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[[File:Govt.jpg|700px|Structural diagram of the government of Westarctica]]
The '''government of Westarctica''' the system by which [[Westarctica|Westarctican]] rule is implemented. Westarctica is a constitutional monarchy with the nation's ruler, [[Grand Duke of Westarctica|the Grand Duke]], as the national sovereign. The Sovereign is assisted in these duties by a number of people in positions that, as a whole, make up the [[Royal Council]].
The '''government of Westarctica''' is a constitutional monarchy with the nation's ruler, [[Grand Duke Travis]], as the national sovereign. The sovereign, however, retains many of the rights of an absolute monarch, including the personal power to enact laws, appoint members of government, and function as the judiciary.


As of 2018, several governmental positions remain without a personal appointment.  Until such an appointment occurs or as long as that appointment remains open, the Grand Duke is the appointment's de facto holder.
==The Sovereign==
The role of sovereign is to serve as the head of state. The current Sovereign, [[Grand Duke Travis]], currently retains many of the rights of an absolute monarch, including the personal power to enact laws, appoint members of government, and function as the judiciary. The role is primarily hereditary, although Westarctican law dictates that the Sovereign may choose their successor.


The diagram above is a non-exhaustive chart of most of the current government appointments, filled and open, and grouped by color.
{| class="wikitable"
!Position
!Current Appointee
!Portrait
!Since
|-
|[[Grand Duke of Westarctica]]
|[[Grand Duke Travis]]
|[[File:Grand Duke Travis.jpg|200px]]
|21 September 2012
|}


On the left side are shown the peers of Westarctica.  These are the nation's highest ranking nobility, and they are sometimes consulted by the Grand Duke on important national issues.  While they have no formal decision-making power, their voices may have a large influence over national decisions.  Occasionally the Grand Duke may invite them to express their desires in a one-peer-one-vote system, though he is not legally bound by the outcome of such a vote.


Other government positions that report directly to the Grand Duke are the [[High Commissioner of Westarctica]] (currently an open appointment), the [[Prime Minister]] (also open), and the governors and viceroys of Westarctica's territorial claims on [[Peter I Island]], [[Calsahara]], and the [[Balleny Islands]]. The High Commissioner's role is to assist with the provisioning of whatever national commissions the Grand Duke deems necessary, for as long as they are deemed necessary.  Commissions are ad hoc appointments, usually for a limited and specific purpose.   Currently there are two such commissioners, one as [[Commissioner of the Treasury]] and the other as the Commissioner of the [[Civilian Corps]].  The purpose of the former's role, for example, is the production of Westarctican banknotes, the [[ice mark]], and thus the management of the [[Central Bank of Westarctica]], but these duties include no actual financial responsibilities which in fact are held by the [[Minister of Finance]].  Commissioner appointments are considered "cabinet level appointments" without being formal members of the [[Royal Council]].
==The Prime Minister==
The role of [[Prime Minister of Westarctica|Prime Minister]] is currently the only elected position within Westarctica's government. The Prime Minister's primary responsibility is overseeing the various Ministers of the Royal Council. The Prime Minister is also responsible for appointing new and replacement Ministers, though these selections are subject to the approval of the Grand Duke.


The largest group of government appointments are those that make up the Royal Council proper, most of which include the title "Minister" or occasionally "Director" (such as the [[Director of Communications]]). They include the [[Minister of Citizenship & Immigration]], the [[Minister of the Treasury]] (currently an open appointment), the [[Minister of Defense]], the [[Minister of Blockchain]], the [[Minister of Information]], the [[Foreign Minister]], the [[Minister of Communications]] (currently an open appointment for which the present Director of Communication is being groomed), the [[Ellsworth King of Arms|King of Arms]], and the [[Minister of Technology]]. The Prime Minister is considered the head of these ministries, the Foreign Office Ministry directs the various [[Honorary Consul Training Program|Honorary Consul]]s of the state, and the Ministry of Defense is responsible for the military components of Westarctica, its [[Captain of the Goldstream Guards|Captain of the Guards]] and [[Westarctican Royal Guards|Royal Guards]], though these may also be called upon by the sovereign directly at need.
The position of Prime Minister has been vacant since 2017.
 
