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Politics of the Erishlands: Difference between revisions

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(Added Legislative branch)
(Revisions from semi-presidential to parliamentary; fleshed out Legislative branch)
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| image_size                    =
| image_size                    =
| caption                      =  
| caption                      =  
| type                          = {{wpl|Unitary state|Unitary}} {{wpl|Semipresidentialism|semi-presidential}} {{wpl|constitutional monarchy}}
| type                          = {{wpl|Unitary state|Unitary}} {{wpl|Parliamentary system|parliamentary}} {{wpl|constitutional monarchy}}
| constitution                  = Constitution of the Erish Realm
| constitution                  = Constitution of the Erish Realm
| legislature                  = Ryksdag
| legislature                  = Folksting
| legislature_type              = {{wpl|Bicameralism|Bicameral}}
| legislature_type              = {{wpl|Bicameralism#Semi-bicameral_(Hong_Kong,_Formerly_Norway)|Semi-bicameral}}
| legislature_place            = Ryksdag building
| legislature_place            = Folksting building
| legislature_speaker          =
| legislature_speaker          = Jedolf Ouscheirson
| legislature_speaker_title    =
| legislature_speaker_title    = Speaker of the Folksting
| upperhouse                    = Landsting
| upperhouse                    =  
| upperhouse_speaker            = Liexne III
| upperhouse_speaker            =  
| upperhouse_speaker_title      = President of the Landsting
| upperhouse_speaker_title      =  
| upperhouse_appointer          = Hereditary
| upperhouse_appointer          =  
| lowerhouse                    = Folksting
| lowerhouse                    =  
| lowerhouse_speaker            = Eirik Geiralkson
| lowerhouse_speaker            =  
| lowerhouse_speaker_title      = Speaker of the Folksting
| lowerhouse_speaker_title      =  
| lowerhouse_appointer          = Direct popular vote ({{wpl|Two-round system|two rounds if necessary}})
| lowerhouse_appointer          =  
| title_hos                    = Monarch
| title_hos                    = Monarch
| current_hos                  = Liexne III
| current_hos                  = Liexne III
| appointer_hos                = Hereditary
| appointer_hos                = Hereditary
| title_hog                    = Realm President
| title_hog                    = Realm Chancellor
| current_hog                  = Eirik Geiralkson
| current_hog                  = Eirik Geiralkson
| appointer_hog                = Direct popular vote ({{wpl|Two-round system|two rounds if necessary}})
| appointer_hog                = Monarch
| title_hosag                  =
| title_hosag                  =  
| current_hosag                =
| current_hosag                =  
| appointer_hosag              =
| appointer_hosag              =  
| cabinet                      = Realm Cabinet
| cabinet                      = Realm Cabinet
| current_cabinet              = First Geustavson cabinet
| current_cabinet              = First Geiralkson cabinet
| cabinet_leader                = Realm Chancellor
| cabinet_leader                = Realm Chancellor
| cabinet_deputyleader          =
| cabinet_deputyleader          =
| cabinet_appointer            = President
| cabinet_appointer            = Monarch
| cabinet_hq                    =  
| cabinet_hq                    =  
| cabinet_ministries            = 13
| cabinet_ministries            = 13
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The '''politics of [[Erishland]]''' take place within the framework of a {{wpl|Representative democracy|representative democratic}} {{wpl|constitutional monarchy}}. Under the 1948 Constitution of the Erish Realm, the authority of the state {{wpl|Popular sovereignty|derives from the public will}}, and it is obligated to uphold both "{{wpl|Letter and spirit of the law|the provisions and soul of the constitution}}".
The '''politics of [[Erishland]]''' take place within the framework of a {{wpl|Representative democracy|representative democratic}} {{wpl|constitutional monarchy}}. Under the 1948 Constitution of the Erish Realm, the authority of the state {{wpl|Popular sovereignty|derives from the public will}}, and it is obligated to uphold both "{{wpl|Letter and spirit of the law|the provisions and soul of the constitution}}".


