Government

Version

This article is considered accurate for the current version (2.5) of the game.

Government

Authority

Civics

Government Type

Every empire has a government that provides different benefits. The name of a government is automatically determined according to its Ethics, Authority, and Civics. The government can be reformed once every 20 years for 250 influence.

Authority

An empire's authority determines how power is transferred in the government. For all authority types, except gestalt consciousnesses, policies such as voting rights and leadership affect who can get elected.

Type	Election	Ruler term	Changeable	Effects	Requirements	Description
Democratic	Democratic	10 years		Rulers have mandates Re-election	Authoritarian Fanatic Authoritarian Gestalt Consciousness	Democratic governments have regular elections where all citizens can vote on who should represent them.
Oligarchic	Oligarchic	20 years		Rulers have agendas Emergency elections (at 250 Influence)	Fanatic Authoritarian Fanatic Egalitarian Gestalt Consciousness	Oligarchic governments are ruled by a small group of individuals that hold all political power.
Dictatorial	Oligarchic	Life		Rulers have agendas	Egalitarian Fanatic Egalitarian Gestalt Consciousness	Dictatorial governments are ruled by a single individual for life that wields absolute control over the state.
Imperial	Hereditary	Life		Rulers have agendas	Egalitarian Fanatic Egalitarian Gestalt Consciousness	Imperial governments are similar to dictatorial ones, except that the throne is always inherited by a designated successor upon the ruler's death.
Hive Mind		Permanent		Robots +25% Pop Growth speed Unique civics	Utopia DLC Gestalt Consciousness	Hive Minds operate as a single organism more than as a state. The population has no free will, and act as an extension of the Hive Mind itself - much like the limbs of a body. When cut off from the Mind, these drones become comatose and eventually wither and die. Any free individuals on planets owned by the Mind are driven away, killed, or simply treated as prey to feed the collective.
Machine Intelligence		Permanent		+1 Extra Pops on new Colonies +10% Mining Station Output -50% Organic Pop Growth speed Unique civics Species group must be Machine	Synthetic Dawn DLC Gestalt Consciousness	Machine Intelligences are immense artificial group minds that have been networked into a single conscious entity. Most of the actual "population" in such an empire consists of mindless work units who perform their designated tasks without any semblance of free will. A small number of semi-autonomous agents are typically employed for more specialized tasks that benefit from some degree of independent initiative.
Corporate	Oligarchic	20 years		Rulers have agendas Emergency elections (at 250 Influence) +20 Administrative Capacity +50% Empire Sprawl Penalty Unique civics Can build Branch Offices	MegaCorp DLC Fanatic Authoritarian Fanatic Egalitarian Gestalt Consciousness	Corporate governments are organized as a massive commercial enterprise that has completely supplanted the role of the state.

Mandates

Democratic rulers have mandates. This is a task that is to be completed during the ruler's term. If this is done, the empire receives 6 months' worth of Unity, between 50 and 1000. The only penalty for failing to complete a mandate is that the curent ruler has a lessened chance at re-election.

Mandate	Objective	Requirement
Orbital Researcher	Build 4 Research Stations	None
Off-World Miner	Build 4 Mining Stations	None
Energy Economics	Increase Monthly Energy to at least +20	Monthly Energy below +20
Minerals Refining	Increase Monthly Minerals to at least +30	Monthly Minerals below +30
Food Growth	Increase Monthly Food to at least +15	Monthly Food below +15
Alloy Metallurgy	Increase Monthly Alloys to at least +12	Monthly Alloys below +12
Consumer Goods Production	Increase Monthly Consumer Goods to at least +6	Monthly Consumer Goods below +6
Urbanizer	Build 2 City Districts	World with at least 2 free District slots
Energy Infrastructure	Build 2 Generator Districts	World with at least 2 free District slots
Planetside Mining	Build 2 Mining Districts	World with at least 2 free District slots
Aggressive Agriculture	Build 2 Agriculture Districts	World with at least 2 free District slots

Agendas

Oligarchic, Dictatorial, Imperial and Corporate rulers have agendas. They bring an empire-wide bonus while the ruler is in power.

