Politics of Iboma

Queendom of Iboma
Lutendane la'Iboma
	Coat of arms of Iboma
Polity type	Unitary matriarchy, theocracy and parliamentary democracy under an elective constitutional monarchy
Constitution	Uncodified (most important document is the Covenant of the Twelve Tribes)
Formation	January 1, 1600; 424 years ago
Legislative branch
Name	National Assembly
Type	Bicameral
Meeting place	Komodu
Presiding officer	Mujaji va Kananero, Speaker of the Chamber
	Upper house
Name	Legislative Council
Presiding officer	Mujaji va Kananero, Speaker of the Chamber
Appointer	Single member constituencies, plurality, ranked-choice voting
	Lower house
Name	Representative Council
Presiding officer	Jamima va Nala, Presiding Officer
Appointer	Lottery1
Executive branch
	Head of State
Title	Queen of Iboma
Currently	Rutendo III
Appointer	Queen's Trials
	Head of Government
Title	Grand Vizier of Iboma
Currently	Rufaro va Asanda
Appointer	Queen
	Cabinet
Name	High Council of Iboma
Leader	Grand Vizier
Appointer	Queen
Headquarters	Komodu
Judicial branch
Name	Judiciary of Iboma
	Supreme Chamber of Justice
Seat	Komodu

This page or section is not canon and should not be considered part of current TEP Evolved RP.

The politics of Iboma take place in the framework of a unitary constitutional monarchy representative democracy and theocracy. The Constitution is uncodified, comprising longstanding unwritten political conventions and written laws, most of which emanate from the Covenant of the Twelve Tribes (Chitsingamunyi chaziMbuna z’Tsuminambiri), arguably the founding document of Iboma.

The Queen of Iboma (Mutenda maIboma) is the head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces. Succession is open to all females who in turn undergo a rigorous selection process testing physical, intellectual and interpersonal traits called the Queen's Trials (Zikitsimiso zamuTenda). The Queen appoints the High Council (Likonzili l’Hina) which consists of the Grand Vizier (Muviziri m’Ra) and Councilors of State (Bakonzili beluNe). The Grand Vizier is the head of government and oversees the running of day-to-day affairs of the government.

The bicameral National Assembly (Limbuyalothe l’Fatsile) consists of the Legislative Council (Likonzili l’Tsingazimiso) and the Representative Council (Likonzili l’Hwemberabanu). The elected Legislative Council wields most of the political power, whilst the Representative Council, which is selected by lottery, has an advisory role in the law-making process. The judicial branch comprises the Supreme Court (Limbiko l’Tsumihulu) and lesser trial and appellate courts. The strong role of the Akronist Church of Iboma (Limashidi l’Akronisti laIboma) in public and political life has entrenched Akronist values, such as a matriarchal rule, into legislation and policy.

Founding

Originally there were 12 tribes which lived in the islands that today comprise Iboma. They were autonomous and ruled over themselves. However, they recognized the symbolic position of a Matriarch who was a symbol of their shared heritage. Unfortunately, they were facing several challenges in the late 16th century such as natural disasters and foreign invasion. Unable to coordinate their efforts and pool resources due to mutual distrust and self-interest they remained weak and suffered greatly. The first Queen and last Matriarch, Mujaji I, brought the leaders of the nations together at Komodu and convinced them to form a united country with her as the Queen. They agreed and this agreement is called the Covenant of the Twelve Tribes.

Constitution

Iboma does not have a written Constitution in the vein of other constitutional political systems. All of the extant statutes, long-standing political customs and judicial precedent form the basis of the political system and thus together comprise the Constitution. It has been possible for the country to maintain such a Constitution because the Golden Elves live much longer than other species like humans, lupines or vulpines, so they have more time to entrench their political system and to cultivate successors who will maintain it. Thus, the country's way of working has persisted for over 4 centuries.