The Erish political system operates as a {{wpl|Semipresidentialism|semi-presidential}} {{wpl|constitutional monarchy}}, wherein the monarch, currently Queen Liexne III, acts as {{wpl|head of state}}, whilst the duties of {{wpl|head of government}} are carried out by the Realm President, currently Eirik Geiralkson, and the Realm Cabinet headed by the Realm Chancellor, currently Aleiv Geustavson. The Erish legislature, the Ryksdag, is composed of the lower Folksting and upper Landsting. The Folksting is the originator of all legislation, which the Senate {{wpl|reserve power|reserves the ''de jure'' power to reject}}; both houses maintain extensive oversight powers of the executive branch. The President and monarch are the ceremonial speakers of the Folksting and Landsting, but delegate their duties to deputies. The judiciary is independent, and follows a {{wpl|Civil law (legal system)|civil system of law}}. The highest court, the Supreme Court, has the power to {{wpl|Judicial review|strike down unconstitutional laws}}.
The Erish political system operates as a {{wpl|Parliamentary system|parliamentary}} {{wpl|constitutional monarchy}}, wherein the monarch, currently Queen Liexne III, is the ceremonial {{wpl|head of state}} whilst the Realm Chancellor, currently Eirik Geiralkson, is the {{wpl|head of government}}, the latter leading the Realm Cabinet. Legislative power is vested in the {{wpl|Semi-parliamentary system|semi-bicameral}} Erish Folksting. The judiciary is independent, and follows a {{wpl|Civil law (legal system)|civil system of law}}. The highest court, the Supreme Court, has the power to {{wpl|Judicial review|strike down unconstitutional laws}}.


Erishland has a {{wpl|multi-party system}}, though it is dominated by the Democratic and Liberal parties. Members of the Folksting are elected through {{wpl|mixed-member proportional representation}} every three years, and have the power to remove members of the Cabinet, or the Cabinet as a whole, via a {{wpl|vote of no confidence}}. Because it is rare for even a coalition to hold a majority of Folksting seats, {{wpl|Minority government|minority governments}} are commonplace. {{wpl|Constitutional convention (political custom)|Custom}} dictates that the largest coalition with the most seats forms the Cabinet; the first Geustavson Cabinet is the result of a coalition between the Democratic and Labour parties. In {{wpl|Cohabitation (government)|situations where the President and largest coalition are politically opposed}}, the President retains authority over matters of {{wpl|Military policy|defense}} and {{wpl|foreign policy}}, whilst the Chancellor and Cabinet take charge of all other areas.
Erishland has a {{wpl|multi-party system}}, though it is dominated by the Democratic and Liberal parties. Members of the Folksting are elected by {{wpl|mixed-member proportional representation}}, and the government is formed by the party which holds the most {{wpl|Single-member district|constituency seats}}. It has been the case since 1940 that the Cabinet is a {{wpl|minority government}} without a {{wpl|Coalition government|coalition}}, though due to the institutional setup of the Folksting, they tend to be fairly stable.
 
Erishland is a {{wpl|Devolution|devolved}} {{wpl|unitary state}} wherein the eleven Lands are delegated the tasks of implementing national laws, and are additionally granted varying levels of autonomy. The form of government used by the Lands is the same as that of the national government, having a parliamentary system with semi-bicameral Land Assemblies and Land Councils accountable to said Assemblies.
 
