Democracy and Freedom Index II (CLOSED)

[Thermodolia]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? The President is elected by a two round system every six years.
What powers does the office exercise? The President is both the head of state and the chief executive. The President always has control over national security, defense, and foreign policies but the president can also be in charge of other matters if the Prime Minister is from the same party/coalition. As the head of state the president is the commander and chief of the military and has the ability to enter into treaties and diplomacy. The President also has the power to veto laws and appoints the Prime Minister, Department Secretaries, and independent agency heads and Government Owned Corporation Board members.
How was the head of government selected? The Prime Minister is appointed by the president with the approval of the National Assembly which is the lower house of the federal parliament. The Prime Minister must be a Representative and above the age of 25.
What powers does the office exercise? The Prime Minister appoints the ministers, sets domestic national policy, and runs the day to day affairs of the government.
How is the national legislature selected? The Federal Parliament is bicameral and therefore has two separate houses. The Federal Senate is comprised of 494 senators who are elected by STV in districts that range from 6 to 3 senators. The senators are elected for 6 year terms and are elected in two classes; class one is elected with the president while class 2 is elected during the midterms. The National Assembly is comprised of 1,000 representatives elected by closed party list proportional representation in a single national district. Representatives are elected for 3 year terms.
Are elections considered free and fair? Yes.
Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly? No
Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections? Yes. In fact the opposition currently controls the National Assembly and therefore the Prime Minister.
Is voting voluntary? Yea
If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections? ~75%

SEPARATION OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT
In case national representatives were freely elected, are they able to succesfully develop and implement new policies? Yes the Representatives and Federal Senators have the power to create new policies
Does government authority extend over the full national territory? Yes
Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government? No. Federal law prohibits this from happening and gives the TED broad powers to reduce corruption.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? Yes. The government, individual representatives/senators, the majority/ruling coalition, and the opposition can submit bills.
What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? A simple majority is required for all bills to become law except for constitutional amendments which require 2/3rds of both chambers. However a constitutional amendment must also be voted in by a referendum
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or vetoes)? The President can only dissolve the National Assembly in extreme circumstances such as their being an inability to form a government however an election must happen within four months of the chamber being dissolved and it can’t be dissolved 6 months before or after a regular election. The President and Prime Minister can both veto laws, however the Federal Parliament can overturn the presidential veto if 2/3rds in both chambers vote to do so. If the prime minister vetos a bill the National Assembly can vote to either overturn the veto or pass a motion of no confidence both only need a simple majority.
From 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? (Small explanation appreciated) 2. The federal government has stringent anti corruption laws and tasks an entire agency to root out corruption.
From 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 6. The federal government is transparent about certain things but several things regarding national security are off limits.
Is there an independent judiciary, or is it subject to political pressure? The judiciary is completely independent with the Constitutional Court being given powers to appoint federal judges which must then be approved by the federal senate.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? Yes
Is there freedom of religion, including non-belief? Yes to an extent. The federal government does ban cults and these cults do not receive constitutional protections
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? Yes, for the most part. Sometimes things do happen.
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? Yes
How pervasive is surveillance? Public CCTV cameras are in use and the Thermodolian National Service Directorate monitors all phone communications in Thermodolia.
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Yes to both, though some protests like those for anti-vaccination are banned.
Are there basic guarantees of due process (in civil and criminal matters), and are they upheld in practice? Yes
Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely? Yes.
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? Yes, though those who are convicted of leading a cult are forbidden from serving in a position of leadership, government authority, or legal practices.
Do individuals enjoy basic social freedoms (do they have control over appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? Yes. The right to marry a consenting adult of either sexuality is legal.
how common is domestic and sexual violence?)? Domestic violence is rare while sexual violence is uncommon in richer areas while more common in poorer areas
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Yes to both.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? Citizenship is automatically given if one or more of the parents of a child, both natural birth and adopted, are Thermodolian citizens. Thermodolia bases citizenship by blood. However those who are born on Thermodolian soil to non-Thermodolian citizens are granted Thermodolian National status
Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available. Persons wishing to become Thermodolian citizens must have lived in legally Thermodolia for five years, proficiently speak Thermodolian, have taken a citizenship test, and have had a background check, medical screening, and signed an oath of loyalty to thermodolia and a promise to give up all former cultural ties.
Who is able to vote in elections, if they exist at all? Only citizens above the age of 18 who are not incarcerated may vote.
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally in law and in practice? Depends on the group. Ethnic minorities, while federally protected from discrimination, aren’t treated well by the general public. Trans persons receive very little protections from the federal government while LGB individuals are protected to the same extent that straight people are.
Are the above groups well represented in government? Men, Women and LGB individuals are represented very well.
Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility? 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? No it’s pretty great

[Plaetopia]

Updated. All nations have been scored.

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? Does getting rid of heretics, witches and communists count?

No, it's a question about genocide. Otherwise, every single dictatorship would score -1 here.

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? I'm not entirely sure I understand this question, but based on what I think it's asking - yes. National representatives can develop, amend, cancel and alter the policies of the national government.

Though it seems that you do understand what the question is asking, here is some clarification: can freely elected representatives develop and implement new policies? Or is new policy never implemented in practice or always stalled in parliament because of severe and constant political deadlock, civil conflict, or similar? This question aims to assess whether the nation is democratically ruled in practice and whether the government can maintain the rule of law over all the territory (i.e. no territory controlled by organized crime or armed non-state groups). Thus, in case national representatives are not freely elected, the score is automatically 0.

-snip-

Questions grouped together are scored together. Please, do not separate them, as it makes the process harder.

[Thermodolia]

Updated. All nations have been scored.

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? Does getting rid of heretics, witches and communists count?

No, it's a question about genocide. Otherwise, every single dictatorship would score -1 here.

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? I'm not entirely sure I understand this question, but based on what I think it's asking - yes. National representatives can develop, amend, cancel and alter the policies of the national government.

Though it seems that you do understand what the question is asking, here is some clarification: can freely elected representatives develop and implement new policies? Or is new policy never implemented in practice or always stalled in parliament because of severe and constant political deadlock, civil conflict, or similar? This question aims to assess whether the nation is democratically ruled in practice and whether the government can maintain the rule of law over all the territory (i.e. no territory controlled by organized crime or armed non-state groups). Thus, in case national representatives are not freely elected, the score is automatically 0.

-snip-

Questions grouped together are scored together. Please, do not separate them, as it makes the process harder.

Yes I’m well aware of that but I cannot answer them properly if I don’t separate them.

[Silver Commonwealth]

(OOC: I will be highlighting the new questions in red, so they could be easier to distinguish and copy in the answers from previous index for the same questions.)

Data from Ministry of Foreign and Internal Affairs

Democracy and Freedom Index

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? What powers does the office exercise? ''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 was the head of government selected? What powers does the office exercise? ''Head of Government is selected similarly to the Head of State- with vote between the members of The Party, and the simple principle, that the candidate reaches over 50% of the vote, or in cases when it is not possible - anyone, who has the biggest amount of votes by percentage. However, similarly to Head of State's elections, those elections take place only after the previous Head of Government dies, resigns, gets impeached, or gets taken out in other way from the government. In regions with bigger authority of the Head of State, Head of Government has somewhat equal amount of power, and is considered as a secretary and assistant of some sort for the President-Governor. However, in regions where the power is more split across the party, Head of Government often is the one, who actually takes decisions, but while they are not a bit more than a puppet, if compared to Head of State (Region), there are some things which they still can't do, like declaring a war (Requires a vote between the members of Council of Militarists), or signing science budget on their own (Requires a vote between the members of Council of Scientists). Overall, the electing process and role of the Head of Government is similar across the regions.''
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? Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly? ''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.
Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections? ''No. That doesn't mean, that there aren't much parties, or fractions, however - the UCN Headquarters, or even a single Commonwealth's parliament have lots of seats, mostly for representatives of the ethnic and cultural groups from autonomy regions, or administrative regions. While fractions within the parties usually differ across the regions, the main ones are the old guard, which are more keen on keeping things as they are, and change slowly, if at all, and reformists, which are generally in favor of more progress. Despite all that, reformists and Party's liberal wings for the most part want to change things in system's framework, and keep it, so they still count as being members of government, along with minor ethnic parties. All genuine opposition parties are banned, and groups like libertarians, monarchists, democrats, and anarcho-communists usually have no chance to be elected, as their very presence and beliefs would earn death. For this reason, most of the opposition has resorted to partisan warfare, and have abandoned all hopes of reformism, as it is generally associated with the loathed SC's government. Massacres of officials and their families, bombing up bridges with IEDs, night raids, and propaganda leaflets in rural regions - all of them are pretty common tactics for opposition's partisans. However, even those who claim to fight for democracy often actually support a some sort of hybrid regime or ''benevolent despotism'', as most of them haven't seen actual democracy for decades, and only know about it from black market history books and other files.''
Is voting voluntary? If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections? ''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.''
Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government? ''Foreign powers don't exercise influence over the Silver Commonwealth's government, and territories as a whole. However, the thing is, that there are no foreign powers on SC's Earth in the first place, as all of its territory is nominally under a single banner, and it hasn't found any space empires yet. In SC's case, it is more appropriate to look at the Commonwealth's and Regions - Bigger regions usually have more autonomy from the central government, while smaller regions and ethnic/cultural autonomies are often dependent on special aid from Central Government or bigger regions. While on paper all regions and autonomies are equal in terms of voice and independence of governments, in practice situation is different - bigger regions usually have a significant control over smaller region governments by bribing people in key positions, and ensuring, that the regional governor will side with them. Unelected entities like militarists, state CEOs, Clergy, Scientists, and others definitely have a big influence in decisions of governments, tho, no matter if it is a small autonomy, big region, Central government, or even a single Commonwealth. If anything, a lot of them are members of the Party as well.''
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 vetoes)? ''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 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? (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 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), 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, or is it subject to political pressure? ''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, including non-belief? ''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? How pervasive is surveillance? ''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 (in civil and criminal matters), 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.)''
Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely? ''On paper and in law, no. All legal labor unions are created by government, and it can either be in favor of them or against their will, depending on what it thinks is the best solution in a certain issue. Anyone who tries to create a government unaffiliated issue is usually thrown in a prison, or forced labor, along with political dissenters and criminals. Reason why NGOs are illegal is because The Party thinks, that the ''very concept of NGOs spits in the face of Tomist doctrine, which is based around on centering as much power and responsibility in state's hands as possible''. For example, Non-governmental medical teams like Red Cross aren't allowed to help the injured, as Supercomputer Tom has stated, that ''it is a task for the government medic organizations. Including the monitoring of conditions in war prisoner camps'' (However, Tom also doesn't want the NGOs to help people, which Party has sentenced to bleed to death, or die in an other form of slow death). However, even with the extreme decentralization of power between regions, the countless governments of SC's world still can't reach their hands in everything, so some of NGOs are absorbed in the goverment/party of the region, and are tasked with jobs that aren't considered ''emergency tasks'', like cleaning the environment from trash, organizing soup kitchens, etc.''
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 appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic and sexual 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? Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available. ''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, if they exist at all? ''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 in law and in practice? ''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.''
Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility? ''The further opportunities of an individual are usually determined by state colleges, and tests of knowledge and skills (Similar to Fallout's S.P.E.C.I.A.L system). Here's the catch, however - the class in which you are born in will affect the availability of education and new information in middle, and high school. While education is for free in SC, the children of Elites usually can afford more extra courses and info than children of the proles, not even talking about attending college again for increased specialization. Although there are stories of children from prole families who managed to rise to the top, and spoiled children from elite families, who dropped down to prole category by falling out from state colleges, more often than not your social class will affect your future career and situation on the social ladder - Proles usually work at heavy labor either on farms, or in factories, while Elites usually are in high-rank positions like militarists, clergy, scientists, or even politicians. Middle Class citizens usually work at jobs, which aren't as prestige as Elite positions, yet are paid more than most proles (Police officers, doctors, lawyers, skilled proles, etc). State college dropouts usually end up on unqualified labor like janitor, or a furniture carrier. In other words, it is usually really hard to move up on the social ladder, and your future opportunities are pretty much assigned at birth. (In poorer, and recently conquered SC's regions, education opportunities are pretty limited, so competition between local students is even higher, as only the best manage to pass state colleges and guild schools.)''

