Mordvania

Mordvania (Mordvanian: Mordvanija), officially the Republic of Mordvania (Republika Mordvanija), is a country in Eastern Brigidna, bordered by Saratov to the north, and Ceribia and Videjszeme to the south. The total area of Mordvania is 410,264.71 square kilometres, making it the 32th largest country in the world and the 5th largest in Brigidna. With a population of over 69 million people, Mordvania is the 29th most populous country in the world and the 8th most poulous country in Brigidna, as well as the 3rd most populous nation with a Vostic ethnic majority. The Republic of Mordvania is an unitary state divided into 33 administrative departments.

History

Kingdom of Mordvania

The Kingdom of Mordvania was established in the 9th centuries, consolidating in the following two centuries. After the Battle of Dzvalktia (957), in which the Mordvanian army defeated a coalition of Bunesgan forces assited by Videjszeme, the Kingdom of Mordvania expanded to the west, annexing the Kingdom of Bunesgan a decade later.

However, in the 12th century, the kingdom faced a two-decades long political crisis. Bogdan IV, the last monarch of the House of Urbanek, died without a successor in 1149, unleashing a civil war. In 1152, Atharik von Greuthen, a Geinic noble, was crowned, starting the Greuthen-Hansen Dinasty, which lasted until 1544.

At the beginning of the 13th century, a coalition of Mordvanian, Biyran, and Geinic forces defeated the Saratovian army, which resulted in the annexation of the Grand-Duchy of Pomerevne by the Kingdom of Mordvania, and the recovery lands lost a century before. The following century was characterized by religious, ethnic, and social tensions, but it was relatively peaceful compared to previous centuries.

Under the reign of Atharik I the Great (1343-1374), the state was further centralized, the power of the Mordvanian nobility was considerably reduced, and military and political alliances forged with western and central Brigidnan states. His succesors, his sons Ekkehard I and Konrad II, loosened relations with the Sentric Church and allowed religious toleration, and continued a policy of containment regarding Saratov and Severyane.

However, in the late 14th century and 15th century, after liberal and constitutional reforms failed, there was increasing economic and political stagnation, and the monarchy became increasingly questioned by several social groups and political movements.

Republican revolution

In the early 1540s, the Kingdom of Mordvania was hit by an economic crisis. This worsened in early 1543, when bad weather led to bad harvest and a collapse of the agriculture exports. The government attempted to stabilize the currency but this failed, and the economic entered in depression. The government rejected demands of reform, and attempted to crush any protest by the use of the force. King Kyvenbrecht I was becoming more and more unpopular.

Protests turned increasingly violent, and there were riots in several cities, including Seznica, Brezedina, Visnja, and others. King Kyvenbrecht appointed General Burkhard Voltz as Prime Minister. Voltz proclaimed the state of emergency and the armed forces were mobilized. In Prindz, the Royal Legion opened fire against protstors, and more than 50 people were killed on Marth 1544. Thousands were arrested, tried in military courts, and sent to prison. Rumours of torture and summary executions spread, but it did not stop the protests. Soon, they spread to the main cities of the country, including Sladhaven.

On Zechyr 16, a sailors' revolt started in Amberg, one of the main ports of the Royal Navy. Some crews refused to obey orders from officials, and sailors on board three ships from the Second Navy Squadron commited outright mutiny and sabotage. They demanded the resignation of Voltz's government and political reform. Soon, the movement spread through most of the Navy. Prime Minister Voltz denounced an "anti-monarchist coup d'etat" that "will be punished without mercy". But the Naval Command was powerless, as the revolt spread in other ports and urban centers of the coast, and local committees formed by sailors and workers were created, joining the movement and asking more political demands, which included the end of the martial and law and constitutional reforms. In the following days, the country witnessed the largest demonstrations in the nation's history in the main cities and towns of the Kingdom.

Prime Minister Voltz resigned, and Count Faramund Guldenlew was appointed Prime Minister. Although he didn't accept the demands of the sailors, the martial law was withdraw. This did not end the protests, rather the contrary, and finally Prime Minister Guldenlew promised elections for a Royal Parliament. However, the system proposed -through the three-class system established between 1488 and 1509, and with limited suffrage for married women over 33 years old- did not satisfy the demands of the opposition.

On Septem 24, a large demonstration in Mestarka, the Kingdom's capital city, ended in front of the Parliament building. The demonstration was lead by a member of the Radical Union, which demanded the resignation of the government and real democratic elections. The Armed Forces were mobilized and they were given the order to restore the order at any cost. However, Lieutenant-Colonel Bozidar Strnad, who had been sent to restore the order, refused to obey. Instead, he read a declaration, supported by other 14 officers of the Armed Forces, which was addressed to both the monarch and the army, and included several demands, which included the resignation of the current government, the dissolution of the royal parliament, the release of all political prisoners, and the creation of a military-led Provisional government until new elections to a Constituent Assembly were called. As soon as the declaration was made, several garrisons and officers expressed their support to the declaration. Only a few military garrison openly condemned the resolution and announced their loyalty to the monarch, with rest remaining either silent or neutral. Prime Minister Guldenlew announced his resignation, and King Kyvenbrecht I left the capital city the next day.

On Septem 28, Kyvenbrecht arrived to Ukmerberg where he was received by a group of loyal military officers. Meanwhile, in the city of Mazenskai, there were calls for Bunesgan independence. The monarch denounced the recent events as a coup d'etat, and promised to defend the nation's territorial integrity. The next week, a seven-member military council was announced in charge of both the Armed Forces and the state, while elections for a Constituent Assembly were announced.