Monarch

The sovereignty of the nation and the existence of the state vests in and emanates from the Crown. The Crown is empowered with royal prerogatives to exercise the sovereignty and authority with which it is vested. However, the Crown is an incorporeal entity that only manifests through the person of the Queen. As such, during her reign, the Queen holds the Crown in trust until it passes to the next Queen. Thus, the Queen has the power to exercise the royal prerogatives vested in the Crown. The Queen is immune but her ministers are responsible. This means that the Queen is immune from prosecution, but she is required to act on the advice of her democratically elected ministers. As such she cannot exercise many of the royal prerogatives of the Crown independently of the institutions and officials of her government except in specific cases.

These constraints on the monarch's practical authority arose as a result of tradition, convention and statutes. The Crown cannot give itself more royal prerogatives and is bound by the statutes it passes as such the process of constraints on the monarch's power in the day to day running of government is largely irreversible. Instead, the monarch's practical role in the government is restricted to emergency powers and largely symbolic functions.

The Queen has the following ceremonial functions (this means that the monarch cannot exercise independent discretion and is usually asked by the Chancellor to perform these functions and cannot refuse to do so):

To grant pardons
To grant and withhold peerages
To grant royal assent to bills
To appoint the leader of the largest party in the Council of the People as Chancellor
To appoint State Councillors
To appoint Justices of the Supreme and High Chambers of Justice
To declare war and make peace
To conclude international agreements and treaties
To dissolve the Council of the People and call for new elections
To read the Speech from the Throne and announce the official opening of the annual sessions of the National Assembly
To alienate and acquire assets of the Crown Estate. The Crown Estate consists of properties owned by the Crown such as Kalangara Palace (the official residence of the Queen) and the Royal Regalia of Iboma.
To receive the accreditations of foreign ambassadors and to grant letters patents to Ibomian ambassadors

The Queen has the discretion to exercise the following powers:

To appoint and dismiss members of the Council of Electors and the Council of State
To appoint a Regent
To grant and withdraw military decorations and orders of chilvalry
To grant and withhold sinecure positions in the Council of Elders
To hold audiences with the Chancellor, to informed by them and to counsel them on political and state affairs
To hold audiences with the High Priestess of the Akronist Church of Iboma
To receive intelligence reports from the nation's various intelligence services
To request the amendment of bills where they affect her personal interests

The Council of State has the power to declare by a majority vote of a quorate sitting the Queen as permanently incapacitated thereby ending her reign. The Queen's reign can also end if she passed away or abdicates. When the Queen's reign ends, the Council of State is said to hold to the Crown in trust. This means that it exercises all the powers of the Crown until a new Queen is elected. It can appoint a Regent until the Council of Electors votes for a new Queen. A Regent exercise all the functions of the Queen but they cannot remove or appoint members of the Council of Electors or the Council of State. The Council of State normally issues a summons for the members of the Council of Electors to attend a meeting to elect the Queen. The Council of State is appointed by the preceding Queen while she is on the throne. The current Council of State consists of:

Chairwoman: Lady Raminda nga Mfuraniya, 7th Countess of Hungura (appointed in 2012)
12th Baroness Ndjamira, the Profound Estimable Thongayi nga Lupumbuwa (appointed in 2015)
Lady Mfungira, 10th Marchioness of Lathinguwa (appointed in 2009)

The Queen will appoint the Council of Electors in her lifetime. The Council of Electors deliberates on and elects by simple majority vote of a quorate sitting a new Queen. The Council of Electors can only choose a Queen who is a citizen of Iboma, a person above the age of majority (i.e., above the age of 18) and a member of the Akronist Church of Iboma in good standing. The Council of Electors consists of the following members all of whom were appointed by Queen Rutendo III:

