Parliament of Packilvania
Parliament of Packilvania luMijhalis luBas aBakhilfaniya (Packilvanian) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| Established |
|
| Leadership | |
Chairman of the Legislative Council | Prince Ajhar since Appointment |
Speaker of the Consultative Assembly | Prince Khalim since Lottery |
| Structure | |
Length of term |
|
Legislative Council | ±300 |
Consultative Assembly | ±4,000 |
| Elections | |
| |
The Parliament of Packilvania (Packilvanian: luMijhalis luBas aBakhilfaniya, also the Great Council of Packilvania) is the legislative branch of the government of Packilvania. It consists of the Legislative Council and the Consultative Assembly, the upper and lower house respectively. It was founded in 1680 during the reign of Saidun the Conqueror, the first Sultan of Packilvania and ruler under the Demirite dynasty. It was abolished by the Packilvanian Communist Party in 1917 at the end of the First Packilvanian Civil War Sultana Zerah Demir IV and the Demirite dynasty was deposed. It was replaced by the National People's Congress which was abolished in 1985 at the end of the Second Packilvanian Civil War. The Parliament of Packilvania was subsequently reestablished by the Carriers of Mercy. Its powers and composition are defined by the Constitution of Packilvania.
History
When Saidun the Conqueror defeated Uden II and abolished the Zubraynite dynasty, he promised the nobles of Packilvania that he would establish a Council whereby they could live in Bingol and advise him on the running of the country. In 1680, he created luMijhalis luBas which was a unicameral body. In the late 19th century, the body was referred to as the Parliament by the Staynish-language press. In the reign of Ishak V, there was a revolt by the merchant class and the educated elite to have official representation of their own. Thus, the Parliament was divided into two bodies, the Legislative Council which consisted of the aristocracy and the Consultative Assembly which was elected by the tax-paying and land-owning class. Gideon Muktan was elected to the Parliament.
He propounded the teachings of Nikobar Luden on Communism. He established a caucus of solely Feline members called the Feline Club which broadly followed some variation of Communist principles. The Feline Club supported a Manifesto that was presented to Zerah Demir IV who rejected it and had them expelled from the Parliament. The regrouped as the Packilvanian Communist Party. Its members were banned from running for election to that body. It incited a revolution and managed to court the support of the Imperial Armed Forces which gave rise to a coup d'état. The Parliament was dissolved by edict and replaced with the National People's Congress.
The National People's Congress consisted only of delegates of the Packilvanian Communist Party thereby establishing a one-party state. This body was largely a rubber-stamp body with little power to influence legislation. In reality, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress as well as the Political Bureau of the Packilvanian Communist Party (which often contained the same members) wielded de facto legislative power. The Standing Committee ordered the removal of Thawal Yaladir as the General Secretary in 1984 and ordered the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau and interim General Secretary to pursue negotiations with the Carriers of Mercy. When negotiations were concluded, the body's final acts was to grant independence to Tasselvalta, to dissolve the Packilvanian Communist Party, to cede all legislative power to the Constituent Assembly of Packilvania and to appoint representatives to that body.
The Constituent Assembly passed the Constitution of Packilvania which formally created the Parliament of Packilvania as it exists today. The first term of the body basically consisted of the same membership as the Constituent Assembly for five years until the body was selected according to the Constitution in 1990. The Constitution of Packilvania forbids the formation of political parties or their candidates participating in the Parliament. Unlike legislatures in other dictatorships, the Parliament does have substantial room to criticise the government (even if not publicly) because it consists of representatives of powerful constituencies. It acts as a forum for mediating the political forces of Packilvania and maintain an equilibrium of power and facilitating cooperation among the powerful political groups.
Powers and function
The Parliament has the power to pass statutes. Statute is the highest form of law other than the constitution and is binding on the entire nation. The Sultan has the power to promulgate laws by granting imperial assent. The Sultan has not withheld imperial assent since the establishment of the rule of the Bedonite dynasty in 1985. This is largely because almost all laws are proposed by the executive branch of the government i.e., the Council of Ministers of Packilvania. In general, the Sultan and the Council tend to agree on legislation because the Sultan appoints the Council and directs the policy agenda of the government.
Members of Parliament are technically allowed to propose laws if they have the support of other members. In practice, none of the members of Parliament who sit in the Consultative Assembly have ever successfully proposed a law. Of those who have proposed laws, they sit in the Legislative Council and tend to only be able to convince the other members to adopt the law if they have the backing of the executive branch. The Supreme Court of Packilvania has the power to strike down portions of or whole statutes that violate the Constitution of Packilvania.
Ordinarily statutes require a simple majority in the Legislative Council to pass. The constitution requires that the annual budget be passed by a simple majority in both the Legislative Council and Consultative Assembly. Treaties need to be domesticated into the law of Packilvania by being passed by the Legislative Council. However, unlike other laws, they do not require the Sultan of Packilvania to promulgate them because he signs the treaty before it reaches the Parliament. Amendments to the constitution require a two-thirds majority in the Legislative Council and the Consultative Assembly to pass.
