Politics of Markodonia

Provincial Government

Markodonia is divided into fifty provinces, each with a population of about 500 million. Each has an elected Assembly that has the power to distribute government funds to public services and pass minor legislation. Thirty of Markodonia’s largest cities also have their own Assemblies. Any decisions take or legislation passed by the national government automatically overrules those taken by or passed by the Assemblies. The population of each of the Assemblies is elected by the province or city, but methods of election vary from province to province, although they are almost exclusively forms of proportional representation.

National Government

The Markodonian government is based in a vast Parliamentary complex in the centre of Fairfield.

The Legislature The legislative branch is divided into two houses, the Upper and the Lower.

The Upper House is elected directly by the entire Markodonian population through a system of proportional representation. Every citizen has one vote and parties are allocated seats dependent on the percentage of the vote they receive. There are five hundred seats in the Upper House so a party will gain five seats for each one percent of the vote they receive. It is practically unknown for a single party to ever gain 50% of the vote, so a coalition of dominant parties is formed, although politics within the house tend to be mainly consensual rather than confrontational. The Upper House’s job is to debate and pass legislation, and legislation can also be initiated there. It is also the Upper House that may declare war.

The Lower House has 240 seats, with each member appointed by an Assembly. The largest party in each of the country’s Assembly each may appoint two members to the Lower House and the second largest party one member. It is traditional for members of the house to be political veterans who are appointed year after year, meaning most members of the house have a wealth of political experience. The Lower House exists mainly to scrutinise legislation passed by the Upper House. It has relatively little power but can significantly delay legislation from passing, or in extreme cases prevent it from doing so altogether. One of the Lower House’s most important functions is to appoint a council that appoints members of the judiciary.

The Executive

The executive power in Markodonia is placed in a body known variably as the Voice of Swarm, the Council of Three, the Council, or just The Three. Anyone may stand as a candidate for the Council, although usually candidates put forward by major parties land the job. The entire population of Markodonia votes as one in executive elections, and the vote takes the form of several ballots that knock off candidates until only five remain. In the final ballot the voter puts the remaining five candidates in order from their first to their fifth choice as favourite, and after a series of calculations the three most popular candidates are announced to be the winners. Executive elections usually take place just after elections for the Upper House, and tend to reflect the result of those elections. The Council appoints ministers for various posts in government from any of the parties in the governing coalition in the Upper House. The Three have the greatest amount of power of any part of the Markodonian government vested in them but are limited in various ways by the other branches of government. It is their policies that determine most legislation that is passed during a term of government, and they also determine foreign policy. One member of the Three is selected by the other two Councillors to be the Speaker. It is the Speaker who plays the main part in presenting government policy to the people, and acts as Markodonia’s representative to other nations. Theoretically the Speaker’s most important formal role is to communicate the will of the Swarm to the people, although contact with Swarm Itself has not been made be a trustworthy source for a great period of time.

Recent Election Results

The last national elections were held in April 2005.

The Upper House

Social Democrat Party 221 seats (44.1%)

Liberal Party 151 seats (30.1%)

Progress Party 78 seats (15.6%)

The Interventionist Party 25 seats (5%)

Suffrage In The Borderlands Party 20 seats (4%)

Freedom Party 4 seats (0.8%)

The Moral Front Party 1 seat (0.2%)

Others (including the Greens, the Conservatives, and the Party Party) – 0.2%

The Social Democrats are the largest party, and have formed a coalition with the generally like-minded Borderland Suffragists and the Interventionists to form a small majority with 266 seats. The Liberals form the official opposition but it is expected that the Liberals or the Progressionists may vote with the coalition on certain issues.

With the combination of public pressure to take a greater part in international politics and the election of the Interventionist Party it is likely that the new government will take a greater part in Moperville’s affairs beyond the country’s borders. Without either the Liberals or the Progressionists holding a portion of the power it is likely that the governments actions will not veer a great amount either to the left nor the right by Markodonian standards.

The Council of Three

Ruth Pearce (Social Democrat) (SPEAKER) Sam Day (Social Democrat) Amy White (Liberal)