Gandoor National Q&A [READ OP]

[Gandoor]

Does anyone have any further questions for our Prime Minister?

[Solroche]

"Do you use social media, and what do you think of world leaders who use it? I don't tweet, but I do have my own blog called C'est la Vee."

Véronique ("Vee") Dupont

[Gandoor]

"Do you use social media, and what do you think of world leaders who use it? I don't tweet, but I do have my own blog called C'est la Vee."

Véronique ("Vee") Dupont

I do use social media, yes. I have two Twitter accounts, a personal one I created back in 2010 and the one specifically for the office of Prime Minister. I'll admit the latter is more often than not posted to by staffers, but I will on occasion post to it personally. I also have my own personal blog, which I've been running since 2003, which is mostly about animation (I will freely admit to being a huge animation nerd) where I talk about what's going on in the animation industry and review TV shows and movies I've seen recently. Been less active there since getting into national politics, but I do try and update once a month.

As for other world leaders using social media? I think, despite its many problems, social media can be a great way for them to interact and get the opinions of the common citizen. I understand that there's always going to be people who try and stir up trouble, even I get my fair share of troll replies and just people who blame me for everything, but I wouldn't say it's terrible. You just have to remember that a lot of people are going to act differently online than in the real world and try not to let it get to you, a statement which equally applies to both world leaders and the average person just wanting to post about their day on Twitter or some other website.

[Gandoor]

Does anyone have any further questions for our Prime Minister?

[Aurevbush]

"How diligently must students from other countries study to be accepted in a student exchange in Gandoor and pass the lessons that come with the program?"


-Multiversal Correspondent Kelly D. Herrick, ACBC

[Gandoor]

"How diligently must students from other countries study to be accepted in a student exchange in Gandoor and pass the lessons that come with the program?"


-Multiversal Correspondent Kelly D. Herrick, ACBC

(Prime Minister Semenov has passed this question off to someone more familiar with the Gandoorese Student Exchange Program than him)

It is expected that a prospective student from a foreign country who wishes to join our student exchange program would have study extremely diligently just to be accepted into the program, as this itself requires the passing of a fairly difficult exam to determine if a student would be a good fit for the program. And if a student is accepted into the program and does spend time attending a Gandoorese school, well let's just say it doesn't get that much easier, our educational system is designed to challenge even the most intelligent of students, as we want everyone involved to know how to think critically and solves problems when they don't know the answers off-hand.

[Federation-of Malaysia]

"Are passports issued in Gandoor, and are they biometric, and what are the visa requirements for a Gandoorese citizen?" - A Malaysian working on a project about passports, he's also willing to pay up to a $1000 USD for a specimen passport as a part of his exhibit.

[Gandoor]

"Are passports issued in Gandoor, and are they biometric, and what are the visa requirements for a Gandoorese citizen?" - A Malaysian working on a project about passports, he's also willing to pay up to a $1000 USD for a specimen passport as a part of his exhibit.

Our nation does issue passports and, since 2007, all new passports issued in the Democratic Republic are biometric. Non-biometric passports were allowed to be used until their expiration date, however.

As far as visa requirements goes:
Of the 195 states recognized by the Gandoorese government (this includes all other member states of the World Assembly, excluding the People's Republic of China and North Korea; Taiwan, Vatican City State, Kosovo, and Palestine), Gandoorese citizens can visit 185 of them visa-free, typically up to 90 days, they can also visit most territories and dependencies of these countries visa-free as well.

The ten states which do require a visa for Gandoorese citizens to visit are the following:
Saudi Arabia
Iraq
Afghanistan
Syria
Bhutan
Libya
Pakistan
Russia
Sudan
Algeria

For countries which Gandoor does not officially recognize, visas are required for all of them and their territories and dependencies with two exceptions: travel to both Hong Kong and Macao is visa-free for up to 90 days.

