Alternative History
Sicilian Republic
Repubblica Siciliana
Timeline: 1983: Doomsday

OTL equivalent: Southern and central Italy
Flag Coat of Arms
Flag Coat of Arms
Location of Meridione
Map of the Sicilian Republic, showing the main cities of the Republic
Anthem "Madreterra"
Capital
(and largest city)
Palermo
Other cities Catania, Messina, Reggio, Bari, Salerno, Pescara, Latina, Ancona and others
Language
  official
 
Italian, Sicilian
  others English, Sicilian, Calabrese, Bosnian, Arabic, Italiot Greek, Arbëreshë, Apulian and others
Religion
  main
 
Christianity
  others Atheism, Islam and others
Ethnic Groups
  main
 
Southern Italians, Sicilians
  others French, Germans, Libyans, Tunisians, Spaniards, Bosnians, Arabs, Sardinians, Northern Italians, Italic Greeks, Arbëreshë and others
Demonym Sicilians, Southern Italians, Italians
Government Unitary parliamentary republic
  Legislature Parliament
President of the Republic Sebastiano Musumeci
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte
Area 134,144 km²
Population 8,823,350 
Established 17th March of 1991 as the continuation of the previous Italian government
Currency Sicilian Lira
Organizations Mediterranean Defense League, League of Nations

The Sicilian Republic (Italian: Repubblica Siciliana) is a country consisting of the island of Sicily and the southern and central parts of the Italian Peninsula. A unitary parliamentary republic, its capital is the historic city of Palermo.

The modern Sicilian Republic was born out of pragmatic cooperation between the regional authorities and the gentlemen clans of Palermo and Eastern Sicily, giving birth to a singular and peculiar state. In contrast to many other countries and regions it remained stable, distant from democracy, especially during the dictatorship of 2000-2010. Democratic reforms since the end of the Second Sicily War have sought to curtail the mafia's influence and end corruption in the government. The republic has also dropped its claim to the rest of the Italian peninsula and entered into normal diplomatic relations with its neighbors.

History[]

See: History of the Sicilian Republic

Government[]

The political structure of the Sicilian Republic is a Unitary parliamentary republic with a president acting as a head of state.

The constitution that was adopted in 2011 is modelled after the former 1947 Italian Constitution, though a few amendments have been implemented by the Palermo government. Instead of two chambers, the Parliament of the Republic is a unicameral house with elected officials holding the title of 'Deputies'. This is based off of the medieval Sicilian Parliament which has held some form of governance of the island from the Palazzo di Normanni since the 11th century. The legislature was expanded to include the southern peninsula and represent the people there. A new Provision in the Transitory and Final Provisions of the constitution, imposed by the victorious Alpine-IPA-ADC alliance, forbids the creation of the Tricolor Flame party and any reorganization of both the Tricolor Flame and the National Fascist Party. It also reaffirms the impossibility of any members of extant monarchies or new claimants to usurp the democratic nature of the republic, barring any attempt to restore the monarchy.


The original state followed three independent branches of government, the Legislative, Executive and Judicial power. Each were independent and came with a series of checks and balances to mitigate corruption. This original government was disbanded after the Great Italian War where the Di Stefano dictatorship had taken control of the government and his Tricolor Flame Party.  Following the Winter Revolution of 2010 - 2011, the democratic institutions were re-established. Nowadays, thanks to the work of the political forces in Sicily and by the younger generations, politics in Sicily is returning to democracy.

Reforms and Corruption[]

International supervisors and human rights organizations have noted that although the recent governments have taken steps to fight corruption at the highest levels, including the emergence of "true democracy" where citizens have the possibility and can participate actively in politics, without the fear of the government or police force, in practice the Mafia and other corrupt actors have just slightly reduced its public presence and pulled back from certain "non-negotiable" sectors.

Even with the best intentions problems remain. The Sicilian Republic has continued to received criticism by many for having problems related to corruption, especially in the poorest areas of the republic. There has been notable concern for the rise of the Camorra, one of the few organized crime syndicates that managed to survive both the dictatorship and the post-revolution. Newer crime families, of Corsican and Albanian decent have also rose to prominence alongside some well established Palermitan mafia families who had fled Sicily in 1983 such as the Inzerillo and the Gambino family known for their presence in the former US city of Atlantic City, and even as far away as the independent state of Louisiana. Historians have since acknowledged the previously debated irony that the Sicilian Mafia was one of the earliest trans-Atlantic mercantile blocs to re-emerge after Doomsday.

