Politics of Chatten and Leucen
| Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy | |
 | |
| Constitution | Constitution of Chatten and Leucen |
|---|---|
| Country | Chatten and Leucen |
| Legislative branch | |
| Legislature | Chalcish Parliament |
| Meeting place | Horessen Palace |
| Executive branch | |
| Head of State | Monarch |
| Head of Government | Prime Minister |
| Appointer | Megysmund XI |
| Headquarters | Horessen Palace |
| Departments | List
|
| Judicial branch | |
| Court | Supreme Court of Chalcain |
| Seat | Magnanon Hall |
Chatten and Leucen is a federal parliamentary and constitutional monarchy, where federal legislative power is vested in the bicameral Chalcish Parliament, divided into two elected chambers: the House of Baronies (representatives of the kingdom's federal states), and the Assembly of Commons. The parliamentary system Chatten and Leucen employs differs greatly in that it doesn't practice the concept of "either they will stand together, or fall together". Instead, they employ a mixture of parliamentary and presidential system.
The Social Democratic Party of Chalcain, since 1945, has been the incumbent party of the kingdom until 2004, where the Nationalist Party won the 2004 general elections during the controversy period of the SPDC's support on the Federal States' War on Terror by ratifying the Act of Agreement and Support for the War on Terror. The judiciary of the Northern Kingdom is independent of the executive and the legislative, and it is very uncommon for the members of the Parliament to become associate judges. While it is legally allowed, it is met with extreme suspicion. The basic foundation and workings of the Government is laid out in the Constitution of Chatten and Leucen, a collection of laws, precedents, previous acts, and statues which was ratified in 1949 near the end of the July Revolution. The leader of the biggest party on both the House of Baronies and the Assembly of Commons combined would be given the privilege of choosing the Prime Minister. Since 2022, the current prime minister is Saiah Dunwille.
The constitution was compiled in the wake of the revolution to clearly defined the powers of the Monarchy and the Parliament, asserting parliamentary sovereignty. It defines the division and strict implementation of roles between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches and limits the power of the Monarch to dissolve the Parliament, now requiring a supermajority vote on the Parliament in order to do so. This is to ensure that the Monarch would not be able to overhaul the entire parliament and his ministers in a single stroke, a lesson learned after the July Revolution. Furthermore, the constitution become an opportunity to ensure Individual liberty for all citizens. It also includes a catalogue of human and civil rights that aims to protect the citizenry against the possible emergence of an oppressive, authoritarian government.
History
Constitution
System of Governance
The Chalcish system of governance can be described as a mixture of both parliamentary and presidential system.
| Feature | Parliamentary system | Presidential system | Chalcish political system |
| Dissolving of the Parliament | Yes | No | No; Parliament is always present despite changing of the head of government |
| Separation of powers | Yes | No | No, Prime Minister derives its legitimacy from the Parliament |
| Head of state is different from the head of government | Yes | No; Prime Minister is both the head of state and government | Yes |
| Executive president | No | Yes | Yes, Prime Minister holds only the executive branch of the government |
| Elections are separate for the legislature and the Prime Minister | No | Yes | No, the Prime Minister is picked from the dominant party or a coalition from the Parliament |
| The head of state is a figurehead and a ceremonial position | Yes | No, President is both the head of state and government | Yes, position held by the monarch. |
| Power to call an early election | Yes | No, a resignation is more appropriate | No, used when the Prime Minister is unfit for rule/dead or the Parliament motioned for a vote of no confidence |
| Elections for both chambers | No, lower chamber is the only elected one | Yes | Yes |
The Crown
The Chalcish monarchy, currently King Megysmund XI, is the head of state of the government. An institution spanning more than a thousand years, the Crown has little influence over the legislative and judicial branch. Instead, the main responsibility of the King is to give royal assent, an executive power by which the Monarch resides. The Monarch also has royal prerogatives, a set of privileges and immunity by which they were given off according to the 1949 Constitution. They can use those powers to a wide variety of things, such as the dismissal of the prime minister, issue or withdrawal of passports, or even a declaration of war. These powers can be given to their ministers, officials, or any person in authority, with or without the consent of the Parliament.
The Prime Minister, the head of the government, meets with the Monarch periodically to warn, express, or converse with each other behind close doors, in ultimate secrecy.
The 1949 constitution defines two types of power: domestic and foreign power, both of which resides with the Crown.