While specifics may vary, for the countries and territories which do require visas for Gandoorese citizens to travel to them, it is generally expected to provide evidence that one plans to return to Gandoor following the expiration of the visa's validity and proof that one's passport expires at least one year following the visa's validity expiration.

[Daniel-Franklin]

Your national motto includes "socialism." Just how much "socialism" does your country really observe, and what kind of socialism is it? - Eduard Villon, nephew of the late General Eustace Villon, current State Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labor.

[Gandoor]

Your national motto includes "socialism." Just how much "socialism" does your country really observe, and what kind of socialism is it? - Eduard Villon, nephew of the late General Eustace Villon, current State Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labor.

As anyone who lives in Gandoor will tell you: Gandoor is not a socialist country in practice, we are a social democracy that practices social market capitalism. This is despite, as you observed, our national motto mentioning socialism; in addition to our motto, the preamble to our constitution calls for 'the establishment of a Socialist economic system' and our nation's ideology is constitutionally defined as 'democratic market socialism'.

That being said, the Gandoor Communist Party, who are the current minority party in the Forum, do officially support socialism and their party platform declares that they will work towards the replacement of capitalism in Gandoor with a market-based socialist economic system wherein the means of production are owned by the workers in cooperatives. (As a side note, my party, the New Democratic Party does not support the replacing of capitalism)

So I suppose the simplest answer would be: Our nation doesn't actually observe socialism, although one of our major parties supports market socialism.

[Cat-Herders United]

What are the goals of your foreign policy, and what is the process through which your foreign policy is formulated?

[Dekerin Domains]

"With polygamy banned in your country, what are the reasons behind it, what effect does this have on consensual, informal polyamory, what are the prospects that it might be legalized, and how does this fit with an otherwise admirably (from what we've seen) liberal attitude about sexuality and love?" - His Grace, Grand Duke Eupas of the Militaristic Patriarchy of the Dekerin Domains

[Gandoor]

What are the goals of your foreign policy, and what is the process through which your foreign policy is formulated?

My foreign policy goals are as follows: maintaining peaceful relations with all nations, promoting human rights, liberties, and democracy, and promoting Gandoorese economic interests. This has effectively been the same general foreign policy of the Democratic Republic since its establishment in 1904 and is formulated based around our nation's commitment to pacifism, strong support for humans rights and equality, and, since the 1970s, a much stronger focus on promoting economic growth than beforehand.

"With polygamy banned in your country, what are the reasons behind it, what effect does this have on consensual, informal polyamory, what are the prospects that it might be legalized, and how does this fit with an otherwise admirably (from what we've seen) liberal attitude about sexuality and love?" - His Grace, Grand Duke Eupas of the Militaristic Patriarchy of the Dekerin Domains

Polygamy was de facto banned via the constitution due to the belief that the most common form of polygamy, that is polygyny, was detrimental to women's rights. Despite the ban, there are no laws against polyamory in our nation. It is very unlikely that any form of polygamy will be legalized, due to research showing that cultures which practice it have lower levels of equality between men and women than cultures that don't and they also have higher levels of murder, rape, kidnapping, and assault compared to monogamous cultures. Our nation does not consider polygamy a matter of love or sexuality, we consider it a method for men to further their supposed superiority to women and we do not support such things.

[Dekerin Domains]

Polygamy was de facto banned via the constitution due to the belief that the most common form of polygamy, that is polygyny, was detrimental to women's rights. Despite the ban, there are no laws against polyamory in our nation. It is very unlikely that any form of polygamy will be legalized, due to research showing that cultures which practice it have lower levels of equality between men and women than cultures that don't and they also have higher levels of murder, rape, kidnapping, and assault compared to monogamous cultures. Our nation does not consider polygamy a matter of love or sexuality, we consider it a method for men to further their supposed superiority to women and we do not support such things.[/quote]

Dear Prime Minister Semenov,

Thank you for your prompt and detailed answer.

