Gabon

Gabon, commonly known as Gabon (/ɡəˈbɒn/), is an independent nation in the northwest quadrant. The mainland of Gabon is situated adjacent to the Coral Sea and the Sea of Crete. The nation borders Icenia to the east across the Dover Strait and Varkonia to the west across the Bay of Hope. In addition, Gabon includes more than 7 islands; principally off to the east and south. Most of the population, including the capital Salisbury, is concentrated in the central belt – the forest plain between the northern mountains and southern snow-plains.

Gabon is divided into 5 administrative subdivisions, known as boroughs. Salisbury is the largest borough in terms of population, with the borough of Baile bán being the largest in terms of area. Limited self-governing power, covering matters such as education, roads and transportation is devolved from the Gabonese Government to each subdivision via appointed Mayors. The Capital of Salisbury is further split into 13 subdivisions, known as suburbs – under the authority of the Mayoralty of Salisbury.

The Principality of Gabon emerged as an independent sovereign country in early June 2018 and continued to exist until July 2018 when it became the lesser partner in a political union with Varkonia. This political union would continue until October 2020 when an independence referendum garnering a 62% leave vote would result in Gabon's exit from Varkonia.

Within Gabon, the monarchy continued to use a variety of styles, titles and symbols specific to the pre-union Principality of Gabon which would remain in use up until the civil war in November 2018, the result of which would change Gabon's Government to a Republic whilst remaining inside of the Union. The legal system within Gabon remained separate from those of Varkonia and other provinces. The continued existence of legal, educational, religious and other institutions distinct from those in the remainder of the Varkonian Union contributed to the continuation of Gabonese culture and national identity and would eventually play a crucial role in the independence referendum of October 2020.

The Free Republic of Gabon is a semi-direct democracy with a citizen-elected Lord's Council and a head of state directly answerable to the populace by the means of recall referendum and election. The Head of State is the Lord High Chancellor, who is supported by the Head of Government, The Vice Chancellor of Gabon. Gabon is also a member of the Council of the Medi Sea.

As of May 2021, The Lord High Chancellor of Gabon is BritishWanderer who ascended to the position after the civil war in November 2018 and has retained the position since. The Lord High Chancellor works alongside the Head of Government in all aspects of internal and diplomatic matters, the current Head of Government is Vice Chancellor Gobblin who has held this position since its creation in November 2018. Both Chancellors act on the behalf of advice given by the elected Lord's Council and the appointed Cabinet.

Gabon is world renowned for its architectural style, builds of grandeur and its expansive city scape. Boasting a capital of brobdingnagian proportions within the minus, minus quadrant. The Capital of Salisbury is the largest population centre in the nation and forms a continuous conurbation with other towns nearby, most notable being SouthShields, Tynemouth and Reddingsfield. The city stretches from coast to coast and encompasses both the Elizabeth Bay and the Bay of Biscay to the east and south respectively.

Early History
The 10th of June 2018 marked the creation of the state of Gabon as a result of the discovery of the uninhabited landmass by Tvman999 and the subsequent claim of the land by GetSkinny who would become the Queen of Gabon shortly thereafter. Through the issuance of letters patent by The Queen, the Principality of Gabon was formed with the initial sole settlement of Salisbury.

The Principality of Gabon would slowly continue to increase its mainland territory and by late June 2018, the claims of Gabon had encompassed the village of Bakerswood on the south-eastern peninsula and the town of Cottingham formally Alpoko in the south. Gabon would go on to add the sub-province of Venice to the north of Salisbury in September 2018.

After GetSkinny's accession to the throne, Her Majesty, by letters patent created the position of Lord High Chancellor and through a Commission appointed BritishWanderer to that office. The Lord High Chancellor had effective control of the Privy Council and was entitled to require them to present information about the activities of Gabon to himself – although ultimately serving at the pleasure of Her Majesty.

Throughout the time period as a Principality, the nation was governed by a small privy council of BritishWanderer, Tvman999 and Gobblin who advised Queen GetSkinny in day to day duties and decisions. The government system was an absolute monarchy without a constitution until late July 2018 when Gabon would formally enter into a political union with Varkonia.

Establishment of Salisbury
The establishment of the Principality of Gabon bought with it the settlement of Salisbury, this settlement was solely planned to be a simple base of operations whilst the surrounding area was surveyed. In June, Her Majesty deemed it necessary to set out on a vast excavation project in order to extract stone and minerals which would be used to fund future construction projects in prominent positions around the island. Throughout the time of the extraction of the grand quarry, a large influx of labourers would migrate to the surrounding area, speeding up the project and resulting in buildings springing up around the quarry. The substantial amount of stone being extracted allowed the privy council to fund constructions of a storehouse, bakery and multiple houses. Although many of buildings constructed around this time have since been either torn down or reconstructed, the bakery still stands to this day as the oldest building in Gabon. As the settlement around the quarry continued to grow, a factory building and rudimentary train station was set up, with one of Gabon's first factories being a compactor donated by Mayor Ahrimanne of MTA.

