Whether in service to a philosophy of power devolution or simply to lengthen the arm of the one supreme Leader, most countries of significant size and population will have more than one seat of governmental power. Tell us about the administrative divisions of your nation. Are they sovereign, or do they answer to a central government? How much autonomy do they have? Do they themselves have subdivisions? Are they delineated by territorial boundaries or something else? How are they structured? How are their leaders chosen? Feel free to provide examples, but note we're more interested here in the types of administrative division and what defines them, not a list of territories.
----------
Xanthal has three types of first-level administrative division under the Federal government, delineated by physical territory: State Administrative Zones (SAZs or States), Federal Administrative Zones (FAZs), and Independent Administrative Zones (IAZs). All three must recognize the Triumvirate as their supreme diplomatic and military authority, and thus for international relations purposes all are "properly" regarded and mapped as Xanthalian territories. The best known of these are usually called simply by their proper names, but in legal contexts or when additional clarity or context is required- especially concerning those not prominent in the public consciousness- they may be more formally paired with their division type (FAZ Dracken, the Gexil IAZ, et cetera).
State Administrative Zones are where most Xanthalians live; over 97% of people fall within one of these. Presently there are six: Aellis, Trasnia, Mirfak, Than, Talmaraan, and Shinra. The basis of a SAZ's relationship with the Federal government is outlined in the Constitution, which defines the rights and responsibilities of each to the other. States have their own police and courts which have jurisdiction over the enforcement of their own laws, but Federal police and courts may take over in certain circumstances. SAZs are required to have democratically elected legislative bodies, but the size and shape of each State's government is quite different, as are its socioeconomic structures.
-The Commonwealth of Aellis is a unitary state, governed by a technocratic Council of Ministers nominated by the Congress of Governors and confirmed by the Diet. The Diet is the state legislature, which mostly operates by telecommunication but does meet annually for several days in a physical location, usually a stadium or convention center due to its size- at one representative per million people, there are well over ten thousand members. Elections are nonpartisan and managed by the Minister of Elections. The Congress is formed by the heads of the governorates. Courts adhere to the xanthalian law tradition, with judges nominated by the Diet and confirmed by the Minister of Justice.
--Governorates: Their borders are set by the Council, but typically include a single primary urban area and its sphere of influence. Each one is led by a Governor, who is responsible for coordinating his constituencies and holding them accountable to the Council. Governors are nominated by the Council and confirmed by popular vote.
---Constituencies: Local government in Aellis is indirectly elected: residents vote for electors which then- in consultation with the Governor- select a Cabinet which will manage the affairs of their constituency.
-The Free People of Trasnia are led by a President, who is elected by the Council, which is is elected by the people via instant runoff voting. Each pennon elects a single representative to the Council, whose voting power is weighted by the number of their constituents. A head of state position exists with the title of Pirate King, but this does not have to be filled: if the post is vacant, a nomination can be made by petition. If enough citizens sign the petition, the nomination is put to a popular vote and if a majority of voters approve the nominee is appointed and pardoned of all past criminal convictions. Power is shared among administrative levels in a federal structure, and the political process is notably open and free, involving a vibrant array of parties and individuals. Elections are administered by the pennons.
--Pennons: A distant descendant of privateer admiralties, the legislative authority of a pennon is its Congress, which is always popularly elected but the particular voting system varies. The title, powers, and means of selection for its executive head are also different between pennons. Trasnia's judiciary is organized at the pennon level- many basic tenets of justice are codified by the State, including a common law tradition and the right to a jury trial, but procedural details vary.
---Cantons: Cities or rural communities often incorporate into cantons to exercise more direct local control over their affairs, but while all citizens of Trasnia will have resident status in a pennon, not all inhabited areas are part of a canton.
---Crews: A relic of Trasnia's privateer history, originally referring to the crew of a ship but now applicable to any voluntary association of citizens. Crews are recognized not as territorial entities, but groups of individuals who are entitled to certain special legal rights, mainly in regards to internal dispute resolution. Companies and churches usually claim this status, though technically any two or more people can be a crew under the law.
