Endralon

[Polites]

HUGAMEST TRIBUNE

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Directorial Republic Abolished

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April 5670 - Following government paralysis and civil unrest in the aftermath of the collapse of the Endralonian government in April last year, an unlikely compromise has emerged. The monarchist Holy Crown Party (SZKP) and the Zergonese nationalist Zergonese People’s Party (SLS) have reached an agreement to radically reform Endralon and to put an end to the Directorial Republic established in 5444.

To that end, SLS lawmakers dropped their boycott of the Republican Senate to vote on one crucial measure: the election of a Constituent Assembly this past January, replacing the legislative elections. The Constituent Assembly had 25 delegate seats, and after three months of fierce debate produced a new fundamental law which has been ratified in a referendum this month, with 57% of voters supporting the adoption of the new constitution.

The main provisions of the new text are a compromise between the monarchism of the SZKP and the separatism of the SLS. Instead of restoring the monarchy of the House of Syldavia, the new constitution instead adopts the medieval doctrine of the Holy Crown, that is the idea that the sovereign of Endralon is the Crown itself, and not the monarch who wears it. This doctrine was most famously invoked in 1520, when the Selucian monarchy of the House of Audierne was deposed and Endralon became an aristocratic republic under the Holy Crown. Same as in the 16th century, Endralon will henceforth become a crowned republic, officially known as the Lands of the Holy Crown of Saint Ottokár. Instead of a monarch, the head of state will be the Protector of the Holy Crown, elected by universal suffrage for a single non-renewable 7 year term and with largely symbolic powers. And instead of granting Zergon its independence, the new constitution offers it extensive autonomy, with its own constitution, legislature, police force, and authority on internal affairs including culture, education, and taxation. Endralon will become a binational federal republic composed of two Crownlands, the Crownland of Zergon (consisting of the former Cantons of Zergon and Kundar) and the Crownland of Endralon  (formed of the remaining Cantons). The ancient name Sildova (the ultimate origin of the name of the House of Syldavia) has been resurrected as the short name of the Lands of the Holy Crown of Saint Ottokár.

The institutions of the new crowned republic grant Zergon effective veto power. The legislature will be the bicameral Crown Diet. The upper house will be the Federal Council, formed of 20 members, with the government of each Crownland appointing 10, and any law that affects the functioning of the Crownlands must be approved by the Federal Council. The lower house will be the Chamber of Deputies, elected through proportional representation by the citizens of both Crownlands, and thus naturally having a higher number of representatives from the Crownland of Endralon. The executive branch will continue the collegial traditions of the Directorial Republic and will be called the Federal Council of Directors. The 7 member body will be elected in a joint session of both houses of the Crown Diet and will serve for 7 years. Instead of a head of government, the Federal Council of Directors will be headed by a President of the Council, a position which will rotate annually among the 7 members of the body.

This compromise, while presented as a victory by all those involved in drafting it, leaves all dissatisfied. Instead of the restoration of the monarchy, all the SZKP could achieve was a reference to the Crown in official titulature. Instead of an independent Zergon, the SLS ultimately acquiesced to increased autonomy. And the republican parties were unable to prevent the death of their beloved Directorial Republic. Still, they have all shown a willingness to maintain this system for the foreseeable future, or at least as long as the current balance of power remains unaltered. The only ones who remain radically opposed to the new constitution are the two far right parties, who are best positioned to benefit from any future crisis questioning the validity of the crowned republic. But for now at least, the Lands of the Holy Crown of Saint Ottokár are here to stay.