In late June, with constant construction underway to the southeast and within the settlement, concern was placed on the damage that local labourers were committing on the native flora and fauna. This opened a fierce debate within the privy council, which was split down the middle on the economic side of the argument and the agricultural preservation side of the argument. This led Her Majesty to make a tough decision, ultimately siding with the native wildlife and by letters patent created measures to protect the natural wildlife from any further destruction which would be amended by a compromise to allow members of the privy council to authorise the destruction of any particular instance of flora so long as saplings of the respective fauna was planted elsewhere. This patent is generally regarded as saving the decline of the natural trees within the nation of Gabon.

Sensing that Salisbury was becoming more than just a settlement, Her Majesty the Queen in July 2018 would name Salisbury as the capital of Gabon and laid out plans with her privy council to construct the royal residence of Balmoral Castle which would straddle the main avenue and overlook the city from the west. The original design contained fifty rooms, wide corridors and a sizeable courtyard. Balmoral planned to hold not only the residential quarters of the royal family but also the hosting place of internal government gatherings and diplomatic meetings.

Balmoral would require such a vast amount of concrete that new industries would have to be structured from the ground up in order to support the demand. Glass smelters and concrete factories were planned and constructed in Salisbury and Bakerswood to aid in the erection of Balmoral Castle. However the project would eventually run into a brick wall due to budget constraints and a skilled labour shortage, with the construction halting just after the first floor of Balmoral. The city would expand at a slowed pace for the remainder of 2018 due to the limited resources left over, however development continued on road systems and more housing in the eastern portion of the Capital.



The Alpoko-Gabon Crisis
On July the 11th 2020, the Privy Council of Gabon was notified by Goobernut1 and the Kingdom of Alpoko of their intention to return the region and take back their previous claims. Long before the arrival of the Gabonese and at the time of the initial settlement in June, Alpoko had been considered an inactive nation for many months and the region laid empty and unclaimed.

Initially both Gabon and Alpoko began discussions over finding a solution, each state understandably wanted their claim to surround their settlement and cities. Negotiation would be difficult however as Salisbury and the Alpokoan capital were only separated by 500 blocks, and the entirety of Gabon existed within the old claims of Alpoko. Gabon would offer to un-claim the southern portion of it's territory below the canal, which held the capital of Alpoko.

However Alpoko would counter this offer with its own attempt at redistricting and when those talks fell through, Gabon would reach out to Bloom to become involved in the crisis as a third-party arbitrator. Whilst initially this worked out well for the negotiations and ground began to be made on diplomatic efforts on the idea to create a zone of financial corporation between the three parties and commitments were made to developing the region together, although a final claim for both Alpoko and Gabon was yet to be agreed upon.

Alpoko would not compromise on its beliefs that most of Gabon should be returned to Alpoko and that a third of the leftover Gabonese territory in Bakerswood be turned into the zone of financial corporation, mutually administrated by Alpoko, Bloom and Gabon.

Gabon was apprehensive to give away a majority of its land, especially since the land above the Cottingham canal had been empty prior to the development of Salisbury and now they were expected to part with not only a large portion of their claim but submit a portion to be mutually administrated. Despite this, the Gabonese privy council was heavily considering the offer and was open to the idea of economic cooperation and collective contribution to the region.

Bloom agreed with Gabon, heavily emphasising during the negotiations that the economical promises and financial zone was the key to keeping the negotiations going. During the negotiations, Bloom would even offer a portion of their own land, part of a nether island to be given to Alpoko alongside Gabon's offer.

Gabon would approach Varkonia on the 14th of July, its western neighbour and sought support to its claim to the region, although Varkonia explicitly expressed no interest in getting involved, the Red Duke of Varkonia commented to the Gabonese delegation that the mutually administered region sounded like a bad idea. Unbeknownst to Gabon, Alpoko had also approached Varkonia looking for support to return to their prior claims over the whole region. The Varkonian Senate would conclude internally that, while Alpoko had a right to come back and exist, Alpoko did not have a right to remove Gabon's settlement, which had been established for months in previously undeveloped land, and that negotiations were needed to draw a new border without shared administration.Bloom would arbitrate between Gabon and Alpoko further, and would offer a portion of its own territory into the new deal. This proposed claims map was accepted by all parties involved and treaties began to be drafted initialising the land transfer.

