Nova Rio

Nova Rio is a nation that has risen out of the slums of Rio de Janeiro. Its eventual goal is to overtake the corrupt, crumbling city to its east and extend its influence to cover all of Southern Brazil.

Nova Rian Information
Nova Rio is a small and new nation at 6 days old with citizens primarily of Amerindian ethnicity whose religion is Judaism. It is a backwards nation when it comes to technology and many refer to it unkindly as a 'Third World Nation'. Its citizens pay extremely high taxes and many despise their government as a result. The citizens of Nova Rio work diligently to produce Cattle and Water as tradable resources for their nation. It is a mostly neutral country when it comes to foreign affairs. It will usually only attack another nation if attacked first. When it comes to nuclear weapons Nova Rio will not research or develop nuclear weapons. Plans are on the way within Nova Rio to open new rehabilitation centers across the nation and educate its citizens of the dangers of drug use. Nova Rio allows its citizens to protest their government but uses a strong police force to monitor things and arrest lawbreakers. It has an open border policy, but in order for immigrants to remain in the country they will have to become citizens first. Nova Rio believes in the freedom of speech and feels that it is every citizens right to speak freely about their government. The government gives foreign aid when it can, but looks to take care of its own people first. The government of Nova Rio will trade with any other country regardless of ethical consequences.

Nova Rian History
Nova Rio is a relatively new nation, as the people of the slums have risen up into their own nation, but the nation has already expanded and grown to amazing levels of infrastructure and land area.

Pre-Independance History
The concept of Nova Rio was born in the slums of Rio de Janiero sometime between 2001 and 2002, as crime rates in the Brazilian city soared, and the police did nothing to stop this. This was compounded by the growing divide between the righ and the poor in Brazil, leaving the poorest living in poverty-stricked "Favellas" while the rich flaunted their wealth in the city proper.

As gangs began to take control of the streets, a resistance organization of vigiliantes was formed in response to increased gang violence and the poor living conditions for the impovershed. This vigiliante group was called "Nova Rio", and included the eventual first President, Frederik Sanchez. The group of vigilantes cleared the gangs from a portion of the slums, called Favella Nova Aurora. They renamed this area Nova Rio on October 21st, 2002, a day still remembered as Founding Day in Nova Rio.

Independance Wars
Angered by continued lack of government support and continued hostility towards the vigiliantes by both the Brazilian police and local government, the Nova Rian council held a referendum on independance on January 1st, 2003. The returns of the referendum indicated a 82% support of a declaration of independance from the Rio de Janeiro state, and from the Republic of Brazil. A Declaration of Independance was written a few days later, and was released on January 15th, 2003, celebrated as Independance Day in Nova Rio.

This declaration of independance met immediate resistance from Brazilian authorities, who moved in federal police to put down the insurrection. However, brave Nova Rian resistance, which turned the slum into a fortified base in a matter of hours.

However, it was a deal with the devil that sealed Nova Rio's independance.

The interim president of Nova Rio, Frederik Sanchez, had focused on attracting corporate investment in the region for the last 10 years as a city official, and the leader of Nova Rio had managed to draw in millions in investments from the major corporations, heavily investing many of them. This led to their immediate disapproval of the Brazilian actions suppressing the newly-formed state. The corporations exerted their influence on the Brazilian government through corrupt officials and economic pressure, and Brazil recognized Nova Rio as an indepedant state on March 12th, 2003.

This deal had created an independant Nova Rio, but this deal with the devil would have repurcussions years into Nova Rio's future...

Early Organization and Government
The early Nova Rio state, which had a rapidly fluctuating economy and a weak central government, focused first on solidifing control over the tiny nation.

The Nova Rian Constitution was written in three months, and was ratified on June 22nd, 2003. This constitution established a federal government that would control the small nation, splitting the coutnry into four subsections. The Constitution also created a government based off the United States government, with the equivolent executive (President), legislative branch (Nova Rian Council), and judiciary branch (Supreme Court). This government worked quickly to eliminate pro-unification groups within Nova Rio, and established Nova Rian government control over the entire tiny coutnry.

The first elections for the executive and legislative branches were held on September 1st, 2003, and these elections saw Frederik Sanchez elected as President for his first four-year term. The legislative elections heavily favored a pro-businesses party, which campaigned on the promise of drawing in much more foreign investment to the tiny state.

Later History
The later history of Nova Rio was marked by an increased interest in the country by large corporations and the establishment of a powerful base of national corporations as well. These corporations insured that Nova Rio could survive on its own, removing the fear of a Brazilian embargo destroying the nation. In addition, Nova Rian exports became more and more numerous to other nations around the globe, insuring that Nova Rio had more than Brazil to rely upon.

These measures, in addition to a number of other nationalistic and pro-businesses measures created a tiny nation with significant economic ability, which was able to survive on the coast of Brazil.

