Palace of Parliament (Radictistan)

The Palace of Parliament (Radictistani: Palast der Parlament) is the seat of the Radictistani parliament. Located in the Riverside Department of Greater Nuxenstat on the eastern bank of the Radicti River, the Palace of Parliament contains the debating chambers used by the House of Delegates and the House of Peers, the two houses of parliament.

Exterior

Parliament Square

Parliament Square is located adjacent to the Palace of Parliament on its eastern side. The square is host to frequent political demonstrations. In response to a heightened threat of terrorism from the Communist Party of Radictistan, parts of the square abutting the palace have been closed to the public.

Interior

Delegates Chamber

The debating chamber of the House of Delegates is located at the southern end of the Palace of Parliament. The Speaker sits at the southern end of the chamber. Members sit on upholstered benches. Government MPs sit to the Speaker's right while Opposition members sit to the Speaker's left. The Delegates chamber can accommodate all two hundred members at one time. Delegates are not assigned seats except for members of the Cabinet and leading Opposition figures.

By law the Grand Duke is forbidden from entering the Delegates Chamber.

Peers Chamber

The debating chamber of the House of Peers is located at the northern end of the Palace of Parliament. The Lord Speaker sits at the northern end of the chamber with Government and Opposition Peers seated to his right and left. Each Peer has an assigned seat in contrast to the Delegates Chamber where only frontbenchers have that privilege.

At the beginning of every parliamentary session, the Grand Duke gives the Speech from the Throne, outlining his and the government’s policy objectives, from a throne at the northern end of the Peers Chamber. The throne is situated below the Lord Speaker to signify the subordination of the Crown to the law.

Offices

Each Delegate and Peer is provided with an office inside the Palace of Parliament. Offices are allocated according to seniority. The Speaker of the House of Delegates and the Lord Speaker of the House of Peers each have an office located near their respective debating chambers.

Parliamentary Research Library

The Parliamentary Research Library provides Delegates and Peers with accurate, unbiased, timely, and confidential responses to research inquiries. The Parliamentary Research Library has a collection of about 200,000 print items in addition to extensive electronic holdings. The library has two reading rooms for use by the Delegates and Peers.

Security

The Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Delegates has overall responsibility for security within the precincts of the Palace of Parliament. The Sergeant-at-Arms leads the Parliamentary Security Unit which has sole jurisdiction in its area of responsibility. Personnel of other law enforcement agencies, such as the Royal Security Police, can only enter the Palace of Parliament with permission of both houses of parliament or in the case of an extreme emergency.

All non-official visitors and their belongings are screened upon entering the palace. The security checkpoints are equipped with both metal detectors and x-ray machines. Since the beginning of the Communist insurgency the Palace of Parliament has seen additional security measures put in place to mitigate the effects of a terrorist attack. A section of Parliament Square adjacent to the palace has been sealed off by concrete barriers as a precaution against car bomb attacks. The square itself is regularly patrolled by the RSP as well as the Nuxenstat Metropolitan Police.

Culture and tourism

Both houses of parliament have a visitors’ gallery which are open to the public whenever parliament sits in open session.

The Palace of Parliament is served by the Parliament Square station of the Nuxenstat Metro Red Line.