Rildanor

Rildanor, officially the Royaume Français de Rildanor (French Kingdom of Rildanor), is a nation situated on the continent of Seleya, bordered by Kanjor in the south, Alduria in the west, and Mordusia in the northwest. Its capital city is Labonne.

Government and Politics
Rildanor's politics has been branded as stable but unpredictable. The unpredictability lies in the several transitions between the monarchy and republic at various stages of the country's history. The stability of the country's politics refers to the normally bloodless and peaceful nature of these political transitions and the fact that few early elections are ever called.

Monarchy
Queen Joséphine I, born 16 April 2513, is since 14 January 2557 Queen Regnant and head of state.

The most recent reinstitution of the monarch happened after Rildanor left the largely republican dominated South Seleya Union with Kanjor there was a debate as to whether or not to restore the monarchy. Several contentious elections followed, resulting in the factions loyal to the monarchy gaining a supermajority in the Sénat, thus the monarchy was reestablished.

While resistance to the monarchy is still common in the rhetoric of leftwing parties, it has largely faded into a non-issue.

Modern Status
Today the Sovereign has an essentially ceremonial role restricted in exercise of power by convention and public opinion. However, the monarch does continue to exercise three essential rights: the right to be consulted, the right to advise and the right to warn. As a consequence of these ideals, the Prime Minister and Cabinet attends the regular meeting of the Council of State.

However, the real powers of position of the monarch in the Danish constitution should not be downplayed. The Monarch does indeed retain some power, but it has to be used with discretion. She fulfils the necessary constitutional role as head of state, and acts as a final check on executive power. If a time came to pass, for instance, when a law threatened the freedom or security of her subjects, the queen could decline Royal Assent, free as she is from the eddies of party politics and prosecution.

Brief History
The Nareaths, the Rildanor Royal Family, is one of the country's oldest aristocratic clans. The previous ruling family, the Leone Family, were lacking in clear heirs and the Nareaths were thrust onto the line of succession. Edmund I was the family's first monarch, ascending to the throne in 2236. They ruled until the end of the 24th century when republican parties gained much strength following the weakening of established parties and institutions such as the Parti d'Aristocratie and the Orthodox Catholic Church. It would again be reestablished in 2494.

Political Parties

 * Democratique Moderne et Royaliste: a movement whose aims is the democratic development of the nation built on freedom and social justice according to Rildanor and Christian tradition.


 * Parti d'Aristocratie: an Orthodox Catholic, pro-monarchy, right-wing conservative party that is one of Rildanor's oldest and longest running party.


 * Partie Démocratique Libéral: a party for individual social and political rights, the protection of the environment, and prosperity for all people.


 * Parti Nationaliste Gauche: a party that is socialist in its treatment of the citizens, conservative in its approach to morals, culture and values, and nationalistic in its promotion of the nation's ideals and its people.


 * Parti Populaire National


 * Parti Radical et Radical-Socialiste: a socially liberal and economic centrist party, its stongest support comes from liberal urbanites.

Sénat
The Sénat du Rildanor is the nation's elected legislature. It consists of 303 members from all five cantons. Elections are held every three years and all registered voters are required to vote.

Executive
The cabinet is normally made up of an alliance between various parties, often forming centre-left or centre-right coalitions. Executive authority is exercised on behalf of the monarch by the prime minister and other cabinet ministers who head departments. The cabinet, including the Prime Minister, and other ministers collectively make up the government. These ministers are responsible to Sénat, which is traditionally considered to be supreme (that is, able to legislate on any matter and not bound by decisions of its predecessors).

People
Rildanor's population has surpassed 185,000,000 in 2561 and the country proudly has the largest French population anywhere on Terra. In 2511, the government conducted a study to determine demographics of the country. The results are published in the Recensement national - Rildanor Census, 2511 bill.

Ethnicity
Approximately 95% of all Rildanorian residents identify themselves as French (or Rildanorian). With over 151 million Frenchmen (2511 census figures), a vast array of cultural traditions have thus been handed down for centuries and continues to be practiced and honoured today.

About 2% of the population come from Rildanor's immediate neighbours: Mordusia, Alduria, and Kanjor. Although most of them are technically French, they continue and prefer to be identified by their country of origin. The remaining 3% are migrant workers (mainly from Majatra), foreign diplomats/businessmen, illegal aliens and people of mixed descent.

Religion


The largest religious group in Rildanor is Orthodox Catholicism, comprising of more than 82% of the country's population. Other Christian groups number around 4% while Muslims are reduced to 3%. This is followed by small populations of Buddhists and Jews at less than 1%.

At 10%, atheists (or those who do not adhere to any religion) have grown throughout the country and is a reflection of Rildanor's changing attitudes towards organized religions.

Language
Rildanor's official language is French and was formally recognized as such in the Official French Act, 2368. The bill is a further recognition of the country's true French identity and its dominance among the world French population.

French is today mandatory in schools, workplaces and government, and programs are funded by the Rildanor Government to promote it outside of the country, particularly in South Seleya where there are countries with sizable French populations. Other languages, however, are still widely tolerated and protected under law.

Economy
Rildanor is one of the Terra's wealthiest nations, with a high per-capita income and robust annual growth rates, fueled by abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity.

The private sector constitutes the bulk of the economy, with government activity accounting for 12.4% of GDP. The economy is postindustrial, with the service sector contributing 67.8% of GDP. The leading business field by gross business receipts is wholesale and retail trade; by net income it is finance and insurance. Rildanor remains an industrial power, with chemical products the leading manufacturing field. It is one of the largest producers of oil in the world, and also one of its largest consumers.

The service sector of Rildanor is dominated by financial services, especially in banking and insurance. The Rildanorian manufacturing sector, however, has greatly diminished, relative to the economy as a whole, since the 24th century. It is still a significant part of the economy, but only accounted for one-sixth of national output in recent years.

Military


The Army, Navy and Air Force are collectively known as the Rildanorian Armed Forces (or Her Majesty's Armed Forces) and officially the Armed Forces of the Crown. The commander-in-chief is the monarch, HM Queen Joséphine and they are managed by the Ministry of Defence. The armed forces are controlled by the Defence Council, chaired by the Chief of the Defence Staff.

Rildanor fields one of the most technologically advanced and best trained armed forces in the world. According to various sources, including the Ministry of Defence, Rildanor allocates about 20% of its budget to the military. It is one of the largest spender on military science, engineering and technology.

In 2561, the military had 1.38 million personnel on active duty, along with several hundred thousand each in the Reserves and the National Guard for a total of 2.3 million troops. The Department of Defense also employs approximately 700,000 civilians, disregarding contractors. Military service is voluntary, though conscription may occur in wartime through a resolution by the Sénat. The rapid deployment of Rildanorian forces is facilitated by the Air Force's large fleet of transportation aircraft and aerial refueling tankers, the Navy's fleet of eleven active aircraft carriers, and Royal Marine Units at sea in the Navy's oceanic fleets.

The military also includes the Royal Guard battalion, which has two main roles; it serves as the monarchs's lifeguards, guarding the royal residences and properties in the country, and is also the main infantry unit responsible for the defence of the capital Labonne. The armed forces is in theory under the direct command of the King or Queen of Rildanor. This is rarely the real case, however, as the monarch has a symbolic role rather than a political role.