Veikaia

The Council Republic of Veikaia (Veikan: Radi Respublik Veikasa), also known as the Council Republic or simply Veikaia is a self-described, formed from the former Veikan Kingdom during the last stages of the Veikan Civil War in 1979. The country is characterized by its market economy and council-based government system. It is a one-party state led by the Veikan Communist Party, with its headquarters in the capital city of Oztov. Veikaia borders Litania, Mero-Curgovina and Nymans-Messel to the south, X and Y to the east, Ostboland to the north-east and Mespalia across the sea to the west. It has an estimated population of over 62.4 million people and a GDP of $750 billion. With extensive industrial and agricultural sectors, major exports include Anthracite, Iron, Steel and other metals and alloys, Metallic Goods, Natural Gas, Heavy Machinery, Consumer Electronics, Grain and Cattle among others.

The Council Republic was declared on the 28th of November of 1979, near the end of the Veikan Civil War, after the city of Oztov was seized from remnants of the Veikan Provisional Government and right-wing militia forces. The siege of Oztov resulted in heavy damage to the city and the deaths of thousands of civilians, due to indiscriminate shelling and disputed war crimes. The conflict inflicted severe damage to the Veikan economy and infrastructure, but reconstruction aid sent by fellow Socialist nations such as Goetia and Albel enabled mass economic recovery during what Veikan historians have called the "Reconstruction Period".

Since its foundation, the Council Republic has described itself as a democratic socialist state, holding elections for positions within the council hierarchy every 4 years, only eligible to candidates from the VCP; no other parties are allowed to participate in elections beyond the VCP and factions within it. The state follows Ignatovism, a form of Communism characterized by a predominantly council-based semi-democratic system, market socialist economic policy, worker self-management of production and government decentralization.

Etymology
The country's name in Veikan, Veikasa, has an unknown etymological origin. Many theories have been produced to explain its origin, with the most popular being that the name comes from the river Vei that crosses Oztov, the cultural and historical capital of Veikaia. This theory posits that the name probably means "People of the Vei" or a similar variation and comes from the old, mostly lost, Old Veikan language spoken by Gardarike Veikans in the time prior to the great migration west. The western name Veikaia is believed to come from Latin roots and to be an interpretation of the native word Veikasa.

Early History
Human habitation in the region of modern day Veikaia prior to the arrival of Veikan tribes in the region was mostly composed of Gothic (Curgov, Östben and the local Veigothic tribes in particular, among other minor cultures) and Litanian tribes and, later on duchies. These groups had inhabited the region through the bronze and iron age, as attested by archeological findings dating to the pre-Veikan era. The Germanic peoples inhabiting the area were highly influenced by tribes inhabiting what is now modern day Mero-Curgovina and Litania, with trade being a common occurrence, although conflict was also common.

The early historical records of the Veikan people are scarce, with most sources coming from oral tradition and epic poems. Early Veikan and Gardic records point to historic interactions, with the ancient Veikan tribes being displaced by the migration of Gardic settlers in the early 9th century CE. Characteristically Veikan artifacts such as weaponry, pottery and the remains of small tribal settlements have been found by Gardic archaeologists in several locations around the country, indicating that Veikan settlements used to exist in the region.

The increasing Gardic presence and an increase in violent conflicts forced most Veikan tribes to migrate west, towards the current territory of Veikaia. The initial wave of migrations displaced a number of small Gothic tribes in the north-east of what is now modern day Veikaia and concluded in the creation of the first Veikan Kingdom, the Kingdom of Vipusk, in these territories. Gothic settlements were repopulated by Veikan Slavs, indicated by retention and Veikanization of their original names, such as the city of _ and the town of _. By the late 10th century the Veikan tribes within the Kingdom of Vipusk had a firm control of the north-eastern territories of modern day Veikaia.



Veikans and Goths coexisted for several decades, but in the 11th century tensions started to mount between Veikans and surrounding Veigothic, Östben and Curgov tribes due to resources and cultural differences, leading to open warfare between them and the expansion of the Kingdom of Vipusk until it encapsulated the majority of north Veikaia, which became the core center of Veikan population. Into the 12th and 13th century further minor skirmishes with Gothic tribes and small Litanian duchies in the south further expanded the control of the Veikans over the region that is now modern day Veikaia. The Kingdom of Vipusk had grown significantly in size, and with the ascension of Veislad I to the throne the Kingdom of All Veikans, or Kingdom of Veikaia for short, was declared in 1283. Several large minorities of Goths and Litanians, known in the modern day as Veigoths and Litano-Veikans, continued to live under the Kingdom of Veikaia for most of its history, albeit decreasing sharply in number through the centuries from migration to the bordering regions that now compose the nations of Litania and Mero-Curgovina and suffering from less recognition as equal citizens of the country until recent history.

In the 11th century, Alitheian Christianity was introduced into Veikaia through missionaries from northern Kesh. The Veikan tribes were remarkably receptive to the gospel of the Kesh missionaries according to sources from the time. This is mostly believed to have been caused by the many parallels between Gnostic doctrine and mysticism and the already incumbent beliefs of Veikan Paganism. During the ascension of Alitheian Veislad I to the throne, a mass conversion of the Kingdom went underway in what became known as the Baptism of Veikaia.