Modern Policies and Reform
The government of Nova Rio has made a number of drastic changes recently, which have ultimately resulted in a huge spike in economic growth in the tiny country.

December 2006 Tax Hikes
The government of Rio Nova, citing evidence that showed a huge income increase if tazes were to be raised, initiated a series of tax hikes in December of 2006. The previously extremely happy population somewhat resented the taw hike from around 18% to closer to 28%. This increase, though it lost some government support, proved to be very beneficial in increasing government revenue, which in turn increased infrastructure and the land area of Nova Rio.

Expansion
Through a number of land purchases and agreements with the Republic of Brazil, Nova Rio has quickly grown much larger, reaching a size that is more than ten times the original area that declared independance in 2003. The areas taken include a number of other favellas, but also include an upper-class neighborhood and a number of middle-class areas. These increases have diversified the Nova Rian consumer base, and have increased Nova Rio's economic independance from Brazil.

Establishment of Army
Through a government act that passed with unanimous support, Nova Rio established the National Guard on December 1st, 2006, and established the Nova Rian Army on December 3rd, 2006. These two forces have grown to include over 125 soldiers, and they work together to police and maintain order throughout Nova Rio.

Government Trend towards Capitalism
In the last few months, a number of the large corporations that helped establish Nova Rio have begun collecting on their debts, so to speak. In a number of moves, corporations have moved to make their voices heard in the Nova Rian government, by running officials openly representing the corporations that they work for. This has led to a corporation-based government in Nova Rio, which has resulted in a number of pro-businesses moves in the government, creating a very business-friendly enviornment in Nova Rio.

Ecologic Crisis of December 2006
The enviornment of Nova Rio was immediatly and adversly affected by the pro-business policies of the new Nova Rian government. THe enviornment of Nova Rio quickly began to be filled with the trash and refuse of the corporations and the smog and natural devastation created by the imports of iron and coal turned the enviornment slowly worse and worse. This led to the worst enviornment in the history of Nova Rio, and turned the sky dark with coal, and turned the earth black with mining. These enviornmental destruction led to massive public riots, which in turn forced the corporations to cut back on pollution in the country. However, the lasting effects of the enviornmental damage still remains in the country.

Increased Foreign Trade
Nova Rio, under the influence of a pro-business government, has begun to initiate a number of beneficial foreign trades, which have brought much more business to the small nations. Nova Rio currently trades with Wolfsbane, Piesylvania, and the Grand Duchy of Finland. Nova Rio has also offered a trade to Dintmeister, but this trade has yet to be accepted. These trades have increased the global influence of Nova Rio, and have contributed to Nova Rio's huge growth.

Joining GATO
Three days ago, Nova Rio was granted membership in the Global Alliance and Treaty Organization. This alliance has provided the tiny nation with a huge backup network of powerful and dedicated nations determined to have the strongest alliance in the world. This move has been widely accepted by the Nova Rians as the most succesful move by the government since declaring independance.

GATO Mentorship Aid and the Infrastructure Boom
Stemming directly from Nova Rio joining GATO was the foreign aid granted to Nova Rio under the mentorship program of GATO. This mentorship program led to G-Nation giving Nova Rio $50,000 in foreign aid, which the government used to increase the infrastructure of Nova Rio from around 10 to around 80 in one day, resulting in a huge population, military, and land area spike. This was the country's greatest leap forward, and it happened in the span of less than one week. The increase has turned Nova Rio from a tiny, underpowered micronation into a economically-powerful nation near Rio de Janeiro, looking to overtake the Brazilian city and some point near in the future.

March to Rio de Janeiro
Recently, as the city continues to expand and grow, absorbing slums and towns to the east of Rio de Janeiro, the question is quickly arising - what will Nova Rio do when its natural expansion forces the nation's borders into the Brazilian city?

Talks have begun with Brazil and with the government and Rio de Janeiro, and it appears that the same corporations that secured Nova Rio's independance will also help in securing the as-of-yet absent capital of the tiny country.

The Nova Rian government has announced that the gaining of Rio de Janeiro as a province of Nova Rio is their number one priority at this time, due to both the political and cultural significance of the city. In addition, this will mark a great increase in infrastructure throughout Nova Rio.

The Second Infrastructure Boom and the Sale of Rio de Janeiro
As the nation of Nova Rio had just begun to take full potential of the gift given by GATO, GATO delivered another huge boost to the economy, specifically the government budget of, Nova Rio. Through a tech exchange program, in which $1 million was filtered through Nova Rio and re-sent out in the form of 50 tech points, Nova Rio gained about $140,000 in aid. This aid, which went largely towards improving the already excellent infrastructure of Nova Rio, an action which led to a huge population spike in the nation. The number of working citizens increased by over a hundred, and the armed forces of Nova Rio doubled in size.

