Government and Politics of the Dolgavan Confederation

The Dolgavan Confederation is a confederate feudal republic, whereby most power belongs to 25 feudal estates, who delegate part of their responsibilities to the central government, which in turn exercises them through four "factions", political and social organizations that have ruled Dolgava since the Dolgavan War. The joint government of the Dolgavan Confederation is ruled by the Great Council, formed of representatives of the four factions. The Great Council has authority over all government affairs, and is the unifying body of the Confederation. The council oversees the joint diplomatic and intelligence services, manages common military affairs, and handles legal matters and enforcement. The Great Council is presided by the Coucil of Four composed of the Four Princes of the Confederation, namely the heads of the four factions. The legislative affairs of the confederation are overseen by the Great Sobor, formed of representatives of the 25 States of the Confederation. Within the Sobor, the Confederate and Vassal estates have three votes each, bringing the total number of votes to 75.

Factions
De facto, most political power belongs to four "factions", which are political, military, religious, and/or social organizations formed during the Dolgavan War. Each of the factions is granted control over a specific area of policy or government authority, as determined by the two Dolgarburga Compromises that ended the war, and all four factions are granted wide cultural and religious autonomy. The four factions are: the Order of St. Parnum the Thunderer, the Ducal House de Tournai-Schwervig, the Tribes of Manoush®, and the hajduk Forest Militia. The Manoush tribes serve the role of middlemen between the government and the people, and are in charge of the economy, being tasked with raising taxes and controlling most industries; the Order of St. Parnum the Thunderer oversees the Dolgavan Inquisition and forms part of the military; the Ducal House de Tournai-Schwervig controls the Kerisian Trade and Industrial League and is in charge of the navy and foreign trade; the Forest Militia form another part of the military and are in charge of internal security. Although the four factions do not participate in elections directly, they may exercise control over the various constituent states of the Confederation, and thus indirectly control their votes in the Great Sobor. In that, the factions exhibit some of the features of traditional political parties, and their relative political strength is sometimes measured by the amount of Sobor votes they are believed to control.

Administrative Divisions
Dolgava is divided into two kinds of "States" or "Estates": Confederate Estates, enjoying immediacy (i.e. are not subordinated to any other entity but the Great Sobor and the Great Council), and the Vassal Estates, each subordinated to one of the 5 Confederate Estates. The Confederate estates have the right to collect taxes, mint their own coins, wage war, etc. Each of the Confederate Estates is ruled by one of the four factions of the Confederation and by the Church.