Democracy and Freedom Index (CLOSED)

[New East Columbia]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected? Selected by the legislature.
How is the national legislature selected? Elected by corporation owners
Are elections considered free and fair? No.
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory? 91% of corporation owners

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory? Yes, though government authority does not extend over the full national territory, since most governments below the national level are private.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? It is usually that corporations have more power than the NAC.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)? No.
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated) 10. All members must be owner of a corporation.
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 5. Government activity is announced to media instead of the populace.
Is there an independent judiciary? No. Judicial duties are privatized.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? Yes.
Is there freedom of religion? Yes.
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? No, as all education is privatized.
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? Depends between areas.
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Depends between areas, and many restrictions are placed on all protests.
Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice? No. The judicial system is private.
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? All methods of transport are privately owned, and government corporations and employers may restrict freedom of movement, though it is usual that roads are free to use and it is possible to pass through New East Columbia by road for free(though it takes around 21 hours).
Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)? Yes, though healthcare insurers, government corporations, and employers may restrict some things that citizens may do.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Businesses are usually almost entirely unregulated.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? Anyone born in the country can be a citizen.
Who is able to vote in elections? Usually the rich.
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally? Yes. Corporations don't usually care about your race, sex, or sexuality. All they really care of is the money.
Are the above groups well represented in government? None of them are really represented.

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group? No.

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Any suggestions for future editions of the index? Add questions of how law is setup, i.e. common law or civil law or socialist law, etc..

[Rhodesia-Zimbabwe]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected? The head of state is the reigning English monarch. The President is selected from party leadership.
How is the national legislature selected? They are elected by 5 voting districts in a FPTP election.
Are elections considered free and fair? Yes.
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory? 97%. Despite high turnouts, is not mandatory. Voters receive benefits.

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory? Yes.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? Yes.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)? Yes.
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated) 6. Blacks are not treated well by the ruling whites, although there is no segregation.
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 8.
Is there an independent judiciary? Yes.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? No, the media is censored.
Is there freedom of religion? Yes.
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? No.
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? That depends on how they go about it, and their race. Generally yes.
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Yes.
Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice? Yes.
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? Yes.
Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)? Yes.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Yes.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? Anyone living in the country in 2078 is a citizen. For the next 8 years, anyone who previously lived in the country before the declaration of independence and wishes to live in it must appear before a board. Those who have never lived in the country, and neither of their parents have, must be a resident for 3 years before applying.
Who is able to vote in elections? Everyone, regardless of race.
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally? No.
Are the above groups well represented in government? No.

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group? No.

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[Greater States]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected? Selected by Monarch

How is the national legislature selected? By popular election

Are elections considered free and fair? Yes

Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory? 65% turnout

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory? Largely, and yes

Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? Legislature is free and has no limits to what can be passed, although the monarch has veto authority over all legislation, and local nobles have veto authority over municipal legislation. Constitutional amendments require a vote of both the legislature, the noble houses, and the signature of the monarch

[b]Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)? Only through veto authority over passed legislation.


From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? 7 - Bribes are seen as a market mechanism to decide the order in which bureaucrats should consider approvals, requests, etc… Small bribes are generally accepted by all.


From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? 8 - Government hides little, and has substantial restrictions on what can legally be made secret

Is there an independent judiciary? No. The judiciary is appointed by the monarch and can be changed at any time and for any reason.

CIVIL LIBERTIES

Is there an independent media? yes

Is there freedom of religion? Yes, although the state church receives substantial support

Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? Education is almost entirely private, largely administered by the church. Political interference is not accepted

Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? Yes

Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Yes

Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice? Basic grantees are in place, but interference by the nobility is common, as are bribes to jury members.

Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? Yes, although foreigners cannot receive citizenship

Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?) Substantial state regulation is extended over moral and social issues, although this does not extend to clothing choice or alcohol consumption. Domestic violence is uncommon and punished with severe corporal punishment and imprisonment when it occurs.

Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Property and business rights are constitutionally protected as fundamental to society. They are supported by all parties and all branches of government.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? By birth or by grant by the monarch

Who is able to vote in elections? All adult citizens

Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally? All citizens are given equal rights before the law, although sexual activity is heavily regulated. Foreigners do not have full constitutional protections.
Are the above groups well represented in government? Yes, although sexual orientation and activity is not made public


OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group? No

[Greater Victora]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected?
The Lord Emperor (head of state) was unanimously elected by the Imperial Parliament during its first meeting. The Prime Minister (head of government) was elected through majority vote by the populace
How is the national legislature selected?
Members of the Imperial Senate are elected by the citizens of the Provinces they represent. Members of the Imperial Assembly are elected by (and represent) individual districts.
Are elections considered free and fair?
Yes
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory?
Voting is not mandatory. The most recent election had an outcome of roughly 80%.

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory?
The national government (Imperial Parliament) is the ultimate authority (besides the monarch) in the Victoran Empire, but only address important matters and devolve most of its authority to provincial parliaments.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments?
The Imperial Parliament is bound by the Imperial Constitution which can only be amended through a public referendum.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)?
In theory, the Monarch has supreme power over the Parliament and the nation at large. However, the Parliament was responsible for the election of the current Monarch, choosing him based on his past (slave soldier), personal beliefs (personal freedom and individuality), the fact he never wanted to be Monarch to begin with, and longevity of his race (13,000 years), thus creating a non-abusive (yet still absolute) Monarchy lasting several millennia.
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated)
7. Most of the corruption in the Parliament is related to either infighting between its members.
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated)
5. The government typically operates on a "don't ask don't tell" basis. However, the government will go to great lengths to cover up and deny the existence of covert scientific projects and military operations
Is there an independent judiciary?
Yes

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media?
Yes
Is there freedom of religion?
Yes, but the Church of the Menti Celesti is considered the "official state religion"
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination?
Most likely. Since the responsibility of education is delegated to district governments with zero input from the Imperial Parliament, it is possible that a few districts have turned to indoctrination.
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution?
Yes.
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice?
Public protesting is allowed so long as it doesn't doesn't disrupt private businesses.
Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice?
Yes.
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment?
Yes (no trespassing obviously)
Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearance? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)?
Individuals are in full control of there lives so long as it isn't a determent to the public
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected?
Yes, so long as the services provided by the business are not illegal.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined?
Citizenship is determined through application and registration (hospitals are typically responsible for registering newborns as citizens)
Who is able to vote in elections?
Any and all citizens
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally?
While all are treated equally, Xenos ("aliens") are given most priority.
Are the above groups well represented in government?
Xenos ("aliens") hold the majority of power in the Imperial Parliament.

[Slavakino]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected? The dictator chooses an heir and an election for the director as an elected official for the government
How is the national legislature selected? Individuals vote for their preferred candidate to lead the country, however, if issues come about the dictator may remove the current elected official and set up a referendum or choose one.
Are elections considered free and fair? Yes
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory? 86% chose a different Director and voting is not mandatory

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to successfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory? Yes, as long at is approved by the state and other representatives
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? It must pass at 80% majority vote by the state in order to pass
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)? No
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated) 7, corruption is a problem but it usually involves spending more on advancements or the military. Over if its too out of hand the dictator boots them off
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 8, government activity is well known through the populace
Is there an independent judiciary? Yes

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? Yes
Is there freedom of religion? Yes
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? Yes
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? Yes
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Yes, but dont get violent when it comes to protests
Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice? Yes
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? Yes
Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearance? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)? Yes, domestic violence is rare due to people not wanting to end up in a labor prison or getting bashed by the police
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Business are allowed to be set up
How is citizenship determined? By a few factors involving, education, nationality, and language.
Who is able to vote in elections? People who are citizens and 18 Years of age
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally? Homosexuality is seen as a mental illness and therapy is available for those who wish to seek it. Immigrants are treated equally however we cannot stop others from attacking them.
Are the above groups well represented in government? No

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group?

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Any suggestions for future editions of the index?

[Khataiy]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected? He is appointed then approved by the Revolutionary Command Council, Shura Council (the legislator) with final approval from the appointed Executive Committee
How is the national legislature selected? They are elected and appointed
Are elections considered free and fair? Depends on who you ask
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory? Voting is not mandatory 40%-60% of the population votes

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to successfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory? Yes they can make new policies if they conform with the law
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? The laws must be approved by the RCC, the President and executive committee
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)? Yes
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated) There are regular crackdowns on corruption, it would be rated 4.5/10, the country handles corruption through investigations and arrests.
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 8/10 some things are kept private but overall the government tries to be as open as possible.
Is there an independent judiciary? No

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? Yes
Is there freedom of religion? There is a state religion which is Islam, it is illegal to leave Islam or convert a Muslim from Islam, otherwise yes there is.
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? No
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? As of April 2019 yes to a very limited extent
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? See above
Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice? No
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? Yes
Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)? No Homosexuality, cross dressing and such are illegal, domestic violence is somewhat common but government action has been taken against it
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Yes

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? You must have parents with Khataiyi citizenship that can only be attained if you are ethnically Khataiyi, an immigrant from another Arab country, have family from the country, be related to current citizens, marry a Khataiyi or petition the government for approval for any other reason which may or may not be accepted.
Who is able to vote in elections? Everyone aged 18 and over
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally? No
Are the above groups well represented in government? No

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group? Yes

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Any suggestions for future editions of the index? No

[Sebourg]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected? Sébourg is an absolute monarchy ruled by a sovereign Prince (currently Princess). So far, every monarch has opted to pass the throne to his/her eldest child. But this could change with Princess Véronique, as there are rumors that she's homosexual.
How is the national legislature selected? –
Are elections considered free and fair? –
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory? –

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory? The Prince (currently Princess) holds all executive and legislative authority.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? –
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)? –
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated) 1 to 2. The Prince (currently Princess) is not restricted from exercising favoritism towards individuals or companies. But for other officials, taking bribes is punishable by death.
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 8 to 9. The government is intentionally kept small, with minimal involvement in private affairs. All large-scale projects and contracts must be approved by the Prince (currently Princess), who may consult with the public first. An annual report of government finances and transactions is published. However, the personal wealth of the Prince (currently Princess) is not disclosed.
Is there an independent judiciary? The Prince (currently Princess) is the highest judge in the nation, whose decisions are always final. However, he (currently she) rarely exercises judicial authority, usually delegating this responsibility to appointed judges. These judges are required to be completely neutral and consider nothing but the facts of the case. For judges, corruption and taking bribes are punishable by death.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? yes
Is there freedom of religion? Yes, as long as the religious practices do not violate the law or the rights of others.
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? yes
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? Yes, short of making threats or advocating violence.
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Peaceful assemblies are permitted anywhere members of the public are welcome, as long as they are on public land. Protesters must not block roads, as this is a safety hazard (patients can potentially die if ambulances are blocked from reaching them).
Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice? yes
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? yes
Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)? Yes. Domestic violence is almost unknown (there was only 1 case in 2018).
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? yes

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? Jus sanguinis. Being born in Sébourg does NOT automatically make one a citizen, unless that person would otherwise be stateless. Other types of citizenship are naturalization, honorary (recognition of contributions to humanity), and protective (asylum from persecution). The latter types can only be given by the Prince (currently Princess).
Who is able to vote in elections? –
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally? yes
Are the above groups well represented in government? –

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group? no

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Any suggestions for future editions of the index? –

[Plaetopia]

Updated.

