Confederation of Mahuset

Mahuset, officially the Confederation of Mahuset (Dutch: Confederatie Mahuset), is a self-declared political entity and exercise of the right to self determination commonly referred to as a micronation, established in its current form on 3 January 2016 and its original form on 29 May 2012. It claims nominal sovereignty over seven pieces of land: two in the Netherlands, two in the United Kingdom, two in the United States and one on the border between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, which is in turn an enclave within the micronation of Hasanistan.

Mahuset is a federal presidential constitutional republic with elements of technocracy and direct democracy whose politics are largely dominated by the Conservative Liberal Party. The country's head of state and head of government is the President — currently Emiel Sebastiaan Hardy — and its deputy head of state and head of government is the Prime Minister — currently Chase Nanatovich. Legislative power is vested in the Lazian Chamber, a democratically elected semi-monistic unicameral parliament, named after the capital city Lazia. Laws of constituent entities are officially subordinate to federal law, the Federal Government does not regulate the governments of constituent entities however, and as such each constituent entity has their own unique system of government.

Mahuset claims to be the successor in law, in dignity, and in territory to the Kingdom of Mahuset, the Empire of Alkmaar, the Co-Kingdom of Krasota, the Royal Union of Mahuset, the Kingdom of Ihuset, the Kingdom of Matsia, the United Nations of Mahuset and the Cookielandic and Kittylandic States. Mahuset can largely trace its origin to the MicroWikia community and its interactions with the wider micronational community, especially that of MicroWiki, have stayed limited in scope. It has a turbulent history, having gone through several changes in government, dis- and reestablishments, and changes in territory before reaching its current shape and state of relative stability.

Mahuset has a largely organic culture which largely derives from the cultures of its patres patriae — those being the cultures of the Netherlands and England — the cultures of other micronations, especially Abelden, Radon, Slin, Hasanistan, Brennonia, Nedland and the broader MicroWikia community, internet culture, meme culture, anime culture as well as artificially introduced elements from other cultures. Mahuset is religiously diverse and politically secular, with its constitution protecting what it calls the "Judaeo–Christian tradition and western secular humanist culture". It is an active and founding participant state in the Batyr Bloc and has long practised a diplomatic tradition of neutrality — it does however consider other micronations to be allies and it maintains an official policy of opposition to what it considers GUM influence.

Mahuset is a "fifth world" micronation, with the highest assigned score of 12 under the Boodlesmythe-Tallini System, and a score of 4.4 on the Categoric-Gradial System, also known as Linden's (Revised) System.

Etymology and pronunciation
Although the exact etymology of the name "Mahuset" has been lost to the mists of time, two prominent etymological theories have been proposed. The most commonly accepted etymological theory is for it to have originated as a portmanteau of Matsia and Ihuset, which are the two nations which merged to form the Kingdom of Mahuset, the Confederation of Mahuset's predecessor. A much less commonly accepted albeit still prominent theory claims the name originated as a portmanteau of "muh", an internet slang term for "my", and "huset", the word for 'the house' in Danish, Swedish and Norwegian.

The Mahusetan term "Mathuslãn" corresponds to the most significant etymologies for "Matsia" and "Ihuset" and can be roughly translated to "the land of Mats' house".

As a non-native English word, "Mahuset" doesn't have a single standard pronunciation and is therefore pronounced how the reader sees fit. Known pronunciations include [meɪ(ː)juːsɛt], [meɪ(ː)hjuːsɛt] , [maːhy(ː)sɛt] , [maːhu(ː)sɛt] , [məhuːsɛt] , [məhjuːsɛt] , [məhuːsət] , [məhjuːsət] , [məhəsɛt] , and [məhəsət].

Primary school and national origins (2007–2012)
Mahusetan national origins are partially traced to the activities of some of the patres patriae who had attended the Dutch primary school Burgemeester de Wildeschool. They created a set of informal fan clubs, children's games and roleplaying. Team Pika Pika was created by Nuri van Dijk and Ewout B. on 13 January 2011, shortly followed by a set of other fan clubs. The fan clubs and the games played by their members eventually drew ire from some of their fellow students who saw them as being either “annoying” or “threatening”, these students would later be known as the “Pokéhaters” or as the “Pikahaters”. Small fights and arguments broke out between the “Pokéhaters” and the fan clubs — together known as “Pikalovers” — which saw the eventual unification of the fan clubs into what is now known as PP Clubs and the beginning of a set of conflicts known as the “Pikawars”. PP Clubs is often considered to have had pseudo-micronational elements in terms of governance and culture, some of which were later adopted by the Kingdom of Ihuset and the future Mahusetan entities. The PokePika Theory stipulates that Mahuset's true origin lies in this period rather than the foundation of the Kingdom of Ihuset, although it is not commonly accepted.



