Paläkkinen

The Democratic Republic of Paläkkinen, commonly known as Paläkkinen (alternatively spelt Palakkinen), is a nation in the Ewynnia region of east Alaxia. It is landlocked, and borders Empherias (the High Kingdoms of Alaxia) and Grensalbourg to the west, and the Hveden Federation in all other directions. The capital and largest city is Teräkputo which is located near the eastern part of the river Ewynn. Other major cities include Mutärkeä and Pienikaup. The official language is Palak, a Sisinic-based language similar to Empheri and Durbinian.

Between 2409 and 2484, the country was ruled by a controversial oligarchic system, led by the Triumvirate, with remnants remaining in the current political system. The current

Pre-history
A collection of tribes known as the Wysinens inhabited the northern sects of the modern day country while a group of tribes known as the Sisinites (for which the proto-language Sisinic is named) covered much of the southern ground near the capital city. They migrated to the area and eventually mixed together. The mountains and geography isolated them from the neighbouring Empheri tribes and they grew isolated and developed their own cultures.

Formation
There developed many hundreds of small countries, duchies, and tracts of land. Eventually, the Kingdom of the Palaks rose up and conquered all of the smaller cities in the east. This country renamed itself to Palakkinen to create the modern day nation state.

Kingdom of Palakkinen
The country fought various war with it's neighbours, especially Empherias.

War of the Palakkine Succession
The ruling dynasty, the Kunigergs, have maintained power for many centuries and been prestigious. Because of a succession crisis, the 2381 War of the Palakkine Succession began. There were three rival internal factions, alongside a claimant from the Empheri and Norsairi thrones. The war began following the death of Katja III with no children or siblings or close relatives to take the throne. Katja, when she was alive, had promised that the throne would go to her cousin Katja Maria-Ellaine Kunigergs in 2375, but on her death bed she wished for her noble friend, Maaria Maritta Honkanen, to take the throne. Because she was in the palace, and her family (the Honkanen family) wanted power, Maaria became Rijkdottir Maria VI. Katja, believing she was the rightful heir, formed an army to fight. Meanwhile, Katja III's younger brother who had pre-deceased her, Georgi, had an illegitimate child through a highly publicised affair. This child, known as Georgi the Bastard. He was not in line for the throne, but believed he had a better claim being closer paternally than either of the other two claimants and he gained favour amongst some conservatives.

By 2382, Maria VI and Katja Maria-Ellaine had gone through some battles with no major outcome, whereas Georgi the Bastard was still finding more forces. Meanwhile, the Empheri rijkse, James VII, believed that he was the rightful heir to the Palak throne through some dubious royal marriages and relatives. The Rijkse continued to ask the Liberal Prime Minister, Wigfred Marksdottir, but she refused to consider any action. However, the Conservatives sided with the monarch and after winning some 10 seats in the 2382 election, and with intense pressure, she agreed to go to war to consolidate the Empheri claims. By 2383, Norsair had also got involved based on a similar premise with their king, and was also at all out conflict with Empherias.

Rijkdottir Maria VI was captured and executed by Georgi's forces in October 2386 and saw Georgi crowned as Georgi II. Georgi II then moved his forces on Katja Maria-Ellaine from the east while Empherias moved from the west. A Norsair counter attack in 2387 saw Empheri slow down their invasion. Some members of the court of Georgi II then betrayed him and gave crucial details to Katja Maria-Ellaine. Georgi II's entire army was captured by Katja in 2390 and he was executed. Katja was crowned Katja IV. Katja IV spent most of 2391 and 2392 cleaning up her army, her cities, etc. This brief pause in the war ended in 2393 as Empherias signed peace with Norsair. Now under a Conservative government, they levied more troops against Palakkinen.

To the annoyance of many people, Georgi the Bastard's son, Georgi the Thorn, rose up with his sect of troops once again in 2394 but saw no major action. He took advantage of a weakened Palakkinen government in early 2395 and tried to march on major cities. However, Empherias signed peace with Palakkinen on 1 February 2395 due to their own internal troubles and thus Katja IV returned to put down Georgi's rebellion. However, he fled and the war ended due to inaction by the summer of 2395.

Following the aftermath of the 2395 revolutions in Empherias, Georgi once again believed he could take over Katja IV and so rallied his troops in May 2397. He successfully murdered Katja IV in 2400 and took the throne to become Georgi III. Katja's eldest daughter, named Maaria-Maritta Katja Kunigergs, vowed revenge, and deposed Georgi the next year being crowned Maria VII. These events are known as the 'Georgi Intermission' or sometimes 'The Second War of the Palakkine Succession'. Throughout this, several pretenders tried to also seize the throne.

