Cabinet of Tavaris
The Cabinet of the Kingdom of Tavaris is the executive body of the civil 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 Parliament.
The current Cabinet is the first Nevran Alandar cabinet, having assumed power on February 10th, 2021. In this Cabinet, the Democratic National Party holds all portfolios, as they were able to secure a majority in the Diet without a coalition upon being first elected. However, on September 22nd, 2021, Nevran Alandar lost her parliamentary majority after 54 party backbenchers resigned after the passage of the declaration of war against Upper Suvania, leaving her with a minority government.
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 1790, 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 Member of Parliament, though to be a Member of Parliament 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. The current Deputy Prime Minister is Jeila Telan Vandravat. 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 civil 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, Defense, Revenue and Treasury, and Civil 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 Agriculture and Fisheries has always also held the title of Minister of Public Lands and Territorial Waters for as long as the titles have existed. The Minister of Revenue and Treasury is typically also made Minister of the Economy, which is theoretically a separate position with different responsibilities. However, only once have the two positions ever been filled by different people. Others are given multiple portfolios for other reasons. In the current cabinet, Minister of Rodokan Affairs Saima Viha Kerska is also Minister of the Environment.
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 Chief of the Intelligence Office, 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 Parliament." 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 King Zaram V. 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 Parliament 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, Defense, Revenue and Treasury, and Civil 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.
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 | Írinavi Voi! | 2021–present | |
| Deputy Prime Minister Leader of Business in the Diet |
Avri Takanaš | Line Londrai | Írinavi Voi! | 2022–present | |
| Minister of External Affairs | Vacant | N/A | N/A | 2022-Present | |
| Minister of Defense Vice President of the Council of State |
Endra Tivriš Žovradai | Line Tivriš | Írinavi Voi! | 2022–present | |
| Minister of Revenue and Treasury Minister of the Economy |
Nitai Lavra Endošti | Line Lavra | Írinavi Voi! | 2022–present | |
| Minister of Civil Law Attorney-General of Tavaris |
Vedra Dendrodek | Line Žini | Írinavi Voi! | 2021–present | |
| Other Cabinet Ministers | |||||
| Minister for Internal Affairs and Improvements Minister for the Intelligence Community |
Vakar Nelandri Venat | Line Nelandri | Írinavi Voi! | 2022-Present | |
| Minister for the Environment | Rantar Dovri Tankaštat | Line Dovri | Írinavi Voi! | 2022–present | |
| Minister of Transportation | Vacant | N/A | N/A | 2022-Present | |
| Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Sport | Andra Rendorel | Line Tavažt | Írinavi Voi! | 2018–present | |
| Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Minister of Public Lands and Territorial Waters |
Vacant | N/A | N/A | 2022-Present | |
| Minister of Public Health | Vacant | N/A | N/A | 2022-Present | |
| Minister of Industry and Commerce Minister for International Trade and Development |
Vacant | N/A | N/A | 2022-Present | |
| Minister of Labor | Vacant | N/A | N/A | 2022–present | |
| Minister of Education Minister of Equality |
Avri Nankar Telandra | Line Nankar | Írinavi Voi! | 2017–present | |
| Minister of Veterans Affairs and Social Services | Žendra Nadria Lentor | Line Nadria | Írinavi Voi! | 2020–present | |
| Non-Members Attending Cabinet | |||||
| Director-General of Government Operations | Vacant | N/A | N/A | 2022–present | |
| Chair of the Joint Chiefs of General Staff | Adm. Dandrea Ležar Ívrit | N/A | N/A | 2019–present | |
| Trade Representative of Tavaris | Vedri Donarík | N/A | N/A | 2017–present | |
| Tavari Ambassador to the International Forum | Vacant | N/A | N/A | 2022-Present | |