New Francy
From IBWiki
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| National motto: Je me souviens | |
| Languages | |
| Official | Francian, Laurentian, various native tribal languages |
| Capital | Québec |
| Important Cities | Ville-Marie, Trois-Rivières |
| Head-of-state (de facto) | Intendant Léonce Boucher |
| First-Minister | Premier-Ministre Paulette du Marais |
| Area | ± 1 million km² |
| Population | ± 9 millions |
| Currency | Piastre |
| Organizations | |
Contents |
General information
Administration
Government
see also: Political Life In New-Francy, for a more in depth description of political parties and factions.
From the time New Francy declared its alliegance to the monarchy, the official head of state was (and according to some, still is) the King of France. Since France is a republic, the de facto head of state became the Intendant, who was said to rule on the King's behalf. Though originaly strictly an administrative title, "Intendant" came to be regarded as the highest rank within New-Francy's patrician class.
Since the Reform of 1840 following the patoisant uprising, the population elects representatives to the Estates Generals or (in the case of some) to the Chamber of Patricians. Executive power is divided between the General Council of the Intendant and the Superior Council of the Intendancy.
Many have commented that the former political system was only an excuse to maintain in power a person who was de facto a monarch. Some have even gone as far as saying that despite the rhetoric, the Intendant didn't really want to give up his position since, after all, the government could simply have invited the Pretender to the throne despite the official excuse of not having being crowned. This was always denied in the strongest term by the government.
Many of these problems were resolved in early 2008 when, following a republican/reformist majority in all 3 estates, the Intendant became in theory an elected position. Little has changed yet regarding the rest of the political system except for a declaration in mid 2008 that the Intendancy was now a republic. The 3 estates meet jointly so that differences have largely evaporated in regard to making petitions.
History
The Intendancy was originally part of the group of french colonies in North America collectively known as New France. Most were founded sometime in the 16th century but being regarded more as fodder for the metropole then destination for settlers, they stayed sparesly populated until the begining of the 18th century.
During the french Revolution, New Francy rallied to the monarchy, with a large influx of nobility from Louisianne which followed instead the Republican side. Some historians suggest that New Francy remained faithful to the monarchy because of the strong devotion to Catholicism and the lack of famine. Others attribute it to a lack of rabble-rousing by a disenfranchised middle class.
They declared the french Republican government illegal and refused to join talks without restoration of the King. The Intendancy chose to remain autonomous during the royal Restauration of the mid-nineteenth century by joining the legitimist camp that denied the right to rule of the chosen King, a member of a younger house.
New Francy's Militia has been involved recently in stabilizing Hayti with the intent of creating the Empire of Saint Domingue. New Francy has also proposed use of their kawaric abilities for construction of Çuxima Space Station.
In 2005, the Intendant officialy recognized the Laurentian speakers as forming a nation within New Francy.
In 2008 following years of agitation for democratic reforms, the intendancy went through an event that came to be known as the "green revolution". It began with the election of reformists in all 3 estates who joined together, against tradition, in a joint session to demand that the post of Intendant became that of an appointed civil servant instead of the autocrat it had become over the years. At first the Intendant refused any concessions but eventualy, faced with growing disorder and a referendum that went against him, he suddenly stepped down, only announcing his resignation after having left the country. To prevent a vaccuum, in his absence, the chamber of patricians appointed one of their own as a temporary caretaker until such time as a permanent mean of chosing one could be decided upon. The new government adopted many republican symbols that appear to represent the aspiration of the people although real changes are slow in occuring.
Militia
see also: Milice Of New-Francy, for a more in depth description.
The french armed forces in New Francy was disolved in the mid-19th century to be replaced solely by the Militia. Part of the reason was that under the ancien regime, only noblemen could become officers, a limitation which didn't exist in the militia. Originaly the changes were mostly cosmetic but the lack of sharing borders with any ennemies has meant that the force was allowed to fall behind in term of armaments. In effect, the Militia was truly only composed of policemen, firemen, border guards and coast guards.
The haytian Crisis however showed the limits of its abilities to engage in large scale missions and plans were drawn to modernised the Militia. It came to a crux following a pro-monarchist riot after which it was decided to put in place a more heavily armed force that could deal with terrorist threat and potential uprisings. Using the Groupe d'Intervention Special as its nucleus, a new service called the Republican Guard was set up which was equiped with tanks and heavy weaponry bought from France. Members of the Republican guard are easily recognisable by the blue-grey-white splattered uniform they wear.
Economy
Most of the economy of New Francy is focused on timber, mining, fishing and agriculture. The industrial transformation of materials occurs mainly in and around Ville-Marie. Weapons and other metal work are done in and around St-Maurice.
New Francy is one of the few net exporter of energy outside of the oil producing countries. This comes mainly from hydro-electricity but the Intendancy has recently began efforts into building Tesla Generators as well, being so near magnetic north.
The best known cultural export of the Intendancy is probably the circus troop of Le Cirque du Roi Soleil.
The largest local press agency is Omnipresse.
Former Symbol
Following the dramatic events of 2009 when the Intendant resigned his position, New Francy's national symbology has changed, shifting away from the prior franco-monarchist leanings.
 former flag of the Intendancy |
 Former Coat of arms of the Intendancy |
See also
- Decorations of New Francy
- Official site of the Embassy of New Francy in Australasia [1] (external)
