Hulstria and Gao-Soto

Hulstria and Gao-Soto, officially the Federal Republic of Hulstria and Mikuni (Dundorfian: Bundesrepublik Hulsterreich und Mikuni; Hulstro-Mikun: Ōsutoria Renpō Haruzuterusuaiku undo Gao-Soto), is a nation on the northwest coast of Dovani.

The second state of the same name, the Second United Imperial Crownlands share many of the characteristics of the 1st United Imperial Crownlands of Hulstria and Gao-Soto. It was established in the wake of the Second September Revolution as the successor state to the Imperial Crownlands of Hulstria, a segregationist regime that had perpetrated acts of genocide and apartheid against the Kunihito and Hulstro-Showan populations of Hulstria and Gao-Soto. This sparked a resurgence of the 15th of September Movement, which formed the provisional government that functioned as the direct predecessor of the current state. The Constitution is of heavily Septembrist inspiration, among others restoring the dual monarchy which characterised the first United Imperial Crownlands, and many other of the characteristics of the original Septembrist Constitution drafted by Thomas Michels.

Government and Politics
The Basic Law of Hulstria and Gao-Soto hearkens back the state structure of the 1st United Imperial Crownlands as originally envisioned by Septembrist founding father Thomas Michels, the "Father of the Constitution". Under its provisions, Hulstria and Gao-Soto is a constitutional dual monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. The centrepoint of this democratic system is the legislature, a bicameral body known as the Reichsversammlung. This legislature consists of two houses: the lower house known as the Imperial Diet (Reichstag or Mikoku-gikai) and the upper house known as the Council of the Lands (Länderrat or Kanryou-hyogikai). The system is weakly bicameral, meaning that most power rests with the popularly-elected Imperial Diet, which possesses the right of initiative, the right of budget and the right to ratify treaties, as well as conducting most scrutiny of the government. The Imperial Diet is elected every 5 years subject to dissolution, with half its 643-strong membership being elected from constituencies known as Wahlkreisen and the other half being supplemented from party lists to maintain proportionality. Occasionally, proportionality can give rise to the necessity of a larger house, the so-called Überhangmandaten.

Executive power flows downward from the Crowns of Hulstria and Gao-Soto: a dual head of state consisting of the Emperor of Hulstria (the Kaiser) and the Emperor of Gao-Soto (the Mikado). Like in the original Septembrist constitutional order, the purpose of the Crowns is to symbolise at the highest level the stake of the Hulstrian and Gao-Showan peoples in the national state. They are represented politically by a Governor-General of the United Imperial Crownlands, who, by accepting political responsibility for their counduct, conducts the duties of the head of state on their behalf. Unusually, though, the Governor-General is not a presidential head of state, but rather reminiscent of the President in a parliamentary republic. Real executive power rests with Their Imperial Majesties' Government, headed by the Staatsminister(in) (Kokumudaizin), which has to maintain the confidence of the majority of the Imperial Diet. The Ministers are collectively responsible for the conduct of government policy.

Judicial power is held by an apolitical system of courts and its therefore not normally considered part of H&GS politics.

The Crownlands play a large role in the Crownlander system of government, although it is not formally a federal system. Each Crownland has a structure mirroring the national arrangements of government, with either Kaiser or Mikado as ceremonial head of state represented by a Crowns-appointed Imperial Commissioner. They elect a Crownland Diet (Landtag, Kanryou-gikai) in conjunction with the Imperial Diet elections, which gives rise to a government headed by a Minister-President (Ministerpräsident or Daizin-daitouryou). This impacts national politics because the Crownland governments form the Council of the Lands, the upper house of the Reichsversammlung, which has to consent to bills in matters of Crownland or shared jurisdiction. The configuration of the Council of the Lands depends on the matter under discussion, with the responsible ministers travelling or sending a delegate to Kien.

Political Parties
Political parties in Hulstria and Gao-Soto are recognised in the Basic Law as participants in the formulation of the democratic will, giving them a central role in the political system. However, there are constitutional provisions with which all parties must comply. First of all, they must be democratically organised membership organisations. Secondly, and more importantly, the Constitution bans parties which are openly, either through intent or actions, anti-democratic, racist or which seek to endanger the existence of the state. This echoes an earlier ban introduced in the 1st United Imperial Crownlands by advocacy of Johannes Goddestreu, extended to racist parties.

The party system in Hulstria and Gao-Soto is highly diverse and spans the full breadth from left to right, with most parties originating in the 15th of September Movement and/or subscribing to Septembrist principles. The oldest of these is the Hosianisch-Demokratisches Verbund, which has roots going back over a 1000 years and was considered the natural governing party in the United Imperial Crownlands.

Ethnicity

 * Hulstro-Showans: 30%
 * Hulstrians: 28%
 * Kunihito: 26%
 * Gisoten: 5%
 * Mikuni-Sekowan: 3%
 * Draddwyr: 1%
 * Istapali: 1%
 * Llaqta: 1%
 * Welang: 1%
 * Others: 4%

Religion

 * Irreligious: 38%
 * Hosianism - 21%
 * Confessional Luthoranism: 14%
 * Aurorian Patriarchalism: 7%
 * Tenshism: 15%
 * Daenism: 11%
 * Mazdayana: 5%
 * Zensho: 4%
 * Draddwyr Daenism: 2%
 * Kamism: 7%
 * Hulstro-Mikun New Religions: 4%
 * Morokism: 1%
 * Thetanism: 1%
 * Aretism: 1%
 * Other: 1%

Geography and Climate


As a country in the far north of Terra, the Crownlands are quite a cool country and during the long winter temperatures are generally below freezing causing impressive snow storms. During the summer however the climate is pleasant with the south of the country often becoming quite warm due to the ocean currents bringing warm water up from the equator.

Hulstria and Gao-Soto is a fairly mountainous nation because of its location on the Schnee-Berge Mountain range. The coastal Crownlands of Budenlar and Kuratha are quite flat with the land slowly rising from the coast into the rolling hills of the interior. Further inland the Crownlands of Hulstria and Mitrania are dominated by picturesque snow-capped mountains. Most cities are in the foothills to the west of the crownlands with the east being dominated by the Schnee-Berge Mountains, too steep in many cases to build on or farm. Much of the Crownland of Hilgar lies on the other side of the barrier mountains and it flattens out into the Great North Dovani Plain, which makes up the bulk of the Eastern Territories and the north of Carina.

Military
The Basic Law of 4318 declared the former Septembrist milita, the Reichsbürgerwehr (Imperial Civil Defence Force), to be the armed forces of the state. The former militia was transformed with the aid of allies into a new army with navy, armed forces and airforce wings incorporating the bulk of the previous Hulstrian armed forces.

Landmarks of Hulstria and Gao-Soto
Hulstria and Gao-Soto is a nation legendary and internationally acclaimed for its many landmarks. Due to the nation's history and its infusion of both Hulstrian and Gao-Showa cultures, many unique structures dot its landscape. Equally impressive is the landscape itself. Hulstria stretches from the beautiful beaches of Luthorische Bai and Marchau to the rolling hills of Rothingren and Graaffsberg and all the way up into the scenic mountains surrounding the capital of Kien in the Kiennese Plain. Hulstria is, of course, most known for its Imperial history and castles and palaces, like Fliederbrunn Palace, are popular for tourists to visit, while others like, Phönixstein Castle, are famed landmarks even though they are not open to the public.