Any suggestions for future editions of the index? Add questions of how law is setup, i.e. common law or civil law or socialist law, etc..

The problem is that within those three basic groups, there is enormous variety, and the same laws can be applied very differently in practice. Furthermore, restrictive laws may be noted in the score in other questions - say a country has a broad criminal defamation law, then it will see its press freedom score reduced, especially if the law is enforced aggressively.

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments?
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)?

There is a problem with your questionnaire: the questions shown above are unreplied.

[Slavakino]

There is a problem with your questionnaire: the questions shown above are unreplied.

WHoops i'll fix that

[Victorious Decepticons]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected? Leader Megatron was the first fully-sapient Transformer, and he parlayed that into being our military leader during the Cybertronian Revolutionary War. He was great at that, so we agreed that he should then become the Leader of the Decepticons - not just militarily, but as the leader of our nation.
How is the national legislature selected? There isn't any legislature.
Are elections considered free and fair? There aren't any elections.
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory? 0, because there aren't any elections.

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory? There aren't any "national representatives." The government's authority does indeed extend over all of the territory in the Empire.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? There is no legislature!
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)? There's no need to subvert what doesn't exist in the first place.
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated) 10! We are Decepticons! Anyone who isn't up for a bit of corruption is obviously too far removed from our own culture to hold an important government role. (Most officials have a bribery price sheet that is openly used, and the winners of government contracts usually go to whoever paid the biggest bribe, offered the best kickbacks, etc. This is not seen as even remotely unusual, but instead, as just how business is done.)
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 8. It may be a surprise, but a government official will GAIN credibility as a "Decepticon's Decepticon" if he lets his corruption show...after he's successfully pulled off the deal, of course.
Is there an independent judiciary? No - in fact, we don't think of ourselves as having a "judiciary" in the standard sense at all. Domestic Intelligence determines guilt and hands down sentences, all as a result of their internal investigations.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? Absolutely not.
Is there freedom of religion? No.
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? No, with the exception of the physical sciences, math, coding, and other subjects of that nature.
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? Absolutely not! Dissent is treason, and treason is punished with death!
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Pt 1: Depends what you're assembling for. Pt 2: Dissent is treason, and treason is punished with death. So, NO!
Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice? Yes, and yes. Perhaps surprisingly to democratic types, we do know that arbitrarily deleting people is a good way to end up on the wrong side of a revolution. However, our idea of "due process" is likely much different. Set procedures are followed by Domestic Intelligence to ensure good accuracy - but this does not necessarily involve telling the suspect that he's under investigation until it's too late! (If we tell him he's up for execution, he'll make a thousand mind-saves and it'll be a giant job to get rid of him.)
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? Sure
Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearance? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)? Appearance is subject to light regulation. Decepticons don't get married, so those other questions do not apply.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Yes, you can set up your own business without legal interference. Property rights are protected by your own Two Standard Blasters, permanently attached. If you lose the fight, you lose your property, so better stay in practice!

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? You must either be built on Cybertron to specs that meet or exceed the Minimum Design Specifications for the Decepticon Body and the Minimum Specifications for Code Intended to be Sapient; be built on Cybertron in another configuration, pass the Sapience Test, and be upgraded to meet the specs; or come from another place and pass the full Citizenship Test and Roboticization Requirements.
Who is able to vote in elections? There aren't any elections!
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally? Thankfully, we do not have all of these ridiculous divisions! We are Decepticons, and that's that!!
Are the above groups well represented in government? Biologicals are not allowed to be citizens at all, much less part of our government.

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group? There are no "groups" here. We are all Decepticons, period. We do deliberately and systematically make darned sure that it stays that way, so we are never beset by BS like people thinking of themselves as separate little "communities," immigration-swamping, or any of that ridiculous human nonsense. Many checks are solidly in place to prevent the fragmentation or dilution of our people - whether ideologically or any other way. Notably, it is impossible for us to suffer from genetic dilution, since we are robots and have no genes.

We will note that biologicals under our dominion are not counted as part of our demographics since they are not of our species and are therefore regarded as either livestock or wild (depending on what species they are).

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Any suggestions for future editions of the index? Not at this time.

[Plaetopia]

Slavakino and Victorious Decepticons have been reviewed and scored.

[Sophistan]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected?
Sophistan has a collective head of state consisting of 14 people (Council of Scholars). They are chosen at a soiree every 10 years by the intellectual elite of the country.

How is the national legislature selected?
The Legislature is the responsibility of the Council of Scholars

Are elections considered free and fair?
Yes, within the intellectual elite who can vote at the soiree.

Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory?
100% of eligible voters participated in the election. De jure there is no compulsory election, but in fact it exists (in case of non-participation there are fierce sanctions).

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory?
The Council of Scholars is implementing its own political program and ruling over all Sophistan.

Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments?
The Council of Scholars initiates and decrees all laws.

Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)?
The constitution of the country states that the Council must not make any changes to the political system and that its laws must always be in the spirit of Platonism.

From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated)
1: The Council always follows the well-being of the whole state, not of individuals

From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated)
1: The work of the Council is shielded from the outside, so that no bad influences arise.

Is there an independent judiciary?
The whole judiciary is under the supervision of the Council of Scholars

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media?
No, there are only state media and may only send a regulated program.

Is there freedom of religion?
One can believe in every god one wants and articulate publicly, but religious organizations are forbidden.

Is education free of political interference or indoctrination?
The education follows a strict plan on the model of Plato. It is definitely indoctrinated.

Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution?
Freedom of expression prevails only for the intellectual upper class.

Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice?
No, protests are considered barbaric and unphilosophical and are prohibited.

Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice?
There is a guarantee, but it is not always respected.

Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment?
Within the country, the free movement is granted, however, it is not allowed for citizens to leave the country unattended and permanently.

Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)?
In Sophistan it is forbidden to wear clothes, that is nudity is mandatory. In addition, a certain healthy physical condition is required.
It is possible to choose the spouse freely (regardless of sex), also the number of children is not required.
Domestic violence hardly exists.

Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected?

No, only the state is a carrier of companies. Private companies are prohibited.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined?
A citizen is anyone born in Sophistan. Upon request, a foreigner can obtain a citizenship.

Who is able to vote in elections?
Only part of an intellectual elite.

Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally?
Sophists is a three class society. Each class has different rights. Within the classes, however, all are equal.

Are the above groups well represented in government?
There are no laws that exclude minorities. You just have to be part of the intellectual class.

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group?
No

---

[Silver Commonwealth]

OOC: I hope you don't mind my posting style - I wanted it to look a bit like a document, or review. Also, sorry for the long post ahead- I just like to go in details.

Data from Ministry of Foreign and Internal Affairs

Democracy and Freedom Index

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected? ''SC is a totalitarian, decentralized world government (Something like HRE, but on steroids), where President Governor of the Commonwealth gets elected in Party's elections, where the members of the Party across the world come together in UCN HQ in New York, and elect the President (General of Mankind as well). Of course, only Party's members participate in the elections, and common citizens don't have much say there, although they still need to be appeased by populist policies. While President of the Commonwealth is supposed to be an uniting figure, which would make other regions loyal, in reality, central government controls only a small part of land, and the rest of the lands are ruled by various warlords, and regional-governors, creating a complex web of political alliances, and plots. As long as warlords hunt down monarchists, and pay tributes to the capital region, they are free to rule with iron fist in whatever way they want in their own region, or ''fiefdom'', as some warlords boast. Current President - Supercomputer Tom, has added title ''Eternal President'' to himself, as due of fact, that he is a supercomputer, he can theoretically be repaired for as long as necessary.''
How is the national legislature selected? ''The politicians, and other members of party can be both appointed by a President-Governor (or some other important person), or be elected in their position by the rest of The Party. Of course, common citizens, who aren't members of one of the Party's branches, don't have much say on the appointment of legislature. Each region can freely choose a delegate (Or delegates) to the UCN meetings in New York. Similar system is used in the ''Worker's Syndicates'' in various SC's state companies, and regions, where dominant ideology is national syndicalism - while it theoretically is supposed to serve the workers, in reality, the company's committee, and state's CEO themselves decide, what's the best for the company, along with who is getting appointed, and who on the other hand - demoted. Worker councils, similarly to state labor unions, are there only to serve state's needs.''
Are elections considered free and fair? ''No, of course. First, those, who aren't the members of Party, can't even vote in those elections, as The Party doesn't consider the President-Governor elections as ''the matter of the Proles'', as sometimes outright scornfully the Party calls common citizens. This is also the reason, why many people try to enlist in Party, as it also gives a small change to affect something, and all Party's members have a vote - even those, who more often work as janitors, than with administrative work. However, most of those people end up on the lower echelon of the party, or end up doing the dirty work of the Party. Second, while there is a principle of ''one vote for one person'', and in order for President-Governor candidate to be elected, they must pass a 50% threshold, vote rigging, and smear campaigns are nothing unusual, as various fractions within The Party want to get their candidate to win - like the reformist, and conservative wing, along with Old Guard, and ''socialist'' wing. Also, there have been reported cases of intimidation used against Party's members, in order to pressure them to vote for the candidate.
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory? ''Near 100%, as voting for party's members in Party's elections is compulsory, and trying to avoid it usually will result in fines for Party's members. That said, on a Commonwealth's scale as a whole, the last election was in 2020, when Blake Carter - the leader of reformist wing, and third president of SC, died. Since then, Supercomputer Tom has officially been in charge. Being a President-Governor in other regions is a lifeterm service as well, although a President-Governor can be changed in other ways as well - in case, if they die, resign on their own, or get thrown out of the office, Party's members can elect a new President-Governor from their own ranks. In a collection of totalitarian regimes what SC is, President-Governor doesn't actually have as much power as one might expect - in some cases, they still have quite a lot powers, but in some cases, they are actually puppets of the ruling local Party branches, which run the show collectively - SC is an oligarchy for a reason.''

