Dagestan 2007: Info Thread

[Dr. Hendrei Gromsinger]

On account of the death of Korea, this is our next RP. I'm hoping to run a soft start on July 5th, and enter the action maybe a week afterwards.

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The History


After the fall of the USSR, General Zakharovich declared the independence of Dagestan. Through a combination of charisma and brutal repressions, Zakharovich and his United Caspian Patriotic People's Party (Russian abbreviation YKPNP) held the nation together, charting a path close to Russia in foreign relations.

In 1995, after a bombing attempt outside YKPNP headquarters, Zakharovich's regime grew more repressive, and stayed this way until his passing in December of 1996.

Following Zakharovich's death, he was replaced by Admiral Iosif Safadov, the leader of the Reformist faction. The Reformists democratized Dagestan, though along the way, Safadov secretly commissioned a massacre of the YKPNP party congress.

However, Safadov was gay, and after he came out, it was clear he could not rule, so he stepped aside.

While Dagestan was not ready for an openly gay President, it was ready to forgive Safadov as a flawed but honorable man, who rose to bring the people democracy. They rewarded him by giving his handpicked successor - Konstantin Volkov - the presidency, and the Reformists a stunning majority in the Parliament, which made Yulia Meyers the new Prime Minister.

However, all was not sunshine and rainbows from here on out. While the Volkov-Meyers administration brought prosperity, the challenges of the time also brought Volkov to embrace the very things he had once sought to excise. In dealing with radicalized old guards, regionalist separatists, Russia, and Chechnya, Volkov had curtailed civil liberties and empowered the military. After 2000, he even pivoted towards Russia, an act that drove Meyers and the more western-leaning reformists (the so-called "drys") out of government, and kicked off a period of martial law, with plump old Lobachenko acting as Volkov's right-hand man. During this time, Volkov also exposed Safadov's 1996 massacre, though the credibility of this report is highly suspect.

Over the course of the Volkov era, Safadov fled to London, while Meyers was variously underground in the mountains or exiled in Azerbaijan.

In 2005, backed by NATO, Meyers led a mostly bloodless coup (protests, a general strike, etc), though there were a handful of factions involved in it:

• Farmers and clerics in the mountain west and the north, neglected by Volkov.
• The Reformist "drys".
• Business interests aligned with the West, Turkey, and the Arab world.
• Student and youth organizations.
• Many (but not all!) labor unions.
• The press and other intelligentsia.

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The Setting

After spending most of 2006 in a transition stage, January 2007 marked Dagestan's first free and fair elections since 1997. In the semi-Presidential system, Meyers serves as President (having won with a compelling 63.7% of the vote), while the parliamentary election returned a majority for the tripartite coalition that led the revolution, now organized as three parties:

• The Dagestani People's Party (N): agrarian interests who promote big spending policies, while holding socially conservative views (influenced by the population's Muslim faith). I would describe them as "Christian Democrats", but Dagestan is majority-Muslim. [Color: Black] (corresponds to the EPP group)
• The Liberal Party of Dagestan (L): Third Way neoliberals, distinctly secular, aligned with big business interests, many intellectuals and journalists, and the well-to-do classes. [Color: Yellow] (corresponds to the RE group)
• The Progressive Party of Dagestan (P): The Reformist "Drys", mostly social-democrats, aligned with the unions and the youth; they choose not to take a firm stance on religious and social issues, though many have a social liberal bent. [Color: Red] (corresponds to the S&D group)

Meyers was elected as an Independent, cross-endorsed by the whole tripartite coalition. She has ties to all three, and is considered impartial between them.

All three parties are pro-democracy and pro-western. Reconciling their disparate economic and social philosophies has required compromises, driven more by a shared national purpose and by pragmatism than by ideology.

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The opposition includes the following movements:

• The Islamic Revival Party of Dagestan (V): Conservative Islamists, stronger with the rural populations, who advocate for a balanced approach to aligning with the East and West. [Color: Olive Green] (corresponds to the ECR group)
• The Freedom Party of Dagestan (S): Hardline conservatives who take a staunchly pro-Russian line. [Color: Blue]
• The Socialist Labor Party of Dagestan (SR): The ideological descendants of some of the Old Guard. Mostly take a hardline socialist and authoritarian line, with a passing relationship with democracy. [Color: Wine-Red]
• The Green Party of Dagestan (Z): A group of urban/suburban hippies who want to rid Dagestan of oil now, of all times. [Color: Green]
• The National Party of Dagestan (NL): Pro-Volkov elements. Economically center-left, with pro-Russian foreign policy. [Color: Purple] 
• A plethora of separatist groups associated with Dagestan's many ethnic minorities.

