Lihnidosi Bouleuterion
Lihnidos Bouleuterion Λιχνίδος βουλευτήριον | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Epistates | Arcenio Paules, Conservative-National Alliance |
Leader of the Opposition | Fania Zarou, Democratic Coalition |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 350 |
 | |
Political groups | Government
Confidence and supply Opposition
|
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 12 October 2018 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| The Bouleuterion, Arcadia | |
| Website | |
| www.bouleuterion.gov.lnd | |
The Lihnidosi Bouleuterion (Hellenic: ‘’Λιχνίδος βουλευτήριον’’ or ‘’Βουλή των Λιχνίδος’’, ‘Boule of the Lihnidosi’), also known as the Lihnidosi Parliament, is the unicameral legislature of Lihnidos. The Bouleuterion has existed since 1920 following its creation by Empress Selene I through imperial directive. The creation of the Bouleuterion expanded democracy in Lihnidos which had previously only existed on the provincial level through the election of provincial councils.
The Bouleuterion is composed of three hundred fifty members who are elected by a first past the post electoral system and serve four year terms. These members each represent constituencies that are allocated to provinces across the nation based on population. Members of the Bouleuterion, often referred to as deputies, meet in the Lihnidosi capital city of Arcadia in the Bouleuterion, a building which shares the same name as the legislative body.
The Bouleuterion is entrusted with the debate and passage of legislation. Upon passing the Bouleuterion, legislation is sent to the monarch for their consideration and either their approval or veto. The legislative body is entrusted with providing advice and consent to some appointments made by either the monarch or the government. The Bouleuterion is also able to initiate nationwide referendums and petition the monarch for changes to the constitution.
As a semi-parliamentary system, the Bouleuterion, by tradition, can confirm and dismiss the grand logothete and their government. While the grand logothete can officially be appointed by the monarch without majority support from the legislature, tradition dictates that the grand logothete is elected by the members of the Bouleuterion by a majority vote in support of their appointment. The grand logothete can be dismissed through a vote of no confidence.
The Bouleuterion is officially led by the archon. The archon is appointed by the monarch and does not require support from the legislature. While the grand logothete, often the leader of the largest party or coalition in the legislature, is tasked with the day-to-day functioning of the government and oversight of the cabinet, the archon is considered to be the true head of government and their authority supersedes that of the grand logothete. The archon’s authority also supersedes that of the Epistates of the Bouleuterion who acts as the speaker of the legislative body. Since 1946, the position of archon and grand logothete have been held by the same person.
History
Formation
The Bouleuterion was officially formed on 1 January 1920 by Empress Selene I although elections to fill its original one hundred seats did not occur until 7 October 1920. The new national legislature, the first of its kind in Lihnidosi history, was created through an imperial directive issued by the monarch to the crown council. The imperial directive, which detailed the creation of the legislative body and the powers that would be granted to it, underwent numerous revisions over the course of the previous year. While national democratic elections were the norm amongst the majority of monarchies at the time, several members of the nobility in Lihnidos protested the empress' intention to introduce the process in Lihnidos. Early drafts of the imperial directive, which are housed in the Bouleuterion in Arcadia and on display to the public, gave the legislature limited power and described the body as having a "solely advisory role in planning the direction of the country." The initial drafts, which show heavy influence by the nobility opposed to the introduction of a national legislature, did not allow members of the Bouleuterion to introduce legislation or have any input on government appointments. Instead, the legislature would only be permitted to consider legislation proposed by the monarch or the crown council, and any vote on such legislation would not be considered binding.
