Politics of Aquitayne
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Aquitayne is a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral legislature as its form of government. It has two heads of government, the Prime Minister, and the Crown. The Prime Minister is elected within the majority party or coalition every four years. The Magnus Magnatus, or National Assembly, meets for 7 months out of the year at the Camara Populi in Telora.
Constitution
Prime Minister and the Crown
Unlike most modern nations, in Aquitayne, the Prime Minister is not the Head of State. Rather, the Prime Minister is considered the Head of Government, whilst the Crown is considered the Head of State. This is because the constitution strictly prohibits the legislature from engaging in diplomatic talks with foreign nations, and cannot authorize the deployment of soldiers overseas or domestically. Strictly speaking, the Magnus Magnatus only has the power to pass or repeal laws, otherwise it has no function. Therefore, all government agencies fall under the Magnus Magnatus rather than an executive branch - or the King - and it is the legislative branch's responsibility, albeit not the legislature itself, to enforce the laws it passes.
The Crown, however, is the formal representation of foreign policy (when approved by the legislature) and commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces. The Crown has some limits to its power that the legislature checks. For example, if the King wants to initiate new domestic reforms to the way agriculture receives tax benefits, he must work with the legislature and appropriate committees to see that the legislation is drafted and passed. As dictated in the constitution, the Crown has no law-making power.
Legislature
The Magnus Magnatus (National Assembly) is the bicameral legislature for the Government of Aquitayne. It has 250 seats. 150 are allocated to the House of Commons, and 100 seats are allocated to the House of Lords. It is directly elected once every four years through proportional representation via a single transferable vote (STV). The Magnus Magnatus has existed since 1734, when the Royalist Party conducted the Meeting of the Cadavers, which laid the foundation for the separation of Aquitayne from the Empire of Exponent. The legislature is subject to various constitutional limits and powers, and is, in most circumstance, only capable of passing or revoking legislation. The Magnus Magnatus meets in the Camara Populi in Telora 7 months out of the year.The majority and minority coalitions are represented by the Majority and Minorities Whip.
Senators and Prime Ministers currently have no limit on terms served. A constitutional limit on term length was proposed in 1943, but failed to pass a national referendum. There have been weak attempts since then to pass such restrictions.
The current Prime Minister is Richard Larrow, of the Royalist Party, and the current Minority Leader is Nikolas Renaldt, of the People's Party.
Judiciary
For more, see Legal System in Aquitayne
Local government
Political parties
There are currently five political parties in the Magnus Magnatus. In the past, as many as eight parties have had seats in the assembly during a term, but over the past 30 years, it has remained relatively constant at five to seven parties. This is because both the Royalist Party and the People's Party have expanded their platforms to reach a wider electorate and appeal to a larger audience. While the two parties have been the only major contenders in Aquitaynian politics for the last 60 years, it wasn't until the election in 2006 election that the assembly became so polarized to either side.
| Party Name | Coalition | Party Leader | Seats in Parliament | Ideology | Political Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royalists Ruyelzeist |
in coalition | Richard Larrow (Prime Minister) | 126 / 250
|
fiscal conservatism, agrarianism, nationalism, statism, social democracy, environmentalism | Centre-right | |
| People's Party Kaer'yus Perti |
in opposition | Nikolas Renaldt (Opposition Leader) | 89 / 250
|
lassaiz-faire, urbanism, unionism, libertarianism | Right | |
| Isolationists Insulat Perti us Aqvitanye |
in opposition | Claire Lubeck | 19 / 250
|
liberal conservatism, pro-choice, free market, pacifism | Right | |
| Republicans Republicas Perti |
in opposition | Charlotte Pharoway | 10 / 250
|
republic, national conservatism, fiscal conservatism, nationalism, free market | Centre-right | |
| Environmentalists Terra Koelyeta |
in coalition | Amy Haroldsson | 6 / 100
|
green politics, social liberalism | Left |