Parliament of Packilvania

Parliament of Packilvania luMijhalis luBas aBakhilfaniya (Packilvanian)
Type
Term limits	None
Established	1680 (first time) 1985 (second time)
Leadership
Chairman of the Legislative Council	Prince Ajhar since Appointment
Speaker of the Consultative Assembly	Prince Khalim since Lottery
Structure
Length of term	5 years (Legislative Council) 1 week (Consultative Assembly)
Legislative Council	±300
Consultative Assembly	±4,000
Elections
Voting system	Appointment (Legislative Council) Lottery (Consultative Assembly)

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

Palace of Parliament as viewed from the Parliament Gardens

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

Palace of Parliament as viewed from Parliament Square with the Oratorial Pavilion to the left

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.

Seats in the Legislative Council are awarded to constituencies every 5 years as follows:

• The Provincial Legislatures appoint 20 delegates and the Autonomous City Legislatures appoint 10 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.

Seat

Palace of Parliament as seen from the Belhadeen Bridge

The seat of the Parliament is the Palace of Parliament. It is located in the Imperial District of Bingol. It is served by the Parliament Metro Station 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.