On early Nueva, elections were held in the territory controlled by the revolutionary forces. The turnout was considerably low, as monarchist and conservatives forces decided to boycott the election. The republican and liberal parties obtained a large majority.

On Nueva 11th, Lieutenant-Colonel Bozidar Strnad, as a representative of the Council of Defense, met with representatives of all the remaining political forces, and gave an speech to the Constituent Assembly which was openly anti-monarchist. A resolution denouncing the monarch as "guilty of high treason" and abolishing the monarchy was passed by a simple majority of the members of the Constituent Assembly. As a result, King Kyvenbrecht I was stripped of all his titles and powers, and the Council of Defense became the collective head of state of the republic, with both legislative and executive powers. A second decree declared the suspension of the Constituent Assembly until order was restored, and the formation of a transitional government -known as the Republican Council- with representation of as many political parties as possible. The Republican Council was aimed to deal with the economic and domestic policy, although all the military and law enforcement powers were transferred to the Council of Defense. A third resolution, known as the "People's Act" was passed, calling for a new national election as soon as possible in vague terms.

On Nueva 20th, the Council of Defense announced that the capital city of the Kingdom was transferred from Mestarka to Sladhaven, which was later renamed as Slovograd.

A four-month civil war followed, until monarchist forces under the leadership of Baron Erdhoch were defeated by the Republican Army in Ryban on Elva 4. Two months later, separatist forces -which failed to get any foreign support- would be defeated in Mazenskai.

On 10 Alvan 1545, local elections were called, in which the republican parties obtained a landslide in the main cities.

Republic of Mordvania

The country was still under an economic depression, and political differences increasingly arose inside the Republican Council. Liberal and moderate ministers announced their resignation, as they were opposed to the start of the trial of King Kivenbrecht before the end of the constitutional process. The new Mordvanian government was almost a fully Republican-led government. The government passed a more interventionist economic porgram, with the nationalization of the main economic sectors, an agrarian reform, and an ambitious program of economic reconstruction. A Constitutional Committee had been appointed to draft a new constitution, but it was highly divided and discussions advanced very slowly.

On 21 Alvan 1567, Chairman Bozidar Strnad announced a legislative proposal which consisted in extending the existence of the Council of Defense, with renewed powers. The proposal was justified, he argued, in the lack of improvement in the negotiations between the democratic forces. Some political parties opposed such proposal, but the Council of Defense forced the call of a referendum about it. Bozidar Strnad declared that if the proposal was rejected, he would step down as both Chairman and member of the Council of Defense -although the dissolution of the Council of Defense was not guaranteed. On Marth 22, the referendum was organized, and the proposal was approved by 76.8% of the citizens, not entirely surprising as Strnad had become one of the most popular Mordvanian officials during the revolution.

Some members of the Constitutional Committee decided to resigned afterwards, but negotiations continued nevertheless. On Marth 27, King Kyvenbrecht I was tried for high treason and sentenced to death. He would be executed on Fein 8th. A day later, the Council of Defense declared the abolition of the death penalty in the Republic of Mordvania. On 19 Fein 1545, a referendum approved the final draft of the constitution, heavily inspired by Mordvanian republicanism, and establishing an unitary republic, which included and consolidated the existence of the Council of Defense, although with limited powers, was passed by 88.2% of the vote. On Zechyr 12, the Chairman of the Council of Defense announced national legislative elections.

First Bogdan Privsek's administration

The 1567 legislative election gave a majority to moderate republican parties. Then Minister of Foreigh Affairs and leader of the center-right Mordvanian Republican Party Bogdan Privsek became President of the Republican Council replacing Vanik. The Mordvanian Republican Party formed a coalition government with Vanik's National Republican Party. The Council of Defense retain much influence over Privek's government, specially on national security and defense. A military officer, Srecko Pidansek, became Minister of Defense, while the first chairman of the Republican Guard -the military police which responded to the Council of Defense rather than to the Republican Council- Milan Kravanja was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. Kravanja, unlike Pidansek -who was considered non-partisan- was a well-known sympathizer of left-republican parties such as the Republican Social Radical Party.

The government focused mostly to improve and stabilize the economic situation, although tensions increased with the Kaljuran military dictatorship which, although had remained neutral during the civil war, now seemed to feel threatened by Mordvania's republican government. In 1567, Milan Kravanja resigned as Minister of Foreign Affairs, being replaced by Aljaz Martelj from the Mordvanian Republican Party, as he aimed to contest for the leadership of the Republican Social Radical Party.

The 1570 legislative election resulted in a collapse of the National Republican Democratic Party, but the Mordvanian Republican Party strengthened its position as the most voted political party, defeated the Republican Social Alliance -a left-wing electoral coalition- in more than twelve points. Privsek continued as President of the Republican Council, although under a minority government, for the next three years.

Privsek's government was relatively successful, with constant economic growth already on 1571 and establishing a limited welfare state. However, some minister found involved in mismanagement and corruption cases, which weakened the popularity of the government.