Head of State[]

As the head of state, the President of the Republic represents the unity of the nation and has many of the duties. The President serves as a point of connection between the three branches as he is elected by the lawmakers, appoints the executive and is the president of the judiciary. The President is also commander-in-chief in the time of war. The President of the Republic is elected for seven years by Parliament. These delegates are elected in proportion to their populations by their respective Regional Councils to guarantee representation of regional minorities. The election needs a wide majority that is progressively reduced from two-thirds to one-half plus one of the votes after the third ballot.

According to the Constitution, any citizen that is fifty on the day of the election, and enjoys civil and political rights, can be elected president. The president cannot hold office in any other branch of power and the office's salary and privileges are established by law.

Government Structure[]

The Parliament[]

The Legislative power is held by the Parlamento, who sit in the Norman Palace in Palermo, the Parliament is comprised by 135 seats. The 135 deputies are established in proportion to the population that makes up each of the 16 regions, the majority of which are deputies of Sicily proper. They are elected directly by the citizens, and they can serve for a period of 5 years. The Parliamentary elections happen every five years or in the event of its early dissolution. Any citizen over the age of 18 is eligible for electing representatives for both chambers, and the minimum required age for being a member of parliament is 20.

The Council of Ministers[]

The Executive power is held by the Consiglio dei Ministri. It is appointed by the President of Sicily after post-election consultations with the leaders of parliamentary groups and the speaker of parliament. He or she is confirmed by a motion of confidence (nominal voting) in Parliament no later than 10 days following the swearing in of Government, the Council of Ministers is headed by the President of the Council of Ministers. The President of the Council also needs to have the confidence of parliament for governing and to stay in office. The number of ministers is currently fifteen, all with Portfolio. The executive can remain in power as long it has the support of parliament.

The Judiciary[]

The Judicial power is held by the Corte Constituzionale dei Sicilia. The Constitution states that justice is administered in the name of the people and that judges are subject only to the law. The judiciary is a branch that is completely autonomous and independent of all other branches of power. The Minister of Justice is responsible for the organization and functioning of judicial services and has the power to originate disciplinary actions against judges, which are then administered by the High Council of the Judiciary, presided over by the President.

The Sicilian judicial system is based on principles established in Roman law, the Napoleonic code and later statutes.

Current legislature of the Parliament[]

DD 1983 Sicily Parliament Seats

Distribution of deputy seats in the regions

The XVIII Legislature of the Sicilian Republic started on 7 January 2020, after the decision of President Sebastiano Musumeci to dismiss the parliament earlier then his mandate due to the impossibility to form a government.

Since the restoration of democratic institutions in 2014 there has been a multitude of new political parties formed, many of these were founded by young politicians or activists. Many other parties were the same as those that dominated the political scene in 1983 but under different names.

List of current parties in the Parliament[]

1983DD Sicily Parliament 2020

Distribution of seats in Parliament.

Coalition Party Seats %
Centre-right coalition Great South (GS) 30 22
Sicilian Republican Party (PRS) 30 23
Sicilian Liberal Party (PLS) 18 13
Sicilian People's Party (PPS) 7 5
Party of Greek Democrats (PDG) 1 <1
Sicilian Alternative (AS) 4 3
Total seats 90 66
National Alliance (AN) 1 <1
Centre-left coalition Sicilian Democratic Socialist Party (PSDS) 11 8
Justice and Liberty (GL) 14 10
Democratic Party of the Left (PDS) 12 9
Total seats 37 27
Federation of the Greens (FdG) 2 2
Radical Party (PR) 4 3
Power to the People (PaP) 1 <1
Total 135 100

Administrative Divisions[]

The Sicilian Republic is a unitary republic divided into 16 Regioni for administrative purposes. The current borders were established in 2012 after the ratification of the new constitution. The borders were created along historical, geographical, and cultural regions trends in Sicily's territory, with some districts being drawn up from maps dating back to the time of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Each region has a degree of autonomy regarding local governance but is bound to Federal laws according to the Constitution as well as their own organic laws known as Regional Statutes, which define the competencies that they assume. Since devolution was intended to be asymmetrical in nature, the scope of competencies varies for each Regioni within their local democratic framework.

From 2012 the minimum limit per senators for each region has been lowered to 1, since the drastically demographic differences between pre 1983 and post 1983. Each region's president is elected via direct elections by the citizens, previously it was elected by the regional assembly.

All regions have a local system based on a division of powers comprising:

  • An Assemblea Regionale, whose members are elected by universal suffrage according to a system of proportional representation, in which all areas that integrate the territory are fairly represented.
  • The Giunta Regionale holds executive and administrative powers and is headed by a governor titled Presidente della Regione, who is elected by the citizens with direct elections.
  • An Alta Corte di Giustizia, a High Court hierarchically under the Supreme Court of Sicily.

