Political: Gorgas

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The Democratic Republic of Gorgas is democratizing power, leaning toward the US, and attempting to maintain its political independence and internal stability in an increasingly dangerous environment. Gorgas maintains warm relations with Atropia due to the Atropian oil that passes through Gorgan pipelines and the greater interest of both nations in their independence from large and powerful neighbors. Gorgas faces its own regional threats from breakaway provinces.

Centers of Political Power

A nascent, semi-presidential republic, Gorgas’ center of political power is split between  the  president, the parliament, and the Gorgan people. Gorgas’ government enjoys widespread support from its population due to a common threat (Donovia) and its recent efforts to crack down on corruption. President Sikhale Askash and Prime Minister Anri Stepane operate a program of engagement with Western powers and a popular platform that cracks down on separatism throughout Gorgas. The ethnic enclave regions of Zabzimek, South Ostremek, and to a lesser extent Jarie continue to generate trouble for Gorgan politicians. These are regions that functioned semi- autonomously in the past and will not readily submit to Gorgan rule. They will use varying degrees of force to remain autonomous. From horrific ethnic cleansing in Zabzimek to destruction of bridges on the border in Jarie, the Gorgan government will face a huge hurdle based on a history of mistrust and methods used by all sides in the internal conflicts.

Gorgas

Military Authority

After coming to power eight years ago, President Askash initiated extensive changes in the Gorgan armed forces. Askash simplified the chain of command within the National Council (NC), with the placement of the military under the Minister of Defense (MoD) and the consolidation of the separate state departments (Border Guards, State Security, and Intelligence) under the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MoIA). The MoD and MoIA report directly to the president through the NC, established 15 years ago. The NC serves as a consultative body, accountable to the president, with vast powers to define Gorgas’ defense needs, military doctrine, and strategy; set manpower levels; and oversee the two security ministries.

Family Authority

In Gorgas, kinship and the extended family provide connection and sometimes survival in a harsh bureaucratic environment. Particularly with ethnic minorities, the family and the home have often served as centers of "resistance" against the bureaucratic state. Gorgan kinship shapes individual

identities, influences domestic affairs, and affects how people feel about foreign affairs. Family authority, however, can also generate ambivalence in the culture. Some may invoke kinship as a symbol of national survival, or kinship could also serve as an obstacle to personal achievement, economic development, and independent statehood. As a result, family authority can simultaneously support and oppose the country’s government.

Religious/Clerical Authority

The Gorgan Orthodox Church possesses a very real, albeit unofficial, political influence. In a sermon four years ago, the Grand Patriarch Bishop of Gorgas, the popular head of the Gorgan Orthodox Church, said that restoration of the Gorgan royal family was a “desirable dream of the Gorgan people.” The Grand Bishop also emphasized that if the people of Gorgas chose this model of governance, “a candidate to the crown should be selected among representatives of the royal dynasty, and he should be suitably raised to be king from childhood.” Because of the Grand Bishop’s statements, many Gorgans now debate whether their country should replace the current republic with a constitutional monarchy.

Attitudes Toward the US

A self-described “laboratory of experiment in democracy,” Gorgas struggles as a small nation amid powerful ones. Still stinging from gruesome massacres of its citizens due, in part, to Donovian intervention in both Zabzimek and South Ostremek, Gorgas continues to look to the  West for political partnership. While Gorgas courts Western Europe and desires membership in the EU and NATO, the country ultimately seeks to distance itself from its former influences. Gorgas finds itself very pro-US.

Attitude Toward US Trade

Gorgas currently welcomes and encourages US trade. While the transshipment of petroleum  products is the prime element, Gorgas would like to extend its trade in Gorgan-origin goods such as agricultural products. The US is funding programs that develop rural areas in order to stimulate local demand for goods and services, and increase the country’s ability to export products for hard currency.

