Kyrzbekistan

Largest city		Lëbrazhd
Official languages		Kyrzbek, Arbëresh
Recognized languages		Medokyrzbek
Ethnic groups		89.5% Kyrzbek, 10.5% Arbërian, Others
Demonym		Kyrzbekistani
Legislature		Congress of People's Deputies
Currency		Metër currency
Date format		dd/mm/yyyy
Calling code		+99

Kyrzbekistan, officially the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan is a eastern Brigidnian country in Siora. Kyrzbekistan is a landlocked country, which shares a border with the Ga'bath in the west, Zargistan in the south, and A'sir in the north.

Since the collapse of the Arberian monarchy and the proclamation of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan, Kyrzbekistan has officially been a federal parliamentary republic, although it continue to endure ethnic and religious tensions, terrorism, and complicated diplomatic relations with its northern neighbor, the Akhadic Republic of A'Sir. Kyrzbekistan is considered the only successful example of a both secular and democratic state in an Akhadic-majority country. Kyrzbekistan is a member of the Near East Treaty Organization (NETO) along Zargistan, Ga'bath, Khanid, Aricca, and Wadiyah. As a NETO member, Kyrzbekistan was involved in the Wadiyah Civil War.

Ethnic Kyrzbek make up the majority of the country's 19 million people, followed by a large minority of ethnic Arberians. The official language, Kyrzbek, is closely related to Ashked language, although Arberian remains widely spoken in many regions, a legacy of two century-long policy of Arberianization by the the Arberian Kingdom. The majority of the population are Akhadic believers.

Etymology

"Kyrzbek" is believed to have been derived from the word for "four hundred" in Kyrzbek language, in reference to the confederation of Kyrzbek tribes which settled down in today northeastern Kyrzbekistan and souther A'Sir in the 12th century BCE. The suffix "-istan" means "place of" in A'Sirian language. Therefore, Kyrzbekistan translates to land of the Kyrzbeks. However, historically the word "Kyrzbekistan" was only used to a reference of the northeastern region of the Kingdom of Arberia, and not the country as a whole. The word "Kyrzbekistan" in today sense was used for first time by Kyrzbek nationalist in early 1520s.

The Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan states that the demonym Kyrzbekistani shall apply to every citizen of Kyrzbekistan, independently of their ethnic or religious background.

Geography

Kyrzbekistan is a landlocked country in Near East, bordering Ga'bath, Zargistan, and A'Sir.

Kyrzbekistan has significant deposits of metals including gold and rare-earth metals. Due to the country's predominantly desert and mountainous terrain, less than 10% of the land is cultivated, and this concentrated in the Haghar Valley along the southern border with Zargistan. The country has also large deposits of gas.

The capital city of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan is Ayduramazan, with 1,937,630 inhabitants, only founded in 1572. The second city is the former Arberian capital, Qenderë, in central Kyrzbekistan, located nearby the Basanë Valley. The third largest city is Lebrazhd, in southern Kyrzbekistan, while the fourth largest city is Ersyrë, in the eastern state of Yartushia.

Climate

The climate varies regionally. The western region, isolated from the rest of the country by Mazhak Mountains, has a hot desert climate and it is barely populated. This small region is generally hot, sunny and dry year-round. On Summer, maximum temperatures of over 40 °C are not uncommon and can soar to over 45 °C in some days. The town of Meqylet had an absolute heat record of 52 °C in Nueva 1585. Most of the region experience very high temperatures all year long, even during wintertime. During colder periods of the year, night-time temperatures can drop to freezing or below due to the exceptional radiation loss under the clear skies. However, very rarely do temperatures drop far below freezing.

The rest of the country, however, has a cold desert climate. It has a dry summer, though summers are not typically as hot as the eastern desert. At the other side of the Mazhak Mountains, there is a rather cold and dry winters. Precipitation varies between arid and semi-arid conditions, the summer being particularly dry. In the coldest areas temperatures are sub-zero for around 40 days in winter, and even some desert areas experience constant snowfall in this period. In the lowlands the temperature ranges from around −5 °C in winter to 40 °C in summer.

Administrative Divisions

The Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan consists of 4 states, also known as "governorates". Originally, the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan divided the country into 5 federal states, but following the 1574 constitutional crisis and the Constitutional Reform of 1575, the states of Kenlyukya and Kombash were merged while the central state of Uzekyak absorbed a limited area of both states. The constitutional reform was highly controversial, as it left out many Arberian majority provinces, such as Basan and Qënderë, outside the Arberian-majority state of Kombash-Kenlyukya.

There have been recently rumours and discussions to create more federal states, through dividing the eastern state of Yartushia, which was governed by an Akhadist coalition from 1578 to 1582. However, this administrative reform, which would require an amendment of the constitution, seems to have been abandoned, specially since the Akhadist governor Elbrus Almasur was defeated by an independent candidate in the 1582 state elections.

The federal states of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan

Governorate	Region	Established	Population 1585	Capital
Kombash-Kenlyukya	Southwest	1576	4,320,000	Lebrazhd
Uzekyak	Central	1569	6,120,000	Qenderë
Tembyak	North	1569	3,600,000	Magan
Yartushia	East	1569	3,960,000	Ersyrë

Each Kyrzbekistani state has an elected legislature, known as State Assembly, a state government, and a governor, elected through direct suffrage. State elections are held every four years, and elections for the State Assembly and the Governor are organized separately, although often held the same day.