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory? ''To answer the first question - yes, they definitely can develop, and implement new policies, although in some cases, the regional legislature as a whole has more power than a single representative. (For example, in Don-Kuban Union (A cossack region), Veche - the national assembly of the Union, implements most of policies in a vote between its members, including the Red Hetman - leader of the region. Red Hetman can propose new policies, and even implement them, but usually it is the bureaucratic oligarchy, which implements them). That said, none of them are freely elected, as they are either appointed by The Party, or elected in their position by The Party. And, no, government's authority directly only extends for a specifically designed region, called ''Eastern Colombia'' - the rest of territories are ruled by various vassals, and puppet governors, with pretty high autonomy - they can raise their own armies, and in some cases, even enact their own laws. (There are still some laws, that are universal across all of SC, though) Various regions also differ ideologically - some are more socialistic, while others - more leaning towards corporatism. SC employs something similar to Qing tributary system.''
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? ''Indeed. In fact, various councils are a part of the regional legislatures, and they approve of laws in a vote between Party's members. System can differ across the world, depending on the characteristics of the region. (For example, in Patagonian region, guild councils usually vote for most of ''civilian'' decisions, and are considered as ''Lower House'', while Warchief Councils vote on military decisions, and can either approve, or decline the guild council proposals, as SC's Patagonia is a stratocracy. Also, unlike the Lower House, Upper House's decisions usually can be approved instantly, without being needed to check from either the leader, or a House above) In some regions, the President-Governor themselves can limit the legislature's ability to pass something, and cut its power. However, those cases of governors actually doing it are pretty rare, and legislature often can pass laws, and other decisions without much resistance. In fact, legislature, and both houses (Upper and Lower) are often seen as ''basically the same''... On another note, democracy is considered a ''dead, old world value there'', so... (Old world is basically a name of the entire 20th century in SC's world, although more used for the 50s, and Interwar Period - before SC's rise to power.)''
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)? ''Kind of - in some regions, where President-Governor has a larger power in their hands, they could possibly dissolve the legislature, and limit its powers, although it definitely would be met with a high backlash from both army, local Party's branch, proles, and even from other President-Governors, so those, who have more power, typically still don't touch the legislature. In some regions, however, President-Governor is just a bit more than a figurehead, and a puppet, so they can't even dissolve it - if they would try to do so, the ruling Party's branch, together with the regional army, would most likely launch a coup, and kill the President-Governor, and install someone, who's puppet strings would be easier to pull. However, this doesn't mean, that legislatures in SC would be democratic, but rather the opposite - they are usually very tyrannical, and rule with an iron fist - a totalitarian collection of bureaucracies. It is just that the President-Governors are afraid from the bureaucrats, officials, and other politicians, and rightly so.''
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated) ''8. Despite the various anti-corruption campaigns by SC's government, and heavy penalties for it (Death penalty for corruption is an entirely viable option), corruption is still an enormous issue in SC's governments, partly due of the decentralized system, which makes it hard for central government to have a hold on far-off regions, and it sometimes also relies on various governors keeping each other in check, which means, that in such conditions, corruption has good soil. Also, due of SC's bureaucratic blot, citizens, or even other officials often have to use bribes, in order to complete even simple requests, which in result also fuels corruption, as politicians want to receive more. In fact, expensive gifts now are ill-advised to buy for officials, as they are typically associated with governmental corruption. Corruption also chokes the administrative process, and slows SC down. During reformist period, Carter tried to eradicate it, but it never stopped completely, and has experienced a resurgence in last years, after the Scramble for the World, when last remaining territories of Earth were seized by SC, and officials from former other two superstates were recruited.''
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) ''2. More often than not, Government is like it would be in an ivory tower - disconnected from the rest of populace, and living in its own world. In fact, a lot of information is classified by either central government, or various regional governments on various levels of secrecy, and is inaccessible without a permit from a government's agent. It also prefers to not tell much of what it is doing, both for media, and public. So, there are a lot of rumors, what government might be doing, and what devices are at its disposal, but there have been only a few pieces of confirmed information. Few regional officials, and President-Governors think, that they are responsible of ''reporting anything about the government for Proles'' too. So, transparency of government is not a thing, about which someone thinks there.''
Is there an independent judiciary? ''Of course not - if there was, it wouldn't be SC anymore. When it comes to judiciary, it usually is either stacked full with government-aligned judges, or judges with pro-government bias, although it's usually both. When it comes to trials of dissenters, and political opponents, kangaroo courts are nothing out of unusual, and people often don't even receive a lawyer for defense. Sometimes matters get handled to the local courts like Xeer in Somalia, or tribal courts in New Guinea, but they usually are in favor of the regional governors, and fair trial on political cases is something, that hardly ever happens, if at all. While judiciary system can be particularly cruel against criminals like drug smugglers, serial killers, and others, with having lots of punishment methods (For example, RNGOC - one of the two other former superstates, often used ''death by thousand cuts'' as a form of punishment, and it has been adapted by SC's Chinese regions), the system also suffers from corruption, just like government, so someone with enough money, and/or contacts in right places, can possibly bribe the court in their favor, and avoid being punished.''

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? ''No, not at all - we don't want, that private media ruins the State's monopoly on news. While this is a bit complicated, in short, SC has a single news company - SNN (Silver News Network), but as it would be terribly hard for a single news outlet to cover the entire world on its own, it has various branches, which cover the happenings of multiple regions, and then put the news pieces together in SNN's HQ in United Megastates (Name of America after the region reform, which reduced the amount of states from 50 to 9). It even has a radio broadcast from Antarctica, which tells about the various happenings in colonization of it. (SC has tried to colonize Antarctica for its resources recently) It also has a branch, which works with publishing news in SNN's internet site, and suppressing other news channels, which sometimes pop up in SC's internet, and usually are located in SC's ''dark web''. As SNN is pretty much government's propaganda outlet as well, it should be obvious, that situation of press freedom there is pretty terrible. Journalists, which aren't aligned with one of the many regional governments, are usually treated horribly.''
Is there freedom of religion? ''Well... It is a complicated issue in SC, to say the least. From one side, there are a lot of religions in SC, because it is a world government, and trying to enforce one religion on a world scale would be too much for SC's already enormous government, and in combination of decentralization system, central government would lose much of its power, if it alienated many religious leaders, and zealots of other religions. So, there is a ''religious council'' in SC's regions, where the local religious leaders come together, in order to discuss the newest happenings, and how to counter the opposition of The Party. A lot of religions are represented - Christians, Muslims, militant Buddhists, Hinduists, and even Neo-Pagans. That said, from other side, similarly to ethnic regions, SC also enforces the policy of ''regional religious homogeneity'', which means, that each region has a single set religion, depending on the cultural background, and following a religion outside of the selected regions is strictly punished. (For example, those, who practice neo-paganism outside the specifically designed ''neo-pagan'' regions, are usually punished) Also, SC's religious zealots are very hostile against atheism, and sometimes it is said, that ''hate against atheism is the glue, what keeps the ''religious council'' together''. So, overall the status of religious freedom in SC is pretty bleak.''
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? ''No - in fact, it is the quite opposite of that, as education system is usually one of the first places, where indoctrination begins. Usually most of the educational system is left in the hands of the regional parties, and sometimes - guilds, and syndicates as well, so a lot of them use indoctrination. In fact, SC is an ideologically very radical entity, which has described itself as ''anti-monarchist, anti-atheist, anti-democratic, and anti-capitalist'' - politics in SC's university are usually taught with heavy political bias, with beliefs of jingoism, glorification of warfare, and Hegelian dialectics mixed with ''world revolution'', state-planned economy, and religious evangelism. Even in subjects like maths, physics, sports, and engineering, political messages are usually inserted left and right. Some regions also employ ''Republican Vanguards'' - units similar to Mao's ''Red Guards'', which are supposed to mostly ''fight against pro-monarchist, and pro-atheist'' views. Some regions take a more traditionalist approach for their propaganda, while others are more focused on futurism - an ideology, which is typically referred to as ''a gift from the Old World'' by some people in SC. Due of various different ideologies within the SC's regions, universities, and schools have different curriculum.''
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? ''No, not at all. As SC is basically a police state (Or rather a collection of police states), expressing any other political, or social thought, which is not allowed by the regional parties, and governors, will end pretty badly. While SC's governors don't really like dissent of any kind, they hate monarchists, anarchists, capitalists, and atheists in particular, due of SC's ideology set. Tom also hates ''separatist nationalists'', as he thinks, that ''they make the Commonwealth weak''. If you are caught being a dissenter, you will be either assaulted by vigilantes at a night hour, or be arrested by SCPS - a mix of KGB, Stasi, FBI, and various other security agencies, which has countless branches across the regions, which are subject to the central branch in the Megastates. Punishment can range from 15 years in forced labor camp, to death penalty, depending, on how much of a threat SC's agencies view the dissenter. That said, underground opposition groups haven't been eradicated at all in SC, but rather the other way around - according to SCPS data, ''underground democratic groups keep getting new recruits''.''
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? ''For the most form, protests of any kind aren't allowed, as they are seen as a form of dissent, and ''something, that should be suppressed''. Police, and army has rights to intervene, in order to stop any protests, both peaceful, and violent. So, no, there is not really a freedom of assembly in any of the states, which compose the SC. There are a few exceptions to this rule, however - protests organized by state labor unions are usually allowed, if they are peaceful, and have been arranged by contacting with local authorities first. However, considering the fact, that those labor unions are under state's control, along with companies themselves, and that independent labor unions practically don't exist in SC, some people say, that ''it defeats the whole purpose of labor unions'', and that SC's labor union ''protests'' are just a ''caricature of a protest'', as ''government is basically protesting against itself'', due of fact, that it controls both state CEOs, and state labor union leaders. There are a few other exceptions like that too, but as those are all related to state services, it could be said, that independent protests aren't allowed.''
Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice? ''No, neither SC's ''constitution'', nor any regional laws guarantee a due process, as SC's governments view criminals as the absolute scum, so the courts, government, army, and police have no reason to respect any ''legal rights'', and no person owes them in any of the Commonwealth's regions. Yes, not even a high-level official is spared, if they aren't lucky enough. (That said, a prisoner from ranks of Elites is more likely to be treated well than a Prole). So, for the same reason, they aren't being upheld in practice, because there are no guarantees of due process to speak of in the first place. As said before, kangaroo courts, and unfair trials are nothing uncommon, which also means, that government agents can assassinate a person outside from sanction of law - suspicion alone is an enough reason for government to approve of such operation. However, such blatant disregard has made a lot of citizens to doubt their trust in the system, and despise police, along with judges, in secret, and justice has been hurt severely. (That said, there is also a personality cult around the police, and army as well, as they also have many fanatical supporters.)''
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? ''No, not at all. First, there is not ''international travel'' in SC, due of the fact, that it is a single world government, and no other independent country exists in its world. (Although its regions have very big autonomy, to the point of extreme) However, travel outside the person's region of birth is highly regulated - unless you are an Elite, or your division has been sent to an exercise to an another region, receiving a travel permit is a long, and tedious process. Also, those permits are just temporary - while it theoretically is possible to stay for life in an another region, in practice, it is extremely hard, due of bureaucratic processes. So, an average citizen will often not interact with people outside of their Commonwealth, or even region during their lifetime, with exception of Elites, which travel for a visit, or soldiers, who have been dislocated in the region. If someone tries to leave the region without travel permit, most of regional border checkpoints are heavily guarded, and even if they manage to escape, neighbor regions, or even the entire Commonwealth will be quickly alerted by a network of SCPS regional branches, agents, army, cops, and border guards.''
Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearance? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)? ''People usually have to conform to a strict dress code - for formal events, a business suit is preferable. For other cases, a 50s attire should be worn instead, depending on each region's traditions (For example, 50s attire in China, and America was quite different from each other) - as SC is very conservative, and even reactionary, most of modern clothing and fashion would be unacceptable there, like short skirts, for an example. (Army-styled jeans are more accepted, though) Dress code is also strictly separated for genders, and in some regions, it is illegal for men to wear female clothing. Marriages are usually arranged by the family, and in some cases - by state itself. In some regions, people sometimes can marry on their own will, but it is pretty rare. So, for the most part, people can't choose their partners. While divorce is theoretically possible, legal process is messy on purpose, in order to reduce the divorce rate. Family structure is traditional, similar to Chinese family structure, and nuclear family model has mostly ceased to be relevant there. While the exact amount of domestic violence cases is hard to calculate, due of SC's sheer size, and lack of data in the newest SC's regions (Former disputed zone), the estimated amount of domestic violence cases is pretty high, even in more developed SC's regions. While some indeed see it as a problem, most of The Party's members brush the statistics off.''
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? ''Individuals are not allowed to form companies, which could possibly bring competitions to state companies, for an example in weapons sphere - all SC's guns are made by one state-controlled company, along with its countless regional branches. That said, in some cases, small family businesses are allowed, especially in countryside, mostly in spheres like food supply, as state farms not always can supply all of populace with food. That said, collectivization of farmland is still going on, and if SC's authorities deem, that a private business has grown ''too big'', it will be either broken up, or just shut down by SCPS agents. In other words, free market is pretty much non-existent there, and it gets choked instead. As for property rights... While SC offers some protection of private property against individuals, there is little to no protection from the regional governments withing the SC, which can displace you, if they want, and either turn your house into a public building, or build something else in its place - due of that, a lot of people in SC live in Khrushchyovka styled apartments. While confiscated houses are usually not allowed to be used for Party's member personal residences, some have tried to circumvent this.''