Type of Government

Gorgas has been a democracy since the first broadly representative election 16 years ago. That year, the representative Gorgans approved a new constitution after they became dissatisfied with multiple revisions to its 1921 constitution. This very young government semi-distributed power among its three branches: the executive, judicial, and legislative. The majority of real power, however, still resides in the executive branch and is personified by the president and prime minister. Gorgan politics revolve around multiple parties, with two major and five minor parties represented in parliament. Due to remarks made by the head of the Gorgan Orthodox Church, debate over a return to a constitutional monarchy currently exists in Gorgas.

Official Flag of the Democratic Republic of Gorgas

Gorgas consists of 14 provinces that are further broken down into districts. Two of these provinces—Zabzimek and South Ostremek—have broken away from Gorgan control with the assistance of Donovia, and refers to themselves as the “Republic of Zabzimek” and the “Republic of South Ostremek,” respectively. A third province, Jarie, also has separatist tendencies, but currently remains under Gorgan control.

Branches of Government

Legislative Authority

The Gorgan parliament contains 235 members elected for four-year terms: 150 seats by proportional representation, 75 in single-seat constituencies, and 10 seats given to the representatives of the displaced persons from the separatist province of Zabzimek. Eight years ago, Gorgans approved constitutional amendments to reduce the parliament to only 150 members elected through a proportional representation system that will take effect in two years. Gorgas’ legislative elections will be held this year.

Executive Authority

Gorgas’ executive branch functions as a semi-presidential system with multiple political parties. The president serves as the head of state, and the prime minister operates as the head of government. Legislative power is vested in both the executive branch and parliament. Gorgas operates a Constitutional Court and a Supreme Court, with judges elected by the parliament based on the president’s recommendation. The current president is completing his second of three possible terms in office. Presidential elections will be held this year.

Judicial Authority

Gorgas possesses a Supreme Court, with judges elected by the parliament for 10 years based on the president's recommendation. This court serves as the highest judicial authority in the country, with its structure and powers enumerated by the 16-year-old Gorgan constitution. The Gorgan Supreme Court reigns over any presidential impeachment hearings and remains the only court in the country that can hand down a death sentence. Supreme Court judges are four years into 10- year terms of office. The next elections will be held in six years.

Government Effectiveness and Legitimacy

Provinces of Gorgas

Historical background has produced a desire for a strong central governmental system that maintains the independence of the Gorgan people. As long as the citizens perceive their government as strong enough to impose its will over its territory, the people will consider the Gorgan government legitimate. This strong central government background, however, also drives the current debate about the possibility of a constitutional monarchy for Gorgas.

Domestic Political Issues

Elections

All countries in the region possess a history of suspicious election practices followed by popular uprisings that meet varying degrees of success. Gorgan elections have been generally free from violence, with fraud typically localized. Foreign observers normally rate elections as free and fair, with significant voter participation. Both legislative and executive offices stand for election every four years, with a three-term limit for all offices.

Rule of Law

Despite a moderate level of corruption, the Gorgan people generally believe their nation has a regionally enviable reputation as a zone of law and order. Gorgan courts are generally open, the appeals process straightforward, and egregious cases of government corruption exposed and punished.

Corruption

Corruption is culturally endemic to Gorgas society. The extended family practices clientelism, protectionism, and even organized crime in the close-knit group. Family members expect favoritism and benefits from other family members when in positions of power.

A great variety of criminal activities thrive throughout Gorgas with the complicity of government officials who facilitate the activities through a range of participation from passivity to active involvement. One such group involved in this activity is the Gorgan Tourist Association. Officially a sophisticated travel bureau catering to an international visitors’ market, it is actually a cover organization. Organized criminal elements target wealthy foreigners, while bribing local police officials to experience “delays” and “language issues” when responding to foreigners’ calls for help. The country also serves as a prime transshipment point for drugs from Central Asia where corruption aids the process of smuggling and distribution.

