The People's Democratic Republic of Dexistan

The People's Democratic Republic of Dexistan, commonly known as the PDRD or simply Dexistan, is a country founded on an island in the Great Spawn Ocean but possesses many holdings throughout the Realm. It consists of nine Territories, several jointly occupied military areas, and some scattered minor possessions. At around 300,000 square miles, it is the Realm's second-largest country by total area. With a population of more than 72 million people, it is the third most populous country in the Realm. The national capital is Livonia which is also the most populous city.

Dexistan is a unitary one-party socialist republic and an executive dictatorship with three separate branches of government, including a uni-cameral legislature. It is a founding member of the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, Realm Trade Organization, the Countries Against Albania, and other international organizations. It is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Dexistan ranks high in international measures of economic prosperity, reduced levels of corruption in comparison with other countries, quality of life, and quality of education. Despite receiving relatively high ratings for its overall standard of living, the country has received much criticism in regard to political and personal freedom, the use of censorship and secret police, high incarceration rates, and alleged detention camps among other issues. It is currently ruled by Dex Moonfire, the country's namesake.

Dexistan is a moderately developed country, and continuously ranks high in measures of socioeconomic performance. It accounts for approximately a quarter of Realm-wide GDP and is the Realm's third-largest economy by GDP at market exchange rates. Dexistan is also the Realm's third largest importer as well as the second largest exporter of goods. Although its population is only 16.1% of the Realm total, it holds 34.7% of the total wealth in the Realm, the second largest share held by any country. Making up more than a quarter of Realm-wide military spending, it is a major military power in the Realm and a leading political, cultural, and scientific force internationally.

Establishment
The coup toppled a previous democratic government, the Principality of New Free Derry, that was generally regarded as weak and ineffective at solving the nation's various issues, including an energy crisis involving the high prices of gasoline and other types of fuel, frequent border incursions and terrorist attacks by a Shia-Jihabist terrorist organization dubbed the Islamic Organization for Jihab, and the frequent use of the military to reestablish order against increasingly common protests. Dex Moonfire decided to execute his plan on the night of January 25th, 2020, mobilizing three infantry divisions of the Army, the Fourth Armored Division, and his personal elite guard to storm a late night session of the Council of Commons. Moonfire, a Council of Commons delegate for the Workers and Peasants Party himself, was missing during the proceedings of the session along with most of his colleagues in the party. Around 10 pm, the Council was deliberating on a budget that would allow the country to avoid bankruptcy when suddenly armed soldiers stormed the building and took every delegate hostage under threat of execution. Moonfire then ordered an infantry battalion to secure the rest of the capital and impose martial law on the civilian population. After a brief skirmish with the Council Guard in the early morning, Moonfire's forces secured the former Speaker's office and opened up the gates of the capitol, flying the new flag of the country.

At around 8 am, Moonfire made a nation-wide address in the office of the former Speaker of the Council, stating his goals and the formation of the new socialist government. He also called on the people of the nation to form Red Guard Squads to perform attacks against uncompliant police and military targets as well as serve as frontier law enforcement in the first days of the new government. Some citizens greeted the news with open arms, seeing it as a savior seizing power for the good of the people and some saw him as a power-hungry dictator seizing control for life, leading to mixed reactions in the country and the Realm.

By the evening of January 27th, Moonfire and his military junta had secured most of the country despite resistance from some Territorial Guard units as well as small elements of the military. He renamed the Principality of New Free Derry to the People's Democratic Republic of Dexistan and instated sweeping changes to the country in just the first days of his rule including the introduction of martial law in all of the country and the rapid nationalization of many industries. These rapid changes also included a fierce anti-traditional campaign, attempting to expel all monarchistic or aristocratic elements from the government and military including an abolition of the position of Emperor and the imprisonment of the Emperor himself.

Resources and Geography
Dexistan has a lush, somewhat hilly terrain for most of its territory although its largely disjointed nature makes for a great diversity in enviroments, climates, and conditions. New New Jersey, a major territory of the country possesses artificially leveled areas alongside sparse hills with swamps and marshes dotted throughout. Cidhna Mine is a prominent industrial mining operation in New New Jersey and a major coal and redstone producer for Dexistan. The former de facto capital of Dexistan, New Free Derry, is dry and largely composed of beaches and other coastal areas, and as such, enjoys extensive port access for the Navy as well as commercial travel and luxury industries. The most populous territory of Dexistan, Livonia, has had its resources and land completely extracted and the entire island is made up of smooth stone material aside from small rock edifices serving as the natural foundation.