Emerging as we have from a previously more tribal, feudal, and patriarchal culture with the aid of some foreign allies and advisers, we are well aware of this concern and have lately, in the process of our transition from feudalism to a more just and liberal society, worked toward making the institution of plural marriage far more equitable in practice as well as in theory. We do not seek to minimize or invalidate your concerns on this point, simply to say that our own policy is to ameliorate the issues and difficulties on this point with our own version of polygamy in our civilization through social progress and legislation, rather than outlaw a practice that would not necessarily have those problems in a vacuum, only in certain contexts. This is part of our own overall national trend toward making our civilization a more egalitarian one, as witnessed by our recent plebiscite intended to improve the rights and status of women, children, and religious minorities.

We are satisfied that, given your own policy of tolerance of informal polyamory, your policies, while not consistent with our own, are at least being practiced with a view toward a more progressive, liberal, and democratic society, rather than a puritanical, moralistic, and repressive one.

Sincerely,
Grand Duke Eupas

[Purpelia]

- Do you discriminate against children and deprive them of their right to be loved physically just because of their age?
- Does your state break into the family and disgustingly impose its rules upon their inner workings?
- Do you permit your civilians to own firearms which could be used in a disgusting and inhuman revolt against their betters?

[Gandoor]

- Do you discriminate against children and deprive them of their right to be loved physically just because of their age?
- Does your state break into the family and disgustingly impose its rules upon their inner workings?
- Do you permit your civilians to own firearms which could be used in a disgusting and inhuman revolt against their betters?

I am reserving my right to refuse to answer the first two questions.

In regards to the third question, Gandoorese citizens may obtain a firearm starting at the age of 20. In order to do so, however, first requires them to obtain a firearm ownership license.

To acquire one of these licenses, one must meet several requirements: they must take and pass a firearm safety course with 100% accuracy (required by law to be retaken and passed every five years), pass a mental health check, pass a background check (those with felonies are prohibited from owning any form of firearm), and they must register with a licensed firearm ownership organisation.

Once a citizen has obtained their firearm ownership license, they may purchase a firearm at a licensed dealer. Private citizens may only purchase pistols, shotguns, and hunting rifles. Firearms may not be kept at home and must instead be stored at a locked safe at the firearm ownership organisation one has registered with when not in use. Failure to comply with this may result in the loss of one's privilege to own a firearm.

[Gandoor]

Does anyone have any further questions for our Prime Minister?

[Wolflandil]

How sophisticated is Gandoor's medical care system?

[Basilia]

What does Gandoorian folk music sound like? Are there any instruments native to Gandoor?

[Greater Eurasian Commonwealth]

Does Gandoor have a good human rights record

[United States of Natan]

What is your legislature like?

[Gandoor]

How sophisticated is Gandoor's medical care system?

The medical care system in our nation, provided via the universal and publicly-funded Gandoor National Health Insurance is an extremely developed and sophisticated one. While I will not claim it to be the most sophisticated one in the world, it is what you would expect from a first-world developed nation.

What does Gandoorian folk music sound like? Are there any instruments native to Gandoor?

Gandoorese folk music sounds most similar to folk music from Australia or even the United States, due to our shared history of having been settled by English immigrants, although it has become influenced by Japanese and Russian folk music, along with traditional music from the indigenous population.

Of course, considering that we have an indigenous population, there are some musical instruments that originated in our nation, one of the most famous being the cittkaroola, which originated with the Ganba of southeast Gandoor. The cittkaroola (or sitkarula, which utilizes the modern spelling for the Ganba language) is a small string instrument (measuring no more than 30 centimetres at its greatest length) that can be considered an indigenous form of guitar.

Does Gandoor have a good human rights record

Yes. While we do acknowledge the existence of the Lost Era, that is the years between 1940 and 1951 where Gandoor was effectively a dictatorship, for most of our history since the establishment of the Democratic Republic at the start of the 20th century, our nation has been committed to and practices protecting the rights of its citizens and any non-citizens within our national borders.