Note: where I found it helpful, I have added the label of the group in the European parliament most closely aligned to a party, even though Dagestan is not in the EU.

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Mechanics

We will roleplay the tripartite coalition. You, as players, will get to choose your coalition party, and I will set party strength roughly proportional to the number of players in each.
We will RP the coalition negotiations, in which a Prime Minister will be chosen, and portfolios assigned. Then, we will RP the coalition working together, to weather all sorts of crises and set Dagestan on a better course for the future.

You will note a heavy emphasis on collaboration, and far more structure than the original RP. This is because I hope to foster a friendly, salt-free environment, and I've found that in character-based RP, collaboration simply works better than competition.

You will also note that I have taken for myself, the GM, the powers of the President. This is to avoid the kind of power trips that some players - myself included (sorry about that!) - went on in the original. I intend to use Meyers' character (and other NPCs I will use) as an arbiter and a guide (and a personal friend and mentor to other characters), not an active schemer.

Your characters should be politicians (members of Dagestan's legislature). Characters can have lofty aspirations (like becoming Prime Minister, or succeeding Meyers as President), or aim lower (like the Ministry of Agriculture, maybe).

[Dr. Hendrei Gromsinger]

This is the template for the character application. You may submit to me - via PM - your application for one character, and up to three (0, 1, 2, or 3) associated NPCs.

Of your characters (main char & 0-3 NPCs):

• They must all be in the same party.
• No more than three can be of the same gender (representation matters!).
  
• No more than three can be members of the Assembly.
• No more than two can hold a direct-election seat (if you want a third parliamentarian, they must be elected on a party list).
• No two can hold neighboring direct-election seats. Ideally, their seats should be in different areas of the country.
• No more than three will be allowed to be ministers (unless we get really sparse attendance, in which case I'll lift this cap).
• No more than two can hold the "Big Eight" offices: Speaker, Prime Minister, and Ministers of Defense, Energy, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Interior, and Justice. Of these, no more than one can hold the "Big Four" offices: PM, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Interior. 
• No more than one may be a mayor of one of Dagestan's large cities: Makhachkala, Khasavyurt, Derbent, Kaspiysk, Buynaksk, Izberbash
• No more than two may be the mayors of any cities.
• No more than one may be a (present or former) flag officer in the armed forces (rank of Commodore/Brigadier or higher).

SPOILER: Click to show

{Click here to see the template}Basic Info

Name:
Date of Birth:
Place of birth:
Sex/gender:
Height:
Weight:
Ethnicity:
Religion:
Languages spoken:
Complexion:
Hair color:
Hairstyle:
Eye color:
Clothing style:
Distinctive physical features:
Face-claim:
Image (optional, but strongly recommended)

Marital status:
Parents' names and status:
Issue:
Profession:
Title:

Political Background

Party:
Current office (in the outgoing, provisional government):
Past offices held:
Constituency:
Policy areas of interest:
Policy goals:
Personal objectives:
Political mission statement:

Biography

Early Life and Career

The Zakharovich Era

The Safadov Period

The Volkov Era

The Revolution


Personality

Short-form questions
Greatest fear:
Hobbies:
Favorite color:
Is your character introverted or extroverted?

Long-form questions (choose three)
Write a typical joke your character would tell:

Describe your character's best experience:

Describe your character's worst experience:

Who is your character's role model and why?

How would your character's friends describe them?

How would your character's subordinates or staffers describe them?

Write a sample post from your character's perspective

SPOILER: Click to show

{Click here for a copyable BBCode version}[b][font size="5"]Basic Info[/font][/b]

[u]Name:[/u]
[u]Date of Birth:[/u]
[u]Place of birth:[/u]
[u]Sex/gender:[/u]
[u]Height:[/u]
[u]Weight:[/u]
[u]Ethnicity:[/u]
[u]Religion:[/u]
[u]Languages spoken:[/u]
[u]Complexion:[/u]
[u]Hair color:[/u]
[u]Hairstyle:[/u]
[u]Eye color:[/u]
[u]Clothing style:[/u]
[u]Distinctive physical features:[/u]
[u]Face-claim:[/u]
[u]Image (optional, but strongly recommended)[/u]