Kyrzbekistani federalism is largely theoretical as the states are granted few legislative powers. The federal constitution initally granted important legislative powers to the states, but many powers were subsequently taken away after the 1575 constitutional reform, and only a few remain, such as urban planning and school management, nature protection, hunting, farming, youth protection, certain issues of public health and welfare and the right to levy certain taxes.

All other matters, including but not limited to criminal law, civil law, corporate law, most aspects of economic law, defense, most educational matters and academia, telecommunications, and much of the healthcare system are regulated by federal laws. There is also no judiciary of the federal states, since the constitution defines the judiciary as an exclusively federal matter.

However, the state governor is in charge of the administration of much of federal administrative law within the respective state, which makes this post an important political position. Furthermore, state competences include planning issues and public procurement on the state level, which adds considerable weight to the state politics. As a practical matter, there have been cases where states have been able to block projects endorsed by the federal government.

The state governor has also the power to nominate one member of the Constitutional Council (Kyrzbekistan's Supreme Court), which is elected by a majority of each State Assembly, therefore the federal states elect four members of the eleven members of the federal Constitutional Council.

Political System

Constitution of Kyrzbekistan

The present Constitution of Kyrzbekistan was adopted in 1569 after the Kyrzbekistani Revolution (1567-1569). It was preceded by a number of constitutions including the one created in 1480 (which established the Qënderi Commonwealth) and the 1539 Constitution of the Kingdom of Arberë (which was reformed after the Royal decrees of 1555). However, it is the first constitution promulgated under the official denomination of Kyrzbekistan.

The 1569 Constitution was preliminary drafted and largely completed in early 1569, the finished and officially promulgated in 24 Quartyr 1569. At the time the constitution was being drafted, a democratic outcome was still uncertain in the midst of the revolution. The police and armed forces of the Arberian monarchy had been officially abolished, being replaced by a "people's militia" headed by the so-called "Military Revolutionary Committee" which functioned independently to the "All-Socialist Government" announced in 28 Septem 1568. There were rumours that Amazat Aydur, the leader of the far-left Workers People's Party, often met with Severyan advisors, and that he could be aiming to the establishment of a communist dictatorship under Perovist guidelines.

On 27 Vintyr 1568, the revolutionary government announced elections for a Constituent Assembly, which were finally held on 2 Dosa 1569. The elections were won by the Revolutionary Coalition (a left-wing coalition formed by the Workers People's Party, the Arberian Social Democratic Party, the Kyrzbek Democratic Party, the Arberian Socialist Party, and minor far-left organizations), which obtained more than 60% of the vote. Monarchist and Akhadist parties had decided to boycott the elections to the Constituent Assembly. Moreover, not all of the constituent assembly's members were committed to parliamentary democracy. The membership was intensely partisan, with some 80 percent of the seats occupied by the left. More centrist political parties, such as the Arberian Democratic Party and the United Liberal Party, and a few independent Kyrzbek Conservatives MPs were left without much influence and ignored in most of the discussions of the Constituent Assembly. The most moderate factions of the Arberian Social Democratic Party often called to break with the coalition government as well.

After heated discussions and despite divisions inside the winning coalition, the Constituent Assembly adopted a constitution that provided for a democratic, parliamentary system with political parties, elections, a bicameral parliament, and a federal system of government. The document also established an independent judiciary and listed a number of human rights. The constitutional draft also integrated into the state to the revolutionary councils, local committees which ruled day-to-day affairs but without much political and judiciary control. Although relatively few of these provisions were exceptional, some of the constitutions' features were highly noteworthy and controversial; including its ideological content, an undirectly elected upper house, and a president without fixed terms.

Although the Constitution nominally establishes a federal parliamentary democracy, the constitutional text remains a highly charged ideological document with numerous references to socialism, the rights of workers, and the desirability of a socialist economy. It severely restricts private investment and business activity. Many of these articles were advanced by the far-left Workers People's Party -which wage a revolutionary war against both the Arberian monarchy and the Akhadic Republic of Kyrzbekistan during ten years of civil war (1559-1568)- but also the Arberian Socialist Party, the left-populist Kyrzbek Democratic Party, the center-left Arberian Social Democratic Party (which was highly divided about joining the government along the other left-wing parties), and even the Kyrzbek Labour Party, which decided to not joining the Revolutionary Coalition in the 1569 elections to the constituent assembly. The resulting document proclaims that the object of the Democratic Republic is "to ensure the transition to socialism." The constitution also urges the state to "abolish the exploitation of man by man". The government, among many admonitions in the same vein, is called to "direct its work toward the socialization of the land and the energy sectors".

Objections to the document centered on its ideological content, its economic restrictions, and its partisan electoral law and its weak federalism, which would prove insufficient to integrate and address the demands of the Arberian minority during the Constitutional Crisis of 1574. However, the Constitution would be approved in a national referendum on 22 Quartyr 1569 by 66.9% of the vote, more than expected, even if the turnout was relatively low.