Chairwoman: Lady Ishmira nga Yugunda, 12th Duchess of Tshiramedza
Lady Tapiwa nga Fumanda, 8th Duchess of Shumbaya
Lady Umbira nga Hagayi, 9th Duchess of Zaruwera
Lady Famida nga Tshipina, 5th Duchess of Mburambura
Lady Kudzayi nga Pfuruwani, 16th Duchess of Yamambira
Elder Nankaringa nga Sarayi
Elder Ruthingira nga Hudufime
Elder Majwita nga Bumiwayo
Elder Yelela nga Satiya

The Council of State can by a majority vote of a quorate sitting declare the Queen temporarily incapacitated and appoint a Regent to assume her roles and duties until she returns and her temporary incapacity is concluded. This happens if the Queen goes missing or gets an illness that she needs to convalesce. However, the Queen can appoint a Regent of her own will if she intends to temporarily rest or intends to be away.

Since 1721, the Council of Electors has always chosen a member of the House of Mujaji. Usually the Council of Electors elects the eldest daughter of the Queen and in the absence of daughters, it elects her closest female relative such as her younger sister or her oldest first cousin. There are rare cases where the Council of Electors has chosen a younger daughter to ascend the throne. This happened for example in 1912 when Queen Makadzi I who was the second daughter of Queen Umbira II, was elected instead of Waditya nga Umbira II her elder sister because Waditya was married to a foreigner and joined his religion and was not eligible to be elected Queen, and in 1978 when Alisha nga Mujaji III declined the nomination to retain a civilian life and thus her younger sister Makadzi II was elected instead.cases where the eldest daughter.

The Queen has various emoluments as follows:

A tax-free stipend paid by the government
The use of various royal residences owned by the Crown Estate
The protection and escort of a military regiment when travelling and in place
A staff provided and paid for by the government to administer her court

There are various symbols of the Queen that are used by the government:

Judicial decisions are imparted in her name
Her Crown appears on various state symbols
Her image is used on coinage, banknotes and stamps
Military and civilian officials make oaths of service to her
Naturalised citizens say their oaths to her
Passports ask for protection for the traveller in her name

The official title of the Queen is as follows: By the Grace of the All-Mother, Rutendo III, Queen of Iboma, Supreme Guardian of the Akronist Church of Iboma, Duchess of Komodu. The only title not attached to the Crown is Duchess of Komodu. This title is attached to the Queen in her personal capacity and arises because she is the head of the House of Mujaji which holds the Duchy of Komodu. The title of Supreme Guardian of the Akronist Church of Iboma arises because the Queen of Iboma is not only expected to rule according to the teachings of Akronism but the belief is that Iboma exists as a nation and the Crown exists solely because of and from the Goddess Akrona, as such it is the Queen's duty to protect and uphold the Akronist Church of Iboma. The practical effect of the title of Supreme Guardian is that it establishes the Akronist Church of Iboma as the state religion of Iboma.

Executive branch

The executive branch of the government of Iboma is known as the Queen-in-Council. This is because legally the Queen exercises executive functions by issuing Orders-in-Council which are basically executive decrees issued on the advice or with the witness of the Council of Elders (depending on the discretion that the Queen has to issue said Orders-in-Council). The Executive Committee of the Council of Elders, also known as the Council of Ministers, is the body that issues most Orders-in-Council on behalf of the Queen (or the Crown to be more specific) and she merely grants her formal ascension to them as requested (or in practice as directed) by the Chancellor. However, there are Orders-in-Council that she can issue at her discretion (see the section on the Monarchy). Because of the legal principal that the Queen is immune and the her ministers are responsible, her signature is a mere formality and the Orders-in-Council are considered binding the moment they are approved by the competent minister or body.

There are Orders-in-Council issued in terms of ancient royal prerogatives but they can also be issued in terms of statute. When a law is created, it normally specifies which minister or more accurately which executive portfolio or regulatory body is responsible for its enforcement. By consequence, the National Assembly grants the Crown by statute various non-royal prerogatives which are in turn exercised by the executive branch in the name of the Crown. The formulation of many Orders-in-Council begins with a statement such as "The Queen hereby decrees..."

