Unitary Government of Cyberia
The Unitary Government of the Antarctic State of Cyberia (Cyberian or A.S. Unitary Government) is the national government of the Antarctic State of Cyberia, a constitutional stratocracy spanning the whole of the continent of Antarctica and her surrounding waters. This central government is the only power presiding over its civilians, making it unitary, as opposed to federal. The unitary government is composed of three distinct levels, these being the presidential level, the departmental level, and the departmental division level. This general structure is outlined in the A.S. Constitution, which also leaves any powers not specifically delegated to the levels or the people by the constitution, be left to the presidential level to decide upon. Nearly 100% of all government personnel are picked from military personnel, making it largely a stratocracy.
Naming
The full name of the republic is "Antarctic State of Cyberia", also known as "The Antarctic State", an official shorthand being "Cyberia" or otherwise acronymized with or without periods as A.S. or A.S.C.. The terms/phrases "Government of the Antarctic State of Cyberia" or "Cyberian Government" are often used interchangeably in official or otherwise formal documents.
History
The Cyberian government was formed with the principles of efficiency and simple design in mind, as evidenced by the relatively non-complicated structure of its three elements of government, in which the major castle departments lay. This "efficient, simple design" was referenced in direct opposition to the governments of the two major contributors to the population of Cyberia at the time of its creation: the United States and Russia.
The many founders of the Antarctic State settled upon a consensus that felt the need for a teardown and restructuring of modern (at the time) government; a government that was less tangled by needless bureaucracy; a government that got things done as opposed to bickering and arguing with itself. They used their knowledge of then-current politics and government in their blank slate to establish a new system that aimed to be more straightforward and easily navigable.
The concept of separation of powers, otherwise known as "checks and balances" was sought after, just as it was in the US. Separation of powers was taken much further, in that gradually, there spawned more than three departments, totaling nine today, all with their own respective duties to be executed. For comparison, the former United States had the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches of their government; Cyberia has the High Castle, leading the departments of defense, justice, treasury, resource management, agriculture, energy, infrastructure, civilian affairs, and foreign affairs.
At the time of formation, the majority of the population was comprised of servicemen, with the civilians being prison workers doing mining labor. Thus came the guideline that in order to be a part of government, one must be a part of the armed forces. Today that guideline is relaxed slightly, as there are indeed government positions open to the public. However, an overwhelming majority of government offices still require a trained serviceman or servicewoman to hold such positions.
Structure
Presidential Assembly
- Main article: High Castle
At the top of the structure of government are the current total of nine presidents. These are the executives of the government; the highest ranking officials. These presidents are each elected into position by a direct (as opposed to representative), popular vote amongst the citizen and naturalized citizen population. These nine positions are nine of the vast majority that require candidates be actively serving in the Cyberian Military Forces. Each president holds authority over their own respective castle department, hence the assembly of all presidents is dubbed the "High Castle". The High Castle is a place where all presidents must be present in order to deliberate, debate, and vote on issues concerning the country and its future. These presidents, by vote amongst themselves, can in turn change the way their respective departments work in order to suit the consensus that they reached during voting. For example, the Department of Justice can submit a new proposed law to the High Castle, and should the High Castle approve of its adoption, the President of Justice will order that law be put into place. By happenstance of their position of power, the High Castle also doubles as the country's supreme court, as the result of their voting holds the final say in the resolving of any disputes, and the establishing of precedents such as laws and amendments.
Departmental Level
- See also: Departments of the Castle
Below the presidential assembly are the nine castle departments, which are essentially nine branches of government that are equal in power between one another but differ in role. These departments are directly responsible for the execution of official government business, affecting civilians and the population as a whole. As implied by the A.S.C. Constitution, there is no hard limit on the total amount of castle departments that can exist at one time. Only the High Castle has the authority to create more departments and/or dissolve departments; a similar stipulation goes for the divisions within the departments themselves, however the power to do this in the context of divisions is up to the single president of the department in question.
Offices of the Presidents
Every castle department has an office that is formed around the president of that department. It is made up of the president themselves, and four other agents that are either appointed by the president or are still in office after the last president left, as these agents do not have term limits. These agents' jobs are to advise their president of any relevant information, keeping them up to date on national matters, and to fill any vacancies that may crop up in the offices of the president, following a specific line of succession. The lowest members of these lines of succession, the Inspectors General, are given a special task within each department, in which they are internal investigators that monitor and report to their Office of the President on the goings-on in their department, such as overall troop welfare, numbers, and whether or not personnel are doing their job and doing it properly.
