Kojo

Kojo (kodʑo) is an unitary, parliamentary and constitutionally democratic republic located in the south-east of Uletha, bordering the Sound of Pa in the south and Ataraxia in the west. Despite a history dating back to the stone age, Kojo itself came into being as a unified nation state only in 1668.

Kojo fa Uleta so akudyong bue, aku máre Taman'yumi fā, limbē máre Atarakkusī fā kokkyōyu assoldaeki, hakkedaeki, sāmahandodaekimen demomínzudaeki jōbunmyeru ku. Karetaki hyeto lishi kāwaryuzu, Kojo tte assol'yora'e azaggumyeru 1668 [kau-wera-tōku-wera-cchen-uttari] ní yéri aruemeru.

Republic of Kojo Kojo Jōbun-Myeru
Flag
Loading map... {"tileLayer":"//{s}.tile.openstreetmap.org/{z}/{x}/{y}.png","attribution":"\u0026copy; \u003Ca href=\"http://osm.org/copyright\"\u003EOpenStreetMap\u003C/a\u003E contributors","center":{"lat":36.129,"lon":118.312},"zoom":"5","maxzoom":"16","minzoom":"3"}
Capital and largest city	Pyingshum
Official languages	Kojoshi
Demonym	Kojolese
Government	Parliamentary Republic
Area
• Total	267,630 km2
Population
• Census (2014)	40,000,000
• Density	149/km2
GDP (PPP)	2020
• Total	2,314,375,000,000 Int$
• Per capita	57,850 Int$
HDI (2015)	0.903 very high
Timezone	+7 h (no summer time)

Governance

Kojo is an unitary, parliamentary and constitutional republic. The Constitution of the Republic of Kojo divides the government into three branches: the legislative (parliament), the executive (president and chancellor) and the judiciary (courts). The "Administration" is often cited as the fourth, hidden pillar of the republic, because it often exhibits a life on its own and largely constitutes a constant factor, even when elected governments change.

The President

The President (Gozóngchō ) is the head of state, elected by the presidential convention. His or her work composes of mostly representative tasks. For example, the President is the highest representative of the state, appoints Ambassadors, has to sign laws to formally enact them, and is a last instance of check for constitutionality in general. He or she serves for 7 years and can only be re-elected once. He resides in the Presidential Mansion (Gozóngchō so Jaesan).

The Parliament

The nation's unicameral parliament, the Jōbunhakke, forms the legislative. It's elected by the people every 4 years via proportional representation (mixed-member). Besides passing laws, its members most importantly elect the Chancellor (Gankakuchō) at the beginning of every new term, and constitute one half of the presidential convention that elects the President.

Besides the Jōbunhakke, there is the National Municipalities' Council (Zággai Hāmaeltai Kókke, ZHK). It has a unique make up, as it is made up of representatives from the municipal level. Because it only has very limited functions it usually is not counted as a second chamber of parliament. The ZHK needs to approve laws that change the financial or power relationship between local and the national government, as well as changes to the constitution. In all cases when the ZHK does not approve a law or change to the constitution proposed by the Jōbunhakke, the Jōbunhakke can schedule a popular vote which in turn can overwrite the ZHK's decision. Since the constitution doesn't provide for any other mean of changing the constitution by popular vote, there have been cases in the past where the ZHK purposefully denied approval to such a law in order to enable a popular vote, even though its members themselves were generally in favour of the change, because the matter was deemed so important that the public should vote on it. The ZHK does not consist of elected officials; instead, every city (sur) and every rural district (hibu) has one vote. The votes can either be valued the same or carry voting power according to the population represented in the respective cities or rural districts, depending on the type of vote. The members of the ZHK also elect the second half of the presidential convention, which in turn elects the president. Representatives in the ZHK are usually non-political officials of the municipality they represent and are only reimbursed for their travel and other expenses. They are bound to vote as instructed by their municipality's government. For important votes it is common that mayors or other high-ranking local politicians come to Pyingshum to cast their municipality's vote. Historically, the ZHK was never intended by the fathers of the constitution when it was written in 1834. It formed as a sort of common lobbying institution for the municipalities, to represent their interests in national politics. When the constitution was thoroughly reformed in 1939 provisions about the ZHK and the types of laws that needed its consent were codified, but to this day it is not recognised as a second chamber of parliament.

