Falasturian Government

Government

In order to maintain control over such a large political body, Government in Falastur is very much decentralised, and focuses on a series of tiers of Government down to the local level. The Government is also split into two sections - the Monarchist half of the Government headed by Emperor Matthew VI of Falastur, and the Democratic side, headed by Anthony DeMoins. These two leaders share equal power, and a strong friendship, despite the age gap between them. There is rarely any conflict between the two sides of the Government, and they are largely supportive of each other.

Monarchist Government

The Monarchist half of the Government is much smaller than the democratic half, despite its half-share in the Government. It compromises three distinct sections - The Emperor himself, the "Inner Circle", and local Justices of the Peace.

The Emperor

The only truly hereditary position in Falasturian politics, the position of Emperor is the prestigious position of Head of State over the whole Empire, and it is traditionally held by the most senior member of the Falasturian Royal Family. However, this tradition is not true at present, as the current Emperor, Matthew VI (currently aged 17) took the throne on the abdication of his father, Emperor William II, three years ago. The Emperor wields great power, however he is not an absolute Monarch, most importantly due to a restraining law dating back to the political reforms of Emperor Stephen I immediately following the Civil War between the years 1969-73, any decisions on law and legislation may only come into effect once the document presenting the law is ratified and signed by both the Emperor and the Imperial Regent. The Emperor is widely seen as the public front of the Government also, taking a much more active role in publicity and worldwide diplomatic journeys than the Imperial Regent. The Emperor also chairs meetings of the Inner Circle, a body dedicated to providing the Emperor sturdy, reliable advise on matters of state, acting as the Senate of the Monarchist Government. The position of Emperor formerly was subject to Salic Law, however in recent years the law has been modified to give females equal status to males.

The Inner Circle

The Inner Circle is a conglomeration of the greatest minds and the greatest Nobles in Falastur. With a full membership of a little over 100 men and women, it is smaller than its democratic equivalent - the Imperial Senate - and meets less regularly, however it is just as vital in the decision-making process of Falasturian law. When a proposed legislation is brought to Falasturian Government, it is sent to the Office of the Lord Chancellor of the Court, who then brings the issue up along with others at the bi-weekly meeting of the Inner Circle. The issues are discussed, decided on, and presented to the Emperor, who decides on a subsequent course of action. Unlike the democratic side of Government, however, the Emperor may choose to ignore the advise given to him, however in recent years this has happened little. The Inner Circle is traditionally composed of around 25 heads of the leading Noble families of Falastur and around 80 scholarly citizens - leading figures in Falasturian society appointed to the Inner Circle if they prove themselves worthy of the very important place, and if their background and career shows they would be a valuable, contributing member. The Inner Circle is also appointed by the Emperor of Falastur. In the present climate of work restricting the time members - particularly the scholars - have for attending the meetings of the Inner Circle, video conferencing is becoming an increasingly preferable choice, and the Emperor himself has made use of this himself many a time in the last year. Another popular option is the appointing of a Deputy or Secretary who is lengthily briefed before meetings on the the actions and reasonings of their employer, and then sits in for them at meetings.

Justices of the Peace

Justices of the Peace are local citizens of high esteem or of particular note, who are appointed by the Inner Circle, with the Emperor's seal, to oversee a small area - known as a Barony, or Justicial Province, and ensure legislation is carried out there. They have a small court which can hear local appeals against laws, and by law work together with the democratic local Councils to govern and present grievances to higher tiers of Government. Although the position of Justice of the Peace is traditionally a part-time job, with a staff being appointed to the Justice to oversee most paperwork and legal appeals, a recent legislation has come into power offering Justices a sizeable income to do the job full time. Despite conceptions that such a Governmental institution would become entangled in the democratic side of local Government, and each would undermine the other's authority and position, the two complement each other surprisingly well, and such underminings are rare.

Democratic Government

The Democratic side of Falasturian Government is much more expansive than its Monarchist counterpart, and caters for virtually all of the local aspect of Government. It also consists of many more echelons of Government.

The Imperial Regent

Although not so much a seperate echelon of Government as the Falasturian Emperor is, nevertheless the Imperial Regent holds a position more powerful and important than any other member of the democratic side of Falasturian Government. His consent on legislation is also needed to make them law, however his decisions on matters of state come largely down to those decisions made by the Imperial Senate, which he heads. Traditionally, the Imperial Regent is much less of a public figure, as the meetings of the Imperial Senate are much more frequent than those of the Inner Circle, and the Emperor tends to be more of a crowd-puller also, however he is still internationally recognisable. The leading member of a political party, the Imperial Regent is elected to his position by national election, which takes place at a maximum of every 5 years.

The Cabinet

Consisting of the most important Senators, each member will the title "Minister" as well as Senator, the Cabinet is the elite of the democratic side of the Government. With one Minister representing each aspect of the Government - Finance, Law and Order, Foreign Diplomatic Relations, Defense etc - these members discuss only the very highest level decisions. While they have been elected to power in the Senate, the title Minister is conferred by the Imperial Regent, and thus traditionally is given only to members of the Imperial Regent's political party.

The Imperial Senate

The Imperial Senate is officially the highest tier of Falasturian Government. It consists of 300 members, meeting almost daily, political parties winning the amount of seats in the Senate in proportion to the percentage of the vote they took in the national election. However, 32 of the seats in the Senate are not related to the percentage vote in the national elections, instead they are filled by the winners of the Provincial elections, and their occupants are granted the title Provincial Senator.