List of the Sicilian regions[]

DD 1983 Sicily Regions

Regioni of the Sicilian Republic

Region Capital
I Cità metrupulitana di Palermu, Metropolitan City of Palermo Palermu
II Pruvincia di Tràpani, Province of Trapani Tràpani
III Pruvincia di Girgenti, Province of Agrigento Girgenti
IV Pruvincia di Nissa, Province of Caltanisetta Nissa
V Pruvincia di Enna, Province of Enna Enna
VI Pruvincia 'i Rausa, Province of Ragusa Rausa
VII Pruvincia di Sarausa, Province of Syracuse Sarausa
VIII Cità metrupulitana di Catania, Metropolitan City of Catania Catania
IX Cità metrupulitana di Missina, Metropolitan City of Messina Messina
X Pruvincia di Calabria, Province of Calabria Riggiu
XI Pruvincia di Basilica, Province of Basilicata Putenza
XII Pruvincia di Pugghia, Province of Apulia Bare
XIII Pruvincia di Molisa, Province of Molise Cambuàsce
XIV Provincia di Salernu, Province of Salerno Salierno
XV Provincia di Abbrùzze, Province of Abruzzo Pescàrë
XVI Marzu di Laziu, March of Latium Rieti
A Zona Militari di Roma
B Zona Militari di Napuli
C Zona Militare di Tarantu
D Zona Militare di Cosimu

Economy []

Nutella

One of the most famous promotional image. with the phrase "What world it will be without Nutella ?"

The modern Sicilian economy is one of the Largest in Southern Europe. Predominantly, this has been a direct consequence of its history following Doomsday. Since the end of the Second Sicilian War, Sicily has taken steps away from state/mafia-induced protectionism and moved towards a free market. However, state ownership pervades all public services and even agricultural and industrial sectors, with the process of removing corruption and monopolization being gradual.

The primary sectors of the economy include agriculture, wine exports, fruits (particularly citrus), olive oil and cereal crops. Sicilian land is quite fertile, particularly the island proper, which has led to some to call the island ‘The Breadbasket of the Mediterranean.’ The island exports more of their crop yield to neighbours than they use giving testament to these claims.

Industrialized production of finished goods makes up the second-largest sector of the nations economy. Cities such as Messina and Reggio Calabria are major industrial hubs with outputs including mechanical equipment, clothing and other textile goods and metallurgical and building materials. Other centres of industry include Brindisi, Catania, Latina, Foggia, and Matera.

CrotoneVineyard

Vineyards in Calabria, Sicily - untouched by the fallout of Doomsday, these wines are favored by many in foreign markets

Economic History[]

The first years after Doomsday were harsh for everyone, there was little incentive to produce goods and with the full collapse of international trade (and ensuing supply of fertilizers), many reverted to subsistence agriculture. The primary objective of the regime was to survive; thus, this subsistence activity drove the activity of remaining industries.  The luxury sector completely collapsed as there was no demand at home nor abroad for such things.  Vital sectors of the economy were heavily subsidised by the government to keep the nation functioning. The fragile bubble of trade expanded in the late 80s to include parts of Libya, Tunisia and the Calabrian Coast on the peninsula. Later on, Turkey would become its largest trading partner. The Sicilian Mafia was ironically one of the early impetuses to kick-starting primitive international trade.

As the world moved further past Doomsday, trade along the Mediterranean would slowly pick up. The 1991 reformations saw the first in a series of rollbacks on restrictions that would allow private ventures to take up government subsidized industries. These private businesses mostly moved firstly into the telecommunications and transport sectors, as attempts to kick start remaining phone lines went underway. The regime argued the introduction of private enterprises (themselves often controlled by government/allied mob elements) would allow public funds to be spent elsewhere, not too dissimilar to the Reaganomic and Thatcherite policies of old. This would allow Palermo to focus the public funds on military control of the frontier, energy, and keeping the fertilizer scant agricultural industry from collapsing. Taxes were somewhat relaxed too, namely the tax on commercial sales, though in practice this meant little in the years of the state-dominated economy. Ultimately, its extraction operations in Italian Tripolitania would serve the rebuilding process in Southern Italy to its own ends.

The Palermo Regime held strong to their grip on state-controlled media. Though private companies were attempted in the television industry, it was the state that held majority shareholding in these endeavors and thus controlled the media narrative for the consumption of the masses. This policy also extended to print media notably the Società Editrice Sud, an editorial group that assumed the control of most of the newspaper sector present in the island. The regime was strict on publication, labelling those who stood against them as soviet sympathisers and communist operatives on the island.  From a common civilian standpoint however, private media was operating on the island, and they were being shown the absolute truth without political imposition.

