamentary Republic of Wesmerité Le Républic Parliamentair du Wesmerité | |
|---|---|
| Conventional short name: | |
| Local: | Wesmerité |
| Ingallish: | Wesmerite |
| Data codes: | WM, PRW |
| |
| Languages: | |
| Official: | Ingallish, Meritéan |
| Others: | none |
| Cities: | |
| Capital: | Port Angela |
| Other: | Scona Bréa, Liél, Portmerion, Meria, Coria |
| Government type: | Parliamentary Republic |
| Lord President: | Sir George Bullard |
| Chancellor: | Lady Sarah Jacobs |
| Area: | 243,563 km² |
| Population: | 55,146,720 Wesmeritéans |
| Established: | June 26, 301 |
| Currency: | Meritéan pound (₼) |
| Organizations: | United Nations of Vexillium
Merité Union Merité Pact |
The Parliamentary Republic of Wesmerité (Meritéan: Le Républic Parliamentair du Wesmerité) is located in northwestern Eras and is boardered by the Bay of Merité to the east, Terra Extremis to the North, Somery and Cimera to the west and Albion-Merité to the south and southeast.
Wesmerité regained independance on June 26, 301, from Cruisana supervision after a referendum where the majority of citizens in the Eastern districts of Wesmeria opted for a Parliamentary Republic form of government. It is the successor state of the old Meritéan Commonwealth.
Government[]
Main Article: Government of Wesmerité
Wesmerité is a unitary Parliamentary Republic. The Government is composed of one unicameral Parliament, elected by Universal Suffrage over the age of 16, consisting of 389 seats. 100 seats are determined by proportional representation, the other 289 are determined by the traditional first past the post system with one member representing one riding, on average, of 150,000 people.
Parliament Building, Port Angela.
The majority party, or coalition of parties, may form the executive Council (known as The Council or High Council) and appoint members, comfirmed by vote in parliament, to run the ministries and advise the Parliament on legislation and executive matters. The Head of State is the Lord President of the Council who is elected by a two thirds majority of Parliament and sits until the next Lord President is selected by a new Parliament after new elections. The Head of Government is the Chancellor of the Council and is also selected by Parliament, along with all other councilors, but only a fifty plus one majority of the House is needed. To have majority control of Parliament one needs the confidence of 195 MPs. The Council rules as long as it has the support of Parliament. Should Parliament loose confidence in the Council then the chamber can call for and elect a new council, or if Parliament can not reach consensus, new elections can be called. The term of a Parliament is five years.
The executive is apart of the legislative and is accountable to it. Parliamentary Committees review legislation, supervise Council, investigate issues and make recomendations to Parliament. Also review and recommend appointments of Judges and officials of high office to Parliament.
Administrative Divisions[]
Main Article: Counties of Wesmerité
Wesmerité is a unitary state and is divided between a National level of government, also refered to as the Republican level of government, and local level of government: The Municiple (for Urban districts) and County level (for Rural districts) of government. Mayors and councilors are elected in cities and Prefects and councilors are elected in counties. The lower level of government has . There are 20 Municipalities and 32 Counties.
Political Parties[]
Main Article: Politics of Wesmerité
Wesmerité has a strong multiparty system starting with the extream leftist Anarchist Socialist Alliance (ASA) and The Communist Party of Wesmerité (CPW) to the more social democratic Wesmerité Labour Party (Lab) and centre-left Liberal Democratic Society (LibD). The centre right is represented by the Wesmeria People's Front (WPF) and The No Name Party of Wesmerité (NNP) while the fascist National Commonwealth (NC) sits on the far right.
Composition of House on June 27, 301.
The Ruling Coalition since 301 has been made up of the Liberal Democrats, the former Meritéan Unionist Party (which merged with the Liberal Democrats in 304) and the Labour Party. The coalition was augmented in size by many defecting, left leaning, Monarchist MPs who left their party over social and economic policy. Thre after the party broke up and the remaining MPs defected to the Wesmeria People's Front and The No Name Party of Wesmerité. The end result of the break-up of the Monarchist party gave the ruling coalition 191 seats, four short of 195 need for majority, and they have since been passing legislation on a Bill by Bill basis with the other parties in Parliament.
Wesmerité politics is based on the idea of collective leadership. The results are complex and fluid with many MPs often flaoting party discipline to follow either their principles, what they believe is good public policy, or vote the will of their riding members. It is also marked, at times, by the willingness to compromise and negotiate (Brokrage Politics) so MPs can achieve some of there political goals.
Law[]
Main Article: Law of Wesmerité
Foreign relations and military[]
Main Article: Foreign relations of Wesmerité, Military of Wesmerité
History[]
Main Article: History of Wesmerité
Geography[]
Main Article: Geography of Wesmerité
Demographics[]
Main Article: Demographics of Wesmerité, List of Cities in Wesmerité
Economy[]
Main Article: Economic statistics, Companies of Wesmerité
Economy - overview: The Wesmeritéan economy is an industrialized mixed free market economy that has been recovering from the chaos and depression of the Fall since 301. With a GDP of 723.4 billion, Wesmerité is ranked 10th in the world in size and 17th per capita. Growth in 301-06 was supported by exports to the neighbours, primarily to Cimera, Sehria, Somery and Cruisana, and a near doubling of foreign direct investment. Domestic demand is playing an ever more important role in underpinning growth as interest rates drop and the availability of credit cards and mortgages increases. High current account deficits, averaging around 6% of GDP and budget deficits of 8% GDP in the last several years, could be a persistent problem causing future economic pains. Inflation is under control. The main concern of government and industry stake holders is regaining access and market share in neighbouring countries.
