Parliament of Woodstead
The Federal Parliament is the unicameral legislature of Woodstead. There are 425 seats held by members from 7 parties as well as 19 independents, which reflects the multi-party, pluralistic nature of Woodsteasian politics.
A distinctive feature of the Woodsteasian parliament is that there is no opposition or government. Rather, the Parliament is there to vote on behalf of the separate executive. Effectively, the Federal Parliament is a 425-seat coalition of parties and individuals who have powers which regulate policies and laws proposed by the Guardian Directorate.
Currently, the largest party is the left-leaning Unity with just 86 seats; the smallest party is the Peoples Party—an authoritarian nationalist party with 35 seats.
Federal Speaker
Every August, each seat nominates a Federal Speaker; through various rounds throughout the coming days, the nominees are whittled down to 10 candidates. From these, a vote is cast on the final week of August to install the new Federal Speaker on September 1st. The first, second, and current Federal Speaker is Frances Kirkbride, who also observes every Guardian Directorate session to disseminate the overall attitudes and concerns to the executive. Federal Speakers are allowed to be party members, because all 424 other seats are allowed to vote for a candidate. However, the elected Federal Speakers must not vote on motions, for they are supposed to be impartial mediators of the discussions in the legislative.