[u]Marital status:[/u]
[u]Parents' names and status:[/u]
[u]Issue:[/u]
[u]Profession:[/u]
[u]Title:[/u]

[b][font size="5"]Political Background[/font][/b]

[u]Party:[/u]
[u]Current office (in the outgoing, provisional government):[/u]
[u]Past offices held:[/u]
[u]Constituency:[/u]
[u]Policy areas of interest:[/u]
[u]Policy goals:[/u]
[u]Personal objectives:[/u]
[u]Political mission statement:[/u]

[b][font size="5"]Biography[/font][/b]

[b][font size="4"]Early Life and Career[/font][/b]

[b][font size="4"]The Zakharovich Era[/font][/b]

[b][font size="4"]The Safadov Period[/font][/b]

[b][font size="4"]The Volkov Era[/font][/b]

[b][font size="4"]The Revolution[/font][/b]


[font size="5"][b]Personality[/b][/font]

[b][font size="4"]Short-form questions[/font][/b]
[u]Greatest fear:[/u]
[u]Hobbies:[/u]
[u]Favorite color:[/u]
[u]Is your character introverted or extroverted?[/u]

[b][font size="4"]Long-form questions (choose three)[/font][/b]
[u]Write a typical joke your character would tell:[/u]

[u]Describe your character's best experience:[/u]

[u]Describe your character's worst experience:[/u]

[u]Who is your character's role model and why?[/u]

[u]How would your character's friends describe them?[/u]

[u]How would your character's subordinates or staffers describe them?[/u]

[b][font size="4"]Write a sample post from your character's perspective[/font][/b]

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The following are samples to help you navigate the application. You will note, with Meyers in particular, that some details, like her first name, are changed from the original RP - this is fine!

SPOILER: Click to show

{Yulia Isakovna Meyers, President of the Republic}Basic Info

Name: Yulia (formerly Julia) Meyers
Date of Birth: Jul. 9, 1946 (age 61)
Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York City, NY, USA
Sex/gender: Female
Height: 1.68 m (5 ft, 6 in)
Weight: About 55-60 kg
Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jew
Religion: Jewish
Languages spoken: Russian, English, French (fluent). Azerbaijani, Avar, Yiddish, Hebrew (some).
Complexion: Pale
Hair color: White, dyed blonde
Hair style: Straight hair, just past shoulder length, usually worn down.
Eye color: Gray
Distinctive physical traits: Thick bifocal eyeglasses.
Fashion sense: Yulia typically wears elegant dresses, either monochromatic or in simple patterns. However, for more practical outings, she is partial to a good pair of high-waisted "mom jeans".
Face-claim: Meryl Streep
Image (optional, but strongly recommended)

Marital status: Married to Maxim Vladimirovich Vasilyev (1999-)
Parents' names and status: Isaac & Rebecca Meyers (deceased)
Issue: Three stepchildren by Maxim:
Olga (b. 1973)
Ekaterina (b. 1976)
Arsen (b. 1978)
Two step-grandchildren from Olga:
Andrey and Mikhail (b. 2004)

Profession: Politician. Formerly: economist, revolutionary.
Title: Her Excellency, the President of the Republic of Dagestan, Dr. Yulia Isakovna Meyers

Political Background

Party: Independent (2000-), Reformist (1997-2000)
Current office (in the outgoing, provisional government): President
Past offices held: Prime Minister of Dagestan (1997-2000).
Deputy Prime Minister (1996-1997)
Minister of Finance (1996-1997)
Minister of Transport (1995-1996)
Director-General of the Ministry of Finance (1993-1995)
Constituency: n/a
Policy areas of interest: Economic development
Policy goals: Establish a stable democracy in Dagestan
Personal objectives: Win reelection
Political mission statement: President Meyers, a Dagestani by choice, has devoted herself to ensuring the security, liberty, and prosperity of her people in all ways.

Biography

Early Life and Career

Julia Meyers was born in 1946 in New York City, the youngest of eight children to Isaac Meyers. Isaac, a former Rabbi, had fled Nazi Germany in 1937 for New York, where he prospered by a variety of activities, including fixing horse races with the mafia. This prosperity allowed him to educate all eight of his children, including Julia, who was educated in Columbia (BA in Accounting, 1968), and Harvard (MBA+JD combined program, 1977; PhD Econ, 1988).
Julia worked for a variety of firms, including Walmart, McDonnell Douglas, J.P. Morgan, KPMG, and McKinsey.

Her work for the last took her to the former USSR, where she audited a variety of large firms.

The Zakharovich Era

Julia Meyers was tempted to work for the Dagestani government in 1993, starting as the Director-General of the Ministry of Finance, and continuing on to run the Ministry of Transport. In this capacity, she proved a tireless worker, although her hard-charging style and opposition to corruption (combined with her American birthplace and lack of a Y-chromosome) placed her at odds with many of her colleagues.

Her primary political patron was Iosif Safadov, who saw this American’s potential both as a relentless administrator, and as a leader.

The Safadov Period

Julia Meyers was one of the three founders of the Reformist movement, alongside Volkov and Safadov. She worked on policy programs, and helped draft the 1997 constitution.

The Volkov Era

Initially, Volkov retained Meyers as his Prime Minister. Their abilities complemented each other, and together, they could keep the army, the populace, and the oligarchs more or less aligned. Their economic agenda included vast public works, funded with oil money, and a great investment in healthcare and education. Some ventures were state-run, others were public-private partnerships (where the oligarchs got a cut), but all were focused on uplifting Dagestan’s population from poverty. The Reformist party was divided between the “Drys”, who backed Meyers’ economic agenda, and the “Wets”, who opposed it.

It was during this era that Meyers, hoping to become more electable, began to change her style. She worked on her accent, strove to be kinder and more personable, Russified her given name, and began to dye her hair to the blonde color of her youth. It is also during this time that she met, dated, and married Maxim Vasilyev, an appellate judge.

In 2000, Volkov’s stark pro-Russian turn proved too much to bear, and Yulia Meyers resigned. The other “Drys” were gradually purged, as they got in Volkov and Lobachenko’s way.

Charged with bogus financial crimes, Meyers spent most of 2001 and 2002 in hiding in the mountains, was held in jail for six months, and then spent much of Volkov’s rule exiled in Azerbaijan. Through a variety of platforms, and illegal visits to the mountain west, she strengthened her status as a sort of folk hero, beloved by all who disliked Volkov. Her Americanness was suddenly forgotten, or forgiven.

The Revolution

With NATO backing, Yulia Meyers incited mass protests against the Volkov regime. What started as student protests in Makhachkala and Derbent, turned into tax revolts in the rural areas, and culminated in the general strike of October 2005. After that, the army simply lost confidence in Volkov, and submitted to Aleksandr Stepanov, Meyers’ compatriot.

Personality

Short-form questions
Greatest fear: Clowns
Hobbies: Hiking, swimming, baking
Favorite color: Magenta
Is your character introverted or extroverted? Extroverted

Long-form questions (choose three)
Write a typical joke your character would tell:

The Pope and Bill Clinton die at the exact same time. There's an administrative mix up in purgatory, so the Pope is sent to Hell and Clinton to Heaven.
After 20 minutes the mistake is discovered and rectified. As they're heading down the escalator (Clinton down, the Pope up), the Pope says to Clinton, "I'm really looking forward to meeting the virgin Mary".
To which Clinton replies "You're about five minutes too late".

Describe your character's best experience:

Oddly, Yulia’s best experience was the time she spent underground in the mountains. No matter where she went, she was warmly received, always able to find a bed and a warm meal. The kindness of the people, and their desire to create a better future for themselves and their communities, inspired her to keep going.

Describe your character's worst experience:

Who is your character's role model and why?

How would your character's friends describe them?

Yulia makes great company, able to converse with anyone, on a plethora of subjects, in many languages. After a few drinks, she becomes surprisingly fun, with an off-color sense of humor.
She is, however, something of a workaholic, and prone to speechmaking.

How would your character's subordinates or staffers describe them?

Yulia Meyers is a tough taskmaster, but she works herself just as hard as she works her staff. Everyone working for her knows that their perspective will be heard, and that however mundane their task is, they are serving a great purpose, just like she is.

Write a Sample Post from your Character's Perspective

[Pres. Yulia Meyers & Dr. Mahmoud Gaidarov - Presidential Train, Makhachkala-Derbent Line]

Yulia turned her head from the window towards her trusted Chief of Staff.

”We did it, Mahmoud. I still can’t believe it,” she remarked, still in awe.
”Our work isn’t done, Yulia. We were here a decade ago, and look where that ended,” he reminded her.
”I know, I know, but we’re on the right track. A better one, I think, than we were then.”
”It won’t be easy to stay on track,” he cautioned. "There are some real shitheads along the road."
”We’ll just have to work on it, and I think the people’s representatives, our friends, will work with us.”

Both of them were right. They had a Republic again - if they could keep it.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Dr. Mahmoud Ghazievich Gaidarov, Chief of Staff to the President}Basic Info

Name: Mahmoud Ghazievich Gaidarov
Date of Birth: Mar. 4, 1944
Place of birth: Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russian SFSR, USSR
Sex/gender: Male
Height: 1.9 meters
Weight: about 110 kg
Ethnicity: Avar
Religion: Sunni Muslim
Languages spoken: Russian, Avar (fluent). Azerbaijani, Chechen, Arabic (some). English (limited). German (choice cuss words).
Complexion: Fair
Hair color: Once brown, now white
Hair style: Slicked back to project fullness, somewhat long.
Eye color: Blue
Fashion sense: Practical. Wears off-the-rack suits, or casual farmer's attire (i.e. overalls).
Distinctive physical characteristics: Mahmoud is tall and sturdy in build. Many say he's intimidating.
Face-claim: Jonathan Frakes
Image (optional, but strongly recommended)

Marital status: Divorced. Was married to Aksana Murdadovna (1968-1999)
Parents' names and status: Ghazi and Alisa, deceased
Issue: Two sons:
Murad (b. 1969)
Shamil (b. 1970)
Several grandchildren
Profession: Bureaucrat, Dentist.
Title: Dr. Mahmoud Ghazievich Gaidarov

Political Background

Party: Independent
Current office (in the outgoing, provisional government): Chief of Staff to President Meyers
Past offices held: Cabinet Secretary (1997-2000), Director-General of the Ministry of Finance (1996-1997), Director-General of the Ministry of Transport (1995-1996)
Constituency: n/a
Policy areas of interest: All areas
Policy goals: Maintain a stable democracy, implement his economic vision.
Personal objectives: Keep his boss, Yulia Meyers, on the job, and therefore keep his influence.
Political mission statement: Mahmoud Gaidarov is a public servant, devoted to the work of bringing security and prosperity to the nation, through the vision of Yulia Meyers.

Biography

Early Life and Career

Mahmoud was born in Makhachkala, to Dr. Ghazi Shamilovich Gaidarov, a local physician. An Avar, Ghazi was not part of the elite cadres of Communist Party officials, but was able to take good care of his family. Mahmoud was able to attend university in Moscow, and studied dentistry. However, he maintained an interest in political science and economics, which he kept secret from the KGB.

The Zakharovich Era

During the Zakharovich era, Mahmoud’s views were more accepted in the establishment, and he successfully became a public servant. At first working in middling roles, his big break came by hitching his wagon to Julia Meyers, for whom he became a trusted lieutenant and hatchet man.

The Safadov Period

Mahmoud followed Meyers through Safadov’s time, rising alongside her.

The Volkov Era

Naturally, when Meyers fell, Gaidarov fell too. Regularly harassed by the SNB, he had to return to dentistry, working in the far north of the country.

The Revolution

As she returned to power, Yulia Meyers brought Mahmoud Gaidarov back. She needed his skills once more, and he was happy to oblige.

Personality

Short-form questions
Greatest fear: Snakes.
Hobbies: Debating, poker.
Favorite color: White.
Is your character introverted or extroverted? Extroverted.

Long-form questions (choose three)
Write a typical joke your character would tell:

Describe your character's best experience:

Describe your character's worst experience:

His divorce. On account of his long hours of work and sometimes difficult personality, Mahmoud inadvertently pushed his wife away, until she left him. He is no longer in touch with her, and rarely sees his adult sons.

Who is your character's role model and why?

How would your character's friends describe them?

Lively. Mahmoud drinks a lot, talks a lot, and makes for fascinating conversation when he’s let his guard down. He’s also a fierce poker player.

How would your character's subordinates or staffers describe them?

Intense. Mahmoud is just as demanding as his boss, but grumpier and less compassionate. He expects excellence, and does not suffer fools gladly. His scoldings are the stuff of legends.

Write a sample post from your character's perspective

[Dr. Mahmoud Ghazievich Gaidarov & Mr. Pavel Ivanovich Kovalyev - the Green House]

”Blyat!”

This particular word was well-known to those who worked with Mahmoud Gaidarov. The dude had a temper, and his face was suitably red as he descended the stairs from the residence.

“You, there, Pavel Ivanovich,” he hollered at a young staffer.

The staffer stepped forward nervously.

“Yes, Mahmoud Ghazievich?”

“Do you think it’s appropriate for President Meyers, our President, the President of the goddamn Republic, to come to the state opening of parliament in dirty, sweaty, stinky, day-old clothes?” Mahmoud admonished.

“No, sir,” Pavel mumbled.

“Then why is the closet in her residence still dirty?”

“Cleaners didn’t show, sir.”

“So clean it yourself, Pavel Ivanovich. Get a mop.”

“Yes, sir.”

“It’s not rocket science,” Mahmoud followed up, as the kid scurried upstairs. “When she gets back from Brussels tonight, I want that closet f*cking sparkling!”

There was no reply.

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Frequently Asked Question

Q: Why is this app so long?
A: So I can get in everything I think needs to be in.

Q: Why the trivial questions? Who cares about my character's fashion sense?
A: Your character is a complete person, and you should think about how they look and whatnot, in addition to what positions of power they covet.

Q: Why the long, sappy, philosophical questions?
A: You should try to get into your character's head and understand what makes them tick.

Q: Why the sample post?
A: So we can understand how your character talks and acts.

[Dr. Hendrei Gromsinger]

This post will be expanded aggressively later on.

The Government

Dagestan uses a semi-Presidential system, like France. This means many powers are split between the government (the PM and ministers) and the President.

After a general election, or after a government resigns or is brought down by a vote of no confidence, the President will hold consultations with members of the Assembly. She is required to meet with the leaders of all the parties, but is free to consult with any other members she sees fit to. At the conclusion of these consultations, the President will give the mandate to any sitting member of the Assembly who is not under a criminal indictment, who will then be given 6 weeks' time to form a government.
If the first holder of the mandate fails, the President may repeat the process, to give the mandate to a second candidate. If this candidate fails, too, then the mandate returns to the Assembly for a period of three weeks, and the first member who receives the signatures of 60 of his peers may receive the mandate for 2 weeks.

At the conclusion of that process, if no government has formed, the Assembly dissolves.

A government may fall for the following reasons:

• Lost a vote of no confidence.
• Failed to pass a budget by the annual May 31st deadline.
• Assembly voted to dissolve itself.
• Prime Minister has resigned, died, or been criminally indicted.

The President may not sack the government. This reform is a consequence of the Volkov era, when the President did sack the Meyers government.

For most everyday decisions, ministers may make more or less their own decisions. However, for broader executive actions, the President and PM must also sign off.

Within the government, there is a Prime Minister and a collection of ministers. The PM may sack a minister at any time for any reason, with the permission of the President, and replace him with another, with the permission of the same. While the PM must be a member of the Assembly, this requirement does not apply to the ministers.



The outgoing provisional government featured the following portfolios:

• Agriculture
• Defense
• Education, Culture & Sports
  
• Energy
• Finance
• Foreign Affairs
• Health
• Housing & Construction
• Industry & Commerce
  
• Interior
• Justice
• Labor
• Transport
• Welfare & Social Services
  
• 1 Minister w/o Portfolio responsible for relations with the West

Notably, the provisional government had no PM, as the powers of that office and the Presidency were both discharged by Dr. Meyers as the Chairwoman of the provisional government.

The new government may have more, or fewer, portfolios, although President Meyers has expressed her opposition to a government with more than 15 ministers (excluding the PM).

Under the constitution, the Prime Minister may appoint between one and three Deputy Prime Ministers. These individuals will hold another ministerial office, but will be prioritized to serve as Acting PM when the PM is unwell, on holiday, or out of the country (he will choose which Deputy PM will serve as Acting PM).

Laws are passed by the Assembly with a simple majority, and must be signed by the President, or vetoed. A veto may be overridden with 80 votes in the Assembly.

Judges must be confirmed by a special process that we, IC, will have to establish. This part of the constitution was left to the new Assembly to sort out.

The President and the Assembly both serve five-year terms. There is no term limit.

Dual Mandates

A Dual Mandate is when an individual holds multiple positions, nominally associated with different branches of government.
The President may not be a member of the Assembly. If elected to the Presidency, an Assembly member must resign their seat. The President's paid advisors, too, may not be members of the Assembly.
Members of local governments (mayors and council members) may serve as members of the Assembly, but not as ministers.
No active-duty military member may serve in the Assembly.
Ambassadors, Judges, and other similar positions may not serve in the Assembly.

Elections

Dagestan now uses Mixed Member-Proportional Representation, to fill the seats of the 120-member National Assembly. 72 seats are direct-mandate constituencies, while another 48 are list seats. This video explains how that works.


See this map of seats. Assume it is accurate for game purposes, but it definitely doesn't reflect appropriate seat apportionment for reality.

Your candidate will have the option to contest a constituency on their own, or just run on their party list. If you do choose a constituency, choose one that fits the profile of your party's voters.

This table details the profile of constituencies, on average.

[Dr. Hendrei Gromsinger]

As I mentioned elsewhere, the RP will have a "soft" opening on July 5th.

What does that mean? Good question!

A soft opening means we will begin posting, but only in casual, inconsequential threads, set before the January 22nd legislative election. For example, we can post our characters campaigning together, or talking about policy with each other, or just having shawarma. Some plotting and scheming is allowed, but more characters being accepted may shake up your plans.

On July 11th, we will have our formal opening. After a few days devoted to plots and schemes behind the scenes, we'll then launch into RPing the coalition formation, and the crises to follow.

[Dr. Hendrei Gromsinger]

In RP Dagestan, there are five tiers of legal authority. Here, I will outline them.

Constitutional Amendment

Constitutional Amendments amend the constitution. They can do anything. They must be passed by either:

1. A two-thirds majority by referendum.
2. A simple majority by the Assembly, a simple majority by referendum, and the assent of the President.
3. A two-thirds majority by the Assembly and a simple majority by referendum.

Statute

While some things are unconstitutional, most things concerning life in Dagestan are governed by statutes - laws.

Laws may be introduced in two ways:

1. Introduced as a private member's bill and passed by committee.
2. Introduced via the Ministerial Committee for Legislation as a government bill. This committee's composition is established by a decision of the cabinet.

In general, private bills (including confidence votes) are debated and voted on on Mondays, while government business is considered on Wednesdays. It is the responsibility of the presidium of the Assembly (more on that in a bit) to set schedules and procedures for debates and votes in a fair and unbiased manner.

Decree

Decrees may be issued by either the President or a majority vote of the cabinet, and have a a force "slightly below" that of laws, in that a decree may not contradict any law. Presidential decrees may overrule cabinet decrees, but not vice-versa.

Ordinance

Ordinances may be issued by any minister, governing the activities of their ministry, within the scope of the ministry's duties under the Constitution, the various statues, and decrees. Ordinances may not be repealed by the President, except by cancelling the decree that motivated them, but they can be repealed by a cabinet vote or rescinded by the orders of the PM.

Memorandum

The Prime Minister may issue guiding memoranda on the implementation of any other legal instrument, which are to be taken by the civil service as strong recommendations, but not binding. In practice, Memoranda issued by the last two PMs (Meyers and Lobachenko) were both followed very closely.

What does this mean for the RP?

Together, players may enact Decrees (easily), Statutes (with some effort), and Constitutional Amendments (with great effort). Individually, players may enact Ordinances and Memoranda (easily). This is just the framework for how we will exercise power.

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The Presidium of the Assembly

The Assembly has a Speaker and six Deputy-Speakers: three each from the coalition, and three each from the opposition. By current law, the Speaker and Deputy-Speakers of the coalition are divided proportionally between the recognized parties of the coalition (the coalition parties choose which one produces the Speaker), while the opposition's Deputy-Speakers are given to the three largest recognized opposition parties; if the opposition has fewer recognized parties, it only gets two Deputy-Speakers.

Together, these 7 (or 6) comprise the Presidium of the Assembly. This group is responsible for scheduling votes without showing any bias, and for the management of the Hall of the Dagestani People, as well as for assigning committee seats to the parties in a manner proportional with the membership of the Assembly. In the Meyers era, Presidium decisions were subject to judicial review, but this was suspended under the Lobachenko government.
 
A "recognized" party is any party that entered the Assembly in the recent election with 5% or more of the popular vote, or any other grouping of at least 10 members. This means that a party that entered the Assembly with <5% of the vote may not produce a Deputy-Speaker.