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. The Congress elects one of its own members as Vadabu, who chairs the legislature when in session, and is a formal representative of it outside, while retaining full voting rights.
The Congress' powers are constitutionally limited as so to be largely unable to legislate for a non-socialist economy or a non council-democratic political system, and its powers otherwise mainly relate to uniquely national matters. It is notable for its non-partisan culture, with political clubs being dominant.
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. The justification for these powers being granted thus is . 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. Legally, their members are registered as independents, or members of parties which are typically much smaller than the general clubs themselves. Participation in multiple clubs and movement from one to another is not uncommon.
Some notable political clubs include the New Left, Metal, Localists and Anarchists. The most significant formal political party in Dezevau that still exists is the Liberal Party, which has advocated for distinctly non-socialist policies, largely without success, since its founding; it has been called the only real opposition by some observers, though others suggest that this disregards the largely participatory nature of politics in Dezevau, dissimilar to Eastern conceptions of democracy.
Current composition
The Liberal Party has 170 delegates, the Green Party 69 delegates, the Party Pelangi 52 delegates, and the Traditionalist Party 19 delegates; these are the most significant non-club tendency political parties.
According to their own counts of attendance, in 2020 the clubs by number of delegate members are:
- New Left (428)
- Metal (277)
- Localists (198)
- Anarchists (111)
Notably, almost half of Localist club members are also members of other clubs.
The New Left, Metal and Localist clubs identify themselves as socialist, considering themselves descendants of the Dezevauni Section of the Workers' International tradition of explicitly internationalist and progressive socialism.
There are over a hundred delegates who are not affiliated with any party, or with any club mainly; they are generally referred to as independents.
History
Independence
The Congress of Twenties has roots in historical assemblies in Dezevau, but was founded in its modern form in 1935 as the legislature of the Republic of Dezevau, approving the first version of the Constitution of Dezevau; it was then composed of representatives from the many councils which were established in the newly independent country under the guidance of the Dezevauni Section of the Workers' International, or Socialists. At the time, it was composed of only a few hundred delegates, in part because the population of Dezevau was much smaller than it was in later times.
While largely formally non-partisan, the Congress reflected the public mood which was favourable to the Socialists, though in the years shortly after independence the party largely took a liberal direction; there was little opposition to the party which was seen to have liberated the country. Sympathy, however, largely remained as more socialist policies were put in place.
Red Surge
As decolonisation accelerated, the phenomenon known as the Red Surge occurred, mainly in Coius. With relation to the Association of Emerging Socialist Economies, large areas of the developing world became independent and socialist, while existing socialism was ideologically shored up. The Socialists gained confidence during this time, the party becoming increasingly centralised, bureaucratic and determinedly socialist. This was reflected in government, and while robust debate took place in Congress, the Liberal Party also having come into existence as a persistent opposition party, in many ways more decisionmaking took place within the party's leadership.
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution saw a mass movement which influenced many aspects of society. The Congress of Twenties, because of its size, directness of election and short terms became a platform for many Cultural Revolutionary radicals. Despite the party's decision to go along with it, the was relatively left behind. It is unclear if Cultural Revolutionaries ever had a majority in Congress, but certainly they were highly influential. Their political power exercised through the Congress of Twenties asserted the body's independence and supreme power under the constitution, and in the end, the Cultural Revolution saw the abolition of the Dezevauni Section of the Workers' International.
Contemporary
The Congress of Twenties, after the end of the Cultural Revolution, saw the Club of Metal become dominant, its policies espousing orthodox council communism, with power to the local councils, respect for the distinctiveness and independence of the country and the developing world more widely, and a progressive, modern outlook on history. It stayed the course despite spikes in the popularity of the Liberal Party, which unsuccessfully attempted to pare back the extent of socialism, and the increasingly substantial minority of Anarchist delegates.
The New Left rose some years more after the end of the Cultural Revolution, in many ways picking up its more radical aspects but also pursuing postmodernist renewal of the system to handle new issues, challenges and matters such as climate change, queer people, cultural rights, digital communication, animal rights and globalisation. It was largely as a result of the New Left that the electoral system was reformed, eliminating single-member constituencies in favour of larger ones that promoted a wider variety of views. It replaced Metal as the usual largest club, though its ascendancy has been seriously challenged in recent years by the Localists, who are even more decentralising and provincial in outlook. The Localists have lost delegate share in the last few elections, however.