Po Empire

""Glory to Po!""

- Official salute of the Po Empire

The Po Empire comprises the territories and dominions ruled by the Imperial Administration of Po. It was founded by self-proclaimed emperor Matthew Po, alongside Matthew Ruiz and Ly Tran.

The Po Empire is an elective constitutional monarchy.

Origin
The Po Empire was established in 2014 by Matthew Po, Matthew Ruiz, and Ly Tran. Immediately, Po declared himself Emperor and named Ruiz and Tran co-founders. Po gave himself absolute power over the empire, with Ruiz as second-in-command and Tran third.

Initial military planning revolved around the invasion and settlement of Antarctica, where operations were to be centered. However, military action was postponed indefinitely, and the empire has yet to settle Antarctica.

Po Board
Soon after the rise of the empire, the government became organized into three departments. The heads of these three departments, along with the emperor, formed into the Po Board. The Board convenes to make important decisions for the empire, and serves to advise the Imperial Monarch. The initial members of the Po Board were Emperor Po, Minister Ruiz, Minister Tran, and Minister Solanki.

In 2015, the Board was expanded with the creation of a new department, the Department of Imperial Intelligence. The new position on the Board was filled by former Minister Chowdhury for a short time, soon to be replaced by former Minister Wiston. Once Minister Wiston began to neglect his position, Emperor Po appointed former Minister Ellis to fill his role.

In 2017, by declaration of Emperor Po, there was a power restructuring referred to as the Leveling of the Board. This power reorganization involved the equalization of power among the members of the Board, making no board member superior to any other. The Leveling of the Board was opposed by Ministers Ruiz and Tran, but Ministers Solanki and Ellis were in support.

Civil Service Examinations
In 2015 Emperor Po declared that all citizens who wished to be appointed to a position in the Empire's ranks would have to complete a civil service examination to demonstrate their merit. The examination was administered through the Education Sector. Over the years of administration, the exam was modified to better assess candidates' knowledge of the Empire, and administrations became more standardized and regulated.

Chancellor of the Board
The position of Chancellor of the Board was created in 2018 to monitor the Board and serve as direct communication between the Board and the Imperial Monarch. Chancellor Ellis was appointed to the role by the Emperor, and Minister Grey filled the position of Minister of Imperial Intelligence.

Insignia
Minister Tran designed the insignia of the Po Empire on commission by Emperor Po, and after several versions of the insignia were presented to the Emperor, the current version was accepted.

The insignia comprises of two distinct colors: red and black. This coloring scheme was inspired by the mismatch between Minister Ruiz's red hair and black eyebrow.

Government and Politics
The Po Empire is ruled by the Imperial Monarch, who is given the title of Emperor or Empress. The Imperial Monarch is technically a life-long elected position whose power is restricted to that allowed in the Po Empire Constitution, making the empire an elective constitutional monarchy. However, the Imperial Monarch's power remains unrestricted by the constitution, so in practice the monarch has absolute power.

The position of the Imperial Monarch is the only elected office in the empire. All other positions are filled by the official that directly oversees the position in question. At the end of an Imperial Monarch's term, an election is held to select the next Imperial Monarch. Each party recognized by the empire is represented by a single candidate on the ballot, from which the people select the new Imperial Monarch. The only party recognized by the empire is the National Party of Po, which selects its candidate based on a nomination by the sitting Imperial Monarch. If the Imperial Monarch does not name a successor before their term ends, the Chancellor of the Board is selected as the candidate. Because the term length of an Imperial Monarch is not defined as a constant period of time, upon the end of the sitting Imperial Monarch's term, the candidate chosen by the party of the outgoing Imperial Monarch holds the office in the interim between the end of the previous term and the certification of the election results.

Public Holidays
Public holidays in the Po Empire are days of significance designated by the state as non-working days. They are often used to celebrate historical events or political ideas. The most important holiday in the empire is Emperor's Day, which commemorates the birth of Emperor Po, the empire's founder and first emperor. Emperor's Day takes place on June 29th, and the month of June is deemed Empire Month. However, citizens of the empire are only given the day off on the 29th.

A list of public holidays in the Po Empire can be found below.