On the 15th of July, the Queen of Gabon, GetSkinny asked Alpoko to contribute materials alongside Gabon and Bloom towards the mutually administered trading territory, any contribution would have set in motion the final steps of the negotiation and would initiate the land exchange between all three parties. Inexpliticity, Alpoko refused to contribute anything towards this effort, even though it was their idea to create this zone.

This decision by King Havana of Alpoko to tear up the economical agreement portion of the land treaty was seen as a massive breach of trust in good-faith negotiations, and Gabon, namely her Majesty Queen GetSkinny would respond with a formal letter later the same day rejecting the idea of any cession of Gabon's land to Alpoko Bloom's prime minister, Aleh56 would support the letter and Gabon's claim to the land in private correspondence with Goobernut1 the same day, at which point Bloom ceased arbitrating and would no longer support Alpoko's claims. Furthermore, The Grand Duchy of Varkonia decided to support Gabon and their claims in the land dispute.

Havana, the King of Alpoko would go on to halt all attempts at negotiation and severed diplomatic ties with Bloom, Gabon and Varkonia. After Alpoko disbanded their efforts to return, Gabon came into full possession of Alpoko's former claims, and the new claims were recognised by Bloom and Varkonia as Gabon's sovereign territory

The Political Union between Gabon and Varkonia
In late July 2018, the privy council and Her Majesty decided that it was in the best interests of the Gabonese peoples to open negotiation talks with the Grand Duchy of Varkonia to discuss and ratify a treaty joining their two nations, this treaty saw Gabon lose its title as a Principality and become a Provincial Government within Varkonia.

This also saw the dissolution of the royal family of Gabon, including the Privy Council. Gabon became a unitary republic as a Varkonian province. In the place of the privy council, the Assembly of the Province of Gabon was created as a provincial government. The head of the Assembly, the Grand Prince, was initially The Queen. The privy councillors continued their duties as members of the Assembly. As an oligarchy, the Grand Prince had power to appoint and remove members of the Assembly at will. This treaty also saw the appointment of two members of the Assembly of Gabon to the Senate of Varkonia, these two senators representing Gabon would initially be Grand Prince GetSkinny and Chancellor BritishWanderer.

Although Gabon had become a Varkonian protectorate, Varkonia did not have the power to interfere with Gabonese politics unless they infringed upon peace and good government in Varkonia. This meant that Varkonian laws did not apply in Gabon unless Varkonia was granted the power to make law on a certain topic for Gabon. Additionally, Varkonian courts were not competent to hear matters relating to the law of Gabon.

The reaction to the transition of government was met by positive outpouring by the citizenry of both nations who saw it as two sister nations joining together, with many citizens of both countries holding dual residency of both states. This made the relationship between both countries intertwined, Varkonian flags were quickly added to prominent focal points around the Capital with government buildings gladly displaying the Varkonian flag alongside its Gabonese counterpart. [[File:Grand duchy.png|left|367x367px|Pictured: Borders of a unified nation-state between Gabon and Varkonia.

Circa Late July 2018|thumb]]Neighbouring nations would greet this change positively – The Grand Duchy of Varkonia was quick to assure neighbouring states that Varkonia would gladly take up any responsibilities in all treaties previously signed by Gabon. This action would set out the course for leaders from both Gabon and Varkonia to draft a mutual defence charter which would lead to the foundation of the United Northern Congress alongside SPQR & Nevrast.

Immediately after the signing of the treaty, the government of Varkonia agreed to aid in the funding of an eastern defensive structure within the Capital of Salisbury. This was in conjunction with citizens of Varkonia funding the construction of an updated rail station in Salisbury, the station went from three one-way lines to eight possible two-way connections to multiple countries in the northwest quadrant. The station is adorned with the Varkonian national flag alongside the Gabonese standard to reflect the contribution that was made towards to the construction.

The Senatorial contributions by both GetSkinny and BritishWanderer to Varkonia would be immensely beneficial to the rule of law in Varkonia and both senators would be the main authors of the establishment of the constitution of Varkonia alongside the Red Duke himself.

After the Gabonese civil war, GetSkinny would be replaced on the Varkonian Senate by Gobblin. Gobblin would do much to improve and assist in the burgeoning Varkonian XP industry and the drainage of the Nox Vault.

In December 2018, BritishWanderer was elected as Speaker of the Senate of Varkonia and would maintain the position until July 2019 where upon he would resign due to the breakup of the UNC. BritishWanderer would be elected again a month later in August 2019 and would serve in the Speaker role until the independence of Gabon in October 2020, holding a total term length of 1 year and 9 months, the longest of any Senate Speaker in Varkonia.