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? ''There are two citizenships - Commonwealth's citizenship, and regional citizenship. Getting Commonwealth's citizenship is very easy - you just have to be born on the godforsaken planet. However, regional citizenship is way more important than Commonwealth's citizenship, as while SC's citizenship represents humanity as a whole, regional citizenship represents the region, from which you come from. In order to get regional citizenship, you not only have to be born there, but you must also be a native to the region by blood, and language - one is tested by DNA test. If you turn out to be genetically closer to a group from another region, you will usually get sent to that region, as SC has both time, and resources for that. For the same reason, citizens from other regions without a travel permit will be usually sent back to their own region. Also, travel permits are usually only temporary, as settling in an another region outside of your home region is practically impossible, due of bureaucratic obstacles.
Who is able to vote in elections? ''Depends on an election - in Commonwealth's President election, all Party's members, which have reached age of 18, can vote, as they are considered as ''international elections''. In regional Commonwealth's elections, all Party's members, who are 18 or older, and are a member of the said Commonwealth's governments, can vote. (For example, in Canadian Commonwealth's President-Governor elections, only Party's members from Canadian regions (Prairies, Northwest, Greater North, The East, and Ontario) can vote in them). In autonomy's, or one region's elections, only the Party's members of said regions/autonomies can vote in them, as Tom considers it as ''their own matter''. However, in all those elections, only Party's members themselves can vote - which means, that lower classes like Proles can't vote, unless they somehow are the members of Party. It is also the reason, why people like army's generals, clergy, cosmonauts, farmers, etc, often carry the Party's membership card.''
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally? ''No, not really. Due of SC's reactionary, and fascistic nature, LGBT often don't fare there well, and even during reformist period, when SC loosened its anti-socialist stance, and adopted some of their economics, for an example, question of LGBT wasn't touched very much, as SC would better like to brush it below the carpet, even if it is getting really problematic. Gender equality still has a long road to go, due of SC's traditional gender role structure in the society - despite the fact, that many more talented women now have opportunities to succeed in places like army, science field, space exploration, etc, there is still a wide gap between genders, and a lot of regions are outright patriarchal. While treatment of minorities has greatly improved since 80s, when reformist wing reforms gave them a place in government through regional parties, in many cases, they still face persecution outside from their designated autonomies/regions. Societies themselves are also split in three levels - Elites, which usually are the members of the Party, and other well-off individuals, Middle Class, which usually consists from better-off workers, and various officials, which aren't members of the Party, and Proles - usually the poorer workers, who traditionally have made up a large segment of population, but lack influence in politics, and usually do the hard work in factories, and farms.''
Are the above groups well represented in government? ''While ethnic minorities usually have their own designated regions, and political parties, which give them a bit of a voice in the bigger UCN (United Commonwealth Nations) HQ, as they are a part of the larger block made by 13 larger sections of the wide tent, in practice, their voice often gets overshadowed by those political factions (Or rather parties inside parties, like a matryoshka doll), which often have larger influence in SC's politics (Spanish, Afrikaners, Brazilians, Americans, etc.), and SC's high-ranked personnel from both ''first world'', and ''second world'' still thinks, that smaller regional parties are just ''subordinates''. While there have been more women moving in the government during last years, it is a slow process, and men are still an overwhelming majority in regional governments, due of SC's reactionary nature. For the same reason, LGBT are highly underrepresented there as well, and face persecution in almost all SC's regions.''

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group? ''Well, yeah... Both in past, and present, we have carried out operations like this, sanctioned by the government. As of now, while there are no active, coordinated attacks on groups going on due of Tomism's pan-human stance, demographic changes, and displacements are still going on - for example, in Balkans, a lot of ethnic groups from other sides get displaced from each other's territories, which SC has deemed as ''ethnic regions''. While SC is a world government, it doesn't aim for multiculturalism at all - instead, it basically creates an ''one big ghetto'', with countless sections being the various regions, and autonomous zones within the Commonwealth's, with borders separating them. Outside from high-ranked personnel, and soldiers, our region average persons don't interact with people from other regions. Also, considering our hatred against other sapient species (asides from robots), if we ever get in the space...''

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(OOC:) Any suggestions for future editions of the index? ''No, I don't really have any suggestions at the moment, sorry. Although, perhaps a separate ranking of categories like civil liberties, and elections alongside with overall total ranking would be nice?''

[Draycora]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected?
Draycora has separated head of state and head of government. The head of state is the prince and is elected for life by the people. Candidates must have a doctorate in humanities or social science to compete.
The head of government is the Elector and is also elected directly by the people. Anybody can become a candidate.

How is the national legislature selected?
The legislature consists of a bicameral parliament. The Imperial Thing (lower house) is elected directly by the people according to proportional representation and party lists.
The Imperial Senate (upper house) is also elected by the people by majority voting. The senate is the seat of only philosophers and scholars, that is, they need a doctoral degree in social sciences or humanities The candidates are proposed by universities.

Are elections considered free and fair?
Yes, all elections are free, fair, immediate and secret.

Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory?
The turnout was 80-85%. There is no obligation to vote and omission is not sanctioned.

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory?
Yes, they can implement their political program if they find the necessary majority. The government at the national level has the whole state.

Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments?
Legislative initiatives can only be introduced by the Goverment (a ministry), the lower house or the people (via petitions). For the first two, only the parliament votes. In the case of a popular initiative, a binding referendum is also held. For a normal law, a simple majority of over 50% is needed in both houses (in the lower house this would be 251 votes and in the upper house 51 votes). For a legislative initiative introduced by the people one needs an additional 51% yes-votes in a referendum. For a constitutional amendment, a majority of 75% is necessary in both houses (lower house: 375, upper house: 75). Only the second part of the constitution (state structure) can be changed. The first part (nature rights) is festered with an eternity clause.

Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)?
The executive may start a legislative initiative, but not intervene in parliamentary votes.

From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated)
1: The government is pretty free from corruption as every form of donation is documented.
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated)
10: Every debate in parliament, every decision of the government and every committee meeting is documented.

Is there an independent judiciary?
Ja, Judiciary is separate from parliament and government. There are jurors in every civil court.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media?
In Draycora there are no state or publicly funded media. There are only private media, all of which may publish freely and according to their conscience and their agenda.

Is there freedom of religion?
Religious freedom is enshrined in the constitution and is also largely respected

Is education free of political interference or indoctrination?
In Draycora there are only private schools, which can set mostly their own standards, but have to provide elementary education. He has an objectivity requirement.

Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution?
Yes, it is enshrined in the Constitution.

Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice?
Yes, in all public places protest and demonstration are allowed.

Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice?
There are guarantees and they are respected.

Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment?
Free movement of people is a fundamental right and is respected, both within the country and at the international level.

Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)?
There is no dress code and the self-development is both legally and socially, a valuable asset. This is strengthened by the individualistic mentality of the population.
Through the "marriage-privatization act", the marriage was largely opened. In addition to heterosexual marriages, homosexual, polyamorous and incestuous marriages (only within one generation) are allowed.
Domestic violence is very rare and socially taboo.

Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected?
Yes, everyone is able to open a business, almost without any regulations. Acquiring and securing private property is a constitutional law.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined?
Everyone who is born in Draycora gets the citizenship. Someone who has moved in can apply for citizenship after living and working in the country for 4 years. Multiple citizenships are allowed.

Who is able to vote in elections?
Any citizen over the age of 16 (at local level, residents may vote without citizenship).

Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally?
Yes, equality is in the constitution.

Are the above groups well represented in government?
There are no quotas because they are against constitutional law, but there is hardly any discreplay.

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group?
No

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[Plaetopia]

Updated.

OOC: I hope you don't mind my posting style - I wanted it to look a bit like a document, or review. Also, sorry for the long post ahead- I just like to go in details.

Data from Ministry of Foreign and Internal Affairs

Democracy and Freedom Index

]ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected? ''SC is a totalitarian, decentralized world government (Something like HRE, but on steroids), where President Governor of the Commonwealth gets elected in Party's elections, where the members of the Party across the world come together in UCN HQ in New York, and elect the President (General of Mankind as well). Of course, only Party's members participate in the elections, and common citizens don't have much say there, although they still need to be appeased by populist policies. While President of the Commonwealth is supposed to be an uniting figure, which would make other regions loyal, in reality, central government controls only a small part of land, and the rest of the lands are ruled by various warlords, and regional-governors, creating a complex web of political alliances, and plots. As long as warlords hunt down monarchists, and pay tributes to the capital region, they are free to rule with iron fist in whatever way they want in their own region, or ''fiefdom'', as some warlords boast. Current President - Supercomputer Tom, has added title ''Eternal President'' to himself, as due of fact, that he is a supercomputer, he can theoretically be repaired for as long as necessary.''
How is the national legislature selected? ''The politicians, and other members of party can be both appointed by a President-Governor (or some other important person), or be elected in their position by the rest of The Party. Of course, common citizens, who aren't members of one of the Party's branches, don't have much say on the appointment of legislature. Each region can freely choose a delegate (Or delegates) to the UCN meetings in New York. Similar system is used in the ''Worker's Syndicates'' in various SC's state companies, and regions, where dominant ideology is national syndicalism - while it theoretically is supposed to serve the workers, in reality, the company's committee, and state's CEO themselves decide, what's the best for the company, along with who is getting appointed, and who on the other hand - demoted. Worker councils, similarly to state labor unions, are there only to serve state's needs.''
Are elections considered free and fair? ''No, of course. First, those, who aren't the members of Party, can't even vote in those elections, as The Party doesn't consider the President-Governor elections as ''the matter of the Proles'', as sometimes outright scornfully the Party calls common citizens. This is also the reason, why many people try to enlist in Party, as it also gives a small change to affect something, and all Party's members have a vote - even those, who more often work as janitors, than with administrative work. However, most of those people end up on the lower echelon of the party, or end up doing the dirty work of the Party. Second, while there is a principle of ''one vote for one person'', and in order for President-Governor candidate to be elected, they must pass a 50% threshold, vote rigging, and smear campaigns are nothing unusual, as various fractions within The Party want to get their candidate to win - like the reformist, and conservative wing, along with Old Guard, and ''socialist'' wing. Also, there have been reported cases of intimidation used against Party's members, in order to pressure them to vote for the candidate.
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory? ''Near 100%, as voting for party's members in Party's elections is compulsory, and trying to avoid it usually will result in fines for Party's members. That said, on a Commonwealth's scale as a whole, the last election was in 2020, when Blake Carter - the leader of reformist wing, and third president of SC, died. Since then, Supercomputer Tom has officially been in charge. Being a President-Governor in other regions is a lifeterm service as well, although a President-Governor can be changed in other ways as well - in case, if they die, resign on their own, or get thrown out of the office, Party's members can elect a new President-Governor from their own ranks. In a collection of totalitarian regimes what SC is, President-Governor doesn't actually have as much power as one might expect - in some cases, they still have quite a lot powers, but in some cases, they are actually puppets of the ruling local Party branches, which run the show collectively - SC is an oligarchy for a reason.''

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory? ''To answer the first question - yes, they definitely can develop, and implement new policies, although in some cases, the regional legislature as a whole has more power than a single representative. (For example, in Don-Kuban Union (A cossack region), Veche - the national assembly of the Union, implements most of policies in a vote between its members, including the Red Hetman - leader of the region. Red Hetman can propose new policies, and even implement them, but usually it is the bureaucratic oligarchy, which implements them). That said, none of them are freely elected, as they are either appointed by The Party, or elected in their position by The Party. And, no, government's authority directly only extends for a specifically designed region, called ''Eastern Colombia'' - the rest of territories are ruled by various vassals, and puppet governors, with pretty high autonomy - they can raise their own armies, and in some cases, even enact their own laws. (There are still some laws, that are universal across all of SC, though) Various regions also differ ideologically - some are more socialistic, while others - more leaning towards corporatism. SC employs something similar to Qing tributary system.''
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? ''Indeed. In fact, various councils are a part of the regional legislatures, and they approve of laws in a vote between Party's members. System can differ across the world, depending on the characteristics of the region. (For example, in Patagonian region, guild councils usually vote for most of ''civilian'' decisions, and are considered as ''Lower House'', while Warchief Councils vote on military decisions, and can either approve, or decline the guild council proposals, as SC's Patagonia is a stratocracy. Also, unlike the Lower House, Upper House's decisions usually can be approved instantly, without being needed to check from either the leader, or a House above) In some regions, the President-Governor themselves can limit the legislature's ability to pass something, and cut its power. However, those cases of governors actually doing it are pretty rare, and legislature often can pass laws, and other decisions without much resistance. In fact, legislature, and both houses (Upper and Lower) are often seen as ''basically the same''... On another note, democracy is considered a ''dead, old world value there'', so... (Old world is basically a name of the entire 20th century in SC's world, although more used for the 50s, and Interwar Period - before SC's rise to power.)''
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)? ''Kind of - in some regions, where President-Governor has a larger power in their hands, they could possibly dissolve the legislature, and limit its powers, although it definitely would be met with a high backlash from both army, local Party's branch, proles, and even from other President-Governors, so those, who have more power, typically still don't touch the legislature. In some regions, however, President-Governor is just a bit more than a figurehead, and a puppet, so they can't even dissolve it - if they would try to do so, the ruling Party's branch, together with the regional army, would most likely launch a coup, and kill the President-Governor, and install someone, who's puppet strings would be easier to pull. However, this doesn't mean, that legislatures in SC would be democratic, but rather the opposite - they are usually very tyrannical, and rule with an iron fist - a totalitarian collection of bureaucracies. It is just that the President-Governors are afraid from the bureaucrats, officials, and other politicians, and rightly so.''
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated) ''8. Despite the various anti-corruption campaigns by SC's government, and heavy penalties for it (Death penalty for corruption is an entirely viable option), corruption is still an enormous issue in SC's governments, partly due of the decentralized system, which makes it hard for central government to have a hold on far-off regions, and it sometimes also relies on various governors keeping each other in check, which means, that in such conditions, corruption has good soil. Also, due of SC's bureaucratic blot, citizens, or even other officials often have to use bribes, in order to complete even simple requests, which in result also fuels corruption, as politicians want to receive more. In fact, expensive gifts now are ill-advised to buy for officials, as they are typically associated with governmental corruption. Corruption also chokes the administrative process, and slows SC down. During reformist period, Carter tried to eradicate it, but it never stopped completely, and has experienced a resurgence in last years, after the Scramble for the World, when last remaining territories of Earth were seized by SC, and officials from former other two superstates were recruited.''
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) ''2. More often than not, Government is like it would be in an ivory tower - disconnected from the rest of populace, and living in its own world. In fact, a lot of information is classified by either central government, or various regional governments on various levels of secrecy, and is inaccessible without a permit from a government's agent. It also prefers to not tell much of what it is doing, both for media, and public. So, there are a lot of rumors, what government might be doing, and what devices are at its disposal, but there have been only a few pieces of confirmed information. Few regional officials, and President-Governors think, that they are responsible of ''reporting anything about the government for Proles'' too. So, transparency of government is not a thing, about which someone thinks there.''
Is there an independent judiciary? ''Of course not - if there was, it wouldn't be SC anymore. When it comes to judiciary, it usually is either stacked full with government-aligned judges, or judges with pro-government bias, although it's usually both. When it comes to trials of dissenters, and political opponents, kangaroo courts are nothing out of unusual, and people often don't even receive a lawyer for defense. Sometimes matters get handled to the local courts like Xeer in Somalia, or tribal courts in New Guinea, but they usually are in favor of the regional governors, and fair trial on political cases is something, that hardly ever happens, if at all. While judiciary system can be particularly cruel against criminals like drug smugglers, serial killers, and others, with having lots of punishment methods (For example, RNGOC - one of the two other former superstates, often used ''death by thousand cuts'' as a form of punishment, and it has been adapted by SC's Chinese regions), the system also suffers from corruption, just like government, so someone with enough money, and/or contacts in right places, can possibly bribe the court in their favor, and avoid being punished.''