Chiefs of Staff
Each of the divisions below the Offices of the Presidents are headed by their own respective executive officers; the Chiefs of Staff. These Chiefs are commissioned officers of a wide range of ranks from Captain (O-3) to General (O-10), depending on multiple circumstances such as the size of the division they command and its sphere of influence. The Presidents exercise direct authority over their respective Chiefs of Staff, regardless of any gaps in the rank hierarchy. One Chief has authority over his own division only; Chiefs do not exercise control crossed between divisions else they are to be reprimanded under military law.
Some Major Functions of Government
Legislation and Judiciary
- See also: ASC Department of Justice
The power to develop laws (but not to pass them), as well as the administration of the lower courts necessary to resolve disputes, both reside within the Department of Justice. The higher levels of these powers which are the power to accept a law to be adopted, and the administration of the highest decisionmaking (i.e. a supreme court), both reside within the High Castle.
Revenue and Budgetary Allocation
- See also: ASC Department of Treasury
National revenue and expenditure is recorded and managed by the Department of Treasury. Among other monetary fields, the Treasury Department is responsible for the taxation of the public, including collecting fines and deducting from wages and bank accounts, as well as the allocation of all available funds between all departments, including itself, under direction of the President of Treasury, who is further directed by the High Castle.
Mass Food Resource Production
- See also: ASC Department of Agriculture
The government is arguably the largest producer of raw food resources in the country. These raw food resources are normally sold off to private companies, who then process the raw material further and manufacture packaged foods for consumers, under health and safety inspection of the ASDA.
Policing
- See Also: Public Security, Riot Control, Security Forces
Police are in great numbers in Cyberia. The AS government provides non-emergency response, policing, and law enforcement to its civilian population mostly administrated by Public Security and Riot Control, as well as its own internal policing majorly headed by the Security Forces. Numerous intelligence agencies exist to assist these police divisions, including the controversial Identification Bureau.
Elections and Voting
- See also: ASC Department of Civilian Affairs
The most well known voting process in the country is the election of each of the nine presidents. The presidential election takes place once every four years and is managed by - as all voting processes not reserved to the High Castle are - the Department of Civilian Affairs's Electoral Office. On top of the presidential election, citizens also enjoy the delegation of referendums on some legislative yet non-constitutional matters that affect them as a whole, and enjoy the freedom to petition an initiative to add, remove, and/or revise laws that they are held to. These initiatives are subject to veto by unanimous vote of the High Castle.
Emergency Services
- See also: ASC Department of Civilian Affairs
Through the Department of Civilian Affairs, the public is given emergency fire and medical services, on top of Public Security Section 1's provision of policing and law enforcement. These services are available to the public in a variety of ways, including through dialing 911 through any phone connected to the telecommunications network.
Foreign Affairs
- Main article: ASC Department of Foreign Affairs
Due to foreign communication and international trade being at an all-time low, the Department of Foreign Affairs, has settled upon the role of being generally the single point of contact between the AS and the outside world. Nowadays the primary connection to the outside world is in the form of 24/7 defense, courtesy of the Department of Defense, however this defense is not necessarily challenged.
Provision to the Impoverished
- See also: ASC Department of Agriculture
The main provisions the government grants to the impoverished are food rations and non-government job opportunities, given by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Civilian Affairs, respectively.
Resource Acquisition & Management
- See also: ASC Department of Resource Management
Raw material acquisition, processing refinement, and enrichment is almost entirely administrated by the government; by the Department of Resource Management. Government stockpile is allowed to be sold to the public and by extension to companies in very large bulk amounts for relatively common materials, and at high prices for precious ones. These very large bulk amounts commonly make buying common raw or moderately processed material prohibitively non-cost-efficient for the individual, as opposed to companies.
Public Education
- See also: ASC Department of Civilian Affairs
Education is provided to the public by the Department of Civilian Affairs, funded through the allocation of taxes. Schools are split into two major parts, primary and secondary. Primary schools, also known as "elementary" schools, are responsible for kindergarten and grades 1 through 8, while secondary schools, or "high" schools are responsible for grades 9 through 12. During school hours, students are required to wear uniforms that resemble bare, non-camouflaged enlist uniforms. They are taught both the English and Russian languages, despite English being more commonly spoken. Among many other teachings, public schools teach children critical thinking and process-oriented practical solutions to problems that may commonly be encountered real-life, namely accounting and taxes.