Gobblin would be elected to the position of Guild Master in February 2020 due to his commitment and contributions to the XP industry and would serve in this capacity as Guild Master of Varkonia for 7 months from February 2020 - September 2020.

Formation of The United Northern Congress
In Early August 2018, The Grand Prince of Gabon and The Lord High Chancellor in conjunction with the Red Duke of the Grand Duchy of Varkonia drafted the Charter of the United Northern Congress in hopes that a new alternative alliance bloc in the northwest quadrant would allow nations the ability to stand aside peacefully, not involving themselves in any future wars while also furthering good relations and economic ties between signing parties.

The document was originally sent to Varkonia's largest neighbours, SPQR and Nevrast, for approval and discussion, both would later become the first of many signatories on the Charter of the United Northern Congress.

By Mid August, The UNC had reached out to The Federal Republic of Bloom and the Kaiserreich, who after negotiations, signed the charter. The Celestial Empire of Tvtopia, The Kingdom of Kaltsburg, The Duchy of Westmore, Heavenly Kingdom of Gensokyo and the Archduchy of Nyasaland, shortly joined the signatories, bringing the member-count of the UNC to ten total nations.

Gabon's Impact
Gabon's leading government ministers and monarchy played an instrumental role in drafting the original Charter for the United Northern Congress, the Charter itself hints to this Gabon contribution with the document being signed by each member country at the location of Balmoral Castle. This is displayed at the bottom of the Charter alongside the date. The Gabonese Lord High Chancellor, BritishWanderer, served the United Northern Congress for 118 days as the Alliance Spokesperson and was the last serving Spokesperson at it's disbandment on 13th July 2019.

The Gabonese Civil War
By October 2018, His Majesty, Grand Prince GetSkinny, had been out of the public eye for over two months. The duties that would normally be undertaken by the Grand Prince were being added to the daily tasks of The Lord High Chancellor and his councillors. This extra burdening workload began to cause the stagnation of Gabon which was felt throughout the country, with the council behind on their normal duties, food production and welfare handouts fell to an all-time low. Although republicanism was not unheard of prior to this point, it grew to unprecedented levels among the citizenry and members of the provincial assembly around this time. October would also see the peaceful Green Flag Protests which saw citizens take to the streets wearing green banners to express their discontent with the monarchy and the government of Gabon. Green banners were used as a meaning for a fresh start, with some radicals suggesting this did not end at reforms for a constitutional monarchy but should result in the ending of the monarchy altogether.

Around the same time in Varkonia, members of the Varkonian Senate were charged with numerous criminal offences in the courts of Mount Augusta leaving Gabon awash in shame, striking at the heart of the connection between the sister nations. The Lord High Chancellor BritishWanderer and Councillor Gobblin would meet with the Red Duke Mickale of Varkonia to the concern of the growing republicanism and the worry that armed response may be required should it come to a boiling point, the Red Duke agreed to provide military support and privately endorsed the Chancellor to lead the nation instead of Grand Prince GetSkinny if the situation were to lead to a civil war. Mickale would go on to provide assurances relating to the criminal offences levied against multiple senators in Varkonia by MTA courts, alleviating the worries of BritishWanderer and Gobblin.

In early November, Grand Prince GetSkinny, returned to a nation seemingly divided. Disagreements had broke out within the Assembly of the Provincial Government of Gabon on how to respond to the dissatisfaction with the actions of Varkonia, alongside heated debates of government reform. The Prince's return was coldly received by her citizenry, including her own government who had seen the rising costs of funding the monarch's private lavish lifestyle without any visible benefit to the nation.

Tensions came to ahead on the 9th of November as the Her Majesty would call for an emergency assembly meeting, every councillor (BritishWanderer, Gobblin, Tvman999, ChrisFa99, Suigin) was required to attend immediately. Her Majesty, would call three important votes, all relating to the dissolution of the union between Varkonia and Gabon. During second vote, the Lord High Chancellor stood from his chair to defend the Grand Duchy of Varkonia to the clear disapproval of loyalist government councillors. The majority of the Assembly did however, stand behind the Chancellor and his track record. This bought a perhaps uncomfortable realisation to Her Majesty, that the Assembly itself was slowly splitting between herself and her own Chancellor. In order to retain her support within the house, she backed down and called for the second vote of independence.

The final vote was ruled in favour of the union, many councillors supporting the Chancellor's ideals of closer cooperation and continued union with the Duchy of Varkonia. This blow to the Grand Prince was seen by many as one of the final nails in the coffin for a monarchy unresponsive to their own country's needs.