The Republican-Socialist coalition

Unexpectedly, the far-left United Progressive Socialist Party, led by Zvezdana Serebryak, defeated the Mordvanian Republican Party in the 1573 legislative elections. A United Progressive Socialist Party-Republican Social Radical Party coalition government was established, with Milan Kravanja as President of the Republican Council, and Serebryak as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Kaljuran civil war

Second Bogdan Privsek's administration

1582 constitutional reform

1584 presidential election

Geography

Mordvania's territory extends across several geographical regions, between latitudes 44º and 52º N, and longitudes 67º and 78º E. In the north-east is the Viska Bay, which extend from Wojek to Dodzyn. In the south-east is the Biyran Sea. This coast, the second largest of the country, is marked by several spits, coastal lakes (former bays that have been cut off from the sea), and dunes. On the north-west, there is the colder Laural Sea coast. Mordvania has three large islands: Nardensk and Severna in the Laural Sea, and the island of Utrbdak, which harbours a military base and a notorious prison, in the Biyran Sea.

The west and parts of the central regions of the country lie within the North Brigidnan Plain. Rising above these lowlands is a geographical region comprising several hilly districts of moraines and moraine-dammed lakee. This southern lakes, along the regions of Seznica, Prindz, and Paviemes, covers much of south-western Mordvania. East of the Northern Brigidnan Plain are the north-eastern region of Hbribovnat, which are marked by broad ice-age river valleys. Farther east is a mountainous region, between Opoblina and Brezedina, known as the Pristenled Mountains. In the south-east, there are the Visnjek, Svetloba, and Zelena valleys, a highly fertile region which is crossed by the Dolga river, one of the longest of Brigidna. The Dolga river ends in the Vodena estuary, on the Biyran Sea.

Geology

The moraine landscape of central Mordvania contains soils made up mostly of sand and loam, while the ice age river valleys of the east often contain loess. The north-east region consist of limestone, while the Pristen region and most of the south-east are made up mainly of granite and basalts. The Pristenmord Chain has one of the oldest rock formation on the continent of Brigidna.

Mordvania has 67 mountains over 2,000 metres (6,600 feet) in elevation, all in the Pristen region. The Mordvanian Pristen, which consist of the Pristenled Mountains and Western Pristen, is the highest mountain group of Mordvania. In the Pristenled Mountains lies Mordvania's highest point, the north-eastern summit of Vzhod, 2,4999 metres (8,199 ft) in elevation. At its foot lies the mountain lakes of Moder and Nebo.

The second highest mountain group is the Jugan Mountains in the south-west, the highest point of which are Mati Kamen, at 1,725 metres (5,659 ft.), Akmuas at 1,603 metres (5,259 ft) and Trdan at 1,425 metres (4,675 ft). The Jugan Mountains are well-known for its interesting rock formations and the Svetland National Park, the largest of the country.

The lowest point in Mordvania, at 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) below sea level, is at the Prozoren Plain, near Slawowo on the Dolgan Delta.

Nearby Snogen region in the southwestern Mordvania is an area of sparsely vegetated sand known as the Gnilna Desert. It covers an area of 32 square kilometres (12 sq mi). It is not a natural desert but results from human activity from the Middle Ages onward.

The Laural Sea activity in Lepovika National Park, in the north-west between the Sever and Visak rivers, created sand dunes which in the course of time separated the bay from the sea creating two lakes. As waves and wind carry sand inland the dunes slowly move, at a rate of 3 to 10 metres (9.8 to 32.8 ft) meters per year. Some dunes reach the height of up to 30 metres (98 ft). The highest peak of the park is Peščen (155 metres or 377 feet above sea level).

Waters

The Dolga river is one of the longest of the country. The Dolga river has been used since early times for navigation. The longest rivers on Mordvanian territory are the Visak and Sever rivers, on the north-west region, which flow into the Laural Sea.

In the valley of Moder river in southwestern Mordvania there is an unique natural karst spring of water containing calcium salts, that is an object of protection in the Serebrna Zemlija Natural Park. The origin of the name of the area, known as Modern Vzmet, that means Blue Springs, comes from the fact that red waves are absorbed by water and only blue and green are reflected from the bottom of the spring, giving that atypical colour.

Eastern Mordvania contains more than 2,000 lakes, being one the regions with the highest numbers of lakes in Brigidna. The largest lakes, covering more than 100 square kilometres (39 sq mi), are Lake Polkja, Lake Slovo, and Lake Luknja. Lakes have always played an important role in Mordvanian history and continue to be of great importance to today's modern Mordvanian society. The ancestors of today's Mordvanians, the Mordvanes, built their first fortresses on islands nearby the Zadna river, in north-east Mordvania. The legendary Prince Bogdanek ruled from Nebesa tower erected on the Lake Crna. The first historically documented ruler of the Kingdom of Osrednia, King Srecko I, had his palace on an island in the Visak river as well. Nowadays the Mordvanian lakes provide a location for the pursuit of water sports such as yachting and wind-surfing.

About two-thirds of Mordvania's coastline extends along the Biyran Sea, while the other half extends along the eastern coastline of the Biyran Sea. For the most part, the Biyra Sea has a smooth coastline, which has been shaped by the continental movement of sand by currents and winds. On the Biyran coast, continual erosion and deposition has formed cliffs and spits, many of which have migrated landwards to clsoe off former lagoons, such as Novak Lake in Redko National Park.

Land use

Mordvania is the second most forested country in Northern Brigidna. Forests cover about 29.8% of Mordvania's land. Its overall percentage has slightly and constantly increased since the 1570s. Forests of Mordvania are managed by the republican program of reforestation (Prorepog), aiming at an increase of forest-cover to 32% in 1600. The richness of Mordvanian forest (according to 1580 government statistics) is more than twice as high as Marzannan average. The largest forest complex in Mordvania is Upper Moder Wilderness.

More than 1% of Mordvania's territory is proctected within 24 Mordvanian national parks. In addition, wetlands along lakes and rivers in southern and central Mordvania are legally protected, as are coastal areas in the north-west. There are over 130 areas designated as landscape parks, along with numerous nature reserves and other protected areas.

