Buclesland Province

Buclesland is a province in the northeast of the Federal Republic of Concadia. It is a series of small islands. The capital of the province is Porfield. As of 2030, the population of the province is 146,568 making it the 19th most populated federated domain. The demonym for residents of Buclesland is Bucleslander.

History
Following federation in 1636, the area now known as Buclesland Province was part of the state of Stanham, with the individual islands being under the control of the Stanham State Parliament. In 1831, the efforts of radical MPs, MSPs and local politicians in conjunction with the citizens of the islands led to the recognition by the federal and state government that the islands off the coast of Stanham were culturally different to the mainland and should thus be given independence. The Provincial Sovereignty Act 1832 led to the formation of Buclesland Province and its government, as well as amending the constitution to create a new class of federated domain - provinces.

Following independence, Buclesland Province began operating almost completely autonomously, with little interference by the Federal Government. The first round of elections to the Provincial Parliament were held in 1832, and the government was formed soon after.

Under the SLP Government of Harriet Jones in 1994, the relationship between the Federal Government and the Provinces was amended yet again to increase the sovereignty and independence of the provinces from the Federal Government. Under the Provincial Governors Reform Act 1994, the Constitution was amended to allow for Provincial Governors to be elected by the citizens of a Province, rather than appointed by the Federal President. It was hoped that this would reassert the sovereignty of the Provinces and would reduce the influence of Artovia in Provincial Politics. However, with this amendment came an increase in power for Provincial Governors, as they had a mandate from the people and so have more of a power to block legislation and have more control over the appointment of Ministers. This power is still limited by the supremacy of the Provincial Parliaments, who can overturn the decision of the Governor with either a simple majority (for Ministerial appointments) or a two-thirds majority (for legislation).

Geography and Climate
Buclesland is comprised of 5 mountainous islands off the coast of Stanham. The central island is the location of the provincial capital, Porfield.

Demographics
Most of the population of Buclesland is indigenous to the region. Whilst there are some who moved from the mainland, most people have been native to the islands since before federation in 1636. Due to it being an island off the coast of mainland Concadia, it was not interfered with by people from the mainland until just before federation. As such it has a much higher population of occult peoples, with many being indigenous to the island and drawing their power from it.

Government
The form of the government of Buclesland is prescribed in the Provincial Sovereignty Act 1832, however it has been amended many times since then. Since the passage of the PSA in 1832, Buclesland has been a Province of the Federal Republic of Concadia, and the Constitution of Concadia regulates its relationship with the Federal Government.

Buclesland is represented in the House of Senators by 12 senators, on an equal basis with all other states, territories and provinces. In the House of Commons, Buclesland is represented by 2 MPs, as this roughly correlates to the province's population.

Within the province, Buclesland has a bicameral provincial parliament. The lower house is the House of Deputies, and the upper house is the Council of Senators. The House of Deputies has 80 seats and is elected using the single-transferable vote system, with MPPs representing large multi-member constituencies. The Council of Senators is elected on a province-wide basis, with Provincial Senators representing the whole state. There are 20 seats in the Council of Senators.

Elections are held every 3 years, with the entire House of Deputies being elected and half of the Council of Senators. MPPs serve 3 year terms and Provincial Senators serve 6 year terms.

The government of Buclesland is formed by members of both Houses, but the Premier and Vice-Premier must be members of the House of Deputies. Due to the systems of proportional representation used to elect members of both houses, governments are coalitions of many parties. The current government is formed by the Green Party, the Socialist Labour Party and the Liberal Party. Members of the Provincial Administration are appointed by the Premier, and Administration level Ministers are responsible for leading governmental departments.

Because of the nature of the relationship between Provinces and the Federal Government, Provincial Governors are elected rather than appointed. They are elected using the supplementary vote system, ensuring any Governor is elected with a majority of the vote. Gubernatorial elections are held every 5 years, and the current Governor of Buclesland is HE James Gergich, who has been in office since 2030.