Republic of Sermaye

The is a secondary trade power in Imperial Space.
== Society ==
The Republic of Sermaye is a young, majority human power with hegemonic overtones on its own small stage. The Republic is perhaps unique among greater and secondary powers (except for the inhuman Brass Cities) in that it has no aristocratic tradition. Rather, the republic is composed of an electorate of propertied gentry (around 35% of the population is eligible to participate in some part of the political process), with progressively lesser property requirements to participate in more local political processes. Economically, the republic is a trade power in the vein of Bishant and Aeldrum, albeit a distant third on the cosmic stage.
== History and Structure ==
Sermaye began as a trade league based on the planet Sevalne, growing more centralized in the 3rd and 4th centuries A.U. to eke a third path among the mercantile superpowers.
=== Sermayan Trade League ===
In addition to the core of the republic, Sermaye maintains a substantial portion of its member worlds under the same trade league (though the enforcement of membership suggests more of a federation), consisting of worlds which agree to an economic union (which extends to shared customs enforcement and hence naval basing and operations privileges for the Sermaye fleet). This league admits representatives from all members.
== Government ==
The republic maintains a strong separation of church and state, though concessions are made to allow unpropertied clergy to vote, making them an important political bloc within the electorate. At the highest level, Sermaye is ruled by a “Superior Council” – rather than divide a fixed number of seats, individual politicians run for membership in the council; anyone able to raise at least 1% of the total popular vote is admitted to the council, after which they enjoy a number of personal votes proportional to their share of the electorate. The result is that Sermaye’s political system is one of machine politics at their most personal, dominated by magnetic figures who can command outsized public loyalty.
== International Relations ==
Sermaye defines itself largely on the international stage by what it is not, chiefly a decadent elvish aristocracy (Aeldrum) or a zealous theocracy (Bishant). Domestically, it offers an unusual principle of personal liberty and property, with a state principally concerned with the business of ensuring the conditions for trade (Sermaye never had a national trade company the likes of the Bishant Trade Company or Aeldrum Trade Company). Capital controls and property ownership restrictions are weaker within Sermaye than any other power: as a result, Sermaye has emerged at the forefront of the growing cosmic financial sector enabled by the development of a commercial Ethernet.
Category:Nations