Parliament of Midrasia

Parliament of Midrasia Parlement de Mydrazia
Type
Type	Bicameralism
Houses	Senate Public Assembly
History
Founded	5 March 1791
Preceded by	Estates General
New session started	3 January 2017
Leadership
President of the Senate & Vice Consul	Jacques Magule (LL) since 3 January 2017
Speaker of the Public Assembly	Jocelyn Duverger (PP) since 3 January 2017
Structure
Seats	872 consisting of 300 senators 572 representatives
Senate political groups	List Reform Bloc   PP (92)   PSD (38)   LL (19)   SPV (6)   LM (4) Chartist Bloc   PR (84)   LD (27)   UDA (21)   MP (9)
Public Assembly political groups	List Reform Bloc   PP (116)   PSD (106)   LL (27)   LM (21)   SPV (14)   PV (6) Chartist Bloc   PR (127)   UDA (59)   MP (52)   LD (37)   PL (7)
Elections
Senate voting system	First-past-the-post
Public Assembly voting system	Party-list proportional representation
Senate last election	14 September 2017
Public Assembly last election	14 September 2017
Meeting place
Parliamentary Palaces, Parliament Square, Lotrič

The Parliament of Midrasia (Midrasian: Parlement de Mydrazia), is the bicameral legislature of the Republic of Midrasia.

The Parliament consists of two chambers, the upper house Senate and the lower house Public Assembly. Both houses are generally equal in terms of power, though the Senate is generally seen as the more prestigious of the two houses and has considerable oversight over the executive in terms of appointments and foreign policy. All legislation must be passed with a simple majority in both houses and be signed into law by the sitting Consul. All financial legislation up for consideration must be introduced to the Public Assembly first. Members of the Senate serve for a total of four years, with elections taking place at the same time as those for Consul; whilst members of the Public Assembly serve for a period of two years.

The Parliament emerged out of the aftermath of the Midrasian Revolution and the concluding Constitution of 1791. Despite this, the Midrasian parliament has evolved significantly over time, with the most notable change coming in 1996 under the Pegrant Government, with the move towards proportional-representation for Public Assembly elections and a directly elected Senate. Previously the upper chamber, had been entirely appointed based on the results of Midrasian local elections.

Following the 2019 elections the Reform Bloc retains control of both houses, however the largest party in the Public Assembly is now the Republican Party of the Chartist Bloc with 127 seats in the Public Assembly and 84 seats in the Senate. The second largest party in the lower house is the Progressive Party of the Reform Bloc which holds 116 seats and 92 seats respectively. The other major parties within Parliament are the Social Democratic Party, Alydian Democratic Union, Midrasia First, and The Democrats. The smallest party with representation is the Green Party with only six seats in the Public Assembly.

History

Fiorentine origins

the origins of the Midrasian Parliament can be traced back to the ancient Fiorentine Empire. The Empire's constitution outlined a number of legislative bodies which in theory were capable of passing legislation. The most important of these bodies were the Senate and the Public Assemblies. The Senate was the more important of these legislative bodies, made up of wealthy patricians who would debate and vote on the laws of the early Empire. The Public Assemblies by contrast were popular assemblies where members of the public from the Empire's citizen classes could meet to vote on legislation. Whilst in theory the Public Assemblies could pass legislation without the consent of the Senate, in reality for the most part the Senate wielded a monopoly on political power and the Imperial Consuls were able to veto all legislation. As the Empire came to expand however the power of the legislative bodies went into decline as power and authority was increasingly centralised around a series of Generals and Dictators who consulted few individuals outside of their court. Nevertheless, the Senate and Public Assemblies utilised by the Fiorentine Empire laid the basis for the majority of legislative systems used in southern Asura.