Around April 2012, while initially reading online about microstates such as the Vatican City, Emiel Sebastiaan Hardy learnt about micronationalism and major micronations such as the Principality of Sealand, the Principality of Seborga, the Republic of Molossia and the Kingdom of Talossa through Wikipedia. He soon became inspired by these micronational projects and established the Kingdom of Ihuset on 29 May, initially desiring to be the ruler of his "own" country. He later proclaimed himself as King of Ihuset. Team Pika Pika, not yet merged into the PP Clubs at the time, was integrated into Ihuset by becoming a legal company under Husetan jurisdiction.

Following the establishment of Ihuset, Hardy created a page about the micronation on the online encyclopaedia on micronationalism MicroWikia and effectively established Ihuset's international presence. Ihuset began direct involvement in the intermicronational community by declaring its "diplomatic" involvement in conflicts between micronations on the online community, although not directly involving itself so that it could maintain nominal neutrality. Through these interventions, Ihuset came into contact and developed bilateral times with nations such as New Canada, Domus and Flatland.

Shortly after, Ihuset joined its first international organisation known as the Grand Intermicronational Alliance (GIA) after an invitation from "Northumbria-Montebourg" (the existence of this micronation was later disputed by Mahusetan institutions due to allegations that it was a 'sockpuppet' of the Domus leadership). However, Ihuset's involvement in the GIA was short-lived due to it not honouring the organisational obligations.

Politics and government
Mahuset is a federal, presidential, representative democratic republic with strong democratic traditions, with Lazia as its capital. The Mahusetan political system de jure operates under a framework laid out in the 2019 constitutional document known as the Constitution of the Confederation of Mahuset. Amendments generally require a two-thirds majority of the Lazian Chamber; the fundamental principles of the constitution, as expressed in the articles guaranteeing human dignity, the separation of powers, the federal structure, and the rule of law are valid in perpetuity.

The head of state, head of government and commander-in-chief of the armed forces is the president, who is elected by popular vote on the same ticket as the prime minister. The president has authority over the Lazian Chamber. The president appoints the members of the executive office as his cabinet, with members being responsible for policy and administration. The deputy head of state is the prime minister, whose powers are largely ceremonial and are, in reality, only wielded in the absence or inability of the president, with the prime minister succeeding the president in case of the president being unable to carry out his duties as president, whether through sickness, death, or other means.

The Censorate serves as an investigatory, supervisory, and auditory government branch monitoring the other branches, effectively being a hybrid between a government performance auditor and a political ombudsman. It serves a similar role to the Control Yuan of Taiwan, the Court of Auditors of the European Union, the Government Accountability Office of the United States, political ombudsman offices, or a standing commission for administrative inquiry. The Censorate may cooperate with external agencies, such as the National Foundation for Combatting Corruption.

Mahuset also maintains a civil service commission, responsible for validating the qualification of civil servants known simply as the Civil Service.

Federal legislative power is vested in the Lazian Chamber consisting of the Lazian Council and the Executive Office of the Lazian Chamber, which together form the legislative and executive body. The Lazian Council is elected through direct elections. The members of the Lazian Council represent the governments of the four constituent states, one constituent district, and three constituent territories.

Limited direct democracy is a hallmark of the Mahusetan political system. The 2016 and 2019 Mahusetan Constitutions define a system of direct democracy (sometimes called half-direct or representative direct democracy because it is aided by the more commonplace institutions of a representative democracy). The instruments of this system at the federal level, known as popular rights, include the right to submit a federal initiative and a referendum, both of which may overturn parliamentary decisions.

By calling a federal referendum, a group of citizens may challenge a law passed by the Lazian Chamber, if they gather the signatures of $2/5$ of the Mahusetan population against the law within 100 days. If so, a national vote is scheduled where voters decide by a simple majority whether to accept or reject the law. The Lazian Chamber and the President both have the power to introduce federal referendums, which unlike referendums proposed by the general population, have the ability to introduce laws as well as challenge them.

Law
Mahuset de jure uses a civil legal system; that is, law arises primarily from written statutes; judges are not to make law, but merely to interpret it (though the amount of judicial interpretation in certain areas makes it equivalent to case law). Basic principles of the rule of law are to be laid out in the Civil Code of the Confederation of Mahuset, which will largely be based on the Napoleonic Code, the Swiss Civil Code, the Dutch Civil Code and the German Civil Code. In agreement with the principles of the Constitution of the Confederation of Mahuset, law should only prohibit actions detrimental to society, with the intent of the restriction of freedom being the exception, with any restriction of Freedom having to be provided for by Law and having to follow the principles of necessity and proportionality. Mahuset de facto uses a legal system of customary law in which law primarily arises from customs alongside a small set of written statutes.

Mahuset's judiciary plays an important role in interpreting laws and has the power to strike down Acts of the Lazian Chamber that violate the constitution. The Supreme Court is the highest court and final arbiter on matters of non-constitutional law and the second-highest court of matters of constitutional law and is currently vacant. Its five members are appointed by the president on the advice of the Lazian Chamber and the Minister of Justice. All judges at the superior and appellate levels are appointed after consultation with non-governmental legal bodies. The Constitutional Court is the highest court and final arbiter on matters of constitutional law and is currently vacant. Its five members are appointed similarly to the Supreme Court.