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By October of 1919, a draft imperial directive was circulated amongst the nobility that detailed a far more empowered legislature. The October draft represented a legislature much more similar to many modern legislative bodies in that it had the authority to propose legislation, making binding votes, and appoint government officials and its own leadership. The draft directive was seen as a rebuke to those in the nobility opposed to the creation of the Bouleuterion and was heavily influenced by the empress. Ultimately, the October draft of the imperial directive was not the final iteration of the directive. The final and official draft of the imperial directive was issued on New Years Day in 1920 and detailed a more restrictive version of the Bouleuterion, although still with more authority than the early proposals. Under the guidelines in the directive, the Bouleuterion would be a one hundred seat legislature with members elected by a first past the post system to serve for four year terms. The legislature would be permitted to propose and vote on legislation which would be subject to approval from the monarch. The position of grand logothete would be created to lead the elected government and chair the cabinet. All government appointments as well as the appointment of the grand logothete would ultimately be left to the monarch, although the legislature was permitted to nominate candidates through a majority vote. The legislature would, however, remain under the oversight of the monarch and be officially headed by the Grand Archon of the Crown Council who was considered to be the most senior member of the nobility aside from the monarch and the monarch's most trusted advisor. The grand archon would act as speaker of the body and the grand logothete and elected government were subordinate to whoever held the position.
The first general election on 7 October 1920 saw one hundred independent members elected to the legislature. The legislature nominated Alexandros Pachos, who had previously served as a member of the Thasos provincial council, as its choice to be grand logothete. Under renewed pressure from the nobility, the empress rejected the Bouleuterion's nomination and instead appointed a member of the nobility, the Countess Liana of Meteze, to be grand logothete. The rejection of the legislature's nomination drew wide criticism from democracy advocates and protests outside of the Bouleuterion and Imperial Palace lasted for several days following the decision. In response to the protests, the Countess Liana appointed numerous members of the Bouleuterion to the cabinet.
Further criticism was received following subsequent elections where the monarch or nobility disallowed certain candidates from running for office, regularly vetoed legislation, and appointed government officials that were opposed by the legislature.
Attempted coup and reforms of 1946
By the mid 1940s party politics in the Bouleuterion had developed and three parties had representation in the legislature. While there were attempts by the nobility to prevent the formation of political parties in Lihnidos following the creation of the Bouleuterion, public pressure eventually led to a limited number of parties being given permission to form. From 1924 to 1932, two political parties held seats in the legislature. The Conservative Party and the Party of the Democratic Left had competed for influence on both the national and provincial level beginning in the lead up to the 1922 provincial council elections which saw the conservatives win a majority of provincial councils. Two years later in 1924 the conservatives were successful in winning a majority in the Bouleuterion and retained their majority following the 1928 general election.
In 1931, with support from the Duke Myron of Samos, a new political party was given permission to form. This party, the Party for Civic Understanding, initially represented a middle ground between the conservatives and democratic left. The party platform took a number of moderate positions on economic development and policy as well as social issues. The 1932 elections saw the party have immediate success as it won nineteen of the one hundred seats in the legislature. Support for the party seemed to draw primarily from the conservatives as the election saw the Conservative Party lose sixteen seats while the Party of the Democratic Left only lost three. In 1934, following poor performance in provincial council elections, the leader of the Party for Civic Understanding resigned and was replaced by Therron Georgiades, a member of the Bouleuterion representing the Samos Islands. Georgiades asserted that the failure of the party to gain further traction on the provincial and national level was a result of "fence-sitting ... and a lack of courage to take strong political stances." Between 1934 and 1940, under the leadership of Georgiades, the party transitioned from a moderate party that was known for advocating compromise to what many considered to be a far-right authoritarian party often campaigning on Invictist policies. Despite calls from the elected government to have the party forcefully disbanded, Emperor Athanasios VIII refrained from banning the party due to the party's support from some members of the nobility.
Support for the party grew over the course of Georgiades' leadership, culminating in the party's victory in the 1940 general election where the party won fifty-one of the one hundred seats in the Bouleuterion. Georgiades' support amongst some of the nobility resulted in his appointment as grand logothete by Athanasios VIII, although his government was often rebuked by the monarch through the vetoing of legislation and refusal to appoint many nominees to government posts. In 1943 the Party for Civic Understanding lost its majority after the death of one member and resignation of another. Both vacated seats were filled by members of the Conservative Party following by-elections. In order to quickly remove Georgiades from power, the Party of the Democratic Left and Conservative Party formed a unity government. The unity government lasted only a year and a half, with the Party of Civic Understanding once again winning a majority following the 1944 general election.
