Council of State (Carucere)

National Council of Carucere
Nasyonal Konsey Karuke
Coat of Arms of Carucere
The 2023 National Council Neil Gaubina (President) Bernard Lepvraud (Vice President) Dhuga Zazoanevi Henry Allen Alain Berset
Government of Carucere
Style	His/Her Excellency
Status	Head of government
Appointer	Direct election
Term length	Four years, no term limit
Inaugural holder	Jean Preval Jonas Furrer Jean Juidange
Formation	1972 (1972)

The National Council of Carucere (Papotement: Nasyonal Konsey Karuke), is an executive body which serves as the collective de jure head of government of Carucere. While the President of Carucere is the leading political figure within the National Council as de facto head of state, it is the Council as a whole that serves as the highest executive authority in Carucere.

The National Council currently consists of five members; the President of Carucere and four other delegates who are all elected by direct popular vote. The National Council formally exercises executive power in Carucere, such as the authority to formulate policies and draft measures. The Council oversees the administration of the country through its supervision of the Cabinet of Carucere, which consists of the heads of goverment ministries. Although the President is the permanent presiding officer of the Council, they are primus inter pares within the Council which operates through consensus decision-making.

Role

Carucere has a de-facto fusion of a presidential and a collegiate system. While the President decides the direction and priorities of the Government as the permanent presiding officer, ultimately executive power is collectively wielded by the Council. While the President can wield some political influence as de jure head of state, ultimately their de facto power relies on a supportive National Council, and is not directly attributed to the post of president. Traditionally the Council operates "above" ethnic partisanism, representing the entire country instead.

The Council's greatest power is their ability to appoint the Premier and other members of the Cabinet. However, since the Senate must approve the election by a majority vote, the Premier named by the president must be supported by the Senate, or the candidate will be denied. The National Council has the discretionary power to dissolve the Senate when they see fit, such as when the National Council is unable to govern due to the Senate's disapproval. The Council must promulgate all laws enacted by the Senate for them to come into force. However the National Council has the authority to veto laws, although the Senate can override this by a two-thirds majority vote. They may also refer the law for review by the Constitutional Council if the Council votes to doubt its constitutionality.

As the main executive organ, the Council defines the collective political and policy direction of the Government and oversees the Cabinet to ensure the implementation of policy as determined by the National Council. The National Council also has limited legislative initiative by enacting decrees with the full force of law and by submitting legislation to the Senate. All bills must be approved by the National Council for it to become law.

Powers & Duties

To perform their duties, the National Council are given the powers:

• to promulgate laws. The Council lacks a formal veto power but may refer the law for review by the Constitutional Council if the National Council doubts its constitutionality. However if the court approves, the National Council must approve the bill.
• to declare war.
• to hold a referendum regarding issues of national importance.
• to issue decrees with the full force of legislation. However decrees can be overridden if the Senate passes conflicting legislation.
• to submit legislation to the Senate.
• to issue medals and honors for serving the nation.
• to issue pardons.
• to declare a state of emergency suspending all laws or enacting a state of martial law.
• to regulate and join treaties, alliances, and other agreements coming from foreign states according to the Constitution.
• to appoint the Premier and other members of the Cabinet.
• to appoint senior public officials.

Election

The electoral system for the National Council is unique among democracies in the world. Under the current electoral law, candidates are required to have a certain number of signatures or enough endorsements to stand for a direct election. To win outright, a candidate must be one of the top five candidates by popular vote at win at least 20% of the votes cast in six of the eleven provinces of Carucere. If there are unfilled seats, but the remaining candidates do not fulfill the requirements, the election proceeds to a run-off election with the same requirements. Successive rounds can occur until all seats on the National Council are filled. The candidate with the largest number of votes in the first round is elected President of Carucere. Candidates to the National Council may only be reelected once and are limited to two full terms in office.