However the Grand Prince would take the stand before the Assembly and informed them that she would be issuing a royal decree to declare independence herself, effectively ignoring previous votes and the will of her Assembly. This was an unprecedented move, and whilst permitted by the laws and the government system in place, it had never been undertaken in such a manner before in Gabon's history. The Lord High Chancellor, who was once seen as the most loyal member of Her Majesty's Assembly was the first to speak harshly against this action. In the mist of the anger felt by the Assembly, the Chancellor controversially called for a vote to unseat the ruling monarch and replace the Grand Prince with himself. Although not legally binding and unenforceable by the Assembly, the plebiscite was a clear display of dissatisfaction felt by a majority of the Assembly. Rather than comply with the result, the Grand Prince dissolved membership of the Assembly and revoked the Lord High Chancellor's commission, effectively usurping all power in Gabon. Additionally, the then Grand Prince, dissatisfied with republicanism, unilaterally declared a change of government. Gabon was renamed to the Independent Principality of Gabon and the royal family was reinstated, with the Grand Prince again becoming The Queen.[[File:SalisburyChurch.png|alt=|thumb|459x459px|Pictured: Photo of the bombing raid on the Capital City of Salisbury.

Circa November 2018 ]] Immediately following this, The Queen, GetSkinny passed the Security of Gabon Act 2018 and declared war on Varkonia and Hjaltland. Members of the previous Assembly, led by the previous Lord High Chancellor, who voted against the Grand Prince engaged diplomatically with Varkonia and Hjaltland to rally a force to effect a coup d'état against The Queen and take back Gabon. Large outpourings of 'Long Live Gabon!' would come in from home and abroad in support of the revolutionaries and become the standard motto of the rebellion.

The Red Duke of Varkonia, at the behest of the Lord High Chancellor, ordered a group of forces to enter Gabon. The forces bombed a local church, which had previously acted as the loyalist stronghold in the centre of the city of Salisbury. The Varkonian forces then captured The Queen and promptly imprisoned Her.

After this military success, the Lord High Chancellor publicly declared that a coup d'état against Gabon had succeeded. Varkonia and Gabon proceeded on the understanding that the previous declaration of independence was invalid and void ab initio.

The Lord High Chancellor and The Queen deliberated and negotiated closely for a period of four days. Dissatisfied with the "great toil of suffering and bloodshed on all sides", the parties on 13 November 2018 ratified a treaty to bring an end to the wars and replace them with "a firm, just and durable peace". This saw the abolition of the Independent Principality of Gabon, and the renaming of Gabon to the Grand Mercantile Republic of the Autonomous Free Sovereign State of Gabon, the Abode of Peace.

In place of the previous Assembly, the Executive Council was created. The body was composed of the members of the Assembly prior to the declaration of war. The head of government, the Leader of the Executive Council, was to be elected by the Executive Council.

The office of Lord High Chancellor was continued, but was promoted to be the head of state. The intention of the parties was to establish the Lord High Chancellor as "the symbol of the unity and permanence of Gabon". The office was to be elected by members of the Executive Council. The Lord High Chancellor had power to appoint members to the Executive Council.

The first elections returned BritishWanderer to the office of Lord High Chancellor and Gobblin to the office of the Leader of the Executive Council. The Lord High Chancellor appointed ChrisFa99 to the Executive Council. It was then composed of BritishWanderer, tvman999, Gobblin and ChrisFa99. Later to be joined by Cincius on the 19th December 2018 as the governor of the internal province of Venice, north of the Capital Salisbury.

Aftermath
The abolishment of the monarchy and the establishment of an executive lord's council freed up an immense amount of wealth that was held by the royal family, which the council swiftly used for the betterment of Salisbury. The city experienced rapid growth internally and externally with immense funding being put into the Gabonese diamond mining industry by the Executive Council. This also saw the Executive Council fund extensive repairs and complete long-awaited construction projects, allowing citizens to visit new cafes, bars, and the theatre like never before.

The end of the Civil War in Gabon bought about a much-needed period of growth to the nation. After the accession of BritishWanderer and Gobblin to high ranking positions in the Gabonese government, both of whom supported relaxing regulations and expanding diplomatic ties across the globe, the economy and construction industry subsequently began to truly flourish.

Whilst the rebuilding efforts were continuing, Chancellor BritishWanderer took it upon himself to revisit the policies of Salisbury and restructure them from the ground up, cutting taxes and establishing the Sovereign Fund which would be used as a safety net for the capital government and its citizenry. The Sovereign Fund was vital in keeping the economy afloat and allowing citizens to benefit themselves in periods when the Council were on diplomatic missions or otherwise outside of the Capital.

