Austrasia

Austrasia (officially the Austrasian Riche) is a in Anterra. Having broke away from the Goetic Empire in the final stages of The Grand Campaigns, the Austrasian Riche was founded to embody the the principles of in a rejection of Goetic communism. Organized as a democratic republic according to the principles of, the Riche is led by the of the Austrasian. Since the end of the Grand Campaigns the Riche has evolved into a nationstate characterized by it's highly developed & open economy, technocratic consensus-based administration and social-conservatism. Politically the Riche is a member of the North-South Concordant, an unyielding opponent of Goetic communism.

Politics
A de-jure democratic state Austrasia is typically classified as a regime, the ruling Action Party having held a plurality in the Senate of Austrasia for 38 or the preceding 42 years. Critics of the regime argue that the states strict enforcement of social conservatism is incompatible with universal human rights, while apologists contend the state has received a democratic mandate (through Austrasia's unique system of sortition) for its policies and that a republic has a legitimate interest in promoting an ethical lifestyle for its citizens. Beyond ideology, the Action Party has constructed a powerful through both formal party organizations and informal  which have given its party line an unmatched level of representation in the Riche's popular assemblies.

Demographics
The population of the Austrasian Riche is 35 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 permanent residents and descendants of past immigrants (there has been no naturalization of immigrants since 1984), account for 3% of the population. Additionally, there are nearly two million foreign workers in Austrasia on a permanent or semi-permanent basis.

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

Political Theory
The concept of is of particular importance in Austrogothic political and legal philosophy. Inspired in part by Thomasian theology and in part by archaic Austrogothic customs of deliberative decision making it is widely held in Austrasia that there is an essential harmony between justice, that which is good for a thing in itself, and good governance and that it is possible to elucidate the principles of true justice through the application of human reason. Since the middle ages, Austrogothic philosophers have argued that reason is most at home among many men of modest virtue, as in aggregation their virtues will tend to cancel the vices which otherwise blind men to the principles of true justice, or a single man of extraordinary virtue who may on account glimpse something of justice directly. This formulation of rulership, many-or-one, and the preference for human reason over written statutes has remained enormously influential in Austrasian politics and justice to the present day.

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 the supreme executive authority in the Austrasian Riche. It is declared in Austrasian Constitution to be the guardian of the legal order (Rechtsstaat). The Senate has final power over the expenditure of state funds, command of the armed forces & ministries, the appointment of officials and the conduct of foreign affairs. The Senate is the sole body in Austrasia with the legal power of life-and-death, all capital sentences must be approved by the senate and only legitimate magistrates of the Senate may use lethal force. In the judicial sphere the Senate has an unconditional power of pardon.

Riche Directory
The Riche Directory (Reichsdirektorum) is a seven-member executive council of the Austrasian Senate. The Directory is elected every six years by the Senate from among their own number. The prime function of the Directory is to set the agenda of the Senate. In ordinary circumstances Directory is responsible for setting the agenda of Senate deliberations and scheduling votes on motions and bills. As such the Directory controls the day-to-day operations of the Senate. 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.

People's Assembly
The People's Assembly (Volksding) is composed of 500 Austrasian citizens chosen annually by. The Volksding is a part-time legislature that meets annually for a four-month session beginning the day after the Summer Solstice and ending on the day of the Autumn Equinox. The People's Assembly is the ultimate legislative and judicial authority in the Austrasian Riche, a power that derives from both the Riche's constitutional law and from the legal tradition of the Austrogoths. The People's Assembly is solely responsible for the election of new Senators and the of sitting senators. The People's Assembly functions as the Riche's and is further endowed with the powers of a  to investigate and punish wrongdoings outside the scope of the law code and to appeal the judgements of lower courts. The People's Assembly is assisted in its functioning by the Enabling Ministry, a small professional bureaucracy that 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.

Dictator
A Dictator (Diktator) is a special office in the Austrasian Riche which may be jointly appointed by the Senate and People's Assembly for undertaking an extraordinary task outside the boundaries of existing laws such as foreign invasion, civil war and the creation of new constitutions. Since the 19th century, the most notable task of the office has been the reform of the Austrasian constitution, in which role they are popularly referred to as a Lawgiver (Rechtsgeber). During the Grand Campaigns the Austrasian Riche was ruled by a series of three dictators.

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.

Council of Justice
A Council of Justice (Rechtsding) is a form of which is essential to the operation of the Riche's legal system. The only means by which an indictment to appear before a court in Austrasia may be issued are by the findings of a Rechtsding or an Inquisitor. A Rechtsding is composed of thirty adults selected by sortition - of which at least three must be Aldermen, who are over the age of 45 and have sat on at least one Rechstding in the past - and sits for four-month terms, during which it has free reign to investigate suspected crimes and wrongdoings in their jurisdiction, and may issue legally binding subpoenas to aid them in their investigation. The Rechtsding commonly call upon the Lagemannus as expert witnesses in their inquests.

Grand Council of Justice
The Grand Council of Justice (Groszer Rechtsding)

Justicar
Or Lagemannus

Foreign Relations
WORK IN PROGRESS

Economy
Austrasia has a highly developed economy, it's GDP per capita ranking among the highest in Anterra. Economically Austrasia is recognized for its skilled workforce, advanced infrastructure, firm commitment to international IP laws, openness to foreign investment and stable technocratic policy making; which together have earned it a reputation as a center-of-excellence for capital-intensive advanced manufacturing. Though stereotypically associated with iron-and-steel manufacturing, which was among the first modern industries to develop in what would become Austrasia, the Riche has emerged as a major player in industries ranging from alloy steels to semiconductor manufacturing.