-The Socialist Republic of Mirfak is a unitary state with four independent branches of government. Its Executive is directly elected by the people. The national Diet is elected by constituencies which are redrawn before each election cycle to keep their populations equal. High Court judges are nominated by the Executive and confirmed by the Diet, inferior judges are appointed by their superiors. The Commission for the Maintenance of Republican Socialism determines eligibility for office and carries out elections; its members are nominated by the Xanthalian Socialist Party and confirmed by popular vote. Mirfak uses the xanthalian law system.
--Associations: Made up of a subset of prefects and overseen by a Triumvirate- the State's Triumvir (appointed by the Executive), the Prefectures' Triumvir (chosen by the Prefects), and the People's Triumvir (directly elected by the residents of the associated prefectures via FPTP). Prefectures join and leave associations by mutual consent, and each prefecture will generally belong to several associations. Associations coordinate policy on matters of shared interest and also play an important role in arbitrating disputes between the state and the prefectures.
---Prefectures: Each prefecture elects a Prefectural Diet which chooses the Prefect who leads the government.
----Districts: The Governor is appointed by the Prefect, but must face confidence votes by residents of the district in each election.
-----Communities: Councils are elected by the community and mainly executive, but may be granted limited legislative autonomy by the Governor.
-The Than Hegemony is a confederation; its small central government functions mainly as a unifying and coordinating force for the eusocial than hives. The Harmony is a conference of all the Shimmering Diamonds and dominates the state administrative level. The Conclave is made up of one elected representative from each of the other than castes (amber laborers, emerald warriors, ruby engineers, and sapphire scientists) as well as an alien representative who speaks for non-than; it is nominally the state's legislature but rarely asserts itself over the Harmony. The Overdiamond is selected from among the Harmony by the Conclave; its role is usually ceremonial, however in times of emergency the Harmony may grant the Overdiamond temporary powers which expand its authority significantly. The state has no independent courts of its own, but it does set rules and guidelines- heavily influenced by the xanthalian law tradition- which its members must follow to comply with federal requirements and prevent jurisdictional conflicts. Elections are governed by second-level administrative divisions.
--Hives: The basic biological social unit of the than species. Each hive will support only a small number of diamond than, one of which will assume leadership of the hive and the title of Shimmering Diamond. Hives are not defined by physical borders but functionally most will have a "territory" where their population dominates. Where hives' physical presence overlaps, exchange of members is facilitated. Hives are not naturally antagonistic to one another and so long as the Harmony is effective in preventing resource shortages they generally coexist and commingle peacefully. The vast majority of civil and criminal disputes within a hive are resolved by traditional methods of conciliation and arbitration; hive courts are usually ad hoc, and may not be professional or independent.
--Enclaves: Non-than are a small minority of the sapient population of the Hegemony, and it's not unusual for them to cluster together in small communities which can better cater to their needs and tastes, outside the purview of a hive. These enclaves can formally join the Hegemony to obtain recognition and representation in the Conclave. An incorporated enclave does not have the right to representation in the Harmony, but it is obliged to select a Deputy (usually its leader, if there is one) who can be summoned as a courtesy to participate in the Harmony's discussion of matters which directly concern the enclave. An incorporated enclave also has the right to resolve internal legal matters with its own police and courts. An enclave may remain unincorporated and still function as a de facto administrative unit, but will have no representation and no formal recognition by the Harmony.
-Unescutcheoned Talmaraan is a unitary state on paper, but in practice its central government lacks the resources and often the political will to keep the provinces subordinate. The President is popularly elected head of state and- theoretically- head of government, though its ability to enforce directives without cooperation from lower administrative divisions is inconsistent. The bicameral Congress is made up of the Upper House and the Lower House. The Upper House was once populated by peerage, but in modern Talmaraan its seats are commonly sold to the highest bidder. The Lower House is directly elected by the people by open list proportional representation. Judges of the High Court- under which all the state's courts serve- are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Upper House, and the judicial system is based on xanthalian law.
--Provinces: Under the peerage system kingdoms were the predominant level of government; the provinces are their democratic successor. Their executive and legislative structure mimics that of the state government- only the titles are different (translated as Premier and Legislature). Premiers are also responsible for conducting all elections.
