Succession law in Cadenza

Succession law in Cadenza is dictated by two main sources: the Constitution of Cadenza and the inheritance laws of the individual earldoms. The Constitution specifically addresses only succession to the offices of Earl and Duke, although [...] Within each earldom, successors are elected in accordance with that earldom's electoral system or, where none exists, may be named and appointed directly by the outgoing earl.

Duke of Cadenza

Cadenza is a republic with an elected head of state. The Duke of Cadenza is elected in accordance with the Constitution's Article 8, which states that "The candidature for the title and office of Duke shall be open to all the members of the Earls’ Council who fulfill the requirements outlined by this Constitution and by law." The Constitution does not explicitly bar non-members of the Earls' Council from election to the office of Duke, but whether such a nomination would be allowed has never been tested. Under the Procedure for the Election of the Duke's Successor, the early nineteenth-century document which is invoked for each election, nominations are made from within the Earls' Council, but this document does not override the Constitution. The procedure that would thus be invoked if a private citizen were nominated is unclear.

By earldom

Do'rediq and Pamma

In the earldom of Pammez, eligibility for the rank of earl is considered in 'circles'. The first circle consists of the deceased or abdicated earl's offspring and those of his siblings. If the first circle has no eligible candidates, or the electors deem none fit for office, it is discarded and consideration moves to the second circle, which typically consists of the earl's siblings and his and their grandchildren. On the nomination of at least three electors, a candidate may be promoted by exactly one circle: i.e. from the second to the first, and not the third to the first or third to second to first.

The electorate in Pammez consists of a number of notables, most of which are hereditary positions. There are up to fifteen electors, including the three most senior members of the ruling house, the Bishop of Do'rediq and the elected mayors of Do'rediq and Tyraza.

Mefrika

The earldom of Mefrika was established in 1981 from the territory of Emigara and Khadeg in order to facilitate the coherent delivery of civic services and urban growth in Mefra, a rapidly-expanding commuter town south of the capital. It was determined that there was no constitutional scope to create an administrative jurisdiction outside the system of earldoms, and so a new earldom was established under Articles 13 and 14 of the constitution, which provide that any eligible citizen may be elected in a poll of the entire electorate. The legislature enacted that eligibility should be confined to residents and citizens of Emigara and Khadeg. The first election returned Zuzha Leqaimin, who was earl from 1981 until her abdication in 2008. During her time in office, Leqaimin gained public approval for her proposal that the Mefrikan earl should be elected from the entire eligible citizenry of the earldom. Mefrikan succession law was approved by plebiscite in 1990 and first used for the election in 2008 that returned Jantral Zethrin, a Mefra native.

Nominations to the office of earl of Mefrika are opened 91 days before the intended day of the election and closed 31 days before it. Any Cadenzan citizen above the age of 25 with a permanent residence in Mefra is eligible for nomination by anyone who meets the same criteria. Any citizen who gains more than fifty nominations is entitled to inclusion on the ballot. If fewer than ten nominees meet the fifty nomination requirement, the next most-nominated nominees will be listed as well until there are ten names on the ballot. There is no limit to the number of names that can be listed on the ballot, if more than ten meet the fifty nomination requirement. Elections are then held under the single transferable vote at polling stations across the earldom from an electorate consisting of all eligible citizen residents aged 18 or above.