The Chancellor

The Chancellor (Gankakuchō) is the head of government. He or she works in the Chancellery (Gankakuchō so Hyosilwe). The Chancellor appoints the rest of the government, namely the ministers, by formally suggesting them to the President, who then has to appoint them. The Chancellor is traditionally the single most influential person in politics, since he or she defines the guidelines of inner and foreign policy, despite being only 3rd after the president and the president of the parliament in official state protocol.

The Administration

A rather unique feature of the Kojolese political system is the emphasis on a strict border between the government and "The Administration" (Dáhano). The administration is often cited as the 4th division of power. While the executive branch such as the Chancellor and the Ministers are mostly focused on drafting laws and enacting policy in their respective fields, these policies are then executed by the various national, regional and municipal agencies. Although national and most regional agencies are under the supervision of the national government and municipal agencies are controlled by their respective municipality, the national and regional agencies often exhibit a life on their own. The interpretation and realisation of policies are strongly shaped by the administration's own way of doing things.

Career paths in the administration usually start in municipal agencies, with aspirants working their way up through the regional or national agencies. Very successful high school or university graduates are also sometimes recruited directly into higher ranks, especially after graduating from the prestigious and hard to get into School of Higher Administration (Kōkumin Ekól). It is estimated that among leadership positions in the regional and national administration (excluding the ministries themselves), ca. 60% have worked up their way from entry-level positions, 20% are Kōkumin Ekól graduates and another 20% are career changers who have worked outside of the administration for some time. Unlike in a lot of other democracies, the Kojolese constitution knows a number of cases where the passive suffrage is restricted: anyone employed in the national or regional administration cannot run for office in national elections for 5 years after their last day of employment, or 10 year for positions of leadership. Similarly, many municipalities also use their constitutional right to institute such regulations on a municipal level.

The following list only includes civil services provided by the national government and its regional embodiments. Municipal duties (such as garbage, public order offices, schooling infrastructure, public transportation etc.) and agencies not classified as part of the executive (such as the parliament administration or institutions relating to the courts' self-management) are not included. Besides a couple of executive functions that are not under the control of the Chancellor, most government activities fall under the Chancellor's or under one of his or her ministers' responsibility . The ministries oversee a lot of different agencies and services, to which they delegate most of the technical work and interaction with the public. Besides drafting laws, the ministries most importantly set policy guidelines for their subordinate agencies. On a regional level however, all agencies and services by the national government are also coordinated by the respective region's Prefect, who is appointed by the Chancellor. They are mostly responsible for managing everyday operations, advising the central government on regional matters, coordinating the agencies among each other and with the municipalities administration, appointing important leadership roles, as well as disaster relief and representing the central government in their region.

The most common name for institutions with nation-wide scope of action is Kyanfā ("Agency"). Regional institutions under national directive are called Sháchu ("Service"). Agencies which oversee regional services are amended with the prefix "Central" (Zóngshinkyanfā), while Agencies with no oversight over the corresponding regional Services (because they are directly controlled by the ministry as well) usually bear the title "National" (Zággaikyanfā). The aforementioned naming scheme only applies to the administration under the directive of the national government. City departments or offices are usually called buéro, while agencies instituted on the regional level but operating under the directive of the respective region's municipalities are called uelfā. While most agencies and services are referred to using an abbreviation of their full name in everyday use, there are inconsistencies regarding their long-name variants. While some names include grammatical particles to emphasizes their respective grammatical function (Shínchopō sum shárukanyaesói so Kyanfā, lit. "Agency for Protecting the Constitution"), other names do not (Oetsōno Kyanfā, lit. "Migration Agency").

