Well, here it is. I've tried to avoid getting too bogged down in pointless details while still allowing a variety of choice.
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United Arab Republic, Summer 1919 - Constitution Convention
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On paper the United Arab Republic is the largest continuous country in the world. It stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, with a population of roughly 38 million people. Rivaling the Caliphates of old in size and power, the dream of Pan-Arabs across the breath of the Arab World had seemingly been achieved. The UAR was however undefined. It was a provisional government formed by an alliance of several states. Each still independent, in addition to several occupied states.
In Cairo the nature of the UAR was going to be defined. Delegates from across North Africa and the Middle East assembled in the city. It drew people from every stripe of life: politicians, officers, writers, peasants, unionists, workers, and more. They all gathered in Cairo to hammer out a constitution for the republic. The damage done by the Islamists was being repaired and not widespread. In the shadow of the pyramids and mosques, twenty centuries of history come together in a surreal, groundbreaking moment.
Hakim wondered if that was how the Vienna Assembly felt all those years ago. When the dreams of millions became a reality and a great, united republic forged in the fires of revolution forced the world to acknowledge its existence. It was a heady thought. The AENC was but one of many parties in attendance in Cairo. While it claimed many allies and imitators, factional lines had begun to show themselves. There was little risk of the whole thing coming apart, but disputes reared their heads.
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Welcome to a lot of complex choices. There's a bit of synergize involved with decisions, so certain decisions put together may change how another choice works. Because of the plug and play nature of choice making, the wording might be a bit vague or seemingly contradictory for a few options. Don't worry, any choice combination can be made, unless specifically stated otherwise. The details in the government are filled in by all the options taken.
The overall consensus from all attendees involved is a socialist leaning democratic republic. There's many ideas on power sharing arrangements, checks and balances, and ways on achieving representation. There's a great deal of debate on how to achieve that. The options represent views of attendees at the conference, however that does not mean they're the majority view. If a member state dislikes a decision (or multiple decisions) enough, they may leave the UAR, unless they're provided with some way to circumnavigate or ignore it.
Voting will open in 3 days. Vote by plan. Please do not copy the option description when voting. It's messy.
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Voting Rights
The voting rights in Egypt are quite lacking, legacies from the Mandate which were in the process of being discarded. They're however still on the books and many Egyptians wish to see that change. Maghreb is in a similar boat with restrictive and arbitrary electoral laws. Yemen and Morocco meanwhile expanded the right to vote to all men and women who are at least 21 years old. They do not want to see their rights rolled back.
These are subject to modifications depending on other choices, such as party limitations. Can't vote for something that's outlawed.
Pick 1
[ ][VOT] Universal Voting Rights: Every citizen of the UAR, man or woman, may vote, if they are 21 years of age or older.
[ ][VOT] Male Voting Rights: Every male citizen of the UAR may vote, if they are 21 years of age or older. Women may not vote.
[ ][VOT] Government Voting Privileges: Every male citizen that has worked for the government for a period of 2 consecutive years or longer, holds a college and/or university degree, or served in the military for a period of 4 consecutive years may vote, if they are 25 years of age or older.
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Centralization
Member states are willing to tolerate a high degree of centralization, provided the government is democratic and/or socialist in nature and does not neglect them in the post war years.
Pick 1.
[ ][CEN] Unitary: Cairo will become the capital of the UAR. All national borders will be dissolved then redrawn into governorates. The government of the governorates will either be elected or appointed, but are subordinate to Cairo.
[ ][CEN] Devolved: Similar to Unitary, but national borders are retained. The devolved governments maintain certain powers, but are otherwise subordinate to Cairo.
[ ][CEN] Federated State: Similar to Unitary, national borders will be dissolved then redrawn into provinces. The provinces will have their own rights and duties separate from the center.
[ ][CEN] Union of Arab Republics: The UAR will be a federation between multiple Arab Republics, leaving national borders intact as new provincial borders. The member states may govern their territory as mini-unitary states or federations.
[ ][CEN] Confederation: Members remain independent, but present a united diplomatic face. Members will use the same currency, integrate their militaries, harmonize their laws, and act like a singular bloc without giving up sovereignty. An UAR assembly will be created, though the reach of its powers will be limited.
