College of State (Montecara)

College of State
Colegio di Stado
File:MontecaraCoA.png Coat of arms of Montecara
Incumbent Odeta Luciàn Ansèlma di Meglie Tulio Brucàt Emilio Grèce Teodòr Marelucè Francesca Zetici Gemma Antolìn since 9 October 2018
Style	Excellency
Status	Head of state and Head of government
Seat	Palaço Pùblico
Appointer	Senate
Term length	Four years, no term limit
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Montecara
Salary	Ł56,437 (€11,066) per month
Website	colegio.go.mc

The Colegio, in full Il Colegio di Stado (translated variously as "The College of State of Montecara" or "The College of the State of Montecara" but usually left untranslated in its short form), is the collective head of government and executive cabinet of Montecara. It is composed of seven members, each of whom heads an executive department, but makes decisions and implements policies as a whole. Discussions are held in private, and dissensions are not made public. The Secretary of State presides at meetings of the Colegio and is first in its order of precedence, but has no formal power over the other members.

The Colegio is served by an office that includes a handful of bureaus which support the work of the executive as a whole. These include the statistics bureau, the executive legal department, and an administrative staff attending to logistics, scheduling, public relations, and various other aspects of day-to-day operations.

Election

Members are elected individually by the Senate from among its members. Each senator may nominate a candidate for each position in the Colegio, after which the Senate uses a form of exhaustive ballot wherein the candidate receiving the fewest votes is eliminated in each round until one candidate secures a majority. Seats on the Colegio are filled sequentially in reverse order of precedence, beginning with the Secretary of Education and Culture and finishing with the Secretary of State.

Members serve four-year terms and are not subject to the confidence of the Senate. There are no term limits, and members are routinely reelected for two to three terms before deciding to step down.

Powers

The Colegio is responsible for setting government policy, most importantly by submitting legislation to the Senate and Popular Assembly. Each secretary is responsible for preparing matters related to their jurisdiction and presenting the rest of the Colegio with the information necessary to make an informed decision, though they are also responsible for matters related to the functioning of the nation as a whole. Legislative proposals are prepared by the relevant secretary and circulated for review among the others as well as among the senior civil servants in each secretariat prior to formal deliberation. The Colegio is also empowered to invite testimony and advice from outside itself and to hold public consultations if it so chooses. Once the Colegio is satisfied with a proposal, it may be submitted first to either the Senate or to the Popular Assembly, although in practice the overwhelming majority of proposals are first presented to the Senate.

If a member is unable to carry out their functions, a high-ranking official from within the member's secretariat will attend sessions until they are able to resume their duties or a replacement is elected by the Senate. At least five members must by law be present in Montecara at all times, so travel abroad must be carefully coordinated. Members are legally immune for statements made in an official capacity but are not immune from criminal prosecution.

Compensation and amenities

Each member collects a salary set by law which cannot be reduced during their time in office. For fiscal year 2020-2021, this amounted to Ł56,437 (€11,066) per month. Additionally, work expenses such as travel, a dedicated and secure cell phone and laptop, and security are paid for by the state.

Unlike many heads of government, secretaries do not have official residences or dedicated government vehicles for their use domestically. They are expected to live in their own homes and commute to work like any other Montecaran, and are often seen using public transportation. Their security detail is usually non-existent when going about daily business, though the Dragòni can be called upon for protection when required.

Current composition

In order of precedence

Portrait		Incumbent	Constituency	Term began	Office Portfolio
		Odeta Luciàn	Çìta	16 April 2019	Secretary of State Secretària di stado Secretariat of State
		Ansèlma di Meglie	Professions	16 April 2016	Secretary of Finance Secretària da finànsa Secretariat of Finance
		Tulio Brucàt	Industry and commerce	16 April 2013	Secretary of Defense and Security Secretària da difèsa eia segurèsa Secretariat of Defense and Security
		Emilio Grèce	Industry and commerce	16 April 2016	Secretary of Trade and Industry Secretària di tràfego eia endùstria Secretariat of Trade and Industry
		Teodòr Marelucè	Trade unions	16 April 2019	Secretary of Social Protection Secretària da protexòn soçiàl Secretariat of Social Protection
		Francesca Zetici	Çìta	16 April 2019	Secretary of Planning and the Environment Secretària da urbanìsma eia anbiènt Secretariat of Planning and the Environment
		Gemma Antolìn	Trade unions	16 April 2019	Secretary of Education and Culture Secretària da creànça eia cultùra Secretariat of Education and Culture