National Congress of Champania
National Congress of Champania Congres naçonal de Champanha | |
|---|---|
 Coat of Arms of Champania | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 12 October 1937 |
| Preceded by | Senat |
| Leadership | |
Chantal Alamant, RS | |
Raolf Tolosa, PSOC | |
Galiana Monagut, PNL | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 400 |
 | |
Political groups | Government (208): Champanois Socialist Workers' Party (PSOC) 107 Socialist Renewal (RS) 91 Party of the New Left (PNL) 10 Independents (27): Independents 8 (I) Kasavrine Interests Party (PIC) 5 Miersan Interests Party (PIM) 3 Lemovician Interests Party (PIL) 1 Opposition (165) Action for Socialist Unity (AUS) 120 seats National Labor Confederation (CNT) 20 Sotirian Workers' League (LOS) 18 Greens (LV) 17 |
Length of term | 4 years |
| Elections | |
| Open-list Party-list proportional representation | |
Last election | 12 February, 2018 |
Next election | 14 February, 2022 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Plaça deu congres naçonal, Brigançon, Champania | |
The National Congress of Champania (Liguersien: Congres naçonal de Champanha) is the unicameral legislature of the Socialist Republic of Champania. It is composed of 400 seats that are elected every four years through direct voting. Seats are allocated using D'Hondt apportionment for party representation, and local representatives can be elected ad infinitum. Because of a cultivated imperative mandate, voters may choose to remove their elected representatives through the process of a recall election which can occur at any point during the election cycle.
The National Congress is considered to be the supreme governing body of Champania, and its primary function of the National Congress is to change the country's laws and to amend the constitution. To amend the constitution, the National Convention must achieve a majority of the entire membership, or 300 votes, in favor in order for it to be passed. In addition to these key powers, the constitution grants the National Congress extensive legislative powers and substantial control over the budget, the right to authorize the government to raise taxes and grant loans, the power to ratify treaties and other kinds of international agreements, and the duty to approve or reject decisions taken by the premier and the Generalitat. Legislation to the National Congress can be initiated through two parties: the Generalitat can propose pieces of legislation or non-Independent members of the National Congress can introduce legislation.
400 seats are up for election every four years, barring the dissolution of the National Congress before the next election. Seats that underwent a recall election where the incumbent lost are exempt from general elections and are elected four years from the date of the recall election. Candidates are appointed by the local party organization and seats for the voting districts are determined using D'Hondt apportionment. The premier has the ability to dissolve the National Congress unilaterally, however, this is rarely done and is instead a consensus decision by the Generalitat. General elections are held on the second Monday of February.
Elections
Elections for the National Congress are held on the second Monday of February. The Premier of Champania has the ability to call for early elections unilaterally, although more often than not it is a consensus of the Generalitat itself. 400 seats are up for direct election every four years.
There is no electoral threshold to get a seat in the National Congress. This results in a large number of parties being represented nationally. Not including minority interest parties, which are guaranteed at least one seat, 10 other parties won at least one seat in the 2018 general election. The lack of a threshold and large amount of open seats in the National Congress means parties rarely ever win an outright majority, and as such, coalition governments of upwards of three parties.
Every citizen who is or will be at least 16-years-old on the date of the election is allowed to vote in general elections. There is no requirement to register to vote and citizens must only show a valid form of I.D to vote in general elections. Additionally, any Champanois citizen at least 18-years-old, and is not an active-serving member of the Champanois military, may stand as a candidate for the National Congress. These candidates must be endorsed by a sufficient number of voters through support cards in order to be placed on the ballot and stand for election.
For general elections, the country is divided into 15 electoral districts. The allocated number of representatives given to each district is proportional to its population. Provincial party offices appoint an election board to oversee and organize the election.
