Politics of Mava

Mava (officially the Republic of Mava) is a unitary parliamentary republic, in which the president is head of state and the prime minister is head of government. Executive power is exercised by the Government of the Republic of Mava, headed by the prime minister. Legislative power is exercised by the Assembly, to which the government reports. The Assembly consists of 45 members and are elected every two years. The judicial system consists of a hierarchy of courts, with the Supreme Court at its apex.

The Constitution of the Republic of Mava is the highest legal document, setting out political rights, the system of government, and the functions of the judiciary. The current constitution, which replaced the Constitution of 1929, went into effect on 1 June 1978 after being approved in a referendum the previous year.

Mava is a dominant-party system in which the Progressive Party of the Mavean Islands predominates, having won every election since independence. The Political Congress of the Mavean Labour Movement (alternatively known as the Mavean Labour Congress) is the main alternative party and is the principal opposition party in the Assembly. Other minor parties have achieved limited parliamentary representation, but have very minimal influence. The Mavean political system is classified as "hybrid", with the Progressive Party's criticised for undue influence over the civil service, police, and elections administration.

Executive branch

Office	Name	Party	Since
President	Kausánek Maláti	Independent	11 January 2023
Prime Minister	Nua Kiuiáké	Progressive Party of the Mavean Islands	23 May 2022

The president of Mava is the head of state, elected by the Assembly from amongst its membership to serve a one-year term. The office is largely symbolic and representational in nature, responsible for chairing meetings of the Assembly and undertaking non-partisan duties. Under the constitution, the president is not an independent office but an "office of the Assembly", responsible for exercising powers belonging to the Assembly. As such, the president is limited to acting at the direction of the Assembly, although they retain the right to act against the advice of the Assembly in certain extraordinary circumstances. The incumbent President, Kausánet Maláti, was elected on 11 January 2023.

The leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president, following a confirmatory vote in the Assembly. This vote is generally held on the penultimate Monday of May, giving time for newly-elected Members of the Assembly to travel to Pa'a. Following Assembly elections on 12 May 2022, the Progressive Party formed the 50th Government of Mava, with Nua Kiuiáké appointed prime minister on 23 May following a confirmatory vote by the Assembly.

Legislative branch

Legislative power is vested in the Assembly of the Republic of Mava, which is the parliament of Mava. The constitution also vests limited legislative powers in the government, although this is largely limited to areas granted to it by laws passed by the Assembly rather than being independent of the legislative oversight. The Assembly is where all laws are to be proposed and debated, and its approval is necessary for laws to be presented to the president for promulgation. The government is appointed from amongst the members of the legislative branch, and it is the duty of the Assembly to hold the government to account. The Assembly is responsible for approving the formation of a government and may also remove a government through a constructive motion of no confidence.

Voters elect 45 members in single-member constituencies by universal sufferage according to the first-past-the-post electoral system. Elections are held every two years, although the president may dissolve the Assembly earlier and call for new elections. The Assembly is unicameral. Until 1994, it was organised as a de facto bicameral body, with a "Grand Committee of the Assembly" responsible for a final review of all laws passed by the wider assembly and for presenting it to the president. The Grand Committee was appointed by the president along technocratic lines, with members selected for their knowledge and experience. Reforms in 1994 abolished the Grand Committee and ensured the equality of all members.

Political parties in legislative elections

Party		Votes	%	+/–	Seats	+/–
	Progressive Party of the Mavean Islands	17,291	54.05	-1.21	28	-2
	Political Congress of the Mavean Labour Movement	8,102	25.33	+4.33	10	+6
	Democracy and Renewal	3,755	11.74	-1.71	4	-2
	Mavean People's Party	1,921	6.01	-1.24	2	-1
	Independents	920	2.88	-0.17	1	-1
Total		31,989	100.00	–	45	0
Valid votes		31,989	98.49
Invalid/blank votes		491	1.51
Total votes		32,480	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		51,072	63.60
Source: Mavean Elections Office

Judicial branch

Office	Name	Party	Since
President of the Supreme Court	Pnának Qát	None	18 May 2018
President of the Court of Appeal	Kualátit Puagáyok	None	21 October 2017

The Mavean legal system operates as a common law system. The judiciary is independent, with the constitution forbidding political interference or the active participation of law officers in lawmaking (apart from in determining the legality of a law). Judicial power is spread across a hierarchical system of courts, with different levels dealing with different areas of law, different degrees of crime, and increasing seriousness of offences. The hierarchy culminates in the Supreme Court: the "Koreka'teikivuuni, whose judges are appointed directly by the President on the advice of the Mavean Law Society.

The Court of Appeal is a second instance court responsible for hearing appeals from lower-tier courts, and which exercises a supervisory role over all other lower courts. The court hear cases in its own right, but rather deals with appeals from lower courts. In the majority of cases, the Court of Appeal is the de facto final court of appeal, with the majority of further appeals to the Supreme Court not heard. The Supreme Court judges the constitutionality of laws passed by the Assembly and is responsible for interpreting the constitution and ordinary laws and regulations. When ruling on matters relating to the constitution, the court sits as the Constitutional Panel of the Supreme Court, with its decisions binding on the Assembly. Since the passage of the current constitution, the decisions of the Constitutional Panel cannot be overturned by the Assembly.

The Department of Justice, headed by the Minister of Justice, is responsible for the political administration of the legal system and judiciary. The minister appoints members to the Mavean Law Society on the recommendation of its existing members.

See also

• Politics of Mava
• Culture of Mava

External links

• Mava. The Global Factbook. United Nations