[ ][CEN] Write In:
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Economy
The economy will be socialist to some degree. That part isn't in question. It's the nature of who will be directing the economy and the role the market should play, if any, in the process. Nobody believes the UAR is ready to abolish money, not even close, so it's not on the table. All options will be as democratic as voting rights allow it to be.
Pick 1.
[ ][ECO] Centrally Planned: Every private enterprise is nationalized, collectivized, and turned into a cooperative that is either directly or indirectly employed by the government. Syndicates become organs of the state as elective and organizational bodies, ending their pseudo-independence from the ministries. Cairo will consult with syndicates and governorates to build five year plans, however it retains final say on decisions.
[ ][ECO] Leftist Decentrally Planned: Every private enterprise is nationalized and turned into a cooperatives organized by a syndicate. The syndicates, unions formed along industry lines, become the main driving body of the economy, rather than Cairo. Cairo is merely the facilitator for negotiations between the syndicates. Single proprietor and family cooperatives will be collectivized into larger cooperatives to prevent the emergence of petit bourgeois. That extends to farms as well, which will be incentivized to begin collectivizing.
[ ][ECO] Orthodox Ba'athism: The party line as set by Hakim and Nadir. It's similar to Decentrally Planned, except single proprietor and family cooperatives will be allowed to exist to encourage the small class of petit bourgeois to buy into the socialist system. The development of domestic industry will be paramount to economic growth.
[ ][ECO] Dirigisme: Private enterprises will exist as a pillar of the economy under the direction of the government. Major industries considered vital to the nation will be nationalized, placing them under government control. Extensive use of subsidies and price controls will keep the economy in line. Syndicates will be formally dissolved as pseudo-government bodies, instead they'll become large unions employed through contracts.
[ ][ECO] Write In:
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Political Parties
There's a multitude of political parties in attendance at the convention, many falling under the label of Arab Socialism. The All Egyptian National Congress is one of many, true, but it is one of the leading parties there. Its star is rising, and fast, as Egypt unites the Arab world. It's joined by sister parties from allied countries and those that follow similar beliefs as it.
Pick 1.
[ ][POL] None: Political parties are dissolved in favour of informal political organizations, whether they be social clubs, syndicates, federations, etc. Politicians will lack a means of effectively disciplining allies and 'party' members without official enforcement methods. Political parties that are outlawed will remain outlawed no matter their attempts to circumnavigate it by technicalities.
[ ][POL] Multiple Parties: Multiple political parties will be allowed to exist. They will compete in elections for political power. There are no limits on what ideology they may have, save for outlawed ones. The AENC will retain popularity for its role in the Arab Brother's War, however it's expected that its wings will likely become their own parties.
[ ][POL] United Front: The All Egyptian National Congress will be renamed the Arab National Congress. Multiple political parties will be allowed to exist, however they'll be tightly bound together in a coalition under the umbrella of the ANC. Each party is expected to commit to basic principles of Arab Socialism, however outside of that policy is up to their discretion.
[ ][POL] Single Party: The All Egyptian National Congress will be renamed the Arab National Congress, merge with other Arab Socialist parties, and become the sole legal political party in the UAR. All other political parties will join it, barring outlawed parties. Membership in it is not required for government positions. Factions are allowed to exist in the ANC, provided they do not threaten to split the party.
[ ][POL] Party-State: The All Egyptian National Congress will be renamed the Arab National Congress, merge with other Arab Socialist parties, and become the sole legal political party in the UAR. Membership in it is required for all government positions, creating a parallel power structure to the state. Failure to adhere to the party line will likely see ejection from the party, and thus power.
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Federal Assembly
How many houses will the UAR have? The nature of the houses will depend on other choices, if it's drawn from say party members, syndicates, or provinces. (Mostly fluff)
Pick 1.
[ ][FED] Unicameralism: A single federal body drawn from all constituent parts of the UAR. It'll be fairly large to represent the population of the UAR.
[ ][FED] Bicameralism: Two federal assemblies, a lower and an upper house.