This time of prosperity also saw the birth of a cultural movement in Gabon, centred around the arts. The Lord High Chancellor commissioned the creation of a number of works by local artists, including the publication of internationally acclaimed bestsellers such as Tender Night in Gabon and Gabon in Spring. These books sold out twice during the height of publication. ChrisFa99 would continue to author many pieces of Gabonese literature, many of which are still held in high regard and form an integral part of Gabonese culture.

Inspired by the cultural movement and its connection with nature, the Leader of the Executive Council commissioned the construction of a developed footpath running through the countryside towards Bloom in furtherance of the deep friendship between the nations. The construction also harked back to The Queen's love of nature, as established by the prohibition on the destruction of trees within Gabonese territory. Ultimately, the construction culminated in the erection of the friendship bridge between both nations.

Government Reform
Although the result of the civil war was a democratically elected government with the desired transparency and competency. The Government felt that the system was too cumbersome in size and was impacting local election turnout. The Executive Council would convene to discuss and negotiate a streamlined system of government continuing the democratic flair. The subsequent discussions and negotiations were a public affair, with many citizens involving themselves in the drafting process.

The negotiations would end after small concessions had been granted to the Lord High Chancellor and the Executive Council at the time. The new system, named the Chancellery Act would keep the Lord High Chancellor as a hereditary position, retaining all the powers of his predecessor and the Executive Council would no longer be appointed by the Lord High Chancellor and were from that moment on, elected by the citizenry every three months. The Executive Council was renamed to the Lord's Council and it's head, formally the Leader of the Executive Council was henceforth renamed to Vice Chancellor and elected by the Council itself.

The Act was passed on the 10th of January 2019 with one of the largest majority of bills in Gabon post civil war era.

Independence Movement
Independence was not foreign to the minds of Gabonese citizens, with the topic being discussed numerous points throughout the union which only became heightened during election periods. Initial independence discussions between Varkonia and Gabon back in mid 2019 would result in further powers and discretionary abilities being devolved to the provincial government in Gabon by Varkonia. However as the population of Gabon grew and developed a culture that steadily became distant from that of Varkonia City, the prior concessions would not be enough to stem the growing political thought.

In the run-up to the 2nd Council Election of Gabon in September 2020 immense campaigning took place on the topic of Independence from Varkonia. Gobblin and BritishWanderer had decided not to run for the Varkonian Senate in the Varkonian elections which were occurring at the same time – this decision triggered a treaty crisis due to Article 9 Representation on the Senate. Whilst underneath the surface and unbeknownst to much of the public, the Gabonese Chancellors had entered talks with Varkonia about invoking Article 10 Gabon may Withdraw.

Both sides amicably agreed to have the populace of Gabon hold a referendum on independence and as such on the 1st October 2020, The Red Duke Mickale would address Varkonia concerning Gabon partnership inside of the union and the Lord High Chancellor would address Gabon the next day. The referendum would be held the following weekend and the turnout would be the second highest of any democratic exercises in Gabonese history.

The GNP and newly founded POG party encouraged voters to choose to leave the union whilst Shadowwyn-backed politicians stood behind Varkonia and insisted reform was the answer to what was seen as an unrepresentative cumbersome system in Varkonia.

On the 5th of October, the Lord High Chancellor would announce the results of referendum As a result of this historic referendum vote, the government of Gabon would go on to negotiate independence and treaties outlining the future with the state of Varkonia.

Government and Politics
Gabon has a Lord High Chancellor as Head of State, and an elected Lord's Council that enacts the law. It is also a direct democracy, where voters can propose and enact constitutional amendments and legislation alongside the legislature. The current Constitution of Gabon was adopted in November 2020, replacing the Chancellery Act of 2019.

The Lord High Chancellor is the Head of State and represents Gabon in its international relations. The Chancellor wields a vote on the Lord's Council. The Chancellor may call referendums, propose new legislation and dissolve the Lord's Council, although dissolution of the Council shall be subject a referendum.

Executive authority is vested in a joint government body compromising of both the Head of State (Lord High Chancellor) and Head of Government (Vice Chancellor).

Legislative authority is vested in the unicameral Lord's Council, made up of typically 3 members elected every 3 months according to a FPTP system. Candidates must receive enough votes to be placed in the top 3 candidates to become a councillor. Both the Head of State and Head of Government hold permanent seats on the Lord's Council and are not elected by the populace of Gabon.