Since the agrarian reforms of 1545-1548 and the economic reforms in the early 1570s, Mordvanian agriculture has performed extremely well and the country has over five million private farms. It is the leading producer in Brigidna of potatoes and rye, Siora's second largest producer of wheat, and one of the more important producers of barley, oats, sugar beets, flax, dill, and fruits. Mordvania is also fourth largest supplier of beef and goat cheese in the region.

Biodiversity

Many animals that have died out in other parts of Brigidna still survive in Mordvania, such as the Brigidnan bison in the ancient woodland of the Preckala Forest, in southern Mordvania. Other such species include the brown bear in the Western Pristen, the gray wolf in the Jogan Mountains and the crimson lynx in various forests, the wild beaver in the Severdno and Visnja regions, and the northern moose in the northeastern forests.

In the forests, one also encounters game animals, such as red deer, black deer and wild boars, In southern Mordvania there are a number of ancient woodlands, like Preckala forest, that have never been cleared or have been disturbed much by people. There are also large forested areas in the southwestern and central mountainous regions.

Mordvania is also an important breeding ground for a variety of Brigidnan migratory birds, which often cross Marzanna toward West and South Brigidna. Out of all the migratory birds who come to West Brigidna for the summer, one quarter of the Brigidnan population of grey storks live in Mordvania, particularly in the lake districts and the wetlands along the Dolga river, which are part of nature reserves or national parks.

Climate

The climate is mostly temperate throughout the country. The climate is oceanic in the north and west and becomes gradually warmer and continental towards the south and west. Summers are generally warm, with average temperatures between 18°C and 30°C depending on a region. Winters are rather cold, with average temperatures around 3°C in the northwest and −10°C in the northeast. Precipitation falls throughout the year, although, especially in the east; winter is drier than summer.

The warmest region in Mordvania are Bunesgan Plain located in south-western Mordvania where temperatures in the summer average between 24 and 32°C but can go as high as 35 to 38°C on some days in the warmest month of Zechyr and Septem. The warmest cities in Mordvania are Snogen, which is situated in south-west Mordvania, and Paviemes, which is located in southern Mordvania. The average temperatures in Paviemes are 20°C in the summer and 0°C in the winter, but Snogen has the longest summer in all of Mordvania, which lasts for 120 days, from mid-Fein to early-Nueva.

The coldest region of Mordvania is in the northeast in the Wojek voyvodeship on the Viska Bay. The climate is affected by cold fronts which come from Karjelinn and Marzanna. The average temperature in the winter in Wojek ranges from −10 to −42°C. The biggest impact of the oceanic climate is observed in the Laural Sea seashore area from Amsberg to Wojek

Governance and Politics

The Republic of Mordvania was established in 1544, during the Republican revolution of 1544-1545. The constitution of the Republic of Mordvania was approved by referendum on 19 Fein 1545. The constitution established an unitary republic and the first democratic government in Mordvanian history, granted the Armed Forces with an important but limited influence, and it was heavily influenced by Mordvanian republicanism. The Mordvanian constitution would be considerably amended in the 1582 constitutional reform, which reduced and removed the influence of the Armed Forces in the political process, strengthen the power of the national parliament, and effectively establishing a semi-presidential system.

Political System

The Republic of Mordvania is an unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic. The government is regulated by a system of checks and balances defined by the Mordvanian constitution, which serves as the country's supreme legal document. In the Mordvanian republican system, citizens are usually subject to two levels of government: national and local. The local government's duties are commonly split between departments and voyvodeships. The constitution establishes that the Assembly of Representatives (Lower House of the parliament) must be elected under a proportional system, while local's government executive and legislative officials are elected by a plurality vote of citizens by districts, and there is no proportional representation at the local level, with the exception of department's councils.

The national government is composed of three branches:

• Legislative: The bicameral parliament, made up of the Assembly of Representaties (Lower House) and the Chamber of Deputies (Upper House), makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties and the annual budget, and has the power of impeachment, by which it can remove sitting members of the government.
• Executive: The President is the commander-in-chief of the military, can veto legislative bills before they become law (subjet to parliamentary override), and nominate and appoints the President of the Republican Council (with the approval of the Assembly of Representatives) the national cabinet, and other officers, who administer and enforce national laws and policies.
• Judicial: The Constitutional Court, whose judges are appointed by the President with parliamentary approval, and the national and local courts, interpret laws and overturn those they find unconstitutional.

The Assembly of Representatives has 599 voting members, elected by national proportional representation for a three-year term.

The Chamber of Deputies has 444 members. Unlike the Assembly of Representatives, the members of the Chamber of Deputies are not elected by suffrage, by they are allocated by lot for a one-year term. This process, known as sortition, selects the deputies of the Upper House of the parliament from a larger pool of local representatives. The logic behind this sortition process originates from the idea that sortition strengthens political participation and local governance. The competences of the Chamber of Deputies, however, are limited to approve the national budget, to review and propose laws to the Assembly of Representatives, and to pass or block constitutional amends. The Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies is directly appointed by the President, but the Chairman only votes when it is necessary to break a tie. As consequence of the sortition process, the composition of the Chamber of Deputies changes every year.

The executive branch itself has two leaders: the President of the Republic, currently Zvezdana Serebryak, who is head of state and is elected directly by universal adult suffrage for a 6-year term, and the Republican Council, led by the president-appointed President of the Republican Council (head of the government). The President of the Republic can not be reelected.