2409 Revolution
The constant period of war for the last twenty years was wearing people down. The succession crisis did not matter and many thought the constant warring was ridiculous and without any representation for the people. Resistance built up and inspiration from other populist movements saw the royal palace stormed in 2409 alongside armouries - a coup began. The royal family were put under house arrest in the deep southern tundra. By 2411, the royal family was taken into the freezing cold wasteland and the family was executed and buried, the location of their grave unmarked and unknown. This marked the end of the royal bloodline.

The Triumvirate
While the people were fed up with royalty and bloodline as the source of power, they were not fed up with people having total power. While it was agreed rulers should be elected, there was some arguments as to whether one person or several should be in power. Eventually the Oligarch faction won out, with three powerful and influential politicians being elected in 2411. These were Antton Kauppila, a great field marshall; Pekka Pihlaja, an immensely wealthy man running several industries; and Kaappo Hyvonen, the beloved Mayor of the capital city. This formed the 1st Great Triumvirate which would rule the nation. After this incident, many people seeking to overthrow or radically change the government quieted down or disbanded as they awaited the change the oligarchs would give.

Consolidation of power
The Triumverate transformed into a single dictatorship with an advisory body by the 2440s. The dictator dies in 2460s and sees a huge power challenge

Decade of Instability
Throughout the 2460s and 2470s, Palakkinen goes through countless leaders and oligarchs with many power struggles, and oligarchs switch and die or are deposed. A single figure arises in 2480 and consolidates power, purges, and enacts new reforms.

Dictatorship of 2480-2483
The Dictator gets worse and then triggers the HKA in 2483 who want to intervene to depose the dictator who is getting more annoying. the HKA goes through a manifest destiny and democratisation dream and threaten invasion if steps to democracy aren't taken.

'Democratisation' of 2483-2484
The Dictator is deposed by an opposition leader who sets up a lower chamber to rival the upper chamber of senators (oligarchs) which are elected through limited, rigged electoral college elections every 6 years. The first elections happen in 2484, with the next ones scheduled for 2490. The political landscape evolves for the dark purple conservative and oligarchic Sisinic Democrats, with the opposition divided between the baby blue Bubbels party as a Liberal centrist party, and the Palaks First party as a right-wing extremist party. Leftist parties were very under-represented, but the closest was the left-wing Red Bloq - an Empheri party, operating within Palakkinen. In the senate, oligarchs eventually joined parties. Independents made up 40% of the chamber, while Sisinic Democrats made up the largest plurality at 44%, Bubbels at 8%, Palaks First at 6%, and 2% as Red Bloq or left-wing party members.

In the lower chamber, 345 seats were available. Sisinic Democrats won 285 seats, a huge majority. The remaining 60 seats were divided with Bubbels getting 44, Palaks First receiving 12, independents receiving 3, and Red Bloq receiving just one seat. The President was a Sisinic Democrat member.

Early Republic (2483-2500)
The Republic is going smoothly, with the dictator becoming the President of Palakkinen, an unelected office. During the 2489-2491 Grensalbourg civil war, Palakkinen aid the Grensal Republic heavily and invest in pro-Palak propaganda. For this, they are sanctioned by the High Kingdoms. After the Grensal Republic is dissolved in 2491, the sanctions are removed by the HKA and Palakkinen pay reparations. Elections in 2490 see Sisinic Democrats lose appeal, and shrink to just 204 seats, which still saw them at 59% of the seats in the parliament. This is because of the sanctions, economic damage, and less excitement as the honeymoon period had ended. However, the rigged elections and electoral college basically secured a Sisinic Democrat victory. Bubbels won 110 seats, a huge increase that secured them as the main rivals to the Sisinic Democrats. Palaks First received 25, independents 4, and Red Bloq 2.

Elections in 2496 saw the Sisinic Democrats win 196 seats, 56.8% of the seats available, and so their agenda continued. Bubbels only increased their seat count to 113, while Palak First raised to 29 seats, independents at 4, and Red Bloq at 3 now. Despite volitile politics, election outcomes stayed relatively consistent with no mammoth changes.

The First President resigns due to old age at the time of the millennium on 22 January 2500, ending the Early Republic era.

Late Republic (2500-2527)
The Second President is another unelected member of the Senate, a 73-year-old son of an old oligarch. He is less popular and another Sisinic Democrat member. He is liked less than his predecessor.