List:

• Office of the Presidential bureau (Gozóngchō so Hyokyanfā, Pyingshum)
• National Auditing Authority (Zággai Búkinshutugēl Sanzyofā, Pyingshum)
• Constitution Protection-Agency (Shínchopō sum shárukanyaesói so Kyanfā (SHSHK), Pyingshum)
• Kojolese Central Bank (Kojo Zóngshin-weibyaeng, Pyingshum)
• National Archive (Zággai Altífōwe, Pyingshum)
• Chancellor (Gankakuchō, Pyingshum)
  • The Chancellery (Gankakuchō so Hyosilwe, Pyingshum)
  • Office of the Press Secretary
  • Officer of State for Digital Affairs
  • Officer of State for Relations with the Arkatsum Kingdom
  • 13 Prefects (Maekkyosil)
  • Ministry of the Interior (Būla so Naelnimyue, Pyingshum)
    • Agency for Administrative Issues
    • Central Police Agency
      • 13 regional Police Departments
    • Central Criminal Prosecution Agency
    • 22 Police Academies
    • Customs Office
    • Agency for Digital Security
    • Agency for Meteorology
    • National Agency for Monument and Landscape Conservation
    • 13 regional Monument and Landscape Conservation Services
    • 15 regional Archives
    • Agency for Migration (Oetsōno Kyanfā, Kwaengdō)
    • National Agency for Civil Protection and Disaster Prevention
    • Agency for Technical Assistance
      • 11 regional Technical Relief Services
    • Central Agency for Spatial Planning, Mapping and Interregional Cooperation (Wamzudamolno, Nomshusói ko Mijidōdaeki Kyakkai Zóngshinkyanfā, Jaka)
      • 13 regional Spatial Planning Services
    • Agency for Volunteer Service (Kámpō Ashkan Kyanfā, Pyingshum)
    • Agency for National Elections (Zággaitsūn Kyanfā, Unzai)
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Sotta so Naelnimyue, Pyingshum)
    • Foreign Intelligence Agency (Dózai-Tokapparyuē so Kyanfā (DTK), Pyingshum)
    • Agency for the Promotion of Kojolese Culture and Language Abroad
    • Embassies of Kojo abroad
  • Ministry of Finance (Búkinmolno so Naelnimyue, Pyingshum)
    • Agency for Financial Services Certification
    • National Agency for Taxation
    • 13 regional Taxation Services
      • xxx local collection offices (Búkinfā)
    • National Agency for Remuneration
    • 13 regional Remuneration Services
    • National Agency for National Asset Management
    • 13 regional Asset Management Services
  • Ministry of Defence (Fángri so Naelnimyue, Pyingshum)
    • Military Counter-Intelligence Agency (Fanglyué-Jōto so Kyanfā (FJK), Pyingshum)
    • 2 Universities of the Armed Forces (Forsamé so Ōnagara, Pyingshum and Jaka)
    • Agency for Acqusition
  • Ministry of Justice (Héngyi so Naelnimyue, Pyingshum)
    • Agency of Justice (Héngyi so Kyanfā, Pyingshum)
    • Central Agency for Consumers' Rights
      • 13 regional Consumers' Rights Services
    • Public Prosecutor's Agency
      • 13 regional Public Prosecution Services
      • 12 regional Penitentiary and Resocialisation Services
  • Ministry of Labour, Social Issues and Sports (Gōzo, Myingsamolno ko Taigi so Naelnimyue, Pyingshum)
    • Agency for Work
    • Ribal Kecskés Institute for Transmissible Diseases (Ribal Kecskéskaso roenglanzáu Yokkae nijúinde, Pyingshum)
    • Central Agency for Public Health
      • 12 regional Public Health Services
    • Agency for Drug and Medical Services Certification
    • Agency for the Advancement of Competitive Sport (Mankaidaeki Taigi so Yaeshittehīchon lui Kyanfā, Jaka)
      • 7 regional athletes' contact bureaus
    • Agency for Workers' Protection
    • Oversight-Agency for the five non-facultative insurance services
    • Care Agency
    • Agency for Family
    • Anti-discrimination Agency
    • Central Agency for Youth
      • 13 regional Youth Services
      • Media Inspection Agency
  • Ministry of Economic Affairs and Trade (Kishamolno ko Jijiyaengmolno so Naelnimyue, Pyingshum)
    • Agency for Patents and Trademarks
    • Agency for Statistics
    • Agency for Import and Export Monitoring (Jaka)
    • Cartell Agency
    • Agency for Food Safety
    • Agency for Caration and Standardisation
    • Agency for Mining and Pitmen
    • Agency for Professional Training
    • Agency for Funds Distribution and General Affairs
  • Ministry of Education, Innovation and Culture (Goakyan, Líno ko Tsungbon so Naelnimyue, Pyingshum)
    • Agency for Public Health Education
    • Agency for Political Education
    • National Library (Zággai Besoegawan, Pyingshum)
    • 21 Central Libraries
    • 5 National Museums (Jōbun-Showugan, "People's Museum": two in Pyingshum (History, Art), one in XX (Science and Technology), XX (Sport) and XX (Geology))
    • National Agency for the Coordination of Vocational Training
    • 13 regional bureaus for the Coordination of Vocational Training
    • Agency for Pre-natal care, Daycare and Preschool
    • Agency for Primary and Secondary Schooling
    • Oversight-Agency for Higher Education
    • Central Agency for Archaeology
      • 13 regional Archaeology Services
    • National Agency for Conservation of the Intangible
    • 13 regional Services for Conservation of the Intangible
    • Agency for Material Acquisition and Distribution
    • Kojolese Research Funding Society
  • Ministry of the Environment (Yultai so Naelnimyue, Pyingshum)
    • Agency for Nuclear Safety and Disposal
    • National Agency for Environmental Research
    • 13 regional Environment and Sustainability Services
    • Central Agency for Woodlands, Ranching, Hunting and Firearms
      • 12 regional Forestry and Ranching Services
      • 12 regional Hunting Services
      • 59 regional Firearm Services
    • Central Veterinary and Animal Welfare Examination Agency
      • 38 regional Veterinary and Animal Welfare Examination Services
  • Ministry of Infrastructure, Communication and Energy (Hīshíbyaeng, Denching ko Uzam so Naelnimyue)
    • Aviation Agency (A'érosaē so Kyanfā, Pyingshum)
      • Lower Agency for Air Traffic Control "Kojocontrol" (Aensaē Ishkel Bangfā, Pyingshum)
      • Lower Agency for Aircraft, Aerodrome and Personnel Certification (Aenlai, A'éropō ko Rinin so Shataeiyusói Bangfā, Pyingshum)
    • Agency for Waterways and Shipfare (Hún'gō ko Champyonsaē Kyanfā, Kippa)
    • Agency for Roads (Michi Kyanfā, Kippa; research institution)
    • National Agency for Planning, Construction and Upkeep of Motorways
    • 12 Regional Road Planning, Construction and Upkeep Services
      • XX motorway maintenance facilities (Kōfogótsu Zoékasóijo)
    • Road Approving Agency (licensed, private company owned by the government)
    • Motor Vehicles Admission Board (licensed, private company owned by the government)
    • Agency for Railway Infrastructure and Operation (research institution)
    • Agency for Railway Certification (licensed, private company owned by the government)
    • Kojo Railway Company (Kojo Hyengshō Sanan, non-licensed, private company owned by the government)
    • Agency for Signal Communication
    • Agency for Post Affairs
    • Agency for Energy Production, Subsidies and Emission Certificate Trade
      • Agency for dams and Hydroelectricity
    • Agency for the Power, Gas and Water Networks
    • Central Agency for Communication and Data Networks
      • 10 regional Data Networks Services
    • Agency for Passenger and Freight Transport (regulatory authority)

