Ariddian government and judiciary
The People’s Democratic Social Republic of Ariddia is a multi-party, democratic republic. The head of state is also the leader of the government, and holds the title of “Prime Secretary”; he or she heads the Council of Secretaries. The legislative branch is composed of a unicameral Parliament, the People’s Prime Parliament. The judiciary forms a separate branch of government, and Indigenous Ariddians retain significant rights of self-government as an Indigenous minority.
Contents
The Council of Secretaries
The Prime Secretary is elected by the citizens of Ariddia via direct vote. Elections take place every five years. All Ariddian nationals aged sixteen or over have the right to vote, as long as they are residing within the country. Voting is anonymous. Citizens express one primary vote for the candidate of their choosing, and may, if they wish, add “secondary votes” for as many candidates as they please, each of which will be worth one fifth of a primary vote.
To be elected, a candidate must obtain at least fifty percent plus one votes. If no candidate obtains this absolute majority, a second round to the election is held, but in practice this has never happened in recent years.
The candidate for each party is chosen prior to the election by the members of that party. As there is no money in Ariddia, membership to all parties is free, which means that in practice any citizen can help decide who will be candidate for any party. However, while all major Ariddian political parties take part in most elections, they have all but completely ceased to launch political campaigns, as it is a foregone conclusion that the Democratic Communist Party will win any election. Relatively few Ariddians even still bother to vote in what has become little more than a ritual to maintain the DCP in power.
Once elected, the Prime Secretary selects the members of the Council of Secretaries, the ministers who make up the executive branch of the government. His choice is submitted to Parliament, where it must meet with the approval of 60% of MPs. Recently, the Prime Secretary has often retained the exact same government after being re-elected, and its approval by Parliament has been a mere formality.
The Prime Secretary and the Council of Secretaries are empowered to suggest laws for Parliament to vote on. They may also veto all or part of a law project Parliament is debating, before it is voted on. The Council sets the government’s general policies, and these policies form the guidelines within which Parliament must operate. Parliament may, by a two-third majority vote, dismiss the Council and call for fresh presidential elections, while the Prime Secretary may also dismiss Parliament.
The Prime Secretary may veto a decision taken by the people by referendum, but must then immediately resign and call for fresh presidential elections. The citizens may also, at any time, call for a referendum to dismiss the Prime Secretary, which requires a 60% majority vote by the people.
Finally, members of the Council represent Ariddia abroad, in their respective fields of expertise.
The current Prime Secretary is Aj Ud, of the Democratic Communist Party.
The People’s Prime Parliament
The People’s Prime Parliament holds ninety-nine seats, which are filled by Members of Parliament. They are elected simultaneously, and at the same time as the Prime Secretary, every five years. Currently, the Democratic Communist Party holds a huge majority, with ninety-four seats.
Each party draws up a list of ninety-nine prospective MPs, and submits it to the citizens, who cast a vote for a single list. Thus, voting is on a national level, rather than each island or region electing a representative to Parliament. This is in keeping with Ariddia’s highly centralised views on government. All Ariddian nationals aged sixteen or over have the right to vote, as long as they are residing within the country.
Parliament is the legislative branch of government, and any MP may subject a proposal for debate. The proposal is initially submitted to the Council of Secretaries, who may reject it summarily, then, if not rejected, is discussed and voted on by Parliament. The Council must also decide whether the matter is important enough to be submitted to the people. If they deem it sufficiently so, and if Parliament votes in favour of the proposed law, then the law is subsequently submitted to the citizens via referendum. To effectively become law, it must be approved by a 75% majority.
Parliament is referred to as “the People’s Prime Parliament” to distinguish it from any local community meetings. Although governmental authority is centralised, local communities throughout the country are legally autonomous regarding a great number of purely local measures and policies, which are decided upon by citizens’ gatherings.
As indicated above, Parliament may dismiss the Council, just as the Council may dismiss Parliament.
The Judiciary
coming soon
Wymgani self-government
coming soon
Semi-autonomous territories and provinces
coming soon
