Structure[edit | edit source]
Novistrana is composed of several constituent and autonomous republics with a devolved assembly, executive head of state, and powers relating to day-to-day administration and governance. They are Mari-El, Chuvashia, Tatarstan, Ukraine, and Kalmykia. The republics are in a strong economic union, but determine their own tax rates, social policies, and policing, having surrendered control of foreign policy, defense, and trade regulation to the Federal Government which governs the now large Federal District of Novistrana. The Federal Government has three branches, the executive Presidency, the unicameral Federal Assembly, and the Supreme Constitutional Court, which serves as the final court of appeals for federal cases. The Federal Government is famously unstable, and has shrunk in size over time, with most day-to-day governance having been slowly transferred over away from the Federal Assembly to several large ministries, known as the Executive Departments.
Traditionally, there are four major Executive Departments that operate with de facto independence from the oversight of the Federal Assembly; the Department of State Security, which governs foreign affairs and operates the Novjistrayan Foreign Intelligence Service; the Department of Defense, which oversees the Armed Forces and directs military investment; the Department of Agriculture, Land and Finance, which mints currency and establishes regulations and rights for exploiting federal land resources; and the Department of Interior, which oversees the Federal Security Bureau, integrates newly annexed provinces and settles intra-state disputes between republics. In addition to these four, there are three minor departments, the Department of Welfare, the Department of Education, and the Department of Development, which are much more strictly controlled by the Federal Assembly. The heads of each Department make up the Presidential Cabinet, and can be appointed directly by the President. An additional member of the Cabinet is the Attorney General of Novjistrana, appointed directly by the Supreme Constitutional Court, and the Assembly Speaker, appointed directly by the Federal Assembly.
The President is elected directly by the Federal Assembly, and serve until replaced by the same institution. They can be replaced at any time, for any reason, by a simple plurality vote. The President can cast a tie breaking vote in the Federal Assembly. Members of the Federal Assembly are elected from regional voting districts, with each republic and the Federal District being given seats proportional to their population. The Federal Assembly may pass laws that do not violate the sovereignty of the autonomous republics but are supreme in the Federal District. The Federal Assembly has devolved day to day governance of the District to the City of Kazan and the Regional Governance Council, but may veto any decisions made by either party if it chooses to do so.
The Supreme Constitutional Court serves as a final court of appeals and as the court of choice for all constitutional questions, but not for disputes between republics, which is handled by the Department of Interior.
Political Parties[edit | edit source]
This is a brief description of all political parties with representation in the Federal Assembly.
Major Parties[edit | edit source]
New Ethnofuturist Front[edit | edit source]
The NEF is a center-right, liberal, secular and nationalist party, and one of the largest parties by members in Novjistrana. It promotes a united Novjistrayan ethnic identity and language, increased investment in the oil and manufacturing industries, centralization of state authority through constitutional reform, and territorial expansion. Notable leaders include Agustin Sonkin. The NEF was founded in 2144, following the merger of the Sunshine Reform party with the Ethnofuturist Front. They are the largest party in the Federal Assembly, and have a base of support in urban centers, especially Kazan and Tolyatti, as well as in recently expanded into territories such as Ukraine.
2046 Movement[edit | edit source]
The 2046 Movement, now the Autonomist Party, is a controversial political party that defies categorization. They support the further decentralization of the Novjistrayan state, with some party members outright supporting its dissolution. Regionally, they have an incoherent platform, but their strongest base of support comes from the rural Tatar and Bashkir regions, where they support Islamic law and an independent Tatarstan. However, some prominent members of the 2046 Movement, such as Mikhael Ura, are vocally anti-Islam and devoutly Christian individuals united to the party only because of their support for independent Chuvashia. As a result, while the 2046 Movement is often very powerful, especially in times of instability or economic hardship, they are less a party than an umbrella faction for ethnic and religious nationalists and secessionists. In recent years, the party's reputation has become marred by growing nationalist sentiment within Novistrana, a series of terrorist attacks carried out in its name, and political infighting that has seen it devolve into three splinter factions, before finally being replaced by the Autonomist Party.
Social Justice Party[edit | edit source]
The Social Justicialist Party is a socialist, trade unionist, secular party that promotes left-wing solutions for Novistrana, and is a direct descendant of the Communist Party led by Vasily Viktorovich almost a century ago. They are against Christianity and Islam, preferring secular atheism, though are tolerant of Marselism to an extent that often sees them govern in cooperation with the Unity Party. They promote the Novjistrayan language and ethnic identity, though diminish its importance, arguing instead that nationality is meaningless. They are expansionist, and hope to restore socialist order to a significant portion of the former Russian Federation.
Minor Parties[edit | edit source]
Farmer's Party[edit | edit source]
The Farmer's Party is a left-wing agrarian political movement concerned primarily with protecting the rights and welfare of farmers and fishermen in Novistrana. It has risen to prominence by often being one of the deciding votes in determining a government, allowing itself to carve out a niche in the political process and entrench itself politically in some small farmer's towns, such as Zelengorsk. They are against inflation, for agricultural subsidization, and for other welfare measures such as price floors for agricultural goods, but are considered to be a single issue party, in the center between the four major parties, and often willing to govern with any of them. The lack of any significant moneyed support makes them a popular protest vote in some regions.
Traditionalist Party[edit | edit source]
The Traditional Party is a far-right fascist movement, that has split off the Ethnofuturists and later joined with the Orthodox Section, to form the United Family Front. They are opposed to democracy, in favor of strong central leadership and the dissolution of the autonomous republics, as well as an expanded military-industrial complex and expansion into Siberia and Europe and family-first policies such as eliminating females in the workplace, abolishing child labor, and promoting Orthodox religion. The Traditional Paarty was founded by Luka Stolin shortly after his election, riding a wave of public sentiment against several failed terms by the 2046 Movement, but have not returned to power since and remain marginal at best in Novjistrayan politics, ultimately merging with the Orthodox Section in 2153.
Hizb al-Islami[edit | edit source]
A prominent Islamist organization found primarily in rural Tatarstan and Bashkirstan, they often align themselves with the 2046 Movement. Favoring the implementation of shariah law and the subjugation of Christian and Marselist heresies, they differ from 2046 in that they want to establish a Novjistrayan Emirate, not limiting their ambitions solely to Tatarstan, and spread their borders into Dagestan, Chechnya, and beyond. They have very limited influence outside of local politics, rarely being invited to form a government, and have lost ground to the 2046 Movement at the national level overall. They support expansion into Crimea and Turkey.
Lotus Front for a New Kalmykia[edit | edit source]
Ostensibly a Buddhist, Kalmykian nationalist party, is has become a uniting banner for federal representation by the Kalmykian voter based opposed to the harsh measures taken by the Novistrayan government to ensure their cooperation with the occupation of their lands following the collapse of the previous state. Led by a prominent businessman in the capital, which Novistrayan authorities have denounced as a gangster, the party's official positions promote pacifism and are generally centrist, with an emphasis on free expression of all faiths, but they generally act as opposition to the Federal Assembly, by always voting for whichever side of a debate will lose or abstaining.
Novaya Russia Party[edit | edit source]
A right-wing, authoritarian, nationalist movement associated with Russians and the Orthodox faith, most popular in the regions of Mari with a Russian majority, Novaya Russia Party is an emerging entity. They favor a strong military, and advocate for restoring the Russian Empire under their leader "Prince" Andrei Pavelovich, who claims to be a Romanov descendant and rightful heir to the Russian throne. Pavelovich has used his holdings in the timber industry to finance his movement, which some deride as a cult of personality.