What type of government does Helioland have?
Helioland is a Monarchy. That means that Helioland is ruled by a king or queen. The seat of the goverment is at Sun Palace which is in the capital city of Helioland: Soleil City. The current king of Helioland is King Ryan IV. He has been king for 12 years and he is well loved by his people.
Who holds the power in Helioland?
Although the king is the head of state, he is a figurehead. That means that he does not make decisions for the country. Instead, the people vote for a prime minister every four years. The prime minister is responsible for creating laws and ruling the country. The King is responsible for meeting foreign leaders and signing new laws, but he doesn't have any real power.
Who makes decisions in the Helioland government?
The Prime Minister is the most powerful decision-maker in Helioland but he/she is not the only person that makes decisions. The parliament of Helioland is a group of decision-makers elected by the people to help make laws to better the country. Helioland also has a Supreme Court, a group of 11 judges that hear the problems of the people and enforce the laws of the land.
How do the Leaders become Leaders?
The monarch of Helioland is not chosen. The monarchy is a successive. That means that when a current king or queen dies their oldest son or daughter becomes king or queen. If the king or queen dies without children, the monarch's younger brother or sister becomes the monarch and the line continues. The crown always stays within the same royal family.
The prime minister is decided by an election. Every four years all the citizens (people 18 years old and older) of Helioland vote for their new prime minister. Anyone in the country can run for prime minister but you must collect 30,000 signature to run. The winner can be prime minister for four years but cannot run for prime minister again.
Members of parliament are elected every six years. They are elected by the people as well. They can serve two terms for a total of 12 years.
Judges on the Supreme Court are appointed by the Prime Minister. They can remain on the supreme court for the rest of their lives (or until they retire).
How are people's ideas heard?
In Helioland, it is important that everyone's ideas are heard so that it is a fair and balanced society. Therefore, Helioland uses social media (Facebook, Twitter and others) to let the people speak to the government. If they have a problem or a concern they can contact the government directly. For example, if a citizen is angry about something they can write a Facebook message to their member of parliament. If enough people are angry about the same thing, the Member of Parliament will bring the issue to parliament where laws can be changed. This is called representative democracy.
How does the government raise money?
The people of Helioland must pay taxes. People must pay 10% of their yearly income in taxes. This is called income tax. The money from these taxes pays for roads, schools, hospitals, police departments, fire departments and other essential services.
One benefit of Helioland's government.
Everyone's voice is heard
One drawback of Helioland's government.
Change is often very slow.