Economic Reforms and Peninsula Domination[]

The overall situation would change drastically with the conquest of Southern Italy and Sardinia by the Palermo regime, as of 1991 the whole of the peninsula up until the Arno River was under their control. The conquest of most of the peninsula led to the regime implementing many economic reforms around Basilicata, eastern Campania, Lazio, Sardinia, Apulia, and Southern Tuscany. These plans ranged from infrastructure repair, construction of new clinics and pharmacies, and reconstruction efforts to the 1981 earthquake hit regions.  There was significant improvement to port facilities on Southern Italy. The ports of Civitavecchia and Gioia Tauro were designated free ports, this way ships did not need to pay taxes on goods, both in export and import, this did increase the economic importance of both ports, as well as the surrounding regions. The 90s brought further leniency to the restrictions implemented in the prior decade.  This allowed for a significant growth in trade volumes. For a time, traveling merchants were able to travel from the Sicilian line of control into Northern Italy, some spending months trading goods in the cities of the north.

With the territorial expansion, the local reforms included an increase in the presence of military and law enforcement in rural regions, especially in the Aspromonte, the Basilicata, Irpinia, the interior of the Abruzzo and Marche. This was in order to reduce the raiders and other criminal gangs that populated these areas after the collapse of social order. The reforms also included a relaxation on firearm restrictions. This was deemed necessary due to the increased presence of outlaws; from now on the Sicilian Law would allow the obtaining of shall-issue and may-issue permits. Restrictions on open carrying were still in effect in urban areas but often this was at the discretion of the local authorities.

"Di Stefanismo" & Post-War Economic Reform[]

Things would start to change in 2000, when Paolo Di Stefano was elected as President of Sicily on a nationalistic and self-sufficient political campaign. Di Stefano argued in his speeches that Sicily was more than capable of producing everything that they needed. Citing the recent trade bilateral deal signed with the Alpine Confederation, that cut almost all taxes upon both exported and imported goods, Di Stefano deemed it a failure as Sicilian industrials and craftsmen were not protected enough by the government and practically abandoned, there was fear that the Sicilian economy would fall in line with the whims of the dominant Alpine Confederation, subjugation by trade subterfuge.

Over the years following the election of Paolo Di Stefano the government enacted a series of strict trade restrictions and high taxes in order to protect Sicilian products, as well starting to gradually re-nationalize many important industries that were once in private hands, and in 2001 the government started a series of military operations in Libya, in order for controlling the Mediterranean Sea trade routes.

The government gave orders to use every resource present at its disposal and ordered that withdrawal of money was limited daily and only the Lira was available for withdrawal, every other foreign currency was kept in reserve in the Bank of Sicily at Palermo, alongside this the government imposed a limit on the increase of prices in the island, this was to avoid speculation and an over inflation due to the continuous printing of money. Bonds and IOUs would be printed once again to be used as an alternative currency that can be converted in money.

The occupation of Libya brought the illusion that it was bringing in money for the Sicilians, but the reality would only be made apparent after the fall of the regime in 2011; the conquest of Libya brought more economic problems than solutions, with a budget always in red because the occupation was not profitable.The presence of an always constant and active guerrilla movement in the Fezzan and outside of the main cities mean that the Sicilians had to constantly patrol Libya and protect any infrastructure projects. This caused Libya to be over militarized; since there were not enough Sicilians to maintain control of the region the government had to resort to use conscripts drafted from the Sicilian population and Libyan volunteers.

By 2023, Sicily's condition has began to improve from the destruction caused by the war, although its population has shrunk from territorial losses, deaths of hundreds of thousands of able-bodied men during the Wars (there are more women than men in today's Sicily) as well as emigration.

Culture[]

Sicily is one of the least affected regions culturally due to the social upheaval caused by Doomsday in Italy. This was mostly due to its island isolation and the bombs higher up the Italian peninsula cutting them off from land refugee movements. According to the recent census, there are at least 2 - 4 million foreigners that arrived to the island first and then peninsula when it was reunited in 1991. A contingent of Libyan, Spanish, Greek, French and American military forces decided to either remain in Sicily or to take refuge on the island. Even with the demographic shifts the predominant culture remains the Southern Italian one, with Sicilian cultural exports across the southern peninsula. There are also many native cultures as well, unique to the area and present for a very long time, notably the Grikos of Calabria and Salento, the Arbëreshë of Italy, present in Sicily, Calabria, Basilicata and Molise. The Arbëreshë community saw an increase thanks to the presence of Albanian and Kosovan refugees.

