Name: The Sultanate of Granada
Colloquial Name: Granada
Capital: Granada
Government: The Sultanate of Granada is divided into four main sections of government, the Administrative, Judicial, Legislative, and Imperial branches. The Administrative Branch holds power over the day to day structure of the government. Mail services, Police, and other like systems. They also control most government bureaucracy on a small level limited to subdivisions of government. The Judicial branch of government is divided into two sections, foreign and domestic. Foreign nationals are tried separately from actual citizens. Foreign also applies towards minorities even despite the fact that they are citizens of the government. That said, the judging is remarkably even handed.
The Court system is divided into 30 local courts, 15 regional courts, 3 system courts, and 1 supreme court among the domestic court system. Among the foreign system there are only the 30 local courts and the 3 system courts. You are allowed two sentences before it is passed. In rare cases, incredibly rare, a plaintiff may appeal to the Supreme Court. Local and Regional courts have one judge and a jury of 15 individuals. A judge may rule on the sentence only if the jury cannot decide, otherwise he is merely a mediator for the opposing factions. In the system courts there are 5 judges and no juries. In order for a guilty verdict to be passed there must be a 3/5 majority. The Supreme court has 11 judges which must have a 7/11 majority. In addition to this there are two legal codes, one for citizens and another for foreigners. In an objective position, one would say that foreigners have much more lenient laws and punishments. Most of which only end in deportation. Only murder, rape, and espionage end up with worse conditions.
The Judicial Branch also passes things into law. The Legislative passes a law, the Executive signs the law, and the Judicial Branch decides whether or not the law should be signed into the constitution. The Supreme and System courts are used for this decision. Each system court makes their own decision on the law. If 2 or more pass the law then it is up for the Supreme court. Due to the intricate system new laws rarely occur unless they are mandated by the people and government. Supreme Court Justices are appointed by the Legislature and approved by the Sultan. System court justices are elected democratically by the people.
The Legislative Branch is divided into three. The Senate, The People's House, and the Imperial District. The Senate is composed of 100 nobles from the greatest and post powerful families inside all of Granada. The head of each family is made a Senator. They are appointed for life and attain their power through hereditary means. Rarely if there are families that either marry themselves into obliteration a new family may be chosen to replace them if they are have outstanding services to the state and influence. If they lack this then a distant relative of the family will be brought in to keep it going. If a Senator commits a crime then he is removed from the Senate, however the family remains in power and a new familial head is placed on the senate. This is a remnant of the middle ages, but it is far from dying. Oddly, the Senate is mostly non-partisan as the Senators look out for their interests, but realize they need no schemes to attain any more power because they are already at the top. Rarely a family will be added to the Senate without the loss of another. Originally there was 80 Senators, now there are 100.
The People's House is composed if 200 individuals 140 from each region of government and the remaining 60 through national elections. There are currently three parties that are elected through this that have attained tri-party dominance inside of the House. The Nationalists or Andalusian party which holds 77 seats. The Islamic Party which holds 55 seats. Then there is the Christians United Party, however it is more commonly referred to as the "Old Book" Party because it contains Jews as well as Christians by the mainstream Islamic community. It currently holds 43 seats. Other notable parties are the Liberal Party and the Progressive parties which hold 10 and 8 seats respectively, but they do not hold the national appeal the others have.
The Imperial District is composed of 15 individuals who are appointed by the Sultan of Granada. Normally they resign after the current Sultan dies, however some are recalled if they are very good at their job. Most individuals who came to the senate of the 20 new families came from the Imperial District. In fact, it was 17 who started out in the Imperial District. If an individual dies after being appointed by the Sultan, the seat is left vacant out of respect for the person. If there are less than 7 people inside of the District new people are appointed, however. But this is a rare occurrence.
In order to pass a law inside the Legislative branch one needs of 2/3s majority inside the People's House, a 3/4s majority inside of the Senate, and a 2/3s majority inside of the Imperial District. If a law is defeated inside of the legislative system, a similar law may not be proposed for 10 years. The only people who can bring a law to the Legislative branch is the Senate and the People's House. The Imperial District may not propose laws to the Legislature. For a law to be brought by the People it takes 50% or more of the people to want it to be decided upon. In the Senate it requires just 25%.
The Imperial Branch of Government is headed by the Sultan of Granada who holds total authority over the army. In addition the Sultan appoints 15 members to the Legislature to decide laws, as well as installing the top levels of Government that oversees the Administrative Branch. There are three Governors appointed by the Sultan which takes over responsibility of the Administrative Branch. They, however, must be approved by the Administrative Branch. If there is unanimous disapproval of the Governor he is removed by the Administrative Branch. In addition the Administrative Branch may request their own Governor, but they cannot decide it themselves. The Imperial Branch controls all foreign policy. In addition it can declare war without anyone's approval. That said, military alliances must be approved by the Senate and House. Any acquiring of new territory must go through the Supreme Court before it can be formally annexed. The Sultan cannot be charged with crimes, however he may be deposed after five years of rule if there is a 4/5ths majority in the House and Senate requesting his abdication.
The laws of succession allow for only male heirs to succeed the throne. The Crown Prince, his brothers, uncles, and grandparents cannot be tried with a crime by the law. They can, however, be detained by order of the Sultan.
There is Religious Freedom among the populous. Judaism and Christianity are respected in the highest regard. Hindi, Buddhism, and Confucianism are respected, but are not allowed to propagate. They are also tried as foreigners. Mormonism is illegal. All other Islam is the state religion.
There is universal suffrage among the populous. Men and women over 21 can vote as long as they are citizens. Muslims, Christians, and Jews can apply for citizenship, but people of other religions can only become citizens if they are born inside of the country, meaning apostasy or family. No one in the Government is allowed the vote. There is much more as well, but that will take months to write.
Language: Andalusian (Official), English, Latin, and Arabic are popular among the populous.
Head of State: Sultan Muhammad XXII Nasrid
Population: 36,800,000
Religion: 64% Muslim, 21% Christian (18% Catholic), 9% Jews.
Founding Date: 1228
Economy: First World, Strong Power in the World.
Brief History: Founded in the 13th century as the last remaining remnant of Caliphate of Corboda. However over time they gradually fought became very powerful. Castille-Leon were powerful enemies of Granada throughout most of it's existence, however Granada overpowered the alliance of two Kingdoms and Eventually expanded throughout the world, however in a recent war has robbed them of most of their overseas territory.
The Sultanate of Granada is the premiere Muslim nation in the world in terms of government, education, and freedom. Following the prejudice against the Jews, the Sultanate had became a great haven for Jews. Following the wars that ravaged Europe even Christians migrated to Granada. While some critics cite the Granada Sultanate as an absolute Monarchy, this is not the case. It is a constitutional monarchy that holds power over the Military and Politics, however it is not an Absolute Monarchy. Also, the government is extraordinarily popular, far more popular than any other of it's neighbors or rivals. 92% of the populous favors the Government and desire no changes while 98% support the Sultan and his family. Granada is a thriving industrial society with great advances in modern medicine and holds the 9th highest GDP inside the world. It has one of the most advanced militaries in the world and was the fifth nation to land a man on the moon in 1998.