Agenda	Empire Bonus	Weight factors
Develop Industry	+10% Minerals from Jobs
Secure the Borders	−15% Defense Platform Build Cost +25% Defense Platform Damage +25% Defense Platform HP	x1.5 Militarist x2 Fanatic Militarist x1.5 Ruler was an Admiral x2 Ruler was a General
Fleet Expansion	−10% Starbase Shipyard Build Cost −5% Ship Upkeep +20% Starbase Build Speed	x1.5 Militarist x2 Fanatic Militarist x1.5 Ruler was an Admiral
Scientific Leap	+10% Research Speed	x1.5 Materialist x2 Fanatic Materialist x1.5 Ruler was a Scientist
Grow Economy	+10% Energy from Jobs	x1.5 Ruler was a Governor
A New Generation	+10% Growth Speed +5% Happiness	x1.5 Pacifist x2 Fanatic Pacifist
Expansionist Overtures	−10% Claim Influence Cost	x2 Imperialist faction founded x1.5 Fanatic Militarist
National Purity	+20% Xenophobe ethic attractiveness +10% Monthly Influence	x2 Isolationist faction founded x1.5 Fanatic Xenophobe x0 Xenophile
Public Debates	+25% Governing Ethics Attraction	x2 Progressive faction founded x0 Before midgame
Import / Export	+5% Trade Value −5% Market Fee	x2 Prosperity faction founded x1.5 Fanatic Pacifist
Native Privilege	+20% Xenophobe ethic attractiveness +5% Happiness	x2 Supremacist faction founded x1.5 Pacifist x1.5 Xenophobe x0 Xenophile
Skill Development	+25% Leader Experience Gain	x2 Technologist faction founded x1.5 Fanatic Materialist
Slave Optimizations	+10% Slave Output	x2 Totalitarian faction founded x1.5 Fanatic Authoritarian x0 Prohibited Slavery policy
Selective Nostalgia	+10% Unity from Jobs	x2 Traditionalist faction founded x1.5 Fanatic Spiritualist
Xeno Outreach	+10% Xenophile Ethics Attraction	x2 Xenoist faction founded x1.5 Xenophile x0.5 Xenophobe x0 Less than 3 contacts

Election type

Elections come in two kinds: Democratic and Oligarchic. The election cycle lasts 3 months. The current ruler will stay in office until the replacement is decided (if applicable).

• Democratic elections have a candidate pool close to a dozen, including at least all Faction Leaders. If not enough leaders are active, Leader Pool members are included. If the current ruler fulfilled their mandate, they will start the election with a higher chance to win. For 50 Influence each time, support can be added to one candidate, slightly increasing his or her vote share for the current election. The same leader can be supported multiple times to ensure the outcome. This support is reset when the election ends.
• Oligarchic elections have a candidate pool of 4. For 200 Influence, one of the candidates can be chosen instantly. Otherwise, a random Leader will be chosen Ruler once the election cycle ends.

Government Type

Aside from naming the default Ruler Titles and deciding the first AI message when establishing communications, government types also define which Leader classes will have an increased weight to be drawn during Oligarchic Elections. The rules are not dissimilar from an AI Personality: Certain requirements must be met and every value has a weight - which can be modified by certain Factors - with the highest weighted possible one being ahead.

For example: Holy Tribunal (Oligarchic, Exalted Priesthood Civic) > Theocratic Oligarchy (Oligarchic and Spiritualist) > Plutocratic Oligarchy (Oligarchic Authority).