The local governments have an important number of competences on taxation, education, healthcare, and welfare. The members of the voyvodeship (local government) are elected by a plurality vote of citizens by districts, while the voyvode (head of the local government) is directly elected in a two-round system, similarly as the president is elected. Departments (regional government) elect their own lawmakers as well, although they have very limited competences and powers compared to the voyvodeships. The head of a department, known as governor, is directly appointed by the President, but they have a rather symbolical role.

The Constitutional Court, led by the President of the Constitutional Court, has nine members, who serve until retirement at 70-year old.

Judicial System

The judiciary of Mordvania is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the Republic of Mordvania. The judiciary of Mordvania is considered independent from the executive, as the constitution establishes a clear separation of powers.

The Mordvanian legal system is a civil law mostly based on a comprehensive compendium of legal codes. In criminal and administrative law, Mordvania uses an inquisitorial system where the judges are actively involved in investigating the facts of the case, as compared to an adversarial system where the role of the judge is primarily that of an impartial referee between the prosecutor or plaintiff and the defendant. Rather than allowing cross-examination between the defense and prosecutors, the judges conduct the majority of the trial. During a trial, the parties are expected to give all their evidence to the judges, who will then call forward and question the witnesses, after which the defense counsel and prosecutor may question the witnesses.

In Mordvania, judges follow a distinct career path. At the end of their legal education at university, all law students must pass a state examination before they can continue on to an apprenticeship that provides them with broad training in the legal profession over two years. They then must pass a second state examination that qualifies them to practice law. At that point, the individual can choose either to be a lawyer or to enter the judiciary. Judicial candidates start working at courts immediately. However, they are subjected to a probationary period of up to five years before being appointed as judges for life.

The judicial system is established and governed by article 27 of the Mordvanian constitution, that states that "the judicial power shall be vested in the judges; it shall be exercised by the Constitutional Court, by the National Courts of Justice, and the regional and local courts". Unlike other countries, Mordvania's judiciary is not subordinated to the legislature, the constitution directly invests supreme judicial power in the Constitutional Court as well as other national, regional, and local courts, decisional law has greater importance, though not to the extent of common law systems.

There are five basic types of courts, plus the Constitutional Court and the National Courts of Justice:

• Ordinary courts, dealing with criminal and most civil cases
• Administrative law courts
• Tax law courts
• Labour law courts
• Social law courts

In Mordvania, there is no de jure single supreme court. Instead, cases are handled by numerous national courts, depending on their nature. When it comes to civil and criminal cases, the National Court of Justice is at the top of the hieararchy of courts. The other branches of the Mordvanian judiciary system each have their own appellate systems, each topped by a national high court; these are the National Social Court for matters of social security, the National Labour Court for employment and labour, the National Finance Court for taxation and financial issues, and the National Administrative Court for administrative law. The so-called Joint Senate of the National Courts of Justice -formed by the National Court of Justice and the other National Courts- is not a surpreme court in itself, but an ad-hoc body that is convened in only when one high court intends to diverge from another high court's legal opinion or when a certain case exceeds the authority of one court. As the courts have well-defined areas of responsibility, situations like these are rather rare and so, the Joint Senate gathers very infrequently, and only to consider matters which are mostly definitory.

The main difference between the Constitutional Court and the National Courts of Justice is that the Constitutional Court may only be called if a constitutional matter within a case is in question (e.g., a possible violation of human rights in a criminal trial), while the National Courts of Justice may be called in any case. Only the Constitutional Court can declare an Act of Parliament invalid.

The Constitutional Court is the supreme constitutional court of the Republic of Mordvania, estabished by the constitution. Since 1567, the Constitutional Court has been located in the city of Brezedina -intentionally distanced from the other national institutions in Slavograd and other cities.

The main task of the Constitutional Court is judicial review, and it may declare legislation unconstitutional, thus rendering them ineffective. The main task of the court is judicial review, and it may declare legislation unconstitutional, thus rendering them ineffective. In this respect, it is similar to other supreme courts with judicial review powers, yet the court possesses a number of additional powers, and is regarded as among the most interventionist and powerful national courts in the region. Unlike other supreme courts, the constitutional court is not an integral stage of the judicial or appeals process (aside from cases concerning constitutional or public international law), and does not serve as a regular appellate court from lower courts or the National Courts of Justice.

The Constitutional Court's jurisdiction is focused on constitutional issues and the compliance of all governmental institutions with the constitution. Constitutional amendments or changes passed by the Parliament are subject to its judicial review, since they have to be compatible with the most basic principles of the Constitution defined by the constitution preamble's and first ten articles. For example, in 1582 the Constitutional Court declared that a constitutional amend aimed to introduce a mixed electoral system in which half of the Assembly of Representatives' seats were to be elected by first-past-the-post system was unconstitutional.

The Constitutional Court is able to actively administer the law and ensure that political and bureaucratic decisions comply with the rights of the individual enshrined in the constitution. Specifically, it can vet the democratic and constitutional legitimacy of bills proposed by federal or state government, scrutinise decisions (such as those relating to taxation) by the administration, arbitrate disputes over the implementation of law between local governments and the national government, and (most controversially) ban non-democratic political parties. The Constitutional Court's practice of enormous constitutional control frequency on the one hand, and the continuity in judicial restraint and political revision on the other hand, have created a unique defender of the Constitution and given it a significant role in Mordvania's modern democracy.

