Cabinet of Tavaris
The Cabinet of the Kingdom of Tavaris is the executive body of the government of Tavaris, consisting of the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, and the Ministers in charge of the principal departments of government. The Prime Minister is the presiding officer of Cabinet meetings. The Cabinet is distinct from the Council of State, a body comprised primarily (but not exclusively) of Cabinet members, whose formal role is to give advice to the monarch and to give legal effect to executive decisions and Acts of the Diet.
The current Cabinet is the second Nevran Alandar cabinet, which entered into effect after the elections of May 30th, 2022. Nevran Alandar's party Irínavi Voi!, successor to the Democratic National Party, is a minority government that does not control a numerical majority of seats in the Diet and thus depends on confidence and supply from two minor political parties, the right-wing Tavari National Party and the generally center-right but anti-monarchist Republican Alternative. Because these minor parties are not formally included in government, they hold no seats in the Cabinet.
Members
Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister
Cabinet is presided over by the Prime Minister. The legal name of the position, in Tavari, is Nís Tašrivandrak, meaning "Chief Administrator." The Staynish term "Prime Minister" was informally used from the creation of the office in 1793, and was formally adopted by statute in 1954. The position was envisioned by the authors of the Instruments of Governance to be a standalone, first-among-equals position, in which the Prime Minister led the meetings of Cabinet but was otherwise equal in power to the other ministers. Convention has since shifted, and Prime Ministers are generally considered to be the most powerful member of Cabinet and often hold other portfolios in addition to Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is appointed by the King, who is obligated under the Instruments of Government to select the individual "commanding the confidence of the Diet." The King then appoints the other members of the Cabinet on the advice of the Prime Minister. The only requirement for the office is that one be a Delegate to the Diet, though to be a Delegate one must be a Tavari citizen aged 21 or older without any felony convictions.
The Prime Minister is obligated to appoint a Deputy Prime Minister, who serves as Acting Prime Minister in the event the current Prime Minister cannot fulfill their duties for a temporary time, and who is tasked with coordinating and presenting government business in the Diet. The current Deputy Prime Minister is Vakar Nelandri Venat, who previously served as Minister for Internal Affairs and Improvements. The Deputy Prime Minister has few statutory duties, but all major political parties include in their by-laws that the Deputy Prime Minister serves as the Chief Whip, in charge of ensuring party members vote according to party wishes. In coalition governments, the leader of the junior partner often (but not always) serves as Deputy Prime Minister. Under the law, the Deputy Prime Minister does not become Prime Minister automatically if the current Prime Minister resigns or dies. However, the rules of procedure in the Diet state that, upon a permanent vacancy, the Deputy Prime Minister is presumed to automatically have confidence, and thereby becomes Prime Minister without a vote of nomination. Žarís Nevran Alandar become Prime Minister through this method, with no intervening election.
Ministers
The remaining members of Cabinet are the Ministers in charge of the principal departments of the government. The Prime Minister generally has discretion to create and dissolve government departments at will, although certain departments are defined in the Instruments of Governance and therefore cannot be altered except by Constitutional amendment. These positions, referred to as the "entrenched Ministers" or "Great Offices of State," are the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, and the Ministers of External Affairs, Defence, Revenue and Treasury, and Law (the Attorney-General). Beyond these positions, the Prime Minister has the ability to organize government as they see fit. Tavari law explicitly forbids "Ministers without Portfolio," meaning that in order to serve on Cabinet, one must be the leader of a government department.
Individuals can have multiple portfolios. Some office-holders are typically given multiple portfolios by convention: for example, the Minister of Revenue and Treasury has always also held the title of Minister of the Economy for as long as the titles have existed. The Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries was also made Minister of Public Lands and Territorial Waters for the entire duration of the latter title's existence, until it was eliminated in 2024. The Equality Ministry, established in 2004, has never been held independently, but the ministry with which it has been coupled has varied over the years.
Non-Members Attending Cabinet
While the law limits who can hold a voting seat on the Cabinet, there are several government officials who regularly or sometimes attend Cabinet meetings to provide input. The Director-General of Government Operations, who is the official generally in charge of maintaining the civil service and the administrative/bureaucratic functioning of government, is not the head of a "principal executive department" and therefore cannot vote, but attends every meeting of Cabinet as they are generally responsible for implementing any changes that affect government employees. Other officials regularly attending Cabinet include the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of General Staff, the Trade Representative, and sometimes Tavari ambassadors to international organizations, such as the International Forum and others.
Council of State
The Council of State is a separate body from Cabinet, and is roughly analogous to the concept of the "Privy Council" that exists in some countries. Its Constitutionally-defined role is to "give advice to the monarch and to give legal effect to executive decisions and Acts of the Diet." The Council of State is not the executive - it does not make any changes on its own initiative, it ratifies decisions that have already been made by the Cabinet, which is the executive of the civil government. While in theory it is possible for the Council of State to deny an act of Cabinet legal ratification, such an event has never occurred and would likely cause a constitutional crisis. However, as all but two members of the Council are also members of Cabinet, the event is highly unlikely in any case.
