ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected? By election every 5 years, with a lifetime 2-term limit for the President
How is the national legislature selected? The lower house (Assembly) is elected every 3 years, and the Senate (upper house) is elected every 6, with half the chamber up for election every 3 years.
Are elections considered free and fair? Yes
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory? 68%. 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, Appalachia has full authority over all its territories.
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, however - laws can also be proposed directly by the executive branch for the legislature to consider. A bill that passes both chambers can be vetoed by the President, the video can be overriden with a 2/3rds majority vote. It also takes a 2/3rds vote to propose a Constitutional amendment, and said amendment must then be proposed as a ballot issue and agreed on by 50% of voters - additionally the election the amendment is voted on in must have a turnout of at least 50% of eligible voters, or else it will be re-proposed until it passes or fails in an election that meets that criteria.
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 does not have the authority to dissolve the legislature or call elections, nor can the legislature's authority be altered by any means other than a constitutional amendment or ruling from the High Court. The President may call the legislature to session, but may not dismiss it or prevent it from being called to session.
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated) At the federal level, probably a 3. Lobbying exists and can sometimes be corrupt, both unions and corporations vie for political influence. And there are always back-channel deals. But in general if any corruption is made public the legislature is censured or even impeached, even by their own party in order to maintain appearances. In the provincial and local governments, it can be anywhere from a 2 to a 7 - with higher corruption being in the more rural areas.
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) For the executive, 5, the legislature, 7, and the judiciary 4. The executive gives frequent statements and speeches about domestic policy, but keeps a good deal hidden from the public eye, particularly when it comes to foreign relations. All legislative sessions, including committee meetings, are broadcast unless dealing with highly classified information, the non-transparency comes from the lobbying mentioned earlier. The judiciary, from the federal district courts all the way to the High Court, does not generally allow press or members of the public uninvolved in proceedings into the courtrooms, though all verdicts and transcripts are made public after the trial concludes.
Is there an independent judiciary? It is not entirely independent. All judges are appointed by the executive and approved by the legislature. For district judges, these are 10 year terms, for appeals judges, 15 years, and for High Court justices, they are lifetime until retirement.
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? In regards to the employment portion of this question, Appalachia places certain restrictions on dual-citizens. A dual citizen may not be an employee of a foreign government nor serve in a foreign military - lest they lose their Appalachian citizenship.
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?)? Same-sex marriage is legal, polygamy is not. Domestic violence is unfortunately somewhat common, but is punished more severely than in many other nations. Appearance is not restricted except in the sense that public nudity is not generally allowed.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? There are licensing laws involved in business, but yes, any citizen does have the right to start one. As for property rights, eminent domain does exist but can only be used for public projects, not private development, and the individual has the right to be compensated for the fair market value of their property and all structures on it.
PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? A person who has at least one parent who is a citizen of Appalachia shall also be a citizen. A person may apply for naturalized citizenship. There are a few routes for this, the most common is to apply after being a legal non-citizen resident for 5 years. The other is to be a skilled worker in a field that there is a shortage of qualified citizens for, or have a direct relative who is a citizen of Appalachia, either allows for a streamlined 3-year resident to citizen process.
Who is able to vote in elections? All citizens above the age of 18, who are not actively serving a prison sentence or parole for a felony. Rights are automatically restored at the conclusion of the sentence.
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally? Gender equality and the rights of sexual minorities are enshrined in the constitution. The nation admittedly still has work to do with full acceptance for gender minorities - currently employment and housing discrimination are prohibited, and one can legally change their gender after reassignment surgery. But the nation has yet to legally recognize other genders besides male or female on official documents, or allow for a change of gender without surgery. There are proposals to fill these gaps in transgender rights.
Are the above groups well represented in government? About 30% of Appalachian legislatures are women, as well as about 20% of judges in the federal justice system, and 40% of cabinet members. While the government would point out that this is a higher percentage than most nations, it still isn't equal representation. The government will also state that most ethic minorities are represented in government equal to their proportion of the population, though whether this qualifies as "well-represented" in a nation that is 85% white is questionable. There are a few LGBT members of each branch of government, but while there are no official statistics, they are probably under-represented as a proportion of the 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?
