Valkyria

Valkyria, officially the Valkyrian Republic (Valkyrian: Valkyrr Republik), is a country in the South Pacific that encompasses both Qvait and Winston Island, which were countries independent of each other until unification in 2016.

Location and borders
The territory of Valkyria is located in Cordilia and the Rainbow Islands, encompassing Qvait and Winston Island, the former of which is considered the mainland. The mainland of the country is bordered by mountains and features a coastline that connects to the South Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, Winston Island is further north of the mainland and part of the Rainbow Islands.

Government
Valkyria is a unitary state that features devolved government and the national constitution enshrines the principles of republicanism, parliamentary democracy, and forms of direct democracy. The Valkyrian Parliament is a bicameral legislature comprised of the Citizens Assembly and the National Assembly. The Palace of Valhalla is the official residence of the President of Valkyria, while the members of Parliament, oftentimes just the National Assembly, meet at Legislative Valkyria. The seat of government for most agencies is Stockholm, but some agencies are headquartered in Sydney or Monteros, depending on their function.

The head of state is the President, who is elected to serve a six-year term and can stand for unlimited re-election. While the officeholder was intended to serve as a figurehead, the President has a few powers granted to them by the constitution and is named the commander-in-chief of the military. With regard to the former, the president can cast the tie-breaking vote in the Citizens Assembly, refer bills to the Constitutional Court for judicial review, and call for national referendums. The head of government is the Chancellor of Valkyria, who is elected by the National Assembly to exercise the executive power of the national government through the Cabinet. The legislative power of the national government is vested in the Parliament. The upper house of Parliament is the Citizens Assembly, which is filled by sortition. The 150 members of this house serve staggered nine-year terms in which one-third are replaced every three years. Meanwhile, the lower house is the National Assembly, which is filled by direct election by mixed-member proportional representation. At the most, members of the National Assembly serve terms of three years before another election.

While Valkyria is a multi-party system in which many political parties can win elections, national politics has mostly been divided between two blocs since 2017: the Alliance of Social Democrats and the New Conservative Coalition. After the 2019 general election, control of the government has rested in the latter.

Military
The military of Valkyria—known as the Valkyrian Defence Forces—is comprised of five branches with unique responsibilities: the Ground Service, Naval Service, Aerospace Service, Special Services, and the National Gendarmerie. After the passage of the Expansion of Security Powers Act 2019, a paramilitary organisation called SIEGE was created in order to respond to the most important issues of national security.

The commander-in-chief of the military is the President, but only serves in this role as a ceremonial figurehead. Most of the day to day leadership is vested in the Secretary of Defence and, consequently, the Chancellor. However, military policy is drafted by a fifteen-member body known as the Valkyrian Defence Council, which is comprised of five politicians, three top members of the Civil Service, and the seven members of the Defence Staff.

Economy
Valkyria operates with a mixed economy that allows private enterprise, but features extensive government intervention and state enterprise in economic sectors that are deemed important to the welfare of the state. As such, government influence is strong in industries such as electricity, energy, and healthcare. The government also spends money on improving the infrastructure of the country when it comes to transport and telecommunication.

The country maintains a highly skilled labour force, many of whom are members of trade unions. The service sector comprises the vast majority of the Valkyrian economy at 76 per cent, with 23 per cent coming from the industrial sector, and 1 per cent being the agricultural sector. The economy is primarily led by information technology, but features strong contributions from tourism and publishing.

The currency of Valkyria is the Pacific credit, which superseded the Pacific dollar and the Winstonian dollar after the unification of Qvait and Winston Island. The currency was not named after the demonym of Valkyria because it was intended to be part of a proposed monetary union.