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? ''Right now, I don't have much complaints or suggestions for the index in mind - I like it as it is.''

[Plaetopia]

(OOC: I will be highlighting the new questions in red, so they could be easier to distinguish and copy in the answers from previous index for the same questions.)

Data from Ministry of Foreign and Internal Affairs

Democracy and Freedom Index

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? What powers does the office exercise? ''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 was the head of government selected? What powers does the office exercise? ''Head of Government is selected similarly to the Head of State- with vote between the members of The Party, and the simple principle, that the candidate reaches over 50% of the vote, or in cases when it is not possible - anyone, who has the biggest amount of votes by percentage. However, similarly to Head of State's elections, those elections take place only after the previous Head of Government dies, resigns, gets impeached, or gets taken out in other way from the government. In regions with bigger authority of the Head of State, Head of Government has somewhat equal amount of power, and is considered as a secretary and assistant of some sort for the President-Governor. However, in regions where the power is more split across the party, Head of Government often is the one, who actually takes decisions, but while they are not a bit more than a puppet, if compared to Head of State (Region), there are some things which they still can't do, like declaring a war (Requires a vote between the members of Council of Militarists), or signing science budget on their own (Requires a vote between the members of Council of Scientists). Overall, the electing process and role of the Head of Government is similar across the regions.''
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? Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly? ''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.
Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections? ''No. That doesn't mean, that there aren't much parties, or fractions, however - the UCN Headquarters, or even a single Commonwealth's parliament have lots of seats, mostly for representatives of the ethnic and cultural groups from autonomy regions, or administrative regions. While fractions within the parties usually differ across the regions, the main ones are the old guard, which are more keen on keeping things as they are, and change slowly, if at all, and reformists, which are generally in favor of more progress. Despite all that, reformists and Party's liberal wings for the most part want to change things in system's framework, and keep it, so they still count as being members of government, along with minor ethnic parties. All genuine opposition parties are banned, and groups like libertarians, monarchists, democrats, and anarcho-communists usually have no chance to be elected, as their very presence and beliefs would earn death. For this reason, most of the opposition has resorted to partisan warfare, and have abandoned all hopes of reformism, as it is generally associated with the loathed SC's government. Massacres of officials and their families, bombing up bridges with IEDs, night raids, and propaganda leaflets in rural regions - all of them are pretty common tactics for opposition's partisans. However, even those who claim to fight for democracy often actually support a some sort of hybrid regime or ''benevolent despotism'', as most of them haven't seen actual democracy for decades, and only know about it from black market history books and other files.''
Is voting voluntary? If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections? ''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.''
Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government? ''Foreign powers don't exercise influence over the Silver Commonwealth's government, and territories as a whole. However, the thing is, that there are no foreign powers on SC's Earth in the first place, as all of its territory is nominally under a single banner, and it hasn't found any space empires yet. In SC's case, it is more appropriate to look at the Commonwealth's and Regions - Bigger regions usually have more autonomy from the central government, while smaller regions and ethnic/cultural autonomies are often dependent on special aid from Central Government or bigger regions. While on paper all regions and autonomies are equal in terms of voice and independence of governments, in practice situation is different - bigger regions usually have a significant control over smaller region governments by bribing people in key positions, and ensuring, that the regional governor will side with them. Unelected entities like militarists, state CEOs, Clergy, Scientists, and others definitely have a big influence in decisions of governments, tho, no matter if it is a small autonomy, big region, Central government, or even a single Commonwealth. If anything, a lot of them are members of the Party as well.''
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 vetoes)? ''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 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? (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 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), 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, or is it subject to political pressure? ''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, including non-belief? ''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? How pervasive is surveillance? ''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 (in civil and criminal matters), 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.)''
Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely? ''On paper and in law, no. All legal labor unions are created by government, and it can either be in favor of them or against their will, depending on what it thinks is the best solution in a certain issue. Anyone who tries to create a government unaffiliated issue is usually thrown in a prison, or forced labor, along with political dissenters and criminals. Reason why NGOs are illegal is because The Party thinks, that the ''very concept of NGOs spits in the face of Tomist doctrine, which is based around on centering as much power and responsibility in state's hands as possible''. For example, Non-governmental medical teams like Red Cross aren't allowed to help the injured, as Supercomputer Tom has stated, that ''it is a task for the government medic organizations. Including the monitoring of conditions in war prisoner camps'' (However, Tom also doesn't want the NGOs to help people, which Party has sentenced to bleed to death, or die in an other form of slow death). However, even with the extreme decentralization of power between regions, the countless governments of SC's world still can't reach their hands in everything, so some of NGOs are absorbed in the goverment/party of the region, and are tasked with jobs that aren't considered ''emergency tasks'', like cleaning the environment from trash, organizing soup kitchens, etc.''
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 appearence? are they able to freely choose marriage partners and size of family? how common is domestic and sexual 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? Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available. ''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, if they exist at all? ''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 in law and in practice? ''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.''
Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility? ''The further opportunities of an individual are usually determined by state colleges, and tests of knowledge and skills (Similar to Fallout's S.P.E.C.I.A.L system). Here's the catch, however - the class in which you are born in will affect the availability of education and new information in middle, and high school. While education is for free in SC, the children of Elites usually can afford more extra courses and info than children of the proles, not even talking about attending college again for increased specialization. Although there are stories of children from prole families who managed to rise to the top, and spoiled children from elite families, who dropped down to prole category by falling out from state colleges, more often than not your social class will affect your future career and situation on the social ladder - Proles usually work at heavy labor either on farms, or in factories, while Elites usually are in high-rank positions like militarists, clergy, scientists, or even politicians. Middle Class citizens usually work at jobs, which aren't as prestige as Elite positions, yet are paid more than most proles (Police officers, doctors, lawyers, skilled proles, etc). State college dropouts usually end up on unqualified labor like janitor, or a furniture carrier. In other words, it is usually really hard to move up on the social ladder, and your future opportunities are pretty much assigned at birth. (In poorer, and recently conquered SC's regions, education opportunities are pretty limited, so competition between local students is even higher, as only the best manage to pass state colleges and guild schools.)''

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...''

---

(OOC:) Any suggestions for future editions of the index? ''Right now, I don't have much complaints or suggestions for the index in mind - I like it as it is.''

Scored. The new questions and changes in scoring methodology have resulted in a significantly lower score for the Silver Commonwealth compared to the previous index.

[Polata City]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? What powers does the office exercise? The Head of State is the Prince and therefore as a monarch gains their position after the previous monarch, being their mother or father typically dies.

The Monarch has the ability to veto laws, through not giving royal assent, give royal assent to laws, is the commander and chief of the military, dissolve parliament and call for elections, appoint a prime minister, and preforms other ceremonial functions.
How was the head of government selected? What powers does the office exercise? The Prime Minister is the head of government and is appointed by the Monarch. The Prime Minister must be a member of parliament and above the age of 22.

