Imperium

The Empire (Hegemonian: Imperium [imˈpɛːrium]; Icarian: ἡγεμονῐ́ᾱ [he:gemonia]) is a sovereign state primarily located in Central Arhet. It covers an area of 13,658,000 km² and shares border with twenty seven countries. It has over 1.1 billion inhabitants within its 90 constituent provinces, organized as 52 republics, 32 kingdoms and 6 archipelagos. The nation's capital and largest city is Magium.

Due to its strategic geographic location in Arhet and its large extension, Imperium has been home to myriad peoples and civilizations. After thousands of years of human development in the area, the Phocaeans and Icarians emerged as the predominant civilizations in the modern-day Imperium, consolidating their power through the Res Publica Phocaeensis (Phocaean) and the poleis (Icarian). Both civilizations disputed the control of the area during years, until the intervention of Magius allowed both civilizations to consolidate their territories as the Ethereal Empire, the earliest stage of the modern-day Imperium.

The Ethereal Empire was governed by Magius itself for over 500 years, and by his direct descendants for 200 years after his ascent to heaven. The Dominate started in 221 when Titanius III became the first emperor without a direct bloodline to Magius, and established as an absolutist system in which the successors were direct or adopted descendants of the emperors. This system was superseded in 452 by the First Electivate, a system in which the emperor was elected by the High Council, composed of the regional, magical and religious leaders of Imperium. This system was reformed as the Second Electivate in 1072, with the creation of the state legislatures (elected by the population), who were responsible for appointing members of the Senate, a national legislative body responsible for formulating national laws and ratifying the election of the emperor by the High Council.

Following significant reforms to the system, the Reformatio Rei Publici of 1720 concluded the transition to a constitutional monarchy. The government is divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. The executive branch consists of the Consules Plebeii (heads of government), the Epistalma, and other agencies under the jurisdiction of the executive ministries. The legislative branch consists of the High Council and Senate, while the judicial branch consists of the Curia Imperialis and other provincial and local courts. The supreme laws of Imperium are the Imperial Laws, which provide the statutes of the constitutional monarchy of Imperium, including the government structure, the self-governance of all first-level entities, the military organization and the fundamental rights.

Administrative divisions
 Imperium is a confederated state and comprises 90 first-level entities which have a self-government, their own constitution and the power to determine its internal organization. According to their government type, which varies between each entity, they are grouped into 52 republics, 32 kingdoms and 6 archipelagos. The first-level entities are further subdivided into prefectures, which are, in turn, subdivided into municipalities.

The republics are the first-level entities of Imperium governed entirely by elected officers, where the head(s) of state and government is/are directly elected by the population (presidential republic) or by the state legislature  (parliamentary republic) to serve under terms defined by the state constitution. In parallel to the national system, most republics are governed by two officials, usually referred to as consuls.

The kingdoms are the first-level entities of Imperium governed by hereditary/life peers and elected officers, as required by the Second Imperial Law. Therefore, absolute monarchies don't exist within the first-level entities of Imperium. The heads of state are the monarchs, which are usually referred to as kings; while the heads of government are the prime ministers, which are usually elected by the state legislatures.

The archipelagos are the first-level entities of Imperium and groups of autonomous islands that as a whole have limited functions, but wherein the individual islands have a higher level of autonomy. The state government consists of a council of governments, composed of the leaders of the archipelago's islands, which convene to discuss measures that require the advice and consent of multiple islands; and the state legislature, responsible for formulating laws about collective issues of the archipelago's islands, such as commerce and security.

Government and politics
Imperium is a confederation organized as a parliamentary monarchy. The legislative power is vested by the First Imperial Law in the Senate and High Council. The Senate has 936 members, known as senators, elected through direct elections using the single transferable vote system. The High Council has 270 members (90 for each council), appointed as representatives from the Concilium Principum, Theurgarum and Hierophantarum for each first-level entity of Imperium.

The Consules Plebeii (sing: Consul Plebeius) are the heads of government of Imperium, elected by the Senate each 1 December for a one-year term. The Consules Plebeii chair the Epistalma, the chief executive body of Imperium and responsible for the operation of the Government of Imperium.

The Epistalma consists of 18 cabinet ministers, which are appointed by the Senate committees to head of the executive ministries; and 7 counselors, which are appointed by the whole High Council to advise the cabinet ministers on matters under their jurisdiction.

The emperor is the head of state of Imperium, which has a ceremonial role. Since 1720, the emperor is elected by the Senate among suitable candidates from the Bassus-Cotta Family, which are selected as such by the Representation of the Emperor. The current emperor, as of 2018, is Gregorius IX. The emperor's role originated in the Ethereal Empire, with the proclamation of Magius as the "emperor of all beings" in 512 BC; from there, the role has been transformed through the Dominate, First and Second Electivate, and the current constitutional monarchy. Since Titanius II (and therefore, since the formation of the Dominate in 221), none of the subsequent emperors have been direct descendants of Magium.

Senators are elected by their first-level entities at-large for a term between 5 and 8 years, depending on their population. The electioneering process and electoral regulations for the Senate are determined by the independent election commission of each entity. The members of the High Council are appointed by their respective councils (Principum, Theurgarum and Hierophantarum) to represent its constituent state through different procedures according to its council.

Political parties
The Empire has a multi-party system, in which multiple political parties across the political spectrum run for federal elections and several of them have the ability to win Senate seats and government positions thanks to the single transferable vote system. As of February 2022, the following 15 parties have seats in the Senate: