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Norrho, officially the Republic of Norrho (Norrhan: Republika Noror), is a country located in The Pacific that embodies the nation state of the Norrhan people—one and indivisible—as a unitary constitutional republic.

Norrho's ability to rise from the sociopolitical violence that characterized its earlier regimes is seen as the catalyst for the country's stable economic position held today. The constant economic growth that facilitates such position, when combined with expanded liberal social values and booming arts & humanities sectors, has brought much needed progress despite the ongoing political tensions and parliamentary irrelevance that have caused various governments to rule by emergency powers granted by the President of the Republic in a state of affairs continuously described as authoritarian. On the world stage, the country has embraced arbitration, multilateralism, human rights, and the protection of minorities.

Etymology

Originally applied to the Kingdom of Southern Norrho, the name Norrho comes from the Old Noexran Noror, or "land of the north," referring to the inclusion of the northern part of the region of Noxerho in the kingdom. Modern Norrho is still named Noror today in Norrhan and Old Noexran.

The standard way to refer to a citizen of Norrho is as a "Norrhan."

History

Establishment

In 1626, Pre-Norrhan king Zegesmunt the Great formed the Kingdom of Southern Norrho by combining the County of Noexro with the northern part of the then Noxerhan region. The capital of this new kingdom, increasingly referred to simply by the name Norrho, was Old Dalboe on the Noexran wildlands. Despite the union, Noxerho maintained a separate royal court and aristocracy, which monarchs would periodically visit throughout the year. This practice, known as the Noxerho Audiences, was common under Zegesmunt and continued during the reign of his son, Casimér I, who even created separate ministerial and repository structures for Noxerho. By 1678 the Noxerho court had been dissolved and the country's official name was changed to the "Kingdom of Norrho". It was repeatedly invaded during the 18th century, when foreign armies sieged Dalboe, but were decisively defeated. The last foreign invasion resulted in King Yldefonz II paying the armies to leave after they had forced him to flee towards the Losebo Heights before being defeated. After fortifications were developed, the army was organized and repelled further bellicose actions, allowing the country to focus on domestic affairs. In particular, scholars founded universities and drafted a new legal code at the behest of the king, thus developing a professional civil service and institutionalizing the rule of law.

During the 19th century, a conservative oligarchy led by owners of large estates pressured the monarchy to suppress open political activity, forcing liberal dissenters to form secret societies to call for civil liberties and protectionism. This, in turn, sparked massive uprisings in 1876 that led to a partial collapse of the oligarchies and, after order was restored, a meeting of liberals in Dalboe proclaimed itself to be a "Provisional National Assembly for Norrho," which sought to gain popular support by implementing social policies. After the king insisted on the formation of a coalition government led by conservative politicians, the Provisional Assembly resigned en masse and called for a general strike. After 17 days, King Micháł I conceded and, with the support of the Armed Forces, Norrho became a constitutional monarchy.

Transition

Despite the new system, Norrho was barely able to supply enough food for its growing population due to the lack of industrialization. Wealthy landowners still used their influence to successfully lobby against industrial development. This pushed the various governments of the late 19th and early 20th centuries to introduce austerity policies, enact a sales tax, and request aid & support from neighboring countries. As internal political tensions flourished, several parties used paramilitary forces to pressure voters, confiscate opposition pamphlets, and rig elections. Amid these tensions, which many felt would lead to a civil war, a military coup brought about the First Norrhan Republic to power in 1946. Monarchists, however, would oppose the Republic for years to come.

First Republic

The military regime, essentially a dictatorship, was broadly supported by the business and religious communities whilst claiming to expand the working class. It heavily censored the press and dissolved dissident social and political organizations. Strikes and other worker actions were violently suppressed by the army and growing inflation caused the already massive income disparity to widen. Norrhan landowners dropped their support of the military government after it failed to meet their interests and joined the middle classes in calling for a return to democratic rule. Eventually, corrupt administrations, bad harvests, falling exports, and severe stagnation would be the death of the government which, after a contentious cabinet meeting, resigned and handed power over to a technocratic junta led by General Máximy Palmer. Palmer's first action as head of government was to call for free and fair elections in which the wise and sovereign people of Norrho would elect a Grand Provisional Council to draft a constitution for a new republic. To this effect, he lifted several bans on political parties, returned their assets, allowed the reopening of social entities, and granted numerous political freedoms without restriction.

The Grand Provisional Council elections took place on 22 October 1950. The suddenness of the elections left little time for the main leftist and right-wing parties, such as the Plural League of Norrho (PLN) and the Norrhan Liberal Union (NLU), respectively, to get organized, leading to a comfortable majority of seats for the centrist Norrhan Peoples' Peasant Party (NPPP). To the detriment of the former royal family, republican parties obtained a solid 70% of the vote. In its role as a constituent assembly, the Council presented a draft constitution, supported by the center but denounced by leftist and right-wing parties, that created a republic under a semi-presidential system in which power is divided between president, cabinet, and parliament (this last one elected by proportional representation). The document was adopted by a referendum on 6 May 1951 and, after subsequent presidential and parliamentary elections, the Second Norrhan Republic was founded on 14 August 1951.

_{Flag of the First Norrhan Republic}

Modern Republic

A period of relative stability followed the introduction of the new constitution as broad socioeconomic reforms were implemented. Civil unrest and unemployment decreased while trade and the economy overall soared to unprecedented levels, allowing the currency to be stabilized and new markets to be opened. Nonetheless, political tensions were simmering as both extremes called for radical change to the system of government as a way to solve social inequalities. After a few decades, governments started to fall within several months as extremist parties strengthened their hold on the balance of power. To solve this, several moderate state ministers began to look to the President of the Republic for assistance in implementing their agendas. With most of these governments having no majority support in the Assembly of Deputies and relying instead on the President's emergency decrees, the parliament became less effective as a check on the executive power. The governments of the day were now dependent on the President of the Republic to operate as bills rejected by the Assembly were enacted into law by way of emergency presidential decrees. The loss of parliamentary power increased political violence and caused many parties to boycott Assembly proceedings, negating a quorum and causing snap elections to be frequent. This, in turn, has perpetuated governments without parliamentary majorities that legislate through the President's emergency decrees to the point that all state ministers since 1997 have operated independently of parliament.

Demographics

Population

The Republic of Norrho is a cultured nation, renowned for its smutty television, punitive income tax rates, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, democratic population of 47 million Norrhans love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of their extensive civil and political freedoms, particularly in social issues, while the business sector is highly regulated and the wealthy are viewed with suspicion.

Language

The languages of Norrho are the languages spoken or once spoken in the area presently occupied by the Republic of Norrho. Most languages spoken in Norrho belong to either the Romance or Germanic language families, of which English is the only language which has official status for the whole country due to its dominance as a result of foreign cultural influence. Naturally, Norrhan is spoken across the country, and Old Noexran is widely used in the northern governorates. Various other languages have co-official or recognised status in specific territories, and a number of unofficial languages and dialects are spoken in certain localities.

Religion

Freedom of thought and religion are rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Norrhans believe that government, and politics in general, should be kept separate from religious issues and organizations to ensure the government's independence from religious interference and prevent religious persecution by the government. Therefore, religious figures and entities are discouraged from involvement in government affairs, particularly the definition of central policies, and Norrhan government officials are forbidden from participation in religious affairs. This hasn't prevented many Norrhans from practicing their faith.

Largest Cities

Government

Executive authority is exercised by the President of the Republic (Prezydentäk Republika) and the Cabinet (Kabinetza), headed by the State Minister of Norrho (Státmuminisztär Nororuj). The President serves a term of seven years and can be re-elected once. He or she can be removed from office by plebiscite upon the vote of two-thirds of the Assembly of Deputies. Rejection of the measure by the voters will act as a re-election of the President and cause the Assembly to be dissolved. The President of the Republic exerts supreme command over the Norrhan Defense Forces (NDF) and exercises the pardoning power for the Republic as leader of the Norrhan nation. If a governorate fails to fulfill its obligations under the Constitution or Norrhan law or if public order and security are seriously endangered, the President can use armed force and/or suspend civil rights to compel the governorate to do so. The President is required to inform the Assembly of these measures and the Assembly can nullify such a presidential decree, which has the same legal force as parliamentary legislation. The President of the Republic has the power to decree that a proposed law be presented to the voters as a plebiscite before taking effect. Although the President can direct international relations and may revoke international treaties, only the Cabinet can approve such treaties before their submittal to the Assembly of Deputies for ratification.

The State Minister determines the political guidelines of the government and is, theoretically, responsible to both the President of the Republic and to the Assembly of Deputies. The State Minister and ministers, who are appointed (and can be dismissed) by the President, are compelled to resign in the event the parliament passes a vote of no confidence. The Cabinet formulates decisions by majority vote; in the case of a tie, the President's vote is the deciding one. Through a similar majority vote, it can veto legislation (although this veto can be overruled by a three-fifths majority vote in the Assembly). Conventionally, Cabinet ministers are members of the majority political party in parliament and generally hold elected seats within it, concurrent with their Cabinet positions, but the President can appoint someone who is not an incumbent member of the Assembly of Deputies. The Assembly of Deputies can accuse the President of the Republic, State Minister, or any Cabinet minister of willful violation of the Constitution or Norrhan law, said case to be tried in the High Court of Justice.

The large government juggles the competing demands of Education, Welfare, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Dalboe. The average income tax rate is 67.2%, and even higher for the wealthy.

Norrho's unicameral parliament is the Assembly of Deputies (Heozma Depvüsowy), seated in the capital, Dalboe. The Assembly is composed of deputies elected by the Norrhan people from national party lists through proportional representation by an equal and secret ballot open to all Norrhans aged 16 or older. Deputies serve for a maximum period of five years and introduce, debate and pass legislation that affects the development of Norrho. The Assembly can be dissolved by the President of the Republic and new elections held not more than 60 days after the date of dissolution.

Legislative power rests with both the government and the Assembly of Deputies. Constitutional guarantees include freedom of expression, the press, religion, movement and association.

The judiciary, led by the High Court of Justice (Bchmyní Sevor Lúdka)—known colloquially as the Sevor—is independent of the executive and the legislature. Norrho has a five-tier system of courts (the High Court, national tribunals, governorate courts, district courts, and military courts) and two-instance proceedings. The Norrhan High Court of Justice is the court of last resort of appeal against judgements in the lower courts. It also passes resolutions to clarify specific legal provisions and resolve disputable questions in specific cases. The High Court is known for vehemently protecting civil rights and the right to privacy. Its judges are elected by the Assembly of Deputies to serve ten-year terms of office.

Norrhan governorates (gubelnoräky) possess no inherent sovereignty and exercise only those powers delegated to them by the central government. They are governed by a cabinet led by a chief minister (szaveftýminisztär) together with a popularly-elected unicameral legislative body known as the Governorate Council (Káncil Gubelnoräka). The chief minister is typically the head of the biggest party of a coalition. As in the central system, the legislature can dismiss or replace the chief minister after a successful vote of no confidence. To directly represent the Norrhan government, a governor (gubelnoräk) is appointed by the President of the Republic on the advice of the chief minister. Although governors have a ceremonial role in appointing each governorate's cabinet and chief minister after regional elections, they do not have a day-to-day governance role. Due to their more compact nature, governorates tend to have more efficient governments than the ones chosen at the national level.

_{Coat of Arms of the Republic of Norrho}

The Norrhan Defense Forces (NDF) (Síły Obranné Nororuj) consist of the National Army of Norrho (NAN), the Norrhan Air Force (NAF) and the Norrhan Naval Force (NNF). The NDF have an active manpower of around 735,000, but their total strength, including reserve forces, may be as high as 1,410,000. In 2021, Norrho's military expenditure totalled approximately 9.9 billion doubloons, equivalent to around 5.7% of its total government spending (RP). Since the founding of the Second Republic, the Norrhan Defense Forces have supported the democratic form of government and its branches have smoothly conducted joint military exercises and war games. The President of the Republic is the commander-in-chief of the Norrhan Defense Forces. Military authority runs from the President to the cabinet-level Minister of Defense of the Norrhan Ministry of Defense.

National Norrhoworks (NNW) is Norrho's arms production and procurement conglomerate, charged with supplying the arsenal of the NDF by maintaining existing hardware and providing replacement parts and new equipment. Due to its historic nonintervention in foreign conflicts and the absence of recent external threats, Norrho has a small arms producing capacity that places it at a disadvantage within the region. The nation has been described as "barely able to defend itself" and "highly unstable," with foreign experts noting the NDF’s difficulty to contain possible rebellions or sustain constant militant activity.

Culture

Norrhan society is dominated by liberal art & culture, with creative new social trends and experiments being prominent in every major city, particularly in Dalboe as the hectic center of the nation's culture produces many artists, intellectuals, educators, and innovators for diverse fields. Specially within rural areas, Norrhans take great pride in their national identity and complex history, with the term Norrhophilia being coined to describe their appreciation of the country's traditions and cultural heritage. Kóyvure, a cream-colored fermented milk drink, is the country's most popular beverage, being consumed at almost any time of the day, particularly with traditional pies, sweet buns, cakes, and pastries. The NARS Prix of the ISFO Norrho Automotive Racing Series draws millions of spectators annually while those near the tracks complain about the noise. Norrho is notorious for its citizens' infidelity, the police double as repo men, the "right of sanctuary" stops police pursuit into temples and churches, and anti-government political posters adorn every building like wallpaper. The Ministry of Finance posts hourly updates on where taxpayer money is spent, fire brigades often deal with cases of burnt toast, the education system is being cleansed of all corporate influence, and no animal is considered endangered if there's another that looks kind of like it. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to the capable Republican Police (Republikóva Polícje) and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Norrho's national animal is the cobalt eagle, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Flag

The flag of the First Norrhan Republic, adopted on 14 October 1946, was a maroon red flag showing a turquoise oval broken by the maroon red outline of a mountain, representing the Losebo Heights. This flag, adopted by the then-ruling Military Coordination Council, was adopted to replace the flag of the toppled Kingdom of Norrho, which depicted the arms of the Norrhan royal family. Its ratio was unspecified.