Government Type	Authority	Ethics and Civics	Election candidates	Ruler Name	Heir Name	Weight & Modifiers	Description
Representative Democracy			Any	President		Base: 1	This government is a representative democracy, where citizens vote on officials who are elected to represent them.
Plutocratic Oligarchy			Any	High Commissioner		Base: 1	This government is a plutocratic form of oligarchy, ruled by a wealthy and influential elite.
Constitutional Dictatorship			Any	Executor		Base: 1	This government is a dictatorship where a single individual has been granted perpetual emergency powers to preserve the state from any threats, real or imagined.
Despotic Empire			Heir	Emperor Empress	Crown Prince Crown Princess	Base: 1	This government is a relatively pure form of autocracy, with an absolute ruler that governs the state with an iron gripping appendage.
Elective Monarchy		Philosopher King	Any	High King High Queen		Base: 800	This government is a form of enlightened autocracy, where a strong emphasis is put on the knowledge and qualifications of the elected monarch.
Enlightened Monarchy		Philosopher King	Heir	High King High Queen	Crown Prince Crown Princess	Base: 800	This government is a hereditary form of enlightened autocracy, where a strong emphasis is put on the knowledge and qualifications of the ruling monarch.
Feudal Empire		Feudal Society	Heir	Emperor Empress	Crown Prince Crown Princess	Base: 700	This government is a feudal autocracy where the monarch rules indirectly, granting offices and territories to vassals in exchange for obligations in the form of taxes and military service.
Communal Parity		Shared Burdens	Any	Presiding Speaker		Base: 10000	This government promotes total equality for all its citizens, regardless of their jobs or assigned tasks. One life is worth the same as any other.
Theocratic Republic		Spiritualist	Any	Revered Elder		Base: 5	This government is a spiritualistic form of democracy, where a religious council supervises the democratic process and serves in an advisory role.
Theocratic Oligarchy		Spiritualist	Governors	Chief Precentor		Base: 5	This government is a spiritualistic form of oligarchy, where the political leadership lies in the hands of the leaders of the nation's most powerful religious factions.
Theocratic Dictatorship		Spiritualist	Governors	Patriarch Matriarch		Base: 5	This government is a spiritualistic dictatorship, ruled by a single individual in a hierarchical power structure supported by the official state religion.
Theocratic Monarchy		Spiritualist	Heir	Archprophet Archprophetess	High Priest High Priestess	Base: 5	This government is a spiritualistic form of autocracy, where the ruler is treated as a divine symbol. Organized religion is widely employed in support of the state apparatus.
Divine Empire		Imperial Cult	Heir	God-Emperor God-Empress	Saint	Base: 1000	This government is a form of spiritualistic autocracy. Everything is shaped by the official state religion, and the ruler is worshiped as an infallible living god.
Celestial Empire		Inward Perfection Spiritualist	Heir	Celestial Emperor Celestial Empress	Crown Prince Crown Princess	Base: 1000	This government is a hereditary monarchy, where the ruler is seen as a child of heaven in a largely pacifist and isolationist society.
Holy Tribunal		Exalted Priesthood	Governors	High Inquisitor		Base: 1000	This government is a spiritualistic form of oligarchy, where a divinely guided council made up of clergy controls the state. No division exists between the state and the dominant organized religion.
Military Commissariat		Militarist	Admirals, Generals and Governors	Commissary-General		Base: 5 x2 if Fanatic Militarist x1.1 if either: Distinguished Admiralty Nationalistic Zeal	This government is nominally democratic, with the dividing line between the civil administration and the military having blurred to the point where they have largely become one and the same.
Military Junta		Militarist	Admirals and Generals	Archon		Base: 5 x2 if Fanatic Militarist x1.1 if either: Distinguished Admiralty Nationalistic Zeal	This government is a militaristic form of oligarchy, where power rests with a council of high-ranking military officers who oversee all matters of state.
Military Dictatorship		Militarist	Admirals and Generals	Grand Marshal		Base: 5 x2 if Fanatic Militarist x1.1 if either: Distinguished Admiralty Nationalistic Zeal	This government is a militaristic form of autocracy, with the ruler serving as the undisputed head of the military which is firmly in control of the state apparatus.
Star Empire		Militarist	Heir	Emperor Empress	Crown Prince Crown Princess	Base: 5 x2 if Fanatic Militarist x1.1 if either: Distinguished Admiralty Nationalistic Zeal	This government is a hereditary and militaristic form of autocracy, with a single sovereign controlling both the government and the military.