Medieval period
Veikaia remained a rather isolated state through the Middle Ages, only engaging in skirmishes with its neighbours and primarily attending to local issues and trade. A long period of relative stability emerged, with the nation's monarchs being concentrated on matters of the state and court rather than the expansionism or colonial pursuits emerging among Artemians in the late Middle Ages. This policy generated a general “Inward Culture” (Veikan: Kultar Vnutreni), where interference in foreign affairs was deemed unworthy, mirroring the religious practices of the fledgling Alitheian Church, while internal issues were given focus.

Through most of the middle ages and early renaissance, the primary enemy of Veikaia were raiders from the kingdoms in what now is modern day Curnathica. Fierce and unyielding, these raiders posed a serious threat to anyone living in the border regions of the countryside, and until the 16th and 17th century their attacks were felt across the nation. Many times their raids destroyed entire villages or completely collapsed important trade routes. However, many Curgov families instead allied with the Veikan crown in exchange of aid and protection, this was one of the few exceptions to the Inward Culture, as the country found itself meddling in the matters of the Curgovs many times to ensure protection for their cities and trade routes to Merandy. Many border disputes were fought between the Veikan state and the many raiding kingdoms that slowly proceeded to settle inwards towards Veikaia through the period, as the borders of both nations were fluid up until the 18th century.

Land trade with the southern Merand kingdoms, specially the merchant kingdom of Corinz, was very important for the people of Veikaia. The stability of the southern trade routes dictated a lot of the living conditions of the urban bourgeois class, as goods such as silks, dyes and spices were imported from Kesh through the Merand kingdoms. Other goods such as Merand plate armor, weapons and later on canons were also imported for use by the armed forces of the Veikan Kingdom and to supplement already locally produced goods. Through the early renaissance and late middle ages Merand trade routes were the only source of firearms and cannons that Veikaia could access, specially when it was blockaded by the Agranan crown, forbidding access to the sea trade routes.

The nation grew in this period to be a relatively powerful if isolated regional power and the royal family grew rich from a staunchly mercantile policy towards trade. The riches accumulated through trade into inner Artemia allowed the royal family to also accumulate considerable power over their subjects, slowly eroding the feudal system via central tariffs and intervention into an absolutist form of government- a system extant into the early 20th century.

Santa Ana Conflict
Due to the nation's mercantile policy and heavy reliance on trade for state profits, it was but a matter of time before a conflict related to trade erupted. In 1612 a shipment of expensive furs from Gardarike en route to Monte Real in the ship Santa Ana was intercepted and captured by a Veikan Man O' War due to a refusal to pay the required taxation upon entering Veikan waters that was levied on all foreign ships. The capture of the ship caused an uproar among the traders in Monte Real, who then demanded the Agranan crown intervene to free the captured ship and recover the goods deemed to be unfairly stolen. In march of 1612 an official warning from Agrana y Griegro was received by the Veikan crown demanding the freeing of the ship's crew and the return of all captured goods and ship, this however fell on deaf ears as the crown refused and outright ignored the warning.

In response to the refusal from the Veikan government to free the goods and crew, a heavily armed fleet was dispatched under the orders of Admiral Alfonso Santiago, with orders to demand the release of the Santa Ana. However, once the fleet arrived, their demands were denied. With orders to return home for new orders, Admiral Alfonso Santiago returned to home port where him and the rest of the admiralty in the Agranan navy were ordered to attack any Veikan ships on sight and essentially blockade access to the Eurybian sea for Veikan trade ships. The blockade forced the Kingdom to search for alternative trade routes through Mero-Curgovina and other bordering nations, and it lasted for over 10 years before the Veikan Kingdom finally relented and released all the crew. The ship and goods however were lost through the years.

The Santa Ana Conflict, while lacking in major fleet actions and combat, was a deciding factor for Veikaia's future policy in trade and interactions with the great powers of the time. The conflict was debilitating to the Veikan economy, many trade ships were seized or destroyed in the early years and the entire country was forced to shift its sea routes towards land routes in the south. These facts caused the Veikan crown to avoid direct engagement in conflict with great powers and their traders, deciding instead to once again further the policy of Inward Culture to avoid future conflicts.

Century of Revolution
While relatively stable throughout the 18th century, the advent of the Industrial Revolution and urbanization in the early 19th century, new ideologies and the spread of the idea of free thought in West Artemia, led to instability and an increasingly destructive cycle of mass revolts against the Veikan state. Starting with the Peasants' Revolt of 1812, where a number of peasants in the outskirts of the city of Viura rose up in revolt against what they deemed unfair prices and work conditions, comparing them to serfdom(only recently abolished), en masse demanding better conditions and wages. The Peasants' Revolt was swiftly crushed by the government's forces, but left a lasting image in the common consciousness of the Veikan population and inspired many revolts in decades to come.