The Constitutional Court's are nominated by the President of the Republic, and elected by the Assembly of Representatives and the Chamber of Deputies. According to the Constitution of the Republic of Mordvania. The selection of a judge requires a two-thirds vote. The judges are elected until retirement, as the Mordvanian constitution established they must retire upon reaching the age of 70. Most judges previously served as an academic jurist at a university, as a public servant or as a lawyer. After ending their term, most judges withdraw themselves from public life.

Ordinary courts are the most numerous by far. Currently there are 799 ordinary courts (644 local, 114 regional, 40 appellate, one national), 101 labour courts (85 local, 15 appellate, one national), 55 administrative courts (33 local, 21 regional, one national), 11 tax courts (10 local, one national), and 74 social courts (59 local, 14 regional, one national).

Economy

Mordvania's economy is considered to be one of the Brigidnan economies with the fasted growing in the last two decades. Since the fall of the Abdanian monarchy, Mordvania has pursued a policy of mixed economy, with important state investment, a strong domestic market, a flexible currency, and not being dependent on a sigle export sector. Except in the years 1575-1578, the country has experienced constant economic growth. The country's most successful exports include machinery, cars, weaponry, pharma products, furniture, food products, clothing, shoes and cosmetics. Mordvania's largest trading partners are Biyra and Florinthus.

The first but specially the second Bogdan Privsek's administrations have pursued a policy of market liberatization and labour market reform, only partially reduced during the left-wing coalition governments of 1573-1579. Restructuring and privatisation of "sensitive sectors" such as coal, steel, rail transport and energy has been continuing since 1580. The biggest privatizations have been the sale of the national telecoms firm Mordtelekom to Kacije Corporation in 1582, and an issue of 35% of the shares in Morvania's largest bank, Mordbank, on the Mordvanian stockmarket in 1583.

Mordvania is recognized as having an economy with development potential, overtaking Biyra and Kazemura in the early-1580s to become Brigidna's ninth largest economy, and 20th worldwide. The Mordvanian banking sector is the largest in North Brigidnan region, with 41.2 branches per 100,000 adults. The banks are the largest and most developed sector of the country's financial markets. They are regulated by the Mordvanian Financial Authority. Mordvania's bankingsector approxiamately 6 national banks, a network of nearly 900 cooperative banks and 10 branches of foreign-owned banks. In addition, foreign investors have controlling stakes in nearly 20 commercial banks, which make up 40% of the banking capital. Since the early-1580s, Mordvanian banks have heavily expanded in East Kaljurand, adquiring many Kaljuran banks and companies.

Mordvania has a large number of private farms in its agricultural sector, with the potential to become a leading producer of food in the Brigidnan market. The biggest money-makers abroad include smoked and fresh fish, fine chocolate, and dairy products, meats and specialty breads, with the exchange rate conducive to export growth. Structural reforms in health care, education, the pension system, and state administration have resulted in larger-than-expected fiscal pressures. Mestarka leads North Brigidna in foreign investment. GDP growth had been strong and steady from 1572 with only a short slowdown from 1575 to 1578.

Average salaries in the enterprise sector in Vintyr 1583 were 4,000 kovens ($1,801) and growing sharply. Salaries vary between the regions: the median wage in the capital city Slovograd was 4,637 kovens, while in Brezedina it was 3,971 kovens, and up to 4,801 kovens in Mestarka. There is a wide distribution of salaries among the various voyvodeships of Mordvania. They range from 2,891 kovens in Paviemes to 4,697 in the Mestarka voyvodeship.

During and after the 1566-1567 civil war, Mordvanian experienced a mass emigration of over 4 million abroad, most of them ethnic Abdanians and Bunesgans. The out migration, while it sank the country on economic depression until 1572, has increased the average wages for the workers who remained in Mordvania, in particular for those with intermediate and high level skills.

Products and goods manufactured in Mordvania include: electronics, buses and trams, helicopters and planes, trains, ships, military weaponry and equipment, medicines, food, clothes, glass, pottery , chemical products and others. Mordvania is also one of the world's biggest producers of copper, silver and coal, as well as potatoes, wheat, rye, rape seed, cabbage, dill, apples, strawberries and ribes.

Corporations

Mestarka Stock Exchange is one of North Brigidna largest exchanges by market capitalization. Mordvania is recognized as a regional economic leader within North Brigidna, with nearly 48 percent of the 500 biggest companies in the region (by revenues) as well as a high globalisation rate. The country's largest firm comprise the MORD30 index, which is traded on the Mestarka Stock Exchange.

Well known Mordvanian brands include, among others...

The list includes the largest companies by turnover in 1584 (excluding banks and insurance companies):

Rank 2011	Corporation	Sector	Headquarters	Revenue (thousand kovens)	Profit (thousand kovens)	Employees
1.	Name	oil and gas	Mestarka	79 037 121	2 396 447	4,445

Tourism

Mordvania experienced an increase in the number of tourists after organizing the football Brigidnan Cup in 1569. Tourism contributes significantly to Mordvania's overall economy and makes up to a relatively large proportion of the country's service market.

Tourist attractions in Mordvania vary, from the mountains in the south and central Mrodvania to the beaches in the north and east, with a trail of nearly every architectural style, which combined West Brigidnan with Marzannan influences. The most visited city is Mestarka, which was the formed capital of the Kingdom of Abdania and Mordvania (officially named as Fürstendstadt until 1566). Mestarka once held royal coronations of every Abdanian monarch since the 12th century. Among other notable sites in the country is the capital city of the republic, Slovograd; the cities of Slawowo and Brezedina, and the southeastern town of Visnja, one of the oldest cities in Mordvania. The twons of Slawowo, Seznica, Prindz, and Mazenskai were extensively reconstructed after wartime destruction during the 1566-1567 civil war. Other cities attracting tourists include Opoblina, Wojek, Amsberg, Chlyb, Snogen, Dodzyn, and Paviemes.

