Auroran Parliament

The Auroran Parliament (simply known as the Parliament or AP) is the lower chamber of the bicameral legislative branch of the United Nations of the Auroran Continent (UNAC). It was established in July 2018 during the Auroran Reunification Summit in Emberwood Coast where the Charter of the UNAC (colloquially known as the Treaty of Aura) was adopted. It was preceded and partially based on the legislative branches of the Auroran Union (AU) and the Auroran Continental Assembly (ACA). For most of the year, it is seated in Aura, Emberwood Coast, but some sessions are held in Sani Bursil, Great Morstaybishlia (a compromise arising from the reunification negotiations). The body is elected by the citizens of the member states of the UNAC every 3 to 4 years. The incumbent Speaker of Parliament is Eliza Hughes of Oscrelia.

Electoral oversight

The Auroran Electoral Commission (AEC) is an independent agency of the UNAC that is responsible for overseeing and administering elections of the Auroran Parliament. Its powers and duties are enshrined in the Charter of the UNAC. It is responsible for registering candidates, enforcing electoral rules, counting ballots, verifying and announcing results, monitoring campaign funding and other activities and ensuring the effective administration of elections.

Representatives of parties and proxies of independent candidates have the right to monitor the vote counting process, but they may not be present in voting venues. This rule is designed to prevent voter intimidation. Candidates and parties with complaints about voting or counting procedures may report those issues to the AEC. If they are not satisfied with the AEC, they can file a complaint at the Auroran Court of Justice (ACJ). The ACJ is the only and final court that can hear and adjudicate complaints about AP elections.

Electoral procedure

The AP is elected every 3 years by the citizens of the member states of the UNAC. The member states are allocated a minimum of 3 seats regardless of their size. Seats are allocated in proportion to the population of each nation. Thus, the most populous nation, Great Morstaybishlia, has by far the largest number of seats.

Electoral districts are roughly equal in population. Each district gets one seat. The candidate for that seat is elected by run-off voting. This means if no candidate receives over 50% of the vote after the first round, the top 2 candidates continue to a second round of voting. In the unlikely went of a tie, another vote is held until a winner is decided. Voters vote for only one candidate or party on their ballot. Voting can either be on paper or electronic.

Following the end of a term, the UNAC Commission and the Speaker of Parliament will agree on a date for the elections in line with the Charter of the UNAC. Failing which they must report to the ACJ why they failed to set a date. Following which, they inform the AEC of the date so that it can begins preparing for elections. The AEC will in turn organise the election.

Only citizens of the UNAC above the age of majority may vote. Only mentally infirm people (as declared by a court of law) may not vote but otherwise voting is open to all including prisoners and citizens residing outside the UNAC. Voting is regarded as fundamental right of all UNAC citizens.

Electoral criteria

Candidates to the AP must meet criteria set out in the Charter of the UNAC to be eligible to compete. The candidates are expected to be legally registered citizens of a UNAC member state. They may only run in the member state of which they are a citizen and a registered resident of the electoral district that they want to represent. They must be above the age of 25 and must be of sound mind. Fugitives and prisoners are not allowed to stand for election.

These criteria mimic similar restrictions placed on legislative candidates in Auroran states. The purpose of these criteria is to ensure that the candidates have the minimum legal capacity to exercise their duties. Criteria exist not only for the candidates but for political parties as well.

Political parties are defined by the Auroran Elections Act of 2018 as "political organisations established with the purpose of running elections for the AP". They are recognised as juristic persons and are registered as non-governmental organisations in any of the member states of the UNAC. They must be registered with the AEC to be eligible to run. They require a minimum 500 registered members and must submit a constitution to the AEC outlining their operations and structure. Most national political parties affiliate with a continental political party, meaning that they send candidates and vote in matters concerning the continental party.

Campaign funding

The Auroran Elections Act of 2018 stipulates the rules surrounding donations and financial activities of political parties. Because political parties are non-profit non-governmental organisations, they are required to follow similar rules. For instance, they do not have shareholders or pay dividends. There are limitations placed on their expenditures and sources of funding and they are expected to make financial disclosures to the AEC if they want to run.

They are required to disclose sourcing of funding for campaigns to the AEC. The AEC in turn discloses an abridged version to the public. Certain sources such as individual donations below 500,000 KRB are not allowed to be disclosed to the public. Sources from non-profit and non-governmental organizations (e.g., trade unions and charitable organizations) and private companies are allowed to donate but those can be disclosed. Furthermore, private companies can donate a maximum of 1 million KRB to a political party. Governments are not allowed to donate money to the campaigns of political parties or independent candidates running for AP elections.

The AEC allocates funding from the UNAC to parties running in the elections. It allocates between 5 million KRB to 20 million KRB based on the number of registered members of each party. Parties are required to have a verifiable register of active members when requesting access to campaign funding from the AEC. Outside of campaigning, the AE Act requires that political parties disclose donations and restricts the maximum donation amounts. Furthermore, funding from lobbying must be disclosed to the AEC.

Lobbying

Lobbying refers to organized action by private entities namely private companies, non-profit and non-governmental organisations to influence the work of the AP and its members. All lobbying by NGOs and private companies must be registered with the AEC. Furthermore, any expenditures that arise in the lobbying process must be disclosed to the AEC. Restrictions are placed on how much money can be spent or received throughout the lobbying process.

Lobbyists include a wide variety of organizations and interests. Most organizations especially private companies prefer not to lobby legislators directly. Instead, they appoint a consulting firm specializing in lobbying to carry out the lobbying process on their behalf. Lobbyists can be useful in suggesting legislative proposals, organizing engagements between institutions, the public and legislators, advising legislators on legislation (especially with a technical nature), conducting research about legislation and publishing reports.