Assembly of Baghazan

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Assembly of Baghazan
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Bicameral
HousesCouncil of Representatives
Council of Clans
Term limits
None
Structure
Seats398 Representatives
52 Clan Elders
File:Council of Representatives seats.svg
File:Council of Clans seats.svg
Meeting place
File:Assembly of Baghazan.png
TBD, Mörtıhn

The Assembly of Baghazan (Ashkay: Cahğavay Baxhzanmi Sahxavay Baxhzanmı [sähɢäväj bäʁzänmɪ]), also known simply as the Assembly (Ashkay: Cahğavay Sahxavay [sähɢäväj]), is the supreme bicameral legislative body of Baghazan. The Assembly is a bicameral legislature operating under the Terminian parliamentary system, consisting of the Council of Representatives and the Council of Clans, its lower and upper houses respectively.

History

Initial adoption

Building

Composition and powers

Council of Representatives

The Council of Representatives comprises 398 representatives, known as Councillors, when in full session. Baghazan operates under Terminian Federalism, wherein provincial councils do not exist as independent institutions, only as subdivisions of the Council of Representatives which serve the same purpose (also referred to as compartments). While not independent organisations, these compartments have a degree of legislative authority in their respective provinces, and are still typically referred to as the Province Councils; Councillors thus draft and enact policy both for their province and for the country as a whole.

Allocation of seats

The counties of Baghazan - the next tier of government below the provinces - each constitute a single constituency in the Council of Representatives. Each county is allocated a guaranteed minimum of 1 seat, with the remainder of seats being distributed to the counties proportionally to population, using the largest remainder method method and the Hare quota.

Election

Baghazan uses the Standard Imperial Election Model in all national elections, devised by Emperor Jimashim I of the Balak Empire. This entails a system of two-round wikipedia:Plurality block voting to elect Councillors, who serve for a term of 6 Sayanic years following every general election. Elections are conducted through a secret ballot with universal suffrage.

Baghazan utilises the limited bloc vote, meaning that voters can vote for up to one fewer candidate than there are open seats in their constituency, unless there is only a single seat open, in which case the system operates identically to First-past-the-post. Any candidates who receive more than 50% of the total number of votes cast are automatically awarded a seat, following which the next top-voted candidates pass onto the next round of voting (two candidates for every remaining open seat). In the second round of voting, the top-voted candidates are returned to fill the remaining open seats.

Compartments

The Council of Representatives comprises TBD compartments, which additionally serve as substitutes for independent province councils under Terminian federalism.

Local politics

The office of Councillor overlaps with the office of Count. Councillors thus have tangible administrative authority in their respective counties and serve as their leaders.

Council of Clans

The Council of Clans comprises 52 Clan Elders representing each of Baghazan's legally recognised clans, which are non-geographic political constituencies modelled on traditional kinship systems in the area. One seat on the Council is reserved for a so-called "Foreigner" clan, reserved for new citizens without any existing affiliation with or matrilineal descent from a clan. The office of Clan Elder is an elected position, but is held for life or (more frequently) until the officeholder resigns. Formally, Clan Elders are politically independent of any party or organisation aside from their clan. In practice, Clan Elders typically endorse, and are endorsed by, one or more political parties, and form factions in the Council of Elders accordingly.

Election

Upon the opening of a vacancy in the Council of Clans, a clan election is held, open to all members of the clan whose seat is open and closed to all other citizens. Voting is conducted through a secret ballot, with universal suffrage among members of the clan involved. Given the irregular nature of term lengths in the Council of Clans, there are no fixed terms.

King of Baghazan

The King of Baghazan wields substantial executive power as the head of both state and government in Baghazan, and is furthermore a key part of the Assembly of Baghazan and its legislative functions. They are elected by and from the members of the Council of Clans while in session as the Electoral College. The King must be a Clan Elder; resignation from the Council of Clans results in immediate termination of kingship, triggering an election to select a new King. The King personally chairs the Council of Clans and presides over the Council's official business. The King is forbidden from casting their own vote in the Council of Clans, unless to break a tie. In cases where the King is unable to perform this duty (e.g. they are absent while performing other official functions), they may appoint a temporary speaker (also dubbed a "regent" in the context of Baghazani politics) to perform their duties in the Council in their absence.

Electoral College

The Electoral College of Baghazan is a special session of the Council of Clans, convened to elect the King of Baghazan for a fixed term of 6 Sayanic years through secret ballot in a two-round system. Every sitting member of the Council of Clans - except for the big tent Foreigner clan - is automatically listed on the ballot for the first round. In the case of the death or abdication of the current King, a by-election is held to elect a regent to serve until the next regularly scheduled royal election.

Legislative process

See also