What is your legislature like?

Our nation's legislature, the Forum, is a unicameral legislature consisting of 1000 seats, with each of the eight administrative divisions (called yons) allocated 125 seats.

There are currently four parties with seats in the Forum. They are the New Democratic Party, the Gandoor Communist Party, the People's Party of Gandoor, and the Gandoor Freedom Group. The New Democratic Party is the majority party and the party I am a part of and it currently has 488 seats. The Communist Party is the opposition party and has 485 seats. The People's Party and Gandoor Freedom Group are considered to be minority parties and have 18 and 9 seats, respectively.

The Forum is responsible for appointing the nominee from whichever party won the most seats following a National Election to the office of Prime Minister. By tradition, they are the party leader, although the law only requires them to have been a Member of the Forum at the time of the election. I myself was a Member of the Forum from 2012 until being appointed Prime Minister following the 2018 National Election.

If necessary, the Forum can call for a motion of no-confidence every three months and if the motion passes, which requires a simple majority of 501 votes, then I (or whomever was Prime Minister) would be required to immediately resign from office and the current Head of the Forum (the person responsible for taking roll call and overseeing debates and votes. While they are not officially a Member of the Forum, they are authorized to serve as a tiebreaker vote if necessary. They also have authority to order a Member of the Forum to leave the premises if they are engaging in 'conduct unbecoming a politician' and can declare them suspended from participating in in the Forum for up to one month, any votes during a period of suspension would be counted as an abstention) would become the new Prime Minister and finish the term. (It must be stated that unlike other parliamentary systems where they can serve for as long as they retain the confidence of the legislature or the electorate, here in Gandoor, a Prime Minister can only serve for a maximum of two six-year terms)

The Forum also recommends judges to be appointed to the High Court by the Prime Minister. While I, or any Prime Minister, am not required to follow these recommendations, it is considered proper procedure for this to be done.

And, lest I forget, being our legislature, the Forum is responsible for the creation of laws in Gandoor. To avoid boring you on all the details on how the lawmaking process works in Gandoor, I shall summarize it as simple as possible:
- At any point during a session of the Forum , any Member can submit a proposal to the chamber. All proposals have officially scheduled debate times but may also be debated if the Forum is meeting but not presently discussing a topic.
- After a period of debate, the proposal is passed to the Preliminary Voting Committee, who determine if the proposal will go to a full vote. Comprised of 25 Members from all four parties, at least 19 of them must vote in favour of it going to a full vote.
- If a proposal passes the Preliminary Voting Committee, then it goes to a full vote, where it must pass by a simple majority.
- Once a proposal has passed the Forum, it must be signed by the Prime Minister for it to officially pass into law.
- If the Prime Minister refuses to sign a proposal, then the Forum can vote to sign it in lieu of them, which requires a 60% vote in favour.

If a proposal fails to pass any of the above and does not become a law, then discussions and debates regarding it can continue so long as the current session of the Forum is occurring. Once the session ends, then it (and other proposals) would need to be resubmitted to the Forum during the next session.

[Aurevbush]

"Has your country ever dealt with bouts of separatist/secessionists? And if so, how has your government responded?"

-President Tiiana Baize

[Danternoust]

* a disheveled man rises*
How do you answer to the rumors that members of your staff are members of the Freemasons?

[United States of Natan]

How sophisticated is Gandoor's medical care system?

The medical care system in our nation, provided via the universal and publicly-funded Gandoor National Health Insurance is an extremely developed and sophisticated one. While I will not claim it to be the most sophisticated one in the world, it is what you would expect from a first-world developed nation.

What does Gandoorian folk music sound like? Are there any instruments native to Gandoor?

Gandoorese folk music sounds most similar to folk music from Australia or even the United States, due to our shared history of having been settled by English immigrants, although it has become influenced by Japanese and Russian folk music, along with traditional music from the indigenous population.

