Provinces

Provinces are territorial and citizenship designations. Formerly intended to organise and provide structure for the Cursus Honorum, provinces have become important for bodies of representation of citizens since the termination of the Cursus Honorum as a way in which to staff the Central People’s Government.

Section 2 – Provinces:
Article 9. Provinces are territorial and citizenship jurisdictions in which all Sandum citizens are allocated and fixed.
Article 10. The role of provinces is to organise the system of the Courso d’Honourae and the State along systems of advancement for the State in its bureaucratic capacities per the Courso for the benefit of the State and the People of Sandus.
Article 11. Citizens shall be allocated to the closest geographic province and censuses shall be conducted quarterly in order to draft the borders of the provinces of the State and organise the taxation policies for the following quarter.

— The Act on Citizenship of Martio MMXII

When the current system of commissioning functionaries to serve administrative roles in government was formed, the purpose of provinces was re-envisioned. In a decree from the Sôgmô dated 28 June 2013,

The Honourable Sôgmô Gaius Sörgel Publicola hereby proclaims that provinces are distinct territorial bodies and regions which uphold the fraternity between Sandum people of that location.

— Decree on the Courso d’Honourae and on Socilivae of Iunio MMXIII

About the Provinces:
To date, there are four provinces: Kremlum Sandus, Further Sandus, Quercus Candida, and Sandus Europāi.

Kremlum Sandus is the traditional homeland of Sandus located between the Patuxent and Patapsco rivers on the Chesapeake Bay. It was founded when the country was founded, existed as a sovereign barony in Sandus’s history in Autumn 2010, and served as Sandus’s capital from 2009 to 2017. Though the province used to be the most populous at six citizens, today only two citizens reside in the province. It is still Sandus’s largest provinces, since it is home to Sandus’s historical homeland and is the location of the Palace of State, the former seat of government.

Further Sandus is a province for Sandum citizens who live abroad from Kremlum Sandus, while Sandus Europāi is a province for Sandum citizens who live in Europe. Sandus Ulterior, as Further Sandus is also known, was established in January 2014 as a province for Sandum citizens who do not reside in the traditional Sandum homeland, which is today a majority of Sandum citizens. Nine citizens currently reside in this province.

Sandus Europāi was founded almost three years after Further Sandus in September 2016 to serve Sandum citizens who reside in Europe. Two citizens currently reside in this province.

Quercus Candida is today Sandus’s capital, located on the lower Michigan peninsula. It was founded in September 2017, a month after the Sôgmô after moved to the area, the province came into existence as Sandus’s capital. The seat of government for all of the State of Sandus is located in the Appartement du Sôgmô. Though its population is only one, its population jumps to two or more when the Sanôba or other citizens visit.

Gradient-Sovereign Condominium Theory:
A chief concern for many micronationalists and especially non-micronationalists is land claims. Provinces are seen fluidly in Sandus. Sandus is guided in its view of its claims by the Gradient-Sovereign Condominium Theory, a theory that sees the source of sovereignty as local power from citizens and their relation to the Sandum nation-project. Much like the political reality of the early Roman Empire, provinces are legal and administrative categories for citizens in order to foster representation in government according to their relationship with Sandus. As one moves away from the territory directly owned and managed by a citizen, the “gradient” takes effect — meaning that one’s power over that land realistically diminishes the further one travels away from the home of a citizen. This sort of “bounded space” differs significantly from contemporary conceptions of territory as separated by borders and relies significantly on Sandum citizens’ individual and combined “territoriality.”

SandumSovereignty
The Gradient Sovereign Condominium theory in concept.

This “gradient” can be observed in the map of Kremlum Sandus Province found on this page. Sovereignty over Sandum territory is shared between Sandus and the United States, its macronation, in the spirit of a condominium.

In the future, provinces may include their own local government whose powers and authority will be granted from the Sôgmô within limits and concerning local affairs.

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