Formation of Government
Once the results of the election are made public knowledge, the representatives of the largest parties consult each other over the formation of the new Champanois government. After a sustainable coalition government is formed, the member parties negotiate on a government platform and on the composition of government. The government composition is usually proportional to the seats won by each coalition member. On the basis of these negotiations, the party leaders of the coalition government inform the sitting Chairperson of the National Congress of the successful formation of government. The sitting chairperson is then relieved of their duties and a new vote is taken to elect a new chairperson and two deputy chairpersons. Once the election is concluded and the new chairperson and deputies are sworn in, the National Congress elects the new Generalitat based off of a list of candidates supplied by the coalition with each coalition member for each position of the Generalitat the coalition members had agreed upon prior to the formation of government. After the new Generalitat is elected, they are sworn in.
After the Generalitat election, they are sequestered into a separate room where they elect the premier. The premier is usually chosen before hand during coalition negotiations and the position's election is merely a formality. After the premier is elected, the chief of state informs the chairperson of the outcome of the election and the elected premier is announced before the annual session of the National Congress and sworn in.
Although the Generalitat is theoretically elected by the National Congress as a whole, the governing coalition ensures that their candidates are elected. This is done primarily through congressional group party discipline which makes coalition congress members vote together to ensure the preferred outcome of elections.
Sessions
Annual sessions of the National Congress begin on the fourth Monday in February – two weeks following the general election – and consists of four, two month long sessions. The first sessions runs from February to April, the second from May to June, the third from August to October, and the fourth from November to December. There are recesses in July and January where the National Congress does not meet; these recesses are known respectively as the Summer and Winter recess.
On the first day of an annual session, in a non-election year, the National Congress elects a new chairperson and two deputy chairpersons. The election is chaired by the premier. Additionally, the National Congress selects the Champanois delegations to MASSOR and Congress of the Workers' International. It also selects the sitting members of the Constitutional Law Directorate. Unlike the Generalitat, the Constitutional Law Directorate is constitutionally nonpartisan and its members are elected on a meritocratic basis rather than by ideology and party-bias.
Proceedings
Domestic legislation
Most bills discussed in the National Congress originate from the Generalitat. However, any member of the National Congress or group of members may introduce bills. Usually these bills do not pass the committee phase and are typically dismissed. Bills may also be introduced through popular referenda or congressional petitions. Known as a proposiment (proposition), these are citizen-led initiatives that aim to bring grassroots topics to the National Congress. Proposiments have a six-month period to gain 100,000 endorsements from eligible voters. Upon surpassing that threshold, the proposiment is delivered to the National Congress, where it is treated like any other legislative proposal. Any bill introduced is initially discussed by members of the National Congress prior to being sent to the congressional committee that it corresponds to. If the proposed bill concerns several areas of legislation, the responsible committee will ask for the opinions of other committees. Bills of dubious constitutionality are put forth before the Constitutional Law Directorate. If the directorate considers the bill to have unconstitutional elements, the bill must either be passed as a constitutional change or changed to be in concordance with the constitution. In most cases, the latter route is chosen.
Bills are molded into their final form in congressional committees, who work behind closed doors to formulate the necessary changes to the bills in question. They consult experts and authorities in the fields of which the bill legislates. If the committee does not agree on the changes, the members in minority may submit their own version of the bill.
The committee amended bill is discussed at large by the National Congress over the course of two consecutive meetings. The first meeting openly discusses the bill, makes further amendments if necessary, and discusses individual points in the bill. The conclusion of the first meeting sees the National Congress choose between the bill proposed by the congressional committee, minority opinions and the eventual other forms the members submit during the discussion. If the National Congress chooses to do so, it may submit the bill to the Generalitat for further formulation and refinement. The bill is also always treated by the Generalitat if the National Congress decides to adopt any other form than the final opinion of the committee or Generalitat.
In the second meeting, held the following week, the final form of the bill is either passed or dismissed. Votes on bills require a simple majority for or against. Bills requiring changes to the New Social Contract require a supermajority to pass. International treaties adopted that require the constitution to be changed require a two-thirds majority, while treaties that merely change passed legislation require a simple majority.
Other matters
Any group of congressmembers can interpellate. The required threshold to pass a motion of censure is 40, or 10% of the total seats of the National Congress. The motion of censure may be for the Generalitat as a whole or for a particular secretary of the Generalitat. The motion takes the form of a question that is replied to by the responsible secretary. If the National Congress decides to approve the motion of censure, the congressional committee responsible for the matter in question formulates the motion, which is then passed by the National Congress.
