Supreme Council of the Republic

Supreme Council of the Revolution එනළෙලාබ ආලි ධුරොචධ Inqilob Oliy Hurahl
Type
Type	Consitutional court Judicial council (overseeing the judiciary) Legislative council (overseeing the People's Assembly)
Leadership
Premier	Erkin Sabir since 18 June 2017
Structure
Seats	39
Political groups	Centrists: (15)   Old Guards: (13)   Reformists: (9)
Elections
Voting system	Appointment by the Great Leader on advice of the Secretary-General
Meeting place
Taglikend, Chanda Capitol, Chanda

The Supreme Council of the Revolution (Chandan: එනළෙලාබ ආලි ධුරොචධ, Inqilob Oliy Hurahl) is the constitutional court of Chanda, that also serves as a de facto upper house for the General People's Assembly and as an executive council by appointing members of the Service Sector. Created to ensure that Chanda continues to follow the principles of the peoples' state, the Council wields significant power and influence in the country's government.

The Council consists of the 39 serving members, led by the Premier who serve until mandatory retirement at age 75. As the nation's constitutional court, it is tasked with ruling on whether laws and actions by the Peoples' Sector are in fact constitutional, with the power to strike them down if the Council decides they are not. In addition the Council has legislative powers in the form of a limited veto against laws passed by the People's Assembly or any provincial government. Although the Assembly can override the veto with a two-thirds majority, doing so is a major task and vetoes usually stand. Finally, the council has the power to appoint high ranking members of the judiciary, although all appointments must be approved by the Assembly. Finally the Supreme Council heads the hierarchy of Revolutionary Committees, which serves as an ideological check on the Governments and to enforce their rulings.

Before constitutional reforms were passed in 1993, the Council held an absolute veto and had the power to make appointments without approval from the Assembly. With the end of the Old Guards' dominance of the Council in the late 1990s, the body has become significantly less obstructionist to ruling governments in the Assembly. Despite the reforms, it is still considered by many to be the institutional heart of the republic.

Membership

The Supreme Council is led by the highest ranking member, the Premier of the Council, who wields the most power. While the Premier is technically primus inter pares among their peers, they have significant influence in deciding the Council's agenda, presides when oral arguments are held, and leads the discussion on the current vote among the Councillors. Additionally, when the Council issues a ruling, the Premier, if in the majority, chooses who writes the Council's opinion. When voting however, the Premier's vote counts no more than that of any other councillor. The Premier is elected for a five year term by the other members of the Council of the Revolution; they cannot be elected more than once consecutively and must wait until the next term to run again.

The serving members of the Council are appointed by the Premier on advice of the President and approved with a simple majority vote of the National Assembly. Councilors are allowed to serve until they face mandatory retirement at age 75. The number of Councillors have varied over its existence, reaching a height of 58 members in the 1990s. Today there are currently 1 presiding member and 39 serving members of the Council. The 39 members are divided into three political groups; the Old Guards, Reformists, and the Centrists. The Old Guards represent the nationalist, Birlikist conservatives of Chanda and traditionally had control of the Supreme Council for decades. However since the more moderate Centrists have taken control of the body and in recent years more liberal Reformists have been appointed. While a less conservative council and constitutional reforms have reduced obstacles for ruling governments, the Council's will is still highly respected and represents a moderating force in Chandan politics.