Federation Council (Fratanica)
Federation Council | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | Upper House of the National Diet |
| History | |
| Founded | October 6, 1941 |
| Preceded by | National Parliament |
New session started | January 1, 2021 |
| Leadership | |
Chairman of the Federation Council | Sara Jacquot, Liberal Unity Party since March 14, 2021 |
Opposition Coalition Leader | Ames Moulin, Fratanica Forward Party since June 22, 2020 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 63 |
Length of term | 6 years, 2 term limit |
| Elections | |
First election | March 6, 1942 |
| Constitution | |
| Constitution of Fratanica | |
The Federation Council is the upper house of the National Diet of Fratanica, which represents the 14 administrative provinces, as well as the capital city and two non-autonomous, overseas territories. There are 63 seats indirectly elected by provincial legislators, meant to represent the interests of these provinces. Each province, plus the self-autonomous city of Viras, may elect 4 representatives to the Federation Council. The overseas territory of Augustine Island has 2 votes, and the overseas territory of Whitney Island has 1 vote. Members of the Federation Council serve 6-year terms, with a 2-term limit.
As the upper house, the Federation Council partakes in legislation involving provincial affairs or constitutional affairs. Legislation involving itself is also within the Federation Council's jurisdiction. A supermajority of 2/3 is required for each piece of legislation to pass, meaning that at least 42 votes are required for the passage of a bill.
History
Powers
The Federation Council's main purpose is to vote on constitutional amendments and legislation affecting provincial power/status. The representatives from each province often vote on legislation in groups, deferring to their provincial governments. However, each member can stray away from their province's stance on a piece of legislation, known as faithless representation. However, this is exceedingly rare because provincial legislatures can vote to remove a representative, and replace it with a new one.
The Federation Council serves as a tool of checks and balances as well. All legislation is seen to by the Federation Council, who may choose to recommend amendments to the bill and delay the passage of a bill, turning it back to the National Assembly. Such a motion requires a simple majority in order for reconsideration. However, besides in the aforementioned cases, they may not completely halt the passage of a bill.
Composition
Criticism
Critics claim that the Federation Council's lack of power in the legislative process damages the power of the various provinces in the country. Some believe this undermines the principle of federalism, by reducing provincial and local influence on state matters.
Some also criticize the composition of the Federation Council due to its lack of consideration of a province's population. Roberto Arrielo, a prominent political science professor at Viras National University, has claimed that the Federation Council's ignorance of population "[creates] an imbalance in which lesser populated populations gain a massive amount of power, thereby undercutting our idealistic democracy". Constitutional amendments had been proposed a few times (1965, 1988, 2003, 2010, 2018), however, these amendments had not been able to gain enough popularity amongst the various administrative divisions. The closest attempt was in 2010, when the National Assembly approved the constitutional amendment, but it was subsequently rejected by the Federation Council; only a simple majority had been amassed.