Commonwealth of Eleutherian States
From SCJU Wiki
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| Motto: E Pluribus Unum / From Many, One | |||||
| Anthem: Eleutheria, Land of Hope and Glory | |||||
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| Capital | Eleutheria | ||||
| Largest city | |||||
| Official language(s) | English (de facto) | ||||
| Government Emperor (Head of State)
President (Head of Government) | Constitutional Federal Imperial Republic HIH Ethan McCarthy Rhodes Mr Samuel Morgan Daniels | ||||
| Constitutional Imperial Federal Republic Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria Independence (from Great Britain) Constitution Reformation | 1914 1958, September 15 1967, September 15 2006 | ||||
| Area • Total • Water (%) | 923,768 km² (32nd) 1.4% | ||||
| Population • NA est. • NA census • Density | NA (NA) NA NA/km² (NA) | ||||
| GDP (PPP) • Total • Per capita | NA estimate NA (NA) NA (NA) | ||||
| HDI (2003|NA) | NA NA – NA | ||||
| Currency | Eleutherian Dollar (CES€) (€)
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| Time zone • Summer (DST) | WAT (West African Time) (UTC+1) +1 (UTC0) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .ces | ||||
| Calling code | +234
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The Commonwealth of Eleutherian States, usually referred to as Eleutheria or the E.S., is a constitutional federal imperial republic comprising thirteen states and a Federal Capital Territory, as well as a number of islands in the Central Atlantic Ocean. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast lies on the Gulf of Guinea, part of the Atlantic Ocean, in the south. The capital city is Eleutheria.
The people of Eleutheria have an extensive history, and archaeological evidence shows that human habitation of the area dates back to at least 9000 BC. The Benue-Cross River area is thought to be the original homeland of the Bantu migrants who spread across most of central and southern Africa in waves between the 1st millennium BC and the 2nd millennium AD.
Contents |
History
Early History
The Nok people in central Nigeria produced terracotta sculptures that have been discovered by archaeologists. A Nok sculpture resident at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, portrays a sitting dignitary wearing a "Shepherds Crook" on the right arm, and a "hinged flail" on the left. These are symbols of authority associated with Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs, and the god Osiris, and suggests that an ancient Egyptian style of social structure, and perhaps religion, existed in the area of modern Nigeria during the late Pharonic period. In the northern part of the country, Kano and Katsina has recorded history which dates back to around AD 999. Hausa kingdoms and the Kanem-Bornu Empire prospered as trade posts between North and West Africa.
The Yoruba people date their presence in the area of modern republics of Nigeria, Benin and Togo to about 8500 BC. The kingdoms of Ifẹ and Oyo in the western block of Nigeria became prominent about 700-900 and 1400 respectively. However, the Yoruba mythology believes that Ile-Ife is the source of the human race and that it predates any other civilization. Ifẹ produced the terracotta and bronze heads, the Ọyọ extended as far as modern Togo. Another prominent kingdom in south western Nigeria was the Kingdom of Benin whose power lasted between the 15th and 19th century. Their dominance reached as far as the well known city of Eko, later named Lagos by the Portuguese.
In the Southeastern part of Nigeria the Kingdom of Nri of the Igbo people flourished from the controversial date of around the 10th Century AD till 1700 AD. The Nri Kingdom was ruled by the Eze Nri.
Colonial History
Portuguese explorers were the first to reach Nigeria, giving Lagos its present name after the Portuguese town of Lagos, in Algarve. Portuguese surnames remain very common in Nigeria. Following the Napoleonic Wars, the British expanded trade with the Nigerian interior. In 1885 British claims to a West African sphere of influence received international recognition and in the following year the Royal Niger Company was chartered under the leadership of Sir George Taubman Goldie. In 1900 the company's territory came under the control of the British Government, which moved to consolidate its hold over the area of modern Nigeria. On January 1, 1901 Nigeria became a British protectorate, part of the British Empire, the foremost world power at the time.
In 1914, the area was formally united as the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. Administratively, Nigeria remained divided into the northern and southern provinces and Lagos colony. Western education and the development of a modern economy proceeded more rapidly in the south than in the north, with consequences felt in Nigeria's political life ever since. Following World War II, in response to the growth of Nigerian nationalism and demands for independence, the great wave for independence that was sweeping across Africa, and the Wilsonian emphasis on national self-determination, the Nigerian people insisted on independence from the colonial powers.
However, much of Nigeria's native population was displaced by the continually arriving settlers from the United Kingdom / Great Britain and Continental Europe, especially from the Netherlands, Germany and France as the two world wars made many Europeans flee to greener pastures.