==Ministers==
The largest group of government appointments are those that make up the higher tier of the Royal Council, which include the title "Minister," as they are each respectively the head of a Ministry. There are currently six Ministers on the Royal Council. In addition, the [[Minister of Communications|Director of Communications]] performs many of the same functions as the former Minister of Communications. She is currently being groomed for elevation to a role as Minister, as more responsibility is handed off to her. In the interim, her role is technically considered a "council-level appointment."
 
===Current Ministers===
{| class="wikitable"
!Position
!Current Appointee
!Portrait
!Since
|-
|[[Minister of Technology]]
|[[Prince-Consort Dinny|Prince Dinny, the Marquis of Sarnoff]]
|[[File:Prince_Dinny_Background.jpg|200px]]
|5 December 2014
|-
|[[Minister of Citizenship & Immigration]]
|[[Duke of the Bear Peninsula|Duke Jordan of the Bear Peninsula]]
|[[File:Duke_Jordan_of_the_Bear_P.jpg|200px]]
|9 March 2018
|-
|[[Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
|[[Count of Goldstream|Count Stefan of Goldstream]]
|[[File:Count-Goldstream.jpg|200px]]
|February 2018
|-
|[[Minister of Blockchain]]
|Hon. Brian Erdelyi
|[[File:Brian-E.jpg|200px]]
|January 2018
|-
|[[Minister of Information]]
|[[Baron of Bastanchury]]
|[[File:Baron_of_Bastanchury.jpeg|200px]]
|22 March 2018
|-
|[[Minister of Defense]]
|[[Duke of Waesche|Duke Wolf of Waesche]]
|[[File:Dukewaesche.jpg|200px]]
|29 July 2005
|}
 
===Open Ministry positions===
As of 2018, several governmental positions remain without a personal appointment.  Until such an appointment occurs or as long as that appointment remains open, the Grand Duke is the appointment's de facto holder. These vacancies are:
 
*[[Minister of Finance]]
*[[Minister of the Treasury]] - Most aspects of this role are currently being filled by the [[Commissioner of the Treasury]].
*[[Minister of Communications]] - The role is essentially being filled by the Director of Communications. The intent is to elevate her to the role of Minister as she takes on more responsibilities.
 
==The High Commissioner==
The High Commissioner is a role that is largely advisory. It is intended to serve as a sort of "right-hand person" to the Grand Duke. The High Commissioner's role is also intended to act as an occasional liaison between the Grand Duke and his council-level appointments, much as the Prime Minister does with the Ministers. As this role has never been officially filled, much of the minutiae of its responsibilities are unclear.
 
==Council-Level positions==
These positions, often called "Commissioners" are ad hoc appointments, usually for a limited and specific purpose. These roles are made and filled solely at the discretion of the Grand Duke, and are not subject to direct oversight from the Prime Minister. While these are members of the [[Royal Council]], they are distinct from ministries, as they report directly to the Grand Duke and often have a much smaller scope and area of responsibility. There are currently five such positions.
 
These positions are also unique in that they may also have limited oversight from a minister with whom the responsibilities overlap or align. Two such examples are the Commissioner of the [[Civilian Corps]], and the Captain of the [[Westarctican Royal Guards|Royal Guards]]. The Civilian Corps currently falls in line with the citizen's affairs side of the Ministry of Citizenship & Immigration. As both roles are currently filled by the same person, this distinction is essentially meaningless. The Captain of the Royal Guards also falls under the purview of the Minister of Defense. Since that position is primarily honorary, the role falls directly under the Grand Duke, in practice.
 
===Current Council-Level positions===
{| class="wikitable"
!Position
!Current Appointee
!Portrait
!Since
|-
|[[Minister of Communications|Director of Communications]]
|Danni Michele
|[[File:Danni Michele - Director of Comms.jpg|200px]]
|29 June 2018
|-
|[[Ellsworth King of Arms]]
|Hon. Michael Richards
|[[File:Michael_Richards.jpg|200px]]
|March 2015
|-
|[[Commissioner of the Treasury]]
|[[Baron of Bastanchury]]
|[[File:Baron_of_Bastanchury.jpeg|200px]]
|28 September 2018
|-
|Captain of the Guard for the [[Westarctican Royal Guard]]
|[[Prince-Consort Dinny|Prince Dinny, the Marquis of Sarnoff]]
|[[File:Prince_Dinny_Background.jpg|200px]]
|29 October 2017
|-
|Commissioner of the [[Westarctica Civilian Corps]]
|[[Duke of the Bear Peninsula|Duke Jordan of the Bear Peninsula]]
|[[File:Duke_Jordan_of_the_Bear_P.jpg|200px]]
|1 April 2018
|}
 
==Government roles outside of the Royal Council==
There are a number of additional roles in Westarctica's government that do not have a place on the Royal Council. These roles are typically very limited in scope or may even be largely honorary, with no actual responsibilities required of the holder.
 
