Law on Cabinet Representation of 1971
| Law on Cabinet Representation of 1971 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Gylian Parliament | |
| Date passed | 23 March 1971 |
| Date signed | 23 March 1971 |
| Date commenced | 7 April 1971 |
| Summary | |
| Regulates the appointment of cabinet ministers and local government members. | |
| Status: Current legislation | |
The Law on Cabinet Representation of 1971 is a Gylian federal law that regulates the appointment of federal cabinet ministers and local government members. It requires prospective officeholders to have expertise or prior experience in the fields to which they would be appointed.
The law is a notable legislative achievement of the LSD Party, and is considered to have strengthened the mass party character of Gylian political parties.
Background
The heritage of the Free Territories shaped Gylian politics, particularly through the creation of popular legislatures and encouragement of ordinary people into political involvement.
The LSD Party won seats in the 1969 federal election, and the law was proposed by one of its deputies in 1970, with the aim of strengthening this colourful aspect of Gylian politics by introducing official qualifications for government posts.
The motivation for the law was to codify what had been until then an unofficial norm, in order to ensure its preservation. During one of the debates, LSDP foresitter Hildegard Wirner quipped that the law would "prevent any Prime Minister from naming any clueless ass or horse to government."
While it had been introduced by a non-inscrit party, the proposal gained the support of the Darnan Cyras government, and was passed in 1971.
A subsequent amendment was passed in 1983 which clarified that the criteria also applied to municipal ediles and regional prefects.
Text of the law
- This law shall regulate the appointment of cabinet ministers.
- Anyone nominated for a cabinet role must have expertise and/or prior experience in the relevant field.
- The law shall apply to all levels of government.
Effects
The law requires that anyone nominated government positions — edile, prefect, or federal minister — possess either expertise, prior experience, or both, within the relevant field. Thus, the head of an education department should possess a degree in education and/or have worked as a teacher, and so on.
By making this expectation official rather than a voluntarily observed norm among governments, the law helped consolidate the colourful character of, and popular involvement in, Gylian politics. By preventing heads of government from nominating anyone to posts, it strengthened the mass party nature of political parties. Gylian parties gained an additional impetus to ensure that they retained a large membership drawn from all walks of life.