Politics of Toloria
Political System of the Union of Toloria | |
|---|---|
| Polity type | Unitary Semi-Presidential Republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Union of Toloria |
| Legislative branch | |
| Name | National People's Assembly |
| Type | Unicameral |
| Meeting place | Indawo Malao |
| Presiding officer | Uchea Ekene, Speaker of the People's Assembly |
| Executive branch | |
| Head of State | |
| Title | President of the Republic |
| Currently | Dumisile Gwaza |
| Appointer | Direct Popular Vote |
| Head of Government | |
| Title | Prime Minister of the Republic |
| Currently | Deda Meshindi |
| Appointer | President of the Republic |
| Cabinet | |
| Name | Government of Toloria |
| Current cabinet | Third Meshindi Cabinet |
| Leader | Prime Minister of the Republic |
| Deputy leader | Deputy Minister of the Republic |
| Appointer | President of the Republic |
| Headquarters | Phakeme |
| Ministries | 15 |
| Judicial branch | |
| Name | Tolorian Supreme Court |
| Constitutional Court | |
| Chief judge | Abelo Thando |
| Seat | Chief Judge |
The politics of the Union of Toloria operate within the framework of the Constitution of the Union of Toloria, which calls for a unitary semi-presidential republic system. The nation declares itself to be "indivisible, democratic, and unwavering." The Constitution calls for separation of powers and adherence to national sovereignty.
The political system of Toloria is divided into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. In the Tolorian system, the head of the executive branch, the President wields extraordinary power. The President is responsible for appointing all the major figures of the political system. The President appoints the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. These appointees must be approved by the legislature, however it is only a formality since the President holds the right override the veto of any appointee. The Prime Minister is accountable to both the President and the National People's Assembly. A vote of "no confidence" by the legislature would remove the Prime Minister, with the President having no power to override this.
The National People's Assembly is the sole body that comprises the unicameral legislature. Its responsible for passing statutes and passing the budget. It also holds the executive branch accountable through formal questioning on the floor of the Indawo Malao and by formal commissions of inquiry. The statutes passed by the People's Assembly are reviewed for constitutionality by the Constitutional Court of Toloria. Members of the Constitutional Court are appointed by both the President of the Republic and the Speaker of the People's Assembly.
The independent judiciary is composed of two parts: the Constitutional Court and the Tolorian Supreme Court. The former is the administrative branch that reviews statutes and laws passed by the People's Assembly for constitutionality and settles lawsuits that challenge standing laws. The latter is the judicial branch and is the highest court in the country that deals with criminal or civil disputes that were not resolved in lower courts. The Supreme Court governs through a civil law system. The Tolorian judiciary also has various bodies that are responsible for checking executive or legislative abuses of power, however they have proven to be ineffective.
Toloria is a unitary state, and is divided into provinces and counties. The People's Assembly has the ultimate governing authority, with lower levels of government having to comply with the statutes that they pass. The People's Assembly, as stated in the Constitution, reserves the right to dissolve any lower level of government. In this way, lower level governments have a responsibility to carry out the demands of the People's Assembly.
Constitution
Executive Branch
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Dumisile Gwaza | - | 5 May 1980 |
| Prime Minister | Deda Meshindi | - | 7 May 2005 |
The Tolorian Constitution created a dual executive system, consisting of the president and the prime minister. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President, and is responsible to both the President and the Tolorian Parliament. The President is elected by a direct popular vote, in which a presidential candidate is required to obtain a nationwide majority of non-blank votes at either the first or second round of balloting, which implies that the President is somewhat supported by at least half of the voting population.
This has led to the President being the dominant figure in Tolorian politics. The constitution sets out certain guidelines for the office of the President, but Gwaza has gained additional powers both through ad hoc measures and legislative statutes. The President informally controls the agenda of the Prime Minister, who sets the agenda for the legislature. The President has the power to directly dismiss the Prime Minister. The President also has the power to override a veto of a prime ministerial candidate or a vote of "no confidence" by the legislature. When the President's political party has majority power in the legislature, everyone typically follows his agenda (even though parliamentary disagreements have occurred.) While his party was the majority, Gwaza influenced the legislature to pass amendments that expanded his scope of power.
When the majority legislative party is the opponent of the President, the powers of the President become slightly more restrictive. The President can still choose the Prime Minister, but in order to be effective, the Prime Minister must be of mutual interest to the majority opposition party.
Government
The Government of Toloria is set up to have a prime minister (who is the formal head of government), a deputy prime minister, and federal ministers, along with their respective ministries. Within two weeks of appointment, the Prime Minister must submit a list to the President, detailing his nominations of subordinate Cabinet positions. These nominations must be approved by both the President and Parliament. The Government is responsible to the President and Parliament, with the latter being able to censure the Government, and both being able to dissolve the Government. In practice, this forces the government to reflect the same political party or coalition which has the majority in the Assembly, however, with the President being able to override votes of "no confidence", Toloria has never had its Government dissolved. The Prime Minister is required to periodically attend Parliament sessions and answer questions proposed by Parliament, known as "Inquiry of Government Actions." Ministers are also required to answer questions about their departments from Parliament, both written and orally, when requested to do so. Ministers generally, although not required, attend meetings that are discussing areas pertaining to their area of responsibility.
The Prime Minister carries out their agenda in line with the constitution, laws, and presidential decrees. The ministries of the Government enforce monetary policies, defense, foreign policy, and state security functions, ensure the rule of law and respect for human and civil rights, protect property, and take measures against crime. If the Government issues orders that are at odds with presidential decrees, the President may rescind them. The Government formulates the federal budget and submits it to the People's Assembly.
The government plays a leading role in shaping the agenda of the Tolorian legislature. It may not directly introduce legislation in Parliament, but they may draft up legislation and have a current MP sponsor it. They may also propose amendments during parliamentary meetings.
The government varies in which ministries it has, but there will usually be:
- Ministry of the Interior
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Ministry of Defence
- Ministry of Health
- Ministry of Education
- Ministry for the Economy, Industry and Employment
- Ministry of Justice
Currently there are 19 ministries in the Tolorian Government.
Presidential Powers
Since Dumisile Gwaza took power in 1980, the powers of the head of state have steadily increased. When he first took office, his party had the majority in the Parliament. Gwaza implored the legislature to follow his agenda, and he successfully pushed through several amendments that gave more power to the president. Each time that his party has had a majority in Parliament, Gwaza has successfully pushed more amendments to expand the scope of his power. Because of this, the office of the President determines the direction of foreign and domestic policy in Toloria and represents the country within foreign and domestic affairs. The president appoints and recalls Tolorian ambassadors upon consultation with the legislature, conducts international meetings, and signs international treaties.