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Outlawed Parties
What parties should be outlawed, if any? The leadership of any outlawed party will be barred from running in elections, voting, or holding political office.
Pick as many as you'd like. None can not be taken with other options.
[ ][OUT] Islamists: They proved themselves traitors during the war. They continue to make noise where possible, hoping that the wave of religious violence they preach will finally come for their enemies. They're gravely mistaken.
[ ][OUT] Royalists: Compradors intent on enslaving the Arab World for political power and wealth. Their properties will be forfeited and their supporters barred from office. They're consigned to the dustbin of history where they belong. No tears will be shed for them.
[ ][OUT] Liberals: The nationalists, middle class, and collaborators of colonial governments, represents many in the Christian Alliance Party and former Christian Syria. While a relative minority compared to other parties, they've consistently advocated for close trade ties with Europe and Arcadia, a privatized economy, and a liberal style democracy.
[ ][OUT] None: Those that fought against the UAR will still be outlawed as traitors, however those that profess support for their ideas but didn't participate in the fighting won't be punished. Leaves the door open for old enemies to rebuild political parties under new names.
[ ][OUT] Write In:
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Women Rights
While many in attendance support equality between the sexes, there is an undeniable chauvinistic attitude among many men at the convention. Women served in the militias in combat and non-combat roles during the war and have been instrumental in the revolution. Morocco would not approve of anything less than full equality between men and women.
Pick 1.
[ ][WOM] Same as Men: Whatever a man can do legally, so can a woman. That includes divorce, military service, and many other things. Does not cover voting rights, which are separate.
[ ][WOM] Less than Equal: Women have rights nearly equal to men, however they can not divorce, change their name, adopt a child, or buy property (if applicable) without approval from a male relative. They can not serve in the military, except in non-combat roles in the reserves.
[ ][WOM] Economically Unequal: They can exist in public, go to school, have sports teams, but can't participate in the economy. Their place is in the home, putting their labour to use handling domestic affairs rather than take jobs from men.
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Minority Rights
There are many people in the UAR that do not consider themselves Arabs, or wholly Arab. There are many ethnoreligious minorities in the UAR who's citizen is up in the air.
Pick 1.
[ ][MIN] Arabization: The nationalists are right. Those minorities are all Arabs, whether they realize it or not. They'll fall in line. Rescind previous agreements on minority rights and aggressively push for Arabic in schools and government services.
[ ][MIN] Red Tape: Minorities are just that; in the minority. It's not fair that they receive special treatment by the government disproportionate to the percentage of the population that they constitute. They can have their schools and services in their own language, on paper, but in reality budget cuts will hamstring their efforts.
[ ][MIN] Egyptian Model: Similar to the agreements reached with the Copts, recognized minorities will receive seats in government set aside for them and have their language rights guaranteed. The government will act in good faith in recognizing minorities.
[ ][MIN] Localization: Similar to the Egyptian Model, it goes a step further by providing affirmative action programs to help impoverished minorities receive opportunities for advancement they otherwise might not have had. It'll also grow Arab Socialist cadres among minorities by integrating them into the government.
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Military
There are many reforms which Khouri would like to make to its organization. Its performance during the Sinai Crisis and Arab Brothers War exceeded expectations. That doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. He believes the reserve system isn't enough and proposes a move to conscription. Khouri believes 2 year conscription will be enough, with conscripts cycled into the reserves afterwards. They'd serve well in the Labour Reserve Army, allowing the military to both help rebuild the UAR and train hundreds of thousands of people in practical matters, like construction.
Pick 1.
[ ][MIL] Volunteer Only, Abolish Reserve: A large professional force created by integrating the member state's militaries together is more than enough to serve the UAR's needs. With a promise of a good job and training opportunities, the military will see a constant influx of recruits, if not in the amounts Khouri believes adequate. The reserves are unnecessary.
[ ][MIL] Maintain Reservist System: Physically capable men will continue to train a few weeks a year. The influx of new reservists will more than make up for the losses suffered in the wars. The variety of reservist options will provide the military adequate manpower for its projects.