The Prime Minister appoints cabinet members, sets national policy, enters into diplomacy and treaties on the monarch’s behalf, and preforms other essential duties.
How is the national legislature selected? The Royal Parliament is bicameral and is therefore split into two chambers, the Grand Council and the People’s Assembly.

The Grand Council is comprised of 55 members of whom only 24 are elected. These elected members are the 23 district presidents and the governor of the autonomous state. They are all elected by IRV. The remaining members are appointed by the monarch with the advice of the Prime Minister with 5 members being members of the Thermodolian Christian Church in Polata City.

The People’s Assembly is comprised of 100 members elected by STV in 25, 4 member districts.

Are elections considered free and fair? Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly? Yes and no, respectively.
Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections? Yes. However the opposition hasn’t been in power since 2010.

Is voting voluntary? If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections? No elections are mandatory for all citizens above the age of 20 and below the age of 79; those who are sick, hospitalized, or imprisoned are exempt.

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 to both.
Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government? Somewhat. Thermodolia exerts a lot of influence on Polata City though for the most part Polata City is able to be independent.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? Yes. The Royal Parliament can not remove the monarch from power and cannot remove or hinder constitutional rights. Constitutional amendments can be passed but only if they have 3/4s of the both chambers support, support of the people and the Monarchy.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or vetoes)? The government is able to request that the monarch to dissolve the Parliament and call for elections
From 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? (Small explanation appreciated) 3.
From 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 7
Is there an independent judiciary, or is it subject to political pressure? Yes

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? Yes
Is there freedom of religion, including non-belief? Yes
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? Yes
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? How pervasive is surveillance? Yes. Outside of public areas state surveillance requires a warrant
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 (in civil and criminal matters), and are they upheld in practice? Yes
Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely? 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 and sexual violence?)? Yes people have the right to equal marriage, and the ability to control their appearance.

Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault aren’t that common
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? Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available. All persons who are born in Polata City are automatically a citizen.

Those who have lived in Polata City for three years, pass a background check, have an income source if they are above 20 and not in school, and pass a s citizenship test are allowed to become citizens.

One can also become a citizen by submitting a request to the monarch who can grant anyone citizenship.
Who is able to vote in elections, if they exist at all? All citizens not in prison who are above 20 years old.
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally in law and in practice? Yes
Are the above groups well represented in government? Yes
Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility? 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?

[Qachuynia]

How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? What powers does the office exercise? The Demarchist Commonwealth has no head of state, but the closest equivalent is the Demarch, which is a purely ceremonial position selected via sortition from the Grand Assembly. They have no additional powers beyond what they possess as a member of the Assembly, but serve as a representative of the acephalous state.
How was the head of government selected? What powers does the office exercise? See above.
How is the national legislature selected? Members of the Grand Assembly are selected via sortition from amongst the members of the Zone Councils, who are themselves selected via sortition from the citizens of the municipalities. All of these appoints serve one-year terms.
Are elections considered free and fair? Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly? There are no elections in the traditional sense, but the system of sortition is considered to negate fraud and corruption. The direct democratic system used by the municipalities is generally considered to be very open and fair.
Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections? There is no opposition in the traditional sense, as political parties do not exist. However it is entirely possible for anyone to acquire political power due to the random selection process of sortition. Their ability to actually get anything done depends on the popularity of their viewpoint and proposed policies.
Is voting voluntary? If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections? Participation in direct democratic processes is voluntary, although generally expected of citizens qualified to do so. Sortition includes all members of this qualified group, and while you can turn down an appointment, it is considered to be unusual. Turnout varies from municipality to municipality, but is generally around the 80% mark.

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? Members of the Grand Assembly are freely able to draft and debate policies and legislation. The federal laws passed by the Assembly apply to all regions of the Commonwealth.
Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government? The Demarchist system is specifically designed to prevent special interests groups from influencing Qachuynian democracy.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? All members of the Assembly can draft and propose laws. Laws can be passed by simple majority vote by the Assembly so long as they are in line with the constitution. Amending the constitution requires a two-thirds majority.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or vetoes)? The Assembly wields both executive and legislative authority, and cannot subvert itself.
From 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? (Small explanation appreciated) 1. Corruption is very rare within the Commonwealth, due to the sortition system and the absence of wealthy figures able to corrupt public officials due to general economic equality. Should any corruption occur and be discovered, the penalties are most severe, which tends to discourage such behaviours. Most recorded cases were occurring due to the meddling of foreign powers.
From 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 9. All citizens have the constitutional right to know about government activities and programs, with the exception of those deemed secret for reasons of national security, such as military and intelligence projects.
Is there an independent judiciary, or is it subject to political pressure? The judicial branch is entirely seperate from the authority of the Assembly.

Is there an independent media? Yes, citizen journalism being particularly common. There are state-run news organisations and the like, but they certainly don't hold a monopoly.
Is there freedom of religion, including non-belief? Most religions are tolerated, including atheism, barring those that involve activities that harm adherents or others, such as human sacrifice or mutilation.
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? The education system is vernally free of political influence.
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? How pervasive is surveillance? Freedom of speech is a protected right, so long as said speech does not provoke violence or is intended to do so. Surveillance is very rare but sousveillance is reasonably common. The government is only interested if someone is involved in criminal activity, and surveillance is performed entirely by algorithms scanning the internet and the occasional security camera.
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Popular assembly is considered a cornerstone of the Commonwealth's political system, and protests are included as part of that, although most citizens would rather debate than protest.
Are there basic guarantees of due process (in civil and criminal matters), and are they upheld in practice? The courts are bound to adhere to due process and generally do so. Failing to do so will typically result in a criminal investigation.
Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely? No, due to the nature of the Commonwealth's planned economy, trade unions are deemed unnecessary. It is theoretically legal to form one, but there is no reason to. NGOs vary, but are typically very rare.
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? Citizens are allowed to travel freely so long as they are not wanted criminals or similar.
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 and sexual violence?)? Personal freedom is considered an important aspect of Commonwealth society. Most citizens do not get married, with the commune having generally replaced the family as the basic social unit. Domestic and sexual violence is rare, and typically swiftly reported to the authorities.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Personal property is protected, but private property has been abolished, transferred to the public domain so as to be equally shared by all. Private businesses are prohibited due to the nature of the planned economy. It should be noted that citizens are heavily involved in determining the annual economic plan and government expenditures within that plan.

How is citizenship determined? Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available. Everyone born within the Commonwealth is considered to be a citizen. Foreigners seeking citizenship are required to pass a (reasonably simple) exam to prove that they understand the political and economic system of the Commonwealth and will therefore be able to properly participate,
Who is able to vote in elections, if they exist at all? All citizens deemed to be mentally sound aged sixteen and above.
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally in law and in practice? Yes, the constitution prohibits discrimination and the strongly egalitarian culture ensures that this is upheld.
Are the above groups well represented in government? All citizens are able to participate in government and can be selected via sortition. To percentage represented is usually roughly equivalent to the percentage within the population as a whole.
Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility? Upward mobility is a difficult concept within the Commonwealth. All citizens are considered equal, and as such there isn't really an up to go to, and attempting to place oneself above one's fellow citizens is viewed with suspicion. Economic mobility is also restricted due to largely equal pay.

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? The Commonwealth has not performed any acts of genocide or ethnic cleansing, and doing so would be considered a heinous crime.

---

Any suggestions for future editions of the index? None in particular, although I'll be interested to see how you classify me due to my rather unorthodox system of governance.

[Isla de Flores]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? What powers does the office exercise? The President is selected by the Congress of the People.

The President is mainly a ceremonial post holding no actual power.

How was the head of government selected? What powers does the office exercise? The General Secretary is chosen at the party congress which are held every 10 years. The candidates for General Secretary are first approved by the central committee and then one candidate is chosen by the representatives to the party congress.

The General Secretary leads the Central Committee and the Politburo and has immense political power to do just about anything. The General Secretary also holds the post of president.

How is the national legislature selected? The Congress of the People is comprised of 100 members each elected by Majority wins system in 100 single member districts. Only those who are members of the People’s Socialist Party may run for office.

Are elections considered free and fair? Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly? There are no irregularities in the elections however elections can’t be considered free or fair due to the fact that only People’s Socialist Party members can run. These members are also selected by their local party councils

Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections? No. There is no opposition legal or otherwise.

Is voting voluntary? If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections? No voting is mandatory for party members.

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 central committee makes all decisions. While the government controls the majority of its claimed territory there is a part of the archipelago that is administered by Thermodolia and claimed by Isla de Flores.

Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government?
The government is largely independent from such things

Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? The legislature only acts as a rubber stamp for party directives previously decided by the Central Committee and Party Congresses.

Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or vetoes)? No. While the legislature is just a rubber stamp the Central Committee can’t dissolve the legislature. However since all members are party members party discipline can be used instead.

From 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? (Small explanation appreciated) 3. Interestingly corruption isn’t very high in the nation

From 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 1 The government is completely closed off to the public with only votes in the Congress of the People being visible.

Is there an independent judiciary, or is it subject to political pressure? No

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? No
Is there freedom of religion, including non-belief? No. The practice of religion is deemed illegal with only a select few religious groups being allowed to operate but not in the open.

Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? No

Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? How pervasive is surveillance? No. The Committee for State Security monitors all of Isla de Flores for any hint of dissent.

Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Some forms of peaceful protest are allowed though they must be approved by the Committee for State Security first.

Are there basic guarantees of due process (in civil and criminal matters), and are they upheld in practice? Yes, for regular citizens yes however for those who are deemed to be a threat to the state there is no due process.

Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely? No. All unions are apart of the National Workers Union.

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 and sexual violence?)? One can choose how they look to a certain extent, to marry who they want, as long as it’s a heterosexual relationship, and how many children they can have.

Domestic Violence is uncommon while Sexual Assault is fairly common
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? No. Private enterprise is illegal and all property is held by the state

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available. All persons who are born in Isla de Flores and those to Isla de Flores citizens are automatically a citizen.

There really isn’t any sort of requirements except that those who wish to become citizens must renounce all other citizenships and live in Isla de Flores.

The citizenship requirements are kept deliberately vague so as to give administrative authorities full power to decide who is an isnt a citizen.

Who is able to vote in elections, if they exist at all? All citizens who are above 18 years old.

Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally in law and in practice? Men, Women, and ethnic minorities are protected under the law and are treated equally. LGBT rights are banned as they are considered to be capitalist degeneracy

Are the above groups well represented in government? Eh no. Realistically only men are represented in the government though ethnic minorities are fairly represented

Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility? 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

---

Any suggestions for future editions of the index?

[Idoho]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? What powers does the office exercise? The Central Election Committee approves of two candidates for the Office of President of which all Idoan, Male, Christians, who are members of the Christian Republicans or the Liberal Democrats vote for the President.

The election for president only occurrs when the current president is removed from office or dies.

The President is both the head of state and government. They have the power to do just about anything though the Central Governance Committee does have more power.

How was the head of government selected? What powers does the office exercise? See above.

How is the national legislature selected? Congress is comprised of 3000 members each elected by Majority wins system in 3000 single member districts. Only those who are members of the Christian Republicans or Liberal Democrats and are Christian and male may run for office.

Are elections considered free and fair? Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly? Elections are far from free and fair as the two parties are actually both controlled by the Central Election Committee who chooses all candidates for Congress. In addition irregularities are abundant to maintain a Christian Republican majority.

Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections? No. The opposition is just a token opposition as its legally apart of the Christian Republican Party.

Is voting voluntary? If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections? Yes. 34%

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. All policies are developed by the Central Governance Committee. Congress is just a rubber stamp.

Yes. Idoho controls all of its claimed area.

Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government?
The super rich, corporations, and the Idohoan State Church exercise massive influence over the government. The most powerful man in Idoho is Archbishop James Sena, who is both chairman of the Central Religious Committee, the High Justice of the Ecclesiastical Court, the Vice Chair of the Central Election Committee, and a member of the Central Governance Committee

Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? The legislature only acts as a rubber stamp for party directives previously decided by the Central Governance Committee

Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or vetoes)? Yes. Elections and suspensions can be called at will by the president.
From 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? (Small explanation appreciated) 9. Corruption is ingrained into society to the point that one must pay bribes to almost every government official.

From 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 1. The government is completely closed off to the public.

Is there an independent judiciary, or is it subject to political pressure? No, the Ecclesiastical Court is a branch of the Central Religious Committee

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? No, state run media is the only form of media available
Is there freedom of religion, including non-belief? No. Only religions which are approved by the Central Religious Committee are allowed. All other religions especially non Christian religions are banned.

Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? No

Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? How pervasive is surveillance? No. Extremely pervasive almost every home and building in the nation is bugged with thousands of State Protection Committee agents undercover across the nation.

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 (in civil and criminal matters), and are they upheld in practice? No

Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely? No. All unions and NGOs are illegal and therefore banned.

Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? Citizens can move about within the nation they just can’t leave and can’t live within 10 miles from the border.

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 and sexual violence?)? One can choose how they look to a certain extent, to marry who they want, as long as it’s a heterosexual relationship, and how many children they can have.

Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault are not only very common but both are legally encouraged as women are viewed as nothing more than brood mares

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? Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available. All persons who are born to Idohoan citizens are automatically a citizen, those who aren’t white or Christian are denied citizenship.

One must be white and Christian to obtain citizenship
Who is able to vote in elections, if they exist at all? All white, male citizens who are above 18 years old and are members of the Christian Republicans or Liberal Democrats.

Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally in law and in practice? Women are treated like cattle and have no legal protections, ethnic minorities are slaves and therefore have no rights, while LGBT rights are banned as they are considered to be sinful degeneracy. No Christians are also mistreated.

Are the above groups well represented in government? No only White, Male, Christians are allowed to be in the government.

Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility? 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 the state has an interest in making sure that certain groups of people are no longer a threat.

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Any suggestions for future editions of the index?

[Pax Brasiliana]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? What powers does the office exercise? The monarch is the head of state. He can introduce law projects (which shall be voted by the legislation and approved by the prime minister), appoint judges of the supreme court, is the commander-in-chief of the military, can remove the prime minister (a limit of three prime ministers removed every decade), can veto laws (a limit of seven laws per year), can pardon criminals, can intervene in the cabinet, can intervene in the judiciary, can change the constitution (one change per decade and it must be approved by the prime minister), can change monarchic laws (create or destroy kingdoms and duchies, grant titles, etc.), dissolve the parliament (limit of twice per decade), and appoint governors to the provinces.
How was the head of government selected? What powers does the office exercise? The prime minister is elected by the parliament. He can appoint the cabinet and introduce law projects.
How is the national legislature selected? The legislature is elected every four years in national elections.
Are elections considered free and fair? Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly? Yes. No serious irregularities are registered.
Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections? Yes.
Is voting voluntary? If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections? Voting is voluntary. The average turnout was 59%.

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? The government reaches all corners of the country, and although the representatives are free to develop and implement policies, the monarch can intervene, although the monarch has a limit of how much he can change or veto.
Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government? Partly, yes. The military is powerful and can influence the government, especially the monarch. The Catholic Church also exercise influence in the government, however, it is limited to a few parliamentarians.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? Yes, there is a legislative initiative. Laws that might alter the current power of the monarch or the power of the prime minister are illegal, for example.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or vetoes)? Yes, although it rarely happens.
From 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? 4 out of 10. Most corruption is limited to the higher spheres of government and corporations.
From 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), how transparent is government activity? 6 out of 10.
Is there an independent judiciary, or is it subject to political pressure? The judiciary is independent, however, the monarch might intervene in judiciary affairs.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? Yes.
Is there freedom of religion, including non-belief? Yes, although the state has an official religion, people are free to exercise their faith and build their temples.
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? Children are indoctrinated to believe in God and some professors influence their students to vote for certain parties, so no.
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? How pervasive is surveillance? Yes. The government does not care about dissent.
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Protests are legal, but the police will retaliate if it turns into a riot or violent protest.
Are there basic guarantees of due process (in civil and criminal matters), and are they upheld in practice? Yes.
Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely? Yes.
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? Yes, although having dual-nationality is expensive on purpose. The government expects Brazilians to remain Brazilians and foreigners to become Brazilians.
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 and sexual violence?)? Yes. Domestic and sexual violence has been decreasing since the last decade following laws that protect and expand women's rights.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Yes, Brazilians are encouraged to set up and expand their business. Property rights and the growth of Brazilian businesses are a priority of the government.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available. Citizenship is determined by birth (anyone born inside our borders is automatically Brazilian) and by blood (children of Brazilian parents living abroad can become Brazilians). For a foreign to become Brazilian, he or she must be employed and live eight years in the country and pass a citizenship test.
Who is able to vote in elections, if they exist at all? All literate Brazilians over the age of 16 who are not in prison can vote.
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally in law and in practice? Yes, and protected by the constitution.
Are the above groups well represented in government? Men, women, the LGBT community and certain minorities are. Many religious and ethnic minorities are not large enough to be elected to the parliament or the senate.
Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility? Yes, but certain groups have it harder due to racism and xenophobia. Certain religious minorities also face a harder life and therefore are more likely to stagnate.

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? No.

[Plaetopia]

Updated.

How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? What powers does the office exercise? The Demarchist Commonwealth has no head of state, but the closest equivalent is the Demarch, which is a purely ceremonial position selected via sortition from the Grand Assembly. They have no additional powers beyond what they possess as a member of the Assembly, but serve as a representative of the acephalous state.
How was the head of government selected? What powers does the office exercise? See above.
How is the national legislature selected? Members of the Grand Assembly are selected via sortition from amongst the members of the Zone Councils, who are themselves selected via sortition from the citizens of the municipalities. All of these appoints serve one-year terms.
Are elections considered free and fair? Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly? There are no elections in the traditional sense, but the system of sortition is considered to negate fraud and corruption. The direct democratic system used by the municipalities is generally considered to be very open and fair.
Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections? There is no opposition in the traditional sense, as political parties do not exist. However it is entirely possible for anyone to acquire political power due to the random selection process of sortition. Their ability to actually get anything done depends on the popularity of their viewpoint and proposed policies.
Is voting voluntary? If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections? Participation in direct democratic processes is voluntary, although generally expected of citizens qualified to do so. Sortition includes all members of this qualified group, and while you can turn down an appointment, it is considered to be unusual. Turnout varies from municipality to municipality, but is generally around the 80% mark.

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? Members of the Grand Assembly are freely able to draft and debate policies and legislation. The federal laws passed by the Assembly apply to all regions of the Commonwealth.
Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government? The Demarchist system is specifically designed to prevent special interests groups from influencing Qachuynian democracy.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? All members of the Assembly can draft and propose laws. Laws can be passed by simple majority vote by the Assembly so long as they are in line with the constitution. Amending the constitution requires a two-thirds majority.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or vetoes)? The Assembly wields both executive and legislative authority, and cannot subvert itself.
From 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? (Small explanation appreciated) 1. Corruption is very rare within the Commonwealth, due to the sortition system and the absence of wealthy figures able to corrupt public officials due to general economic equality. Should any corruption occur and be discovered, the penalties are most severe, which tends to discourage such behaviours. Most recorded cases were occurring due to the meddling of foreign powers.
From 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 9. All citizens have the constitutional right to know about government activities and programs, with the exception of those deemed secret for reasons of national security, such as military and intelligence projects.
Is there an independent judiciary, or is it subject to political pressure? The judicial branch is entirely seperate from the authority of the Assembly.