By the middle of the 19th century, the introduction of Anarchism, Socialism and Communism into Veikaia further exacerbated the already-dire situation in the country, with many minor and major revolts ensuing as the Communist Party or Anarchist movements of Veikaia started to become formidable political forces. The greatest display of this would occur with the "Red February" of 1887, where a large portion of the city of St. Tomas was barricaded off by Communist, Anarchist and Social Democratic forces and faced off against the government for almost 2 weeks before being finally defeated by a large contingent of military conscripts in the city. Still, even when defeated, the St. Tomas communes sent a ripling effect through the nation that was felt all the way to the end of the Kingdom and to this day the date of the declaration of the first St. Tomas commune is celebrated by the North Veikan government as a national holiday under the name of "Resistance Day".

The century of revolution, even if crushed by the Kingdom's forces, left the monarchy in a state of disarray. It was finally proven that they did not have the power to properly fight against the uprisings that had become increasingly more common in past decades, and as such the monarchy took a hit that sent its popular support plummeting. The general population, and specially political figures in the opposition, were now aware that uprisings were not only possible, but had a large chance of being successful.

Oztov agreement
Constant internal struggle within the Kingdom began to erode the authority of government and military, morale decreasing as the government found itself needing to conscript forces specifically to counter insurgents or major local uprisings. Conscripts abandoning their positions became common, and as the 1920s approached the crown found itself in a position where it could no longer properly respond to insurgency, forcing continual abortive concessions to public dissatisfaction. This state of affairs continued until 1921, when many Liberals and Social Democrats marched armed into the capital of Oztov, demanding their leaders be allowed to meet the King in person to negotiate terms for a new constitution, local elections and greater public liberties. Lacking the military forces to respond to such a massive, heavily armed mob, the government folded and the Oztov Agreement was reached, leading to the ratification of a new constitution and the creation of more autonomous local governments with publicly-elected officials. Still, many groups found this agreement to be non-satisfactory, especially Communist forces, which continued their long-running insurgency.

The Oztov agreement sought to achieve better rights for the Veikan population, but its effectiveness has been debated. For example, in an attempt to reach across the board to the more conservative members of Veikan society, full democracy was not achieved by the agreement, instead a partial democratic system was reached where democracy could only be found in local politics and elections. The government at large was still authoritarian and the monarchy's power was still absolute. This led to discontent among the Liberals and Social Democrats, who even when invited to negotiate were still not allowed most of their requests. Minor uprisings followed the Oztov agreement but were all crushed by the monarchy's armies.

Veikan Civil War (1972-1979)
Main article: Veikan Civil War



Veikaia's ruling party traces its origins to the People's Red Front, an Ignatovist guerrilla force active primarily on the highlands of the country's north from the late 50s to the end of the Veikan Civil War in the late 70s. The People's Red Front (or PRF) experienced a steady growth in support through the 1960s as national stability and support for the Veikan Kingdom steadily decayed and rebel activity grew exponentially. In the early 1970s dissent reached boiling point when the pro-democratic movement spearheaded a number of major protests and demonstrations across Southern Veikaia which led to the mobilization of the army and weakening of counter-insurgency operations in Northern Veikaia, leaving an open window for a major offensive which destabilized the Kingdom's military forces in the north.

The defeat of the Kingdom's forces led to a major increase in support for the PRF. As their forces advanced and captured several important positions and military bases many recruits, both locals and international volunteers, joined their ranks leading to a snowball effect that culminated in a significant communist military force forming. The communist forces engaged in a campaign of harassment of royalist forces through most of the war, slowly eroding the morale and manpower reserves of the enemy and causing an eventual mass-desertion from the armed forces that left the royalist forces standing on one leg. A fast offensive across the rest of the country's north allowed the PRF access to the sea and direct support from Goetia, which supplied thousands of pieces of equipment. Captured royalist equipment was also used, sometimes modified with foreign Teuton heavy equipment.

The PRF and its allies continued to battle with the Kingdom's forces until the eventual collapse of the monarchy and the rise of the Old Guard government, which allied with far-right paramilitary forces and attempted to turn around the tide of the war. It was, however, too late as the momentum of the PRF's expansion turned them into an almost unstoppable force and Oztov was captured in November 28th 1979, putting an end to the Veikan Civil War in North Veikaia. The communist forces quickly turned their sights to the Democratic-controlled south and through a quick offensive captured the southern areas of the country and unified the nation under the Council Republic's rule.

Reconstruction Period (1979-2000s)
After the end of the civil war, Veikaia found itself in shambles. The war had caused immense damage to the country's infrastructure and almost the entirety of the country's industry had been geared entirely towards winning the war, which caused an economic crisis that rocked the nation as a whole. Entire cities had been destroyed by indiscriminate shelling such as the capital of Oztov, which had to be almost entirely rebuilt. This period of veikan history is referred to as the “Reconstruction period”.

A huge reconstruction campaign was launched by the central government with the objective of rebuilding the country's damaged infrastructure, revitalizing its dying economy and quelling dissent from what remained of the opposition. This was funded mostly by Goetia and Albel, nations that had supported the country through the civil war with equipment and volunteers. The reconstruction led to mixed but mostly positive results as the country was slowly but surely rebuilt through this massive operation.

