RPR The Political System of the Sutherland Federation [DRAFT]

[Wonderess]

The Political System of the Sutherland Federation
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The Sutherland Federation is one of the newest nations of Eras having broken away from the Kingdom of McMasterdonia on February 8th, 2018, in an area which remains in dispute to this day. Sutherland was formed as a safe haven for the Courantist minorities of McMasterdonia, tired of persecution and second class treatment by both the Royal Family of McMasterdonia and the military movements of the Flemingovian bishop Gunrei amidst a civil war in the nation.


With this in mind, the government of Sutherland was formed to allow for religious freedom and the federal unity of small communities and local customs. The nation attempts to avoid nationalism without causing fracturing and becoming a nation too decentralized to accomplish national goals. To achieve this, Sutherland has dominions or states that act as the central level of government. Below are Sutherland’s dominions along with the unorganized Territory of Thane:

Each dominion’s government is made up of the leaders of each governmental district within them which each contain about 10,000 people. The Council of the Dominion in each one handles “state level” affairs such as healthcare matters, welfare, and defense organization. The populous and their character drastically affect the priorities of each dominion when it comes to legislation and spending. The Dominion of Alderon by far spends the most on defense due to its more antagonistic character and proximity to the McMasterdonian border to its south. The Dominion of Lake Prime trends towards labor training and pro union legislation due to the great number of manufacturing jobs in the City of Lake Prime. Below the dominions are broken down into their governmental districts and the colored areas are the governmental districts grouped into their Core General (legislative) districts:

The federal government of the Sutherland Federation mainly focuses on foreign affairs, international economics, university education, disputes between dominions, nationally coordinated defense, as well as the civil organization of the nation. With this in mind, it is actually possible for the federal government to dissolve a dominion or create a new one even though their jurisdiction over the governance of dominions is limited. The foundation of the federal government is the head of state: the Arc-Wonderess of Sutherland. The inaugural Arc-Wonderess is Nathan Jarreau, the founder of the Sutherland nation and the main visionary for its development as a united Courantist (Eras version of Roman Catholic) people. Official portrait below:

The Arc-Wonderess must be a Courantist who is unmarried and has a doctorate in philosophy or sacred theology. The Arc-Wonderess’s actual governmental power is limited, however his advice and centrality to Sutherlan culture makes his influence significant on the rest of the government. He or she has the right to enter the legislative chamber of the nation, the Core General, and be a speaker of preference at anytime that the Core General is deliberating legislation. The Arc-Wonderess is removed through resignation, death, or by the confidence vote of the Core General. The confidence vote requires two separate votes of the nation that are three months apart. The removal must be confirmed twice in order for the removal to succeed. The Arc-Wonderess is the embodiment of the “philosopher king” and therefore acts as challenger and critic of the Core General’s actions if those actions appear politically charged or opposed to the spirit of Sutherland.


The Arc-Wonderess has major influence when it comes to the election of the Core General. At any time, he may ask the people of Sutherland to push for a vote on a new Core General election. This requires a simple majority in the affirmative by the populous with governmental districts being counted. If the motion succeeds, he may then pose a dilemma to the people of Sutherland.Their two responses will act as the future coalitions of the Core General members. The first question in the history of the Federation referred to the Sutherlan relationship to McMasterdonia in which an Anti-McMasterdonian Coalition and a McMasterdonian Tolerance Coalition were formed. The second and current question was based on the theo cultural posture of the nation as a faith based outlook (Fidei Coalition) or a reason based outlook (Ratio Coalition). Sutherland does not have political parties and only uses general coalitions in response to the Arc-Wonderess’s question until the next election cycle. Here is the current makeup of the Core General:

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The Ratio Coalition controls 285 seats to the Fidei Coalition's 267 seats.

The Core General serves as the national legislature and has the duty to deliberate on obstacles and conflicts that face the Sutherland Federation. It is made up of representatives from districts that include around five governmental districts. The Core General is divided up into the Committees of Heart, Doctrine, Passion, and Wisdom as modeled after the national rule of life of Sutherland. Heart deals with matters of welfare and charity, Doctrine deals with law and order, Passion deals with defense and foreign policy, and Wisdom deals with finances. The Committee of Passion is subdivided into the Diadem of Sutherland which is its united defense force and the Wings of Sutherland as its department of state. Below is the Palace of the Core General:

The final part of the Sutherland government is the Court of Inspirators. This court is the advisory body of the Arc-Wonderess and its members act as advisors and mouthpieces for the work of Sutherland at home and in the international community. Important nations may receive an Inspirator as an ambassador. Their main purpose is to serve as the group from which the next Arc-Wonderess is to be chosen. They are each chosen from a collection of governmental districts that are their “kingdom” or Inspiraria. Map of Sutherland Inspirarias:

The Chamber of the Inspirators, their central meeting place and offices:

The government of the Sutherland Federation serves to make Nathan Jarreau’s vision of a free, independent, and thriving Sutherland financially as well as culturally a reality. It requires the dedication and steadfast hope of the people to keep Sutherland together and united for a better tomorrow. The dominions accomplish this by caring for their people, the Core General does this through its dialogues and acts of unity for the one nation, the Court of Inspirators do this through their dedication, and hard work for the vision and ideals of the Arc-Wonderess. ,The Arc-Wonderess does so through his lifelong dedication to Sutherland, his land, home, and people.