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? ''No, not at all - we don't want, that private media ruins the State's monopoly on news. While this is a bit complicated, in short, SC has a single news company - SNN (Silver News Network), but as it would be terribly hard for a single news outlet to cover the entire world on its own, it has various branches, which cover the happenings of multiple regions, and then put the news pieces together in SNN's HQ in United Megastates (Name of America after the region reform, which reduced the amount of states from 50 to 9). It even has a radio broadcast from Antarctica, which tells about the various happenings in colonization of it. (SC has tried to colonize Antarctica for its resources recently) It also has a branch, which works with publishing news in SNN's internet site, and suppressing other news channels, which sometimes pop up in SC's internet, and usually are located in SC's ''dark web''. As SNN is pretty much government's propaganda outlet as well, it should be obvious, that situation of press freedom there is pretty terrible. Journalists, which aren't aligned with one of the many regional governments, are usually treated horribly.''
Is there freedom of religion? ''Well... It is a complicated issue in SC, to say the least. From one side, there are a lot of religions in SC, because it is a world government, and trying to enforce one religion on a world scale would be too much for SC's already enormous government, and in combination of decentralization system, central government would lose much of its power, if it alienated many religious leaders, and zealots of other religions. So, there is a ''religious council'' in SC's regions, where the local religious leaders come together, in order to discuss the newest happenings, and how to counter the opposition of The Party. A lot of religions are represented - Christians, Muslims, militant Buddhists, Hinduists, and even Neo-Pagans. That said, from other side, similarly to ethnic regions, SC also enforces the policy of ''regional religious homogeneity'', which means, that each region has a single set religion, depending on the cultural background, and following a religion outside of the selected regions is strictly punished. (For example, those, who practice neo-paganism outside the specifically designed ''neo-pagan'' regions, are usually punished) Also, SC's religious zealots are very hostile against atheism, and sometimes it is said, that ''hate against atheism is the glue, what keeps the ''religious council'' together''. So, overall the status of religious freedom in SC is pretty bleak.''
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? ''No - in fact, it is the quite opposite of that, as education system is usually one of the first places, where indoctrination begins. Usually most of the educational system is left in the hands of the regional parties, and sometimes - guilds, and syndicates as well, so a lot of them use indoctrination. In fact, SC is an ideologically very radical entity, which has described itself as ''anti-monarchist, anti-atheist, anti-democratic, and anti-capitalist'' - politics in SC's university are usually taught with heavy political bias, with beliefs of jingoism, glorification of warfare, and Hegelian dialectics mixed with ''world revolution'', state-planned economy, and religious evangelism. Even in subjects like maths, physics, sports, and engineering, political messages are usually inserted left and right. Some regions also employ ''Republican Vanguards'' - units similar to Mao's ''Red Guards'', which are supposed to mostly ''fight against pro-monarchist, and pro-atheist'' views. Some regions take a more traditionalist approach for their propaganda, while others are more focused on futurism - an ideology, which is typically referred to as ''a gift from the Old World'' by some people in SC. Due of various different ideologies within the SC's regions, universities, and schools have different curriculum.''
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? ''No, not at all. As SC is basically a police state (Or rather a collection of police states), expressing any other political, or social thought, which is not allowed by the regional parties, and governors, will end pretty badly. While SC's governors don't really like dissent of any kind, they hate monarchists, anarchists, capitalists, and atheists in particular, due of SC's ideology set. Tom also hates ''separatist nationalists'', as he thinks, that ''they make the Commonwealth weak''. If you are caught being a dissenter, you will be either assaulted by vigilantes at a night hour, or be arrested by SCPS - a mix of KGB, Stasi, FBI, and various other security agencies, which has countless branches across the regions, which are subject to the central branch in the Megastates. Punishment can range from 15 years in forced labor camp, to death penalty, depending, on how much of a threat SC's agencies view the dissenter. That said, underground opposition groups haven't been eradicated at all in SC, but rather the other way around - according to SCPS data, ''underground democratic groups keep getting new recruits''.''
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? ''For the most form, protests of any kind aren't allowed, as they are seen as a form of dissent, and ''something, that should be suppressed''. Police, and army has rights to intervene, in order to stop any protests, both peaceful, and violent. So, no, there is not really a freedom of assembly in any of the states, which compose the SC. There are a few exceptions to this rule, however - protests organized by state labor unions are usually allowed, if they are peaceful, and have been arranged by contacting with local authorities first. However, considering the fact, that those labor unions are under state's control, along with companies themselves, and that independent labor unions practically don't exist in SC, some people say, that ''it defeats the whole purpose of labor unions'', and that SC's labor union ''protests'' are just a ''caricature of a protest'', as ''government is basically protesting against itself'', due of fact, that it controls both state CEOs, and state labor union leaders. There are a few other exceptions like that too, but as those are all related to state services, it could be said, that independent protests aren't allowed.''
Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice? ''No, neither SC's ''constitution'', nor any regional laws guarantee a due process, as SC's governments view criminals as the absolute scum, so the courts, government, army, and police have no reason to respect any ''legal rights'', and no person owes them in any of the Commonwealth's regions. Yes, not even a high-level official is spared, if they aren't lucky enough. (That said, a prisoner from ranks of Elites is more likely to be treated well than a Prole). So, for the same reason, they aren't being upheld in practice, because there are no guarantees of due process to speak of in the first place. As said before, kangaroo courts, and unfair trials are nothing uncommon, which also means, that government agents can assassinate a person outside from sanction of law - suspicion alone is an enough reason for government to approve of such operation. However, such blatant disregard has made a lot of citizens to doubt their trust in the system, and despise police, along with judges, in secret, and justice has been hurt severely. (That said, there is also a personality cult around the police, and army as well, as they also have many fanatical supporters.)''
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? ''No, not at all. First, there is not ''international travel'' in SC, due of the fact, that it is a single world government, and no other independent country exists in its world. (Although its regions have very big autonomy, to the point of extreme) However, travel outside the person's region of birth is highly regulated - unless you are an Elite, or your division has been sent to an exercise to an another region, receiving a travel permit is a long, and tedious process. Also, those permits are just temporary - while it theoretically is possible to stay for life in an another region, in practice, it is extremely hard, due of bureaucratic processes. So, an average citizen will often not interact with people outside of their Commonwealth, or even region during their lifetime, with exception of Elites, which travel for a visit, or soldiers, who have been dislocated in the region. If someone tries to leave the region without travel permit, most of regional border checkpoints are heavily guarded, and even if they manage to escape, neighbor regions, or even the entire Commonwealth will be quickly alerted by a network of SCPS regional branches, agents, army, cops, and border guards.''
Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearance? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)? ''People usually have to conform to a strict dress code - for formal events, a business suit is preferable. For other cases, a 50s attire should be worn instead, depending on each region's traditions (For example, 50s attire in China, and America was quite different from each other) - as SC is very conservative, and even reactionary, most of modern clothing and fashion would be unacceptable there, like short skirts, for an example. (Army-styled jeans are more accepted, though) Dress code is also strictly separated for genders, and in some regions, it is illegal for men to wear female clothing. Marriages are usually arranged by the family, and in some cases - by state itself. In some regions, people sometimes can marry on their own will, but it is pretty rare. So, for the most part, people can't choose their partners. While divorce is theoretically possible, legal process is messy on purpose, in order to reduce the divorce rate. Family structure is traditional, similar to Chinese family structure, and nuclear family model has mostly ceased to be relevant there. While the exact amount of domestic violence cases is hard to calculate, due of SC's sheer size, and lack of data in the newest SC's regions (Former disputed zone), the estimated amount of domestic violence cases is pretty high, even in more developed SC's regions. While some indeed see it as a problem, most of The Party's members brush the statistics off.''
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? ''Individuals are not allowed to form companies, which could possibly bring competitions to state companies, for an example in weapons sphere - all SC's guns are made by one state-controlled company, along with its countless regional branches. That said, in some cases, small family businesses are allowed, especially in countryside, mostly in spheres like food supply, as state farms not always can supply all of populace with food. That said, collectivization of farmland is still going on, and if SC's authorities deem, that a private business has grown ''too big'', it will be either broken up, or just shut down by SCPS agents. In other words, free market is pretty much non-existent there, and it gets choked instead. As for property rights... While SC offers some protection of private property against individuals, there is little to no protection from the regional governments withing the SC, which can displace you, if they want, and either turn your house into a public building, or build something else in its place - due of that, a lot of people in SC live in Khrushchyovka styled apartments. While confiscated houses are usually not allowed to be used for Party's member personal residences, some have tried to circumvent this.''

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? ''There are two citizenships - Commonwealth's citizenship, and regional citizenship. Getting Commonwealth's citizenship is very easy - you just have to be born on the godforsaken planet. However, regional citizenship is way more important than Commonwealth's citizenship, as while SC's citizenship represents humanity as a whole, regional citizenship represents the region, from which you come from. In order to get regional citizenship, you not only have to be born there, but you must also be a native to the region by blood, and language - one is tested by DNA test. If you turn out to be genetically closer to a group from another region, you will usually get sent to that region, as SC has both time, and resources for that. For the same reason, citizens from other regions without a travel permit will be usually sent back to their own region. Also, travel permits are usually only temporary, as settling in an another region outside of your home region is practically impossible, due of bureaucratic obstacles.
Who is able to vote in elections? ''Depends on an election - in Commonwealth's President election, all Party's members, which have reached age of 18, can vote, as they are considered as ''international elections''. In regional Commonwealth's elections, all Party's members, who are 18 or older, and are a member of the said Commonwealth's governments, can vote. (For example, in Canadian Commonwealth's President-Governor elections, only Party's members from Canadian regions (Prairies, Northwest, Greater North, The East, and Ontario) can vote in them). In autonomy's, or one region's elections, only the Party's members of said regions/autonomies can vote in them, as Tom considers it as ''their own matter''. However, in all those elections, only Party's members themselves can vote - which means, that lower classes like Proles can't vote, unless they somehow are the members of Party. It is also the reason, why people like army's generals, clergy, cosmonauts, farmers, etc, often carry the Party's membership card.''
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally? ''No, not really. Due of SC's reactionary, and fascistic nature, LGBT often don't fare there well, and even during reformist period, when SC loosened its anti-socialist stance, and adopted some of their economics, for an example, question of LGBT wasn't touched very much, as SC would better like to brush it below the carpet, even if it is getting really problematic. Gender equality still has a long road to go, due of SC's traditional gender role structure in the society - despite the fact, that many more talented women now have opportunities to succeed in places like army, science field, space exploration, etc, there is still a wide gap between genders, and a lot of regions are outright patriarchal. While treatment of minorities has greatly improved since 80s, when reformist wing reforms gave them a place in government through regional parties, in many cases, they still face persecution outside from their designated autonomies/regions. Societies themselves are also split in three levels - Elites, which usually are the members of the Party, and other well-off individuals, Middle Class, which usually consists from better-off workers, and various officials, which aren't members of the Party, and Proles - usually the poorer workers, who traditionally have made up a large segment of population, but lack influence in politics, and usually do the hard work in factories, and farms.''
Are the above groups well represented in government? ''While ethnic minorities usually have their own designated regions, and political parties, which give them a bit of a voice in the bigger UCN (United Commonwealth Nations) HQ, as they are a part of the larger block made by 13 larger sections of the wide tent, in practice, their voice often gets overshadowed by those political factions (Or rather parties inside parties, like a matryoshka doll), which often have larger influence in SC's politics (Spanish, Afrikaners, Brazilians, Americans, etc.), and SC's high-ranked personnel from both ''first world'', and ''second world'' still thinks, that smaller regional parties are just ''subordinates''. While there have been more women moving in the government during last years, it is a slow process, and men are still an overwhelming majority in regional governments, due of SC's reactionary nature. For the same reason, LGBT are highly underrepresented there as well, and face persecution in almost all SC's regions.''