The 80s saw some level of resistance to communist rule by a portion of the population in the form of protests and civil disobedience. Minor acts of violence also happened across the nation's cities with riots. As the economy was slowly shifted from military production into the production of civilian goods, the country was unable to match the needs of the population when it came to food production through the early 1980s, this led to minor famines across the country that killed many thousands of people, primarily those living outside the country's cities which had undergone a rationing system to properly feed the population.

General consensus agrees the reconstruction period ended in the early 2000s, with the reconstruction of Oztov being announced over and most of the country's infrastructure restored to prewar levels. Industrial production reached prewar levels in 1997, transportation infrastructure was fully restored to its prewar state in 1998, the mass famines had already ended by 1984 and the country was relatively stable by 1990, albeit still under reconstruction.

Geography
The Council Republic of Veikaia is located in the eastern part of West Artemia, bordering Litania, Mero-Curgovina and Nymans-Messel to the south, X and Y to the east, Ostboland to the north-east and Mespalia across the sea to the west. The nation occupies the territories of what used to be the Kingdom of Veikaia, covering a total of 136,880 km2.

The country offers a relatively uniform topography, being primarily composed of hills, steppes and plains. Veikaia is one of the flattest countries in Anterra. Several rivers can be seen across the surface of Veikaia, but the largest and most important (Both geographically and culturally) river is considered to be the river Vei, crossing across the capital of Oztov and believed to give the country its name. The southern regions of the country are characterized by being primarily flat, rolling plains covered in forests of varying densities while the northern areas of the country are composed of hills and steppes. A lot of the country's dense forests have been deforested to accommodate for the country's blooming, large agricultural sector which has led to concerns from conservation organizations that this large scale deforestation might cause the extinction of several local species of flora and fauna.

Climate
The climate of Veikaia is mostly continental, with temperatures reaching as low as -5°C on the harshest winters and reaching up to 18°C or 20°C on summer. Winter is generally mild with average humidity and precipitations while summer is generally cool and moist with annual rainfall of approximately 500 to 700 mm. Climatological natural disasters are rare, with mild flooding being the only danger that could be experienced in Veikaia. Snow is incredibly common during winter, blanketing the country in a layer of snow every year, with the amount of snowfall experienced depending on the region and ranging from relatively thin layers of sleet to higher concentrations of snow that can make transportation difficult.

Biodiversity


Veikaia has a varied amount of fauna thanks to its large areas of forests and lightly touched wilds, ranging from commonly used in regional and historical royal heraldry to roe deer, grey wolves, rabbits, wild boars, lynxes and moose. Many species of owls and eagles can be spotted across the country's wilderness. Most of the bear population in the country can be found in the northern areas of the country across the highland taiga, while wolves are generally found in the southern mixed forests. The country's rivers and sea are home to species of salmon, sturgeon, herring, trout, pike and smelt among many others. Mink and otters also live in and around the country's lakes and rivers. Many species extinct in other areas of Artemia can be found roaming Veikaia's forests.

Much of Veikaia is covered in forests, primarily highland taiga on the north and sarmatic, mixed, deciduous and coniferous forests to the south. The most common species of trees found in the country are oak, poplar, willow and pines among others. Forests cover up around 30% of the country's territory, and are a refuge for most of the country's wild life.

Criticism has been levied against the country for its lack of solid policy on biodiversity protection. The rivers, lakes and forests of Veikaia are home to rare species of animals that cannot be found outside the state and thanks to the encroaching industrial development of the nation, said biodiversity finds itself in danger of being eliminated. Many environmentalist organizations have demanded the government take action in protecting the country's biodiversity, but so far said demands have fallen on deaf ears.

Government and Politics
As a Council Republic, the Veikan Government is composed of a hierarchy of decentralized assemblies going from the lower local levels to higher supreme one. The country is divided in local, city, regional and national councils each having a level of autonomy and control on their assigned working areas. Members of the party selected by their local communities are elected in a 5 year basis for positions in their assigned local council, members of said local council can be elected by their city council for positions within it and so on. Still, even when decentralized, the national council holds the power to dissolve minor assemblies, call for Party Congresses, override orders by lesser councils and other rights as to maintain what the Veikan Constitution calls "Ideological Unity".

Legislative Power is held by the unicameral Congress of Councils, the principal national council. The 460 members of the Congress of Councils are elected by each Provincial Council every 5 years like every other council in the nation. They are tasked with the passing of laws and assignment of members to the Table of Commissars, the executive branch of the state. The Congress of Councils also holds major power over the other councils under it and the Table of Commissars, being able to dissolve them by passing a motion of no confidence. Through all Veikan history a motion of no confidence has never been passed, but has been threatened several times. A Chairman of the Congress of Councils is also elected to function as the representative of the Congress and Head of Government.