==Historical background==


==Constitution==
==Constitution==
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==Monarchy and presidency==
==Monarchy and presidency==


Within the Erish political system, the role of head of state is officially held by both the monarch, currently Queen Liexne III, and the Realm President, currently Eirik Geiralkson. The monarch inherits their station, whilst the president is elected to a single, non-renewable six-year term by a national popular vote. Both the monarch and the president are the only persons in government to be members of all three branches of government: the monarch and president officially preside over the Landsting and Folksting respectively, and together over the national Court of Assizes, though these duties are normally delegated.
==Legislative branch==
 
The Erish legislature consists of the {{wpl|Unicameralism|unicameral}} Folksting. Housed in the Folksting building in Serdstad, it is at the center of Erish democracy and is the supreme legislative body. The Realm Chancellor and all other Chancellors of the Realm Cabinet come from the Folksting, and are consequently responsible to their fellow Deputies during {{wpl|question time}}, debates, and so on. If the Cabinet is subjected to a {{wpl|vote of no confidence}} by the Deputies representing constituencies - in practice, only possible if the governing party desires to either get rid of an unpopular government or resolve gridlock - the parliament is dissolved so that new elections can be held.


Under the constitution, executive power is placed in an institution called the Realm Office (Erish: ''Rykambet''), which is composed of the monarch and the president. In a ''de jure'' sense, the monarch and president are mostly coequal heads of {{wpl|head of state|state}} and {{wpl|Head of government|government}} who may only exercise executive power by consent of the other. This coequality exists as a set of {{wpl|Reserve powers|reserve powers}} to countermand the President in exceptional circumstances; the monarch additionally retains exclusive reserve powers to dismiss appointed executive officials and to dissolve either house of the Ryksdag, although both are subject to limitations.
===Composition and elections===


In practice, beyond the monarch and President participating in certain official state ceremonies such as reception of foreign officials, the monarch is a mostly ceremonial figure; it is for this purpose that the monarch is considered {{wpl|head of state}}, whilst the president is a {{wpl|head of government}}. Nonetheless, the monarch still is generally considered to have the right to be consulted by, to advise, and to warn the President and the Realm Cabinet during monthly meetings of the Cabinet which include them.
The 240 members of the Folksting, called Deputies, are elected by {{wpl|mixed-member proportional representation}} every four years or following the dissolution of the Folksting. Half of these deputies are elected in {{wpl|Single-member district|single-seat constituencies}} by {{wpl|plurality voting}}, whilst the other half of seats are apportioned to resemble the outcome of a national proportional vote. In order to qualify for these apportioned seats, a party must either win a district, or receive at least 2 percent of the proportional vote. With this fairly low threshold, it is the norm for many parties to be in the parliament; as of 2020, for example, there are eight parties in the Folksting.


==Legislative branch==
In large part because they are elected by plurality voting, it has {{wpl|Duverger's Law|almost always}} been the case that constituencies are either of the Democratic or People's Party, with only two independents and one Labour constituency Deputy having ever been elected. Consequently, several smaller parties do not even contest these constituency seats, although the Labour, Justice, and New Right parties have made a controversial point of doing so in recent times. Voter turnout is generally high, numbering somewhere above 80 percent; recent elections have seen a downturn in turnout, however, and turnout in local elections is normally lower.
 