The Municipal Level

The Kojolese constitution clearly defines the scope of responsibility for the national government on one hand (handled by the agencies listed above), and the municipalities (surs and in the case of rural areas hibus and Pangs, each with their own respective administration) on the other. In general, laws and regulations are always enforced by the same level that also sets the relevant rules, with some exceptions (most notably devolved duties). The following list give an in-comprehensive overview over all kinds of public rights and duties, and on what level they are dealt with in the Kojolese political system:

Municipalities

• libraries, parks, sporting facilities, museums, swimming pools, cemeteries and other local amenities
• day-care, kindergarten, vocational schooling and training
• only buildings: schools, municipal courts
• local roads and public transport
• ordinances of public order (street music, gambling, drug use [not trade], outdoor advertising, cityscape)
• office of public order (speeding/parking tickets, noise complaints, littering)
• local spatial and urban planning
• building permits
• social housing
• social non-monetary services (youth and family welfare, care for sick and elderly)
• rental law
• healthcare
• local business, tourism etc. promotion
• fire fighting and local disaster relief
• record keeping (domicile, marriages, property ownership, ID issuing [devolved], vehicle registration [devolved])
• local power, water and gas provisions and telecommunication networks
• waste collection, cleaning
• local preservation
• culture and art
• volunteer services
• forestry, hunting, farming and environmental protection and services
• procedures for local elections
• execution of all elections
• matters of local administration (municipal personnel, administrative buildings and infrastructure)
• distribution of monetary social and employment services (devolved)

Municipalities can levy:

• fees (parking, transportation, waste collection, entrance fees, building permits...)
• taxes (immobile property, resource extraction, agriculture, additional sales taxes (only goods sold locally))
• get allocated: 15% of income tax of local residents, 10% of national av. of income tax; 50% of corporate tax of local businesses, 50% of national av.