The Lord's Council elects from citizenry an Electoral Commission made up of the Head of State, Head of Government and two additional members. The Electoral Commission is charged with performing functions of Council supervision and must undertake the duties required to hold referendums and general elections.

Judicial authority is vested in the High Court of Gabon in Salisbury, The High Court rules on the conformity of laws with the constitution and has three justices including a chief justice elected by the Lord's Council.

Executive administrators (those holding government office in Gabon) may hold multiple government positions in order to ensure Gabon's legislative and executive arms function according to the constitution.

Political Culture
Gabon has undergone a myriad of government systems since its founding in June 2018. From a Principality, to a Provincial Republic, then a Plutocratic Republic, and now a Republic led by direct-democracy. Gabonese people have a distinct enthusiasm for politics, with election turnouts consistently above 65%, policies debates between candidates and citizenry alike are well known to last hours before any conclusion is reached. The early governments of Gabon undertook lengthy plans to increase voter turnout and decrease political apathy which plagued the days of the Principality – as such it is very common to see large 'VOTE' banners around prominent locations in the capital and the promotion of exclusive voter-heads and badges for those who vote.

Political Parties in Gabon
The political landscape has been dominated by the Gabon National Party (GNP) since 2019. Gabon's electoral system leaves small parties disadvantaged as similar parties tend to draw votes from one another and block candidates from receiving a seat in the Lord's Council. The other two major parties are People of Gabon Party and Shadowwyn with both parties holding representation on the Lord's Council throughout the Chancellery period. {| class="wikitable"

The political landscape has been dominated by the Gabon National Party (GNP) since 2019. Gabon's electoral system leaves small parties disadvantaged as similar parties tend to draw votes from one another and block candidates from receiving a seat in the Lord's Council. The other two major parties are People of Gabon Party and Shadowwyn with both parties holding representation on the Lord's Council throughout the Chancellery period. The definition of political party within Gabon is incredibly loose as there is no official registration board. The terminology tends to refer to groups of individuals who share the same ideology, political position and vote with/for each other either in elections or when in government. Shadowwyn is first and foremost a Company focused on XP materials and external trade, however it regularly supports members of its own company's board for political positions in order to further their ideology and as such falls under the loose Gabonese definition of a political party.

Governments & Elections in Gabon
1st Session of the Executive - Lord's Council

 16th December 2018 - 24th November 2019 

This was the first council session following the Gabonese civil war in November 2018, and was responsible for a large swath of reforms which would help shape the future of Gabon. While initially the Executive Council of Gabon, the Council was reformed into the Lord's Council as of the passing of the Chancellery Act 2019. The first session would be instrumental in the creation of the Sovereign Fund, funded by the government's acquisition and nationalisation of all natural minerals within Gabon.

Responsible for the mass-funding of the arts, culture and education, the first council session and its councillor's influence has permeated throughout society. Both Cllr Tvman999 and Cllr OstenVonStolz are honoured in the Salisbury cathedral's crypt as a testament to their contributions during this period.

November 2019 Council Elections

These were the first elections under the Chancellery Act of 2019 and the first democratic exercise in Gabon's history, all three council seats were up for election. Citizens voted using a method of first-past-the-post in which the three candidates with the highest vote totals would receive a seat in the Lord's Council, citizens were asked to pick three choices from the candidate list for council. The Elections were announced by the Lord High Chancellor on the 21st of November 2019, with the results being declared on the 27th November 2019.

The election would go on to be a strong display of Gabonese desire for democracy, with a turnout of 78%. *100% of the voting electorate voted for this candidate as one of their three choices

2nd Session of the Lord's Council  25th November 2019 - 13th September 2020 

WIP

September 2020 Council Elections

The second Council Elections would take place 10 months after the previous democratic display, this was mainly due to the Electoral (Pandemic Postponement) Amendment Act of 2020 which postponed elections indefinitely — the act would be repealed on the 3rd of September with the Lord High Chancellor announcing elections to take place the following day. Results would be declared on the 14th of September 2020. Citizens were asked to pick three choices from the candidate list for council. *93.75% of the voting electorate voted for this candidate as one of their three choices

3rd Session of the Lord's Council  14th September 2020 - 30th November 2020  WIP

November 2020 Council Elections

The third Council Elections would take place just over a month from the Independence referendum which resulted in Gabon's exit from the political union with Varkonia. Citizens would be asked to vote in the same manner as the previous two elections. The Lord High Chancellor would announce the elections on the 22nd of November and would declare the results on the 30th of November 2020.

This election would see the popularisation of political parties and their use in encouraging voters and drumming up support. *70.83% of the voting electorate voted for this candidate as one of their three choices

**One individual only voted for two candidates instead of three thus leaving the total choice votes at 71 with the number of individual voters at 24.