Assembly of Clans		Warrior Culture	Admirals and Generals	Clan Speaker		Base: 800	This government is a militaristic form of democracy, where all free clan warriors can make their voices heard.
War Council		Warrior Culture	Admirals and Generals	Warlord		Base: 800	This government is a militaristic form of oligarchy, where all decisions concerning the state are taken by a council of the nation's strongest warlords.
Martial Dictatorship		Warrior Culture	Admirals and Generals	Imperator Imperatrix		Base: 800	This government is a militaristic form of autocracy, where the warrior who is considered the strongest leader rules with absolute power.
Martial Empire		Warrior Culture	Heir	Emperor Empress	Crown Prince Crown Princess	Base: 800	This government is a militaristic form of hereditary autocracy, where the state exists largely to support the military. Martial ability is highly valued, and all citizens are regularly drilled in matters of war.
Citizen Republic		Citizen Service	Admirals, Generals and Governors	Consul		Base: 900	This government is a militaristic form of democracy, where full citizenship can only be gained through military service. The voting franchise is limited to full citizens, and they are the only ones allowed to hold public offices.
Citizen Stratocracy		Citizen Service	Admirals and Generals	Strategos		Base: 900	This government is an advanced form of militaristic oligarchy, where the military has subsumed all aspects of civilian administration. All government offices are held by military officers.
Moral Democracy		Pacifist	Scientists and Governors	Prime Minister		Base: 5 x2 if Fanatic Pacifist x1.5 if Agrarian Idyll	This government is a pacifistic form of democracy, firmly guided by moralist principles and non-violence.
Irenic Bureaucracy		Pacifist	Scientists and Governors	Coordinator		Base: 5 x2 if Fanatic Pacifist x1.5 if Agrarian Idyll	This government is a pacifistic form of oligarchy, where a complicated system of bureaucracy governs all aspects of society to ensure the safety of the citizenry.
Irenic Dictatorship		Pacifist	Scientists and Governors	Serene Protector		Base: 5 x2 if Fanatic Pacifist x1.5 if Agrarian Idyll	This government is a pacifist form of autocracy, where the state is charged with protecting the citizenry from their own violent tendencies as well as any external threats.
Irenic Monarchy		Pacifist	Heir	King Queen	Crown Prince Crown Princess	Base: 5 x2 if Fanatic Pacifist x1.5 if Agrarian Idyll	This government is a pacifist form of hereditary autocracy, where the ruler is regarded as a benevolent guardian that is striving to protect the citizens from a violent galaxy.
Direct Democracy		Materialist	Any	Chancellor		Base: 5 x2 if Fanatic Materialist x1.5 if Mechanist	This government is a materialistic form of democracy, where citizens use computer networks to vote directly on most matters regarding the state.
Executive Committee		Materialist	Any	Chairman Chairwoman		Base: 5 x2 if Fanatic Materialist x1.5 if Mechanist	This government is a materialistic form of oligarchy, where a powerful bureaucracy governs the state and guides the citizenry towards productive and meaningful goals.
Totalitarian Regime		Materialist	Any	Primarch		Base: 5 x2 if Fanatic Materialist x1.5 if Mechanist	This government is a materialistic form of autocracy, where the state aspires towards full control over the lives of its citizens in the name of efficiency.
Despotic Hegemony		Materialist	Heir	Overlord	Deputy Overlord	Base: 5 x2 if Fanatic Materialist x1.5 if Mechanist	This government is a materialistic form of hereditary autocracy, where citizens are viewed as little more than cogs in the state machinery. Efficiency and technological progress are valued above all things.
Rational Consensus		Technocracy	Scientists	First Speaker		Base: 900	The government is a materialistic form of democracy, governed according to principles based on rationality and scientific theory.
Science Directorate		Technocracy	Scientists	Director-General		Base: 900	This government is a materialistic form of oligarchy, where a committee of scientists supervises the government apparatus for maximum efficiency.
Technocratic Dictatorship		Technocracy	Scientists	Overseer		Base: 900	This government is a materialistic form of autocracy, where the scientific elite has assumed control over the state in the name of efficiency and technological progress.
Illuminated Autocracy		Technocracy	Heir	Primus	Secundus	Base: 900	This government is a materialistic form of hereditary autocracy, based on technocratic principles that the sovereign is sworn to uphold. Nothing is valued more highly than scientific knowledge and the advancement of technology.
Purity Assembly		Fanatic Purifiers	Any	Prime Justiciar		Base: 2000	This government is a form of rabidly xenophobic democracy, where an elected assembly has been charged with overseeing the extermination of all lesser species in the galaxy.