Republika Srpska and Blaine County are two territories that are accessible to each other via bridge and as such are very close to each other. Republika Srpska is a lush hilly residential island with forests throughout while Blaine County is a small island with a single mountain at its center and is a popular scenic tourism spot and trading stop throughout the Realm. A former territory, the Gaza Strip, was a small desert territory along a river in the Near West region whose only industry is a mine, its claim to fame being it possesses Mount Reeves, one of the major pilgrimage sites in Frism and Ebakianity as a whole. The Gaza Strip was exchanged with the Greater Teutonic Realm for the Prefecture of Alabama, a territory contiguous with New New Jersey. The border wall between the two was taken down and the area was reorganized as the Territory of New Alabama. New Alabama is known as the crude oil capital of the Realm and its economy is almost entirely based on oil. Coon Town, a territory largely settled for the purpose of Villager deportation and colonization, is composed of desert although it has not been developed in any way besides a road and several small buildings, most notably a welfare office.

After several expeditions by the military in August 2021, the twin territories of Syldavia and Borduria were incorporated after a brief battle, aiding a Slavic tribe against another inhabiting the archipelago. This string of islands is lush and mountainous with some of the largest and most prominent cliffs in the Realm. These territories are mostly undeveloped with a privately-owned ferry service from island to island as well as a publicly operated post office in Syldavia.

Valuable resources are relatively scarce in the majority of Dexistan and the lack of ore, iron or otherwise, makes major building projects difficult without extensive importation from more resource rich countries like the GTR. Much of Dexistan is underdeveloped as a result and agricultural jobs are the most common type of work in Dexistan. As a response to this historic lack of industry, the Ministry of Finance orchestrated an industrialization campaign, entitled by President Moonfire, "The Moderate Step Ahead". This campaign has been met with success so far with a rapidly expanding industrial base and workforce.

History and Demographics
The dominant ethnic group in Dexistan are Solicians, an ethnic group that originated in the plains and deserts of Ambrosia at around 2000 BE. Most modern Solicians live in the Derry Archipelago, however, after a massive colonization and migration campaign following the overflow of the Big Nig and the sinking of Chuckonia. The Solicians have a very vibrant culture and heritage spanning thousands of years. Among the most famous of these cultural items is a staple of the Dexistanian diet, chop suey pork; not only is it prominent in Dexistan, you can find it in almost every country on the Realm. Another famous aspect of their culture is Borochan robes which are widely known due to their colorful and distinctive design, usually having depictions of animals, plants, and other various images of the natural world. Though most cultural practices hold strong, some aspects have been largely lost in recent years due to modernization and globalization. Most prominently, Old Solician as a language is dying out and recent pushes to implement Old Solician literacy classes in schools have had underwhelming results.

Ambrosia was largely nomadic and tribal for much of its history, however, a massive agricultural revolution occurred after crops like maize and grain were imported from other lands in the Realm around 6000 BE. Several invasions from various Teutonic and Japanese tribes and later the Empire of Spawn occurred over hundreds of years, leading to a near constant state of conflict in the area. Although most incursions were repelled, the defense came at heavy cost and greatly damaged and depopulated many regions, cities, and tribes. The tribes eventually began to consolidate a central authority in order to better resist foreign attackers as well as to mitigate the effects of rising sea levels, sea levels that would eventually envelop the entire founding area by the 16th century.

The large and prominent tribes and clans of Solicia met at various councils, the first being around 970 BE and the last concluding in 942 BE. In this roughly 30 year period, many deliberations were made regarding the future of Solicia and its tribes at large. The negotiations were tense at times and on two occasions nearly broke out in war between clans. Long standing family feuds would be set aside and a governmental model was finalized soon after. They developed a decentralized feudal theocratic society in which all people pledged their loyalty to the holiness of Zolter, the high god of Truism.

This government became a powerful force on the Realm and colonized many territories, some of which are so old they have been lost completely. It is now known as the Holy Nation with this theocratic feudal society lasting until 1824 when the government was overthrown in a popular revolution. In replacement, a parliamentary confederate government followed by a constitutional monarchy was installed that lasted until 2020. The religion of the theocracy also changed in the 4th century AD from a previous pagan animist religion to the monotheistic Ebakianity which would later became Frism, considered by most to be the national religion of Solicia.

The previously pre-eminent Holy Church of Ebako was largely discarded after the democratic revolution, mostly due to the ill feelings the people had towards the previous theocracy of the Holy Nation with its membership dropping starkly in the 1820s and 1830s. New denominations cropped up in a reaction to the perceived repressive nature of the Church as well as a stark increase in the membership of existing Ebakian sects, most notably Brochanism. Due to this common perception, the Church began to modernize some of its teachings and practices around the turn of the century, such as allowing services in modern Solician rather than the ancient dialect from nearly two millennia before. Perennial dialogues with other faiths were opened as well, leading to various agreements and treaties being signed, bringing some smaller denominations and churches back into the fold.

Due to these reforms, the Holy Church of Ebako made a rapid comeback in the early-to-mid section of the 20th century, driven by young people and reverts. The Holy Church of Ebako still adopts the scripture and most of the liturgy and traditions of its old self but with a less zealous and overtly xenophobic tone. The age-old practice of battle prayer, a holdout from the pagan society of yore, has been increasingly looked down upon for its supposedly violent and wrathful nature, although the Church still officially promotes it for soldiers. Over 80% of the population subscribes to the Holy Church of Ebako with various other smaller denominations combined into the 'Reformed' category. Even with this categorization, they are a distant runner up at only 8%.