---Counties: The democratic successor to baronies. The Governor and Commissioners which lead them are all directly elected.
----Communities: Led by an elected Mayor and Council.
-Shinra State was originally organized as a unitary government, but most sources now classify it as a federation. Its weak executive relies on the courts- which also control elections and the state police- to interpret and enforce the law among the parishes. Though its legal system is rooted in xanthalian principles, it is unusual in that it uses juries to decide matters of fact. Each parish elects one representative to the Parliament by ballotage, and each representative commands as many votes as there are citizens in her parish. There is no religious requirement for holding office by law, but in practice the influence of the allied Miaphysite and Muslim churches in Shinra makes it rare for anyone not belonging to one of those faiths to be electable on either the state or parish levels.
--Parishes: The most influential administrative division in most Shinrans' lives, led by an Imam (executive) elected by FPTP and Conclave (legislature) by MNTV.
Federal Administrative Zones are more numerous than States, but demographically least significant of the three types- less than 1% of the population lives in one. Unlike States, FAZs are not Constitutionally defined and all power there nominally flows from the central government. Each FAZ is governed by an Administrator selected by and reporting to the Triumvirate. The Administrator is ultimately responsible for executing federal policy in the territory and facilitating enforcement action as necessary. Depending on the circumstances and the size of the territory he may be effectively a one-man government or take on more of a Governor General role. The Administrator is subject to replacement by the Triumvirate and obliged to abide by federal laws and courts but day to day he as an individual is the supreme authority in his territory, whether or not he chooses to exercise it. While the Administrator may form security agencies, law enforcement in a FAZ is ultimately a function of the federal judiciary, which has the right and the responsibility to claim jurisdiction where matters of federal law are at stake.
-Olink is an island enclave in Mirfak which hosts the federal Triumvirate. Its people elect a Council to represent them, but unlike in other Mirfakan cities it is independent and nonpartisan. The Administrator serves as executive, carrying out the directives of both the Triumvirate and the local Council.
-Chotei is an enclave in Aellis and the headquarters of the federal High Court. Its Administrator appoints a governing Cabinet in consultation with the city's elected representatives.
-Todd's Port is an enclave in Trasnia and the meeting place of the federal Assembly. It directly elects its own Mayor and Legislative Committee. The Administrator mediates disputes between the city government and the Triumvirate, overruling the former when necessary.
-Naval Monte is an island enclave off the coast of Zithal. A planned city, it functions as the Federation's bridge to the Dominion and, by extention, Earth. Its government is autocratic; the Administrator selects her own staff, and is advised by a permanent representative from the Dominion.
-Dracken covers the area of a former nebula of the same name in the Perseus cluster. Its Administrator is responsible for managing visitor conduct and maintaining a memorial museum on the site.
Independent Administrative Zones are territories which generally function independently in domestic matters, but cede their foreign policy authority to the Triumvirate in return for benefits such as markets, supplies, security guarantees, and political legitimacy. Roughly 2% of the population resides in an IAZ. Their relationship with the Federation is contractual in nature, and the scope of their relationship with and obligations to the Federation can vary substantially depending on the terms of that contract. Governing authority may be privately or publicly operated. The entity ultimately responsible for upholding the IAZ's side of the contract is the Principal. Residents are Citizens of the Federation entitled to the rights and protections of the Xanthalian Constitution but depending on the zone's level of autonomy the Federation's capacity to force compliance on the ground may be limited.
-The Dominion of Zithal encompasses the continent of Zithal on Earth. It is led by a Dictator who governs with the advice and consent of a geniocratic oligarchy; this government is the Principal. Zithal exists within the Federation as a quasi-State, but its lack of a formal legislature and the unique jurisdictional difficulties of its location on Earth make formal Statehood impossible.
-Gexil is the official short name of the GXL 1333 Exclusive Claim. GXL 1333, the Principal, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trasnian company Starfire CPF. It performs resource extraction in a section of the NGC 1333 nebula. The CEO directs operations through her management team.
