Supreme Council of the Republic

Supreme Council of the Republic අයමගඛග උලුඛ ආලි ධුරොචධ Aymagsaga Ulus Oliy Hurahl
Type
Type	Executive council (as collective head of state) Judicial council (as a consitutional court) Legislative council (overseeing the National Assembly)
Leadership
Premier	Erkin Sabir since 18 June 2017
Structure
Seats	15
Political groups	Centrists: (7)   Nationalists: (6)   Reformists: (2)
Elections
Voting system	Elected by National Assembly Appointment by the President with approval of the National Assembly
Meeting place
Taglikend, Chanda Capitol, Chanda

The Supreme Council of the Republic (Chandan: අයමගඛග උලුඛ ආලි ධුරොචධ, Aymagsaga Ulus Oliy Hurahl) is an executive council that serves as the collective head of state of Chanda, as well as the country's constitutional court and the de facto upper house for the National Assembly. Created to ensure that Chanda continues to follow the principles of Birlikism, the Council wields significant power and influence in the country's government. Although constitutional reforms passed in 1993 weakened its powers, it is still considered to be the institutional heart of the republic.

The Council consists of fifteen members; two elected members who are the President and Vice President of Chanda and thirteen serving members led by the Premier of the Council, appointed for a single term of twelve years. As the nation's collective head of state, it embodies the Republic and the influence of Birlikism in the country. In additional to its ceremonial functions, it wields significant powers by serving as the country's constitutional court. Therefore it is tasked with ruling on whether laws and actions by the government are 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 National 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 Supreme Council is the commander in chief of the People's Liberation Army, although this role has become increasingly ceremonial.

History

The idea for a "Supreme Council" was first conceived by Abdug'ani Yoʻldosh in the early 1940s while developing the ideology that would become Birlikism. Abdug'ani believed in the need for a powerful body consisting of experienced "patriots" who would collectively guide the country and ensure the loyalty of elected governments. The concept would be embraced by the rest of the Group of Five, especially by President Nurlan Sabir, who saw it as a key piece of their ideas for a "revived" country. When the National Revolution solidified control over the West Shalegho Commandery, the Group of Five drafted a new constitution for the Republic. It included the creation of a collective head of state, named the Supreme Council. It also granted the council legislative powers in the form of a veto and judicial powers over constitutional matters and managing the judiciary.

During the first few years of the Republic, the Council largely remained out of general political affairs and occasionally issued rulings. However beginning in the late 1950s, President Sabir began giving preferential treatment to well connected party scholars and bureaucrats. By the 1970s, the Supreme Council became an elite political body full of party members. At the same time, more moderate Birlikist governments were elected to power and attempted to pursue economic and social reforms, only to be obstructed by the Council who vetoed legislation and constitutional reform. While the Presidents could appoint members to the Council, its Councilors had no term lengths and served until resignation or death. By the 1980s, the Council was a bloated body full of party officials, known as the Old Guards who continued to block any attempt at substantial reform.

In 1988, Akmal Sabir was elected President by a broad coalition of centrists and reformists in the middle of an economic recession. Akmal used his family name to build support for his constitutional reform package in the National Front, but failed to convince a majority of the Supreme Council to not block his reform. In response, Sabir undertook a program of removing the National Bloc from the Council. In order to avoid the perception of a purge and backlash, the removal of National Bloc members was slow and systemic and occurred as part of a larger anti-corruption campaign. Furthermore Sabir shifted back to appointing members based upon qualification rather than political connections, while ensuring the new Councillors were more moderate than their predecessors. Nevertheless, the Old Guards eventually realized the plot and made preparations to stop it by declaring his actions unconstitutional. However some of the more reactionary members sought more radical measures, and contacted the military for the possibility of conducting a coup. The potential plot was leaked to Sabir who used it as a pretext to arrest most of the Old Guard for treason.

With the conservative elements of the Council no longer able to obstruct his reforms, Sabir was able to pass a comprehensive constitutional reform package, the Declaration of 1993. It featured several major reforms to the Council, the most important of which was removing the absolute veto over legislation in favor of a overridable limited veto. Additional reforms included a set term of 12 years, the Council's number of seats being fixed at 15, and adding approval of the Assembly to the appointment process. The passing of the constitutional reforms and the end of conservative dominance of the Council marks the beginning of the Reformation of Chanda, a period of political and economic liberalisation that continues to the present.