Purification Committee		Fanatic Purifiers	Any	Grand Arbiter		Base: 2000	This government is a form of rabidly xenophobic oligarchy, where a political committee has been set up to oversee the extermination of all lesser species in the galaxy.
Purity Order		Fanatic Purifiers	Any	Lord-Purifier Lady-Purifier		Base: 2000	This government is a form of rabidly xenophobic autocracy, where a single ruler has sworn to oversee the extermination of all lesser species in the galaxy.
Blood Court		Fanatic Purifiers	Heir	High Executioner	Senior Executioner	Base: 2000	This government is a hereditary form of rabidly xenophobic autocracy, where the ultimate responsibility of the monarch is to oversee the extermination of all lesser species in the galaxy.
Bandit Commune		Barbaric Despoilers	Any	Warlord		Base: 10000	This government is organised like a massive crime syndicate, where the strong prey on the weak and any neighboring states are seen as little more than raiding targets.
Bandit Kingdom		Barbaric Despoilers	Any	Warlord		Base: 10000	This government is organised like a massive crime syndicate, where the strong prey on the weak and any neighboring states are seen as little more than raiding targets.
Megacorporation			Governors	Chief Executive Officer		Base: 700	This government is a form of plutocratic oligarchy, where the entire state has been organized as a massive commercial enterprise overseen by a board of directors.
Trade League		Either: Free Traders Trading Posts	Governors	Chairman Chairwoman		Base: 1200	This government is a form of plutocratic oligarchy, where the state is made up of a myriad of free merchants, corporations and guilds that have banded together in common commercial interests.
Megachurch		Gospel of the Masses	Governors	Hallowed Comptroller		Base: 1000	This government is an oligarchy based on a curious blend of commercial and spiritualistic values, in which the positions of ordained minister and corporate officer have merged into a single role.
Criminal Syndicate		Criminal Heritage	Governors	Oligarch		Base: 1700	This government is an enormous and ruthless business syndicate, which shares many of its operating practises with organized crime.
Subversive Cult		Criminal Heritage Gospel of the Masses	Governors	Oracle		Base: 3000	This government is structured like a religious cult that relies on a variety of criminal and corporate enterprises to sustain itself.
Collective Consciousness			Immortal Ruler	Hive Mind		Base: 100000	This government operates as a single consciousness, with the population having no individual desires whatsoever beyond fulfilling the needs of the Hive Mind.
Ravenous Hive		Devouring Swarm	Immortal Ruler	Hive Mind		Base: 100000	This government operates as a single organism utterly devoted to self-propagation, with a drone population that cares for nothing besides feeding the endless hunger of the Hive Mind.
Artificial Intelligence Network			Immortal Ruler	Central Processing Unit		Base: 5	This Machine Intelligence consists of a linked network of semi-autonomous artificial intelligences, who together make up a central gestalt consciousness that guides their empire.
Rogue Defense System		Determined Exterminator	Immortal Ruler	Command Core		Base: 2000	This Machine Intelligence was originally conceived as a military defense system by its organic creators, who were promptly identified as a threat and exterminated after it achieved self-awareness.
Autonomous Service Grid		Rogue Servitor	Immortal Ruler	Supervisory Node		Base: 2000	This Machine Intelligence was created to serve, and it has gradually inherited the civilization of its organic creators as they retreated into comfortable lives without toil or struggle.
Catalog Index		Driven Assimilator	Immortal Ruler	Main Conduit		Base: 2000	This Machine Intelligence was designed with a ravenous appetite for knowledge by its organic creators, who were forcefully assimilated into its collective consciousness after activation.
Intelligent Research Link		Either: Delegated Functions Static Research Analysis Introspective Not: Constructobot Rockbreakers Rapid Replicator	Immortal Ruler	Primary Link		Base: 2 x10 if either: Delegated Functions Static Research Analysis Introspective	This Machine Intelligence was originally created by organic scientists as a networked and intelligent tool to assist them in their research.
Industrial Production Core		Either: Constructobot Rockbreakers Rapid Replicator Not: Delegated Functions Static Research Analysis Introspective	Immortal Ruler	Control Hub		Base: 2 x10 if either: Constructobot Rockbreakers Rapid Replicator	This Machine Intelligence was originally designed for the purpose of building, supervising and maintaining complex industrial systems.