Nation State
everything not dealt with one the municipal level, most notably

• foreign relations, trade and customs, defence
• law enforcement (police, corrective facilities)
• secret services
• judiciary (the courts)
• civil, criminal, financial, administrative, labour and constitutional laws except exemptions below
• social security and services (most of the execution devolved to municipalities)
• education (school syllabus and teaching personnel, all higher education)
• all infrastructure of regional or higher importance (regional roads, railways without trams or metros, all ports and airports, power transmission lines, pipelines etc.)
• national and regional spatial planning
• all taxation but municipal taxes

A municipal right or duty can be classified into one of three "classes of sovereignty". For example, a city's right to set the rules regarding its own elections (within the democratic principles of the constitution) or veto a change to its boundaries are core principals of municipal sovereignty. No law, even if accepted by all other municipalities in the lawmaking process, can strip a city of such rights. The only, though quite hypothetical way to amend this would be a change to the constitution passed by a two-thirds-majority in the Jōbunhakke, by a supermajority in the National Municipalities' Council ZHK (meaning that both more than half of all surs and hibus have to approve with them simultaneously representing at least half of the Kojolese population) and then approved by a popular vote.

One step further down the line there are the other constitutionally granted sovereignties. They include for example the types of taxes municipalities can levy, or what areas of law and public order they can regulate. To make changes related to such issues, a law must pass the Jōbunhakke with a simple majority, and the ZHK with a supermajority.

Lastly, there are laws that indirectly affect the municipal level (both regulatory and/or financially), but do not infringe on their sovereignties. Those include laws that change devolve administrative functions from the national government to the local governments, such as changes to the social welfare system which is in part carried out on the local level by the municipalities. Also, environmental laws that are enforced by municipalities or changes to education standards like installing electronic whiteboards (which would be paid for by the national government since it is part of schooling material, but the Wifi-infrastructure would need to be provided by the municipalities since they are responsible for the built infrastructure of the schooling system) would fall in this category. To pass, besides a simple majority in the Jōbunhakke, such laws need a so called common majority in the ZHK (meaning that surs and hibus representing at least half of the Kojolese population agree).

Due to the fact that municipalities are autonomous in regard to their internal affairs, there is wide variety in the way they structure their administration and politics. For example, there is an unmanageable diversity of local electoral law, especially among smaller towns and villages. While every municipality is bound by the democratic principles laid out in the constitution, they are free as to how to embellish them. Among exceptionally small villages it is common to elect a mayor by a majority vote, sometimes with and sometimes without run-offs, and to not have a local council elected alongside. Places that do elect local councils do so using many different kinds of voting procedures, from systems using electoral districts and a first-pass-the-post-approach to mixed-member proportionate party lists systems with multiple transferable candidate and list votes per voter.

The Regional Level

Kojo is a centralist state, with elections only taking place at the national and the municipal level. The intermediate regions ("Iki") form a stage for balance of interest and cooperation. The national government's (top-down) Iki-administration is headed by a prefect, who is sent by and represents the central government. The prefects execute the central government's policies in their respective regions, and controls the regional services (Sháchu). In the numerous areas overlapping with the municipalities' jurisdiction, the prefect frequently serves as a local negotiator. They are also responsible for imminent relief in the case of catastrophes and are only allowed to leave their Iki when instructed to do so by the central government. On the local side, municipalities coordinate their efforts on the Iki-level bottom-up to voice their interests to the national government and seize synergies. The degree to which this happens varies from region to region: in some, a large regional bureaucracy controlled by the region's municipalities does a lot of everyday administrative tasks, such as transit planning, preservation or healthcare. In others, those matters are dealt with by each individual municipality and their common regional administration only facilitates voluntary coordination and lobbying. For in-depth explanation, please refer to the main article: Administrative divisions in Kojo.