Is there an independent media? Yes, citizen journalism being particularly common. There are state-run news organisations and the like, but they certainly don't hold a monopoly.
Is there freedom of religion, including non-belief? Most religions are tolerated, including atheism, barring those that involve activities that harm adherents or others, such as human sacrifice or mutilation.
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? The education system is vernally free of political influence.
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? How pervasive is surveillance? Freedom of speech is a protected right, so long as said speech does not provoke violence or is intended to do so. Surveillance is very rare but sousveillance is reasonably common. The government is only interested if someone is involved in criminal activity, and surveillance is performed entirely by algorithms scanning the internet and the occasional security camera.
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Popular assembly is considered a cornerstone of the Commonwealth's political system, and protests are included as part of that, although most citizens would rather debate than protest.
Are there basic guarantees of due process (in civil and criminal matters), and are they upheld in practice? The courts are bound to adhere to due process and generally do so. Failing to do so will typically result in a criminal investigation.
Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely? No, due to the nature of the Commonwealth's planned economy, trade unions are deemed unnecessary. It is theoretically legal to form one, but there is no reason to. NGOs vary, but are typically very rare.
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? Citizens are allowed to travel freely so long as they are not wanted criminals or similar.
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 and sexual violence?)? Personal freedom is considered an important aspect of Commonwealth society. Most citizens do not get married, with the commune having generally replaced the family as the basic social unit. Domestic and sexual violence is rare, and typically swiftly reported to the authorities.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Personal property is protected, but private property has been abolished, transferred to the public domain so as to be equally shared by all. Private businesses are prohibited due to the nature of the planned economy. It should be noted that citizens are heavily involved in determining the annual economic plan and government expenditures within that plan.

How is citizenship determined? Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available. Everyone born within the Commonwealth is considered to be a citizen. Foreigners seeking citizenship are required to pass a (reasonably simple) exam to prove that they understand the political and economic system of the Commonwealth and will therefore be able to properly participate,
Who is able to vote in elections, if they exist at all? All citizens deemed to be mentally sound aged sixteen and above.
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally in law and in practice? Yes, the constitution prohibits discrimination and the strongly egalitarian culture ensures that this is upheld.
Are the above groups well represented in government? All citizens are able to participate in government and can be selected via sortition. To percentage represented is usually roughly equivalent to the percentage within the population as a whole.
Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility? Upward mobility is a difficult concept within the Commonwealth. All citizens are considered equal, and as such there isn't really an up to go to, and attempting to place oneself above one's fellow citizens is viewed with suspicion. Economic mobility is also restricted due to largely equal pay.

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? The Commonwealth has not performed any acts of genocide or ethnic cleansing, and doing so would be considered a heinous crime.

---

Any suggestions for future editions of the index? None in particular, although I'll be interested to see how you classify me due to my rather unorthodox system of governance.

Qachuynia has been highlighted as a singular nation, but it still roughly fits the survey requirements reasonably well.

[Prospesia]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? What powers does the office exercise? The HOS is elected every 5 years by the Prospesian Citizen's Party. There are no term-limits. The HOS has complete power over all domestic and foreign policies.
How was the head of government selected? What powers does the office exercise? The HOG is elected by the Prospesian Citizen's Party and serves a term of 5 years. They chair meetings in the People's Senate, the upper house. They have no additional powers to any other member of the Senate, other than being the chair.
How is the national legislature selected? Members are selected by elections although the only members that may run for election are in the PCP. PCP membership is possible for any citizen, provided they pass the party's test. They can then run as candidates in their constituency of residence. Key business and trade union leaders also have executive seats in parliament.
Are elections considered free and fair? Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly? Elections are considered free and fair, and results are respected. Only members of the PCP can run however, so political spectrum choice is limited.
Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections? No, there is no opposition other than within the party.
Is voting voluntary? If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections? Voting is compulsory, however there is no significant penalty for not voting. Turnout is usually between 98-100%.

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? Congressional laws do effect the whole country, however devolved legislatures are present on each moon but have limited powers. National representatives can help shape policy, but ultimately the decisions are made by the HOS.
Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government? No
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? The only law the Congress has the sole power to pass is whether to declare war approaching the end of the HOS' 5 year term. The legislature can draw up any legislation it passes, however it will only become law if approved by the HOS.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or vetoes)? Yes
From 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? (Small explanation appreciated) 3. Stringent anti-corruption laws are present in government, but during the liberalisation years and the legalisation of private business, some party officials took bribes from business leaders and corruption was prominent. Over the past decade, and the tightening up of business laws, this has significantly reduced, however it is yet to be completely eradicated.
From 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 6. All decisions are made public on the government website, and a complete list of laws and public decrees can be read alongside the constitution. Despite this, many HOS decrees are kept hushed, especially on matters of foreign policy.
Is there an independent judiciary, or is it subject to political pressure? The judiciary is controlled by respected members of society elected by the HOS.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? News media is completely controlled by the government. All media is partially controlled by the government, but some media companies do have private members on boards, although government officials must make up 50% of all private enterprise boards.
Is there freedom of religion, including non-belief? Yes, public demonstrations of religion are illegal.
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? No. Education is completely funded and controlled by the state.
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? How pervasive is surveillance? Citizens are able to discuss with the government through government approved trade unions, however protest against Prospesian government decisions are illegal. Protests over any other governments decisions are legal. Surveillance is prevalent, although only in public areas.
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? There is a mild tolerance of freedom of assembly, although if this assembly is a political movement opposed to the Prospesian government, it will be outlawed.
Are there basic guarantees of due process (in civil and criminal matters), and are they upheld in practice? Yes. The written law is upheld fully in Prospesia and all citizens are provided with a lawyer.
Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely? All trade unions and NGO's must be approved by the government and must be non-profit.
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? Internal movement is completely legal. International travel and emigration etc requires a permit although is legal for anyone provided this permit is approved.
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 and sexual violence?)? Individuals are completely free to choose appearance, choose their spouses and enjoy most hobbies to their hearts content. Domestic and sexual violence are infrequent due to good education and support for those who have faced it.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Individuals can pitch to the government and the state investment bank if they have a business idea. If the state believes the business has legs, they will support the individual and own 50% of the business. The state will also make up 50% of the board. Individuals may make profits from their business, although taxation is rather high and they are stripped of their voting rights. Personal property rights are protected, although there is no private housing. All housing is maintained properly by the state, with apartment blocks being regularly surveyed and cleaned.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available. Citizenship is granted to all those born in Prospesia who have naturalised parents. Naturalisation for immigrants is granted by passing a citizenship test upon entering the country. This must be renewed again by passing an extended test in 5 years.
Who is able to vote in elections, if they exist at all? All naturalised citizens may vote, except for those who partially own businesses.
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally in law and in practice? All citizens are treated equally regardless of sex, race, species or sexuality.
Are the above groups well represented in government? Proportionality differs depending on the results of each election, although the Prospesian Citizen's Party is committed to equality, and one would not be accepted as a candidate for office if they did not share this commitment.
Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility? If they develop a business idea deemed valuable by the state they may experience upward social mobility. Social mobility is not really a concept in Prospesia, as living standards are universally quite high.

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?

[Mordka]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? What powers does the office exercise?- The position of the Emperor is passed down from father to son and have supreme authority over Mordka.
How was the head of government selected? What powers does the office exercise?- the Noble Counsel is made up of the heads of all the noble houses of the Empire but it is slowly becoming ceremonial and makes decisions if the Emperor doesn't know what to do
How is the national legislature selected?- by the Emperor
Are elections considered free and fair? Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly?- no
Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections?- no
Is voting voluntary? If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections?- there is no voting

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?- nope the laws a made solely by the Emperor
Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government?- yes the military have extreme influence on foreign policy and the noble houses have influence in other parts of the empire.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments?- nope all laws have to be approved by the Emperor 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 vetoes)?- yes
From 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? (Small explanation appreciated)- 1
From 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated)- 5
Is there an independent judiciary, or is it subject to political pressure?- it is run by the military.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media?- no
Is there freedom of religion, including non-belief?- no, everyone must worship Mordoro
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination?- nope
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? How pervasive is surveillance?- nope and there is goverment run surveillance systems in every household and building
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice?- nope nope and no
Are there basic guarantees of due process (in civil and criminal matters), and are they upheld in practice?- yes women and children a protected from execution.
Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely?- no
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 and sexual violence?)?- no they do not, men are made to keep their hair short and not grow beards while women should have their hair as long down to their waist. the women have no say to whom they marry as the future husband has to go through the womens parents to get their permission in order for marriage.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected?- no all property is owned by the government.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available.- by military service.
Who is able to vote in elections, if they exist at all?- no one
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally in law and in practice?- men have more rights but have to serve a 12 year military service, women however have less rights but are more protected by law, it doesn't matter what the color of your skin is as long as you show loyalty but LGBT are not allowed.
Are the above groups well represented in government?- men are but women are not allowed in government
Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility?- no

[Plaetopia]

Up to date.