Culture[]
Main Article: Culture of Wesmerité, Wesmerité Idenity, National Symbols of Wesmerité, Sports in Wesmerité
The culture of Wesmerité is rich and varied, and has been influential on culture on a worldwide scale.
Theather and Cinema going is a national past time.
National Symbols and emblems[]
- A White, five petal flower known as the Angela rose or the St. Angela flower is often regard as a symbol of the Angela area and is at the centre of the Wesmerité flag.
- The Samé terrier, a short in height but long in body black haired terrier, indiginous to Wesmerité, that is sometimes used as the symbol for the country.
- The Eagle, often a symbol for the later royal dynasties.
- The Boar, often a symbol of early royalty represented courage and fierceness in battle.
- The national anthem [Huntman's Chorus].
National flags[]
National and State Flag
PRW Rundles
Naval Jack
- The national flags reflect the national colours of Black, Gold & Blue.
Marietanya[]
The national personification of Wesmerité. The imagery developed over centuries as a merging of Merité's early history of prominant Queens and that of the patron saints, St. Angela and St. Ingrid. An icon emerged of a beautiful young woman, either in peasent garb or flowing gown, with a sword and a shield emblazoned with the national colours. She is protrayed as the embodiment of the national spirit, often seen in statues, political cartoons and posters.
Languages[]
Ingallish and Meritéan are the two official languages of state. Both are encouraged by the government and taught in schools. Wesmeritéans use Ingallish primarily to communicate with foreigners and conduct trade and tourism. Encouraging bilingualism in a second, vex-wide language is seen as a strategic move for the nation. However, the vast majority of the population still lives and works daily in Meritéan.
Wesmeritéans speak a distinct dialect, a colloquial patois, of Phénixian known as Meritéan. Often refered to as "two nations seperated by a common language" many critics have complained of the non-interintelligibility of the two. The divergent idioms, slang and vocabulary, rather than accent or pronunciation, is the problem. A Wesmeritéan has little problem understanding a Phénixian, but often to communciate he must shift to a slightly more formal, "international" type of Phénixian to be understood.
The Meritéan & Phénixian languages have grown and diverged over the centuries as the two linguistic groups, seperated by an ocean and surrounded by different neighbours, have matured and evolved. Meritéan has been influenced heavily by Ingalish and Gronkian, often to fill lexical gaps. Meritéan is noted for its' willingness to borrow words from other cultures and its' ability to create new, morphologically well-formed words to describe new concepts and technologies to which the Académie Phénixian is extremely reluctant to react to.
Meritéan, a Cimeran dialect, Gronkian and Ulanovan are minority languages spoken in Wesmerité. There are many regional dialects of Meritéan spoken throughout Wesmerité, but none as distinct and divergent as Meritéen or Céder Phénixian. Cimerish Meritéan is spoken in the western border regions next to Cimera, while Ulanovan and Gronkian are heard in the large cities where émigrés have settled.
Religion[]
A predominantly Cruisan country, 90% of Wesmeritéans indentify themselves as Cruisan. The country has strongly been influenced by the religious movements in Cruisana over the centuries. The country, increasingly, has become secular.
The dominant church in Wesmerité is the Wesmerian Church of Cruis who recognise the Archbishop of Cruishaven as their spirtual leader. Though, he is considered primus inter pares, "first among equals", with the head Primate of the Wesmerian Church: The Archbishop of Angela. The Wesmerian Church has its' own doctrine, liturgy and governance, however, it is quite simaliar to the Church of Cruisana. 65% of Cruisanin in Wesmerité claim to belong to the church, though attendance has been dropping over the years.
The Cimeran Papaist Church, who recognise the Pope in Gloria Libertatis, represent 10% of the population and concentrated in the western boarder regions near Cimera. CruisChurch - Wesmeria is a reformed church that broke with the Wesmerian Church of Cruis during the plauge and has been influenced by the doctrine of the Presbyterian Church of Cruis in Cruisana. 20% of Cruisanins claimed to belong to the church.
Issues[]
Disputes - international: No open border disputes, but a great dislike for Phenixia, a simmering dislike for Zartania and Gronk, a mistrust of Albion-Merité, and a desire by many within the population to be reunite with all ethnic Meritéan lands.
Illicit drugs: Wesmerité has a liberal drugs policy and the government allows sales of many drugs, in small quantities, through pharmacists. Import is legal while export is illegal. Smuggling on a limited scale does go on. This causes and interesting international problem as the Government tries to secure supplies for the importation of various soft and medium durgs, while most nations ban there growth and export. The PRW is a limited producer of synthetic drugs and synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of Southwest Eras, heroin, Southeast Eras hemp, New Continent cocaine, and synthetic drugs; Also key money-laundering center.