Congress of Twenties

The Congress of Twenties is the unicameral federal legislature of the Republic of Dezevau. It is elected by open list proportional representation, with a third of members being elected every year; the entire chamber has been reelected after three years. It has 1,245 members, who are called delegates.

Etymology

"Congress of Twenties" is the usual and official Estmerish translation of the Ziba term; in Ziba, "twenty", deze, refers not only to the literal number twenty but is also used as a stand-in for any very great number. dezevau literally means "twenty land", but the name refers to the general numerousness and variety of city-states that used to prevail in the region. In the same way, the term "Congress of Twenties" is a reference to it being a plenary body which represents the entire breadth of Dezevau.

Power

The Congress of Twenties is defined in the Constitution of Dezevau as being the highest legislative body in the country. However, the Constitution can only be changed by plebiscite wherein more than half of the states and more than half of the national electorate vote for change; plebiscites are held when legislation is passed to hold them by the Congress of Twenties.

The Congress holds powers granted to it by the Constitution including power over the military, interstate transportation, foreign policy, higher education, weights and measurements, postage, research and development and the environment. Constitutionally, it shares powers with the states, who have power over other fields; in practice, the states delegate much power to more local levels. While the Congress has subcommittees, it largely does not delegate.

The Congress is also restricted by the Constitution in what laws it can pass; it cannot pass laws which obstruct social access to basic goods and services such as food, water, electricity, housing, and so forth, as well as social freedoms such as those of belief, association and participation in politics. These restrictions are enforced by the Constitutional Court of Dezevau, though in practice, the Congress typically avoids controversial laws, and challenges are rare.

Composition

Since the Cultural Revolution and the dissolution of the Dezevauni Section of the Workers' International, the Congress of Twenties has had a much weaker party system than in most countries. While a party-list electoral system is used, most electorates are not large, and lists are typically alliances between a few candidates who belong to the same political club. Political clubs are informal groupings in the legislature, and tend to represent general political trends and movements in society; they were historically common in the earliest days of the republic but did not return until after the Cultural Revolution.

Some notable political clubs include the New Left,