[Union of Sovereign States and Republics]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? What powers does the office exercise? Elections every 5 years. The President holds power over foreign affairs, being commander-in-chief, being the supreme head of legislature, and is usually on-par with the United States in terms of executive power with a more control over the legislative and judicial systems.
How was the head of government selected? What powers does the office exercise? See above.
How is the national legislature selected? Elections every 5 years through proportional representation.
Are elections considered free and fair? Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly? Elections are considered free and fair.
Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections? Yes, especially if a fragile coalition falls apart (see the current 'Left Bloc' in control of the country and Supreme Soviet)
Is voting voluntary? If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections? Yes, voting is voluntary. The last turnout was roughly 96%.

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, in a system not dissimilar to the United States.
Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government? No.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? Yes - the legislature can not pass laws directly affecting the term limit or term length of the President or Head of the Supreme Soviet.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or vetoes)? Yes.
From 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? (Small explanation appreciated) 3. Corruption has been significantly reduced after the 2006 Anti-Corruption Act signed into office by President Lebedev. However, from 1992 to 2006, corruption was rife after the initial signing of the New Union Treaty. From 1992 to 2006, the corruption scale would be around a 6 or 7.
From 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 7. Government activity is frequently mentioned in the news - from new acts (see: article on the Recession) to attempted arrests (see: articles on Vladimir Putin's controversial arrest and trial). Most of the time, however, government activity is mentioned in a passing manner unless it is extremely important (see: death of Vladimir Zhirinovsky)
Is there an independent judiciary, or is it subject to political pressure? The judiciary is incredibly independent.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? Yes.
Is there freedom of religion, including non-belief? Yes.
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? Yes.
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? How pervasive is surveillance? Yes. Surveillance is only pervasive in major cities - notably Moscow, Leningrad, and Volgograd, with CCTV cameras being installed and police departments ready on a moment's whim.
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Yes, and yes.
Are there basic guarantees of due process (in civil and criminal matters), and are they upheld in practice? Yes, and yes.
Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely? 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 and sexual violence?)? Yes.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Yes, and yes.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available. Citizenship is determined by a basic test - a test on language, both Russian (the lingua franca) and the language of the SR they want to enter (for example, if a Romanian wants to emigrate to Ukraine, they must pass a test on Russian and Ukrainian), a test in Soviet history, a background check, and a test in writing Cyrillic.
Who is able to vote in elections, if they exist at all? All documented citizens are able to vote in elections.
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally in law and in practice? Yes - with some exceptions to LGBT groups in Azerbaijan, the Turkestani Soviet Federative Republic, and in the Caucasus regions.
Are the above groups well represented in government? For the most part, yes.
Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility? 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?

[Ostsee Empire]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? What powers does the office exercise?

The Head of State is the King of the Balts, a hereditary office that follows Absolute Primogeniture. As of the Constitution of 1960, the King is sanctions and promulgates all laws passed by the Baltic Parliament. He receives and appoints ambassadors, and has the sole right to declare war.

How was the head of government selected? What powers does the office exercise?

The Minister-President of the Baltic Empire is the official Head of Government. He is selected by the Landtag through through negative parliamentarism (the candidate with the lowest "no" votes wins). The Minister-President forms the government (by appointing a Council of Ministers) and, on behalf of the King, has all the executive power in the country.

How is the national legislature selected?

The Baltic Landtag, a unicameral legislature, is selected by full, universal suffrage (of all Baltic citizens older than 16) in a model of proportional representation. General Elections are held once every 4 years

Are elections considered free and fair? Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly?

Elections are considered free and fair.

Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections?

Yes.

Is voting voluntary? If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections?

Yes, voting is voluntary. 80.3%

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?

Government authority does extend to the full national territory of the Baltic Empire. Yes, the legislature is not barred from development and implementation of new legislature. The Compromise of Waldentag (1959) ensured that the King's assent is not required for the passing of laws or the implementation thereof, though appreciated.

Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government?

No.

Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments?

Yes, the legislature has initiative. A separate Court is established to ensure laws do not violate the Constitution. Constitutional Amendments require a rate of 80% "Yay" votes in a Plebiscite after being passed by the Landtag.

Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or vetoes)?

The Minister-President is allowed to veto a bill passed by the Landtag, though his decision can be countered by a unanimous vote in the Landtag.

From 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? (Small explanation appreciated)

2

From 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated)

8.

Is there an independent judiciary, or is it subject to political pressure?

The Judiciary is independent. The members of the Supreme Judiciary Council are nominated by the Legislature, the Government, or the King and need to be accepted by all three. The SJC appoints other judges independently.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media?

Yes.

Is there freedom of religion, including non-belief?

Yes.

Is education free of political interference or indoctrination?

Yes

Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? How pervasive is surveillance?

Yes. Freedom of expression has been an important aspect of the Baltic nation ever since the Blue Revolution.

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 (in civil and criminal matters), and are they upheld in practice?

Yes. They are enshrined in the Baltic Constitution.

Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely?

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 and sexual violence?)?

Yes, though Gay marriage is not recognized by the state (though there are popular movements to amend that) Domestic and sexual violence is not unheard of, but heavily punished when noticed.

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

Yes to both.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available.

All individuals born inside the legal borders of Terra Mariana and to legal citizens or residents of Terra Mariana; all Latvians, Estonians, Lithuanians, German Balts and Baltic Germans who were forced to flee the Military Junta; and foreigners who perform an act of merit to the Government or the People of Terra Mariana are citizens of the Empire. Naturalization can be done by a test taken by individuals who've been Residents of Terra Mariana for more than 7 years.

Who is able to vote in elections, if they exist at all?

Every Legal citizen, Permanent resident, or Resident who's resided in the country for more than 7 years.

Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally in law and in practice?

Yes.

Are the above groups well represented in government?

Representation is not based on ethnicity but on electorates. Regions with higher minority population have better chances of being represented by a minority group. Non-ethnic based minorities are represented well, compared to their percentage of the population.

Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility?

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. The last attempt for such was during the Military Junta which resulted in a population boom of Germans and Baltic Germans (giving the country its modern demographic build-up).

---

Any suggestions for future editions of the index?

[The Allied Tribe]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected?
Citizens vote for our president. The president can serve a maximum of two terms, each term lasts four years.
How is the national legislature selected?
The people vote on who should be selected.
Are elections considered free and fair?
Yes.
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory?
92% of people old enough to vote voted last election, compared to 77% before that. Voting is voluntary, but encouraged. Last election, 51% voted for the party currently in office, the Allied Tribe Party, and 47% voted for other parties.
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 no, local people within each city have some powers, such as the ability to choose what to do with criminals.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments?
Restrictions on the twelve laws in the Allied Tribe Legislation Constitution. Other than that, there are no restrictions.
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 depends.
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated)
Corruption is rare, as the president, as well as most citizens, do not accept bribes, so it’s a 1.
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated)
The government intervenes, but not that much, so people have the freedom to do what they want to. This is maybe an 8.
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.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected?
Mostly yes, but vegetarianism is compulsory here, which also means no leather, gelatin, or rennet.
PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined?
All people are allowed as long as they are not drug traffickers or are murderers.
Who is able to vote in elections?
Everybody can, even prisoners.
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.

Any suggestions for future editions of the index?
Nothing, it’s pretty good.

[Plaetopia]

Updated.

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected?
Citizens vote for our president. The president can serve a maximum of two terms, each term lasts four years.
How is the national legislature selected?
The people vote on who should be selected.
Are elections considered free and fair?
Yes.
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory?
92% of people old enough to vote voted last election, compared to 77% before that. Voting is voluntary, but encouraged. Last election, 51% voted for the party currently in office, the Allied Tribe Party, and 47% voted for other parties.
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 no, local people within each city have some powers, such as the ability to choose what to do with criminals.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments?
Restrictions on the twelve laws in the Allied Tribe Legislation Constitution. Other than that, there are no restrictions.
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 depends.
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated)
Corruption is rare, as the president, as well as most citizens, do not accept bribes, so it’s a 1.
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated)
The government intervenes, but not that much, so people have the freedom to do what they want to. This is maybe an 8.
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.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected?
Mostly yes, but vegetarianism is compulsory here, which also means no leather, gelatin, or rennet.
PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined?
All people are allowed as long as they are not drug traffickers or are murderers.
Who is able to vote in elections?
Everybody can, even prisoners.
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.

Any suggestions for future editions of the index?
Nothing, it’s pretty good.

Simply reposting the answers of the previous index version does NOT make for a valid reply. Questions were changed/added, as was the scoring methodology. Please read the OP before posting and answer all mandatory questions, or The Allied Tribe will not be scored.

[The Allied Tribe]

Updated.

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state and the head of government (or other chief national authority) selected?
Citizens vote for our president. The president can serve a maximum of two terms, each term lasts four years.
How is the national legislature selected?
The people vote on who should be selected.
Are elections considered free and fair?
Yes.
Which was the average turnout in recent elections? Is voting mandatory?
92% of people old enough to vote voted last election, compared to 77% before that. Voting is voluntary, but encouraged. Last election, 51% voted for the party currently in office, the Allied Tribe Party, and 47% voted for other parties.
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 no, local people within each city have some powers, such as the ability to choose what to do with criminals.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments?
Restrictions on the twelve laws in the Allied Tribe Legislation Constitution. Other than that, there are no restrictions.
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 depends.
From 1-10, how pervasive is corruption? (Small explanation appreciated)
Corruption is rare, as the president, as well as most citizens, do not accept bribes, so it’s a 1.
From 1-10, how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated)
The government intervenes, but not that much, so people have the freedom to do what they want to. This is maybe an 8.
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.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected?
Mostly yes, but vegetarianism is compulsory here, which also means no leather, gelatin, or rennet.
PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined?
All people are allowed as long as they are not drug traffickers or are murderers.
Who is able to vote in elections?
Everybody can, even prisoners.
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.

