Bazalyan

**Bazalyan** (Bazalyani: *Bažəljan*) is a sovereign state located in Eastern Eurea. Bazalyan makes up the southern half of the island of Idra, bordered by Aferia to the north, with maritime borders with Palrus to the southeast, Lima to the south, and Borgizstan to the west. Its capital and most-populous city is Tatu, located in the southern coast of the country. Bazalyan has a population of about 7.5 million inhabitants.

Organized civilization first began in the territory of modern-Bazalyan in the 8th-century, with the establishment of numerous small city-states. The city-states were then unified in the 14th-century, with the establishment of the Kingdom of Bazalyan. The Kingdom remained small but was stable, despite rising tensions with its northern neighbor the Kingdom of Aferia over religious issues. In the 18th-century, the Kingdom was invaded and conquered by the Kashan Empire, with its royal family deposed of; it was then incorporated as the Principality of Bazalyan, an overseas province of the Empire. A *coup d'état* occurred in the 20th-century, with the Empire being overthrown by fascists and becoming the Kashan Union. Bazalyan was then incorporated as the Bazalyani Fascist Republic of Kasha. Individual freedoms and liberties were greatly diminished under the fascist regime, with high levels of poverty, famine, and instability. Following a weakening of the Union and increasing foreign pressure from democracies, the Union began to fall in the 1980s; Bazalyan declared its independence in 1989. Since independence, Bazalyan has come into considerable conflict with the neighboring Aferia over the ownership of the territory Karmakh, a disputed territory between the two nations. Since the fall of the Kashan Union, Karmakh has been *de jure* under the control of Aferia, but *de facto* operates as an independent state with an almost entirely ethnic Bazalyani population. During the time of the Kashan Union, Karmakh belonged to the Aferian Fascist Republic of Kasha. The territorial dispute was the catalyst behind the Aferian-Bazalyani War (1992–present), which has been in a ceasefire since 2002.

As an independent state, Bazalyan established itself as a unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic. Its head of state is the President, who wields considerable power. The President may veto legislation passed by parliament with no chance of a veto override, formally appoint all ministers and personally nominate half of the cabinet, ratify and negotiate treaties, serve as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, dismiss formally appointed officers, and bestow civilian and military honors. The President is elected by parliament to serve a five year term that can be renewed twice consecutively; after serving two terms consecutively, the President cannot run for a third term immediately, but may run for a third term after their immediate successor serves one full term. The head of government is the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the President and then confirmed by parliament. The Prime Minister most often is not a member of parliament, and neither are other ministers. Although responsible for setting the policy agenda and leading a council of ministers, most power is vested in the President, not the Prime Minister. In 2017, the position of Vice President was created by presidential decree; the Vice President can be appointed by the President at any point in their term, and is then confirmed by parliament. There are no explicit powers given to the Vice President, although they will serve in the office of President if the incumbent President is incapacitated or unable to perform their duties, and can also access all powers of the presidential office if given explicit permission by the incumbent President. The parliament of Bazalyan is the National Assembly, a unicameral 210-seat legislature.

Of Bazalyan's population of 7.5 million, approximately 95.6% identifies as ethnically Bazalyani, while 2.9% identifies as Kashan, and the remaining 1.5% as other ethnic groups, primarily Borgiz and Beratian. Prior to 1992, approximately 4.2% of the population identified as Aferian, but the Aferian community was expelled following the beginning of the Aferian-Bazalyani War; some Aferians remain in Bazalyan, but they largely live in secret, having changed their names and masquerading as Bazalyanis. Since 1992, all immigration from Aferians is banned, while Aferian passports are not accepted at ports of entry. The national and sole official language of Bazalyan is Bazalyani, a Tagik language. Bazalyani is spoken natively by approximately 97.2% of the population, while the remaining 2.8% primarily speaks Kashan or another Tagik language natively. Kashan is commonly understood by the Bazalyani population, especially in older and more urban populations. Approximately 94.1% of the population adheres to Eurean Islam, while 2.5% adheres to Eastern Eurean Christianity, 1.0% as other religions, and 2.4% identifies as atheist, agnostic, or irreligious. Weekly religious attendance numbers around 12.5% of the population, with Bazalyani culture highly promoting secularism.