====2019 election====


The Erish legislature, the Ryksdag, is {{wpl|Bicameralism|bicameral}}, consisting of the Folksting and the Landsting. Similar to other democracies, the {{wpl|Lower house|lower}} Folksting is considered to be more powerful than the {{wpl|Upper house|upper}} Landsting, most especially due to the former having the sole power to initiate laws. Nonetheless, all legislation, including budget bills, must first pass the Landsting before it can be submitted to the president and monarch for assent. Both houses have extensive oversight powers over the executive branch, and are involved with the formation of the Cabinet, with the Landsting's approval being required to confirm Chancellors appointed by the President, and the Folksting having the authority to remove members of the Cabinet (or the Cabinet collectively) by a {{wpl|vote of no confidence}}.
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:right
|-
|colspan=9| [[File:Erishland_Folksting_2019.svg|center|300px]]
|-
!colspan=2 rowspan=2|Party
!colspan=3|Constituency
!colspan=3|Party list
!rowspan=2|Total<br>seats
|-
!Votes
!%
!Seats
!Votes
!%
!Seats
|-
| style="background:#5684E5;" | ||align=left|[[Democratic Party (Erishland)|Democratic Party]] (D)||1,743,765||43.4||66||1,142,461||28.5||6||72
|-
| style="background:#FEFD96;" | ||align=left|[[People's Party (Erishland)|People's Party]] (P)||1,611,035||40.1||59||984,538||24.5||3||62
|-
| style="background:#35E0E4;" | || style="text-align:left;"|[[Labour Party (Erishland)|Labour Party]] (A)||244,157||6.1||0||493,431||12.3||31||31
|-
| style="background:#EA428B;" | || style="text-align:left;"|[[Justice Party (Erishland)|Justice Party]] (J)||219,000||5.4||0||491,210||12.2||31||31
|-
| style="background:#E31817;" | || style="text-align:left;"|[[New Right (Erishland)|New Right]] (NR)||150,892||3.8||0||362,748||9.0||23||23
|-
| style="background:#3CD04B;" | || style="text-align:left;"|[[Liberal Party (Erishland)|Liberal Party]] (L)||17,107||0.4||0||188,080||4.7||12||12
|-
| style="background:#009F6B;" | || style="text-align:left;"|[[Green Party (Erishland)|Green Party]] (G)||12,907||0.3|||0||174,679||4.4||11||11
|-
| style="background:#FABA62;" | || style="text-align:left;"|[[Agrarian Party (Erishland)|Agrarian Party]] (G)||8,831||0.2|||0||128,933||3.2||8||8
|-
| colspan="9" style="background:silver;"|
|-
| ||align=left|Worker's Party||1,540||0.0||0||12,732||0.3||0||0
|-
| ||align=left|Pirate Party||5,350||0.1||0||8,953||0.2||0||0
|-
| ||align=left|Proletarian Union||1,074||0.0||0||6,443||0.2||0||0
|-
| ||align=left|Center Party||3,229||0.1||0||3,239||0.1||0||0
|-
| ||align=left|Others||2,039||0.1||0||16,556||0.4||0||0
|-
| ||align=left|Independents||1,409||0.0||0||–||–||–||0
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"|Invalid/blank votes||38,144||–||–||46,476||–||–||–
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"|'''Total'''||'''4,060,479'''||'''100'''||'''125'''||'''4,060,479'''||'''100'''||'''125'''||'''250'''
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"|Registered voters/turnout||5,399,635||75.2||–||5,399,635||75.2||–||–
|-
| colspan="9" style="text-align:left;"|Source: Realm Election Commission (2020)
|}


===Folksting===
===Semi-bicameralism===


The Folksting consists of 240 Deputies that are directly elected every three years by {{wpl|mixed-member proportional representation}}; half of these deputies are elected in {{wpl|Single-member district|single-seat districts}} by {{wpl|plurality voting}}, whilst the other half of seats are apportioned such that the overall number of seats held by parties represents a national proportional vote. In order to qualify for these apportioned seats, a party must either win one district, or receive at least five percent of the proportional vote. In Erish political culture, the deputies elected to represent particular constituencies are held to be particularly representative due to being required to hold regular {{wpl|Town hall meeting|meetings}} with their constituents and to draft legislation proposed by at least a quarter of their constituency, as well as their ability to be subjected to {{wpl|Recall election|recall elections}}.  
Although the Folksting is a unicameral body, it is often described as "{{wpl|Semi-parliamentary system|semi-bicameral}}". This is because constituency Deputies hold the exclusive power to pass budget bills and dismiss the Cabinet by a {{wpl|vote of no confidence}}. This system was established by the authors of the constitution with the ideal of retaining a greater separation of powers; since only the constituency Deputies have control over the executive, the national Deputies can be more concerned with the actual legislative process.  