The Chancellor is the chair of the Council of Ministers. Many of the inherent royal prerogatives of the Crown can only be exercised with the formal advice of the Chancellor. This means once the Chancellor advises the Queen to approve of an Order-in-Council to exercise a royal prerogative (over which she has no discretion), she cannot refuse. She is seen to have agreed the moment the request is made and the advice is given. As such, in reality, the Chancellor exercises many of the main executive functions of the Crown and as such is the de facto head of government. The only practical obligation that the Chancellor has to the Queen with respect to these executive royal prerogatives is that she must inform her and listen to (but not obey) her counsel. This happens in frequent meetings that the Chancellor has.

In practice, the Chancellor dismisses and appoints the other members of the Council of Minister who are known as the State Councillors. State Councillors meet every week to discuss important government matters and to approve various executive decisions that do not fall into the hands of a single member. The Lady President of the Council of Elders is responsible to taking and publishing minutes of the meetings of the Council of Ministers. Unless, she is a State Councillor as well, she is not considered a member and can neither vote nor deliberate.

The State Councillors are usually heads of executive departments known as State Offices. These State Offices has various functions over the running of the government as follows:

Treasury: Budget, taxes, accounts, economic policy, foreign trade, internal commerce
Education: Schools, universities, teachers, curricula
Justice: Courts and tribunals, prisons, police, parole boards, legal profession, prosecutions
Defence: the military, arms manufacturing industry, military intelligence
Foreign Affairs: foreign relations, international agreements, alliances, memberships, immigration
Home Affairs: civilian intelligence, state security, identity documents, border security, citizenship and nationality, disaster response
Social Development: trade unions, workers, non-governmental organisations, social work, social welfare, vulnerable groups rights
Health: hospitals, clinics, medical and allied professions, health insurance
Housing and Infrastructure: Roads, ports, airports, railways, property development, city planning, public housing
Water: dams, reservoirs, pipes, sewerage, water treatment facilities
Mining and Energy: power plants, transmission and distribution, mines, gas and oil pipelines, petrol retail
Environment and Food Security: farming, fishing, forestry, nature reserves, greenhouse gas emissions, meteorological services, food retail
Church Affairs: Akronist Church of Iboma
Culture: Sport, culture, arts, tourism, national heritage

Legislature

The National Assembly is the bicameral legislative branch of the government of Iboma. It consists of the Legislative Council and the Representative Council. The Legislative Council is vastly more powerful than the Representative Council. The purpose of the Representative Council is to give ordinary citizens a chance to participate in politics and influence the way the country is governed. Members of the Legislative Council are called Legislators (Batsingazimiso) and the members of the Representative Council are called Representatives (Bahwemberabanu).

Legislative Council

The Legislative Council has the power to:

Ratify treaties. Without its approval, no treaty concluded by the Queen will become enforceable upon the nation.
Approve the annual budget and any other spending bills.
Pass, amend and repeal all laws on any topic. In cases where a devolved government or another part of the government has legislative authority, the Legislative Council may simply amend or repeal that law or pass overriding legislation to change those powers.
Summon government officials and subpoena government documents. When documents are classified, then either a declassified version is made available to the Council or only members of a Standing Committee responsible for secret affairs is allowed to view them.
Demand reports of the state of the nation from the government.
Pass non-binding resolutions.

The Legislative Council is elected by voting age citizens of Iboma (regardless of where they are in the world as long as they are not barred by the law from voting such as mentally unwell people or prisoners and exiles). Candidates to the position of Legislator must be able to vote in the election for which they want to stand and they must be either 28 years of age and above for females or 35 years of age and above for males. Usually men comprise only 8% of the Legislative Council, as women control the political system through shear wealth and political influence.

