Lihnidosi Bouleuterion
National Assembly of Lihnidos Εθνική Συνέλευση Λιμνίδου | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Speaker of the National Assembly | Arcenio Paules, Conservative-National Alliance |
Leader of the Opposition | Fania Zarou, Democratic Coalition |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 350 |
 | |
Political groups | Government
Confidence and supply Most Loyal Opposition
Other Opposition Parties |
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 12 October 2018 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Assembly Hill, Arcadia | |
| Website | |
| www.natassembly.gov.lnd | |
The National Assembly of Lihnidos is the unicameral legislature of the Empire of Lihnidos. The National Assembly has existed since 1803 after the first Constitution of Lihnidos was approved by Empress Selene I. The National Assembly was established in Article Two of the Constitution.
The National Assembly is comprised of three hundred fifty members who are elected by a first past the post electoral system. These members each represent constituencies that are allocated to provinces across the nation based on population. These members meet in the National Parliament Building on Parliament Hill in the Lihnidosi capital city of Arcadia.
The National Assembly is entrusted with the debate and passage of legislation. Upon passing the National Assembly, legislation is sent to the monarch for their consideration and either approval or veto. The National Assembly also has the power to initiate all bills related to budgets and spending. Along with the legislative abilities, the National Assembly is able to take federal officials to trial and impeach them if warranted.
The highest-ranking authority in the National Assembly is the prime minister. The National Assembly is tasked with nominating a prime minister for consideration by the monarch. The National Assembly also has a speaker, who acts as the presiding officer and is elected from amongst the members.
History
The National Assembly of Lihnidos was established in 1803 following the adoption of the Constitution of Lihnidos. The constitution expanded the rights of the citizenry to better representation in the government through the right to vote for delegates to the National Assembly. Written by the Commoner Council and approved by Empress Selene I, the constitution allowed for the implementation of true democracy in Lihnidos for the first time. The National Assembly replaced the Commoner Council, which was the only representation for citizens of the empire prior to the implementation of the constitution. The council was comprised of appointed representatives who were tasked with advising the monarch on matters of domestic and foreign policy. Despite being promoted as a way for citizens to have a place in the government, the council was comprised of members who were appointed by the nobility. This often resulted in citizens sympathetic or supportive of the monarchy being appointed to the council.
The National Assembly began as a one hundred seat unicameral legislature led by the prime minister. The prime minister was to be appointed by the monarch and approved by the delegates to the National Assembly. The first Prime Minister of Lihnidos was Athanasius Palamaras, one of the authors of the constitution and a previous member of the Commoner Council. During the first ten years of the National Assembly there were no political parties. The first political party to form in 1813 was the Monarchist Party, which won a majority in the National Assembly in 1813 and saw the appointment of Countess Liana of Meteze as the Prime Minister, replacing the independent Athanasius Palamaras. The Monarchist Party remained in government until 1817, being replaced by the newly formed Conservative Party. The two parties later merged in 1819.
From 1803 to 1842 delegates to the National Assembly served two year terms. In 1842, the National Assembly implemented four year terms and increased the number of seats in the legislature from 100 to 200. By this time there were three major political parties, the Conservative Party, National Party, and Labor Union. The National Assembly saw another increase in seats in 1926 when the number of seats was increased to 300, and another in 1990 when the number of seats was increased to 350.
At its inception the National Assembly had limited powers. Members were only permitted to vote on proposals submitted by the monarch rather than authoring their own bills. If a proposal submitted by the monarch for a vote was rejected, the monarch was still able to act on the proposal. The monarch also occasionally sought input from the delegates on matter of foreign policy. As time went on, amendments were made to the constitution to increase the powers of the National Assembly and its members to what they are today.
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.