===Territorial and Regional Governance===
Westarctica currently has three territorial claims on areas not within the area of [[Marie Byrd Land]] addressed within the [[Claimant Letter]]. Each of these have their own specific governance, all of which report directly to the Grand Duke. overnors and viceroys of Westarctica's territorial claims on , [[Calsahara]], and .
 
====Peter I Island====
[[Peter I Island]] was formally annexed by Westarctica on 15 January 2005 with a letter sent by the Grand Duke to Norway's polar administration office. Peter I Island was then made the capital of Westarctica. The position of Archduke of Peter I Island was subsequently created as a purely ceremonial recognition of Grand Duke Travis' infant son and heir apparent, [[Prince Ashton Roman]]. As the territory is officially part of Westarctica proper, the need for a specific colonial governance is unnecessary. This role is currently known as Viceroy of Peter I Island.
 
{| class="wikitable"
!Position
!Current Appointee
!Portrait
!Since
|-
|Viceroy of Peter I Island
|[[Prince Ashton Roman]]
|[[File:Prince Ashton Roman.jpeg|200px]]
|15 January 2005
|}
 
====The Balleny Islands====
The [[Balleny Islands]] became a colony when Westarctica formally annexed it from New Zealand on 14 January 2005. Westarctican citizen [[Duke of Sherman|Jorge-Fernandez Vidal]] was made Governor of the new territory and subsequently made the Count of Sturge. This was made both in recognition of his new role as the Minister of the Treasury, and his related permission to mint [[Coins of Westarctica|Westarctican coins]]. The vast majority of these coins were minted as currency of the Colony of the Balleny Islands. Though this partnership ended years ago, the now Duke of Sherman has been allowed to retain the title ceremonially out of respect for his contributions, until such time that the Grand Duke deems it prudent to name another Governor.
 
{| class="wikitable"
!Position
!Current Appointee
!Portrait
!Since
|-
|Governor of the Balleny Islands
|[[Duke of Sherman]]
|[[File:Jorge-Fernandez1.jpg|200px]]
|14 January 2005
|}
 
====Calsahara====
In October 2017, Grand Duke Travis became concerned that the leaders of [[Colony of Calsahara|Calsahara]] weren't taking a big enough role in managing the internal or external affairs of the nation. Rather than see the country he founded continue to stagnate until it descended into oblivion, Travis made the strategic decision to liberate Calsahara from its absentee landlords.
 
On 29 October, the Grand Duke led a coalition force comprised of the Westarctican Royal Guards and the Knights of [[Kingdom of Shiloh|Shiloh]] to Calsahara, Liberating it from negligent rule. He subsequently set up a Colonial government, comprised of an official ruler, and a military governor to oversee the transition from independent kingdom to colony of Westarctica.
 
{| class="wikitable"
!Position
!Current Appointee
!Portrait
!Since
|-
|Viceroy of Calsahara
|[[Prince Daniel Nicholas]]
|[[File:Nicholas Kingly.jpg|200px]]
|29 October 2017
|-
|[[Captain-General of Calsahara]]
|Captain-General Ciani
|
|29 October 2017
|}
 
===The Honorary Consular Corps===
::''Main article: [[Honorary Consular Corps]]''
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs directs the various [[Honorary Consul Training Program|Honorary Consuls]], who serve as official representatives of Westarctica. In the future, some of these Consuls will likely be allowed to enter into official negotiations on behalf of Westarctica.
 
===The Peerage of Westarctica===
::''Main article: [[Peerage of Westarctica]]''
These are the nobility, and they are sometimes consulted by the Grand Duke on important national issues.  While they have no formal decision-making power, their voices may have a large influence over national decisions.  Occasionally the Grand Duke may invite them to express their desires in a one-peer-one-vote system, though he is not legally bound by the outcome of such a vote.


[[Category: Government of Westarctica]]
[[Category: Government of Westarctica]]
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