The various nationalities that took refuge in Palermo have changed the cultural landscape of the city with their own culture, customs, cuisine and traditions as well. For example the American military presence in Palermo, together with their families introduced many American traditions. Palermo recognises Halloween, already seen in Northern Italy in the late 70s, as a national holiday. Since 2016 the 31st of October and the 1st of November are official holidays. Similarly there a large communities of Italo-Americans, Americans and their Cosmopolitan neighbours in the city that celebrate thanksgiving, though the meaning also incorporates giving thanks to the Sicilians for providing the Americans shelter after doomsday.

Other examples include the introduction of Islam by Libyan and Bosniak refugees to Southern Italy, the main Islamic centres are located in Catania, Bari and Palermo, where the Mosque of Palermo was open in 2004 with a presentation by the then Tunisian and Sicilian president. These cities recognise Eid as a local holiday and have traditional Islamic funeral rites provided in the city Islamic centres and mosques. With Islam arriving with some post-Doomsday arrivals, there can be found unofficial and unregistered mosque in every main city of Sicily.

One special mention is the increase of Christian Orthodoxy, due to the large influx of Greek workers, emigrants and poor families in Salento during it's administration under Greek supervision. According to census most of the Greek population of Sicily is located at Salento with smaller communities through the region. Greek is even an co-official language in Salento, alongside Italian and it's mandatory in public schools of the region, alongside Griko in the communities who speak it in both Salento and Calabria.

Society[]

Statistically speaking the main language spoken in the Sicilian Republic is Italian, spoken and understood by 93% of the population, other foreign languages spoken everyday include Greek. Over 5 million citizens speak the Sicilian language on a daily basis, with the tongue being spoken primarily on the island itself and Calabria. Portuguese, Spanish and English are among the secondary languages that students study and learn since elementary. Other languages spoken by other ethnic groups in everyday talks or regularly include Albanian, French, Corsican, Catalan, Arabic, Bosniak, and others.

Since the reintroduction of the regions several of them started to pass laws for the recognition or the use of several languages/dialects spoken in the territory.

Co-official or protected languages of Sicily
Language Status Speakers in Sicily
Sicilian Official in Sicania and Sicilia 5,294,937
Apulian Recognized in Capitanata, Ionio and Salento, official in Terra di Bari 1,986,806
Calabrian Recognized in Calabria, Enotria and Bruzia 1,525,745
Campanian Recognized in Sele, Irpinia, Partenopea and Terra di Lavoro 1.402,355
Greek Official in Salento 271,591
Arbëresh Recognized in Sicania, Enotria, Bruzia, Molise, Basilicata 195,811

Demographics[]

The Italian Peninsula, like any other region effected by Doomsday and the following fallout went through a massive demographics shift. This shift affected all kinds of metrics such as ethnicity, population density, average wealth of the population and quality of life. thanks to it's geography, parts of Southern and Central Italy managed to escape relatively intact, many of them even being able to govern mid to large areas following Doomsday.

In terms of demographics the whole Sicily and Southern Italy have a population similar to that of the areas at the end of the Risorgimento in 1861, with a population of approximately 10 million, at that time Southern Italy contained 6,986,906 inhabitants, meanwhile Central Italy it contained only 3,124,668. Nowadays, the Sicilian Republic has a combined population of 8,823,350. It is one of the largest European nations by population, surpassed only by the Alpine Confederation, the Nordic Union and Transylvania. This has given to Sicily an edge over its enemies. With their large population, more men could be conscripted into the armed forces and more goods could be produced and exported. This has also caused tensions due to having a smaller birth rate compared to other parts of Europe like Spain, Bulgaria, North Germany or Poland who all have a much more higher birth ratio. This in part because of the more precarious economical situation and also by the necessity of having more children per family for increasing the possibility of survivability. In contrast the Sicilian Republic has a birth rate similar to those of the Celtic Alliance, Greece, Sweden, Alpine Confederation or Croatia. Having a better economy, a more robust healthcare system, and a functioning education system providing more working and studying opportunities for women has led to a steady decease of births per family. A married couple usually tends to have roughly 3.5 children. The government has already implemented plans in order to reverse or at least slow the decease in the births with monetary relief to the families per child, free kindergarten, larger paternity leaves and other incentives.

Even when it comes to age and elderly the Sicilian Republic is on par with the rest of the developed or developing countries of Europe, thanks to a surprisingly efficient healthcare system and a pension fund provided by the government via taxpayers elderly in Sicily can enjoy to live longer then in other parts of post-Doomsday Europe, with a life expectancy between 67 and 70 ages, roughly 62,5 per males and 67 per females.