Executive power is held by the Table of Commissars and its chairman, elected by the Congress of Councils also every 5 years. Each member of the Table of Commissars is tasked with managing an specific commissariat. Currently, 5 commissariats exist: Aside from the Commissars, a Chairman of the Table of Commissars is also selected. The Chairman is generally, but not always, also the Chairman of the Communist Party. The Chairman of the Table of Commissars works as the Head of State of Veikaia.
 * Commissariat of Defense
 * Commissariat of State Security
 * Commissariat of Internal Affairs
 * Commissariat of Foreign Affairs
 * Commissariat of Agriculture and Industry (Also known as the Commissariat of Economic Affairs)

Finally, Judiciary power is held exclusively by the Communist Party and its Party Commissars, who work in a similar manner to judges in western democracy but answer directly to the Party Head and the Congress of Councils. The judiciary is divided in the National Judiciary Council which governs over national scale matters, regional judiciary councils which govern under them, the military judiciary council which deals with matters of the armed forces such as desertion, crimes while in service and others, and the party judiciary council which answers directly to the Communist party and deals with political crimes.

Veikan Communist Party
The only legal political party in Veikaia, the Veikan Communist Party (VCP) holds extreme power over the state, for example, all candidates for government have to be vetted by a special council within the party before they can run in local or national elections. The party's official ideology is Ignatovism, the Marxist ideological current founded by Lyov Ignatov. The Party is governed by a central party committee with the objective of maintaining ideological adherence to communism, ensure control over the state's mechanisms of government and furthering the Ignatovism tenet of communist internationalism.

The Veikan Communist party traces its origins to the 1910s, where the first Marxist Communist Party was founded in Oztov's underground political scene. Illegal at the time, the VCP grew exponentially in size as the decades went by, eventually becoming a major fighting force in the Veikan Civil War.

Factionalism is common and tolerated to an extent within both the party and government; several factions within the Communist Party work almost as parties of their own within it. The major Factions of Veikaia are the Ignatovists, Market Communists, Marxist-Leninists and Democratic Socialists, with the most popular among them being the Ignatovists, holding an almost permanent majority since 1979, and the least popular the Democratic Socialists. During election times, these factions within the party are known to campaign in a way similar to that of western democratic parties commonly seen in states members of the League of Free Nations.

The Veikan Communist Party owns many propaganda tools such as the radio Radio Proleti.

Foreign Relations
Veikaia is one of the founding members of the International Movement for Socialism, being one of the main pillars of the organization. However, due to its history and ideology, the country has strained relations with most of its neighbors and Western Artemia at large except for the nation of Goetia and the Union of Artemian Socialist Republics. The state has held a close economic and political relationship with the nation of Koryeo since the end of the civil war, something many modern day political theorists find baffling at times.

Flag
The Veikan Flag is a tricolor with two equally sized horizontal blue and black stripes and a larger in size white stripe. The flag has been in official use since at least the 18th century, but used unofficially and by civilians since the 15th century.

There are several explanations to the meaning and origin of the flag, but none can be confirmed as a fact. The flag has been in use since at least the 15th century and probably prior by the people of Veikaia due to its simpler design when compared to the Veikan Kingdom's flag during this period which meant it was easier and cheaper to produce for the poorer sectors of society. The main and generally accepted theory of its origin is that the flag is simply the colors of the old Royal Family's coat of arms in the form of a tricolor, a popular flag design during the time period. A probable explanation for the noticeably larger top white stripe is a general widespread cultural appreciation for the color white in Veikaia, it being generally linked with holiness and the characteristic Veikan winters which blanket the entire country each year.

Military
The Workers' Revolutionary Army, also know as the WRA or Veikan Armed Forces in most of Anterra function as the armed forces of the Council Republic. The WRA consists of the Workers' Revolutionary Ground Force, Workers' Revolutionary Air Force and the Workers' Revolutionary Navy. The Armed Forces answer directly to the Commissariat of Defense and the Chairman of the Table of Commissars the latter functioning as the Commander-in-chief.

While the WRA maintains a large reserve and active force, the country has significantly demobilized and downsized its army since the end of the Veikan Civil War. The primary objective of the WRA is the defense of the nation's territorial integrity and interests both internally and abroad. Military integration with several key members of the IMS is also one of the chief goals of the WRA within recent years, with military exercises and exchanges being a commonplace occurrence in recent years. Veikaia is known for training and assisting communist forces abroad across Anterra, such as providing training for the Arbenz Communal Defense Forces, a major member of the IMS.

Veikaia possesses a strong industrial base which produces most of the country's military equipment, even then many imports dating as far back as the 1930s through 1940s are still in active use by all branches, albeit heavily modified in the case of active divisions. The Veikan Defense industry is able to produce individual and crew served weaponry, artillery, armored vehicles and tanks among others, but suffers from an underdeveloped air and naval industry relying mostly on foreign imports. The majority of imported military equipment comes from Goetia, with other industrial nations members of the IMS also selling weapons and ammunition to the state.

