The National Commonwealth Parliament
The National Commonwealth Parliament El Parlamento Nacional de la Manucommunidad | |
|---|---|
| 21st National Commonwealth Parliament | |
| Type | |
| Type | Part of of the The Legislature of the Commonwealth |
Term limits | twelve years or six terms |
| History | |
| Founded | 11. December. 2032 |
| Preceded by | House of Representatives |
New session started | 11. December. 2066 |
| Leadership | |
Hon. Lucille Ortega, Socialist Popular Front since 12. April. 2057 | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 1,500 |
 | |
Political groups | Ruling Coalition
Socialist Popular Front: 600 seats
Green Progressive Party: 300 seats
Main Opposition Social Democratic Party: 200 seats
Conservative Restoration Party: 200 seats
Minor Opposition Democratic Liberty Party: 125 seats
Keldon Independence Party: 25 seats
Revolutionary Leftist Front: 25 seats
Moralist Party: 20 seats National Front: 5 seats
|
| Elections | |
| Proportional Representation | |
Last election | 8. December. 2066 |
Next election | 8. December. 2068 |
| Motto | |
| "The Voice of the People" | |
| Meeting place | |
| Legislature Building, Veluna City, Columbia | |
| Website | |
| www.natparliment.nasc | |
The National Commonwealth Parliament, more commonly referred to as Parliament or The Parliament by the Commonwealth's citizens, is the Lower Chamber of the Commonwealth's Legislature. It is located in the Legislature Building in Veluna City, Columbia The Parliament is the larger of the two legislative bodies in the Commonwealth's national government, and shares legislative authority over the Commonwealth with the Congress of Soviets, and indirect authority over the Council of Ministers as a result of customary appointments to the Council being derived from Parliamentary oversight. The leader of the Parliament is the General Secretary of the Parliament, a title which is currently held by Lucille Ortega of the Socialist Popular Front.
The Parliament is a house of the Commonwealth Legislature, the lower and larger of the two, and is the first stage of all nascent legislation on the path to becoming law in the Commonwealth. The Parliament is formed directly from party membership of Commonwealth citizenry, and anyone who can vote can become a member of Parliament. The Parliament's primary function is to serve as the creator of legislation and is capable of subverting the will of the Congress of Soviets, but only with a three fourth's super majority and not in the event that a bill is denied for review.
The Parliament is elected on a biannual basis, with parties being seats allocated by percentage of votes for each party out of total pool of 1,500. There are no official rules on forming a government, however the massive number of seats in parliament still requires coalition governance of parliament even with the events of the 2066 general election. The leading party and any others it wishes to form create the ruling coalition. Parties with at least 200 seats in parliament are referred to as the "Main Opposition", and smaller parties are minor opposition. Currently there is a coalition ruling the government lead by the Socialist Popular Front.
General Secretary of the Parliament
The General Secretary is a position held by an appointee from the President. The General Secretary serves as the keeper of decorum on the Parliament's floor and may cast the deciding vote in the event of a tied vote in simple majority measures. The General Secretary is also responsible for taking note of all debates and votes made by Parliament for the public record as well as overseeing the work of functionaries keeping minutes. Despite being officially appointed by the President, a General Secretary is given the position only on the vote of the current parliament. As a result it is functionally an elected position, and has traditionally gone to a member of the largest party represented in Parliament. The current General Secretary is Lucille Ortega of the Socialist Popular Front, who has been serving since 11. December. 2066.
The "Coup" Parliament
In the first half of 2057, the standing War Minister shipped off a large portion of the Commonwealth's standing military to Phonencia claiming the unconstitutional act as justifiable in ending tyranny. Before Parliament could contest the measure the war minister followed the start of hostilities by staging a coup and deposing the elected parliament. For a month afterward a small body of those selected by the Minister formed the "Coup" Parliament. This Parliament quickly enacted a number of laws to solidify the War Minister's control over the After the restoration of the old government there was much debate as to whether or not to include the Coup Parliament on the roster of parliaments. Despite the overturn of all of its laws, the Commonwealth opted to keep the body on the roster as a grim reminder of the cost of lack of vigilance.
List of Parliaments
| Number | Election Date | Start Date | General Secretary | Ruling Coalition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 8. December. 2032 | 11. December. 2032 | Marco Brown | Social Democrats |
| 2nd | 8. December. 2034 | 11. December. 2034 | Marco Brown | Social Democrats |
| 3rd | 8. December. 2036 | 11. December. 2036 | Julia Colvin | Democratic Socialist Alliance |
| 4th | 8. December. 2038 | 11. December. 2038 | Julia Colvin | Democratic Socialist Alliance |
| 5th | 8. December. 2040 | 11. December. 2040 | Julia Colvin | Democratic Socialist Alliance |
| 6th | 8. December. 2042 | 11. December. 2042 | Juan Alvarez | Liberal Democratic Alliance |
| 7th | 8. December. 2044 | 11. December. 2044 | Juan Alvarez | Liberal Democratic Alliance |
| 8th | 8. December. 2046 | 11. December. 2046 | Julia Colvin | Democratic Socialist Alliance |
| 9th | 8. December. 2048 | 11. December. 2048 | Enrique Moreno | Democratic Socialist Alliance |
| 10th | 8. December. 2050 | 11. December. 2050 | Enrique Moreno | Democratic Socialist Alliance |
| 11th | 8. December. 2052 | 11. December. 2052 | Juan Alvarez | Liberal Democratic Alliance |
| 12th | 8. December. 2054 | 11. December. 2054 | Juan Alvarez | Liberal Democratic Alliance |
| 13th | 8. December. 2056 | 11. December. 2054 | Joseph Gordon | Liberal Democratic Alliance |
| 14th | 8. December. 2056 | 11. December. 2056 | Enrique Moreno | Democratic Socialist Alliance |
| 15th | >Appointed in Coup< | 9. March. 2057 | Thomas Howell | Militarist Party |
| 16th | 10. April. 2057 | 12. April. 2057 | Alejandro Cristobal | Democratic Socialist Alliance |
| 17th | 8. December. 2058 | 11. December. 2058 | Alejenadro Cristobal | Democratic Socialist Alliance |
| 18th | 8. December. 2060 | 11. December. 2060 | Alejenadro Cristobal | Democratic Socialist Alliance |
| 19th | 8. December. 2062 | 11. December. 2062 | Alejandro Cristobal | Democratic Socialist Alliance |
| 20th | 8. December. 2064 | 11. December. 2064 | Alejandro Cristobal | Democratic Socialist Alliance |
| 21st | 8. December. 2066 | 11. December. 2066 | Lucille Ortega | Socialist Popular Front |
