Associated Powers Bloc

The Associated Powers Bloc (APB) is a confederal parliamentary republic with one constituent country. Within the APB, member countries are rightfully sovereign yet agree to political, economic and cultural collaboration for a common good. The central government acts as a platform for democratic cooperation, having jurisdiction for powers delegated to it by its founding documents and special bipartite international treaties between its members. Its provisional capital is the city of Pakadlo.

The APB was established when its principal founding document, the Pact of Union, came into force in 2021. It describes its constituent countries as enjoying "free and sovereign rights and powers not in contravention of principles adopted by the Associated Powers Bloc." Furthermore, it cements the internal reduction of trade, transport and agricultural barriers amongst constituent countries as well as the free movement of persons between these nations. Residents of the APB have the right to live and work in any APB constituent country as all APB governments recognize their professional qualifications, right to buy property, and social insurance benefits.

High Committee

The High Committee of Nations is the highest APB state body and consists of up to five deputies (termed a delegation) from the legislative bodies of each constituent country, appointed by said bodies for renewable terms of three years. The High Committee makes bloc law, declares war, imposes taxes, approves the bloc budget and international treaties, and ratifies diplomatic appointments.

It usually sits in session Monday to Friday from early May to late October (although extraordinary sessions could also be convened), during which it accepts written proposals for legislation or regulation. For such a bill to be accepted, there must be a quorum of at least two thirds of the number of deputies. If said quorum is not available to debate a bill and a majority of qualified deputies believes that the bill cannot be debated and determined in the next day of session, then the status quo shall prevail until further action.

After accepting a bill, the High Committee proceeds to an oral debate with each deputy having the opportunity to state their respective positions. Deputies may decide to yield the balance of their time to one of their colleagues. Adequate time limits are enforced and transcripts of several positions on a bill are published in an official newspaper created specifically for such debate. All of the proceedings are televised and live-streamed.

At the conclusion of oral debate, the bill in question is submitted for decision by majority vote of the national delegations. The High Committee first votes by voice vote; deputies consult and respond either "yes", "no", or "abstention" for their delegation as every constituent country has one vote. The presiding officer then announces the result of the vote, but five or more delegations may ask for a second vote through secret ballot. If there is an equality of votes, the presiding officer has a casting vote.

The High Committee of Nations has committees and sub-committees to conduct further research on bills, compile expert opinions on them, and make recommendations for joint questions to parties.

Inaugural flag of the Associated Powers

Council of Ministers

The Council of Ministers of the Associated Powers Bloc is headed by the Prime Minister, who is simultaneously the High Committee's presiding officer and the APB's head of state. The Prime Minister appoints bloc ministers and other officers, convenes the High Committee, and grants pardons (except in cases of treason and impeachment). The officeholder is afforded the courtesy style of The Right Honourable while in office. The Council is responsible for executing and enforcing the law, leading the APB's multinational bureaucracy, and has the collective power to veto bills.

The Prime Minister is elected at the first sitting of the High Committee of Nations every three years, or whenever a vacancy arises, after consultations with national delegations and former Prime Ministers. The Prime Minister is elected by the High Committee from among its members by a motion of confidence (bloc voting) no later than 10 days following said initial sitting. The Chief Magistrate must oversee the election. Once elected, a person is no longer a member of the High Committee of Nations. They must then be sworn in as Prime Minister before the Committee within five days of the motion. Should the High Committee not pass the aforementioned motion of confidence, the Prime Minister has a constitutional duty to resign to allow the High Committee to find a new majority for the support of another designated Prime Minister. Should a vacancy arise, the date of a new motion must be set by the Chief Magistrate, but not more than 30 days after the vacancy occurs.

Court of Justice

The Court of Justice of the Associated Powers is a multinational court, based in Pakadlo, that promotes congruence in the application of bloc legislation. National courts must solicit a binding interpretative ruling to it when faced with difficulty in interpreting laws and judging cases of bloc competency. The members of the Court, nineteen judges appointed for scattered six-year terms, are appointed by the High Committee of Nations from among magistrates in the supreme courts of the several constituent countries. To be a judge, a person must have served as a judge in a bloc jurisdiction or be qualified to act as a lawyer in a bloc jurisdiction. An appointee needs to be a national, judge, or lawyer of a country within the jurisdiction of the Court.

Flag

Originally, the flag of the Associated Powers Bloc, often referred to as the APB flag or the Bloc flag, consisted of a red ensign with a white, five-pointed star, with a white rectangle in the canton bearing eight vertical stripes of blue. The star on the flag represented the sole constituent country of the Associated Powers Bloc at the time, and the canton represented the flag of Aourh, the first constituent country in the APB. Bloc law specified that new flag designs became official on the first 8th of February following the admission of a constituent country. The current flag of the APB is blue and purple in allusion to the modern flag of Aourh, to which the five diagrams of the Aourhan coat of arms were added at a 90° angle.