Each house of the Parliament may also adopt resolutions by simple majority. Resolutions are non-binding and they state the opinion of the relevant house on a particular issue or represent a non-binding recommendation to the government. The Legislative Council (or a committee to which it has delegated requisite powers) has the power to issue summons to government officials and subpoena documents from the executive branch. In practice, questions of executive officials are done in closed sessions or in writing. The Legislative Council or one of its committees can publish a report on an investigation or set up a body to conduct an investigation on a governmental matter. The recommendations of these investigations are not binding or enforceable however the evidence can be used by the law enforcement agencies of Packilvania in a case.
Composition
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The Consultative Assembly consists of approximately 3,000 to 5,000 people. It meets once a year over a week-long period. It consists of citizens selected by lottery. The Members of Parliament who sit in the Consultative Assembly are required to be Packilvanian citizens between the ages of 25 and 65. They must not have had a criminal record or their record should have been expunged. Most members are Paxists by default but some seats are set aside for religious minorities. Citizens who reside in other countries on a full-time basis are generally not invited or expected to attend. Prospective members are normally told at least a year in advance that they have been selected and they have 6 months to signal that they cannot attend. Attendance is mandatory and the government normally makes arrangements for delegates to participate. At least 30% of the members are required to be women and at least 30% are required to be below the age of 35 years old.
There are approximately 395 seats in the Legislative Council, that are awarded to constituencies every 5 years as follows:
- The Provincial Legislatures appoint 30 delegates and the Autonomous City Legislatures appoint 15 delegates each.
- The Council of the Great Magisters of the Magisterium of Paxism appoints 10 delegates.
- The Council of Chiefs of Staff of the Packilvanian Armed Forces appoints 5 delegates
- The Supreme Court of Packilvania appoints 5 delegates from the judiciary of Packilvania.
- The Supreme Council of the Imperial Procuratorate appoints 5 delegates.
- The Director of each of the 5 intelligence agencies of Packilvania appoints 1 delegate each.
- The Sultan of Packilvania appoints 20 Princes of the Bedonite dynasty and 10 members of the nobility of Packilvania.
Legislative Process
An executive department or agency will normally investigate an issue or approach to policy direction from the Sultan, Prime Minister, Council of Ministers or other source as applicable. It will then publish its findings and conclusions in a report. The department will subsequently prepare a Green Paper which is a draft of potential policy and legislative ideas in response to or based on the outcomes of one or more reports. Typically, this will be followed by a White Paper which states the department's official position based on feedback received from the Green Paper. The White Paper, once adopted by the Council of Ministers, will feed into the drafting of new bills (legislative proposals) by that department. Once the bill has received feedback from various stakeholders and been updated accordingly, it will be presented to the Council of Ministers of Packilvania for approval. The bill can go through several rounds before being permitted to be presented by the Minister to the Parliament based on an agenda set by the relevant Presiding Officer.
Bills are first presented to a committee, but the Parliament is informed of the bill. In some cases, a house of Parliament may elect to set up an ad hoc committee specifically for the bill or for bills falling within a specific topic. Ordinarily, bills are reviewed by standing committees. These bodies will read the law, interview experts or stakeholders, consult with the public through public forums or surveys, and suggest modifications. They will go back and forth with the Minister concerned until the Committee is happy to present the law to the house of Parliament. The presiding officer will set a date and call a plenary. The bill will be read and members will be allowed to comment on the bill. Once one or more members motion to vote on the bill and one or more members second the motion, the presiding officer will call a vote. If the required quorum is met, the law will be presented to the Sultan of Packilvania who will either sign the law thereby granting imperial assent, present the law back to the Parliament for a second vote, do nothing (the bill may lapse if Parliament is not in session, triggering a restart of the process, or be passed without signature if Parliament is in session and a certain duration expires), or refuse to sign the law, vetoing it.
This process normally applies to the Legislative Council since it is much smaller and its members serve full time and all live in Bingol. The Consultative Assembly normally only listens to the Prime Minister's State of the Empire Address and the members do not debate it as would be done in a democracy. Instead, they hold a vote to recognise the State of the Empire Addres. Then the Minister of Finance will present the annual budget. The Prime Minister or another Minister can also present a Constitutional Amendment. While the Legislative Council might have gone through the former process in full, by the time it gets to the Consultative Assembly, the Legislative Council would have passed the budget, or constitutional amendment. The Speaker of the Consultative Assembly will simply initiate a vote for these bills without discussion from the floor. The vote is largely symbolic as the Consultative Assembly has never disagreed with the Legislative Council.
