Supreme Council of the Republic
Supreme Council of the Republic අයමගඛග උලුඛ ආලි ධුරොචධ Aymagsaga Ulus Oliy Hurahl | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type |
|
| Leadership | |
Premier | Erkin Sabir since 18 June 2017 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 15 |
 | |
Political groups | Centrists: (7)
Old Guards: (6)
Reformists: (2)
|
| Elections | |
| 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 the collective head of state of Chanda, that also serves as a the constitutional court, de facto upper house for the National Assembly and as the highest judicial authority of the country. 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 15 members, led by the Premier of the Council, who serves until mandatory retirement at age 75. As the nation's constitutional court, it is tasked with ruling on whether laws and actions by the Peoples' Sector are in fact 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 council has the power to appoint high ranking members of the judiciary, although all appointments must be approved by the Assembly. Finally the Supreme Council heads the hierarchy of Union Committees, which serves as an ideological check on the Governments and to enforce their rulings.
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 "patriotic" scholars and experts, that would collectively guide the country and ensure that elected governments would remain loyal to the country. 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 government for a "revived" country. When the National Revolution overthrew the Chandan State, the Group of Five drafted a new constitution which 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 decades 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, the most conservative of which were known as the National Bloc, 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 Bloc 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 retirement being made mandatory at age 75, 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 the National Bloc's dominance of the Council marks the beginning of the Reformation of Chanda, a period of political and economic liberalisation that continues to the present.
Role
Membership
The Supreme Council is led by the highest ranking member, the Premier of the Council, who also serves as the de facto head of state of the country. While the Premier is technically primus inter pares among their peers, 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 the next term to run again.
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. 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.