1575 review

By the mid-1570s, the political climate was ripe for a political crisis. The Arberian separatists and the Arberian Social Democratic Party formed a coalition government in the states of Kombash and Kemlyukya after the 1573 state elections. They called for a constitutional reform which would include a more "ambitious federalism" and "self-autodetermination for the Arberian nation". By early 1574, the Governors and a majority of the Arberian representatives of Kemlyukya and Kombash proclaimed a "declaration of independence" which was denounced by the federal government as a violation of the constitution and act of treason. President Aygöl Zamambekuz responded with a decree annulling the autonomy of the two Arberian-majority states and the Kyrzbekistan armed forces were mobilized, which ended with the Kombash parliament being shelled by Kyrzbekistani artillery. Most of representatives of the Arberian separatist parties and the Arberian Social Democratic Party were arrested and charged with criminal offenses against the constitutional order.

The 1575 amendment were enacted through the ample votes of the ruling Socialist People's Party, and opposition parties such as the Kyrzbek Labour Party, the Kyrzbek People's Party, and even the Akhadist Kyrzbek National Party. The amendments were highly controversial, as they were passed after President Aygöl Zamambekuz issued a decree establishing by-elections for absentee MPs -who had either flee to exile or under house arrest after the military intervention in the two rebel states- which was declared constitutional by a 7-4 majority in the Constitutional Court.

While government structures remained unchanged, the 1575 amendment revised the territorial borders of the states of Kenlyukya, Kombash, and Uzekyak, merging the states of Kenlyuykya and Kombash into the state of Kombash-Kenlyukya, and therefore reducing the number of federal states from five to four. As the state of Uzekyak (central Kyrzbekistan) absorbed many Arberian-majority areas of the other two states, while Kyrzbek-majority areas in the west and south remained uncharged or moved from the central state to the new merged southwestern state, and it changed considerably the demographics of the affected federal states, the reform was highly controversial and criticized by the Arberian parties as a form of "federal gerrymandering". However, the ammendment was passed in a national referendum on Vintyr 1575 by 79.1% of the vote, with a turnout of 52%.

President of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan

The President of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan is the head of state of Kyrzbekistan, according to the Constitution. The current President is Aygöl Zamambekuz, who took office on 24 Alvan 1571. The first President of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan was Amazat Aydur, who was president from 1569 unti his death on 2 Alvan 1571, while Timer Arslanur was Acting President from 2 Alvan 1571 to 24 Alvan 1571.

The President is indirectly elected by the Upper House of the Kyrzbekistani Parliament, the Federal Chamber of Revolutionary Councils. Under the 1569 Constitution, the President has not a fixed term, he or she can be removed from office at any time by a constitutional majority of 500 members in the Federal Chamber. This has never happened, however, and critics of the constitutional system argue that this is not likely to happen frequently, as the ruling Socialist People's Party has always had enough representatives in the Federal Chamber to block any vote of no confidence, as the process is called. Such vote of no confidence is required to have an alternative candidate, so it is very unlikely as well that the opposition -divided so far but very ideologically opposed forces- would be able to agree in a new president. Also, such vote of no confidence can occur only after 20 percent of the Federal Chamber's representatives, or 10 percent of both houses of the parliament, sign a petition. If the vote of no confidence is rejected, those members that signed cannot sign another petition until a natural year has ended.

In case of resignation or death of the President of the Democratic Republic, a simple majority of 376 representatives is enough to elect another President. Therefore, a president can only be elected through an absolute majority of all members, not just those voting. The Constitution does not establish any alternative in case that majority is not reached, besides that the Chairman of the Federal Chamber of Revolutionary Councils will remain as Acting President until a new president is elected.

There is no constitutional limit on the number of years a President can serve, despite calls for a constitutional amend which limited to 10 or 20 years. So far (1582), Aygöl Zamambekuz has been the largest President to serve in office, more than 11 years.

In order to be admitted as an official candidate to President, potential candidates must receive signed nominations from more than 500 elected officials (federal or state Commissars, representatives for either house of the Parliament, members of the Revolutionary Councils or the state assemblies). These officials must be from every state of the Democratic Republic, and no more than 40% of them should be from the same state. Furthermore, each official may nominate only one candiddate. There are exactly 72,221 elected officials.

The Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan is a federal parliamentary republic, so the powers of the President are limited, being the Chairman of the People's Council and the parliament that oversee much of the nation's actual day-to-day affairs and federal policy, although the President has not exactly a ceremonial role compared to other parliamentary democracies. The President of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan holds the nation's most senior office, which outranks all other politicians, and he or she wield significant influence authority, specially in the fields of nationa security and foregin policy; he or she represents the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan in matters of international law, concludes treaties with foreign states on its behalf and accredits diplomats. Furthermore, all federal laws must be signed by the President before they can come into effect; however, he or she can only veto a law that he/she believes to violate the constitution or endanger the national security and territorial integrity of the nation.

The president's greatest power is his/her ability to reject a proposed candidate to Chairman of the People's Council. However, since the Congress of People's Deputies has the sole power to propose or dismiss the Chairman of the People's Council, the president may be forced to accept a head of government who can command the support of a majority in the Lower House of the Kyrzbekistani Parliament. In that case, the president's power may be diminished, since much of the de facto federal power relies on a supportive head of government and parliament, and is not directly attributed to the post of president. However, this has not happened so far to date, being always both the President and head of government members of the ruling Socialist People's Party since the Constitution was approved in 1569.

When the majority of the Congress of People's Deputies sides with them, the President can take a more active role and may, in effect, direct government policy. The head of government is then likely the personal choice of the President, even if only informally, and he or she can easily resign and be replaced if the administration becomes unpopular.

