Tretrid: Difference between revisions

Ælfric III, the current King of Tretrid, serves as the head of state. The Tretridian throne is ''de facto'' [[w:Hereditary monarchy|hereditary]] as a result of various laws governing the succession, but the succession is ''de jure'' [[w:Elective monarchy|elective]], with the Witenagemot undergoing a largely ceremonial vote to confirm the accession of each monarch. The King serves a largely ceremonial role within the Tretridian government, but reserves certain powers that can be used in an emergency.

The Witenagemot, often referred to even in official sources as the Witan (which literally refers to the collective of the body's members instead of the body itself) originally served a role akin to that of a [[w:privy council|privy council]]. It originally consisted exclusively of major nobility and religious leaders. In 1292, the Witan was divided into an upper house, the Athelmoot (''Æþelmōt''), while a lower house, the Folkmoot (''Folcmōt'') was created to give representation to major towns throughout Tretrid. From Tretridian unification until the [[War of the Tretridian Succession]], the Witan generally filled whatever role the King saw fit to give it.

However, the Witan's role was greatly expanded during the Tretridian Anarchy, and it would slowly grow in political power over the 19th century as a result of various political reforms, such that, by the 1930, its status as the plenary legislature in Tretrid was largely undisputed, even by the King. The Athelmoot and the Folkmoot would be merged in 1957, leaving the Witan as a unicameral body, and with the 1971 Reform Act, voting privileges were revoked from non-elected members of the Witan (the nobles and religious leaders who had been irrelevant for more than a century at that point). While these non-voting seats still remain part of the Witenagemot, they are largely ceremonial and politically impotent.

Election to the Witan is done through [[w:single transferable vote|single transferable vote]], with the amount of each representative each constituency elects apportioned proportionally to correspond with its share of the total population. The Witan currently has 497 voting seats.