Earth-Mars (SWM)

Earth-Mars is a sovereign federation consisting of Earth and Mars. Earth-Mars was formed in 2481 when Mars was granted self-government by Earth's government. Mars had been under direct Earthen control since 2462, when Earthen forces liberated the planet from the TerraMine Corporation, which had controlled Mars since 2386. The capital of Earth-Mars is the Government District, in the New England urban complex of North America.

The federation is governed by the General Assembly under the chairmanship of the President. Between sessions, the General Assembly is administered by the Secretariat, consisting of the Secretary General and the Security Council. The federal government's role is limited. Earth is governed by its own institutions, to a large degree independent from the federation. Mars, too, is self-governing, although less so than Earth. Both Earth and Mars are represented on the Security Council and hold equal seats in the General Assembly.

History

The establishment of a single government over the planet Earth was gradual.

In 2030, Tesla Space fielded the first successful manned mission to Mars. Several missions would be fielded over the next decade.

In 2036, the Moon Base is established.

In 2044, the first temporary base was set up on Mars. Inhabitants live there on rotations.

By 2105, a permanent human settlement had developed on Mars. This made things difficult for Earth, as it was unclear which sovereign nation would exercise authority over the Martian holdings. Diplomatic conflict quickly develops as the United States of America attempts to assert authority.

In 2110 the United Nations was granted sweeping new powers as a result of a ratification of the second UN Charter.

By 2143 the UN was effectively the supreme governing body of Earth.

In 2188 this state of affairs was formalized with the ratification of the Earth Charter and the creation of the "United Nations of Earth".

Government

Constitution and law

The Constitution of Earth-Mars is the supreme law of the federation, and consists of three chapters: Founding provisions, the Bill of Rights, and the framework of governance.

The law of the federation is a mixture of customary law (broadly, a descendant of the English common law and European civil law traditions), statutory law, and case law (precedent). All administrative divisions of the federation, except provinces and territories, have original lawmaking powers on a sliding scale from colonies (near-absolute lawmaking power) to states (limited to various extents by the entities they fall under).

General Assembly

Article II of the Constitution establishes the General Assembly as the supreme governing body within the federation. It consists of 1,000 seats, 500 of which are reserved for Earth and Mars respectively. Due to its size, most of the work of the General Assembly is conducted through its committees and the commissions it establishes from time to time. It meets in plenary session only once every five years, on Earth.

The President of the General Assembly is the chairman of the body and the unofficial head of state of the federation. Chairing meetings of the General Assembly and some of its committees is the core function of the President, although they do perform other ceremonial tasks, such as mediation between Earth and Mars, or between the various administrative divisions thereof. The presidency is non-partisan, meaning that the moment the President is chosen from the Assembly, they no longer officially represent any political party. The President is an ex officio member of the Security Council, however their status on that body is not elevated above the others (the Secretary General chairs the Security Council).

Secretariat

Article III of the Constitution sets out the functions and responsibilities of the Secretariat. The Secretariat is a body of the General Assembly and therefore not independent of it. Its most important organs are the Secretary General and the Security Council. The Secretary General is the unofficial head of government of the federation and heads the Secretariat, including chairing the Security Council. Controversially and contentiously, the Secretary General is unelected, but appointed. As such, the Secretary General is a civil servant rather than a politician.

The appointment of the Secretary General takes place at a joint sitting of the General Assembly and the legislatures of both Earth and Mars, known collectively as the Electoral College. At the sitting, the College chooses the Secretary General through however many rounds is required to attain the requisite two-thirds majority, from a list of civil servants prepared by the President and the executives of Earth and Mars. The five undersecretaries are chosen through the same process. This event is regarded as one of the most important political occasions in the federation.

The Security Council consists of the Secretary General, the President, five undersecretaries, the permanent representatives of both Earth and Mars, the leaders of the X-largest factions or parties in the General Assembly, and the heads of the armed services. The Council's responsibility is limited to maintaining peace and security within the solar system. The Secretary General's role is broader: Giving effect to the will of the General Assembly.

Judiciary

Article IV of the Constitution establishes and regulates the judiciary of Earth-Mars. Unlike the Secretariat, the judiciary is independent of the General Assembly. The apex judicial body is the Supreme Court, consisting of the Chief Justice and 18 associate justices. The Chief Justice is an ex officio observer (i.e. not a participating member) of the Security Council.

Earth and Mars maintain their own judicial systems, separate from the judiciary of the federation. Earth and Mars do, however, each have a "colonial court" that forms part of the federal judiciary. The Circuit Court for Colonial Matters hears appeals from the colonial courts on constitutional affairs, before appeals reach the Supreme Court.

Administrative divisions

Earth-Mars is divided into colonies, dominions, federal subjects, states, provinces and territories. Mars is the only colony. X are dominions. Luna, X are federal subjects. Earth consists of X states, X provinces, and X territories. Mars consists of X states, X provinces, and X territories.

Colonies have the right to self-government with few limitations. Although Earth is not itself a colony, whereas Mars is, both enjoy official equal status.

Dominions have the right to representative government, and answer directly to the General Assembly.

The dominions on planet Earth are the North American Union and the European Union. Luna is an autonomous dominion. Anderia is the single dominion on the planet Mars.

Federal subjects fall under Earth and Mars respectively, but are relatively autonomous.

Earth and Mars are further divided into various states and territories.

The dominions themselves are divided into provinces and territories.

Politics

There is a proliferation of political parties at the federal level. The federation has been governed by varying coalitions for almost all of its existence. There are also many independent politicians who group themselves into informal 'factions', which might include parties or members of parties.