The Folksting is the sole initiator of legislation at the national level; the president, Senators of the Landsting, and the aforementioned constituencies may "suggest" laws, but the prerogative to actually initiate the legislative process exclusively belongs to the Folksting. It is the house of the Ryksdag which oversees the execution of domestic policy, although it nevertheless maintains the Foreign Affairs Committee and Military Affairs Committee. The chamber wields the power to, by an absolute two-thirds majority, instigate an impeachment trial against any officer of the national government, up to and including the monarch themselves. Furthermore, by an absolute majority {{wpl|vote of no confidence}}, the Folksting may remove individual members of the Cabinet, or the Cabinet as a whole.
When combined with the consequences of the electoral system, this system has established {{wpl|minority governments}} as standard in Erish politics; {{wpl|coalition government|coalition governments}} have never occurred at the national level, and only a couple of times at the Lands level. Nonetheless, because the governing parties lack a majority, they are forced to work with other parties on legislation, generally forming coalitions on particular issues. It is {{wpl|Constitutional convention (political custom)|custom}} that core components of the governing party's program should not be either rejected by the majority of the Folksting, or have legislation contrary to said components passed by the majority (though the governing party does need to ''acquire'' a majority to pass them). If these situations occur, the governing party's constituency Deputies can vote to trigger a new election by a {{wpl|vote of no confidence}} - an unfavorable prospect when the public backs a policy. Combined with the majority of the Folksting having the capacity to instigate a referendum on a piece of legislation, this has helped foster an environment of {{wpl|Consensus democracy|consensus}} and compromise, since each "chamber" effectively has the ability to put an issue to the public which could wind up favoring one side or the other.


===Landsting===
This semi-bicameralism is the point of some contention within Erish politics. The Labour, Justice, and New Right parties all advocate in their party platforms that the Folksting should be made completely unicameral, generally arguing that parties other than the Democratic and People's parties should get a realistic chance of being a part of government. Starting in the 2011 elections, they began contesting local elections, a decision which has seen them gain hundreds of thousands of votes, but which has been criticized by commentators for splitting the vote and potentially threatening the stability of the Cabinet government. Other parties currently in the Folksting have not taken an official stance on the matter; several individual Deputies retort that unicameralism would jeopardize separation of powers, and reduce the flexibility parties have with working on a given issue. Polling on the issue in 2019 showed that 55 percent of voters felt that the semi-bicameral system didn't need to be reformed, 28 percent felt it did, and 17 percent were neutral.


The Landsting is comprised of 80 Senators who are elected via proportional representation every six years by the Land Assemblies. Any legislation passed by at least a simple majority of Deputies in the Folksting must receive the approval of an absolute majority of the body in order to be sent to the president and monarch for assent, though an absolute majority of it rejecting the bill is required for the latter to be sent back to the Folksting. Failure of the Landsting to either approve or reject a bill by the end of the next session of the Folksting automatically dissolves the chamber.
===Legislative process===


Similar to the Folksting, the Landsting has oversight powers over the executive branch, although they are primarily oriented towards foreign and defense policy. In particular, it is the body which approves treaties and the opening of relations with another country, declares war, and supervises the military. Chancellors appointed by the president (and implicitly consented to by the monarch) must be confirmed by the Landsting.
The legislative process begins with a bill proposed either by a Deputy, or by a petition signed by at least 50,000 people. After being proposed, it is sent to the appropriate committee to be scrutinized, amended, and, if supported by the majority of the committee, presented once more to the Folksting at large. If a majority of Deputies vote in favor, the bill is sent to the monarch for assent. Seven days after assent is granted, or earlier or later if the legislation makes a specification, the bill goes into effect. The monarch has the power to withhold assent, but this is a {{wpl|reserve power}}, and could still be overridden by simply passing the bill again; to date, assent has always been granted. Budget bills have a special procedure: in order to pass, the majority of just the constituency Deputies must vote in favor; national Deputies lack the power to vote on budget bills.