Domestic power
- The power to either withdraw or bestow royal assent to bills (making them either valid or invalid)
- The power to appoint a Prime Minister
- The power to grant honours
- The power to issue royal charter to establish any type of organization or corporation
- The power to command the Chalcish Armed Forced as the kingdom's commander-in-chief
- The power to commission officers into the army
- The power to issue or withdrawal of passports
- The power to offer a prerogative of mercy to those bestowed with the highest forms of capital crime
- The power to appoint ministers to the Long Table (King's cabinet)
Foreign power
- The power to declare war or grant peace
- The power to issue, ratify, or reject treaties
- The power to recognise states
- The power to credit or discredit foreign and domestic diplomats
Former prerogative powers exists before the ratification of the 1949 constitution. These are the power to dissolve, summon, or prorogue the Parliament and the power to deploy the army overseas (still in effect, but requires a supermajority with the Parliament, not including the Prime Minister).
Political parties
The liberalization of Chatten and Leucen under the rule of Nethany III & I allowed for the development of the kingdom's first political parties. Since 1902, two political parties have dominated the political landscape: the Social Democratic Party of Chalcain and the Nationalist Party, inhabiting both ends of the political spectrum. The Social Democratic Party of Chalcain, abbreviated as SDPC, is the largest party in terms of membership, trailing behind is the Nationalist Party, and the third is the Liberal Party, which is popular on Chatten, Rustav, and Corkees.
The modern Nationalist Party traces its roots to the Chattenian political parties, namely the Federalist Party, which advocated for decentralization, and the Char Funnein, a Chattish nationalist party advocating for independence. Both parties merged in 1899 with similar platforms and views, and the Nationalist Party was formed. Unlike the radicalism at that time, as evident by the existence of the National Front Party, the Nationalist Party steadily gained power between 1902 and 1912. In the onset of the July Revolution, the Nationalists are the only party in the political right that joined with the Left, an opposition group composed of political and social groups of different groups. With the disbandment of the NFP and other similar far-right groups, the Nationalists replaced the NFP as the principal conservative political party of the Kingdom. They are also known as the "Counters", whose name originated from the brown counters they like to use during parliamentary sessions. An offshoot of the Nationalists, called the Alternative for Chalcain, emerged in 1980 in response to immigration and corruption, described as neo-fascist by some opponents and commentators. They remain the minority government from 1945 up until 2004, where they overtake the SDPC to become the majority government.
The Social Democratic Party of Chalcain is a centre-left party that emerged in 1878 as a party for the working class. Originally a political group of the National Association of Trade Unions (NATU), it grew to become the kingdom's principal leftist party after it starts accepting members of all backgrounds, opening its doors for other ethnic groups and leftist groups such as the Suffragette Party, Syndicalist Party, and the more moderate wing of the Communist Party of Chalcain. It became the prominent party during the July Revolution, helping to establish the Left as a coalition, convincing the small liberal wing of the Church of Great Chalcain to oppose the stance of the Church, and aiding the academic population barricading themselves in their universities against the military, known as the University Blockade, during the revolution. The party has been the majority government since 1945, losing the position to the Nationalists in 2004 and regaining the position again in 2015. They are known as the "Benchers" due to their iconic use of brown benches during parliamentary sessions.
Minor parties also hold seats in the Parliament:
- Liberal Party, a centrist party, has 10 MP's in both chambers. They are known as socially progressive and fiscally conservative, being the first party to propose a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in 1978 and advocating for a general ban on CFC's and products containing cfc's. They are an offshoot of the early SDPC, offering an alternative for moderate voters who doesn't find both parties appealing.
- The Greens, the local chapter of the general Callyssian Greens, advocates for the protection of the kingdom's national parks and nature reserves, protection of endangered animals, and advancing research in renewable energy. They are center to center-left in the political spectrum, who shares many of the policies of the SDPC.
- Ard Fein is a far-left party founded in 1888 in Humboldt. It is an offshoot of the Syndicalist Party of Chalcain.
- Communist Party of Chalcain is a communist party founded in 1861 by Vartin Megel and Colart Ein Freiden. It adheres to Colartist-Megelist communism and is the oldest known communist party in the world. It has 2 MP's in the Assembly of Commons and 3 MP's in the House of Baronies.
- Syndicalist Party is the far-left party that emerges from the Chalcish labor movement of the 19th century. Though synonymous with the Communist Party, they deviate from Colartism and Megelism in that they do not believe in permanent revolution and the dictatorship of the proletariat.
- The Fascist Tent is a coalition of fascist political parties around the kingdom. Some of its most prominent groups include the Chalcish Front (CF), Chalcish Movement, Leucish Defense League, and the notorious The Black Arrows.
- Alternative for Chalcain is a neo-fascist, Meyrist, and nationalist party founded as an offshoot of the Nationalist Party. They are the only fascist party not to join The Fascist Tent.