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group? ''Well, yeah... Both in past, and present, we have carried out operations like this, sanctioned by the government. As of now, while there are no active, coordinated attacks on groups going on due of Tomism's pan-human stance, demographic changes, and displacements are still going on - for example, in Balkans, a lot of ethnic groups from other sides get displaced from each other's territories, which SC has deemed as ''ethnic regions''. While SC is a world government, it doesn't aim for multiculturalism at all - instead, it basically creates an ''one big ghetto'', with countless sections being the various regions, and autonomous zones within the Commonwealth's, with borders separating them. Outside from high-ranked personnel, and soldiers, our region average persons don't interact with people from other regions. Also, considering our hatred against other sapient species (asides from robots), if we ever get in the space...''

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(OOC:) Any suggestions for future editions of the index? ''No, I don't really have any suggestions at the moment, sorry. Although, perhaps a separate ranking of categories like civil liberties, and elections alongside with overall total ranking would be nice?"

OOC: Well, one the one hand, the general tone and detail are kind of what I'm looking for actually. Needless to say, great post. On the other hand, the font color is burning my eyes, so please make it a bit darker. On the suggestion, it could be done Freedom House-style, but ultimately I feel that the final score is more important (that said, for future editions, I'd like to make the criteria for "full democracy" more stringent).

[Palmyrion]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected? The head of state, a monarch, succeeds to the throne by absolute primogeniture, and the head of government is elected by popular vote for a 4-year term.
How is the national legislature selected? By popular vote. We're a federal semi-parliamentary constitutional monarchy.
Are elections considered free and fair? Yes. Election fraud is dealt with immediately.
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory? The 2016 elections had a 50% turnout, largely because of a war in Northern Palmyrion against secessionist states.

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory? New policies are deliberated before implementation. Implementation is kept into account by the Auditory Commission. The government's authority extends over the full national territory, but at the end of the day we're still a federalist country.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? A 2/3 vote for a constitutional amendment or a bill vetoed by the monarch.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)? If the government declares martial law, it can.
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? 4. Corruption cases are frequently apprehended, but they tend to make quite the ruckus everytime they crop up.
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? 9. The government does hide secrets that are ethically acceptable to hide, but at the end of the day, government expenditures and activities are transparent; one can ask for reports, papers, etc. of these through a Freedom of Information Request.
Is there an independent judiciary? Yes.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? Yes.
Is there freedom of religion? Yes.
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? Yes.
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? Yes.
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Yes.
Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice? Yes.
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? Immigration/emigration controls are in place, but freedom of internal and external movement is still excellent.
Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)? Yes.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Yes.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? By jus soli.
Who is able to vote in elections? Natural-born citizens only.
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally? Yes.
Are the above groups well represented in government? Yes.

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group? No.

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Any suggestions for future editions of the index?

[Czechoslovakia and Zakarpattia]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected? Through direct democratic elections conducted in an instant runoff system (Ranked Choice Voting), with Prime Ministers being elected every 3 years and the ceremonial President (Serving as the Head of State) being elected every 4 years. The Prime Minister is elected based on which party achieves a majority in the Chamber of Deputies, whether through coalitions or a single party on its own.
How is the national legislature selected? As specified above, through direct democratic elections conducted under a ranked choice voting system nationwide, with MPs being elected every 3 years.
Are elections considered free and fair? Yes, all ballots are conducted with utmost secrecy and no voter is pressured to vote for any particular political party, and all parties are allowed to campaign unmolested, even the centrist and rightwing opposition. In addition, electoral fraud is cracked down upon by an independent electoral commission and elections are publically financed by taxpayers to prevent corporate bribery.
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory? The median turnout in Czechoslovak elections is roughly 92%, and attendance is mandatory and heavily encouraged by the Czechoslovak government.

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory? Yes, members of parliament are usually able to successfully propose and draft policies, though whether or not they get implemented depends on them getting a majority in the Chamber of Deputies and then a confirmation through citizen referendums (We are a direct democracy after all). The structure of the nation is significantly decentralized and operates on the principles of a confederation, with each region having it's own mini parliaments, autonomy, and governors.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? The legislative branch holds almost all executive power and the President is a solely ceremonial figure, only there to diplomatically represent the state abroad and also has veto power over legislation, able to be overruled by a majority.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)? No, the General Secretary does not have the authority to suspend the Chamber of Deputies under almost no circumstances, and the only legal ways the parliament can be dissolved is if it is under complete gridlock for over 3 months or if a state of emergency is declared (Which in itself must be approved in an referendum).
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated) 1. Corruption is criminalized by the Czechoslovak Constitution as a serious felony and any politician caught in corruption scandals (Usually by investigative journalists and detectives) or graft is banned from politics for a period of 20 years and receives a prison sentence of 3-6 years, depending on the severity and scope of said enrichment. Under such conditions, the opportunity for corruption to materialize is extremely slim to almost nonexistent, especially with a strong culture of honesty, accountability, and press freedom.
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 10. All government contracts, actions, and pieces of legislation are publicized on the Internet, whether they are trivial or of great importance, and every aspect of government bureaucracy is fully digitalized.
Is there an independent judiciary? Yes, the judiciary is completely independent from the government and jurists are selected based on their merit, impartiality, and integrity by a nonpartisan judicial commission.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? Yes, the country has a free, independent and vibrant mediascape and press freedom is protected as a fundamental right in the Czechoslovak Constitution.
Is there freedom of religion? Yes, the right to practice your personal religion is protected by constitutional amendments, but officially, the country is a secular state, and as such, religious influence on government policy and education is strictly prohibited under the principles of Laicité.
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? Yes, every student has a right to a educational environment free of indoctrination or political twisting of facts, and school literature is presented without censorship.
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? Yes, the freedom of expressing dissenting thoughts and speech is explicitly protected by the Constitution, and any attempt to crackdown on expression of non-extremist views is punished severely.
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Yes, the right to protest and peaceably assemble is protected as a fundamental right in the Constitution, and protests are allowed to proceed without any police interference, as long as no serious violence breaks out.
Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice? Yes, due process and the right to counsel is protected as an basic right, and all trials are conducted in a fair and just fashion.
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? Yes, the borders to Czechoslovakia and Zakarpattia are almost completely open and every citizen is allowed to freely travel across the world at his/her own leisure.
Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)? Indeed. Domestic violence is frowned upon by a large majority of Czechoslovak citizens, and anyone performing said act is sentenced to 10 years in rehabilitation centres (Think Norway-style prisons, which is what my nation uses). Same-sex marriage is also enshrined as a fundamental right and one's appearance or size of family is not for the government to decide.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Limited small business and personal property (AKA stuff that you yourself have bought) is permissible in Czechoslovakia, but the vast majority of the economy is consisted of the public sector (Such as state-owned enterprise) and is largely automated by Cybersyn-esque artificial intelligence, negating the need for large scale human involvement in the economy.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? One can become a citizen by either being born on Czechoslovak soil, or having permanent residence and paying taxes for more than 3 years.
Who is able to vote in elections? Any citizen at or above the age of 15 is allowed to freely vote in all Czechoslovak elections from local/municipal to national parliamentary and presidential. Suffrage is granted to every community in Czechoslovakia, regardless of race, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation.
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally? Yes, discrimination in all forms is explicitly prohibited by the Czechoslovak Constitution and every citizen is protected from persecution and unfair application of the law, regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious or political affiliation.
Are the above groups well represented in government? Indeed, the ruling leftwing government has a diverse cabinet with extensive minority representation, and there are also sizeable portion of aforementioned groups serving as MPs in the Chamber of Deputies.

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group? Are you kidding me?! Of course not! That is tantamount to genocide and it is in no way acceptable or permissible!

---

Any suggestions for future editions of the index? For the time being, this index is adequate and doesn't need suggestions from me for now.

[Plaetopia]

Updated.

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group? Are you kidding me?! Of course not! That is tantamount to genocide and it is in no way acceptable or permissible!

Exactly why nations replying "yes" to this question receive a score penalty.

[Maineiacs]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected? Multi-party parliamentary election
How is the national legislature selected? same
Are elections considered free and fair? yes
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory? 60-70% turnout; not compulsory

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory? yes and yes
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? yes, simple majority vote except on Constitutional changes, which require 2/3 majority
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)? no
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated) 1 (corruption in office is grounds for removal from office, vigorous press tends to be watchdogs)
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 8.5 "full transparency" required by law, except on matters of national security, but executive (President) must explain to Legislative leaders, who have security clearance, why he/she feels the info in question is matter of national security
Is there an independent judiciary? yes

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? yes
Is there freedom of religion? yes
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? yes
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? yes
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? yes
Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice? yes
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? yes
Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)? yes; domestic violence not common, and considered class A felony
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? property rights protected; business practices regulated tightly, but no restrictions on who may start a business and any item not specifically prohibited by law may be sold

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? birthright or naturalization
Who is able to vote in elections? all citizens 18 or older not currently incarcerated
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally? yes, by law
Are the above groups well represented in government? yes; percentages close to, if not exactly matching, proportion of overall population

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group?

---

no
Any suggestions for future editions of the index?

[Nokelon]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected?
The Head of State and Head of Government is the Emperor, which is a hereditary position belonging to the House of Long.
How is the national legislature selected?
The Parliament is selected by regular elections every two years, but it has virtually no political power.
Are elections considered free and fair?
Generally yes, with restrictions on extremist parties, but elections themselves are rather meaningless.
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory?
Around 50%. Voting is not mandatory in Nokelon and many consider it unnecessary.