The powers of the President can be summarized as:

• The president is the Commander-in-Chief of the Kyrzbekistani Revolutionary Armed Forces.
• The president promulgates laws.
• The president has a very limited form of suspensive veto: when presented with a law, he or she can request another reading of it by Parliament, but only once per law.
• The president may also refer the law for review to the Constitutional Council prior to promulgation.
• The president may refer treaties or certain types of laws to popular referendum, within certain conditions, among them the agreement of the People's Council and one house of the parliament.
• The president can reject a candidate to Chairman of the People's Council (head of government), but he or she can not propose or dismiss him once the Chairman of the People's Council has been confirmed in office. The president can block a commissar proposed by the Chairman of the People's Council.
• The president names most officials (with the assent of the People's Council).
• The president names certain members of the Constitutional Council.
• The president receives foreign ambassadors.
• The president may grant a pardon (but not an amnesty) to convicted criminals.
• The president may issue an executive order, known as federal decrees, in case the constitutional order, the national security, or the territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan is endangered. The Constitutional Court must review such decree and the Federal Chamber has the power to reject such decree before 60 days once the president signed it.
• All decisions of the president must be countersigned by the Chairman of the People's Chairman, except issuing federal decrees and dispositions of Article 20 (appointment of ambassadors and members of the Constitutional Court)

The President of the Democratic Republic enjoys immunity during his or her term: he or she cannot be requested to testify before any jurisdiction, he or she cannot be prosecuted, etc. However, the statute of limitation is suspended during his term, and enquiries and prosecutions can be restarted, at the latest one month after he or she leaves office.

The President is not deemed personally responsible for his actions in his official capacity, or where impeachment is moved against him or her. Impeachment can be pronounced by the Constitutional Court, on the proposal of both houses of the parliament, should the president have failed to discharge his duties in a way that evidently precludes the continuation of his or her role. Impeachment must not be confused with a vote of no confidence by the Federal Chamber (see above) which does not require the commission of a constitutional violation and consequent indictment by a high court and its subsequent confirmation by the Constitutional Court.

Upon the death or resignation of the President, the Federal Chamber of the Revolutionary Councils takes over as acting president. Timer Arslanur is the only person to have served in this temporary position since the promulgation of the 1569 Constitution. In this situation, the Chairman of the Federal Chamber becomes Acting President of the Democratic Republic; he or she does not become the new President and therefore does not have to resign from his or her position as Chairman of the Federal Chamber of the Revolutionary Councils. As consequence, Timer Arslanur is not officially regarded in Kyrzbekistan as former President and she is not officially listed in the president's gallery on the official presidential website and federal publications. An Acting President cannot: appoint members to the Constitutional Court; issue an executive order without approval of the Federal Chamber; grant a pardon; call for a referendum or initiate any constitutional changes.

If the President cannot attend meetings, including meetings of the People's Council, he can ask the Chairman of the People's Council to attend instead. This clause has been applied by presidents travelling abroad, ill, or undergoing surgery.

The official residence and office of the President is the Presidential Palace in Ayduramazan.

List of Presidents of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan

Nº	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of Office		Political Party
1	Amazat Aydur (1525-1571)	1 Septem 1569	2 Alvan 1571	Socialist People's Party
2	Aygöl Zamambekuz (1526- )	24 Alvan 1571	Incumbent	Socialist People's Party

People's Council

The People's Council is the federal government of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan. It is composed of a chairman, who is the head of government, and both junior and senior ministers. Senior ministers are titled as Commissars, whereas junior ministers are titled as High Representatives. A smaller and more powerful executive body, called the Supreme Committee of the People's Council, is composed only of Commissars, though some High Representatives may attend the Supreme Committees meetings. The Supreme Committee, unlike the People's Council, is chaired by the President of the Democratic Republic, but is still led by the Chairman of the People's Council. The Supreme Committe meets only once a month, while the People's Council meets way more often.

All members of the People's Council are nominated by the President of the Democratic Republic on the advice of the Chairman of the People's Council. The Chairman of the People's Council is the head of government, and he is nominated by a majority of the Congress of People's Council. Whilst the President is constitutionally free to reject a Chairman of the People's Council, in practice he is supposed to accept a candidate that reflects the will of the majority of the Congress of People's Deputies, as the government is responsible to parliament. After being confirmed by the President to lead the government, the Chairman of the People's Council must propose a list of commissars (ministers) to the President. Again, the President can either accept or eject these proposed ministers. Commissars are ranked by importance:

• High Commissars: are senior ministers, and are members of the People's Council. It is an honorary rank, granted to some Commissars as a sign of prestige.
• Commissars: are senior ministers, and are members of the People's Council. They lead federal Commissariats (government ministries).
• High Representatives: are junior ministers. This is the lowest rank in the federal ministerial hierarchy. High Representatives work directly under a Commissar, or sometimes directly under the Chairman of the People's Council. While the Supreme Council does not include High Representatives as members, they may attend meetings of the Supreme Council if their protfolio is up for discussion.

Should the President reject candidates nominated by the parliament for three times consecutively, the President shall dissolve it and call a new election, while the Chairman of the People's Council shall be appointed by the President without participation of the parliament. The Congress of People's Deputies may not be dissolved on these grounds during the first year after parliamentary elections as well as in time of emergency, or war and in the event that the Federal Chamber of Revolutionary Council (Upper House) has initiated a vote of no confidence or the impeachment of the incumbent President.

