Vallenada

Flag of Vallenada since 1902.

The **Kingdom of Vallenada** (Spanish: Reino de Vallenada), or simply **Vallenada**, is a country in north-eastern Pholoris. It gained independence from COUNTRY in 1815. The country borders Syraglia to the east, Biwassa to the west, and Pimaza and Osameira to the south.

Its capital, Maláguena, is its most populous city, with a population of 20,553,000. The official language of Vallenada is Spanish, which is spoken by 76.5% of its population.

Vallenada is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a unitary system of governance, and a bicameral legislature.

## History

### Rule of the Echaves family (1902 CE - 1933 CE)

After his election in 1902, Saúl Echaves moved quickly to secure power for himself and his family. However his policies, which included a program of forced linguistic assimilation intended to deprive opposition groups of covert communication in other languages, only caused opposition to increase, with anti-Echavist movements building in strength, especially in the Pimaza region.

By 1921 it was clear that Saúl's health was failing him, and in June he resigned in favour of his son Franco Echaves, who effectively continued where Saúl had left off in terms of policy. During this period it's estimated the Echavists embezzled approximately Cr. 150,000,000 from state funds. However, in addition to the still growing anti-Echavist movements, there was also an internal feud between Franco Echaves and his older brother Román Echaves, who felt he'd been passed over by Saúl.

In the Great War (1929-1933) Echavist Vallenada supported Ersetia, in an effort to weaken long-term rivals Osameira and Nova Britannica, however a rebellion in the Pimaza region forced the Echavist government to sue for peace in August 1932 in a humiliating climbdown for the regime. Román saw this as an opportunity to make a move for power, and he covertly fanned the flames of anti-Echavist movements, planning to play them and Franco against eachother. Jaime Gaona, Román's son-in-law, and his most trusted lieutenant, was the figure he intended to be at the forefront of the opposition.

However, things did not go to plan for Román, as Gaona was able to organise a coup too quickly for Franco to respond, and on June 30th, 1933, Franco Echaves was overthrown, tried, and summarily executed, along with many of his closest supporters. Román was also targeted by the anti-Echavist purge, but was able to flee into exile in Regança-Kovalje. In his place Jaime Gaona installed himself as president, pledging to hold elections within the next two years. The downfall of the Echavists also meant the effective independence of Pimaza, as Gaona's supporters were closely aligned with Pimazan separatists.

### Rule of Jaime Gaona (1933 CE - 1956 CE)

Initially, it seemed that Jaime Gaona would fulfill his pledge to rule democratically, and for his first two terms he did, winning convincingly in both elections he contested, those being in 1934 and 1938. However, by 1940 it became clear that his support was waning thanks to lacklustre governance and an unwillingness to remove corrupt officials, and when he was re-elected for a 3rd term in 1942, all signs pointed towards electoral fraud.

Once again, resentment would build over the next years, as Gaona did little to challenge allegations of fraud and corruption. Things eventually came to a head in February 1956, with military leader General Zacarías Luque mounting a coup to overthrow Gaona, who quietly died in a suspicious car accident a few months later.

### Dictatorship of Zacarías Luque (1956 CE - 1969 CE)

Luque, while somewhat popular for his patriotic rhetoric and bombastic presence, was never dedicated to democratic rule in the slightest. For the duration of his rule he exercised power with an iron fist, a move that quickly made the general populace both fearful and resentful. As this resentment grew, rumours once again began to spread of government corruption and embezzlement, this time in the Cr. 500,000,000 range. Unsurprisingly, this would eventually lead to Luque's downfall.

### Orchid Revolution (1969 CE - 1970 CE)

On the 8th of November 1969, a strike occurred at the Regal Tobacco factory in Maláguena. When police and the military were ordered to break up the strike using force on the 17th of November, they refused. With deadlock reached, popular protests against the regime by emboldened citizens began to occur. At this point, several military leaders once again began plotting a coup, which was executed on the 5th of January 1970. However, while the coup was successful in deposing Luque, an unprecedentedly massive popular rising in favour of democratic rule.

The risings now began to be popularly called the "Orchid Revolution", thanks to the iconic images of protesters putting orchid flowers in the gun barrels of bemused and bewildered soldiers who had been ordered to quash any revolts. However, much to the surprise of all key players, Lucas Saelices van Rossum, a descendent of the last monarch of Vallenada, then flew in to the country, whereupon the public, hungry for change, focused around him, and demand grew for a return to a constitutional monarchy. Eventually the coup leaders caved in to the inevitable, and on the 1st of April Lucas was installed as monarch, assuming the regnal name of "Felipe II". Democratic elections for the Vallenadan Senate were held in late 1970, where the pro-monarchist Party for Democratic & Royal Restoration won a majority.

## Government & Politics

Vallenada is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy; the monarch has strictly limited powers, with the Senate being the most powerful government body, headed by the Chairman (a position analogous to Prime Minister). The Senate is a bicameral body, with the Senate being also the name for the upper house, and the Chamber of Deputies being the lower house. Despite its large size, the country operates under a unitary system of governance. The current monarch is *King Felipe II (Lucas Saelices van Rossum)*, who acceded to the throne in 1970, and the current Chairman of the Senate is *Emilio García* of the *Party of Popular Action*.

## Demographics

As of current estimates Vallenada's population is around 119,821,000. Large proportions of this live in the western plain (35%), and the north-eastern coastal plain (33%); these regions are where most of the country's cities are located.

### Languages

Vallenada's only official language is Spanish; the primary language of 76.5% of the population. No other languages have official or even recognised status, although 7.1%, 5.8%, 4.2%, and 3.9% speak LANG, LANG, Swahili, and Italian respectively. This has led to considerable friction, and allegations that the Vallenadan government is attempting to semi-forcibly assimilate linguistic minorities are rife.