His Royal Highness, The Duke

Isermno is a hereditary absolute monarchy under the enlightened rule of the duke. Some wrong-thinking foreign eggheads have called the duchy's administration a totalitarian, autocratic hegemony, but that is only because the most they will aspire to in life is to retire from teaching community college to spend their remaining years looking after their twenty-seven housecats. Had they any backbone, they would say what they think to the duke's face; but they don't, and so they tremble in their pitiful little hovels, with their meagre worldly possessions dusted over in a carpet of stinking cat dander.

Civic pride runs deep in Isermno, evidenced by voter turnout as high as 102.7 percent. The duchy boasts a free and fair electoral system for local government. Elections are held every four years, or sooner if the incumbent retires, is assassinated, or is executed publicly, as happens from time to time. When an election is too close to call, the duke casts a tie-breaker vote. Should his vote fail to settle the outcome, such as when there are considerably more votes against the duke's preferred candidate, the vote counting method is adjusted to favor the duke.

The duchy acknowledges its subjects' time-honored civic privileges. Among them is the freedom of assembly. So to ensure the orderly dispensation of this privilege, everyone participating in a peaceful protest must apply to their local police station for a permit. The applicant provides his name, address, a headshot photograph, fingerprints, and a nominal processing fee. He is then issued an identification badge, which must be worn at all times. The day before the scheduled protest, the police visit that person's home. This procedure has accounted for a 82% decrease in scheduled peaceful protests.