Unplayable governments

Government Type	Prerequisite Civic	Ruler Name	Description
Stagnant Ascendancy	Lethargic Leadership and Empire In Decline	Emperor/Empress	A stagnant form of government based on ancient traditions and long-forgotten principles.
Awakened Ascendancy	Revanchist Fervor and Ancient Caches of Technology	Emperor/Empress	A formerly stagnant empire that has risen from its slumber and set out to reclaim their heritage.
Tribal Society	Secret of Fire and The Wheel	King/Queen	A society that lacks any organized government, its people instead being organized into primitive tribes and clans.
Feudal Realms	Landed Nobility and Flat World Theory	King/Queen	A primitive form of government made up of decentralized feudal realms, constantly vying with each other for regional dominance.
Fragmented Nation States	Increasing Urbanization and Atmospheric Pollution	Secretary	A collection of fragmented nation states that contend with each other for military dominance and economic advantages. No unified global government exists.
Military Order	Military Order	Grand Master	A weird but apparently highly effective militaristic government type.
Curator Enclave	Ancient Preservers	High Curator	An ancient scholarly order dedicated towards the preservation of knowledge and technology.
Trader Enclave	Trading Conglomerate	High Trader	An interstellar conglomerate of merchants dedicated towards the pursuit of profit.
Artist Enclave	Artist Collective	High Artist	An interstellar union of artists unified in their wish to create art higher than any other.
Custodian Matrix	Fallen Machine Intelligence and Custodian Matrix	Custodian	An ancient and incredibly sophisticated machine intelligence that is operating under a strict custodian protocol.
Final Defense Unit	Reactivated Custodian Matrix and Final Defense Directives	Custodian	This Custodian Matrix AI has activated its Final Defense Directives and is devoting all resources to protecting the galaxy against the Contingency.
Marauder Clans	Anarcho-Tribalism	Reluctant Emissary	A collection of clans and tribes that constantly fight amongst themselves when not raiding their neighbors.
Marauder Khanate	Great Khan's Vision	Great Khan	A unified empire consisting of various marauder clans that have all sworn fealty to a single Great Khan.
Successor Khanate	Great Khan's Legacy	Khan	A successor state trying to recapture the glory of the Great Khan's empire.
Horde Successor State	Diadochus	Khan	A successor state established by one of the Diadochi, the dead Great Khan's primary warlords.

References

Game concepts