On 18 February 1945, following the Party for Civic Understanding's fifty-eight seat win in the 1944 October general election, Georgiades, with the support of two members of the nobility and factions of the Lihnidosi Armed Forces, launched an attempted coup with the goal of overthrowing Athanasios VIII. Georgiades, who addressed members of his party in the Bouleuterion as the coup plans were being executed, asserted that the monarch had prevented him and his elected government from properly governing and that the monarch's "betrayal of democracy and Lihnidos' democratic institutions" could not be ignored any longer. During the course of the day, factions of the armed forces operating throughout the country succeeded in taking numerous members of the opposition into custody. In the capital, coup-aligned Army troops stormed the Imperial Palace and succeeded in taking control of the palace and surrounding areas. Athanasios VIII was able to evade capture and escape the palace while fighting was underway between Georgiades' troops and members of the Spatharioi. Fighting between loyalist troops and Georgiades' forces continued over the course of the next several days throughout the country. On 21 February 1945, royalist troops succeeded in eliminating the remainder of Georgiades' forces in the capital. Over the following weeks, Georgiades and several of his coup plotters, including two members of the nobility and several military officers, as well as many members of the Party of Civic Understanding, were pursued throughout the country and eventually taken into custody by the Spatharioi.
In response to the attempted coup, Athanasios VIII declared a state of national emergency and dissolved the Bouleuterion. Elections were postponed and the functions of the elected government were put under the control of the Grand Archon of the Crown Council. Over the course of the next year, Athanasios VIII and the Crown Council debated numerous reforms to the Bouleuterion and national democracy in Lihnidos. While democracy advocates in Lihnidos worried that democracy in Lihnidos would regress as a result of the attempted coup, those concerns did not materialize. On 18 February 1946, a year after the launch of the failed coup, Athanasios VIII announced the conclusion of the Crown Council's debate on reforms in a televised address. Athanasios VIII, in a rare admission of failure, apologized to the country for the failures of the nobility to properly listen to the populace and their concerns. The monarch blamed himself for the rise in the Party of Civic Understanding and Invictism in the nation, and promised that steps would be taken to ensure that the population felt they had a role in determinig the direction of the country. The announced reforms included the creation of an independent National Board of Elections to regulate and oversee elections, changes to the nomination and appointment of government officials, and an expansion of the Bouleuterion. Most notably, the reforms included the position of archon being granted to the same individual appointed as grand logothete, further empowering the elected government and removing influence over the Bouleuterion from the Crown Council.
Contemporary era
Following the 1946 reforms, the powers of the Bouleuterion were brought closer in line with other modern legislatures. The nobility and monarch gave up a significant portion of their influence over the legislative body and allowed it to function mostly independent of the monarch. Following the transition of the position of archon to the grand logothete, the leader of the elected government gained increased authority and responsibilities and was given more leeway in directing the Bouleuterion alongside the newly created position of epistates which acted as the speaker of the legislature. The legislature was expanded from one hundred seats to three hundred, and again expanded in 1990 to three hundred fifty seats.
There are currently six parties officially recognized by the National Board of Elections, all of which are represented in the Bouleuterion. Increasing partisanship has accompanied the increase in parties in the legislature, and according to polling data a plurality of voters believe that more compromise and partnership is needed amongst parties.
Over recent years there have been attempts by the Bouleuterion to pass reforms to the election process in Lihnidos to move away from a strictly first past the post system, although those attempts have failed to receive majority support.
Components
The National Assembly of Lihnidos is currently comprised of three hundred fifty individual voting members that are elected by a first past the post electoral system. These National Assembly members (Deputies) are each charged with representing the interests of their constituents in the constituency they are elected for.