4th Session of the Lord's Council

 1st December 2020 - Present 

Administrative Divisions
The state of Gabon is divided into five separate administrative subdivisions, or more commonly known as boroughs, with an additional three subdivisions and one special protective zone. All boroughs fall under the legislative authority of the Lord's Council — The Council may pass laws that only affect specific boroughs, such as the Architectural Standards Act of 2020. Each borough is administrated at a local level by a Mayor, usually appointed by the Lord High Chancellor to represent the make-up of the Lord's Council.

As the Mayoralties of all boroughs devolve their power from the central legislative authority in the Lord's Council, it is common for some Mayors to hold no authority or devolved powers whatsoever and the title to be used honorifically to bestow respect onto certain individuals by the Gabonese government.

Mayoralty of Salisbury
The Mayoralty of Salisbury is the most populous and economically valuable mayoralty within the Republic of Gabon and as such holds the highest level of authority and devolved powers within the local government structure.

The Capital of Salisbury and its borough receives a mayor and a deputy mayor to administrate both the capital city and the borough respectively. The mayoralty of Salisbury operates under a legal power-sharing agreement in which the mayor has authority over the city boundaries — whilst the deputy mayor holds authority over the remaining portion of the Salisbury borough itself.



Gabon is divided into five total boroughs and a further 3 subdivisions along with a special protective zone. Each borough is administrated by a Lord's Councillor and ruled over by the Lord High Chancellor

The High Government Boroughs [Coloured in light purple] are;


 * 1) Salisbury [Capital Province]
 * 2) Bakerswood
 * 3) Highgrove
 * 4) Venice
 * 5) Baile bán

The Government subdivisions [Coloured in yellow] are;


 * 1) Nevrast leased desert
 * 2) Nether isle
 * 3) Nether isle

The Special Protective Zone [Coloured in green] is;


 * 1) Cultural heritage site - Pagoda

Foreign Relations
During the union with Varkonia, Gabon's affairs were delegated to the foreign office of Varkonia. However, BritishWanderer LHC was officially appointed by the Red Duke of Varkonia to be ambassador to Bloom on December 16th 2018, in recognition of the close ties between Gabon and Bloom.

Since becoming independent, Gabon has enjoyed good relations with all nations on the map but has sought to formalise relations with its direct neighbours and builder nations around the world.

In October 2020, Gobblin VC constructed the first international embassy of Gabon in Sigmaringen, capital of The Kingdom of Prussia in acknowledgement of the two nation's appreciation for good architecture and city design.

In the same month, Gabon began construction of a second embassy in Mount September. This embassy is still under construction as of November 2020.

On November 15 2020, Gabon and Imperial Truidence signed the Treaty of Friendship and Alliance between the Free Republic of Gabon and The Second Trudencian Hegemonial Empire of 2020 which formalised existing ties between the two nations.

Gabon previously enjoyed a moderate amount of influence within the United Northern Congress. Both Gobblin and BritishWanderer were congressional representatives on behalf of Varkonia and BritishWanderer served the United Northern Congress for 118 days as the Alliance Spokesperson and was the last serving Spokesperson at it's disbandment on 13th July 2019.

Military
Gabon has a small robust military, with more focus on defensive structures and capabilities than actual standing military force.

Economy
Gabon's economy is largely dominated by its XP industry (70%) followed by mining (20%) and services (6%). The economy was formerly dominated by the mining industry until server updates radically changed mining strategies and forced Gabon to seek alternative revenue streams. After the independence from Varkonia in October 2020, a strong push was made to start an XP industry in Gabon. IN less than a month Gabon was able to create an XP industry and public exchange that rivals the strongest economies on the server. Salisbury is renowned regionally for their artisan bread and fine cuts of meat from local farms in Bakerswood.

Gabon currently receives no citizenry revenue, with no taxes of any kind, with the government relying on XP exports and agriculture incomes. Gabon currently operates with an economic surplus, contributing a majority of its revenues to a sovereign fund, funding public projects and securing the economy in times of declining industrial production.

Geography
Gabon is located in the south eastern corner of the minus minus, around -3000, -2300. Gabon generally has a temperate climate with mild temperatures year round with the exception of the north Venetian province and southern island province of which are highland tundras.

Gabon has no natural rivers however it does enjoy a bountiful amount of freshwater lakes, with the largest being lake Tokio just north of the capital.

Gabon is noted for its extensive tree coverage, with great efforts taken to stabilise the flora and fauna coverage at above 65%.

Natural resources include diamonds, iron, gold, coal and forests.