National Convention of 2019 and constitutional status
The succesful 2019 Mahusetan constitutional referendum saw the establishment of an extraconstitutional body with the goal to establish, develop, coordinate, promulgate, revise, amend, interpret and produce materials intended to provide the Confederation of Mahuset with a new constitution, civil code, penal code, and otherwise long term governmental framework, this being the National Convention of 2019.

Military
Mahuset maintains a small and largely ceremonial military which consists of seven different primary branches, with these being the Mahusetan Army, the Mahusetan Navy, the Mahusetan Air Force, the Mahusetan Space Force, the Mahusetan Cyber Force, the Mahusetan Marechaussee and the Mahusetan Border Force. The Armed Forces of the Confederation of Mahuset, which fall under the Ministry of Defence, are tasked with supporting Mahusetan interests, defending Mahusetan territorial integrity and defending Mahusetan neutrality.

Mahuset has not ratified any international treaties relating to war crimes, such as the Geneva Conventions, the Hague Conventions, the Genocide Convention, the Convention against Torture and the Hostages Convention.

Foreign relations and diplomacy
The Confederation of Mahuset establishes and maintains diplomatic relations with other nations through the Ministry of Foreign and Batyr Bloc Affairs, led by the Minister of Foreign and Batyr Bloc Affairs. The Minister of Foreign and Batyr Bloc Affairs has the power to grant "states of friendship" and tacit recognition, but official recognition of another nation can only be granted by an Act of the Lazian Chamber or an Executive Order.

Mahuset has long maintained a nominal policy of neutrality — it does however consider other micronations to be allies, it maintains an official policy of opposition to what it considers GUM influence and has historically pledged "diplomatic support" in micronational conflicts. Mahusetan foreign policy generally dictates avoidance of micronational conflicts and usage of diplomacy when conflicts do occur. Owing to that goal, Mahuset is a signatory of the Wrythe convention, Edgbaston convention and the Montediszamble convention and it largely follows the principles in them and in international law.

It is an active and founding participant state in the Batyr Bloc, maintains close ties to the Batyraq Pact, is a leading partner in the administration of the Order of Highway and has historically participated in the World Union, the Association of Prolific Micronations and the Konmalehth. President Emiel Sebastiaan Hardy has also alluded to a desire of the Mahusetan government to see to the creation of a Batavophone micronational organisation and community. As of 28 August 2024, these plans haven't come to fruition.

Nations with which Mahuset has signed a treaty of mutual recognition

 * Karnia-RutheniaEmpire of Karnia-Ruthenia, on 14 January 2016
 * FlandrensisGrand Duchy of Flandrensis, on 3 January 2017
 * HasanistanSublime State of Hasanistan, on 14 May 2017
 * Villa AliciaGreat Empire of Villa Alicia, on 6 June 2017
 * GymnasiumGymnasium State
 * AtoviaKingdom of Atovia
 * PavlovEmpire of Pavlov
 * BrennoniaKingdom of Brennonia
 * Angle-Saxish KingdomAngle-Saxish Kingdom
 * VishwamitraState of Vishwamitra
 * RoscamistanRepublic of Roscamistan

Other nations which Mahuset recognises
(Bold text signifies that official recognition is mutual)
 * 🇺🇳 United NationsAll member states of the United Nations, since 8 January 2016
 * Japan Micronations FederationAll member states of the Japan Micronations Federation, since 1 February 2019
 * All member states of the Batyr Bloc, since 28 December 2021
 * All states recognised through the “Shadystan” Affairs Office, as of 2 December 2021
 * Flag of Konraq.png Republic of Konraq
 * Flag of Medopolania.png Medopolanic Republic
 * Flag of Pieces Kingdom.png Pieces Kingdom
 * 🇻🇦 Vatican CityVatican City, since 5 November 2016
 * LostislandFederal Republic of Lostisland, since 8 January 2016
 * SlinSecond Empyre of Slin, since 8 January 2016
 * KosovoRepublic of Kosovo, since 16 October 2016
 * 🇹🇼 TaiwanTaiwan, since 16 October 2016
 * SomalilandRepublic of Somaliland, since 16 October 2016
 * WyvernKingdom of Wyvern, since 4 May 2019
 * SiroccoFederal Commonwealth of Sirocco, since 19 July 2019
 * Sovereign Military Order of MaltaSovereign Military Order of Malta (recognised as a "sovereign entity under international law"), since 17 January 2020
 * Northern IslandsKingdom of Northern Islands, since 15 March 2020

Attribution

 * [[File:CC-BY-SA-80x15.png]] This article contains text available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
 * [[File:CC-BY-SA-80x15.png]] This article contains text available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.