Republic of Leicester (1983: Doomsday)

Leicester, or the Republic of Leicester is a small landlocked microstate on the island of Great Britain. It gained its independence from Newolland and Cleveland in 2018 through violence, after an armed militia known as the Sons of De Montfort occupied East Leicestershire and Rutland and ventured out into the uncontrolled North West Leicestershire and south-west and claimed them as their new state.

It is a socialist state which has acted with severe hostility towards its neighbouring countries.

History
The Sons of De Montfort gained Leicester's independence by force in 2018, establishing a socialist republic with Peter Soulsby as Premier and Sean Sheahan as President. The republic was founded on the idea of shire nationalism or "shireism".

In the drafting of the Constitution, Hindi was made a co-official language in order to accommodate the enormous Indian population living there. Because of this, the country is officially bilingual. However, currently the majority of the population is of English-descent and speaks English as a first language, and 80% of the Popular Council only speak English. This has caused people to question the necessity of this official bilingualism.

Annexation of North West Leicestershire and the south
In January 2019, the military ventured into the recovering irradiated zones near what was the city of Leicester, occupying and incorporating Coalville, Ashby de la Zouch, Hinckley, Bosworth and southern Blaby (Sharnford) into the republic.

Possible pact with Socialist Siberia
As of 2019, the Republic of Leicester does not form part of any international organization like the League of Nations (although the Popular Council has requested their membership). However, the Premier of the Republic Peter Soulsby has publicly expressed his desire for the state of Leicester to join the CSTO and to form an alliance with Socialist Siberia, something which would be extremely dangerous for the neighbouring Organisation of British Nations.

Future Projects
The state's eventual goal is to rebuild the old city of Leicester (which was obliterated in Doomsday) and create what they call "a blend of a perfectly reconstructed historic city of Leicester, and a glorious socialist utopia, which shall stand out among the rest of the world as a haven for all proletarians." Peter Soulsby named an example of what type of buildings they intend to build in the employment of this blend: "The new Palace of the Popular Council shall be built in the image of the old Chinese Great Hall of the People, and on the frieze of its splendid façade: AVE RATAE."

Politics
Leicester is a unitary, parliamentary republic. It is formed by a unicameral legislature, the Popular Council, a President who serves as the largely ceremonial head of state, but with some important powers and duties (the office is very similar to that of a constitutional monarch), and the head of government, the Premier, who is elected directly by the people every six years in a general election. The President, however, is chosen every ten years by the Popular Council (and must be a member of the ruling political party) and can rule another decade if the Popular Council approve his or her request. The current Premier is Peter Soulsby, of Together for Leicester; the main socialist party, which is the largest party of the country. He has been in power since the country's foundation.

Despite trying to market itself as a socialist republic, Leicester has a multi-party system with two main parties (Together For Leicester and the People's Party) and four minor parties:

- Baen - बाएं ("Left" in Hindi). It aims to support and fight for the interests of the Indian population of the area, and is pro-multiculturalism and is the biggest supporter of State bilingualism in the Popular Council.

- British Unionists. Leaning centre-right, the party aims to reunite the country with Newolland and Cleveland, and eventually negotiate with the other succesor states such as the Celtic Alliance to create a united island of Great Britain again.

- Vox. Far-right nationalist. Supports the republic's independence, but is against socialism. Their goal is to transform the republic into a capitalist nation and completely eradicate Hindi elements from the government (such as by abolishing official bilingualism), preferring to embrace their English heritage.

Branches of power
The republic's government comprises three branches:
 * Executive: The head of government is the Premier. The holder is appointed by the President of the Republic after each general election and must have the confidence of the Popular Council to remain in office.


 * Legislative: The legislature of Leicester is under a unicameral parliament known as the Popular Council, a permanent body that has 60 members who serve in staggered six-year terms and are directly elected by popular vote in the general elections.
 * Judiciary: The highest ranking court of the Leicesterian judiciary is the Supreme Court, with jurisdiction in all Leicester, superior in all matters except in constitutional guarantees. The Supreme Court is nominated by the President of the Republic and proposed by the General Council of the Judiciary.

Head of state
The ceremonial head of state of the Republic of Leicester is the President of the Republic. As the head of state, the President has the power to promulgate laws, select and dismiss the Premier (prime minister) as well as the ministers of the Popular Council, declare a state of emergency, issue mass mobilization orders, and issue state honours. In addition, the President names and dismisses ambassadors to foreign countries, and can sign and annul treaties with foreign entities. The President also conducts state visits on behalf of the Republic as the main representative of the unity of the nation. The President of the Republic is, in essence, a symbolic post without any direct say in the governance of the state. The Premier, the head of government in Leicester, is, de facto, the most important political appointment in the Leicesterian government.

The President of the Republic is not elected by the people, however, instead being elected for ten years by the Popular Council in joint session.

National anthem
The Internationale is used as the country's unofficial national anthem, as it is the one played on government loudspeakers on celebrations, and was sung in the first opening of the Popular Council. The country does have an official anthem, Oh Fair Leicester (which uses the melody of the Pontifical March by Charles Gounod), but it isn't as popular and isn't seen as inspiring as the Popular Council's unofficial anthem; however, it is considered the official national anthem in order to include the non-socialist deputies in the Council (who are very few).

Military
Leicester's military is small, but strong, highly effective and very well trained; and have managed to resist Newolland's forces and occupy East Leicestershire and Rutland with ease.