The Veikan Communist party exerts a level of control of the Armed Forces through several mechanisms; Only party members can reach higher officer positions within the Armed Forces and Party Commissars have been directly integrated into the armed forces to exercise party discipline on dissenting officers. Conscripted and Professional soldiers are screened disloyalty before being allowed to serve and must also go through lectures on Marxism. These aggressive policies have led to a large number of officers loyal to the Party and its ideology, even if most enlisted personnel are not active members of the VCP. Still, factionalism within the Communist party has also caused friction within the armed forces and its officers.

Veikaia is generally considered to be a latent nuclear state. It possesses the materials, expertise and technical capacity to make nuclear weapons at will if deemed necessary but its government has actively gone against the idea as to avoid making Veikaia a possible nuclear target in the event of an international war. Veikaia has a number of nuclear reactors built under the URSA and Goetia's supervision in the mid 2000s and imports nuclear material primarily from Goetia, as it lacks a local source of uranium in high enough quantities. The country's nuclear latency has caused worry among some of its neighbors, but Veikaia's consistent avoidance of producing a nuclear arsenal has put most concerns at rest.

Law
Veikaia is governed by a supreme Constitution based on the principle of civil rights and governed by the code of civil law, it establishes standards for governance and how the Council Republic must function. The Constitution also lists the rights and obligations of all Veikan citizens. It is one of the few in the world to stress the citizens' rights to bear arms and organize themselves in protection of the Council Republic against both foreign and internal threats, even if this right has its limitations. Overall the constitution stresses the need for a single party government, guarantees limited democratic rights to the population, solidifies the Communist Party's position of power within the state, acknowledges personal property rights and guarantees the right to form trade unions and strike. These rights however have been violated in several ocassions by the central government.

The judiciary is composed of two levels, the National Judiciary Council and several other Regional Judiciary Councils. The Veikan Communist Party also has its own judiciary council separate from the state councils, which is used to judge crimes related to the party. National judges are appointed by the Congress of Councils and can also be dismissed by it. Regional judges are appointed by the National Judiciary Council and cal also be dismissed by it.

Veikaia has a low homicide rate at 0.7 murders per 100,000 people, as of 2018. Rape, assault and violent crime remain at a very low level, although not all cases are recorded by the authorities. Other crimes are more common but still on the lower side of the scale.

Law enforcement and emergency services
Law enforcement is primarily handled provincially by each province's own Red Guards. The Red Guards, are a direct descendant of the Civil War era Red Guard Battalions. Said battalions functioned as pacification forces behind occupied territory which "guarded" the land from bandits and enemy insurgents and partisans. The Red Guards are a semi-militarized policing force, equipped with firearms ranging from handguns to submachine guns and assault rifles, with assistance from helicopters and APCs with less armor than their military counterparts. The Red Guards are a heavily decentralized force, with each province's Red Guards battalions answering only to the local government and in case of emergency to the Congress of Councils itself. The Red Guards also have several subdivisions that handle terrorism, cyber-crime, intelligence gathering and corruption among others.

Emergency services in Veikaia consist of the national medical emergency services, search and rescue services provided by the armed forces, and state fire service. All emergency services personnel are uniformed and security services can be easily recognized during regular patrols in both large urban areas or smaller suburban localities.

Administrative divisions
After the civil war, the country's old subdivisions were scrapped and replaced with new, federal-styled and much smaller subdivisions based on the new system of government in the country. Each province is governed by a provincial council, and is subdivided into counties which are also governed by rural or city councils depending on their jurisdiction's composition. Administrative authority is given to an appointed governor, approved by the central Congress of Councils. Each province's provincial council has its own set of laws within its jurisdiction, which may vary radically between provinces as long as they dont go against the central law of the Congress of Councils.

Demographics
The 2020 census recorded a total population of 62,486,672 people, primarily composed of ethnic Veikans but also having a significant Veikan Gothic and Veikan Litanian minority, primarily located within the south-east and south-west of the nation respectively, and a number of other ethnic and religious minorities thanks to the country's open immigration policy. A very large portion of the population lives within the capital of Oztov and other major urban centers, specially after the government's post civil war campaign of urbanization.

Veikaia has always been primarily composed of ethnic Veikans, but a large minority of Gothic and Litanian Veikans descended from medieval era peoples native to the region live within the country, and have been granted equal rights relatively recently within the country's history in the early 1920s. A major Jewish diaspora exists within Veikaia, primarily located around the city of Oztov and nearby settlements. Approximately 2% of the Veikan population self-identifies as Jewish.

As of 2021, birth rates in the country remain among the highest in Western Artemia, at 11.8 births per 1000 people, and a death rate of 9.1 per 1000. However, the average life expectancy in the country is of 77 years, being shorter than the Artemian average. The total fertility rate of the country is around 1.80 children per woman. These overall statistics depict Veikaia as a growing nation with a young population.

Religion
Prior to the emergence of Alitheian Messianism, Veikan tribes followed Veikan Paganism, a dualistic pagan religion that was largely abandoned with the unification and mass conversion of the country to Messianism after the ascension of Veislad I to the throne.

