Movement for a Democratic Void (MDV)

Movement for a Democratic Void
Ideology	Worker's rights, direct democracy, spacer representation
Spokes-person	Representative Cara Tassis

The Movement for a Democratic Void, sometimes called the Void Republic, is an alliance of several democratic groups on space-bound habitats and unions of shipyard workers in the Alvero system. The Movement seeks to protect the rights of workers and instate a free democracy in the sector.

History

The idea for unified democratic movement in the Alvero system was one of the primary motivations for the creation of the United Democratic Habitats, a collection of democratic groups based out of habitats in the Moreux asteroid belt. However, the first meetings of a system-wide democratic collective were spearheaded by dock workers on Bhor 6, members of the Federation of Maintenance and Mechanics.

The MDV was formally proclaimed in 3194, four years prior to the death of the Cygnus Emperor. The first members of the coalition were the Alliance of Shipbuilders and Drydock Workers, the Council for Non-Planetary Representation, and the Federation of Maintenance and Mechanics. The United Democratic Habitats joined shortly after, forming the first Assembly of Workers and Void Dwellers. Habitat Autonomists and other groups joined the MDV as it established itself as a political force in Alvero's asteroid belts and orbital installations, seeking to have their interests represented in the Assembly. The MDV voted to join the UPC one year later, following negotiations with representatives from the larger Collective.

Organization

The MDV functions as a loose confederation of organizations, with an Assembly of Workers and Void Dwellers operating as a representative body. Representatives to the Assembly are directly elected by the organization they represent, and all decisions in the Assembly are communicated back to the organizations to allow for debate and voting on MDV-wide topics. The Assembly itself is headed by the Executive Committee, a 5-person committee that presides over Assembly debate and communicates with the MDV's Permanent Representatives. Executive Committee members hold their office for six months, with the election of Committee members being staggered to allow for smooth transitions of responsibility.

The MDV is made up of a number of groups who represent a multitude of backgrounds and ideologies in the Movement.

• Alliance of Shipbuilders and Drydock Workers (ASDW), representing unions in House and corporate shipyards. The Alliance fights for the rights of workers in the face of their corporate and noble oppressors.
• Council for Non-Planetary Representation (CN-PR), representing progressive groups on orbital habitats and transient civilian fleets. The Council acts in the interests of spacers and promoting their full and equal representation in sectoral society.
• Federation of Maintenance and Mechanics (FMM), representing workers on habitats, shipyards, and intra-system ships. The Federation shares many of their ideals with the ASDW, though they are notable for their pro-synthetic bend.
• Habitat Autonomists, representing disparate groups across a number of habitats. Autonomists seek greater autonomy for orbital habitats and asteroid colonies from the Imperial system and planet-based authorities.
• United Democratic Habitats (UDH), representing an alliance of democratic groups on a number of habitats. The UDH works as an underground provisional government on these habitats and promotes full and equal democracy both locally and sectorally. 

Other smaller groups, including reformers aligned with the Church of Humanity Repentant, former ACRE employees, and refugees from Imperial planets, also enjoy representation in the Assembly.

Flag

A common folk-symbology holds that the ten-star constellation featured on the MDV flag is a conceptual map of the particular model of metatool that is ubiquitous among the spacers and hab-dwellers of the Alvero system. This configuration of stars is featured on iconography associated with most of the MDV's constituent groups.

Key Figures

• Representative Cara Tassis