Archive:Politics of Sialia

Executive Government

The State is headed by the President, who runs as an Independent, politically speaking. The President has a largely ceremonial role, but does have political power in standing as the Emir of the Capital region. The President, does not, however sit on the Emirate Council - but they are responsible for officially electing a Premier (who is chosen by the Council).

The Premier is the head of state, and has a role identical to that of a Prime Minister. The Premier is responsible for ensuring the Board Leaders, and the Boards themselves, are fulfilling their required tasks (known as Portfolios), and also for serving as Leader of the Board of the State.

A third important role in the Government is the Leader of the National Assembly, colloquially known as the Prime Leader. It was not felt the Emirate Council needed a Chairperson, as it consists of only 5 members. The Prime Leader is also independent from any political parties, and serves as an objective moderator and enabler of the discussion that takes place in the National Assembly.

There are 16 Boards in the Sialan Government, and these (along with their Portfolios) are summarised below. There are 2 major Boards (listed first) - whose functions are considered to be vital to international stability. Then, there are 12 minor Boards - whose functions are considered to be vital to national security. Lastly, there are 2 Boards, which have been created only recently, to deal with relatively modern issues. There were propositions to create a 17th Board - the Board of Cybersecurity - but these roles were instead assumed by the Board of Defence.

Each Board Leader is ex officio a member of the Executive Office (see #Offices below).

Board of War

This Board does not have a permanent Board Leader, as it is not always necessary. In times of civil and international unrest, this board is jointly headed by the Premier and the Board Leader of Defence, and is responsible for (contrary to the name) conducting emergency diplomatic procedures and negotiations, so as to achieve peace. In times of relative international peace, this Board is considered a proxy of the Sialan Diplomatic Missions (excluding those in the Šarkunen peninsula), which all can operate under - this gives them greater authority, and the ability to grant temporary official documents (like emergency passports and National ID cards). In recent times, there have been petitions to rename this board to the Board of Diplomacy, and these are currently being reviewed by the Emirate Council; a decision is expected soon.

Green Board

This Board was previously known as the Board of Fishing and Agriculture, but it has since been granted extra power, and is now responsible for overseeing and regulating all Sialan environmental affairs.

Legislative Government

In the Sialan Government, almost all of the legislative power is vested in the National Assembly, with some also in the Emirate Council. The Legislation, therefore, is bicameral.

The Upper House (the Emirate Council and Board of Islands) has the power to veto any bill, with a 4/5 majority. It's other function is to decide on a Premier (Head of Government), who is officially nominated by the President (Head of State). This House is comprised the Emirs from each of the 5 emirates.

The Lower House (the National Assembly) is made of a number Delegates from each Emirate, proportional to the population of that Emirate. This is usually judged as 1 Delegate per 2 Prefectures. Bills submitted to this chamber under go the following processes before being debated:

• The bill is examined for possible offence-causing material by the Board of Administration.
• The bill is checked for factual and grammatical errors by the Board of Regulation.
• The proposer of the bill is contacted by the Board of Statistics for:
  1. The formulation of an argument;
  2. The provision of relevant statistics; and
  3. The distribution of information to all Assembly Delegates.
• The proposer is submitted to the Board of Regulation for a further examination of the new argument.

After this rigorous process, the bill is debated by the NADs (National Assembly Delegates), and all those supporting the bill sit on the right, while all those opposing the bill sit on the left. The impartial Assembly Leader, and all Board Leaders sit at the back of the chamber. The proposer stands at the lectern in the centre, flanked by his pre-nominated deputies. Non-voting members of the Boards of Regulation and Administration sit in the outer circles.

The National Assembly has 13 Senior Delegates, who are elected by the most popular prefectures. These, along with the Leader of the National Assembly, make up the Legislative Office.(see #Offices below)

Judiciary Government

The Judiciary power is entirely separate from the rest of the Government in Sialia, with the closest link being with the Board of Justice.

It is exercised by 3 bodies:

1. The Upper (Major) Court of Law - The Court of Barristers
2. The Lower (Minor) Court of Law - The Court of Solicitors
3. The Court of Notaries

Court of Notaries (3rd Court)

The Court of Notaries deals with minor offences ("summary offences"), and is akin to a Magistrates court. These are led by a Tertiary Judge, deal with 90% of offences, and can sentence an individual to:

• Up to 6 months of penal servitude;
• A fine of up to ß7500; and/or
• A Community Sentence of less than 2 weeks.

Please note: these sentences are per offence, and so could sum to more.

Court of Solicitors (2nd Court)

If a crime is felt too serious, it will be sent to the Court of Solicitors, and classified as an "indictable offence". This will be led by a Secondary Judge, and will be attended by a jury of 10. Appeals from the CoN are sent to this Court. This court can give sentences of:

• Up to 4 years of penal servitude;
• A fine of up to ß50 000; and/or
• A Community Sentence of less than 12 months.

Again, note: these sentences are per offence, and so could sum to more.

Court of Barristers (1st Court)

The final court if the Court of Barristers. This is led mostly by a Primary Judge, but also present to lead and advise are: a legal expert (provided by the Board of Justice); and an expert in the field that the case involves, or another legal professional (nominated by the Court staff). This court can give unlimited sentences, and deals with appeals from the CoS and any very serious offences. There are only 20 Primary Judges nationwide, and these Judges also make up the Judicial Office (see #Offices below).

Offices

The Sialan Government also has 5 Offices, which meet to discuss:

• Any very serious criminal offences;
• Bills to amend the National Constitution; and
• Governmental impeachments and reshufflings.

Each Office's members are from the respective field that they serve, and in this way, the Office system is highly meritocratic. The 5 Offices, along with their members (known as Officers, of which there are 75 in total) are detailed further below.

Leading Office

The Leading Office is made up of:

• The President;
• The Premier; and
• Up to 8 other Government officials, chosen by the Emirate Council (this can be, and frequently is, the Emirs).

Legislative Office

The Leader of the National Assembly and the 13 National Assembly Senior Delegates make up the Legislative Office. This Office is also required to submit the agenda from any NA debates surrounding the issue.

Executive Office

The Executive Office is made of the 16 Board Leaders.

Judiciary Office

The Judiciary Office is formed by the 20 Primary Judges - long-standing experts in the legal profession.

Professional Office

This office is the only one not staffed by Government officials. It is made of up to 25 professionals (usually University academics and research professionals) in the field of debate. These are nominated by the Emirate Council and the Leading Office. They also serve as impartial representatives during the discussion.