Politics of the Republic of Altis and Stratis

This article on the Politics of the Republic of Altis and Stratis examines the broad political structure of the Altis archipelago and the specific actors and agencies within that structure.

Overview
The Republic of Altis and Stratis operates within a democratic presidential republican system. A directly-elected President chosen every six years acts as both Head of State and Head of Government. A single-chamber legislature known as Congress is elected every three years. The judicial branch comprises multiple levels of court systems headed by a five-person Supreme Court appointed by Congress. The lower courts comprise a combination of elected and appointed officials.

President of the Republic
The President of the Republic acts as both Head of State and Head of Government, appointing a Cabinet of Ministers with the approval of Congress. The President also acts as Commander-in-Chief of the Altis Armed Forces. The President of the Republic may only serve two terms under the Altian Constitution.

As of 2021, the President of the Republic is Nikos Panagopoulos, a candidate from the center-left Republican Labour Party.

Congress of the Republic
The Congress is a single-chamber 75-member legislature responsible for crafting and debating laws. Congress also has the power to approve or deny ministerial cabinet appointees and candidates for the Supreme Court. Congress members may only serve two terms under the Altian Constitution.

The current Congress is broadly divided between the centre-left Republican Labour Party (RLP) and the right-leaning Altian National Party (ANP), with the RLP holding a small majority of 41 out of 75 Congressional seats. Smaller parties represented in the Congress include the Altian Green Front, the Greco-Altian People's Party, and the Christian Democratic Movement.

Supreme Court of the Republic
The Supreme Court of Altis comprises five members appointed by Congress and nominated by the President. The Supreme Court considers all matters relating to the constitution of Altis and acts as a final appeal court for issues elevated by the lower courts.

Supreme Judges are required to be apolitical and as such are barred from holding political party memberships. In reality, the Supreme Court is shaped by the political desires of the sitting government, with incumbent Presidents often choosing nominees that reflect their preferred political leanings. Currently the Supreme Court of Altis has a broadly 3 to 2 conservative-leaning majority among its membership.

Political parties of the Republic
Republican Labour Party (RLP) - The RLP is a center-left political party that currently holds the Presidency and maintains a small majority in Congress. The RLP are broadly defined by a social democratic economic philosophy that emphasizes a socio-economic safety net for the unemployed and a progressive tax structure. They broadly believe in socially liberal policies such as gun control, the legal enshrinement of minority rights, closer integration with the European Union, and a humanitarian-interventionist foreign policy.

The RLP was formed in the late 1980s as a result of the negotiated end to the Altian Civil War (1980s) between the Altian Armed Forces (AAF) and the Freedom and Independence (FIA) Army. In return for disarming and disavowing violent action, the FIA was allowed to participate in the Altian political system by forming a legitimate political party. The RLP was the result of this transition.

The RLP had strong minority support for several decades but did not gain a majority in Congress until the 2009 elections. In 2015, Nikos Panagopoulos became the first RLP candidate to win the Presidency.

Despite its successful transition to a non-violent political movement, the RLP is still regarded with suspicion by some groups within the Altian population. Accusations that the RLP never fully disarmed are routinely made by RLP opponents and similarly dismissed by the RLP leadership.

Altian National Party (ANP) - The ANP is a center-right political party that currently holds a substantial minority of seats in Congress. They are broadly seen as nationalists, pro-business, and low-tax proponents with an emphasis on encouraging foreign commercial investment into the Republic. They are currently the strongest proponents for the oil survey missions currently undertaken by energy giant Veroxxotle.

The ANP is the oldest political party in the Republic, tracing its heritage back to the independence of the Altis archipelago from British imperial rule. The ANP dominated the post-independence Republic for half a century, with every President of the Republic between 1962 and 2015 being a member of the ANP. The Altis Armed Forces initially began as an armed wing of the ANP before being recognized as the official military force of the Republic.

The ANP's dominance of Altian political life ended in 2009 and 2015 when the RLP won the Congress and the Presidency respectively. Nonetheless, the ANP has the loyal support of a large minority of the Altian population and strong links to the armed forces.

Smaller political groups include the Altian Green Front (an environmental activist movement), the Greco-Altian People's Party (an ultra-nationalist Greco-Altian supremacist group), and the Christian Democratic Movement (a political grouping of Altian Catholic traditionalists).