There are currently six parties that hold seats in the National Assembly. The largest of these parties, the Conservative-National Alliance currently holds one hundred seventy seats out of the three hundred fifty seats available. This makes the Conservative-National Alliance just short of a majority despite having a significant advantage over the main opposition party, the Democratic Coalition. The Democratic Coalition currently holds one hundred thirty-seven seats.
The remaining parties in the National Assembly are the Coalition of Progressive Socialists at nineteen seats, the Centrist Union at thirteen seats, the Populist People's Party at six seats, and the Republican Party at five seats.
Prime Minister
Main Article: Prime Minister of Lihnidos
The Prime Minister of Lihnidos is the highest-ranking official in the National Assembly. The prime minister is tasked with the introducing bills in the legislature and putting in motion several legislative motions such as the dissolution of the National Assembly if such an action is required.
The prime minister is nominated by the National Assembly after a general election and must be approved by the monarch. The prime minister, while having to meet a set of requirements, does not have to be a member of the National Assembly. After the National Assembly nominates an individual to become prime minister, the monarch must either confirm or deny the National Assembly's nominee. If the nominee is approved by the monarch, then that individual will become prime minister. If the nominee fails to receive approval from the monarch, then the National Assembly must put forth a new candidate for prime minister. This often results in the prime minister being the leader of the majority party or the leader of the senior member party of a coalition.
The prime minister can be removed from office at any time if they lose the confidence of the National Assembly or the monarch. This happens by a member of the National Assembly presenting a motion of no confidence. If the motion passes, the prime minister is removed from office and the National assembly must nominate a new candidate for the position. Likewise, if the monarch loses confidence in the prime minister, she has the authority to dismiss him or her from office and instruct the National Assembly to nominate a new individual as prime minister.
The current prime minister is Fotis Raptis who took office on the 25th of January, 2010.
Speaker of the National Assembly
The Speaker of the National Assembly is the presiding officer of the National Assembly while it is in session and the second-highest ranking legislative official in the country. The speaker holds a number of powers over the National Assembly while it is in session. The Speaker of the National Assembly oversees debate on legislation and gives members of the National Assembly permission to speak on matters. The speaker is also tasked with maintaining order in the National Assembly and rules on all points of order. The speaker may delegate his or her authority to another member of the National Assembly if warranted by the inability to carry out the duties of the office for a period of time. The speaker rarely participates in debate in order to remain as nonpartisan as possible, but does normally vote on legislation.
The speaker is also charged with appointing several administrative members of the National Assembly like the historian, the sergeant-at-arms, clerks, the chief administrative officer, and the chaplain.
The speaker is elected by the members of the National Assembly. The speaker must be a member of the National Assembly in order to be nominated and elected. In order to take the office a majority of the National Assembly must vote to approve of a candidate. If a vote is taken where there is no majority for one candidate, additional votes will be taken until one candidate obtains a majority. Because of this, the speaker is often a member of the majority party or a member of one of the parties forming a coalition government.
Committees
The National Assembly has a number of committees staffed by National Assembly members. Committees are charges with reviewing legislation, debating legislation, and amending legislation. Any bill proposed by any member of the National Assembly must first go through the committee that pertains to what the piece of legislation is about. The process may take anywhere from an hour to multiple days depending on the length of the bill that is being reviewed. Once the committee has gone through a piece of legislation, a vote will be taken on whether to send it to the full National Assembly. If the bill fails to receive majority support in committee, it does not move on for a full vote. Committees also have the power to begin inquiries into actions taken by the government. This may include subpoenaing evidence or calling witnesses to testify before the committee.
Committees are split based upon areas of specialty. Each committee will be charged with a different purview. Only matters pertaining to the purview of that committee will be discussed, although sometimes a matter will go to multiple committees depending on its extent. Each committee is led by a chairman and has a number of members from each party. The number of members for committees varies depending on the significance of what it oversees. Membership on committees is determined by the Prime Minister and Speaker of the National Assembly. Members will often be given their preference on what committee they wish to sit on, with the most senior members being given priority.