The predominant religion in Veikaia is Alitheian Messianism, with over 76% of the population belonging to the religion but a number close to 53% actually observe it. Prominent religious minorities in the country include Jews, Muslims, Marian Church of Agrana y Griegro and a growing irreligious minority. The Council Republic has a policy of limited religious tolerance towards Alitheians but cases of religious intolerance towards Jewish and Muslim communities by the government have been denounced by international human rights organizations in multiple occasions.

Urbanization
Urbanization through the history of the country has been low. Up until the industrial revolution reached Veikaia in the late 19th century the country's population primarily lived spread out in rural areas of the country, living in towns and villages. Through the 20th century there was a slow but steady increase in the population of urban centers, as people migrated towards cities in search of jobs, education and other benefits that the rural lifestyle did not afford. The Veikan Kingdom had a weak policy of urbanization, causing urban centers to grow slowly in comparison to other states in the region.

When Civil War struck Veikaia, the country lost a large portion of its urban population as people fled the war devastated urban centers towards the countryside, many people would move from the war torn and destroyed homes to villages and towns which were less damaged by the raging war through the country. This however was temporary, as after the end of the war and during the period of reconstruction that followed the Veikan government put in motion a large scale policy of resettlement to urban centers of rural populations. The economy required manpower that was not available, and the only solution was deemed to be a dual policy of large scale reconstruction with cheap, mass produced materials and the resettlement of a sector of the rural population to large cities. In the modern day, Veikaia still maintains a strong policy of urbanization, favoring urban populations to rural ones and large scale heavy industry to agriculture and resource extraction.

Language
Main article: Veikan Language

The vast majority of the country's population speaks the native Veikan Language, which is the state's only official language. This makes Veikaia a linguistically homogeneous nation, except for a large minority of Tipsprek speakers within the Tipsprek Ethnic Province, being recognized as a regional language by the government. The Veikan language is part of the Slavic western family of languages, sharing a common origin with many languages in Eastern Artemia but differing significantly thanks to its distance from the rest of its family. It has heavy influences from its neighboring Latin and Germanic languages, primarily Govic and Lange d'Lis, borrowing many words and idioms from both languages.

The Veikan language uses its own script, a descendent of the old Veikan runic alphabet with influences from Germanic and Latin scripts. It's commonly used in everyday Veikan life, but a romanized version of the language is also commonly used specially among foreigners. The Veikan language is unique in the fact that it's one of the few Slavic languages that don't use either Latin or Cyrillic script.



Economy
Veikaia follows a market socialist system, with an economy guided primarily by worker self-managed industry and a large public sector. It has a GDP PPP of $750 billion or $17,656 per capita. The economy is dominated by the industrial manufacturing sector, which makes up 35% of the GPD, with a significant portion of the economy being dedicated to the manufacturing and exportation of goods but also maintaining a large agricultural sector thanks to the country's perfect geography, which allows for large scale farming with relative ease. While the country's economy was in shambles after the Veikan Civil War, currently Veikaia is a growing economy. A large portion of the country's workers are employed in the public sector, but the private worker self-managed sector is growing as the nation's government encourages economic growth.

Historically, Veikaia's economy has been in a constant and consistent upwards growth. The country has not experienced any major economic crises since the 1990s and the end of the reconstruction period. Through the 1980s the country experienced a very slow rate of economic growth due to an ongoing crises related to the severe economic damage caused by the Veikan Civil War. The 1980s saw a famine strike down a large portion of the Council Republic's rural population, causing even more damage to the weakened Veikan economy. The 1990s however were a time of stabilization for the country, the famines were over and the infrastructure of the nation was again on a workable state, allowing the economy to slowly recover. Into the 2000s the country was already stable and capable of competing in international markets again. Part of the country's fast three decade recovery was due to foreign support, primarily by the nations of Goetia and Osorra, which offered aid and low interest loans in exchange of mutual future mutual aid.

The country still relies on many imports such as oil and fuel, but the nation's government is looking for fuel replacements in the biofuels sector to achieve better resource independence on critical areas of the economy. The state's most common exports are Anthracite, Iron, Steel and other metals and alloys, lignite, Metallic Goods, Natural Gas, Heavy Machinery such as tractors and industrial machinery, Consumer Electronics, Grain, Potatoes and Cattle among others. The country is heavily economically involved with member states of the IMS, trading heavily in critical resources and providing economic aid to its allies.

The country's banking, among many other essential services such as telecommunications, natural gas and others are managed by the central government as they are deemed to be too important to be allowed to be managed by a profit motive. While private banking alternatives exist, they are generally significantly smaller and less popular than the central National Bank of Veikaia.

Power
Power production in Veikaia exceeds consumption by approximately 5 TWh yearly, this is due to the country's large power production network, with nuclear power providing 32% of the country's power and coal and fossil fuels providing 63% of the country's power production. The rest of the power is produced by a growing green energy sector (solar and wind farms). Veikaia is a large producer and exporter of coal, which it uses to its advantage by using a large portion of its produced coal for local power production. This has however led to concerns by environmentalists who warn the large amounts of burned coal are causing severe damage to the environment. Veikaia is a large emitter of CO2 per capita due to the country's large coal burning plants and continues to receive criticism from international organizations due to this.

Renewable energy is a small but growing sector in the Council Republic, with recent government campaigns looking to lower the amount of power generated through coal in exchange of solar and wind power. Approximately 5% of the country's power is generated through renewable means. The government is looking to reduce the amount of emissions by a large percentage by 2070 through the help of bio-fuels, photovoltaics, construction of wind farms on the land and the Balearic Sea, hydroelectric stations and nuclear power plant.

Transportation and infrastructure
The transportation and infrastructure of the Council Republic is robust and advanced. Many methods of transportation exist across the country such as rail, road, marine shipping and air travel. The capital of the country, Oztov, is a major transportation hub and the center of the country's many railways and roads. The nation has a robust highway system that covers the vast majority of major cities in the country, and is composed of express roads and motorways. As of 2018 the country has a total of 5,016.5 km of highway in use.

The country's railways are very well maintained and modern, having been entirely rebuilt through the country's post civil war reconstruction period from 1979 to the early 2000s. Due to the country's dependence on imported oil and fuel, most railway lines are entirely electrified to save on fuel consumption. In 2010 the Communist Party sought to fund the creation of several high speed rail lines connecting major cities across Veikaia. These new high speed rail lines move passengers at over 200 km/h across large distances. The vast majority of rail lines are operated by the Veikan government, but several smaller private lines do exist primarily transporting goods between factories and other industrial sites.

Ignatov National Airport is the primary airport of Veikaia, located in the capital city of Oztov and reopened in 1993 during the city's reconstruction (known prior to its reopening as the Karoli II International Airport). Ignatov National Airport supports all common commercial plane sizes currently in use and is the largest airport in the country. A recent project to expand the airport has been put forwards by the government for completion by 2022. Many other airports of varying sizes operate across the country such as the ones in the cities of Nambrosi, Valopole, Baska, Voikadrag, Okodina and several others. The country's flag carrier airline is Veikan Airlines, operating across the globe primarily in IMS aligned states and countries with normalized relations with Veikaia.

Many seaports exist connecting the nation with the Balearic sea, with the country's ports being the main source of trade in the country. Freight is transported daily, primarily in the port of Oztov which sees thousands of tones of freight transported daily. The country's ports were instrumental to the transportation of armaments and manpower between states such as Goetia and Veikan communists during the Veikan Civil War. They were also important through the reconstruction period, as many essential goods were imported into the nation to save its struggling economy.

Arts and Literature
The arts are deemed an essential part of Veikan culture by the Veikan government, which organizes many festivals showcasing national performers, artists, writers, musicians and actors among others. There are many national holidays such as Unification Day or Liberation Day that gather many large crowds. The nation was home to many artists that are deemed today to be incredibly important to the Western Artemian cultural sphere at large such as painter Jakow Alece Szicomeź or writer T.J Iesuvak.

Modern day Veikaia is home to many artists and writers, and is the home of the Ignatovist Realism artistic current. Art in modern Veikaia focuses on many topics, but the main themes explored and funded by the government are related to industry and economic growth. Pieces such as Jakow Alece Szicomeź's The Steel Foundry are an example of the popular Ignatovist Realism current within Veikan art. Other forms of art are also explored by Veikan artists, albeit they do not receive the same amount of funding and interest from the central government as Ignatovist Realism.

Literature is popular across the Council Republic, with Oztov being the historical literary center of the Veikan Kingdom and now the Council Republic. Many great works have been produced by Veikan writers and have received international recognition from foreign institutions, such as T.J Iesuvak's "Besieged", published in 1998 and set in the siege of Oztov of 1977 to 1979. The Tomak Awards are awarded in the Council Republic of Veikaia to award the best writers and pieces of literature of the year.

Architecture
Prior to the civil war Veikaia was home to many historical buildings that had survived for centuries, ranging in style from early woodcraft slavic architecture of the pre-messianic period to more modern styles influenced by Western Artemian architecture such as Romanesque and Gothic architecture, borrowed from the Goths living in the region prior to Veikan settlement. One of the many defining features of old Veikan architecture is the designs that adorn the roofs of many churches and cathedrals that survived the civil war. Later into the renaissance period, the baroque style became highly popular and influenced the style of many important buildings that survive to this day.

Much of the country's historical architecture was lost during the heavy fighting of the Veikan Civil War. A new architectural current within Veikaia known as brutalism then took over the old destroyed architecture during the reconstruction period. Most modern buildings in the Council Republic are constructed out of concrete and prefabricated materials in a brutalist fashion. The popularity of brutalism in the country is believed to be related to the low cost of the construction materials involved in the style, with the country having survived an intense civil war and being in low stock of important construction resources the low cost of prefabricated and concrete buildings was highly appreciated by the Veikan government.

With the end of the reconstruction period more freedom was afforded to architects on how to plan and build new constructions, and the brutalist style slowly faded in popularity until it was replaced by other, more modern styles. Neo-Veikan architecture is a current currently taking the country by storm, seeking to recreate old Veikan pieces of architecture lost during the civil war in various styles such as Neo-Gothic, Neo-Romanesque and Neo-Baroque among others.