Any suggestions for future editions of the index?
Nothing, it’s pretty good.

Simply reposting the answers of the previous index version does NOT make for a valid reply. Questions were changed/added, as was the scoring methodology. Please read the OP before posting and answer all mandatory questions, or The Allied Tribe will not be scored.

Oh, sorry. I didn’t read the OP before posting. I thought that this was the same thing as the past survey, so I copy and pasted instead of reading it.

Lesson learned. I will post mine up shortly.

[The Allied Tribe]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? What powers does the office exercise?
The head of state (our president) is selected by people. There are political parties (although they sometimes form alliances), each has a few debates, and then people who have been proved to be part of that party vote on who they want best to represent their party and be their president. Afterwards, each candidate from each political party debates, and a few months after, people from all political parties vote again. The person with the most popular votes gets elected. A president gets to serve a maximum of 2 terms, and each term is 4 years. The president has the ability to introduce laws, although it has to be approved by both more than half of the House of Chiefs and by more than half of the people.
How was the head of government selected? What powers does the office exercise?
The head of government is also our president.
How is the national legislature selected?
The House of Chiefs are elected by the people as well. Each Chief represents a tribe in The Allied Tribe, and right now, there are 100 Chiefs in the House of Chiefs.
Are elections considered free and fair? Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly?
Elections are considered free and fair, voting is private and there is heavy security. There are irregularities in our elections, but there are very few and they are small, so they rarely affect the results.
Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections?
They definitely do. The political party in the government right now, the Allied Tribe Party, has 51% support, while the main opposition, the National Party, has 47% support.
Is voting voluntary? If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections?
Voting is voluntary. In our last election of the 88% ofpeople that voted, 51% for the Allied Tribe Party, 47% for the National Party, and 2% for the other parties.

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 able to implement new policies by approving them and also making laws, and government authority does extend over the full national territory, although Chiefs from the House of Chiefs can make local laws for their tribe if more than half of the tribe supports it.
Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government?
Definitely not.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments?
Yes, both the president and the House of Chiefs have the legislative initiative, but if a Chief in the House of Chiefs tries to make a law, half of the House of Chiefs and half of the people must support it, and the same thing with the president making a law.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or vetoes)?
The president can veto, but half of the people must support the veto.
From 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? (Small explanation appreciated)
0, because doing corrupt things, like bribing, results in imprisonment for life without parole (even though the death penalty is outlawed, life sentences still exist)
From 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated)
10, government activity is very well known, mostly because the government tells the people what they have done, although sometimes it is released by whistleblowers.
Is there an independent judiciary, or is it subject to political pressure?
There is an independent judiciary.
CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media?
Yes.
Is there freedom of religion, including non-belief?
Yes.
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination?
Yes.
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? How pervasive is surveillance?
Yes, and surveillance cameras are placed in shopping malls, police stations, and other places that need to be kept safe, but there are none in homes or other places unless they install them themselves.
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 (in civil and criminal matters), and are they upheld in practice?
Yes.
Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely?
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 and sexual violence?)?
Yes, and domestic and sexual violence is rare, but obviously it still happens sometimes.
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? Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available.
Citizenship is determined by people taking an oath to be a citizen of The Allied Tribe and to be a strict vegetarians.
Who is able to vote in elections, if they exist at all?
Anybody that is 18 or older can vote in any elections.
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally in law and in practice?
Yes.
Are the above groups well represented in government?
Yes.
Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility?
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?

[Gandoor]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? What powers does the office exercise?
The Prime Minister (who serves as both head of state and head of government) is the nominee from whichever political party gains the largest number of seats in the Forum following a National Election, they are appointed by the Forum when the new Forum takes their seats for the first time. They are required to be a Member of the Forum at the time of election but must resign their seat upon being appointed to the office.

The Prime Minister is/can:
- the Head of the Cabinet
- the Head of the Domestic Council
- Head of the Security Council
- Commander-in-Chief of the National Military
- Responsible for the appointment of judges to the High Court (the Forum recommends judges to appoint, but the PM is not legally required to appoint their recommendations, although is considered proper procedure to do so)
- Nominates foreign ambassadors of the Democratic Republic to foreign nations
- Responsible for proposing declarations of war to the Forum
- Can issue pardons or commute a sentence for any crime

How was the head of government selected? What powers does the office exercise?
See above, as the Prime Minister fulfills both roles.

How is the national legislature selected?
All 1000 seats in the Forum are elected via the D'hondt method of party-list proportional representation. Each of the eight administrative divisions is divided into multiple electoral districts, which send between two and ten Members to the Forum, with each administrative division sending a total of 125 Members.

Are elections considered free and fair? Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly?
Yes, elections in the Democratic Republic are widely recognized as free and fair and absent of major irregularities in the electoral process.

Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections?
Yes, although we will admit that, despite proportional representation usually resulting in a multiparty system, politics are dominated by the left-wing Communist Party (the current party in power) and the centre-left New Democratic Party (the current Official Opposition), although there are two other parties with representation in the legislature (the centre-right People's Party and the right-wing Gandoor Freedom Group).

Is voting voluntary? If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections?
Voting is voluntary. The most recent election, the July 2024 National and Forum Election, had a turnout of 74.4%.

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 to both, there is nothing which impedes the legislatures ability to create new legislation or policies, beyond the constitutional checks and balances, and the government has control and authority over all territory of the nation.

Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government?
No.

Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments?
The Forum has the legislative initiative. There are no restrictions on the Forum's ability to pass normal legislation (although they can be challenged and potentially repealed by the High Court if they are found to violate the Constitution), but any constitutional amendments must pass by both a 70% super-majority in the Forum (as opposed to the normal 51% simple majority) and by 70% in 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 vetoes)?
The Prime Minister must sign all legislation passed by the Forum in order for it to pass into law and they may refuse to sign it. However, the Forum can vote to sign it in lieu of the PM if this happens, which requires 60% of the Forum to vote in favour of this action.

From 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? (Small explanation appreciated)
2/10 - Corruption in Gandoor is extremely low, primarily due to the long-standing and highly enforced laws criminalizing it.

From 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated)
8.5 - All government activity, sans activity concerning national security considered to be matters of 'state secrecy' is made available to the public in some form, which can range from publicly available transcripts or recordings to formal requests for the release of information under the auspices of the Access to Public Information Act of 1982.

Is there an independent judiciary, or is it subject to political pressure?
Yes, although, as stated above, the Forum recommends judges to the High Court and the Prime Minister appoints them.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media?
Yes, the freedom of the media is constitutionally enshrined and protected.

Is there freedom of religion, including non-belief?
Yes, the freedom of and from religion is constitutionally enshrined and protected. However, the freedom of religion does not trump our nation's anti-discrimination laws.

Is education free of political interference or indoctrination?
Yes.

Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? How pervasive is surveillance?
Yes. Surveillance is extremely rare, due to strict privacy laws passed by our legislature, which limit government surveillance to only certain locations and in certain, very specific, contexts.

Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice?
Yes to both questions. The freedom of assembly is constitutionally enshrined and protected.

Are there basic guarantees of due process (in civil and criminal matters), and are they upheld in practice?
Yes to both questions. The right to due process is constitutionally enshrined and protected.

Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely?
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 and sexual violence?)?
Yes to all questions. Domestic and sexual violence are extremely low in our nation.

Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected?
Yes to both questions.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available.
Citizenship by birth is granted to anyone born to at least one parent who holds Gandoorese citizenship, regardless if they were born in Gandoor or not. It is also granted to any child who would otherwise be stateless at birth.

Citizenship by naturalization requires the following:
- That they have lived in Gandoor for at least 15 years (with at least 5 years of holding permanent residency status, obtainable after having lived in Gandoor for at least 7 years)
- Demonstrating a fluency in at least one of our three official languages (English, Japanese, and Russian)
- Passing a citizenship test and declaring the Gandoorese Oath of Citizenship in front of a government official

OR

- Holding permanent residency status and marrying a Gandoorese citizen

OR

- being under the age of 20 (the age of legal adulthood under our laws) and being adopted by a Gandoorese family

Who is able to vote in elections, if they exist at all?
The right to vote is granted to all citizens aged 20 and older who are not imprisoned at the time of election. The right to vote for prisoners is automatically restored upon release. Citizens must be registered to vote.

Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally in law and in practice?
Yes to both questions.

Are the above groups well represented in government?
Yes, we would say so. (Hell, our current Prime Minister, Park Sang-Hee, is a woman, an ethnic minority [Korean], and lesbian)

Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility?
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?
None that I can think of.

[Plaetopia]

snip

Scored.

[Sajnur]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? What powers does the office exercise? The President is directly elected by popular vote in an instant runoff system. They have the power to veto legislation and dissolve Parliament on the advice of the Prime Minister, and they are the commander in chief of the Sajnuran military.
How was the head of government selected? What powers does the office exercise? The Prime Minister is selected by a majority of the House of Assembly. They hold primary executive power and control of the cabinet, and in practice also holds power over the military through the Ministry of Defence and in tandem with the President.
How is the national legislature selected? The House of Assembly is elected by voters under the MMP system, wherein voters choose a candidate to represent their constituency and also vote for a party which will be represented in proportion to their party votes if they win either 2% of the vote or an electorate. The Senate is elected by STV, with 16 seats in each province.
Are elections considered free and fair? Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly? Elections are free and fair, and no serious irregularities occur.
Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections? While the current government is popular, changes in power can and do occur, particularly in regard to which party has the Prime Minister and President.
Is voting voluntary? If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections? Voting is voluntary, and turnout averages 80-85%.