[ ][MIL] 2 Year Conscription: Physically capable men will serve in the military for one whole year, with options for deferral. They may request a specific service, however they are not guaranteed to get it, unless they enlist. Once their time in the military is over they'll be cycled into the reserves, where they'll be expected to continue training for the next fifteen years.
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Religion
The UAR has in its possession some of the holiest cities in the world: Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, Najaf, Karbala, etc. They are important to not just Muslims, but Christians and Jews. Alongside them are the thousands of mosques, churches, and synagogues across the UAR. Many social services are run through religious organizations and until relatively recently, they've played a vital part in people's daily lives. The AENC has worked to build civic institutions to replace religious ones in Egypt. Similar efforts were taken in Yemen, Maghreb, and Morocco especially.
However, Muslims, Jews, and Christians of the UAR were until weeks ago under siege by Catholic Supremacists. The Crusaders declared war on Islam itself. It openly said it would raze Mecca and Medina like it had Jerusalem and sought to murder millions in the process. There's voices that feel that the UAR should temper any anti-clericism. Others however readily point to the Islamists to see where temperance got them. It is true that many imams and muftis fled the country during the war. There are also a number of pro-AENC imams and muftis in attendance at the convention.
The success of the UAR is not unrecognized by many religious institutions, some of which wish to preserve their privileges if possible. Failing that, seeking peace with whatever new government forms is preferable to the violent anti-clericism that Spain undertook during its revolution.
Pick 1.
[ ][REL] Hard State Atheism: The temporal power of religious institutions will be broken and replaced by civic ones, immediately. All property and assets owned by religious institutions are nationalized. Their schools are public schools, their services are now public services, and their staff are now government employees. Exceptions to this may be made for religious minorities (if applicable). The state will push atheism in education and hold that no divine exists as state policy.
[ ][REL] Soft State Atheism: Religious organizations may keep their places of worship and offer services. They will receive no funding from the government or tax breaks, legally operating as civic organizations of historic note. Exceptions to this may be made for religious minorities (if applicable). Religious schools will not be nationalized, but expected to follow national education criteria and staffing standards for public schools.
[ ][REL] Secularism: Religious institutions may continue operating their schools and providing services like before. The government does not recognize any religion as correct or empower any institution over another. They will receive tax breaks for their charity work and limited government funding. The office of caliph will exist, once a politically suitable relative of the current one is found.
[ ][REL] Pluralistic Islam: Islam is the majority religion of the UAR. There's no shame in admitting that. The UAR openly embraces that fact. It therefore makes sense to offer it some special recognition and funding to Muslim institutions. Other religions have their place of course, they aren't lesser. They're just in the minority.
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Status of Holy Cities
The nature of the administration is dependent on other options, such as religious and voting laws.
Pick 1.
[ ][HOL] Create Special Administration Zones: The Holy Cities require special attention, giving them their own administration above the governorate or provincial level. They'll receive extra funding from the government in recognition of their status.
[ ][HOL] Fold Them into Governorates: Holy Cities will not receive administrative status. They'll be under the administration of governorates or provinces. Municipal governments will still exist. They just won't receive special attention.
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Comintern Status
The Comintern had come to the UAR's aid without hesitation during the war. Morocco was already a full member of it while Egypt and Yemen were observers. The offer to join as a full member was on the table, should Cairo decide to pursue it. Paris doesn't want to leave the UAR out to dry, not matter how much Vienna might protest it.
Pick 1.
[ ][COM] Full Membership: The UAR will join the Comintern, its military alliance, and numerous organizations under its umbrella, including freedom of movement. The UAR may vote on Comintern matters.
[ ][COM] Associate: The UAR joins the Comintern and its numerous organizations, but not the military alliance. The UAR may vote on Comintern matters and enjoy freedom of travel to other member states.
[ ][COM] Observer: Egypt's role as a passive bystander in the Communist International will continue into the UAR. There's no need to get involved in its affairs or let it get involved in the UAR's. It's better to keep them an arms length away. The UAR may not vote on Comintern matters.
[ ][COM] Economic Aid Only: All that the UAR needs from Europe is reparations in the form of economic aid. The relationship between Cairo and Paris will become more transactional in nature.
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Voting will open in 3 days. Vote by plan.
