West Kuiju

The Union of Kuiju (Kuiju Holbon Gurun), commonly known as West Kuiju, is a country in northern Escar. It borders Chisei to the west, East Kuiju to the east and south-east, and Chanha to the south-west. To the north it faces the Jade Sea. West Kuiju has an estimated population of 36,950,000. The capital and largest city is Juruhoton. 21 million, more than half of the country's population, live in the North Kuijuan Plain, the temperate lowlands stretching along the coast. The inland areas of the country are mountainous, rural and sparsely populated. Some 2.1% of the population live in nomadic reservations in the south.

West Kuiju is a. It is led by a Chancellor, directly elected by the people, and a Prime Minister appointed by the National Assembly, the country's legislature. While elections are considered generally free, the government exercises significant control over politics and society, and the Kuijuan Democratic Union Party has ruled continuously since 1961.

West Kuiju is a, with a strong industrial base, and its coastal cities are major ports for commercial sea traffic taking the Northern Route between Amphia and Escar. Development is however disproportionately concentrated in the pre-war urban heartland around the capital, with the rest of the country, especially border and inland regions, experiencing a far lower standard of living than the national average. Geopolitically, West Kuiju is a founding member of HECO and the Wanshu Development Summit, and is strongly aligned with the Western Escaric democracies of Chisei and Yamatai, which both maintain a significant military presence in the country. It joined the Ordic League in 1983.

Politics
The Constitution of West Kuiju describes the country as a. There are five major branches of government defined in the constitution - executive, legislative, judiciary, supervisory and examinative. The of West Kuiju is the Chancellor, who is responsible for representing the nation, upholding the rule of law, and maintaining harmony between the branches of government. The, and head of the executive branch, is the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the National Assembly (Gurun Isan), the country's legislature.

The Chancellor is directly elected by the people via a, serving for a term of 5 years with a constitutional limit of 3 terms. The Prime Minister is often the leader of the largest party in the National Assembly, and is similarly elected every 5 years, albeit with no term limit. The current Chancellor is Tanggur Fiyangū, while the current Prime Minister is Tolot Ilhangge.

The National Assembly is West Kuiju's 348 seat legislature. Since a in 2004, elections to the National Assembly have taken place every 5 years under a system of. In order to run for election for a seat in the National Assembly a candidate must pass the National Representative Examination and recieve sponsorship from a registered. Suffrage is universal for all over the age of 17. The Kuijuan Democratic Union Party occupies a dominant role in West Kuijuan politics, having won majorities in every election since 1961, which has led foreign observers to characterise West Kuiju's government as a. The most effective opposition is the Kuijuan Socialist Party. West Kuijuan elections are generally considered to be free, and the country scores well on international indices of political transparency and corruption, though the weakness of opposition and highly prominent role of the KDUP in civil society has led some to classify West Kuiju as a or.

The Central Commission of Justice is the of West Kuiju, and the highest level of the judiciary. Consisting of 15 Great Justices, it is the final court of appeal in West Kuijuan Law, and is empowered to interpret the national constitution. Justices of the Commission are appointed by the Chancellor, with the approval of the National Assembly.

Beyond the legislative and executive branches are the Supervisory Commission and the Examination Commission. The Supervisory Commission is equivalent to a national and, and is responsible for holding the government and bureaucracy to account. It is empowered with the ability to the Chancellor and Prime Minister, censure government officials, and conduct audits of national and local government budgets. Laws considered to be unconstitutional may be submitted for review by the Supervisory to the Central Commission for Justice. The Examinative Commission meanwhile is responsible for the administration of the West Kuijuan Civil Service. In particular, it validates the qualifications of civil servants and manages national civil service examinations (including the National Representative Examination and related elective examinations). The members and presidents of both the Supervisory and Examinative commissions are nominated by the Chancellor and confirmed by the National Assembly.

Military
The Kuijuan National Defence Forces are the armed forces of West Kuiju. Continuing tensions with the East Kuiju have prompted West Kuiju to allocate 2.9% of its GDP and 15% of all government spending to its military, while maintaining compulsory conscription for men. Consequently, as of 2020 the National Defence Forces have 428,620 active personnel and 2,393,355 reserve personnel (the 3rd largest reserve force in the world, after Arshavat and Yamatai).

The branches of the Defence Forces consist of the Kuijuan National Army, the Kuijuan National Navy, the Kuijuan National Air Force and the National Special Forces Command. The National Army is by far the largest branch of the Defence Forces, containing more than half of all personnel, followed by the Air Force and Navy. All Kuijuan males of 17 years or older are constitutionally required to serve in the military, usually for a period of 18 months. Women are also allowed to serve, but are not subject to conscription. Following the completion of their military service, former personnel are placed in the National Defence Forces Reserve for a period of 10 years, and may be drafted for active service.

The Defence Forces operate a range of military equipment, primarily Chiseian and Yamataian in origin. However West Kuiju also possesses a significant domestic defence industry, with major local suppliers including Yarha, Galu Aviation and the Wahe Group. Other significant foreign military suppliers include Zusea, Redon and Gyunghwa.

Though a conscript force, the West Kuijuan Defense Forces are built around a cadre of professional officers and NCOs trained to a similar standard to other Western Escaric militaries, and the Forces as a whole have a good reputation for professionalism and discipline. The Kuijuan National Military Academy is responsible for training all Defence Force officers and NCOs across the five branches.