Revision as of 04:39, 18 January 2020

Political system of the Erish Realm

Politisch't system af det Erischryk
Polity typeUnitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
ConstitutionConstitution of the Erish Realm
Legislative branch
NameFolksting
TypeSemi-bicameral
Meeting placeFolksting building
Presiding officerJedolf Ouscheirson, Speaker of the Folksting
Executive branch
Head of State
TitleMonarch
CurrentlyLiexne III
AppointerHereditary
Head of Government
TitleRealm Chancellor
CurrentlyEirik Geiralkson
AppointerMonarch
Cabinet
NameRealm Cabinet
Current cabinetFirst Geiralkson cabinet
LeaderRealm Chancellor
AppointerMonarch
Ministries13
Judicial branch
NameErish judiciary
Supreme Court
Chief judgeRif Routgeirson

The politics of Erishland take place within the framework of a representative democratic constitutional monarchy. Under the 1948 Constitution of the Erish Realm, the authority of the state derives from the public will, and it is obligated to uphold both "the provisions and soul of the constitution".

The Erish political system operates as a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, wherein the monarch, currently Queen Liexne III, is the ceremonial head of state whilst the Realm Chancellor, currently Eirik Geiralkson, is the head of government, the latter leading the Realm Cabinet. Legislative power is vested in the semi-bicameral Erish Folksting. The judiciary is independent, and follows a civil system of law. The highest court, the Supreme Court, has the power to strike down unconstitutional laws.

Erishland has a multi-party system, though it is dominated by the Democratic and Liberal parties. Members of the Folksting are elected by mixed-member proportional representation, and the government is formed by the party which holds the most constituency seats. It has been the case since 1940 that the Cabinet is a minority government without a coalition, though due to the institutional setup of the Folksting, they tend to be fairly stable.

Erishland is a devolved unitary state wherein the eleven Lands are delegated the tasks of implementing national laws, and are additionally granted varying levels of autonomy. The form of government used by the Lands is the same as that of the national government, having a parliamentary system with semi-bicameral Land Assemblies and Land Councils accountable to said Assemblies.

Historical background

Constitution

Monarchy and presidency

Legislative branch

The Erish legislature consists of the unicameral Folksting. Housed in the Folksting building in Serdstad, it is at the center of Erish democracy and is the supreme legislative body. The Realm Chancellor and all other Chancellors of the Realm Cabinet come from the Folksting, and are consequently responsible to their fellow Deputies during question time, debates, and so on. If the Cabinet is subjected to a vote of no confidence by the Deputies representing constituencies - in practice, only possible if the governing party desires to either get rid of an unpopular government or resolve gridlock - the parliament is dissolved so that new elections can be held.

Composition and elections

The 240 members of the Folksting, called Deputies, are elected by mixed-member proportional representation every four years or following the dissolution of the Folksting. Half of these deputies are elected in single-seat constituencies by plurality voting, whilst the other half of seats are apportioned to resemble the outcome of a national proportional vote. In order to qualify for these apportioned seats, a party must either win a district, or receive at least 2 percent of the proportional vote. With this fairly low threshold, it is the norm for many parties to be in the parliament; as of 2020, for example, there are eight parties in the Folksting.

In large part because they are elected by plurality voting, it has almost always been the case that constituencies are either of the Democratic or People's Party, with only two independents and one Labour constituency Deputy having ever been elected. Consequently, several smaller parties do not even contest these constituency seats, although the Labour, Justice, and New Right parties have made a controversial point of doing so in recent times. Voter turnout is generally high, numbering somewhere above 80 percent; recent elections have seen a downturn in turnout, however, and turnout in local elections is normally lower.

