Quintessential Congress
The Quintessential Congress is the federal legislature of Quintessence of Dust, consisting of two chambers. The People's Assembly (usually "the Assembly") has 201 members and the States' Senate ("the Senate") 50. Members of the People's Assembly serve for two-year terms, the entire Assembly being subject to reelection every even year, while Senators serve four-year terms; Senate elections are staggered such that one Senator for each state faces election every two years. All are elected directly. Each MPA represents a constituency of very approximately equal population, meaning Highmark elects more representatives than over half of all other states put together. On the other hand, the Senate comprises two representatives per state, regardless of population, meaning many states are better represented in the Senate than the Assembly.
Congress performs all federal legislative functions, and its powers are very sweeping. Theoretically, it holds almost complete sway over the President, Supreme Court and state governments, all of which it could command, override and remove from office at its whim. Practically, it consists of 251 career politicians who can only agree on one thing: maximising their own profit with a view to extorting reelection from an increasingly apathetic populace. By far greater than any of the checks and balances in the Quintessential Constitution is the "human check": the constant struggling to find coalitions among the seething mass of different interests.
The Senate and Assembly are broadly equal in power, though neither will admit this. They do differ in their functions to some degree, although petty squabbling and lathering bills in unrelated amendments are common pursuits. The Senate must approve all treaties and international agreements except for United Nations resolutions, and confirm the President's nominations for office; the Assembly has exclusive control over taxation and revenue and greater say in expenditure, and the Prime Minister is appointed by their fellow MPAs.
As of 2006, a Social Democrat-Central Democrat-Northern Liberal-Green-Socialist coalition holds the majority in the Assembly, with Erica Ornan serving as Prime Minister; the Social Democrat-Northern Liberal alliance has a majority in the Senate.