The Generalitat may decide to make a report to the National Congress in any matter. After discussion the National Congress may either accept the report or pass a motion of censure. A passed motion of censure will cause the government to fall.
Every member of the National Congress has the right to ask the Generalitat written questions. The questions are answered in writing within 14 days by a secretary responsible for the matter and do not cause any further discussion. Furthermore, the Generalitat has a questioning session from time to time. In these, the members of the National Congress are allowed to ask short verbal questions, which are answered by the responsible secretaries and then discussed by the National Congress.
Groups
Because of the number of political parties that can be represented at any one time in the National Congress, it is not uncommon for parties to operate in congressional groups. Groups allows parties, especially smaller parties, access to rights as part of a caucus. Congressional groups are not set in stone and are considered to mostly be informal and fluid in their composition.
Congressional groups can be considered political parties in their own right, although their nature makes them highly volatile and prone to collapse, especially since dissidents are able to easily break away and form their own groups. Groups generally tend to try to reach a consensus on common decisions and what their congressional group position should be regarding it. Failing to reach a consensus, the group may decide to hold a vote over it. Voting is done by the politburo or central committee of the congressional group which often includes high-ranking party members of each party that is a member of the group. The result of the vote then defines voting in the legislative session proper according to party discipline. This system creates a sort of quasi-democratic centralism within the congressional groups. Congressional groups make decisions independent of party leadership.
Current congressional groups for the 2018 legislative period are:
| Group | Parties | Party Seats | Total Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solidaritat (S) Solidarity |
Champanois Socialist Workers' Party | 107 | 107 | |
| Novèu corrent (NV) New Current |
Socialist Renewal | 91 | 101 | |
| Party of the New Left | 10 | |||
| Avangardia de la Revoluçon (AR) Vanguard of the Revolution |
Action for Socialist Unity | 120 | 158 | |
| National Labor Confederation | 20 | |||
| Sotirian Workers' League | 18 | |||
| Grup de los interèssos minoritats (GIM) Minority Interests Group |
Kasavrine Interests Party | 5 | 9 | |
| Miersan Interests Party | 3 | |||
| Lemovician Interests Party | 1 | |||
| Grup congreçonal de lo vaerd (V) Green Congressional Group |
Los vaerds | 17 | 17 | |
Members of Congress
Congressmembers receive a monthly taxable renumeration of €1,200. Additionally, all members of the National Congress receive €700 in tax-free compensation of expenses, which can be increased up to €1,500 with receipts. Congressmembers may freely travel within the country for purposes related to legislative work, and within Greater Brigançon may freely use taxis and public transportion. Congressmembers are aided by assistants, which can be selected and directed by the Congressmember.
The members of the National Congress have the unlimited right to discuss matters at hand. However, there is a strict code of conduct that congressmembers are expected to abide by. The congressional code of conduct requires congressmembers to behave in a "dignified and solemn manner" and to "refrain from personal insults." If a congressmember breaks this code of conduct during a meeting of the National Congress, they are interrupted by the Chairperson of the National Congress. Grave breaches see the congressmember given a suspension and do not receive the tax-free compensation for that month. If a congressmember is convicted of an intentional crime for a term in prison or of an electoral crime to any punishment, the National Congress may decide to dismiss the member if two-thirds of the votes given are for dismissal. This is rarely done, as typically the constituency that the convicted member represents will hold a recall election and elect a new representative.
Members of the National Congress are not employees and cannot voluntarily resign or be laid off. They can be granted leave or dismissal only with the consent of the National Congress. Congressmembers enjoy congressional immunity. Without the approval of the National Congress, members may not be prosecuted for anything they say in session or otherwise do in the course of congressional proceedings. Congressmembers may not be prevented from carrying out their work as members of the National Congress. They may be charged with crimes they have committed in office only if the National Congress gives a permission to that end with a majority of five-sixths of given votes. For other crimes, they may be arrested or imprisoned only for crimes which carry a minimum punishment of six months in prison, unless the National Congress gives permission to arrest the member.