Difference between revisions of "Federal Assembly (Balakia)"
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==History== | ==History== | ||
===Initial adoption=== | |||
The [[Maram Qakate]] would begin to industrialise in the 1830s, and with the resulting increase of influences from Ekuosia, the Maram Assembly was reorganised and an imported [[Terminian system]] of parliament adopted. With Maram being the driving force behind Balak unification and the dominant regional power, its adapted Terminian system would become the basis for the parliament of a united Balak Empire in 1866. The Council of Kings, as the upper house was then known, would consist of delegations from the formerly independent polities, as well as the Imperial Government itself, while the lower house, then the Council of Lords, still consisted of the entire nobility as was the case in Terminia. | |||
===The 1891 Constitution=== | |||
As the Balak Empire was established and greatly expanded under the reign of Emperor [[Jimâşim I]], the system as inherited from Maram became unwieldy and inconvenient. With unrest already needing to be addressed in the colonies (with revolts in [[South Herayan]] being chief among them), Jimâşim hoped to expand the federal system to grant representation to the colonies as constituents unto themselves. A simple extension of the contemporary system was, however, impractical, as it was difficult for Councillors to legislate for both their colony and for the Empire as a whole as things stood. Another concern was a severe imbalance in power, as under the current constitution, the system had been flooded, and more recently exploited, by a myriad of [[Sonkhai people|Sonkhai]] soursop farmers who qualified as landed nobility in [[Sonka]]. | |||
To address these issues, the 1891 Constitution included parliamentary reforms and introduced further democratic elements. For one, the Noble Council was reorganised into the Common Council, with the positions noblemen had previously held within the council by default instead being reserved for specially elected local representatives. Regional assemblies and their procedures were better codified, and any proposal from the Council of Kings would be simultaneously run through all regional assemblies (possible due to the lack of distinction between constituent legislatures and the Common Council), whereafter all the votes would be tallied up back in [[Qersheven]]. Furthermore, provisions were made for distinct upper houses for each constituent, meaning that Councillors approved legislation from both the Council of Kings and their own local upper houses. | |||
===Union of Shomosvan=== | |||
The Imperial Government effectively became a government in exile in 1952 due to the [[Kúúlism|Kúúlist]] takeover of the mainland in the [[Balak Golden Revolution]], with the Imperial Assembly operating from Sonka and a new [[Supreme Assembly of the Union of Shomosvan|Supreme Assembly]] established in its place. Meanwhile, the newly established [[Balak Helsonian Republic]], which soon merged with [[Gushlia]] to form the [[Union of Shomosvan]], also used a continuation of the Imperial model as a claimant to the rightful governorship of Balakia, having made the decision not to radically overhaul or abolish the system, much like in the [[Helsonian Union]]. A further justification used by Shomosvani officials was that the current system was already sufficient to represent the helsens. Newer, communal Kúúlist systems of governance were adopted more broadly at regional and local levels of government. | |||
A number of reforms were made by the Kúúlist regime that brought the parliament closer to its modern iteration. For one, there was a dramatic shift in the balance of power from the upper house to the lower house; the lower house was given an equal right to legislative initiative, while the cabinet was excluded from the upper house, which came to house regional delegations exclusively. The cabinet would operate independently of either chamber, and primarily consisted of high-ranking party officials, but would be accountable to the lower house. Any lower house member appointed to the cabinet would be forced to resign as representative if applicable, although this was a rare occurrence. While the composition and appointment of the lower house would change (for example with the representation of certain interest groups), the core structure remained intact. | |||
===Balak Federation=== | |||
The Supreme Assembly was supplanted by the modern Federal Assembly in 2002 as the new Balak constitution came into effect and the [[Balak Provisional Government|provisional government]] was abolished. ... Proportional elements, such as the party seats in the Common Council and vote allocation in the Council of Elders, were introduced in [year]. | |||
==Building== | ==Building== | ||
| Line 284: | Line 299: | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
[[Category:Balakia]] | [[Category:Balakia]] [[Category:Legislatures]] | ||
Revision as of 12:21, 25 January 2021
| National Assembly of the Balak Federation Balāk Cankoroc Movadareh Moḑem Balâk Şankoroş Movadareh Mojem | |
|---|---|
| 4th Federal Assembly | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | Bicameral |
| Houses | Common Council Council of Elders |
Term limits | None |
| Leadership | |
President of Balakia | |
TBD | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 1,345 Councillors 66 Elders |
| File:Common Council seats.svg | |
| File:Council of Elders seats.svg | |
Length of term | 5 years |
| Elections | |
Common Council voting system | Multiple proportional systems (varies by state) |
| Meeting place | |
| File:Balak Federal Assembly.png | |
| TBD, Qersheven | |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Balakia |
|---|
 |
| Politics |
|
States
City-states
|
| Languages |
|
Regional languages
Minority languages
|
| Religions |
| Historical entities |
The National Assembly of the Balak Federation (Balak: Balāk Cankoroc Movadareh Moḑem Balâk Şankoroş Movadareh Mojem [bɑˈlæ:k ˌʃɑŋkɔˈɾɔʃ mɔˌvɑdɑˈɾɛh mɔˈd͡ʒɛm]), commonly known as the Federal Assembly (Balak: Cankorocmoḑem Şankoroşmojem [ˌʃɑŋkɔˌɾɔʃmɔˈd͡ʒɛm]), is the supreme bicameral legislative body of Balakia. The Federal Assembly is a bicameral legislature operating under the Terminian parliamentary system, consisting of the Common Council and the Council of Elders, its lower and upper houses respectively.