The Council of State is also the body that formally "gives advice" to the monarch, currently Otan IV, Emperor of the Tavari. In any situation where the law calls for the King to act on the advice of the government, it is the Council of State that formally presents the recommendation to the monarch. (An exception is the appointment of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, since the Council of State is vacant before the Diet assembles to nominate a PM. In this case, the monarch acts on the advice of Parliament directly for the Prime Minister, and then the Prime Minister directly for the rest of the Cabinet.) The approval of the Council of State is also required for the monarch or the heir to get married or divorced, and the Council is also generally in charge of coordinating the planning and setup for royal funerals and other state funerals.
The Prime Minister is the President of the Council of State. The Council has 9 seats under the Instruments of Governance. In the past the Prime Minister had the discretion to fill them at will, but statute law has since filled 8 of the 9 seats. The Deputy Prime Minister; the Ministers of External Affairs, Defence, Revenue and Treasury, and Law; the Director-General of Government Operations; and the Leader of the Opposition are the 8 mandated officials on the Council. The single remaining seat can be filled by the Prime Minister at will, and the appointment is typically seen as a way for the Prime Minister to elevate a particular issue as their "primary" focus or emphasis. Prime Minister Nevran Alandar appointed the Minister of Rodokan Affairs, Saima Viha Kerska, to the open seat in 2021. After Rodokan independence in 2022, she replaced Mr. Kerska (who left the Tavari Cabinet to become Rodokan Minister of External Affairs) on the Council with Andra Rendorel, then Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Sport—the first time the minister holding this portfolio had ever served on the Council. She has continued to serve on the Council after she moved to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2024.
The King attends every meeting of the Council of State, which occur weekly, typically on Saturday mornings. However, the King is not a member of the Council of State, nor is he the presiding officer. As it was famously described by Utadri Novar Tanokat, the first Tavari Prime Minister, "The King is not a member of the Council of State, the King is the state."
Current Cabinet
| Portfolio | Minister | Diet Constituency | Political Party | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entrenched Ministers | |||||
| Prime Minister President of the Council of State |
Žarís Nevran Alandar | Line Nevran | Irínavi Voi! | 2021–present | |
| Deputy Prime Minister Leader of Business in the Diet Minister for the Intelligence Community |
Vakar Nelandri Venat | Line Nelandri | Irínavi Voi! | 2024–present | |
| Minister for External Affairs Minister for International Trade and Development Vice President of the Council of State |
Avri Takanaš | Line Londrai | Irínavi Voi! | 2024-Present | |
| Minister for Defence | Nebežra Veštedi Malõcan | Line Veštedi | Irínavi Voi! | 2024-Present | |
| Minister for Revenue and Treasury Minister for the Economy |
Nitai Lavra Endošti | Line Lavra | Irínavi Voi! | 2022–present | |
| Minister for Law Attorney-General of Tavaris |
Meštri Oboci Kentrest | Line Oboci | Irínavi Voi! | 2024–present | |
| Other Cabinet Ministers | |||||
| Minister for Internal Affairs and Improvements | Andra Rendorel | Line Tavažt | Irínavi Voi! | 2024-Present | |
| Minister for the Tavari Union | Bomi Lanaš Tevenen | Line Lanaš | Irínavi Voi! | 2024-Present | |
| Minister for the Environment | Rantar Dovri Tankaštat | Line Dovri | Irínavi Voi! | 2022–present | |
| Minister for Transport | Habni Teveš Canbaníl | Line Teveš | Irínavi Voi! | 2024-Present | |
| Minister for Veterans Affairs and Social Services Minister for Public Health |
Žendra Nadria Lentor | Line Nadria | Irínavi Voi! | 2020–present | |
| Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries | Ebna Enantti | Line Rundra | Irínavi Voi! | 2024-Present | |
| Minister for Industry and Commerce Minister for Labour |
Raivo Heštendra | Line Salakri | Irínavi Voi! | 2024-Present | |
| Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Sport | Lemezda Vonarík | Line Vantas | Irínavi Voi! | 2024–present | |
| Minister for Education Minister for Equality |
Šolari Teždan | Line Motari | Irínavi Voi! | 2024-Present | |
| Non-Members Attending Cabinet | |||||
| Director-General of Government Operations | Telebran Kantõši Zežríl | N/A | N/A | 2023–present | |
| Chair of the Joint Chiefs of General Staff | Gen. Hadrica Oren Onabi | N/A | N/A | 2023–present | |
| Trade Representative of Tavaris | Vedri Donarík | N/A | N/A | 2017–present | |
| Tavari Ambassador to the International Forum | Ano Nevran Tekoshi | N/A | N/A | 2023-Present | |