Kasha

**Kasha** (Kashan: *Каша*, *Kasha*), officially the **Kashan Federation** (Kashan: *Федерация Кашавская*, *Federatsiya Kashavskaya*), is a transcontinental sovereign state spanning Eastern Eurea, Western Helonesia, Central Helonesia, and Northern Helonesia. Its capital and most-populous city is Zakarina, also the most-populous city in Eurea, located in the west of the country in its Eastern Eurean territory. Kasha has a population of approximately 167.8 million people, making it the most-populous nation in Eurea, and the fifth most-populous nation in the world.

Organized settlement in the territory began in the second century CE, with the foundation of numerous city-states and minor kingdoms. In the eighth century CE, the region around the city of Novograd was invaded by Laposcandians led by Úlfbjörn Askelsson, which incorporated the area as the Kingdom of Novograd by 732 CE, ruled by the Laposcandians. The Kingdom gradually began territorial expansion throughout the region, conquering neighboring Slavoric kingdoms and territories and bringing them under Laposcandian rule. After centuries of Laposcandian rule in the region, the Laposcandian rulers eventually slavoricized themselves into Kashans, and the Empire of Kasha was founded by Basil the Great in 1194. Over the ensuing centuries, the Empire began to expand considerably, reaching into the far east of Helonesia by the 18th century and becoming one of the great powers of the world. In 1905, amidst growing dissatisfaction towards the autocratic rule of the Empire and the growing ethnic diversification of Kashan society, a successful fascist revolution deposed of the Empire and incorporated the territory as the Kashan Union, a federal fascist state led autocratically by the Melnushov dynasty for nearly nine decades. The Kashan Union was able to further its global dominance by influencing a number of similar fascist revolutions in the world and became the *de facto* leader of the global alliance of fascist nations in the 20th century, standing opposed to the leading social market economies dubbed as the Western World. In the Kashan Union, civil liberties were repressed by the federal government, and ethnic minorities were subject to discrimination and forced kashification.

In the late-20th century, anti-fascist revolutions began throughout much of the fascist world, resulting in the toppling of the Kashan Union's fascist allies in much of Eastern Eurea. The ensuing economic ramifications led to internal strife and increased nationalist sentiment, ultimately resulting in the fall of the Kashan Union, occurring between the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1994, the remaining fractions of the former Kashan Union reformed itself as the Kashan Federation, a federal presidential republic. While the newly formed state swore off Kashan Union era fascism, civil liberties continued to be disregarded, elections were not observed to be free and fair, and allies of the Melnushov dynasty continued to remain in power. Amidst international pressure and increased economic downturn, the Scarlet Revolution broke out on 5 January 2010, resulting in pro-democracy protestors successfully storming the Sitadelka and toppling the government. In the aftermath of the revolution, the majority of the government fled to neighboring Alachus, and a new constitution establishing Kasha as a democratic federal semi-presidential republic was adopted.

Since the adoption of the new constitution in 2010, Kasha has functioned as a federal semi-presidential republic. The head of state is the President, who is considered to be the most powerful and influential politician in the nation. The President is directly elected by Kashan voters for a five-year term that can be renewed once. In addition to ceremonial functions such as the swearing in of legislators and diplomats, signing of bills, and hosting of foreign dignitaries, the President also has the power to nominate the Prime Minister, assuming that their choice has the consent of parliament, and can veto any passed legislation with a two-thirds override rule in both houses of parliament. The Prime Minister is nominated by the President and confirmed by both houses of parliament to lead the government, and presides over cabinet meetings along with the President. Formally, the Prime Minister is responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the government and for determining the national policy agenda, in addition to nominating members of the cabinet for the President to approve and appoint. In practice, if the party of the President also controls both houses of parliament, it is the President who wields significant power over national policy through their ability to nominate any potential Prime Minister of their choosing. If the President's party does not control both houses of parliament, it is only through compromise and negotiations that a working government can be formed and a Prime Minister may be appointed. The federal parliament of Kasha is the bicameral Federal Assembly, which consists of the 165-seat upper house the Senate, and the 655-seat lower house the Chamber of Deputies. Unlike in other bicameral legislatures, both the Senate and Chamber of Deputies wield considerable power, and only when the federal government controls both houses of parliament can they usually enact the entirety of their political agenda. Senators are elected in constituencies corresponding to the administrative units of Kasha for staggered terms lasting six-years, while Deputies are elected at-large using party-lists and proportional representation for three-year terms. As Kasha is a federal state, its administrative units also each wield a considerable amount of autonomy, especially the designated republics of Kasha, which represent Kasha's indigenous ethnic minorities.

Of Kasha's population of 167.8 million residents, approximately 89.2% of the population identify as *Vsekashiyskiy*, a word used to describe both ethnic Kashans and any of the ethnic minorities indigenous to the territories incorporated into the Kashan Federation, while the remaining 10.8% of the population identify as other ethnicities of immigrant origin, largely Akrainians, Alachusians, Almenians, Bazalyanis, Gorgarians, Korlyaks, and Zizaks. Federal censuses do not ask residents of non-immigrant origin for their ethnicity, but regional censuses do. The sole national and official language of Kasha is Kashan, a Slavoric language. Kashan is spoken natively by approximately 84.5% of the population, while the remaining 15.5% of the population largely are of recent immigrant origin or are ethnic minorities who speak indigenous languages natively. Additionally, the 17 indigenous languages of Kashan ethnic minorities are designated as official minority language status, with a special legal status federally and co-official status in their respective republics. During the era of the Kashan Union, membership of the Kashan Orthodox church of Eastern Eurean Orthodox Christianity was mandatory for all Kashans and religious minorities were suppressed. Since freedom of religion was introduced in the Kashan Federation, religious adherence has changed. Approximately 68.6% of the population identifies as Eastern Eurean Orthodox Christians, 1.2% identify with other forms of Christianity, 6.4% of the population identify as Muslim, 1.5% of the population identify with indigenous pagan faiths, 22.7% identify as atheist, agnostic, or irreligious, and the remaining 0.8% of the population identify with other religions.

## Politics

### Administrative divisions

Kasha is subdivided into 53 administrative units, 17 of which are designated as republics and the remainder as oblasts.

As Kasha is a federal state, the administrative units are delegated significant powers and autonomy from the federal government, each with their own legislatures and governments. The 17 republics of Kasha are designated as the homelands of indigenous ethnic minorities, and are granted additional autonomy in regards to their cultural heritage that are not granted to the oblasts.

     – Republic