Social Democratic Party of Chalcain
Nationalist Party
Liberal Party
The Greens
Communist Party of Chalcain
Syndicalist Party
The Fascist Tent
Executive
The executive power is exercised by the Monarch, Megysmund XI., known as the Crown's Government, and the devolved administrative authorities - the Leucish National Government and the Chattenian National Government.
Head of state
The Monarch is considered the head of state, a ceremonial position representing the Crown. A set of high-ranking government officials advising and counselling the Monarch is the Privy Council, whose members were appointed by the Monarch itself. The appointment of the Privy Council members, like the members of the Long table, is appointed, not elected. The members could be a member of the Parliament, a member of one of the Long table's ministries, a military official, a high-ranking politician, a former member or incumbent Supreme court Chief Justice, or an associate judge. The Privy Council is also formally known as "His/Her Majesty's Long Table".
Head of government (federal government)
The Prime Minister of the Northern Kingdom is the head of the government, formally known as the federal government, appointed directly by the Monarch. The Prime Minister, as stated by the Constitution, shall be a member of the Assembly of Commons who are capable of forming a government with the support of the Assembly. If the dominant political party in which the Prime Minister shall be picked doesn't arrived to a consensus for a candidate, then the Monarch would consult the second dominant party instead. Meanwhile, if there is no dominant party, then the Parliament would give an opportunity for the entire House to create a coalition. A newly elected Prime Minister would then elect seventeen ministers that will comprise the Long table, with each ministers leading as political heads of each ministry. All elected ministers shall come from the Assembly of Commons or the House of Baronies.
Like every parliamentary system in the world, the Executive's power is drawn from and answerable to the Parliament. If the government has, for any reason, become ineffective, a successful vote of no confidence from both chambers of the Parliament would force the government to either resign or dissolve and call a new general election. Each member of Parliament who is a member of a political party shall be required to adhere to their party's principles, beliefs, and ideologies; and each party employs a method of keeping their constituents in the same bench as the rest of the party.
The Prime Minister shall serve the country for six years in accordance with the Constitution with a single term limit.
Long table
The Long table is the Prime Minister's cabinet, composed of seventeen ministers heading a ministry under the executive branch. Each minister should serve the government for the entire duration of the Prime Minister's term. In case of the Prime Minister's early dismissal, incapacitated, resignation, impeachment, or death; the deputy prime minister would ascend to take the position. If in case, both the Prime Minister and the deputy Prime Minister is lost for some reason, the members of the Long Table, Prime Minister, and the Deputy Prime Minister shall undergo another general election, constitutionally called snap election, which will cover the remaining term of the late Prime Minister. Unlike most parliamentary systems, however, the Parliament cannot be dissolved, and therefore snap elections have only been used on replacing ousted significant politicians (such as the Prime Minister), or during emergency events such as civil war, reorganization of the government, and reinstatement of a government-in-exile.
Agencies
The federal agencies under the federal government are held directly by the Prime Minister or the Deputy Prime Minister and are administered by both the Prime Minister / Deputy Prime Minister and the ministry it belongs to. Several of the federal agencies
Legislature
Parliament
House of Baronies
The House of Baronies is the upper house of the Parliament, comparable to that of United States Senate and the House of Lords of the United Kingdom. It is composed of 76 members, with each federal state having a fixed number of three representatives (except for the capital which has an additional representative). The Social Democratic Party of Chalcain dominates the senatorial composition, with X seats as of 2022. Following behind is the Nationalist Party with X seats and the Liberal Party with X seats. There are currently no independent MP's in the House of Baronies. The current Baronial Speaker is Ser Thumes of the SPDC.
Assembly of Commons
The Assembly of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament, comparable to that of the United States House of Representatives and the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. It is composed of 188 members, with each state gaining a starting fixed number of three representatives. Each state is given a specific number of representatives depending on their population. Higher population means higher number of representatives and vice versa. This is due to a unique method of approportionment employed by the Commission of Elections. The SPDC dominates the House of Commons, with X seats; with the Nationalist Party and the Liberal Party just lagging behind the SPDC with X seats and X seats respectively. The current Assembly Speaker is Hurmes Von Lytsyn of the SPDC.
Legislative process
Judicial
Foreign relations
Administrative divisions
National governments
Leucish National Government
Chattenian National Government
Political violence
During the July Revolution, political violence between the left and right is at its peak. One of the most prominent event is the Bombing at Parliament Square, a gas attack against the Jotavian leftist political party Ard Fein in 1903 that claimed 66 lives. The attack was considered one of the catalysts for the revolution that led to the toppling of Corweth II. When The Coalition took over Parliament by the orders of King Corweth II, one of the points written in the Great Manifesto was a countrywide incarceration of political dissidents and persons with subsersive ideologies.