2019 election

Erishland Folksting 2019.svg
Party Constituency Party list Total
seats
Votes % Seats Votes % Seats
Democratic Party (D) 1,743,765 43.4 66 1,142,461 28.5 6 72
People's Party (P) 1,611,035 40.1 59 984,538 24.5 3 62
Labour Party (A) 244,157 6.1 0 493,431 12.3 31 31
Justice Party (J) 219,000 5.4 0 491,210 12.2 31 31
New Right (NR) 150,892 3.8 0 362,748 9.0 23 23
Liberal Party (L) 17,107 0.4 0 188,080 4.7 12 12
Green Party (G) 12,907 0.3 0 174,679 4.4 11 11
Agrarian Party (G) 8,831 0.2 0 128,933 3.2 8 8
Worker's Party 1,540 0.0 0 12,732 0.3 0 0
Pirate Party 5,350 0.1 0 8,953 0.2 0 0
Proletarian Union 1,074 0.0 0 6,443 0.2 0 0
Center Party 3,229 0.1 0 3,239 0.1 0 0
Others 2,039 0.1 0 16,556 0.4 0 0
Independents 1,409 0.0 0 – – – 0
Invalid/blank votes 38,144 – – 46,476 – – –
Total 4,060,479 100 125 4,060,479 100 125 250
Registered voters/turnout 5,399,635 75.2 – 5,399,635 75.2 – –
Source: Realm Election Commission (2020)

Semi-bicameralism

Although the Folksting is a unicameral body, it is often described as "semi-bicameral". This is because constituency Deputies hold the exclusive power to pass budget bills and dismiss the Cabinet by a vote of no confidence. This system was established by the authors of the constitution with the ideal of retaining a greater separation of powers; since only the constituency Deputies have control over the executive, the national Deputies can be more concerned with the actual legislative process.

When combined with the consequences of the electoral system, this system has established minority governments as standard in Erish politics; coalition governments have never occurred at the national level, and only a couple of times at the Lands level. Nonetheless, because the governing parties lack a majority, they are forced to work with other parties on legislation, generally forming coalitions on particular issues. It is custom that core components of the governing party's program should not be either rejected by the majority of the Folksting, or have legislation contrary to said components passed by the majority (though the governing party does need to acquire a majority to pass them). If these situations occur, the governing party's constituency Deputies can vote to trigger a new election by a vote of no confidence - an unfavorable prospect when the public backs a policy. Combined with the majority of the Folksting having the capacity to instigate a referendum on a piece of legislation, this has helped foster an environment of consensus and compromise, since each "chamber" effectively has the ability to put an issue to the public which could wind up favoring one side or the other.

This semi-bicameralism is the point of some contention within Erish politics. The Labour, Justice, and New Right parties all advocate in their party platforms that the Folksting should be made completely unicameral, generally arguing that parties other than the Democratic and People's parties should get a realistic chance of being a part of government. Starting in the 2011 elections, they began contesting local elections, a decision which has seen them gain hundreds of thousands of votes, but which has been criticized by commentators for splitting the vote and potentially threatening the stability of the Cabinet government. Other parties currently in the Folksting have not taken an official stance on the matter; several individual Deputies retort that unicameralism would jeopardize separation of powers, and reduce the flexibility parties have with working on a given issue. Polling on the issue in 2019 showed that 55 percent of voters felt that the semi-bicameral system didn't need to be reformed, 28 percent felt it did, and 17 percent were neutral.

Legislative process

The legislative process begins with a bill proposed either by a Deputy, or by a petition signed by at least 50,000 people. After being proposed, it is sent to the appropriate committee to be scrutinized, amended, and, if supported by the majority of the committee, presented once more to the Folksting at large. If a majority of Deputies vote in favor, the bill is sent to the monarch for assent. Seven days after assent is granted, or earlier or later if the legislation makes a specification, the bill goes into effect. The monarch has the power to withhold assent, but this is a reserve power, and could still be overridden by simply passing the bill again; to date, assent has always been granted. Budget bills have a special procedure: in order to pass, the majority of just the constituency Deputies must vote in favor; national Deputies lack the power to vote on budget bills.

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