Post-Independence
With the thirteen regions within the former Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria proclaiming themselves "states," they issued the Declaration of Independence on 15 September, 1958. The rebellious states defeated Great Britain in the Eleutherian Revolutionary War (The name "Eleutheria" is derived from the feminine form of the Greek word ελεύθερος (eleutheros), "free"). A federal convention adopted the current Commonwealth of Eleutherian States Constitution on September 15, 1967; its ratification the following year made the states part of a single republic.
Recent History
Eleutheria, emerging from decades of civil war and internal conflict, is currently engaged in an intense effort to reconstruct and develop the country. These efforts include the changing of the location of the federal capital (from central Eleutheria to the coast) and the complete re-development of infrastructure, agriculture and the reconstruction of the nation's economy and other strategic sectors.
Democratisation and the re-drafting of the Nation's Constitution has been done under the supervision of the United States of America, a nation that Eleutherians look up to as is evident in their inspiration for the national flag, national seal / coat of arms and many political institutions. Major cities and children are often named after American political and social figures and there is a huge emphasis on westernisation of the nation following the American model. This is partially inspired by Kwame Nkrumah's famous phrase: "we must run while they walk," inciting great optimism in Eleutherians as they aspire to construct a viable developmental state.
Government and Politics
Government
Eleutherian government is spread out over three levels (national / federal, state and local) and in three tiers / branches at each level, namely the executive, legislative and judicial branch. Because the CES is an Imperial Republic, the Emperor, His Excellency Emperor Ethan McCarthy Rhodes, has a number of ceremonial and symbolic functions and responsibilities and serves as the Head of State.
Political Division
Eleutheria has 13 States and one Federal Capital Territory:
- Sokoto
- Katsino-Kano
- Borno
- Gongola
- Bauchi
- Niger
- Burke
- Leira
- Aveiro
- New England
- Riviera
- New Haven
- Jefferson
- FCT: Federal Capital Territory
Branches of Government
The National Executive consists of the President, the Deputy President as well as the cabinet ministers as heads of their respective national departments. The President is elected every four years for a four year term. Any Eleutherian citizen (natural born or naturalised) over the age of 20 may run for the presidency and may serve only two terms in office, whether concurrent or not.
The bicameral National Legislature, or Congress, consists of the House of Representatives and its 100 members and the Senate and its 40 members.
The Senate consists of three senators from each state and one senator from the Federal Capital Territory. A Senator's term is eight years, and half of the senate seats are up for re-election every presidential election / four years. There is no limit on the number of terms a senator may serve.
The House consists of 100 representatives each one from a congressional district covering a specific territory determined by population. A Representative's term is four years and all House seats are up for election along with every presidential election.
Due to the lack of official population data the 2006 congressional elections apportioned the congressional districts (based on estimated population data) as follows:
North: 4 Representatives (includes the States of Sokoto, Katsino-Kano and Borno) Central: 7 Representatives (includes the States of Gongola, Bauchi, Niger and Burke) South: 9 Representatives (includes the States of Leira, Aveiro, New England, Delta, New Haven and Jefferson) FCT: 6 Representatives
The Congressional Boundaries will be redrawn after the 2009 census before the 2010 elections.
The national Judicial branch of government consists of:
The Constitutional Court, which rules on all matters that pertain to the federal constitution. The Court consists of 12 Justices.
The Supreme Court of Appeal which is the federal court of appeal and the last and highest court in the country for general matters. The Court has 7 Justices.
Other national courts include the Labour Court and the Equality Court and they deal with those jurisdictions respectively.
Furthermore, each state has a High Court (with three judges) as the highest court in the state, and each local government district has a District / Regional Court and each municipality has a Magistrate's Court. Each court has particular jurisdiction.
Politics and Elections
Elections
Although the country draws inspiration for its political institutions and national symbols from the United States, the political scene is very much European and is regularly characterised by coalition building preceding or following elections because of the failure of any one party to gain a majority of the vote (i.e. 50% + 1). A further difference is the existence of three major parties in the CES, unlike the two-party system in the US, with each party dependent on another (or one of the smaller, peripheral and narrow-issue political parties) to constitute government.
Congressional Elections
In 2006 the Commonwealth of Eleutheria had its first democratic elections after the period of civil war and domestic unrest. The system is fairly new and the results were as follows.
Presidential Elections
Presidential elections are to be held every four years, according to Constitution, and winning the presidency is quite a complicated process. Winning the presidency is not achieved by a mere simple majority.
