Veikaia

The Veikan Council Republic (Veikan: Radi Respublik Veikasa), also known as the Council Republic or more commonly Northern Veikaia is a self-described, formed from the northern region of the former Veikan Kingdom during the last stages of the Veikan Civil War in 1979. The country is characterized by its planned 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. North Veikaia borders South Veikaia to the South, Modrovia to the East, and the Balearic Sea to the West. It has an estimated population of over 21.8 million people and a GDP of $557 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 Teutonenland 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.

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



North 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 Teutonenland, 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.

Although the communist forces turned their sight towards the south, a League of Free Nations intervention quickly seized the southern half of the country in the name of the pro-democratic forces, which had been stalling behind in their fight against the royalists. The war was officially over in late 1979 and a demilitarized zone (DMZ) was declared between North and South Veikaia, which still divides the nations to this day. The LFN maintains a strong presence in the DMZ, in support of their South Veikan allies.

Reconstruction Period (1979-2000s)
After the end of the civil war, North Veikaia founds 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 to rock 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”, as both South and North Veikaia found themselves attempting to rebuild their respective nations with the help of foreign aid.

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 Teutonenland 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.

Through the reconstruction period tensions between the North and South were high, with a massive concentration of troops across the DMZ being present on both sides of the border through the 90s. While neither side actively sought to invade the other, massive troop presences were still found across the DMZ as a show of force on both sides. Espionage was common in this period, and still is to this day albeit on a much lower scale, as both sides desired to know what was happening across the border. Espionage from the south into the north was significantly more common, as the north held a secretive grip over the nation during the first decades of the reconstruction period, not allowing information to freely flow outside the country.

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 to end 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. It took until the late 90s for the North's GDP to match the South's unprecedented postwar growth, and to this day both nations have similarly sized GDPs and GDP growth.

Geography
The Council Republic of Veikaia is located in the eastern part of West Artemia, bordering its rival Veikan Republic (Coloquially known as South Veikaia) to the south, Modrovia to the south-east, Ostboland to the north-east and Mespalia and Embrea across the sea to the west. The nation occupies the northern half of what used to be the Kingdom of Veikaia, covering a total of 386,600 km2.

The country offers a relatively uniform topography, being primarily composed of hills, steppes and plains North Veikaia is one of the flattest countries in Anterra. Several rivers can be seen across the surface of North 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 and 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 Northern Veikaia changes little when compared to its southern neighbor; 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 Northern 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


North 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 North 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 North 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 North 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
TAs the only legal political party in North 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 North 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
North 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 Teutonenland. 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 North 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, primarily thanks to a detente campaign spearheaded by the South and North Veikan government through the 1980s and 1990s. Still a number of North Veikan forces remain stationed in the North-South border, justifying the presence as "guaranteeing the sovereignty of the Council Republic from hostile international agents.". 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. North 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.

North Veikaia, not unlike its southern neighbor, 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 Teutonenland, 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.

Law
North 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 North 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.

North 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 North 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.

Demographics
The 2020 census recorded a total population of 21,886,672 people, primarily composed of ethnic Veikans but also having a significant Frisian minority (Primarily within the Tipsprek Ethnic Province near the center of the nation) 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 end of the Veikan Civil War left many rural villages and towns devastated and forced the local population to move into the less affected urban centers.

Through history the sovereign state has been mostly heterogeneous, with large scale immigration being a rare occurrence until the 18th century, when the Frisian-enamored Alece II offered a large number of Tiperyn Frisian settlers support in exchange of them settling part of the country's wilderness yet untouched by the local Veikan population. This decision led to a significant Frisian minority within the modern day Tipsprek Ethnic Province of North Veikaia and led to much ethnic tension through the 18th century that was eventually resolved with the granting of special rights to the Frisian population.

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

The predominant religion in North Veikaia is Alitheian Christianity, 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 fleed the war devastated urban centers towards the countryside, many people would move from the wartorn 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 North 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, North 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 North 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 Legantine, 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
North 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 $557 billion or $25,472 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 North Veikaia is a growing economy. A large portion of the country's workers are employed in the public sector, but the growing private worker self-managed sector is growing as the nation's government encourages economic growth.

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, 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.

Arts and Literature
The arts are deemed an essential part of Veikan culture by the North 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 North Veikaia is home to many artists and writers, and is the home of the Ignatovist Realism artistic current. Art in modern day North 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 North Veikan art. Other forms of art are also explored by North 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 North 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 North Veikaia to award the best writers and pieces of literature of the year.