Mordvania is the 14th most visited country in the world by foreign tourists, as ranked by Sioran Tourism Organization (STO). Biyra, Saratov, and Florinthus were the top three countries of origin for visitors in 1582. Moreover, according to the Republican Statistical Office, tourism in Mordvania increases at an annual rate of 11%.

Mordvania's main tourist offerings include outdoor activities such as skiing, sailing, mountain hiking and climbing, as well as agrotourism, sightseeing historical monuments. Tourist destinations include the Laural Sea coast in the north and Biyran Sea coast in the east; the 1 Lake District and 2 Forest in the east; on the south 3, the 4 Mountains and the 5 Mountains, where 6, the highest peak of Mordvania, and the famous 7 mountain trail are located. The 8 and 9 Mountains lie in the extreme south-east. There are over 220 castles in the country, many in the 10 Voivodeship and along the popular 11.

Energy

The electricity generation sector in Mordvania is largely fossil-fuel–based. The three largest Mordvanian coal mining firms extract around 300 million tonnes of coal annually. All three of these companies are key constituents of the Mestarka Stock Exchange's lead economic indexes.

Renewable forms of energy account for a smaller but increasing proportion of Mordvania's full energy generation capacity. However, the Republican Council has set targets for the development of renewable energy sources in Mordvania which should see the portion of power produced by renewable resources climb to 15% by 1590 and 40% by 1600. This is to be achieved mainly through the construction of wind farms and a number of hydroelectric stations.

Mordvania has around 200,000,000,000 m3 of proven natural gas reserves and around 200,000,000 barrels of proven oil reserves. These reserves are exploited by energy supply companies such as MKG. However, the small amounts of fossil fuels naturally occurring in Mordvania is insufficient to satisfy the full energy consumption needs of the population. Therefore, the country is a net importer of oil and natural gas.

Transport

Transport in Mordvania is provided by means of rail, road, marine shipping and air travel. Since the early-1570s, Mordvania has invested large amounts of public funds into modernization projects of its transport networks. The country now has a developing highways network composed of motorways. At the end of 1583, Mordvania had 9701,2 km of highways. In addition to these newly built roads, many local and regional roads are being fixed as part of a national programme to rebuild all roads in Mordvania.

In 1582, the nation had 20,000 miles of railway track. Trains can operate up to 160 kilometres per hour on 10% of the track. Most trains operate between 80 and 125 kms per hour. Part of the system operates at 40 km/hour. Mordvanian authorities maintain a program of improving operating speeds across the entire Mordvanian rail network. Additionally, in Dein 1582, Mordvania began to implement high–speed rail routes connecting major Mordvanian cities. The Mordvanian government has revealed that it intends to connect all major cities to a future high-speed rail network by 1586.

The air and maritime transport markets in Mordvania are largely well developed. Mordvania has a number of international airports, the largest of which is Slovograd Republican Airport, the primary global hub for Mordvanian Airlines.

Seaports exist all along Mordvania's coast, with most freight operations using Mestarka, Amsberg, Wojek as well as Dodzyn and Ryban as their base. Passenger ferries link Mordvania with the northern archipelago and Biyra all year around; these services are provided from Ryban, Wojek, and Dodzyn.

Science and technology

Mordvania's tertiary education institutions; traditional universities, as well as technical, medical, and economic institutions, employ around 120,000 researchers and members of staff. There are around 700 research and development institutes, with about 25,000 researchers. In total, there are around 200,000 scientists in Mordvania today.

Over 100 research and development centers and 10,000 researchers make Mordvania the biggest research and development hub in North Brigidna. Many multinational companies have set up research and development centers in Mordvania. Companies chose Mordvania because of the availability of highly qualified labour force, presence of universities, support of authorities, and the largest market in North Brigidna. According to a 1582 report 88% of Mordvania's current investors are content with their choice and willing to reinvest.

Communications

The share of the telecom sector in the GDP was 5% (1582), compared to 2% in 1560. The coverage increased from 78 users per 1,000 inhabitants in 1565 to 400 in 1580. The value of the telecommunication grew by 30% in 1578. The coverage mobile cellular was over 1000 users per 1000 people (1584). Telephones—mobile cellular: 68 million (1580), telephones—main lines in use: 30 million (1579).

The public postal service in Mordvania is operated by Mordpostni (the Mordvania Post). It was created on 4 Vintyr 1570, and it is state-owned. Until 1569, communication was provided mainly through the military authorities. At present, the service is a modern state-owned company that provides a number of standard and express delivery as well as home-delivery services. With an estimated number of around 170,000 employees (1580), Mordpostni also has a personal tracking system for parcels. In 1584 the company adopted a strategy that assumes increasing revenues to 10 billion kovens by 1588; the aim is to double revenues from courier and parcel services and a five-fold growth in logistics services.

Demographics

Language

According to the Mordvanian constitution, the state language of the Republic of Mordvania is Mordvanian language. Bunesgan, Ashkuban, Kaljuran, and Abdanian are recognized as regional languages. According to the 1575 census, 68% percent of the population declared Mordvanian as their native language, while 13% and 11% declared Ashkuban and Bunesgan, respectively. Abdanian was de facto official language of the Kingdom of Abdania and Mordvania -although Mordvanian was recognized as official language in the Kingdom of Mordvania, which roughly comprised one third of the Abdanian monarchy. Effective in Vintyr 1569, a new law on regional languages entitles any local language spoken by at least a 20 percent minority be declared official within that area, and accepted in administrative office work and documents, and be offered as elective course in schools.