There are two types of committees in the National Assembly. The first type of committees are standing committees, which are permanent committees that oversee a specific area. There are currently twenty standing committees:
- Agriculture and the Environment
- Budget
- Commerce, Industry, and Trade
- Defense
- Education
- Energy and Natural Resources
- Ethics
- Finance and the Economy
- Foreign Affairs and Relations
- Health and Public Safety
- Housing and Urban Development
- Intelligence and Security
- Judiciary
- Labor and Employment
- National and Local Government Affairs
- Oversight and Reform
- Rules
- Science and Research
- Taxation
- Transportation and Infrastructure
The second type of committees are select committees that are meant to serve a specific purpose. These committees are temporary and exist only until the matter they are dealing with is finished. Select committees are created by the prime minister to deal with certain policy or investigative matters. Currently, there are no active select committees.
Members and Elections
The National Assembly contains three hundred fifty members who each represent a constituency. Constituencies are spread across the nation, allocated to provinces based on population and location. The number of constituencies is liable to change after the census is taken every five years, however this is not a requirement and the number of constituencies hasn't been raised since 1990.
Qualifications
There are few qualifications that must be met to run for a seat on the National Assembly. The first qualification is that candidates must be of at least twenty years of age. The second is that a candidate must have been a citizen of Lihnidos for at least five years. The third is that the candidate must currently live in the constituency that they wish to represent, and have lived there for at least half of the time they have been a citizen of Lihnidos. Once a candidate wins an election to the National Assembly, they are no longer required to have a permanent residence in the constituency they represent if their permanent residence is instead in the nation's capital. The individual must also speak fluent Hellenic.
It is the job of the National Board of Elections to determine whether or not candidates qualify to run. Each candidate is required to submit the necessary paperwork to the NBE to notify them and officialize their candidacy. The NBE is able to disqualify anyone from running if it is found that they do not meet the qualifications to run. It is a crime to lie on official papers submitted to the NBE, and if found to have knowingly provided false information charges can be brought against the offender. If a candidate who wins an election for a National Assembly seat is found to have violated any laws or not met the qualifications after they have won, they will be removed from office.
Elections
Elections for the National Assembly occur once every four years in Lihnidos. General elections are held on the second Friday of October and are sworn into office a week later. All three hundred fifty seats go up for re-election at the same time.
In most cases, candidates are required to go through a primary process in their constituency to determine who will represent each party in the constituency during the general election. If only one candidate attempts to run for a certain party in a constituency, they are automatically chosen as the candidate for the general election and do not appear on the ballot during primary election. Both primary and general elections are based on the first past the post election system, meaning that the candidate with the most votes wins even if they do not receive a majority.
It is possible for general elections to happen off of the four year schedule if the prime minister and monarch agree on the dissolution of the National Assembly. If this occurs, for whatever reason, a general election is triggered. After the general election is held, the National Assembly members will only hold office until the next scheduled general election. This means that even if a general election happens off of the four year cycle, the four year cycled still continues. (Ex. If the National Assembly is dissolved one year into the four year term, new members after the general election will only serve three years before the next general election.)
Privileges and Amenities
Upon entering office as a member of the National Assembly, members are awarded certain privileges and amenities.
As of October 2009, each member of the National Assembly is given a yearly salary of 150,000 Denarii. The prime minister, Speaker of the National Assembly, and elected party leaders are given an additional salary. The prime minister receives an additional 50,000 Denarii for a total annual salary of 200,000. The Speaker of the National Assembly is given an additional 25,000 Denarii for a total annual salary of 175,000. Leaders of parties in the National Assembly are given an additional 15,000 Denarii for a total annual salary of 165,000. The salaries of the members of the National Assembly are set by the National Assembly and can be changed through legislation at any time, but the changes do not take place until the next National Assembly takes office. National Assembly members are eligible for retirement benefits if they serve one full term of four years. The annual salary is an addition to whatever money a member of the National Assembly might make in a private sector business they may own or work for, but members are prohibited from taking money that may influence their votes on certain matters. If it is suspected that a member is receiving contributions for certain votes or is participating in corruption of any kind, an investigation may be opened by the ethics committee.
