Government of Romaia
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| Romaian Government | |
|---|---|
| Κυβένηση της Ρωμανίας | |
 Romaian Government logo | |
| Overview | |
| Established | 4 December 1967 (Current constitution) |
| State | The Romaian Empire |
| Leader | Leon Sakellarios (People's Party) |
| Appointed by | Monarch |
| Main organ | Council of Ministers |
| Responsible to | National Assembly |
| Headquarters | Constantinoupoli, Romaia |
| Website | cybernisi.ra/en (English) |
| Politics of |
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Romaia |
The Government of Romaia (Greek: Κυβένηση της Ρωμανίας) exercises executive power in Romaia. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who is the head of government, ministers, deputy ministers and secretaries of State.
The Government consists of the Prime Minister and the Ministers; the prime minister has the overall direction of the Ministers and can appoint or terminate their appointments freely and all of them belong to the supreme decision-making body, known as the Council of Ministers. The Government is responsible before the Parliament (Ρωμαικό Κοινοβούλιο), and more precisely before the National Assembly, a body which elects the Prime Minister or dismisses them through a motion of censure.
Its fundamental regulation is placed in Title III of the Constitution, as well as in Title V of that document, with respect to its relationship with the National Assembly.
The current prime minister is Leon Sakellarios, who took office on 4 November 2016. He is the leader of the People's Party.
The Government is occasionally referred to by the metonymy Syntagma 8, due to the fact that the residence of the Prime Minister, and it is also the headquarters of the Government.
Government in Parliament
The Romaian Empire is a constitutional monarchy in which executive decisions are made by the Government. The constitution describes Romaia as a parliamentary monarchy (κοινοβουλεκτική μοναρχία), in which the monarch acts as a moderator rather than a source of executory authority. Romaia possesses an asymmetric bicameral parliament (κοινοβούλιο), composed of the National Assembly and the Senate. While both the National Assembly and Senate propose legislation, albeit by different procedural mechanisms, the Government has the right to be consulted for such proposals. The Government may also propose law directly. A Government-sponsored bill is known as a law project, contrasting with a law proposition which is offered by a house of parliament.
Neither the prime minister nor the ministers need to be members of parliament, but the Government must account to both the Senate and National Assembly every week in a parliamentary meeting known as a 'control session. Questioning minor-rank ministers, such as Secretaries of State or Under Secretaries, must be done in Parliamentary Committees. The prime minister is typically elected from the members of National Assembly.
Under the parliamentary system, the Government is required to maintain the confidence of the National Assembly. In the absence of such confidence, the Government may fall or prove unable to pass legislation. There are two procedures to ascertain the National Assembly's confidence in the Government: the motion of no-confidence, by which members of parliament can ask the National Assembly to rescind its confidence in the prime minister and to elect another, and the matter of confidence, by which the prime minister asks the Assembly if it supports the Government's political programs generally or a specific piece of legislation. A loss by the Government in either case may result in the removal of the prime minister.
The Government and the Crown
The Romaian monarch, currently Ioannis IV, is the head of state and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. As a monarch of a parliamentary monarchy, the executive power does not belong to The Crown and is independent from it. The Constitution gives the monarch a symbolic role, but also a moderating role, being able to intervene if there is a conflict between the country's institutions.
The heir presumptive is Prince of Illia.
The Constitution also gives the monarch some powers known as Imperial Prerogatives. These prerogatives range from the signing of international treaties, to declaring war and making peace or to dissolving the parliament. However, with the arrival of democracy, these prerogatives have been regulated and most of them must be countersigned by an official.
Although the monarch is not part of the executive power, the prime minister has weekly meetings with him to inform him about the Government's activity and the Emperor can express his opinion. In the same sense, the monarch is normally invited to the first Council of Ministers of every new government and to the meetings of bodies such as the National Security Council or the National Defence Council (Γενικό Επιτελείο Εθνικής Άμυνας).
The Imperial prerogatives are:
Domestic powers
- The power to appoint and dismiss the prime minister. This power is exercised by the monarch himself. By convention he appoints the individual with most support of the National Assembly.
- The power to dismiss and appoint other ministers. This power is exercised by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister.
- The power to assent to and enact laws by giving Royal Assent to Bills passed by Parliament, which is required in order for a law to make it into a law. This prerogative is exercised by the monarch but needs the countersigned of the prime minister. It is not constitutionally allowed for him to refuse to sign a law passed by Parliament.
- The power to assent to and enact norms with a lower rank than law. This prerogative is exercised by the monarch but needs the countersignature of the prime minister, a minister, the president of the National Assembly, or the Senate (depending on the kind of norm).
- The power to call for a referendum. This is exercised with the countersignature of the prime minister after being requested by the Council of Ministers.
- The power to command the Armed Forces of Romaia. This prerogative is delegated to the prime minister and the minister of Defence.
- The power to give royal pardons. This is exercised by the monarch but the decision of whom must to pardon is delegated to the Minister of Justice and the Council of Ministers.
- The power to be informed of the affairs of State and chair the sessions of the Council of Ministers. It is exercised after being requested by the prime minister.
- The power to grant civil and military jobs. This prerogative requires a Government countersignature.
- The power to appoint civil or military members of his private household.
- The power to use freely the budget of his household.
- The power to grant (and also to cancel and annul) honours.
- The power of high patronage of the Imperial Academies.
Foreign powers
- The power to ratify and make treaties.
- The power to declare war and conclude peace with other nations.
- The power to credit and receive diplomats.
Members
According to Article 98 of the Romaian Constitution, the Government of Romaia is composed of:
- The Prime Minister.
- The Deputy Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Ministers.
- The Ministers.
- Other members. There is the possibility of incorporating other figures into Government by law (such as Secretaries of State).