Austrasia

Austrasia (officially the Austrasian Riche) is a in Anterra.

Demographics
The population of the Austrasian Riche is 29.1 million. Austrasia is commonly considered a bicultural country, with the majority germanic Austrogoths comprising 60% of the population and the romance-speaking Rumantsch minority 30%. Other groups, including naturalized immigrants and their descendants, account for 3% of the population. Additionally there are nearly two million foreign workers in Austrasia on a permanent or semi-permanent basis.

Religion
Austrasia is a religiously diverse country. The Grand Duchy of Austrasia adopted a policy of religious neutrality early in the reformation and consequently was split between rival catholic, protestant and reformed churches, as well as a number of radical anabaptist churches; some of which have survived into the present. The Rumantsch people in contrast remained overwhelmingly Roman Catholic and association with the Catholic Church remains a cornerstone of Rumantsch identity into the present day. Austrasia also has a long history of Christian Esotericism; secret societies centered on the study of what are purported to be the "primordial truths" have been popular among upper classes since at least the 17th century and are believed to have grown in popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Waterways
The two most important rivers in Austrasia are the Rin and Albiz.

King
The King (Konig) is the Head of State of the Austrasian Riche. The King is elected for life (capped by mandatory retirement at age 75) by a majority vote of all eligible citizens in a run-off between eligible candidates. The King is constitutionally the supreme executive authority in the Riche but is barred from rule by decree; on a day-to-day basis the King asserts his authority through his control of appointments - the King is directly responsible for the nomination of prospective Senators, the appointment of Directors, of Ambassadors, the Chiefs of all Military Staffs and for the formal confirmation of all civil service, military and academic promotions - through the exercise of a veto on any acts of the Riche Council by withholding Royal Assent and through the dispensing of Royal Pardons.

Riche Directory
The Riche Directory (Reichsdirektorum) is a seven-member executive council functioning as the collective head of government of the Austrasian Riche. The Directory is appointed every six years by the King from among the seventy members of the Senate. The Directory functions as the executive council of the Riche Senate; setting the Senate agenda and determining what bills may be brought to vote. The Directory is also responsible for exercising most executive functions on a day-to-day basis including the supervision of the ministries, ratification of royal appointments, and the conduct of foreign affairs. Any member of the Directory may be subject to impeachment by the Riche Senate, in which case a new Director must be appointed to fill the remainder of their term.

Riche Council
The Riche Council (Reichsrat) is the governing assembly of the Austrasian Riche. It is a bicameral assembly, consisting of the Riche Senate and People's Council. As specified in the Constitution of 1947 the Riche Council is collectively the supreme legislative, executive and judicial authority in the Austrasian Riche with powers split between the two houses.

Riche Senate
The Riche Senate (Reichsenat) is composed of 70 senators elected for life (with mandatory retirement at age 75) by the People's Assembly. The Senate is declared in Austrasian Constitution to be the guardians of the legal order (Rechtsstaat) and is invested with key legislative, judicial and investigative powers to fulfill this role. Though all prospective legislation must pass through both the Senate and Assembly to become law; as the only full time legislature the Senate serves as the originator of most bills. As an investigative body the Senate may subpoena any record regardless of classification or confidentiality and the Senate may impeach any magistrate of the Austrasian government. As a judicial body the Senate, on the advice of the Senate Constitutional Defense Committee, serves as the highest court of appeal in all constitutional law cases.

People's Assembly
The People's Assembly (Volksding) is composed of 500 Austrasian citizens chosen annually by sortition. The Volksding is a part time legislature which meets annually for a four month session beginning the day after the Summer Solstice and ending on the day of the Autumn Equinox. The primary task of the People's Assembly is to vote up or down bills from the Riche Senate, particularly the annual state budget bill as the Austrasian Constitution specifies no new revenue may be raised and no new expenditures made without the Assembly's approval, as well the ratification of treaties. The Assembly must also ratify all magistrates appointed by the Riche Directorate and when applicable is responsible elect new Senators.

The Austrasian constitution grants the Assembly investigative and judicial functions as a Court of Equity to investigate and punish wrongdoings outside the scope of the law code or to pardon offenders. The Assembly has broad leeway to subpoena evidence and testimony from magistrates and private citizens in the pursuit of known or suspected wrongdoings. Sentences passed by the Assembly must be reviewed by a sentencing court however to ensure they do not violate the constitutional principles of proportionality or the dignity of the citizen, they are also subject to appeal on grounds of factual errors or new evidence.

The People's Assembly is assisted in its functioning by the Enabling Ministry, a small professional bureaucracy which provides technical and legal advice to the Assembly. Participating in the Assembly is a civic duty of all Austrasian citizens enumerated in the Riche Constitution.

Constitution
The constitution of Austrasia refers to a collection of acts; including the Basic Law of Austria, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Declaration of the Commons which collectively define the form and function of the Riche's governing institutions, the rights of citizens and the basis of the state's ownership of common properties.