The cities of the region changed too, with many of them seeing an increase in population, with many others would see a massive drop due to the nuclear war, the fallout, the chaos that scourge Italy, the lack of jobs or simply because they were too much overcrowded.

List of largest cities of Sicily
Municipality Region Population in 1981 Population in 2021
Palermo Palermo 701,782 827,301
Bari Apulia 371,022 467,125
Catania Catania 400,048 450,210
Messina Catania 260,118 296,152
Reggio Calabria 173,486 241,935
Salerno Salerno 157,385 235,126
Lecce Apulia 91,289 102,146

Religion[]

Religion still remains an important factor for many Sicilians particularly Christianity. Before 1983, Southern Italy was one of the most conservative areas of Italy and one of the most religious parts of the country, thanks to this factor a big core of the population did remain Catholic, but even with this more and more people decided to become unaffiliated or atheist, especially those who lived in main cities. Still even in 2021 the region remains much religiously active, with a lot of support given by and to the Church, who is active with charity work and other humanitarian organizations.

Catholicism[]

In terms of number Catholics make up the largest religious denomination at roughly 80% of the population, although the grade of participation varies from person to person. According to a recent survey conducted by "Famiglia Cristiana" on the topic of church participation it has been found out 8 out of 10 parents send their children to after-school activities organized by the Church, such as the oratory, a place for kids and teens to spend their afternoons in company, and Saturday/Sunday classes, where children learn things such as Latin, Greek, history and, for the poorer, it is where many acquire basic literacy skills. Church participation is high in general, from every Sunday in small to mid size cities where communal bond is more stronger, to in the main cities the participation is somewhat reasonable but it could even reach low levels due to the increasing number of unaffiliated, or those working hours and other factors such as secular tendencies and individualism. Also popular within this tradition is the reverence of various saints and the Virgin Mary, especially by the older population and in general every city has an holiday in a saint's day, for example Orontius of Lecce or Cetteus of Pescara. The patron saint of Sicily is Saint Agatha though St. Francis of Assisi has cult popularity, due to his environmentalist views and many religious people try to live follow its teachings.

Orthodox Christianity[]

Behind Catholicism the second largest sect of Christianity is the Orthodox Church, more specifically the Eastern Orthodox Church, due to the large presence of Greeks and other Eastern Europeans in Sicily. There are about 600,000 faithful, around million if we cover all the Italian peninsula. The number of followers started to increase in 2011 with the end of the Italian War and the creation of the LoN Mandate of Lecce, the Greek government at that time administered the mandate on behalf of the League, and it started to send military, administrative, religious and political personnel for the oversee of the mandate and it's functioning. The area would quickly swell in population, with those from both Sicily and refugees from other areas finding asylum tended by the Greek Orthodox Church in the refugee camps of Lecce.

Although their numbers have dropped after reunification of Lecce with Sicily, but many chose to remain, as well as those converts of the younger generation post-Doomsday the main centers of Eastern Orthodoxy are located in Lecce, Bari, Foggia, Brindisi, Catanzaro, Messina, Siracusa, Calabria, Palermo and Ancona and in order to better organize and serve the Orthodox Church it was decided to create a new Metropolis, the Sacred Orthodox Archdiocese of Sicily and Exarchate of Southern Europe is a is a diocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople with see in Venice, created in 2014 and officially recognized by the government. It represents the 2nd most largest religious groups in Sicily.

Protestantism[]

Protestantism represents the third largest religious group in Italy, mainly represented by the stranded diasporas of American, German, British, Canadian and other NATO military personnel alongside their families, if they have one. Although many Protestants have non-Sicilian origins there are a few who are Sicilian, mainly Evangelists from Sicily and Apulia, alongside Pentecostal, Mormons, Lutherans, Methodist. Many of the Baptist, Methodist, and other Protestant churches and congregations are part of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Sicily, a religious organization born in 1976 in order to gather and coordinate all the different Protestant religious groups and for provide help to their members.

After Doomsday the Protestant churches saw a increase in members and activities thanks to the huge presence of the servicemen from NATO countries who preach a Protestant religion, and also by the military and civilian clergy present in military bases at the time of Doomsday, nowadays many of its members are born-Sicilians of Anglo or American descent, but the majority of recent growth is composed by recently converted Italians who lost their faith in the Catholic Church. The majority of practitioners are in Gaeta, but others are located in Palermo, Sigonella, Messina, Bari, Benevento, Ancona and Perugia, it's estimated that its members are 542,377.