Of course, considering that we have an indigenous population, there are some musical instruments that originated in our nation, one of the most famous being the cittkaroola, which originated with the Ganba of southeast Gandoor. The cittkaroola (or sitkarula, which utilizes the modern spelling for the Ganba language) is a small string instrument (measuring no more than 30 centimetres at its greatest length) that can be considered an indigenous form of guitar.

Does Gandoor have a good human rights record

Yes. While we do acknowledge the existence of the Lost Era, that is the years between 1940 and 1951 where Gandoor was effectively a dictatorship, for most of our history since the establishment of the Democratic Republic at the start of the 20th century, our nation has been committed to and practices protecting the rights of its citizens and any non-citizens within our national borders.

What is your legislature like?

Our nation's legislature, the Forum, is a unicameral legislature consisting of 1000 seats, with each of the eight administrative divisions (called yons) allocated 125 seats.

There are currently four parties with seats in the Forum. They are the New Democratic Party, the Gandoor Communist Party, the People's Party of Gandoor, and the Gandoor Freedom Group. The New Democratic Party is the majority party and the party I am a part of and it currently has 488 seats. The Communist Party is the opposition party and has 485 seats. The People's Party and Gandoor Freedom Group are considered to be minority parties and have 18 and 9 seats, respectively.

The Forum is responsible for appointing the nominee from whichever party won the most seats following a National Election to the office of Prime Minister. By tradition, they are the party leader, although the law only requires them to have been a Member of the Forum at the time of the election. I myself was a Member of the Forum from 2012 until being appointed Prime Minister following the 2018 National Election.

If necessary, the Forum can call for a motion of no-confidence every three months and if the motion passes, which requires a simple majority of 501 votes, then I (or whomever was Prime Minister) would be required to immediately resign from office and the current Head of the Forum (the person responsible for taking roll call and overseeing debates and votes. While they are not officially a Member of the Forum, they are authorized to serve as a tiebreaker vote if necessary. They also have authority to order a Member of the Forum to leave the premises if they are engaging in 'conduct unbecoming a politician' and can declare them suspended from participating in in the Forum for up to one month, any votes during a period of suspension would be counted as an abstention) would become the new Prime Minister and finish the term. (It must be stated that unlike other parliamentary systems where they can serve for as long as they retain the confidence of the legislature or the electorate, here in Gandoor, a Prime Minister can only serve for a maximum of two six-year terms)

The Forum also recommends judges to be appointed to the High Court by the Prime Minister. While I, or any Prime Minister, am not required to follow these recommendations, it is considered proper procedure for this to be done.

And, lest I forget, being our legislature, the Forum is responsible for the creation of laws in Gandoor. To avoid boring you on all the details on how the lawmaking process works in Gandoor, I shall summarize it as simple as possible:
- At any point during a session of the Forum , any Member can submit a proposal to the chamber. All proposals have officially scheduled debate times but may also be debated if the Forum is meeting but not presently discussing a topic.
- After a period of debate, the proposal is passed to the Preliminary Voting Committee, who determine if the proposal will go to a full vote. Comprised of 25 Members from all four parties, at least 19 of them must vote in favour of it going to a full vote.
- If a proposal passes the Preliminary Voting Committee, then it goes to a full vote, where it must pass by a simple majority.
- Once a proposal has passed the Forum, it must be signed by the Prime Minister for it to officially pass into law.
- If the Prime Minister refuses to sign a proposal, then the Forum can vote to sign it in lieu of them, which requires a 60% vote in favour.

If a proposal fails to pass any of the above and does not become a law, then discussions and debates regarding it can continue so long as the current session of the Forum is occurring. Once the session ends, then it (and other proposals) would need to be resubmitted to the Forum during the next session.

No, no, I'd actually love to hear about the details of your lawmaking process, if you don't mind. I LOVE parliamentary procedure and the lawmaking process.