Each party contesting the presidential elections (as discussed below) announces its candidate (after either primaries, caucuses or whatever means chosen by the party). When the presidential election results are announced, the three two candidates or all candidates with 20% or more of the vote (depending on the outcome) are then presented to a joint-session of the Eleutherian Congress and the President is elected by Congress. It is therefore in Congress where coalition-building is extremely important and also where a Presidential election can go any way as senators and representatives (like in the US system and unlike the Westminster system) are not as strongly bound by party loyalty. The election of the President in Congress is a mandotary / forced vote and abstentions are not permitted, however votes may be spoiled but this rarely happens. The vote is also by secret ballot.
The president then appoints / selects his cabinet (including the Vice-President) which is approved by Congress by a simple majority.
The current president, Samuel Morgan Daniels (pictured right), came to power in the 2006 elections when his centre-left Eleutherian Democratic Party (EDP) formed signed a coalition agreement with the left-leaning Commonwealth Social Democratic Party (CSDP) and the Green Party to oust the incumbent John C Davis and the then ruling Christian Union-Conservative Party coalition.
Politics
The Commonwealth can be broadly divided into three distinct areas, namely the north, central and south in terms of these regions' politics. The north is predominantly Muslim, conservative and traditional. However, due to the sparse population the region fails to make a significant impact on the country's population. The Central area is largely Christian conservative, and the rural nature of the four states in this region makes it relatively traditional, favouring minimal government interference and low taxes. The South is largely post-Christian (following the trends of post-Enlightenment and modern Europe), very liberal and more inclined towards state welfarism and social permissive in their outlook on social issues.
Geography
Eleutheria is located in western Africa on the Gulf of Guinea and has a total area of 923,768 km² (356,669 mi²), making it the world's 32nd-largest country (after Tanzania). It is comparable in size to Venezuela, and is about twice the size of California. It shares a 4047 km (2515-mile) border with Benin (773 km), Niger (1497 km), Chad (87 km), Cameroon (1690 km), and has a coastline of at least 853 km.
The highest point in Eleutheria is Chappal Waddi at 2,419 m (7,936 feet).
Eleutheria has a varied landscape. From the Obudu Hills in the southeast through the beaches in the south, the rainforest, the Lagos estuary and savannah in the middle and southwest of the country and the Sahel to the encroaching Sahara in the extreme north.
Eleutheria's main rivers are the Niger and the Benue which converge and empty into the Niger Delta, the world's largest river delta.
Eleutheria is also an important centre for biodiversity. It is widely believed that the areas surrounding New England City, New England, contain the world's largest diversity of butterflies. The drill monkey is only found in the wild in Southeast Eleutheria and neighboring Cameroon.
Topography
Eleutheria's most expansive topographical region is that of the valleys of the Niger and Benue River valleys (which merge into each other and form a "y" shape). Plains rise to the north of the valleys. To the southwest of the Niger there is "rugged" highland, and to the southeast of the Benue hills and mountains are found all the way to the border with Cameroon. Coastal plains are found in both the southwest and the southeast.
Vegetation
Eleutheria is covered by three types of vegetation: forests (where there is significant tree cover), savannah (insignificant tree cover, with grasses and flowers located between trees), and montane land. (The latter is the least common, and is mainly found in the mountains near the Cameroonian border.) Both the forest zone and the savannah zone are divided into three part.
The forest zone's most southerly portion is defined as salt water swamp, also known as a mangrove swamp due to the large amount of mangroves in the area. North of this is fresh water swamp, containing different vegetation from the salt water swamp, and north of that is rain forest.
The savannah zone's three categories are divided into "guinea savannah," the most common across the country, "Sudan savannah," and "sahel savannah." Guinea savannah is made up of plains of tall grass which are interrupted by trees; Sudan savannah is similar but with "shorter grasses and shorter trees." Sahel savannah is comprised patches of grass and sand, and is found in the northeast.
Climate
When dividing Eleutheria by climatic regions, three regions, the far south, the far north, and the rest of the country emerge. The far south is defined by its tropical rainforest climate, where annual rainfall is 60 to 80 inches a year. The far north is defined by its almost desert-like climate, where rain is less than 20 inches per year. The rest of the country, everything in between the far south and the far north, is savannah, and rainfall is between 20 and 60 inches per year.
Natural Resources
Eleutheria's natural resources include but are not limited to petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc, natural gas, hydropower, and arable land.
According to a 1993 estimate, 33% of the land is classified as arable land. Permanent crops are spread across 3% of the country, while permanent pastures account for 44% of the area. Forests and woodland are estimated to cover 12% of Eleutheria. There are approximately 9,570 km² of irrigated land.