Members of the National Assembly, upon taking office, can take the prefix "The Honorable" when being addressed in the National Assembly or in other official capacities. They are also referred to as deputies.
Each member of the National Assembly is given an office space on Assembly Hill and are able to take a tax deducible for up to 5,000 Denarii for any living expense that they may accrue from living away from their homes in their constituencies. Members are also given an allowance to enable them to fulfill their capacity as deputies. This allowance can go towards office spaces in their constituency, travel to and from their constituency, and mailing costs. Allowances may vary based upon the distance constituencies are from the capital. Allowances are not allowed to be spent on personal business.
Each deputy is permitted to have up to twenty staffers working for them at a time. The salary of deputy staffers is determined and capped by the budget committee.
Legislative Functions
The National Assembly is the sole body of the legislative branch of government in Lihnidos. It is restricted by both the executive and judicial branch which act as restrictions on its power. The National Assembly is the only body in the country that is able to pass legislation. Provinces, while having regional councils, cannot pass laws for their individual provinces. The National Assembly meets year round, only going into recess on the weekends and holidays so deputies are able to spend time in their constituencies and with their families. The prime minister may also call the National Assembly to recess whenever they see fit for whatever reason. The National Assembly is required by law to be in session for at least eight months of the year.
The main role of the National Assembly is to debate and pass legislation on any matters it deems necessary as long as the legislation is within the confines of the constitution. Legislation can be brought forth by any member of the National Assembly, the prime minister, and cabinet ministers but must go through specific processes before reaching the monarch's desk either for the giving or withholding of imperial assent. If the monarch withholds imperial assent from a piece of legislation that reaches their desk, the legislation is dismissed as a veto by the monarch cannot be overridden. If the monarch vetos a bill approved by the National Assembly, the bill can be resubmitted in a different form, or in the same form a year later.
Procedure
There are several stages in the Lihnidosi legislative process. The first step in the legislative process is a bill being introduced by either the prime minister, cabinet minister, or member of the National Assembly. Once the bill is introduced, the second step is for the bill to go through committee. The bill is submitted to a committee by the individual introducing the bill, and the committee will then review the bill to see if it is within their purview. If the bill is within the committee's purview, the committee will debate the bill, going through each line and offering amendments as necessary. This process can take any length of time. Once the bill has been thoroughly reviewed by committee, it will either be passed out of committee or struck down by the committee. If the bill is passed out of the committee, the third stage of the legislative process begins. The third stage is the bill being presented to the full National Assembly. The prime minister determines which bills are introduced to the National Assembly and when. Once the bill is introduced to the full National Assembly there may be debate on the bill. After debate has finished, a vote will be taken. If passed by a majority, the fourth step of the legislative process is activated. If the bill does not receive majority support, it is dismissed. The fourth step in the legislative process is consideration by the monarch. The bill will make its way to the monarch's desk and he or she will be able to consider it and either approve it by giving imperial assent or effectively veto it by not giving imperial assent.
Responsibilities
Along with the passage of legislation, the National Assembly is tasked with a variety of other responsibilities. One of these responsibilities is the task of originating amendments to the constitution. If a constitutional amendment is brought forth in the National Assembly, it must go through every committee whose area would be effected. The amendment must receive a two-thirds majority vote in order to be passed out of the National Assembly. The amendment will then make its way to the monarch's desk, where they can either approve or reject it. If it is rejected, the amendment is dismissed. If the monarch approves the amendment, then it is presented to the citizenry in the form of a referendum vote. If the majority of the population approves of the amendment, it is codified into the constitution.
The National Assembly is also responsible for passing a budget each fiscal year. The budget is presented by the prime minister after consultation with the empress and the cabinet. It is rare for the prime minister's budget to be defeated in the National Assembly, and if that were to occur it would signify the National Assembly's loss of confidence of the prime minister. While this doesn't immediately result in the prime minister's removal, any member is able to bring a motion of no confidence against the prime minster.