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory?
No. The Nokelonian Parliament is fully subservient to the Emperor, and in practice has no power at all. Governmental authority, however, does extend throughout Nokelon's territory.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments?
The legislature has little power, and all laws must be approved by the Emperor.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)?
Yes. The Emperor is the supreme political authority in Nokelon.
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated)
4. The Imperial government is largely transparent and doesn't like stealing from the country's treasury or anything like that. Nepotism, however, is quite prevalent.
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated)
6. See above.
Is there an independent judiciary?
Surprisingly, given the Emperor's power, yes, and judicial fairness is considered to be of paramount importance in Nokelon. The Emperor is immune from prosecution however, and is allowed to act as a judge.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media?
Yes, very much so.
Is there freedom of religion?
Yes, with exceptions for religious extremism. There is no state religion in Nokelon.
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination?
Yes, and private and home education is widespread.
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution?
Usually yes, but the Emperor and the police have some discretion.
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice?
Generally yes, see above.
Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice?
Yes certainly. The only exception is the Emperor is immune to prosecution, but due process is otherwise held sacrosanct.
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment?
Yes. Passports are required to travel internationally of course, and due to Nokelon being on another planet, movement even within the country is difficult and expensive, but it is not restricted based on political reasons.
Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)?
Yes, another right held sacrosanct by Nokelonians and very rarely interfered with. Domestic violence is generally as common as it would be in an average Western country.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected?
Sometimes, but not always. Small businesses are generally protected, as is private property, but large corporations are heavily taxed and were even banned or split up a few years ago. Economic policy often fluctuates depending on the will of the Emperor.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined?
Any human who has immigrated legally and lived in Nokelon for at least 4 years can apply for citizenship, which is usually granted. All humans born in Nokelon are considered citizens at birth.
Giant Birds have a complicated status - they are citizens in theory, but do not have as much rights as humans do.
Who is able to vote in elections?
All adult human citizens (over the age of 17) are allowed to vote in elections, if they are held.
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally?
No. Humans are, regardless of race or gender, treated equally under the law, but the indigenous Giant Birds have been treated poorly in the past and still aren't guaranteed freedom of assembly, speech, freedom from discrimination etc. One cannot kill or enslave a Giant Bird, but otherwise their rights remain minimal.
Are the above groups well represented in government?
Not in the Imperial Family, but in Parliament, it depends on the will of the voters (but usually yes). Not for giant birds though.

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group?
No, not officially at least.

---

Any suggestions for future editions of the index?
Seems good as is, but perhaps military influence and treatment whilst incarcerated could be factored in.

[Blueflarst]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected? The head of the state and government is the Imperator and protector of the people it has the executive power and a part of the legistative.
How is the national legislature selected? We have a national assembly but hte members are not voted by the average people. There are representatives of the military, the syndicates and the most important works as doctors enginners police etc all of them are elected by their own internalcongress without state influencing.
Are elections considered free and fair? We do not have government elections the members of the government are elected in public exams among the best
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory?
There are no elcetions of government and administration is meritocratic
There is no mandatory vote.
SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory? The government authority extends for all the state but some regions have more autonomy than other ones. Both government and regional administration are elceted by public exam.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? The legislature passes the laws in consensus with the government the head of state may veto resolutions and laws, the government has the initiative
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)? It is totally able the head of state has veto power and must sign all new law
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated) The corruption is pervasive and present in some administrations. 4
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) The government activity is totally public there are no secret plans or information not avaibable from the public 10
Is there an independent judiciary? The judiciary is independant and new lawyers and juries are selected by exams the national supreme court is elected for the juries among the nation

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? The media is independent but they may suffer fines or intervention if they spread fake news or sensationalist content all news must be impartial without opinion
Is there freedom of religion? People can choose their religion
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? The education is free there are public and private schooling systems all with the same ebooks
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? They are free to do it without carrying weapons to the protest
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? They are allowed without limit the freedom of speech of the population is huge extensive are often troublesome
Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice? They exist for most people upheld
not member of mafias, terrorist organisation or serial murdering these concrete ones do not have rights
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? They do
Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)? They do but we do not have data of the domestic violence. The crime is low our people have extensive privacity laws and only can be down if a murdering or physycal damage take place or crimes are reported by anonymous citizens
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? They are free to do, their proerty is guaraanted and the nationalisation is outlawed unless big cracks happen inside it

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? By residency at 18 years all people must have a national identity document, with only a name and a photo the privacity laws are huge and the government can not track more data excepting the wealth
Who is able to vote in elections? We do not have government elections the members of the government are elected in public exams among the best
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally? They are treated equally.
Are the above groups well represented in government? The government is elected by public exams so not sure about it. If they manage to enter as the best candidate are in if not no

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group? No but inmigration is illegal.

---

Any suggestions for future editions of the index?

[Maineiacs]

Sorry about the edit; I misread one of the questions.

[Alpes a Septentrionali Imperium]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected? Through a hereditary line of succession or election by the imperial house(Elections are rare)
How is the national legislature selected? 15 seats are hereditary,325 seats are taken by nobles at random with no election, 65 seats are appointed by the church, 295 are chosen every five years by the grand elector, 100 are elected by the people
Are elections considered free and fair? No
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory?17% and no voting isn't mandatory

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory? They are successfully able to implement policies but they currently aren't allowed to develop policies without the permission of the executive. Government authority does extend over most of the national territory
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? The legislature can be disbanded or called at any time and the laws it creates can be vetoed by the executive or other parts of the government at any time.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)? Yes, the constitution allows the executive to call and disband the parliament(legislature) and take away its powers for a period of time.
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated) 5/10 bribes and powerplays are common but cracked-down on
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated)3/10 most changes in government or law are sent out in imperial decree or the news
Is there an independent judiciary? Yes the tribunal de l'empire

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? There are both independent and government-run media
Is there freedom of religion?No only a certain amount of religions are allowed for worship and Roman Catholicism is the state religion. But people are allowed to abstain from religion and worship a different religion if they don't cause any problems or get proper government permission to do so.
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? No, It is required that patriotism and loyalty to Alpes in taught in school. These programs have had moderate success
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? Yes, but they will face retribution if it is too severe
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice?No
Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice? Yes, but they can be violated if the government has a reason.
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? no
Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)? They do have basic social freedoms and around 21% of people will have experienced domestic violence at one point or another
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Yes and the right to property is protected by the constitution and law

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? Through birth to two citizens or through completing the steps and tests required to gain citizenship
Who is able to vote in elections? The first estate and high-class members of the third estate
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally? Alpes uses an estate system with The first estate made up of Nobles having the most rights, and the list goes down in rights with the fourth estate of indentured peoples having the least rights.
Are the above groups well represented in government? The first estate and second estate(church) are represented the most with the fourth estate represented the least. The third estate(Common people) Are kinda in the middle but are generally less represented

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group? *Colonial genocide and ethnic cleansing of groups the government doesn't approve of Intensifies* It happens but it is extremely rare

---

Any suggestions for future editions of the index?
N/A

[First American Empire]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected? Designated as heir by the previous Emperor.
How is the national legislature selected? Elected by college graduates from each state, using Ranked Choice Voting.
Are elections considered free and fair? Socially right-wing parties are banned, and people need a college degree to vote, but there is very little fraud within these constraints.
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory? An average of 48.38% of eligible voters voted in elections held in 2018.

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory? National representatives hold little power beyond the state level, but the government's authority extends to the whole territory. (With the possible exception of Florida, where the government has difficulty enforcing the law due to very high crime rates.)
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? No. Most legislation is written and passed by the Emperor or by Imperial Ministers appointed by him. State legislatures do have significant power to pass laws though.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)? Yes. The Emperor has absolute power over the legislature and can subvert them at will.
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? 4. (10 in Florida, 3 outside Florida). The level of corruption is average and unremarkable, but much of the corruption in the American Empire is specific to the state of Florida, which is vastly more corrupt than the rest of the country.
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? 9. Most government activities are very transparent, with all operations of every government apparatus available for public viewing, except the Ministries of Defense and Espionage, for obvious reasons.
Is there an independent judiciary? Yes.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? Yes.
Is there freedom of religion? Yes.
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? Yes.
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? So long as said dissent does not include hate speech, yes.
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Yes, with the exception of far-right protests.
Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice? Yes.
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? Yes. We have the strongest freedom of movement protections on our world.
Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)? Yes. They can freely choose their marriage partners, and contraception and abortion are freely available. Domestic violence is rare due to strong enforcement of the laws by the government.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Yes, in every state but Wisconsin, which currently has a communist state government, and Florida, which has a very high rate of property crimes.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? Anyone can immigrate freely, and citizenship is gained upon residing in the country for six months out of any one year. If a citizen emigrates to another country, they are no longer considered citizens unless they move back. The main difference between citizens and non-citizens is whether they have to pay taxes, and non-citizens are not treated any differently apart from this.
Who is able to vote in elections? Anyone who has resided in their state for three consecutive months before the election holds a college degree.
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally? Yes, and we have very strong antidiscrimination laws.
Are the above groups well represented in government? Yes.

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group? No.

---

Any suggestions for future editions of the index? Add separate results for civil liberties and democracy, in order to differentiate between Liberal Autocracies and Illiberal Democracies in the Hybrid Regime section.

[Soldeg]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected?
By voice boxes taken from every state

How is the national legislature selected?
Elected by the president

Are elections considered free and fair?
Absolutely, everybody gets to vote. Except criminals of course

Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory?
An average of 87,5% since there are States that can't fully compromise the votes

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Does government authority extend over the full national territory?
Only the executive power can develop and implement new policies, the government authority can extend over the full Nation authority since there are offices all around the nation

Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments?
The legislature does have legislative initiative. Their job is to protect the laws or policies

Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or strong limits on legislature's powers)?
Yes

From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated)
4, because of the third president susilo bambang trajoduwono, the nation's staff are easily bribed through with money

From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated)
5, because although the government shouldn't control everything we do need an amount where the government does step in. Something like education, hospitals, and many more

Is there an independent judiciary?
Yes

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media?
Yes

Is there freedom of religion?
Yes

Is education free of political interference or indoctrination?
Education is halfly ran by private industries

Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution?
Except for Islam because of the third president tragedy

Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice?
Abseloutely

Are there basic guarantees of due process, and are they upheld in practice?
Yes

Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment?
Yes, we have full freedom and less unemployment

Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic violence?)?
Yes, domestic violence is 3% common in the soldegian Nation since beating your child is illegal either beating your wife or anyone is being put illegal

Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected?
Yes, we encourage private businesses

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined?
By following our regulations. Either be in this Nation for 6 months or have a wife/husband there and they have to be at least 21 years old to immigrate here, And once they are a full citizen either immigrants and nationals are put to pay the same amount of tax the government has asked

Who is able to vote in elections?
Everyone except criminals

Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally?
Not entirely, since we plead upon a generous amount of population. On the bright side though the LGBT community has a rule against discrimination. And we don't celebrate pride parades here

Are the above groups well represented in government?
Yes

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Are the government or nonstate groups deliberately and systematically changing the demographics of the country so as to dilute or eliminate a particular group?

---

Any suggestions for future editions of the index?