According to the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan, the People's Council directs and decides the policy of the nation. In practice, the People's Council writes bills to be introduced to the parliament, and also writes and issues decrees. All political decisions made by the government must be registered in the federal gazette, the official bulletin of the federal government. All bills and some decrees must be approved by the People's Council. Furthermore, it is the People's Council that defines the collective political and policy direction of the government, and takes practical steps to implement that direction. In addition to writing and implementing policy, the People's Council is responsible for national defence, and directs the actions of the Kyrzbekistani Armed Forces.

The People's Council is responsible to the Parliament. In particular, the Congress of People's Deputies must assume responsibility for its action before the Congress of People's Deputies, and the Congress can dismiss can dismiss the People's Council with a motion of censure. If the People's Council decides to launch an armed operation with a duration of longer than six months, it must first consult parliament and request an authorisation. The Chairman of the People's Council may convene parliament for extraordinary seasons.

The Chairman of the People's Council may also submit a bill that has not been yet signed into law to the Constitutional Court. That applies to both federal and state legislation.

The current Chairman of the People's Council, in office since 1579, is Damir Kazbekur.

List of Chairmans of the People's Council

Nº	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of Office		Political Party
1	Zarobsyan Irekur (1512- )	1568	1573	Socialist People's Party
2	Qemal Krasniqi (1518- )	1573	1579	Socialist People's Party
3	Damir Kazbekur (1534- )	1579	Incumbent	Socialist People's Party

Congress of People's Deputies

The Congress of People's Deputies is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan (being the upper house the Federal Chamber of Revolutionary Councils). The Congress of People's Deputies members are known as deputies.

There are 399 deputies, democratically elected through a party-list proportional representation system. Thus, 200 seats are required for a majority. The Congress of People's Deputies is presided over by a Speaker (currently Naëtyra Mënash, from the Socialist People's Party), normally from the largest party represented. The term of the Congress of People's Deputies is four years. The official seat of the Congress of People's Deputies is the Federal Hall, in the capital city of Ayduramazan. It is guarded by Revolutionary Guards.

The Congress of People's Deputies propose a candidate for the Chairmanship of the People's Council (who may be accepted or rejected by the President of the Democratic Republic) and can dismiss him and overthrow the executive government (that is, the head of government and the rest of members of the People's Council) through a vote of censure. For this reason, the Chairman of the People's Council and his or her Commissars (ministers) are necessarily from the dominant party or coalition in the assembly. In the case of a president and assembly from opposing parties, this would lead to a governing cohabitation; this situation, however, has not happened so far since the the proclamation of the 1569 Constitution.

While vote of no confidence are periodically proposed by the opposition following government actions that it deems highly inappropriate, they are purely rhetorical; party discipline ensures that, throughout a parliamentary term, the government is never overthrown by the lower house. Since the proclamation of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan in 1568, there has not been one single successful vote of no confidence, despite the Socialist People's Party lost the majority of the parliament shortly after 1577 legislative elections and again in 1581. Therefore, all Chairman of the People's Council from 1569 to today (1582) has been members of the ruling Socialist People's Party.

The People's Council (the federal cabinet) usually sets the priorities of the agenda for the Congress of People's Deputies sessions, except for five days each month. In practice, given the number of priority issues, it means that the schedule of the Congress is almost entirely set by the executive; bills generally only have a chance to be examined if proposed or supported by the People's Council. Another day per month is set by a "minority" (group supporting the government but which is not the biggest group) or "opposition" (group having officially declared it did not support the government) group. Members of the Congress can ask writter or oral questions to the Chairman and Commissars of the People's Council, which are usually broadcast live on the federal state television.

Unlike the Federal Chamber of Revolutionary Councils, Kyrzbekistani citizens living abroad do not vote in the Congress of People's Deputies elections. Under Article 44 of the Constitution, deputies, like Federal Chamber's representatives and members of the states assemblies, are protected by parliamentary immunity. Since 1576, the position of member of the Congres of People's Deputies is incompatible with that of any other elected member (such as Federal Chamber's representatives or members of state assemblies and revolutionary councils), or with some administrative functions (members of the regional governments or the Supreme Committee for State Security). It is also incompatible for active members of the armed forces. To be eligible to the Congress of People's Deputies, one must be at least 30 years old, of Kyrzbekistani citizenship, and not subject to a sentence of deprivation of political rights or to personal bankruptcy.

Kyrzbekistan's Congress of People's Deputies by parliamentary group (1581)

Group		Leader	Parties	Total
	Socialist Group	Zilya Ilgakuz	Socialist People's Party	173
	Labour Group	Aydar Rashatur	Kyrzbek Labour Group	68
	Akhadic National Group	Anvar Almasur	Kyrzbek National Party	60
	Democratic Social Group	Enver Qamash	Democratic Social Forum	42
	Conservative Group	Zophar Alimur	Akhadic Reform Movement, Kyrzbek People's Party, Conservative Party, Akhadic Alternative	35
	Socialist Revolutionary Group	Besnik Qosjë	Communist Party, Kyrzbek Revolutionary Movement	21
	Total			399

Federal Chamber of Revolutionary Councils

The Federal Chamber of Revolutionary Councils, also known as simply the Federal Chamber, is the upper house of the Parliament of Kyrzbekistan, presided over by a chairman. Indirectly elected by elected officials, it represents territorial councils (known as Revolutionary Councils) of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan and Kyrzbekistani citizens living abroad. The Federal Chamber enjoys less prominence than the lower house, the directly elected Congress of People's Deputies; debates in the Federal Chamber of Revolutionary Councils tend to be less tense and generally receive less media coverage.