Elections in 2502 saw the new president tested. The Sisinic Democrats won just 180 seats despite their huge advantage electorally. However, this was still 52.2% of the available seats and so they formed a new majority government in the parliament. In the senate they still maintained a lead with many of the independents choosing the ruling government: they now hold 72% of that chamber. Bubbels raised their seat count to 118 - their highest yet at 34% of the seat count. Palak First received most of the leaps away from the democrats, getting 40 seats, up 11. Independents were left at 5, and Red Bloq on 2. The Sisinic Democrats could lose to the far right Palak First group if not careful.

The economic recession of the 2500s hits Palakkinen especially hard. Because of a lack of reform, their economy is mostly backwards and lacking in investment, and trade is not going well. Furthermore, conditions for many people were poor and workers rights terrible, and many were not incentivised to work. When the elections in 2508 rolled around, many were fed up of the in power Sisinic Democrats and despite efforts to rig the votes massively, huge protests in 2507 and 2508 saw them not attempt any regressive laws. The President believed to his close council that they could maintain control of the senate and the presidency and remain in power to fix the situation. The election result saw the Sisinic Democrats sink to a low of 103 seats - just 29.9% of seats. However, the opposition Bubbels party only gained 40 seats to reach 158 total. With independents at 4, and Red Bloq on 2, The far-right Palak First group won 78 seats, up 38 and nearly doubling their last election score. This was huge as it saw many people going to the far right for solutions. The largest party was Bubbels at 158, however they maintained just 45.8% of the seats and could not form a majority government. Furthermore, all other possible parties were not ideologically compatible - so they ruled alone for now.

Inaction plagued the new Bubbels government and the new Prime Minister. A no confidence vote came and collapsed the government in 2510 - triggering the nation's first snap election. The people wanted pragmatic solutions and the Sisinic Democrats fell to new heights with Palak First and Bubbels rising in it's place. Sisinic Democrats went from 103 to just 60 seats in the parliament, while Bubbels went from 158 to 177 seats. Palak First went from 78 to 100 seats, a huge increase. The remaining 8 went to independent and minor parties. Bubbels now had 51.3% and could form their first majority government! Despite a Sisinic Democrat ran senate, they pushed new laws through allowed by the President. He did this because refusing laws could become untenable and he could be deposed, and because he could use the new government's mistakes to make a return for the Sisinic Democrats to power in the parliament.

Bubbels did okay at stabilising the economy, ending the recession but not seeing much investment or growth. They had a large plan for the economy to continue to 2516, but the President cut their term short early with elections in 2514. People liked Bubbels, but some thought the crisis had subsided, and the President had used propaganda and dirt on their political opponents. The election saw Bubbels lose 15 seats from 177 to 162, this meant they also lost their parliamentary majority, having just 47% of seats. Palak First lost 8 seats from 100 to 92, while the Sisinic Democrats rose by 22, from 60 to 82. This was not enough for a Sisinic comeback. However, the Sisinic Democrats and Palak First formed a coalition to bring back a right wing agenda to parliament. This meant the Prime Minister becoming a Palak First member though and they had significant influence over new laws passed. To not undermine the Sisinic Democrats, a lot of these laws passed.

Grensalbourg had devolved back into civil war in 2513 and the Free Palak Republic of Mijguer broke away from Grensalbourg in 2513. Palakkinen initially took no action, but the Palak First PM in 2514 authorised the sending of weapons, and military experts to help the FPRM hold the territories. The FPRM were Palak nationalists and republicans in Grensalbourg and keeping them on side was politically helpful. Palakkinen recognised the breakaway state, the only country in the world to do so, in 2515. This was a broadly popular move and propaganda helped cement Palak First as good rulers of the country. General economic growth worldwide helped their popularity too.

The Second President, now 89 years old, died in 2516 and was to be replaced by another oligarch of the senate. Controversially, the Palak First PM helped the first Palak First President get into office, a 80 year old defector from the Sisinic Democrats back in 2495. The Third President is still in office today in 2527.

Elections in 2520 saw Sisinic Democrats free fall from 82 to 27, and Bubbels going from 162 to 153. Palak First won 157 seats, coming the highest in plurality, and again formed coaltion with the even weaker Sisinic Democrats.

Elections in 2526 saw the Sisinic Democrats go from 27 to 24, and Bubbels sink even lower from 153 to 120 seats as the Palak First reinforce their grasp over Palak politics. Palak First went from 157 to 193 and secured a parliamentary majority.