Because members of the Consultative Assembly know of their appointment at least a year in advance of the one week session, they can form working groups and undertake investigations of particular issues and compile reports or statements that they can submit to the Chairperson in advance of the meeting to be adopted as non-binding resolutions by the Consultative Assembly. The assembly's members will then be circulated the proposed resolutions and adopt them without debate. These working groups are not formal committees but they enable members to work together to organise public forums. The Consultative Assembly may not force government officials to appear for questioning. They also do not have access to copies of the budget or a constitutional amendment before it is presented to them except for information available in the public domain.
Emoluments and Administration
The members of the Legislative Council are full-time employees of the Crown. They are paid salaries and granted other emoluments in terms of the Civil List as determined by law. This includes a pension, medical aid, various forms of insurance, and various allowances for transportation and housing. The members are also granted offices and staff, and all the equipment that they need to exercise their duties is provided by the executive branch through the Department of Legislative Affairs. Members are immune from prosecution for the work that they do during their work, but members can be removed by the Legislative Council via a vote of the Disciplinary Committee for an offence. The Disciplinary Committee is appointed by the Speaker. Because the Speaker normally appoint members loyal to the government, in reality members do not defy the executive branch in any substantive way because of fear of dismissal.
The members of the Consultative Assembly do not receive a salary. They do however receive a stipend for transport and accommodation during the week of the session. At the discretion of the Minister of Legislative Affairs, arrangements can be made for the government to provide transport and accommodation where it makes sense to do so and he is expected to do so equitably and fairly to enable maximum participation with a view to empowering the poorest members to participate as far as posssible. The government forbids employers from firing citizens called to the Consultative Assembly because of their absence during the one week session. They do not have immunity for work done outside the session and can be relieved of their right to participate if they are imprisoned, a fugitive of the law, bankrupt, renounce their citizenship, move abroad, failed to appear without being excused in a previous session, or commit certain offences in the course the year of their selection.
Perception and Public Image
The Parliament is generally seen as a rubber stamp by foreign bodies. To a degree, this is true especially in relation to the Consultative Assembly which lacks formal powers to present bills, or which lacks the cohesion, support and protection to criticise the Legislative Council or the executive branch. Nevertheless, in Packilvania, polling of the public by various bodies has found that while they perceive the Consultative Assembly as symbolic, the majority of respondents have said that they are "proud" or "honoured" to be summoned to participate. Studies have shown that many people participate in the body because it gives them opportunities to network and present their issues to a larger public audience. In reality, the Consultative Assembly is more of a conference of citizens across cultures, ages, genders, and economic strata to participate in the political system.
Perceptions of the Legislative Council are mixed. On one hand the body provides representation to various stakeholders, and enables the elite in Packilvania to co-ordinate legislative action and debate important issues. On the other hand, the body is seen as exclusionary and undemocratic, offering indirect representation to the citizens through members from provinces and autonomous cities. Some believe that the body enables astute people in various fields to legislate instead of politicians whose primary path to power is popularity. On the other, they feel that the body excludes marginalised groups. Because the body has quotas for demographic representation, most studies have indicated that the majority of people feel that they have some representation in the body. Another poll found that the majority of people are unaware of its work, uninformed of its processes and ways to participate. Attempts have been made by the body to engage the public such as establishing cable and satellite television channels, social media channels, holding public forums, organising conferences and public forums, publishing information through its website, sending representatives to current affairs and analysis programs, contributing to periodicals and publications etc.
The foreign media and public is generally very harsh in its perceptions of the Parliament. They often describe and perceive it as a rubber stamp body with no real power or influence. They also describe it as a tool used by corrupt and out-of-touch politicians to build networks, gain access to public contracts, to influence legislation to the benefit of themselves, their families, business or political allies. The fact that the body is not transparent about the investments of its members, or that it does not open its question times with the executive branch to the public, undermines executive accountability. The body has been parodied by various outlets as a sham and lacking any credibility.
Seat
The seat of the Parliament is the Palace of Parliament (luQasoor aluMijhalis luBas). It is located in the Imperial District (luShtarmne luShahitishme) of Bingol on Parliament Hill (luShumetmne aluMijhalis luBas). It is served by the Parliament Metro Station (luBaan aluMijhalis luBas) of the Bingol Metro which lies only a few metres from the main entrance. Its main facade sits on a public square but the rest of the building is surrounded by lush gardens and greenery that serve as a public park. It is accessible by dedicated bicycle and pedestrian pathways. It is fairly close to other historic public buildings such as the Temple of the Authority and the Bingol Royal Palace.
The Palace of Parliament consists of a large central dome and several towers and wings. It is built in the 18th century Revivalist and Classical architectural style characteristic of the Demirite dynasty's public works projects in Bingol. The building is built from a combination of materials such as marble and brick. It contains the convocation chamber of the Legislative Council and the old chamber of the Consultative Assembly. The building is not big enough to host the Consultative Assembly, which meets in a large auditorium of capable of seating up to 6,000 people including in the galleries at one time. It was built by the Communist Party to house the National People's Congress. When the Assembly is not in session, the annex serves as a conference centre. Most of the offices of the members are houses in adjacent buildings while the main building primarily contains museums and committee rooms.