Government
Though socialist in name, Dexistan shares many parallels with the Greater Teutonic Realm and even Japan. It has a state capitalist mixed market with an increasing emphasis on the nationalization of industries. Dexistan trades with every nation on the Realm. However, it has a low Democracy Index rating and it is universally considered authoritarian. It cracks down on dissent swiftly and mercilessly with its vast network of internal secret police and double agents in dissident organizations.

Dexton Buchanan Moonfire is the President of People's Democratic Republic of Dexistan and holds de facto authority in all matters. He serves as the first and, by far, most important branch of government, the executive. In theory, he must work with the legislative and the judicial, however, he appoints all delegates at the national level including all Greater Court judges which makes it nearly impossible to meaningfully oppose him. Given his relatively old age, Moonfire has talked publicly about stepping down in several years and allowing others to "reform Solicia to its full potential" although he has not specified who would take his place in the event of that occurring.

Dexistan still retains a rubber-stamp Council of Commons, which serves as the legislative branch of government. Many of the high level jobs are occupied by the friends and family of President Moonfire as well as career politicians who believe it is currently advantageous to side with the President. The COC votes on motions brought forth by both Labor Councils and the President. Seats are allotted via a proportional representation system, which in theory, is voted on the citizens of each Territory. Moonfire has stated that the personal appointment of COC delegates is a temporary measure in order to ensure stability during the first stages of the nation but has only held one snap election in the two years of the government's history.

The official appointment of delegates changed when after massive protests, snap elections were announced in April 2021. This election, although initially hopeful for the democratic activists, turned out to be a restrictive and a largely nefarious event with alleged voter intimidation, intense propaganda from the government, and the burden of only allowing a single party, severely limiting the scope of the rhetoric and policy of reformers. After large scale protests throughout the night of April 24th and 25th, three complete recounts of every vote were executed, leading to reformist candidates having a massively underwhelming performance, winning only three out of the 18 seats up for election. A lawsuit was soon filed by multiple dissident organizations against the government and the National Election Commission for "distorting democracy" and "undermining the votes of citizens" on April 28th. This lawsuit was dismissed by the Greater Court of Dexistan on May 3rd.

The third branch of government in Dexistan is known as the judicial system which includes a network of local, Territorial, and national courts with the highest being the Greater Court of the People's Democratic Republic of Dexistan. It is commended for its efficiency and lack of corruption but is criticized for its use of secret government-vetted juries as well as its often harsh sentences for felons and political dissidents. The Greater Court is presided over by five Supreme Judges and is often used to settle policy that has been otherwise overlooked by the executive and legislative branches.

Aside from the Council, the government of Dexistan also possesses a cabinet that function less as ministers and more as advisors for the President who meet every morning in the COC building. Labor Councils also serve as a means for citizens to contact the higher echelons of powers which function essentially as forums for citizens who can bring their issues and suggestions to the Labor Councils where they are debated and, if they receive enough support, are taken to the Council of Commons for a debate and vote. Only members of the national labor union, the Solician Workers Congress, can participate in these sessions.

Moonfire describes the current socio-economic situation in Dexistan as "developing socialism with Solician characteristics" and has stated that his end goal is "a worker-led world revolution and eventually developed socialism throughout the entire Realm" but has since stated that this goal is "probably not achievable within my lifetime". Moonfire has not specified the succession system in Dexistan but he has said "my eldest son, Ebako, has demonstrated incredible charisma and administrative ability".

Dexistan shares strong relations with the now-defunct Socialist Republic of Ikea for its similarities in ideology, the GTR for its economic ties and the personal friendship between the two leaders, and Japan for the trade that is shared between the countries. It merely tolerated Arstotzka as a trading partner before its untimely destruction. Dexistan possessed a long and complex relationship with Tibet through its multiple governments, most prominently the joint occupation after the bombings and the current division of Lhasa. Dexistan had tense relations, culminating in war, with Albania and is a founding member of the Countries against Albania along with Japan and the GTR.

Dexistan had initially cold relations with Yugoslavia but began a rapid reconciliation in January 2021 alongside the GTR, culminating in the construction of the Friendship Bridge between mainland Yugoslavia and the territory of the Gaza Strip. It also had intense relations with New Israel due to Dexistan's perceived relationship with Yugoslavia and several incidents of dubious credibility, nearly resulting in war several times. Dexistan shares a close relationship with Gold Hills and Rock Southbarc personally, helping to construct the settlement of Gold Hills before it was unveiled to the international community. It temporarily occupied Gold Hills jointly with the GTR after tensions with Japan. Dexistan had a mostly amiable relationship with the Republic of India under Subhas Bose but deployed troops during the GTR's occupation of India that stayed deployed as peacekeepers and aid workers after the successful Indian Rebellion. Dexistan has no official stance on Romania although it is known that the leaders of both countries exchange letters frequently.