In 1952, a horizontal dark scarlet flag with three interlocking chain links on a white stylized depiction of the Constitution of the Second Norrhan Republic was approved by the Assembly of Deputies. The three chain links over the supreme law stand for: the Constitution's safeguard of the homeland, its guarantee of unity for the Norrhan people, and the promise of work for all citizens. The flag was designed by deputy Ksawery Párquer Salgaray. The Second Norrhan Republic's close association with this flag has led it to be colloquially known as the Scarlet Republic.

_{Current of Flag of Norrho}

Mass media

Radio, television, magazines, and newspapers are primarily for-profit corporations based on advertising, subscription, and other sales-related revenues but the Norrhan government regulates media ownership and the state of media.

Norrho has a number of major media outlets available to both English and Norrhan speakers, with prominence taken by the national television channels. Nororuj Rádia é Telewízió (NRT, Norrhan Radio and Television) is Norrho's public broadcasting corporation; with its income fully funded by a broadcast receiver license and sponsorship revenue. NRT runs six national radio stations and three television channels. Norrho also possesses a variety of private free-to-air television channels, mainly Scarlet Broadcasting Union (SBU) and Třzáoh Cańteców Níoćsyt (TCN, Three Chains Network). Several subscription-based television channels, usually provided by multichannel television providers, digital terrestrial, and streaming, also exist.

Radio Dalboe International (RDI), Norrho's international radio service, broadcasts over 370 weekly hours of programming in Norrhan and twelve other languages (the most popular of which are English and Spanish) via medium wave, short wave, Internet radio, satellite radio and on OTT apps for smartphones. RDI showcases the country's cultural and national identity to the rest of the world while functioning as the principal source of news from Norrho to Norrhans abroad and a significant external audience.

Among the over 400 newspapers in the country, the main English-language dailies are The Dalboe Herald, The Reformer, The Dalboe Moderator, The Norrho Commoner, The Daily Word, The Secoitu Star-News, and The Thierut Expositor, providing traditional news and opinion. Popular magazines include Causes & Things, Public Context, and Norrhograph.

Sports

Association football (fułtbażná)—under the governance of the Kžyegulië Fułtbażná Nororuj (KFN, Norrhan Football Association)—is the most popular sport in Norrho. The country's top association football tournament is the 22-club I Łuinaxaha, heading the Norrhan league pyramid and directly promoting and relegating clubs with the II Łuinaxaha. Wypredhís Kžyegulië Leřewhýs Artralonya (Illustrious Sports Association Artralonya)—more commonly referred to as WKL Artralonya or simply Artralonya—is the most successful football squad in the I Łuinaxaha, having won sixteen league titles and twelve editions of the Hojczázca Kochár (Fatherland Cup). Including teams from the top seven divisions of Norrhan football, the Kochár is the preeminent knockout cup competition in Norrhan football, having been founded in 1926. A separate cup tournament, the Łuinaxaha Kochár, founded in 1979, is only contested by teams in the top two flights. Every year, I Łuinaxaha champions also play the Magnakochár as a single match against the winners of the Hojczázca Kochár. Other major clubs in the Norrhan first division are KL Karynia Dalboe with 13 titles, WKL Rubihuiv 1900 and WKF Jacoxia with 10 championships each, and FC Zhómsok Barylyow with 7 championships. Karynia was the first national champion during the inaugural 1919-20 season while Rubihuiv was not relegated from the top tier until 2014-15. WKL Artralonya and KL Karynia Dalboe have the fiercest rivalry in Norrhan football, the Kavistosá. Both Kavistosá clubs are located in Dalboe governorate, hailing from the cities of Dalboe and Karynia. As of the 2023-24 season, KL Karynia Dalboe are the current I Łuinaxaha champions. Notable clubs currently in the II Łuinaxaha or lower divisions include FC Noror Dalboe, Raszenstý Leřewhýs Alvalsk and Pilyelá Kžyegulië Fułtbażná Camențyuj 49.

_{WKL Artralonya and KL Karynia Dalboe are Norrho's most successful association football clubs}

Economy

The Norrhan economy, worth about nine trillion doubloons a year (RP), is fairly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Tourism, Book Publishing, Basket Weaving, and Beef-Based Agriculture. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 193,521 doubloons, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.2 times as much as the poorest. The Norrho Stock Exchange (NSE) is one of the most significant stock exchanges in its region, with billions of doubloons in investment a year. The doubloon, common name for the djovkoruna (Double Crown), was established by the Double Crown Act (Torzá Djovkoruna) of 23 November 1951 to replace the korunatolar at a rate of one doubloon to 2 korunnetoler and was first issued on 4 February 1952.

See also

◾️ Foreign Relations of Norrho
◾️ List of Political Parties in Norrho
◾️ Presidential Standard of Norrho