Mordvanian is widely spoken in all the country, even if a large minority has not Mordvanian as native language. Only in the Western regions Mordvanian language is second on number of native speakers, being Bunesgan the most spoken language in many western towns. Ashkuban language, although it has more native speakers than Bunesgan, is more evenly distributed, going from 14% in Central Mordvania to 6% in the western regions.

In the western regions, Mordvanian and Bunesgan are both equally used in cities, in some cases Mordvanian being more common in some cities, while Bunesgan is the dominant language in rural communities. Abdanian language, once the dominant language in government, administration, and education system, is clearly on decline nationwide, specially as consequence of Abdanian immigration toward West Brigidna. However, this trend has decreased in recent years, with a few thousand of Abdanian-speaking migrants returning to the Republic of Mordvania.

Kaljuran is mostly spoken in regions along the Kaljuran border. However, the civil war in that country increased the number of Kaljuran speakers up to 6% of the population in 1579, as the Republic of Mordvania received about 1-2 million of Kaljuran refugees. Some of them came back to East Kaljurand. Before the Kaljuran civil war, the number of Kaljuran native speakers in Central Mordvania was as low as 0.2%, and only about 3-4% in the northern and eastern regions.

The languages of Mordvania, according to the 1582 census, are as follow:

• Mordvanian: 66,011,000
• Ashkuban: 8,144,500
• Bunesgan: 7,429,500
• Kaljuran: 4,984,600
• Abdanian: 1,902,000
• Nentsian: 144,000
• Others: 798,000

Religion

A 1584 survey conducted by the Strazek Center found that 60% of Mordvanians declared themselves believers in any religion, while 8% were uncertain whether they believe or not, 4% were uninterested in beliefs, 3% were unbelievers, 23% were atheists, and a further 2% found it difficult to answer the question. The level of religiosity in Mordvania is greatest in Western Mordvania (92%), and lowest in Southeastern Mordvania (48%) and Central Mordvania (59%).

Of those who declared themselves believers, most of them belong to any of the branches of Messanism: 59% Abdanian Reformed Church, 18% Sentric Church, 8% the Messanic Church of Abdania, 14% Dainism, 2% Muliners. The largest non-Messanic religion in Mordvania is Akhadism with only 1% of those who declare themselves believers. Most of Akhadic believers in Mordvania are ethnic Lipka-Nentsians.

Education

Education in Mordvania consists of daycare programmes (for babies and toddlers) and a one-year "pre-school" (or kindergarten for six-year-olds); a nine-year compulsory basic comprehensive school (starting at age seven and ending at the age of sixteen); post-compulsory secondary general academic and vocational education; higher education (University and Colleges); and adult (lifelong, continuing) education. The Mordvanian model for achieving equality and excellence in education has been based on constructing a pubicly funded comprehensive school system without selecting, tracking, or streaming students during their common basic education. Part of the strategy has been to spread the school network so that pupils have a school near their homes whenever possible or, if it is not feasible, to provide free transportation to more widely dispersed schools.

After their nine-year basic education in a comprehensive school, students at the age of 16 may choose to continue their secondary education in either an academic school or a trade school, both of which usually take three years and give a qualification to continue to tertiary education. There are 51 universities and 79 polytechnic colleges in the country.

Daycare centers and schools up to the university level are almost exclusively funded and administered by the voyvodeships (local government) of the Republic of Mordvania. There are few private schools. The founding of a new private comprehensive schools requires the approval of the General Committee of the Social and Economic Council. When founded, private schools are given a state grant comparable to that given to a municipal school of the same size. However, even in private schools, the use of tuition fees is strictly prohibited, and selective is prohibited as well: private schools must admit all its pupils on the same basis as the corresponding municipal school, and no discrimination for faith, gender, nationality, or race is allowed by Mordvanian law. Gender segregation is prohibited as well, therefore mixed education is compulsory. In addition, private schools are required to give their students all the education and social benefits that are offered to the students of municipal schools. Because of this, existing private schools are mostly faith-based, such as the schools owned by the Abdanian Church.

So far, there are no tuition fees on universities and terciary level of education. However, in 1584 there were plans at national level to introduce tuition fees to students from foreign countries. The students' organizations opposed such plans. In universities, membership in the students' union is compulsory. Students' union in high school are similarly recognized in the legislation, but membership is voluntary and does not include union health care (which is organized and partly financed by the students' unions). Mordvanian students are entitled to a student benefit welfare, which may be revoked if there is a persistent lack of progress in the studies.

Religious instruction is not given by public and state schools. In a 1575 ruling, the Mordvanian government banned all "conspicuous religious symbols" from schools and other public institutions with the intent of preventing proselytisation and to foster a sense of tolerance among ethnic groups. Some religious groups showed their opposition, but the law passed mostly unopposed in the Mordvanian parliament.

Health

The Republic of Mordvania has a nationwide publicly funded healthcare system, stablished in 1574, together with smaller private sector and voluntary provision. The total expenditure on healthcare as a proportion of GDP in 1586 was 9.9%. The percentage of healthcare provided directly by the state is higher than most Brigidnan countries, which have often an insurance-based healthcare with the state providing for those who cannot afford insurance, instead of the single-payer system established in Mordvania.