The Federal Chamber of Revolutionary Councils have 750 representatives, each elected to a two-year term. The composition of the chamber changes every year, however, as there are midterm elections once a year. Despite this the ruling Socialist People's Party usually enjoys a majority in the upper house.

Members of the Federal Chamber of Revolutionary Councils are elected indirectly by approximately 70,000 officials ("revolutionary delegates"). This system introduces a bias in the composition of the upper house favoring the federal capital city and rural areas. The Federal Chamber has remained politically left-wing since the foundation of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan, much to the displeasure of the conservative and Akhadist parties, who usually perform poorly in Arberian-majority or ethnic mixed areas. Only in the years 1578, 1579, and 1580 the Socialist People's Party lost a simple majority in the Federal Chamber, which they recovered in 1581, when the Socialist People's Party obtained 383 representatives of 750.

The representatives elect a chairman among their members. The current incumbent is Amerhan Zophur, from the Socialist People's Party. The Chairman of the Federal Chamber is, under the 1569 constitution, first in the line of succession in case of death or resignation, becoming Acting President until a new President is elected. This only happened once, at the death of Amazat Aydur in 1571, when Timer Arslanur became Acting President for two weeks.

Under the Kyrzbekistani constitution, the Federal Chamber of Revolutionary Council has limited powers to approve the federal budget, propose and discuss constitutional amends, rejecting presidential decrees, and amending laws passed by the Congress of People's Deputies. In the latter case, however, the Congress of People's Deputies retains a prominent role in the law-making process, as it can ignore the Federal Chamber veto or amends through a 2/3 vote in the lower house. But the most important power that the Federal Chamber has is, although rarely exerted, the election or removal of the President of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan.

The Federal Chamber also serves to monitor the federal administration's actions by publishing many reports each year on various topics.

The Federal Chamber of Revolutionary Councils is housed inside the People's Palace, previously known as Royal Residential Palace, of Qenderë, and is guarded by the Revolutionary Guards. In front of the building lies the Federal Chamber's garden, the Amazat Aydur garden, open to the public.

Economy

The Federal Bank of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan serves as the Central Bank of Kyrzbekistan. Kyrzbekistan is the fifth poorest country in the Near East region, as consequence of a long and destructive civil war, from 1559 to 1568. However, Kyrzbekistan's economy, considered a developing economy, has experienced high rates of economic growth since early 1570s, and its GDP per capita even surpases their neighbor country Ga'bath by 1580. The level of poverty has decreased as well, from 49% in 1569 to 28% in 1580, according to official statistics.

Since the proclamation of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan, the country has been ruled by the Socialist People's Party, which has imposed a high state intervention, with the government holding a tight rein over major state sectors, such as the gas and banking system, state-owned enterprises and foreign trade. However, the federal government's economic policy, officially defined as "socialist market economy", has enhanced the role of the private sectors, although reaffirming the primacy of the state. In 1580, the private sectors accounted for more than one-quarter of all industrial output.

The principal exports are gas, nonferrous metals and minerals, chemical products, electric energy and certain engineering goods. Its leading trade partners include Severyane, Carpathia and Moldova, and NETO countries.

In regards to telecommunication infrastructure, Kyrzbekistan ranks sixth in Near East in the 1579 Sioran Economic Forum's Network Readiness Index – an indicator for determining the development level of a country’s information and communication technologies, an improvement of ten positions since 1572.

Demographics

Language

The most spoken language in Kyrzbekistan is the Kyrzbek language, which is the official language of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan and it is spoken fluently by at least 80% of the population, of which about 66% are native speakers. The Kyrzbek language is related to another Near East languages, such as the Ashked language, to which it is remotely related but with which it is not mutually intelligible. There are three main dialects of Kyrzbek language: Western (Kombash or Kombashek), Middle (or standard Kyrzbek), and Northern (Tembyak). There are 14 million Kyrzbek native speakers in Kyrzbekistan, along another 3 million living abroad.

Phonemically, Kyrzbek language may be argued to have two vowel heights, high and low. There are two low vowels, front and back, while there are eight high vowels: front and back, round and unround, long and short. However, phonetically, the short high vowels are reduced: they are mid-centralized. They are therefore generally transcribed with mid vowel letters such as /e/ and /o/: high front /i/ /ü/, high back /ï/ /u/, reduced (mid) front /e/ /ö/, reduced (mid) back /ë/ /o/, and low /ä/, /a/. The high back unrounded vowel /ï/ is only found in Arberësh loans, though the native diphthong /ëy/, which only occurs word-finally, has been argued to be phonemically /ï/. Loaned vowels are considered to be back vowels. In polysyllabic words, the front-back distinction is lost in reduced vowels: all become mid-central. Reduced vowels in unstressed position are frequently elided. Low back /ɑ/ is rounded [ɒ] word-initially and after [ɒ], as in "bala" 'child'.