History
Initial adoption
The Maram Qakate would begin to industrialise in the 1830s, and with the resulting increase of influences from Ekuosia, the Maram Assembly was reorganised and an imported Terminian system of parliament adopted. With Maram being the driving force behind Balak unification and the dominant regional power, its adapted Terminian system would become the basis for the parliament of a united Balak Empire in 1866. The Council of Kings, as the upper house was then known, would consist of delegations from the formerly independent polities, as well as the Imperial Government itself, while the lower house, then the Council of Lords, still consisted of the entire nobility as was the case in Terminia.
The 1891 Constitution
As the Balak Empire was established and greatly expanded under the reign of Emperor Jimâşim I, the system as inherited from Maram became unwieldy and inconvenient. With unrest already needing to be addressed in the colonies (with revolts in South Herayan being chief among them), Jimâşim hoped to expand the federal system to grant representation to the colonies as constituents unto themselves. A simple extension of the contemporary system was, however, impractical, as it was difficult for Councillors to legislate for both their colony and for the Empire as a whole as things stood. Another concern was a severe imbalance in power, as under the current constitution, the system had been flooded, and more recently exploited, by a myriad of Sonkhai soursop farmers who qualified as landed nobility in Sonka.
To address these issues, the 1891 Constitution included parliamentary reforms and introduced further democratic elements. For one, the Noble Council was reorganised into the Common Council, with the positions noblemen had previously held within the council by default instead being reserved for specially elected local representatives. Regional assemblies and their procedures were better codified, and any proposal from the Council of Kings would be simultaneously run through all regional assemblies (possible due to the lack of distinction between constituent legislatures and the Common Council), whereafter all the votes would be tallied up back in Qersheven. Furthermore, provisions were made for distinct upper houses for each constituent, meaning that Councillors approved legislation from both the Council of Kings and their own local upper houses.
Union of Shomosvan
The Imperial Government effectively became a government in exile in 1952 due to the Kúúlist takeover of the mainland in the Balak Golden Revolution, with the Imperial Assembly operating from Sonka and a new Supreme Assembly established in its place. Meanwhile, the newly established Balak Helsonian Republic, which soon merged with Gushlia to form the Union of Shomosvan, also used a continuation of the Imperial model as a claimant to the rightful governorship of Balakia, having made the decision not to radically overhaul or abolish the system, much like in the Helsonian Union. A further justification used by Shomosvani officials was that the current system was already sufficient to represent the helsens. Newer, communal Kúúlist systems of governance were adopted more broadly at regional and local levels of government.
A number of reforms were made by the Kúúlist regime that brought the parliament closer to its modern iteration. For one, there was a dramatic shift in the balance of power from the upper house to the lower house; the lower house was given an equal right to legislative initiative, while the cabinet was excluded from the upper house, which came to house regional delegations exclusively. The cabinet would operate independently of either chamber, and primarily consisted of high-ranking party officials, but would be accountable to the lower house. Any lower house member appointed to the cabinet would be forced to resign as representative if applicable, although this was a rare occurrence. While the composition and appointment of the lower house would change (for example with the representation of certain interest groups), the core structure remained intact.
Balak Federation
The Supreme Assembly was supplanted by the modern Federal Assembly in 2002 as the new Balak constitution came into effect and the provisional government was abolished. ... Proportional elements, such as the party seats in the Common Council and vote allocation in the Council of Elders, were introduced in [year].
Building
Composition and powers
Common Council
The Common Council comprises 1,345 representatives, known as Councillors, when in full session. Each state is allocated a set amount of Councillors by the federal government based on population, with an average of around 50,000 people represented per Councillor. Balakia operates under Terminian Federalism, and as such there are no independent state legislatures, only subdivisions of the Common Council. Thus it can also be said that the Common Council is comprised of all unicameral state legislatures.