Middle Ages

Throughout much of the dark ages and early medieval period, most royal and legal authority was invested solely in the monarch and the church. Whilst the monarch would hold council, often this would only constitute a small number of powerful vassals and church officials. Whilst the nobility held a high degree of autonomy within their personal holdings they were ultimately subject the whims of the ruler. Under the reign of Robert the unifier however, the king established a Great Council which would regularly meet with the monarch to discuss issues concerning the Kingdom. In reality the body met on a very irregular basis and on certain occasions monarchs would go through the entirety of their reign without calling a single council. As the Asurans became more decentralised however, due to war and famine, an increasing number of nobles began to agitate for greater representation on the nations political scene, demanding the institution of a body comparable with the Senate of Aquidneck.

In the aftermath of the Serfs' Revolt the nobility pressured King Louis V to sign a royal charter calling for the establishment of a more permanent legislative body. This body, known as the Estates General included representatives of the First Estate (clergy) Second Estate (nobility), and Third Estate (commoners: all others). Whilst monarchs were mandated to call an Estates General at regular intervals throughout their reign, as the power of the monarch came to grow, the Estates General would ultimately be reliant on the monarch to call counsel.

Estates General

Whilst the Estates General remained important throughout the history of the Midrasian Kingdom, especially in regards to important issues such as the succession crisis of 1408 and the Alydian religious schism, the monarchy became increasingly centralised throughout the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, during which time historians describe Midrasia as an absolute monarchy. As the Midrasian Kingdom began to centralise around the monarch with the creation of an official standing army and the decline in power for feudal landholders, leading the nobility began to agitate for greater political representation to offset their reduction in real power. This issue was exacerbated as the crown began to sell off royal titles in an effort to gain revenue, effectively splitting the nobility between the Noblesse de robe who had purchased their titles and the Noblesse d'épée who were descended from the traditional landholding aristocracy. In 1624 the dispute regarding the succession of Louis VII to the throne provided a significant opportunity for the Sword Nobles to rectify their declining status.

As a boy King, Louis was viewed as incapable of ruling the realm, especially due to the rising threat of the Slavic Kingdoms of the East. After securing the backing of the nobility, Henry V took the Midrasian throne in 1624. Expecting considerable concessions for their support, Henry instead continued to rule as an absolute monarch. As Henry's rule continued an increasing number of robe nobles and gentry became disenchanted with the King's rule, instead of seeking to return Louis VII, who was in-exile in Newrey to the Midrasian throne or the establishment of a republic. A group of robe nobles under the leadership of Jauffre Devreux revolted in late 1624 executing Henry V and declaring the establishment of a Midrasian Republic. In the aftermath of the struggle, the Estates General was implemented as a permanent legislative body, albeit much smaller in scale. Furthermore, Jauffre Devreux established himself as a permanent political leader of the Republic, under the title of Protecteur and later Consul.

Despite the political power of the Republic being invested in the Estates General, the role of Consul became increasingly dictatorial throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, becoming more of a military ruler than the leader of the Midrasian parliament. This was especially apparent under the rule of Louis-Augustus Devreux, who was accused of becoming little more than a king by contemporaries. Increasingly political power became invested in the sole figure of the Consul, mirroring the Midrasian monarchy of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Nevertheless, successive Consuls, particularly those not of the Devreux family began to return power to the Estates General, though this trend would come to an end in 1784 when Consul Jean-Jacques Devreux would dissolve the Estates General and declare himself Emperor.

This state of affairs would lead to the Midrasian Revolution as the members of the Estates General revolted over the seizure of power, seeking to restore the representative body. Whilst initially the third estate was supportive of the new dictatorial regime, its increasingly authoritarian outlook and the outbreak of war with Midrasia's neighbours saw many become disenfranchised. Soon the opposition had rallied around a new Parliament set up in Bordeiu and with foreign support were able to reassert their control over the country, toppling the Consul by late 1790. In the aftermath of the war, the new Parliament set about drafting a new constitution, aimed at curbing the power of the Consul and providing for free and fair democratic elections.

