Council of Chiefs

The Council of Chiefs is the semi-autonomous governing body of the Ariddian Arctic Islands.

Composition

The Council has 45 members, selected as follows:

• 21 chiefs, representing the 15 inhabited islands. Six of the islands are represented by two chiefs each, the other nine islands by one. Each chief is selected via the customs and traditions of each island. Thus some of these chiefs are chosen for life, while others have only a temporary mandate; customs between the islands vary quite significantly.
• 9 appointees of the council, appointed for an indefinitely renewable three year term.
• 15 democratically elected members. Of these, five are elected solely by voters registered as Indigenous Arctic Islanders (but may themselves be of any ethnicity), while the other ten are selected by the electorate as a whole (including Indigenous voters). These 15 members serve a five year term, and may stand for re-election indefinitely.

Elections

The electoral districts are as follows. Encircled in red are the districts for the election of members selected by Indigenous voters alone; encircled in purple are the districts for the election of members chosen by the electorate as a whole. Ajona and Kearutu (in the north) are nominally included, despite being uninhabited.

Indigenous electoral districts

1. Etenvua Atoll (minus the capital city, Ata'eatu) + Ajona and Kearutu
2. Ata'eatu
3. north-eastern district
4. central district
5. Rijo Atoll

Each district elects one Council member. To be elected, a candidate must obtain an absolute majority of votes; a second round between the top two contenders from the first round is held if necessary.

Political parties

Current breakdown of party membership for the 15 elected members:

• members elected by Indigenous voters
  • 4 independent
  • 1 Democratic Communist Party (DCP)
• members elected by the general electorate
  • 7 independent
  • 4 Democratic Communist Party
  • 3 Arctic Islands Green Party
  • 1 Arctic Islands Autonomist Party

Functions

The Council of Chiefs acts as a national legislative body, to adress issues of national scope. For the most part, however, government is decentralised, and there are local councils on each island. The Council of Chiefs is overseen by a "Second Secretary", elected by the citizens and subject to approval from Ariddia. The Council is not authorised to legislate on issues of defence or foreign policy; these remain the preserve of the Ariddian government in Rêvane. Any law adopted by the Council may be challenged by the People's Prime Parliament in Rêvane, who must then defer the matter to the Ariddian Constitutional Council. The latter rules on whether or not the law contradicts the Ariddian Constitution; if it does, it is rejected.

The Council's 21 traditional chiefs may also veto any law adopted by the Council, by simple majority. A simple majority of these 21 chiefs plus the five Council members elected by Indigenous voters may veto or amend the application of any law to the Islands' Indigenous population. No law specifically affecting the Indigenous population may be adopted without the approval of 80% of the traditional chiefs plus the five aforementioned elected members.