(2016) Politics of Helltuna
Helltuna is a bureaucratic, military-orientated imperial state with devolution and is governed by the Emperor of Helltuna, who is the head of state, promulgates all written laws, serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and presides as the chief executive official. They officially award commissions to all military and government officials, although the vast majority of lower-ranked officials are fast-tracked to certain positions based on their results in the Civil Examination and Military Examination processes, and by tradition appoint their successor's Civil Marshal. The Emperor's executive powers can also be practised by any official upon whom they bestow a Letter of Plenipotence, which functions as a temporary commission. These powers include the right to execute criminals without the Imperial Court's permission.
The Government of Helltuna and the Military of Helltuna are considered to be parallel, separate organisations both headed by the Emperor and the Central Ministry, with civil ranks and titles being commissioned and having equivalent value to military ranks. The Civil Ministry, which is composed of both high-ranking Civil and Military officers, is surrounded by a wider culture consisting of a traditional Helltunan military aristocracy, a group whose power is usually characterised as greater but in decline, and a gentry class of scholar-bureaucrats, whose power is usually characterised as lesser but increasing. Lower-ranking officials in both the Civil and Military service are appointed through a system of Civil Examinations and Military Examinations, and earn rank in both systems through commissions. The Government is responsible for the legislative and judicial aspects of the state, with the exception of the supreme Imperial Court, which is the final court of appeal and incorporates all local government activities. Local government divisions, in descending order by size, are the planet, state, region, county and district. In Western Helltuna, only the planet divisions are ordinarily used. The government of planets and states is organised by the central Government in New Harla whereas regions, counties and districts are run with systems determined by the local state are on the ground ministry, which will sometimes mirror the central government in its power system and associated military aristocratic and scholar-bureaucratic classes.
Western Helltuna is militarily protected by the Helltunan government, but is outside the control or even influence of the central government and organises its own politics.