Modern Parliament

The Constitutional Charter of 1791 resulted in the creation of a new government based on the principle of the separation of powers. As such a new bicameral legislature was created comprised of the Senate and Public Assembly. The Senate would be made up of landed elites appointed by regional authorities based on locally held elections. The Public Assembly would be elected via first-past-the-post across a number of constituencies. Only property owning males over the age of 21 could vote or run for the Public Assembly. The Consul who would be the Republic's head-of-state and government and could appoint ministers to aid in the governing of the nation based on the consent of the Senate. Initially, all legislation would first be debated in the Public Assembly before moving to the Senate for consideration. All passed legislation would then have to be signed by the Consul to be put into law. If the Consul refuses to sign a bill into law initiating a veto, Parliament can overrule his or her veto through a 2/3 majority in both houses.

Whilst the modern Midrasian parliament remains based on the model outlined in 1791 it has evolved considerably over time, with key changes taking place in 1902 and 1996. The 1902 parliamentary reforms following the Great War under the Birou Government saw the implementation of the contemporary Political Bloc system, which divided parliament into two political blocs which individual parties were mandated to join. This system eliminated the possibility of unstable minority government which had plagued the country since 1870. Additionally, the 1996 Parliamentary reforms under the government of Manuel Pegrant saw replacement of first-past-the-post in the Public Assembly with party-list proportional representation and the creation of a directly elected Senate.

Composition and powers

Main articles: Politics of Midrasia, Elections in Midrasia

The Parliament of Midrasia is made up of two chambers:

• The Senate (Midrasian: Sénat), with 300 seats.
• The Public Assembly (Midrasian: Assemblée Publique), with 572 seats.

Senate

Main article: Senate of Midrasia

The Senate consists of 300 representatives from the various constituencies across the country. Seats in the Senate elected via first-past-the-post across the country's 300 constituencies. Elections to the body take place every four years, coinciding with the election for Consul. As a result, it is effectively impossible for the ruling party to lose their majority within the Senate, whilst the Public Assembly can change hands.

Before the voting reforms of 1996, the Senate consisted entirely of male property owning appointees based on the results of local regional elections. The appointed nature of the upper house grew to become a problem in the early twentieth century, as turnout for these elections was much lower than for Consul or the Public Assembly. In 1902 the requirement to be male and own property was removed, whilst in 1996 the body became directly elected.

The Senate has the power to debate bills presented for consideration, in tandem with the Public Assembly. The Senate has the ability to call for the creation of Parliamentary Committees to review bills and any matters of concern for the government or legislators. The Senate also has the power of unlimited debate when considering proposed bills, provided such discussion is limited to germane topics. However, any debate can be ended through the passage of an act of cloture, requiring a three-fifths majority to pass. For a bill to become law the Senate must pass an identical form of a bill to the one passed within the Public Assembly before it can receive royal assent. The Senate is also required to vote on official declarations of war, the institution of military conscription and the ratification of foreign treaties signed by the Consul.

Public Assembly

Main article: Public Assembly of Midrasia

The Public Assembly consists of 572 representatives, with seats being elected via party-list proportional representation, with elections taking place every two years. Seats in the Public Assembly are assigned based on one representative per 180,000 people in the electorate. Previously, the Public Assembly consisted of between 400 and 600 members all of whom were elected via a system of first-past-the-post plurality. As of the voting reforms of 1996, elections to the Public Assembly are conducted through party-list proportional representation. Initially this was based on one representative per 250,000 people, though this was changed to 180,000 in 2010 due to complaints about political representation.

The Public Assembly was initially implemented in the Constitution as a body for citizens representation, with the voting population (at the time property owning males over 21 years of age) electing local representatives to the body. The Consul and the Council of State were entirely independent of the legislature, though beholden to their rulings. Before 1996 all legislation would first be debated and voted on in the Public Assembly before being being passed to the upper house for consideration.

The Public Assembly has the power to debate bills presented for consideration, in tandem with the Senate. Within the Constitution, the Public Assembly is considered to be 'closer to the citizens' and as such is granted first consideration over financial legislation. The Public Assembly also plays host to the joint-session of Parliament during which the Consul will make his or her national address, marking the official opening of a new Parliamentary session. The Consul and select members of the Council of State also engage in a thirty-minute question and answer session known as Question time every Wednesday, where they answer questions from members of the Assembly from all parties.