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The countries in FMA all seem to have different governmental structures.
Amestris seems to be militarily run but I thought I saw references to some
sort of Parliament. Xing seemed to have tribes but Ling is also the Prince.
Ishval seemed to have some sort of set of elders, though I wasn't sure about
that. What are the technical governmental structures of the three countries?


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fullmetal-alchemist-series fullmetal-alchemist-brotherhood
What are the governmental structures of the countries in FMA?


**Short answer:** Amestris is a military state which has a [parliamentary
republic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_republic) form of
government. Xing is a [monarchy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchy) which
has a clan structure beneath the monarch (emperor). Ishval, when it was a
country of its own, had an unknown government structure but was probably split
into communes; it is now under Amestris's government.

* * *

There is a **long answer** , too, of course...

# Amestris

> Amestris is a Unitary State, with a population of about 50 million and a
> Parliamentary Republic type of Government. The Head of State is the
> Commander-in-Chief of the Military who holds the title of "Führer" (大総統,
> Daisōtō in Japanese, a form of "Generalissimo") and who concentrates the
> ranks of Head of State and Head of Government. — [Amestris, _Fullmetal
> Alchemist_ Wiki](http://fma.wikia.com/wiki/Amestris)

Amestris is a military state ruled by Führer King Bradley. As mentioned above,
it is a [unitary state](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitary_state) (one in
which there is one central government which decides what smaller branches
handle) with a parliamentary republic government. So, yes; there is a
parliament, but it is more-or-less just a cover for the central military
control body that we see running the country for the entirety of the show.

It is mentioned that Amestris did not used to be a military state; it is not
mentioned what type of government it had prior to becoming one.

# Ishval

Ishval is implied to have once been a country, but is no longer a sovereign
nation. Following the fall of Xerxes, many countries were assimilated into
what is seen as Amestris in 1914 and onward. There is no given record of the
government in Ishval at the time, though it is implied that it was a tribal
land, not so much run by a government, but more likely small communes that
worked on their own and were united by connections between them.

The man pictured below is a high-ranking monk, and who is most likely
important in uniting the Ishval community (even prior to the War of
Extermination).

![Scar's master and a monk of Ishval](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2OB0cm.jpg)

# Xing

> Xing is a Monarchy, whose monarch holds the title of Emperor. It's composed
> by fifty hereditary clans all under the rule of a single Emperor, who
> cements his rule by taking the daughter of each clan's chief to be his
> concubine and bear him a single heir for each clan. — [Xing, _Fullmetal
> Alchemist_ Wiki](http://fma.wikia.com/wiki/Xing)

The country of Xing is, as stated above, a monarchy ruled by an emperor (part
of which makes it an [empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire)). Beneath
the (unnamed) emperor are approximately fifty clans, most of which have an
heir (about forty-three have heirs, the others do not). Two of the clans we
are briefly told about are the Yao and Chang clans.

![The Emperor of Xing](https://i.stack.imgur.com/KSfac.jpg)

When Ling says he is a prince, this is basically a technicality; he is the
leader of the Yao clan and an heir to the emperor's throne (the twelfth heir,
I think). He has no special privileges above being the leader of his clan, so
his rank as "prince" solely has to do with his position as heir.

# Others

Drachma, the large and arctic country to the north, is not told to have any
specific kind of government. However, given how it is the largest country
around and is an arctic country, as well as the types of wars it fights, it is
implied that it is an equivalent of Russia. Russia was, at the time, the
Russian Empire, which I believe was also ruled by an emperor or tsar. Further
reading: ([Russian Empire: Government and administration,
Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Empire#Government_and_administration))

Creta, to the southwest, is a smaller country which is composed of tribes in a
federation-like manner. (Further reading: [Creta, _Fullmetal Alchemist_
Wiki](http://fma.wikia.com/wiki/Creta))


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