Powers and responsibilities

Under the Declaration of the Republic, the Supreme Council is vested with a wide range of powers and responsibilities over executive, legislative, and judicial affairs as its role as protector of the constitution. While its executive powers are largely ceremonial, it holds extensive legislative and judicial powers. The Council has the powers to:

Executive

• Represent the state in foreign affairs, which is exercised only on the advice of the government. The Council accredits ambassadors and receives the letters of credence of foreign diplomats. The Council signs international treaties on behalf of the President.
• Exercise supreme command and control over the People's Liberation Army. Since the reforms of the 1990s, this power is exercised on the advice of the government.

Legislative

• Sign a bill into law by a majority vote. The Council may veto a bill and send it back to the National Assembly for reconsideration. The National Assembly may revise the bill or override the veto by a two-third majority vote after which the bill becomes law.
• Issue a non-binding resolution by a majority vote. The resolution power is largely used to state the Council's majority opinion. However the Council may submit a resolution to the National Assembly to ask it to draft its resolution as legislation. This practice has become a de facto right of legislative initiative.
• Convene the National Assembly to mark the start of a new legislative session.

Judicial

• Exercise the power of judicial review and may strike down unconstitutional actions by the government. The Council may actively exercise judicial review, instead of waiting for a case to be presented to the Council.
• Mediate internal disputes between national institutions, including delegates of the National Assembly.
• Impeach and remove any government official based on violation of constitutional or federal law. However only the National Assembly can officially vote to remove the President from office.
• Appointing the members of the Council of Judicial Affairs with approval of the National Assembly.
• Ban political parties and other organisations that pose a threat to the Republic.

Organisation

The Supreme Council is led by the highest ranking serving member, the Premier of the Council. While the Premier is technically primus inter pares among their peers, they may act as de facto head of state of the country. Furthermore 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; they cannot be elected more than once consecutively and must wait until after the next term to run again.

The Council consists of the President and Vice President of Chanda and thirteen serving members. The elected members of the Council hold their seat as long as they remain in office. The serving members of the Council are appointed by 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 41 members in the 1990s. Today there are currently 15 serving members of the Council, divided into three political groups; the Old Guards, Reformists, and the Centrists. Furthermore, five of the thirteen serving seats are reserved for the People's Liberation Army. The Old Guards represent the nationalist, Birlikist conservatives of Chanda and traditionally had control of the Supreme Council for decades. However since the downsizing of the Council, more moderate Centrists have taken control of the Council 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.

Membership

Elected Member		Position	Member since	Faction
	Pernille Urksal	President of Chanda	2019-01-Sep (4 years ago)		Centrist
	Gulshara Khan	Vice-President of Chanda	2019-01-Sep (4 years ago)		Reformist
Presiding Member		Position	Member since	Faction
	Erkin Sabir	Premier of the Council (Leader of the Centrists)	2008-08-Apr (16 years ago)		Centrist
	Sooronbay Barat	Councillor (Military delegate)	2009-11-August (14 years ago)		Centrist
	Serik Alikhan	Councillor (Leader of the Nationalists) (Military delegate)	2010-08-June (14 years ago)		Nationalist
	Erlan Jaqanuly	Councillor (Military delegate)	2010-08-September (13 years ago)		Nationalist
	Kodir Litip	Councillor	2011-03-September (13 years ago)		Centrist
	Ondasyn Ualihanuly	Councillor (Military delegate)	2011-25-June (13 years ago)		Nationalist
	Turgyn Khan	Councillor	2012-15-July (12 years ago)		Nationalist
	Chingiz Tuyakbay	Councillor	2013-15-April (11 years ago)		Nationalist
	Gani Yasin	Councillor (Military delegate)	2013-15-October (10 years ago)		Nationalist
	Aqtoty Khan	Councillor	2015-12-November (8 years ago)		Centrist
	Adalat Hudayar	Vice-Premier of the Council	2016-08-September (7 years ago)		Centrist
	Darhan Patel	Councillor	2018-11-March (6 years ago)		Centrist
	Serik Tazhin	Councillor (Leader of the Reformists)	2019-02-May (5 years ago)		Reformist