With this large population spike came the pressing need for Nova Rio to expand, and the city seized the oppurtonity. Nova Rio pushed forward negotiations with Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, and a number of large corporations that seized the city of Rio de Janeiro for the Nova Rians at the same time as the Infrastructure Boom. This was part of a large-scale land-buying operation in Nova Rio, which took miles of surrounding land and added it to Nova Rio's control.

Though some Brazilian politicians have adopted a nationalistic stance that would prevent the future growth of Nova Rio, continued corporate and local support, as well as high happiness levels in the country seem to guarentee that the tiny country will continue to grow in the immediate future.

Government of Nova Rio
The government of Nova Rio is a presidential republic, similar in structure to the United States government laid out in the Constitution.

Executive Branch
The Executive Branch of the Nova Rian government consists of the President, who is head of state and head of the government, and his cabinet. The current President of Nova Rio is Frederik Sanchez, who is up for reelection in 2007.

Legislative Branch
The legislative branch of Nova Rio is a unicameral elected group of 65 senators. The Senate is elected directly by the people, and the senators do not represent any specific geographic area in the nation. By the Constitution of Nova Rio, the number of senators in Nova Rio is increased by 1 each month, to compensate for continued growth.

Current Makeup of the Nova Rian Senate
The current political makeup of the Nova Rian Senate:

Total Seats: 65

Party (Brief Description) - Seats Held

Nova Rian Nationalists (The Nationalists hold a majority in the Senate. Their policies focus on moving Nova Rio farther away from Brazil both politically and economically, and they focus on acheiving this with the help of the corporations that gained Nova Rio its independance.) - 37

National Republican Party (The NRP seeks to distance Nova Rio from the all-pervasive corporations of Nova Rio. They have suffered from a number of corruption scandals, revealed by major corporations, as well as a number of assasinations and other deaths. The party lost their majority in the last election.) - 22

Nationalistic Economists (The NEs have split from the Nationalists after disagreements over economic policies. The NEs are an extreme right-wing group that wishes to further free Nova Rian corporations from the light restrictions placed on them now, and to essentially turn Nova Rio into a capitalit's paradise. They lost most of their support after the 2006 enviornmental disaster.) - 6

Judicial Branch
The highest level of the Judicial Branch in Nova Rio is the Supreme Court of Justice, which holds precendence over all other courts. Its justices are appointed by the Senate, and serve for life. Justices can be impeached, but only with a unilateral vote in the Senate. Only one justice has been impeached in Nova Rian history (Aram Ramor, on confirmed charges of corruption and treason). There are five serving justices on the Nova Rian Supreme Court of Justice.

Military of Nova Rio
The Nova Rian military consists only of the Nova Rian National Guard and the Nova Rian Army, which is currently inactive.

National Guard
This portion of the Nova Rian military performs policing actions and is trained in national defense as well. The National Guard currently makes up 75% of the military, with 475 soldiers. The National Guard is under the direct control of the Nova Rian President, and the National Guard uses the same military ranks and heirarchy as the Nova Rian Army (see below). However, instead of a Supreme Commander, the General of the National Guard (General do protetor nacional) is the tactical commander of the National Guard. The current General of the National Guard is Jesus Marguel.

Army
The Nova Rian Army is incorporated into the National Guard in times of peace, but is a seperate branch of the military, which can be deployed in attack of other nations. The Army has not been used since the Wars of Independance, and the modern Nova Rian military, which was reformed in 2006, has never been used. The Army currently makes up 25% of the military, with 158 soldiers.

Army Structure
The Nova Rian Army always has a Supreme Commander, who is appointed by the President and approved by the Senate. This Supreme Commander is not held accountable to the president, but can be replaced with a unanimous vote in the Senate and with Presidential approval. The current Supreme Commander of the Nova Rian Army is Miguel da Silva (no relation to the current President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva).

The rest of the Nova Rian military is organized with a hierarchical structure, similar to the other militaries of the modern world. The following are the ranks of the Nova Rian army:

Supreme Commander (Comandante supremo)

Divisional General (General de Divisão)

Colonel (Coronel)

Major (Major)

Captain (Capitão)

Lieutenant (Tenente)

Sergeant (Sargento)

Corporal (Cabo e Taifeiro-Mor)

Private (Soldado)

Armed Forces Modernization and Expansion Program
Currently, after huge spikes in infrastructure and in nation wealth, Nova Rio has begun looking into modernizing and expanding both the Army and the National Guard. This program is dependant on a decision in GATO to provide Nova Rio with another aid package, which will give the country 10 technology. This technology will be used to look into producing tanks for the Army, and will be used in a number of other projects. In addition, the armed forces are looking to boost their numbers by 25% in the next five days, in an attempt to make the Nova Rian military an appropriate defense force for the nation. These measures have met general support from the people.