Representative Council

The Representative Council has the power to pass non-binding resolutions on any topic, to deliberate and make recommendations on proposed legislation, and to request (not demand) oral and/or written reports from government officials. Members of this body are able to use soft power to influence the legislative process. This body forms the back-bone of public consultation because it organizes public meetings with members of the public where views on proposed legislation can be expressed and collated. This body also organized polls and undertakes investigates and publishes reports for the consideration of the Legislative Council and the rest of the government. They also meet with Legislators in informal and formal ways through their shared space in Komodu. Thus, they can share the concerns of their people with Legislators.

The Representative Council is chosen by a lottery. In the past this was done by picking names out of a hat. It evolved to a system where numbers would randomly come out of a lottery machine and which ever person has that combination of numbers in their ID number was selected. This process was replaced with one where a computer randomly decides who becomes a Representative. To be selected, someone must consent to being selected. So, the lottery cannot select people who are not interested. To be eligible for selection, one has to be able to vote in the election for the Legislative Council. No restrictions exist here. However, men only comprise 16% of the thing. Usually men are not as interested in politics because they do not feel like they can make a difference and because they have too many domestic tasks to run for political office. Recently, the government has tried to change this by offering child care support to full-time dads to encourage men to participate. Members get paid a stipend and the Council has money allocated to administer its duties.

Judiciary

Judicial bodies

The judiciary has the duty to administer justice, settle disputes and ensure that the Constitution is followed by all levels of the government. It consists of the following Chambers.

The Supreme Chamber of Justice is the highest court in the land. It has the power to strike down government actions that violate the law. It can receive appeals on any case and the outcome of its decisions are binding on all lower and future courts and only another sitting of the Supreme Chamber of Justice has the power to overturn its decisions. The are cases where the Supreme Court can rule on whether the government has legislated effectively or appropriately in areas where it ought to have as stipulated by the spirit and letter of the law. This is a symbolic but highly influential act. The head of the court and head of the judiciary as a whole is the Supreme Guardian of Justice. The court consists of the SGJ and the Great Guardians of Justice who are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Royal Judicial Commission which undertakes a rigorous appointment process.
The High Chambers of Justice are chambers distributed across the country. There is one in the capital city of each province. It has the power to receive appeals and all appeals to the Supreme Chamber must have passed to a High Chamber first. These bodies have the power to set precedent that is binding on all courts within the province of their jurisdiction. They also have the power to strike down provincial and lower governments' actions and decisions that violate the law. The head of each chamber is called the President of the High Chamber, but has the rank of a Great Guardian of Justice. Other members of the High Chamber are Senior Guardians of Justice. They are appointed by the Supreme Chamber of Justice based on nominations from the Royal Judicial Commission of their Province.
The Regional Benches are staffed by Regional Guardians of Justice who are appointed by the High Chamber of their Province. They hear the trials of the most severe cases and they can mete out the most severe punishments. They have no judicial precedent or power over smaller courts.
The District Benches are the lowest rung of courts and are staffed by District Guardians appointed by the High Court. A District may have several District Benches within it. Unlike Chambers, in Benches, only one Guardian makes a decision.

Legal system

The country follows a unique system originating from Iboma. Ibomian law comes from several sources: primary legislation of the National Assembly, secondary legislation of the provinces, church and executive branch, judicial precedent and long-standing judicial and political customs. Primary legislation overruled all other types of laws, followed by judicial precedent, followed by secondary legislation, followed by custom and convention.

Most of the time anyone can bring a case but they must prove to the Guardian that their case is valid. The Guardian decides to hear it. If they do, they summon the person against whom the charge is made. Both sides present evidence and cross-examine witnesses to prove their side of the story. The Guardian then makes a decision on a remedy. It can include anything from demanding an apology to ordering an execution (based on the type of case). An appeal on the other hand only looks at whether there where procedural or substantive issues in the decision that was made. In turn the higher body can overturn that decision, order a retrial or give its own decision. Judicial decisions of High and Supreme Chambers are recorded in official publications called Bulletins. In Iboma a Counselor is a legal professional who can give legal advice and help people ith their legal issues whereas a Defender brings cases to the Chamber and represents people in that body.