Veikaia

The Veikan Council Republic (Veikan: Sluśo 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 for its planned economy and council-based government system. The country 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 21,886,672 people and a GDP of $557 billion, with its main exports being 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 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 infrastructure damage and the deaths of thousands civilians due to indiscriminate shelling and war crimes among other reasons. The war caused severe damage to the country's economy and infrastructure but reconstruction aid sent by Teutonenland and Albel helped rebuild the country from the ground up 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 and having candidates from within the VCP only. Currently no other parties are allowed to participate in the 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, a market socialist economic policy, worker self-management of the means of production and a high level of government decentralization.

Veikan Civil War
The early historical records of the Veikan people are scarce, with most sources coming from oral tradition and epic poems. Both Veikan and Gardic sources point to a common history, with the early Veikan tribes being displaced by the migration of Gardic explorers in the early 9th century. Veikan artifacts such as weaponry, pottery and even the remains of small tribal settlements have been found by Gardic archeologists in several locations around the nation, all of this proving that Veikan settlements used to exist in its territory.

The increasing Gardic presence and a possible increase in violent conflicts forced most Veikan tribes to migrate west, towards the current territory of Veikaia. The migration process caused the displacement of several Frankish and Gothic tribes originating from modern day Legantus. Several Frankish and Gothic settlements were repopulated by Veikan Slavs and retained their original names or variations of them, such as the city of _ and the town of _. By the 10th century the Veikan tribes had a firm control of the modern day territory of the country, but were still independent from each other and prone tone conflict.

The Veikan people remained under the government of independent tribes until the arrival of Christianity in the nation thanks to Legantian missionaries around the early 12th century. Among the first to convert were the southwestern tribes, which united under the rule of King Veislad I the Unifier officially forming the Kingdom of Vipusk in the year 1123. A period of religious conflict between the pagan and christian kings and nobles led to several holy war through the nation which ended in the year 1130 with the coronation of Veislad I as King of all Veikans and the formation of Veikaia. After the victory of Christianity in Veikaia, a lengthy persecution of pagans was started, ending with the eradication of paganism from the country by the year 1304.

Veikan Civil War
Main article: Veikan Civil War

North Veikaia 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 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.

Reconstruction Period
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.

Geography
Geographically Veikaia is mostly composed of steppes and grasslands with a moderate amount of forests and highlands on the northern area of the state. Several rivers cross the Northern Veikan plains, but the river Vei is the major one, going through the capital city of Oztov.

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 only 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.

Politics
The Council Republic is, as it names implied, a Council Socialist State. It is divided in three major branches: The Legislative represented by the Congress of Councils, the government represented by the Table of Commissars and the Judiciary Council.

Veikan Communist Party
The Veikan Communist Party (Shortened to VCP) is the only legal party in the Council Republic. The party is led by a Party Committee elected at a Party Congress every 5 years. The objective of the Party Committee is to organize the Communist Party, ensure ideological adherence to the basic tenants of Communism, ensure control over the state mechanism and furthering the goals of Internationalism as political representatives of the Republic.

Only members of the VCP can legally hold government positions within the Council Republic, and several factions representing different Communist currents have formed within the VCP, leading to internal struggles between factions in each Party Congress.

Government
As a Council Republic, the Veikan Government is composed of a hierarchy of decentralized assemblies going from the lower local levels to higher supreme ones. 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 councils old 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".

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.

North Veikaia is governed by a Constitution which establish standards for governance and the way the Council Republic must function. The Constitution also lists the rights and obligations of all North Veikan citizens. The constitution 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.

Legislative Power is held by the unicameral Congress of Councils, one of the major national councils. 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 not the head of state.

Demographics
North Veikaia has an estimated population of 21,886,672 people, with a large portion of the population living in Oztov and surrounding areas. Most of the population is ethnically Veikan, but several minorities are present thanks to the country's open immigration policy.

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.

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 VWAF 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.".

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 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.

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 sector, with a significant portion of the economy being dedicated to the manufacturing and exportation of goods. The official currency of North Veikaia is the North Veikan Okiov. is The country's main exports are Coal and Anthracite, Iron, Steel and other metals and alloys, Metallic Goods, Natural Gas, Heavy Machinery, Consumer Electronics, Grain and Cattle among others.