International Relationships

Regional Actors

Gorgas’ attitude toward its neighbors remains generally non-hostile as it continues to focus on its breakaway provinces of Zabzimek and South Ostremek, and separatist-leaning Jarie. Due to its internal breakaway enclaves and intrusive Donovian influence, Gorgas does not desire a regional external conflict and the country remains in desperate need of friends. If an external actor threatens Gorgan territory or the Gorgan pipelines, the country would protect itself militarily. Incongruously, Gorgas would like to deepen economic ties with Limaria despite the depth of Donovian influence and presence there. Gorgas consistently attempts to balance the needs of all Gorgan neighbors. As an example, the Gorgans enacted a limited version of Atropia’s trade embargoes against Limaria, but continue to turn a blind eye to existing unofficial cross-border Gorgan/Limarian trade.

International Organizations

The Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OCSE) operates as the region’s most active international organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press, and fair elections. Gorgas is very accepting of OCSE operations in the country, and is actively pursuing deeper ties with the EU and other multi-lateral diplomatic organizations. Because of these deep EU ties, various EU-sponsored and other European-based economic and social development organizations are present in Gorgas. International organizations, like the UN Development Program, International Finance Program, and World Bank are aggressively aiding the transformation of the Gorgan economy, especially targeting rural poverty and increasing economic competitiveness. Non-government organizations (NGOs) like the Georgia A. Smith Human Development Trust, International Gorgan Development Fund, and Transnational Legal/Political Progress Project are attempting to move Gorgan social and other development measures closer to European norms.

International Economic Associations

Gorgas’ comparative lack of extractive wealth like oil has made it dependent on European and other development aid to grow its economy. A variety of aid projects attempt to develop the Gorgan agriculture and manufacturing centers and grow an enabling service economy.

Military Alliances

Gorgas has attempted to integrate itself with NATO as a defense against Donovia. Active Donovian military support for the separatism movements in South Ostremek and Zabzimek has limited NATO support for membership. However, US and other Western nations continue to support the modernization and overall capability of the Gorgan military.

Influential Political Groups

Official Political Parties

The National Party of Gorgas (NPG), a center-right party and the largest political organization in the country, currently governs Gorgas. Sikhale Askash, the current Gorgan president, founded the NPG ten years ago. A reformist party, the NPG favors closer ties with NATO and the European Union, as well as the restoration of Gorgan control over the separatist self-proclaimed republics of Zabzimek and South Ostremek. NPG leaders label themselves as liberal-conservative and in the last few years, the party became an observer member of the center-right European People's Party (EPP). In the past three years, the NPG moved its political ideology from center-left to center-right as it combined political, economic, and cultural liberalism with civic nationalism. The NPG’s main political priorities include improved social services to the poor (its main support base), anti-corruption, and reduced administrative barriers for business.

In addition to the NPG, other significant political parties are the Gorgan Unity Party, Conservative Party, Republican Party, Democrats for Freedom, Way of Gorgas, Right of Gorgas, Christian-Democrats, and Gorgan Workers’ Party.

Other Domestic Influential Groups

As the concept of free political speech takes hold in the country, political activism is more prevalent in Gorgas. As a result of a more open political system, opposition party negotiations with ruling parties demonstrate more transparency for the public. Consequently, Gorgans welcome the involvement of international organizations in their political process. The eight major political parties include the Gorgan Unity Party, Conservative Party, Republican Party, Democrats for Freedom, Way of Gorgas, Right of Gorgas, Christian-Democrats, and Gorgan Workers’ Party.

Summary

Gorgas remains a generally liberalizing state living beside potentially hostile forces in Donovia. Gorgas’ economic links as the outlet for Atropian oil tie the fates of Atropia and Gorgas together as the two small nations attempt to protect their political systems from interference. Gorgas remains the most democratic of the states within the region, and will likely lead the region in terms of fighting corruption, political plurality, and overall freedom. However, its international political situation will ensure it continues to be torn between competing interests.