Sunni Islam[]

The third largest religion in the Sicilian Republic is Sunni Islam. Although the religion had come and gone in Sicily proper throughout the centuries, its current extant community is primarily descended from Albanians, Bosnians and the immigration of workers from Africa. The religion has seen a growth in number post-Doomsday mainly in the form of migrations, the first of such migrations would came in the form of Libyans from Italian Tripolitania, those who could would fled the country before it run out of food or shortly after, many of this Libyans escape to Malta, Sicily, Sardinia and also settle in other parts of Southern Italy.

These migrants were mostly skilled workers or government's bureaucrats, affiliated with Ghaddafi and one of the prime targets of angry Libyans following Ghaddafi's departure, many of them would keep their customs and traditions, but still trying to integrate into the Sicilian society because of their skills, some of this Libyans or their sons would even return home to Libya after the Sicilian conquest of Tripolitania as collaborators. With the majority being practitioners of Sunni Islam, they formed a majority in Tripolitana before and after the Sicilians.

The second, and the biggest too is represented by Bosnians. Many Bosnians upon arriving in Sicily would decide to settle in many of the abandoned villages and small towns present in Southern Italy after the apocalypse, this newly found communities would manage to finally live without fear and this give them the possibility to preserve Bosniak culture, most of this communities are located in Abruzzo, Molise, Capitanata and Terra di Bari, they call themselves "Bošnjaci Italijani" or more commonly known as Bošnijani. Nowdays Monopoli is an important center for the Bosniak diaspora and a destination for many young immigrants in search of work.

Many Albanians are also practitioners of Islam. With many Albanians leaving the state post-Doomsday over various affairs, the Sicilian society would welcome many of them, but the biggest connection would to from the Arbëreshë communities present in Sicily, who give shelter and hosted thousands of newer arrivals and to introduced them into their kindred communities. This gave way to a new mixed culture, with Albanian and Arbëreshë customs, the presence of Albanians also increased the use of the regular Albanian language in the Arbëreshë community. Many Muslim families, upon arriving in Sicily, would decide to settle in many of the abandoned villages and small towns present in Southern Italy after the apocalypse, this newly found communities would manage to finally live without fear and this give them the possibility to preserve their culture, most of this communities are located near Abruzzo, Molise, Capitanata and Terra di Bari.

Media and Communication[]

Television[]

Mass communications, television and all forms of electronic media besides radio were down until the late 2000s, when with the help of the scavengers, production of televisions resumed thanks to their acquisition of components and tools during the Sicilian campaigns on the peninsula. Most scavenged parts were not suitable for repurposing due to the EMP bursts damaging the electrical components but the Sicilians made what they could with their findings of electronics like televisions and radios. Thanks to the recovery of industrial tools the republic now had the ability of producing television and many workshops or electronic shops started fixing and repairing any pre DD or post DD television.

During the same period the federal government decided to create a federal sponsored state television grid, much like the old RAI, in time allowing private companies to resume the use of private channels that were starting to become popular.

In 2007 the federal government created RadioTele Si, a public owned broadcasting company created mainly for give at the people more options of what to see and also to provide a free and arbitrary source of news, programs and also films, talk shows and documentaries among others, in 2008 RTS started to expand from the original three channels since his creation, RTS Sport was the first new channel created with new purposes, transmitting 24/24 sport programs and news about sports, by 2020 3 there are channels created by the RTS. This is the full list of channels owned by the RTS :

  1. RadioTele 1 - channel created for general public consmuption as is one of the most watched channels. Hosts national news programs.
  2. RadioTélé 2 - channel created for the Sicilian speaking population of the republic, is also this aimed toward a generalistic public, but with Sicilian language.
  3. RadioTele 3 - channel with contents both in Sicilianand in Italian, oriented towards a younger audience at day and at night for an adult one with films, documentaries, talkshows and more.
  4. RadioTele Sport - channel created with the focus of providing sport news and reports to those who are interested in sports in general.
  5. RadioTele News - channel dedicated solely to the reportage of news and current events of the world.
  6. RadioTele Cartoons - channel aimed at a younger audience, mainly children and teenagers, with both old and new French and Italian cartoons, one of the most popular shows of the channels is Carosello, a 30 minute that is broadcasted every afternoon at dinner time.

Radio[]

The use of the radio not only survived but was a life-line for many communities after Doomsday, being the only way new information would reach them. Today, almost every household has a radio, with them being used for listening to music, the news or even government alerts; there are good amount of private owned radio stations, both federal or regional.