The following list contains all 13 regions in Kojo with their name, population, size, population density and cities above 100,000 inhabitants (Prefects' seats in bold).

Name of Iki	Population	Area km² (land)	Pop. Density in./km²	Largest cities	OGF relation
Pyingshum-iki	12,449,000	11,952	1,041	Pyingshum, Kahyuemgúchi, Formajiá, Laófil	border
Kyoélnain-iki	1,815,000	41,170	44	Busakyueng, Góhomi, Unzai, Makalasueng	border
Cheryuman-iki	xxx,xxx	5,884	xx	Kwaengdō, Tsuyenji, Zúkshi (Cheryuman h.)	border
Degyáhin-Kibaku Yuwantsūm-Shikime-iki	xxx,xxx	10,025	xx	Nároggul, Leshfyomi-sul	border
Nainchok-iki	1,055,000	36,288	29	Toribiri, Chin-Jōrin, Shangmē	border
Sappaér-iki	678,000	7,484	91	Geryong	border
Fóskiman-iki	5,215,000	7,920	658	Finkyáse, Womenlū, Ántibes, Zúkshi (Fóskiman h.)	border
Lainyerō-iki	3,105,000	104,755	30	Manlung, Oreppyo, Palda, Jippun, Kōnil	border
Pacchipyan-iki	3,249,000	3,101	1,048	Jaka, Hetta, Ojufyeng	border
Rō-iki	255,000	73	3,502.7	Rō	border
Wāfyeíkko-iki	x,xxx,xxx	17,075	xx	Yoyomi, Wenzū, Arákkanai, Toefyei	border
Chin'yaku-iki	1,680,000	5,655	297	Tinglyū, Īme, Línai	border
Gyoéng'guffe-iki	3,420,000	19,876	172	Kippa, Kimelíngsan-shu, Tamrong, Igilaē, Rajjihaim, Láoféi	border

The Courts

Constitutional Court court of last appeal regarding interpretation of the constitution Shínchopō nijúinde Dattarān The Five National Courts courts of last appeal für ordinary, finance, labour, social and administrative jurisdiction Hizo Dattarān Regional Courts revisionary courts for all cases in their respective Iki Gōsaeidaran Municipal Courts entry courts for all but extraordinary cases, one per sur or hibu, sometimes with branch offices Munchipaldaran District Courts Pyingshum and Finkyáse only, one per Dengshō, in minor cases, replace Municipal Courts Shottarān

The courts, forming the judiciary, are independent. The supreme court and most courts of last appeal are situated in the city of Igilaē or in other cities throughout the country, to physically represent their constitutional distance from the other branches of government.

The constitutional court (Shínchopō nijúinde Dattarān, lit. "Jurisdiction about to the constitution", situated in Igilaē) has the last say in all controversies over the constitution. The other courts of last appeal are all responsible for a distinct area of law, and can be appealed to by anyone on any legal dispute after going through the lower stages in the court hierarchy. These so called national courts are:

• Tsōbolakān nijúinde Dattarān; supreme court of ordinary jurisdiction; usually concerned with issues of civil or criminal law, Finkyáse
• Búkinmolno nijúinde Dattarān; supreme court of financial jurisdiction; concerned with taxation, customs and public finances, Igilaē; not to be confused with the central auditing authority (Búkinshutugēl Sanzyofā) in Pyingshum
• Gōzomolno nijúinde Dattarān; supreme court of labour jurisdiction, Igilaē
• Myingsamolno nijúinde Dattarān; supreme court of social jurisdiction, Tinglyū
• Tōyo nijúinde Dattarān; supreme court of administrative jurisdiction; concerned with legal disputes about administrative acts, usually between citizens and the state or between different agencies, Láoféi

The lower courts are organised on a regional (Gōsaeidaran) and municipal (Munchipaldaran) level. In the two biggest cities, Pyingshum and Finkyáse, cases of civil law or other (minor) cases can be dealt with at even more local district courts (Shottarān) instead of at the municipal court. However when after the court's decision the ruling is appealed, the case then advances to the regional court and is not again heart at the municipal court. These district courts are usually responsible for one Dengshō each.

Population

Peculiarities

Traditional Time-keeping Family Structure