The vowels of Kyrzbek language

	Front				Back
	Long		Short		Long		Short
High	i /iː/	ü /yː/	e /ɪ/	ö /ʏ/	(ï /ɯː/)	u /uː/	ë /ɯ̽/	o /ʊ/
Low	ä /a/				a /ɑ/

The consonants of Kyrzbek language

		Labial	Labio- velar]	Alveolar	Post- alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Uvular	Glottal
Nasals		m /m/		n /n/			ñ /ŋ/
Plosives	Voiceless	p /p/		t /t/			k /k/	q [q]	' /ʔ/
	Voiced	b /b/		d /d/			g /ɡ/
Fricatives	Voiceless	f /f/		s /s/	ş /ʃ/	ç /tɕ~ɕ/		x /χ/	h /h/
	Voiced	v /v/		z /z/	j /ʒ/	c /dʑ~ʑ/		ğ [ʁ~ɢ]
Trill				r /r/
Approximants			w /w/	l /l/		y /j/ ([j~ɪ])

The Arberian language, also known as Arberësh, which was the only official language during the time of the Arberian monarchy, is spoken by mostly a half of the population, and about 25% native speakers. Although the Arberian language remains recognized as an official language by the Constitution of 1569 and Arberian language classes are offered in many state schools, its use has considerably declining in the last decade, mostly limited to the Arberian minority and the state of Kombash-Kemlyukya, and some areas in Uzekyak and Yartushia where there are larger Arberian communities.

As Arberian language is not used in higher education outside the state of Kombash-Kenlyukya and a few universities in southern Yartushia, Arberian-speaking pupils in other regions had little chance of entering university because higher education is available in Kyrzbek in the other states almost exclusively.

The so-called Kushagbek, although it is not a recognized language, it remains spoken in many areas and provinces of the state of Uzekyak. It refers to a range of mixed (macaronic) sociolects of Kyrzbek and Arberësh languages used in central, western, and southeastern Kyrzbekistan. There is no unifying set of characteristics; the term is used for "norm-breaking, non-obedience to or non-awareness of the rules of the Kyrzbek and Arberësh languages", according to the Kyrzbekistan Linguistic Guide, published by the Federal University of Qenderë. The Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan does not recognize Kushagbek as an official or regional language.

The vocabulary mix of each of Kushagbek constituent languages varies greatly from locality to locality, or sometimes even from person to person, depending on the degree of education, personal experience, rural or urban residence, the geographical origin of the interlocutors, etc. The percentage of Kyrzbek words and phonetic influences tends to be greatest in east and the south and in the vicinity of large Kyrzbek-speaking cities. It is commonly spoken in most of central Kyrzbekistan's rural areas, with the exception of the large metropolitan area of Ayduramazan, the federal capital, where teh majority of the population uses standard Kyrzbek. In rural areas of western and southern Kyrzbekistan, the language spoken contains fewer Kyrzbek elements than in central and eastern Kyrzbekistan.

According to data presented by the Qenderë Federal Institute of Culture in 1578, 8% to 12% of the people of Kyrzbekistan were found to communicate in Kushagbek. Specifically, in northern Kyrzbekistan, Kushagbek is spoken by 2% of the population, while in the south it is spoken by over 10% of the population. In the east, 5% of the population speaks Kushagbek, while in rural areas of central Kyrzbekistan is spoken by 22% of the population. This strange pidgind language originated at the end of the 13th century, when Kyrzbek peasants moved the larger Arberian cities of the central and southern provinces of the Kingdom, and during a time that the Kingdom of Arbërë promoted greater Arberianization in mixed areas, as a political response to the First Kyrzbek Revolt of 1268. However, because their schooling in Arberësh language was inadequate, most Kyrzbek peasants who strived to speak it ended up blending it with their native Kyrzbek. This was how Kushagbek was born.

The speaking of Kushagbek was for the most part avoided by the Arberian urban intelligence, even in Kyrzbek-majority towns such as Kaygyr or Murë, because the Kyrzbek language was associated with provincialism and cultural backwardness. In the last decade, however, this trend changed and there is a relative expansion of this language in Arberian-majority towns with a larger ethnic Kyrzbek community. However, the speaking of Kushabgek instead of Arberian is viewed very negatively by Arberian nationalists.

Ashked language is spoken mostly in Western and Southern areas of Kyrzbekistan, nearby the border with Ga'bath and Zargistan, respectively, and along the Madahk ethnic group, who lives mostly in northwestern Kyrzbekistan, besides Ashked native speakers who moved recently to Kyrzbekistan from those and other Near East languages. A'sirian language is spoken mostly in northeastern Kyrzbekistan, where there is a small A'sirian minority.

Religion

According to the 1579 Census, 65% of the population is Akhadic, 16% Messanic, and 18% Irreligious, while 1% chose not to answer. According to its Constitution, the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan is a secular state.

Religious freedoms are guaranteed by Article 30 of Kyrzbekistan's Constitution. Article 30 states: "Human rights and freedoms shall not be restricted in any way." Article 30.4 prohibits "discrimination on religious basis" and Article 30.6 ensures that everyone has the "right to determine and indicate or not to indicate his/her ethnic, party and religious affiliation."