Most of the records used by radios are either produced before doomsday and founded in abandoned areas or preserved in stockpiles by functioning radios, since the 2000s most of the records are created, recorded and sell to the public via discographic companies, or leased, copied and then given back to the original proprietary.

Printed Media[]

Newspapers and magazines were the first and only possible physical media for receiving the news post-Doomsday. In the present, it remains popular among the broader population who have the habit of reading the newspaper in the morning with breakfast. Since 2020, all newspapers have been privately owned.

Military[]

The Sicilian Defense Forces (Italian: Forze di difesa Siciliane) are the military forces of the Sicilian Republic, the institution itself was born from the Italian Armed Forces that were present on Sicily as Doomsday and from there they grow thanks to the annexation of the rest of Southern and Central Italy.  The armed forces did participate in all the conflicts that involved the P2-Cosa Nostra government first and later the Di Stefano regime, not only following the will of the alliance, but also by committing numerous crimes against humanity as they would be later found out after the Second Sicilian War.

The military did only become dissoluted with the regime as the war progressed and more victories were scored by the enemy, it was only in the late stages of the war in 2011 when the armed forces, with the help of the population refused to fight anymore and stage a coup d'etat, with it ending the war effectively. With the end of it the top brass of the military was put under trial by the Coalition forces and the whole structure itself was deeply demilitarized, following the examples set after WW2 for Italy and Japan in regards to their military.

Following the war the defense forces where not only reorganized, but also reshaped and put under full civilian control, since 2011 as per the Treaty of Dublin it is forbidden for Sicily to wage war of any kind on other countries and to use its armed forces for resolving conflicts and with the demilitarization most of the offensive capabilities and armaments has been stripped off, furthermore military conscription has been forbidden to be enforced by the new republic, relying only on volunteers.

The service branches is divided among:

  • Sicilian Ground Force
    • Corp of the Carabinieri
  • Sicilian Air Force
  • Sicilian Navy

Although the Corp of the Carabinieri is not a distinct service branch, but a part of the ground force they are often viewed as a separate branch, they also act as the military police in times of war and responsible for enforcing the law among military ranks and in peacetime they often act as a rural police due to their military status.

The President of the Sicilian Republic heads the armed forces as the President of the High Council of Defence established by article 87 of the Constitution of Sicily. According to the constitution, the Parliament has the authority to declare a state of war and vest the necessary powers in the Government.

International Relations[]

Sicily's 2010 defeat in the Second Sicily War realigned its external relations. Its control of Southern Italy, long unrecognized and merely tolerated, was officially recognized by the ADC in the ceasefire, even as it surrendered Sardinia and other occupied areas, finally allowing for normalized relations with its neighbors and with more distant countries.

Sicily joined the League of Nations in 2013, and since joining it has contributed to relief missions and peacekeeping efforts. Overall its foreign policy has been one of armed neutrality. Its new constitution enshrines this principle:

"La Sicilia ripudia la guerra come strumento di offesa alla libertà degli altri popoli e come mezzo di risoluzione delle controversie internazionali; consente, in condizioni di parità con gli altri Stati, alle limitazioni di sovranità necessarie ad un ordinamento che assicuri la pace e la giustizia fra le Nazioni; promuove e favorisce le organizzazioni internazionali rivolte a tale scopo."
(Sicily shall repudiate war as an instrument of offence against the liberty of other peoples and as a means for settling international disputes; it shall agree, on conditions of equality with other states, to such limitations of sovereignty as may be necessary to allow for a legal system that will ensure peace and justice between nations; it shall promote and encourage international organizations having such ends in view.)

In Italy, both Sicily and its former enemies to the north have taken steps to reduce international tension. They have collaborated in some public projects and infrastructure and embarked on joint scientific endeavours in the mutually-held Tiber River and Napoli reclamation zones. This approach has paid off, with the economic growth and calm slowly returning to the Italian peninsula.

Sicily remains a regional power. While distrust persists among the Mediterranean nations that it fought against, Sicily's position at the centre of the Mediterranean still gives it international clout. Sicilian ships are a common sight around the Mediterranean and increasingly at ports in South America, and its citizens have begun to form ties with overseas diasporic Italian communities.

Sicily would also go on to join the Mediterranean Defense League, sponsored by its long-time ally Turkey. Turkey has emerged as Sicily's largest trade partner and an increasingly close ally. Turkey and Sicily have conducted joint military exercises and traded arms. Other important markets for Sicilian business include Macedonia, Lebanon, Bosnia, Patnos, Jordan, and Iran. More long-distance exchange is small but growing with India, Korea and the Americas.

Additional Information[]

The pre-2016 version of this article may be accessed here for reference