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 can and regularly do develop and implement new policies, and government authority does extend over the entirety of Sajnuran territory.
Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government? No.
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? The legislature has the legislative initiative. The President can veto laws, but the veto can be overridden by a 5/8 majority of both houses. The constitution can only be amended when an amendment is voted for in a referendum by a majority of Sajnuran voters and a majority of votes in a majority of provinces (presently 7/13). An amendment can be put to referendum by ordinary legislation passed by an enhanced quorum or by a minimum number of signatures by Sajnuran voters.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or vetoes)? The Prime Minister, while holding primary executive power, cannot unilaterally dissolve Parliament. They must request the President to do so, and the President can refuse. The President holds the power to veto legislation, and this veto can be overruled with a 5/8 majority in both houses of Parliament.
From 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? (Small explanation appreciated) 2/10. While penalties for corruption are not especially harsh, given Sajnur's relative ambivalence towards it, all monetary donations and gifts must be declared within 7 days and will be made publicly accessible, and undeclared donations will result in penalties which can in practice seriously damage one's political career.
From 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 10/10. All meetings, bills, and votes are recorded by dedicated staff and all records are made publicly available.
Is there an independent judiciary, or is it subject to political pressure? The judiciary is completely independent.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? Yes
Is there freedom of religion, including non-belief? Yes
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? Yes
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? How pervasive is surveillance? Citizens can and do freely express dissent. Surveillance is nearly non-existent other than CCTV, whose use and capability is regulated and must be signposted where it is present. Additionally, activities which are illegal in public but not in private, e.g. public sexual intercourse, cannot be prosecuted solely on CCTV evidence.
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Freedom of assembly is a constitutional right, and peaceful protests can and do proceed.
Are there basic guarantees of due process (in civil and criminal matters), and are they upheld in practice? Yes, and yes.
Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely? 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 and sexual violence?)? Yes (Domestic and sexual violence is rare, and penalties, depending on severity, can be very heavy.)
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Yes, and yes.

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available. Citizenship is given at birth to those born to a Sajnuran parent and to those born in Sajnur. Naturalisation is available to those who have held permanent residency in Sajnur for at least two years.
Who is able to vote in elections, if they exist at all? All citizens aged at least 16, and those aged at least 16 who have held permanent residency for at least four years.
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally in law and in practice? Yes
Are the above groups well represented in government? Yes
Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility? 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?

[Ferlik]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? What powers does the office exercise? The President is selected by a vote of the legislature every six years, although when there is an incumbent the vote is a formality in his favour
How was the head of government selected? What powers does the office exercise? The President is the head of goverment and head of state
How is the national legislature selected? A portion of seats are selected via elections for single member of seats, being single member in the sense that only one candidate (always from the ruling party) is usually allowed to run. The remaining seats are selected by prominent churches, large businesses, the military, directly from the ruling party, and even by the President himself
Are elections considered free and fair? Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly? Elections aren't free or fair as there is only one candidate
Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections? There is no opposition
Is voting voluntary? If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections? Voter turnout is around 60%

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? Representatives are not freely elected
Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government? The military, churches, and large corporations all hold seats in the legislature and the rest of it is unelected, either de jure or de facto
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? The legislature theoretically has legislative initiative, but most laws are drafted by the President and his cabinet. Laws passed by it must be approved by the President, and the President can pass a wide range of laws via decree.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or vetoes)? The President can pass decrees without the legislature's consent, and can have members of the legislature that were appointed by himself, the party, or the military, or were "elected", arrested if they displease him and do not respond to pressure to resign
From 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? (Small explanation appreciated) Between 7-9, depending on the leader. Corruption is "lower" when there is a President with strong ideological stubbornness as he will be less likely to respond to bribes, while a more "moderate" President is often more willing to accept gifts, especially from the business sector, to draft laws in their favour. Below the President, favours and gifts are regularly exchanged with legislators, cabinet members, and state and local level officials to pass laws and to get around them.
From 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 1/10. Laws and decrees are printed in a single newspaper after they are passed, government meetings are closed to the public and heavily guarded, other government activity is hidden from public view, and whistleblowing carries severe penalties
Is there an independent judiciary, or is it subject to political pressure? The judiciary is selected by government and party officials at every level, and judges may be removed by those officials at will. Political opponents are frequently tried in kangaroo courts, and the common public does not possess the right to a lawyer, meaning innocents are frequently punished for crimes they did not commit. Corruption is also rampant, with rich defendants regularly bribing judges to find them innocent, and rich people with vendettas bribing judges to find their opponents guilty.
CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? All media is controlled by the Party, the churches, or by pro-government corporations. Independent and dissenting media is illegal
Is there freedom of religion, including non-belief? All religions other than the Protestant Christian churches are illegal, as is non-belief
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? No
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? How pervasive is surveillance? Surveillance is all-pervasive, with phones and internet monitored and censored, CCTV widespread, and secret police and informants numerous
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Protests are crushed at the first sign
Are there basic guarantees of due process (in civil and criminal matters), and are they upheld in practice? No
Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely? Trade unions are illegal, and NGOs are either closely aligned with the government or banned
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement inside the country and of international travel, including in education, residence or employment? Several areas of the country require permits to enter and more permits to reside in, and the travel and residency permit system is complex at both the national and regional level. Women are prohibited from positions of leadership and several occupations, and those not rich enough to go to private schools are forced into military schools
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 and sexual violence?)? There is an enforced national dress code, and while choice of partner is theoretically free (as long as it isn't gay), couples who are childless are often pressured into having children or sometimes imprisoned. Domestic violence is common, and divorce is illegal
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Individuals are theoretically able to start their own business, but many businesses will often be destroyed or forced to close by large companies. Property rights are often trampled on by large businesses with impunity and the government can enter private property at any time

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available. By birth to Ferlikian citizens
Who is able to vote in elections, if they exist at all? Free Ferlikian men who are 22 or older, have completed military service, own land that is either 10,000 sq ft or larger or worth at least $10,000, and who have paid the region's poll tax
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally in law and in practice? Women have far fewer rights than men, being LGBT is outright illegal, and minority groups are enslaved at rates many times the national average
Are the above groups well represented in government? Not at all
Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility? 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? This has been done in the recent past at a national level, and may happen again in the future. At a regional level, non state actors and local governments frequently enact pogroms and massacres of rival and minority groups

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Any suggestions for future editions of the index?

[Novus America Imperium]

ELECTIONS
How was the head of state (or other chief national authority) selected? What powers does the office exercise? Revolution. Absolute power
How was the head of government selected? What powers does the office exercise? head of state and head of government are the same person
How is the national legislature selected? Appointment by the head of state
Are elections considered free and fair? Are irregularities serious enough that they alter the results significantly? The only elections are within the people's national assembly and individual industry unions, otherwise yes.
Does the opposition have a realistic chance of gaining support and power through elections? No
Is voting voluntary? If so, which was the average turnout in recent elections? Yes, decent.

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? Representatives in the people's national assembly can only suggest new policy to the government, not actually implement it themselves. Government authority is fully national
Do foreign powers (democratic or not), or unelected entities (the military, religious or economic oligarchies...) exercise undue influence over the government? Not at all
Does the legislature have the legislative initiative? What restrictions are placed on its ability to pass laws, including constitutional amendments? No. Restrictions are placed upon their ability by emperor and the ministry of justice.
Is the executive able to subvert the legislature through legal or extralegal means (such as arbitrary dissolutions, lack of an adequate budget, or vetoes)? Yes
From 0-10 (0 = clean, 10 = most corrupt), how pervasive is corruption (in government, business, etc.)? 0. strict laws are set in place to prevent corruption within the government and businesses alike. Government officials found guilty of taking bribes are shot.
From 0-10 (0 = completely opaque, 10 = completely transparent), how transparent is government activity? (Small explanation appreciated) 7. Citizens are made fully aware of changes in law and legislature, as well as major military actions. Information considered important to national security is of course kept secret.
Is there an independent judiciary, or is it subject to political pressure? Subject, they are appointed by the emperor personally

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Is there an independent media? Partially
Is there freedom of religion, including non-belief? Mostly, islam and atheism are strictly banned.
Is education free of political interference or indoctrination? No
Are citizens able to express dissent in practice, without fearing retribution? How pervasive is surveillance? No. Surveillance is minimal
Is there freedom of assembly? Are peaceful protests allowed, and are they able to proceed in practice? Mostly, as long are they are determined to not be degenerate in nature.
Are there basic guarantees of due process (in civil and criminal matters), and are they upheld in practice? Yes and are held dear
Are independent trade unions and NGOs able to operate freely? As long as they are determined to not be communist in nature.
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 and sexual violence?)? They are some prudism laws in place, but they are rather loose. Homosexuality is a capital crime. Both domestic and sexual violence are quite low, due to the harsh punishments they incur.
Are individuals able to freely set up their own business? Are property rights adequately protected? Yes and yes

PARTICIPATION AND GUARANTEES OF EQUALITY
How is citizenship determined? Include a brief overview of the naturalization process, if available. Citizenship is determined by birth, foreigners cannot become full citizens.
Who is able to vote in elections, if they exist at all? All peoples, with the except of convicted felons.
Are different segments of the population (men, women, the LGBT community, ethnic minorities...) treated equally in law and in practice? Yes, except for LGBT
Are the above groups well represented in government? yes
Do individuals have realistic opportunities for upward social mobility? 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?