Akhadism is the largest religion in Kyrzbekistan, followed by Ostrid Church. However, the ruling Socialist People's Party has enforced secural legislation which has limited the influence of religion in the administration and the education system, which severely limits private education.

Some figures show that non-denominational Akhadic believers form the majority, while others indicate that most Akhadic believers in the country are following the Bukh'a denomination, while a large minority follow the Zokukyar school, mostly in eastern Kyrzbekistan. There are a total of 3,000 Sakak temples in Kyrzbekistan, most of them affiliated with the "Akhadic Association of Belivers of Kyrzbekistan", headed by Grand Kuzhe Irek Ilsatur, who is a well-known member of the Akhadic Society. Some unaffiliated temples were forcefully closed by the government.

According to the 1579 Census data, there are very few Messanic believers outside the Arberian ethnic group, and most of them are members of the Ostrid Church.

Culture

In addition to celebrating the New Year each 1 Alvan, the Kyrzbeks observe the traditional new year festival on mid-Septem. This holiday is celebrated with feasts and festivities such as the horse game Ut'Aylarga.

Illegal, but still practiced in some remote rural areas in eastern Kyrzbekistan, is the tradition of bride kidnapping. It is debatable whether bride kidnapping is actually traditional. Some of the confusion may stem from the fact that arranged marriages were traditional, and one of the ways to escape an arranged marriage was to arrange a consensual "kidnapping".

Horse riding

The traditional national sports reflect the importance of horse riding in Kyrzbek culture.

Very popular is Ut'Aylarga, a team game resembling a cross between polo and rugby in which two teams of horse riders wrestle for possession of the headless carcass of a goat, which they attempt to deliver across the opposition's goal line, or into opposition's goal: a big tub or a circle marked on the ground.

Other popular games on horseback include:

• Ut'Ozatak - a long-distance horse race, sometimes over a distance of more than 50 km.
• Brym Karstek - a large bar of precious metal is tied to a pole by a thread and contestants attempt to break the thread by shooting at it, while at a gallop.
• Kyrz Saama - a man chases a girl in order to win a kiss from her, while she gallops away; if he is not successful she may in turn chase him and attempt to beat him with her horsewhip.
• Sugashgash - two contestants wrestle on horseback, each attempting to be the first to throw the other from his horse.
• Temkhe Mashi - picking up a coin from the ground at full gallop.

Tourism

One of the most popular tourist destination points in Kyrzbekistan are the Mazhak Mountains. Numerous hotels, vacation resorts, and boarding houses are located along that mountain range that divides western Kyrzbekistan from the rest of the country. The Mazhak Mountains have also numerous lakes that have become in recent years a highly touristic destination.

For those interested in trekking and camping, every region offers attractions and challenges. Some of the most popular location for camping are Jhokhatia, the area between the Rupik city and the Suzhekatia Valley. However, due to the economical and politica instability in the region, speciall the activity of Radical Akhadist militant groups, the region has declined in the last decade.

Sports

Football is the most popular sport in Kyrzbekistan. The official governing body is the Football Association of Kyrzbekistan, which was founded in 1568, shortly after the proclamation of the Democratic Republic of Kyrzbekistan. It administers the Kyrzbekistani national football team.

Kyrzbekistan's national team have quickly important success, winning the 1571 Ostaran Golden Cup against host Angiris and the Confederation Cup in 1574. Kyrzbekistan qualified to its second World Cup in 1574, ending fourth. Kyrzbekistan would win the 1578 World Cup, after defeating Nyland 1-0 in the final, achieving the most important success in professional sport in Kyrzbekistan's history. In 1583, Kyrzbekistan won its second Ostaran Golden Cup after defeating Akitsu 0-4 in the final.

Kyrzbekistan's women's team qualified to the SIFA Women's World Cup for first time in 1584, held in Hôinôm, but it was unable to advance from the group stage.

Cycling is also very popular. In 1570, Kyrzbekistani Gjöke Kelmend became the first Ostaran rider to win the Tour de Valland. Other succesful Kyrzbekistani riders in the last decade include Irek Radekur, Fiorint Roshkë, Enver Qena, Amerhan Toktamishur, and Kazbek Noorhamatur.

Aysila Ilgizakuz became the first Kyrzbekistani cyclist to win a World Championship's title, after winning the individual time-trial event in 1577, a feat she repeated in 1582. In 1585, Elvana Haxhia became the first Kyrzbekistani to win the Tour of Nyland, the most prestigious event in women's cycling.

In 1585, Kyrzbekistan hosted the Cycling World Championships for first time, held in Ayduramazan, Kyrzbekistan's capital. The Tour of Kyrzbekistan, an one-week cycling event, is celebrated since 1584. In 1588, the Sioran Cycling Association granted the Tour of Kyrzbekistan the status of SCA's Global Tour event.

Iceball was not as popular as other sports until Kyrzbekistan hosted the Ostaran Iceball Cup in 1581. Two years later, the Kyrzbekistan women's national iceball team won the Ostaran Iceball Cup, held in Kazemura, after defeating Belayazemlya 7-4. In 1584, Kyrzbekistan women's national iceball team participated in a World Cup for first time.

Science and technology

The headquarters of the Kyrzbekistani Academy of Sciences is located in Ayduramazan, where several research institutes are located. Kyrzbekistani researchers are developing useful technologies based on natural products, such as heavy metal remediation for purifying waste water, along other projects related to energy and military sectors.