| State | Population | Common Council seats |
Percent of seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayalshemir | 401,477 | 8 | 0.59% |
| Balachik | 9,194,768 | 184 | 13.68% |
| Boghshuy | 5,019,476 | 100 | 7.43% |
| Chindensven | 4,139,560 | 83 | 6.17% |
| Chindush | 3,108,642 | 62 | 4.61% |
| Covaya | 1,812,045 | 36 | 2.68% |
| Hamavan | 7,987,194 | 160 | 11.90% |
| Kazan | 2,569,139 | 51 | 3.79% |
| Kojara | 4,139,560 | 54 | 4.01% |
| Lower Maram | 5,108,567 | 102 | 7.58% |
| Manatak Autonomous Territory | 2,757,613 | 55 | 4.09% |
| Mechin | 1,035,875 | 21 | 1.56% |
| Qersheven | 7,248,604 | 145 | 10.78% |
| Tarashik | 6,294,764 | 126 | 9.37% |
| Upper Maram | 7,895,727 | 158 | 11.75% |
| Total | 67,258,126 | 1,345 | 100% |
Election
Balakia uses a multitude of voting systems to elect Councillors, who serve for a term of 5 Sayanic years following every general election. The Constitution of the Balak Federation outlines a state's rights and responsibilities in organising elections, namely that a state may decide on any proportional voting system to elect its number of appointed councillors. The vast majority of states use either mixed-member proportional representation or single transferable vote; Ayalshemir is the only state to use party-list proportional representation.
Council of Elders
Members of the Council of Elders are not elected, either by popular vote or by the state parliaments, but are instead delegated by the respective state government. They do not enjoy a free mandate and serve only as long as they are representing their state, not for a fixed period of time.
Normally, a state delegation consists of the State President (or Mayor in the case of city-states) and other cabinet ministers. The state cabinet may appoint as many delegates as the state has votes (all other ministers/senators are usually appointed as deputy delegates), but may also send just a single delegate to exercise all of the state's votes. In any case, the state has to cast its votes en bloc, i.e., without vote splitting. As state elections are not coordinated across Balakia and can occur at any time, the majority distributions in the Council of Elders can change after any such election.
The number of votes a state is allocated is based on a form of degressive proportionality according to its population. This way, smaller states have more votes than a distribution proportional to the population would grant. The allocation of votes is regulated by the Balak constitution. All of a state's votes are cast en bloc, either for or against or in abstention of a proposal. Each state is allocated at least three votes, and a maximum of six. States with more than
- 2 million inhabitants have 4 votes,
- 6 million inhabitants have 5 votes,
- 7 million inhabitants have 6 votes.
Presidency
Since 2002, the presidency of the Council of Elders has rotated annually among the State Presidents of each of the states. The order of succession is fixed, cycling through each of the states in alphabetical order (in the Vaniuan script), starting with Qersheven in 2002/2003.
| State | Population | Council of Elders votes |
Percentage of votes |
Population per vote |
Governing parties G (Government) N (Neutral) O (Opposition) |
Presidency | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayalshemir | 401,477 | 3 █ █ █ | 4.55% | 133,826 | TBD | 2020/2021 | |
| Balachik | 9,194,768 | 6 █ █ █ █ █ █ | 9.09% | 1,532,461 | TBD | 2006/2007 | |
| Boghshuy | 5,019,476 | 4 █ █ █ █ | 6.06% | 1,254,869 | TBD | 2007/2008 | |
| Chindensven | 4,139,560 | 4 █ █ █ █ | 6.06% | 1,034,890 | TBD | 2015/2016 | |
| Chindush | 3,108,642 | 4 █ █ █ █ | 6.06% | 777,161 | TBD | 2016/2017 | |
| Covaya | 1,812,045 | 3 █ █ █ | 4.55% | 604,015 | TBD | 2014/2015 | |
| Hamavan | 7,987,194 | 6 █ █ █ █ █ █ | 9.09% | 1,331,199 | TBD | 2018/2019 | |
| Kazan | 2,569,139 | 4 █ █ █ █ | 6.06% | 642,285 | TBD | 2009/2010 | |
| Kojara | 4,139,560 | 4 █ █ █ █ | 6.06% | 1,034,890 | TBD | 2011/2012 | |
| Lower Maram | 5,108,567 | 4 █ █ █ █ | 6.06% | 1,277,142 | TBD | 2010/2011 | |
| Manatak Autonomous Territory | 2,757,613 | 4 █ █ █ █ | 6.06% | 689,403 | TBD | 2013/2013 | |
| Mechin | 1,035,875 | 3 █ █ █ | 4.55% | 345,292 | TBD | 2013/2014 | |
| Qersheven | 7,248,604 | 6 █ █ █ █ █ █ | 9.09% | 1,208,101 | TBD | 2017/2018 | |
| Tarashik | 6,294,764 | 5 █ █ █ █ █ | 7.58% | 1,258,953 | TBD | 2008/2009 | |
| Upper Maram | 7,895,727 | 6 █ █ █ █ █ █ | 9.09% | 1,315,955 | TBD | 2019/2020 | |
| Total | 67,258,126 | 66 | 100% | 1,019,063 | |||