Difference between revisions of "Parliament of Monsilva"
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== History == | == History == | ||
=== Founding and Song-era royal parliament (1830–1898) === | === Founding and Song-era royal parliament (1830–1898) === | ||
| − | The [[Kingdom of Monsilva]] was founded on 26 August 1830 at the conclusion of the [[Monsilvan Civil War]]. The government, lead by [[Chai Lin]] formed the first provisional government of Monsilva that same day. Chai chose to have Monsilva's | + | The [[Kingdom of Monsilva]] was founded on 26 August 1830 at the conclusion of the [[Monsilvan Civil War]]. The government, lead by [[Chai Lin]] formed the first provisional government of Monsilva that same day. Chai chose to have Monsilva's inaugural election in August 1835 to create the country's first royal parliament. The Royal Parliament first met in September 1835 in the [[Great Hall of Amking]]. It was opened by the [[Song Emperor]], who sat at the head of the parliament, where the speaker is located today. Despite attending parliament, as part of Monsilva's new constitution, the emperor was not allowed to intervene in parliament operations other than calling for order. Although until Emperor Song turned 25 in 1842, the Empress dowager [[Sui Chongging]] (Song's mother) took his place in parliament instead. |
Throughout the entire 19th century, the Royal Parliament consisted of 459 seats which were designated proportionate to population of Monsilva's historical territories. From 1830 to 1855, 1857 to 1875 and from 1895 to 1908, parliament was led by the [[People's Culture Party (Monsilva)|People's Culture Party]]. Notable PCP prime ministers during the Song-era parliament include Chai Lin, [[Deng Yahui]] and [[Lo Zhou]]. When the PCP was not in power, the parliament was led by the [[Leaders of Parliament Party (Monsilva)|Leaders of Parliament Party]] (from 1855 to 1857 and from 1875 to 1895). The three LPP prime ministers to serve during these periods were [[Cheng Li]], [[Gao Aiguo]] and [[Wu Zhong]]. | Throughout the entire 19th century, the Royal Parliament consisted of 459 seats which were designated proportionate to population of Monsilva's historical territories. From 1830 to 1855, 1857 to 1875 and from 1895 to 1908, parliament was led by the [[People's Culture Party (Monsilva)|People's Culture Party]]. Notable PCP prime ministers during the Song-era parliament include Chai Lin, [[Deng Yahui]] and [[Lo Zhou]]. When the PCP was not in power, the parliament was led by the [[Leaders of Parliament Party (Monsilva)|Leaders of Parliament Party]] (from 1855 to 1857 and from 1875 to 1895). The three LPP prime ministers to serve during these periods were [[Cheng Li]], [[Gao Aiguo]] and [[Wu Zhong]]. | ||
=== Qing-era royal parliament (1898–1943) === | === Qing-era royal parliament (1898–1943) === | ||
| − | The Qing-era royal parliament featured multiple reforms of the electoral process. The first of which was a reformation of the | + | The Qing-era royal parliament featured multiple reforms of the electoral process. The first of which was a reformation of the seat system, with the introduction of counties, which had much more practical boundaries than the preceding territories. This also increased the number of seats in the royal parliament from 459 to 573. The second reformation took place in 1913, after the nationwide [[Monsilvan political reform movement|protests]] during the premiership of [[Zhong Wei]], which resulted in the Qing Emperor invoking a clause of the country's constitution which permitted him to intervene in political affairs 'on behalf of the request of the people of Monsilva'. This was the first and last time this clause was invoked. After this event, the [[Reformed National Party (Monsilva)|National Party]]'s 40-year long dominance in parliament began under the premierships of [[Mao Yanlin]], [[Su Zian]] and [[Heng Lei]]. During Heng Lei's premiership in 1933, women were given the right to vote in elections. |
=== Wang-era and martial law royal parliament (1943–1978) === | === Wang-era and martial law royal parliament (1943–1978) === | ||
| − | After the death of the Qing Emperor and the return of the Leaders of Parliament Party and the Wang Emperor, many of Monsilva's liberal and welfare reforms were reversed. However it was in 1953 after the [[assassination of Liang Huiqing]] and the beginning of [[Shao Yaoting]]'s authoritarian premiership that martial law was enacted which removed most of the parliament's abilities and gave Shao and his government essentially complete rule over the country. Members of the Royal Parliament who tried to protest or speak out against Shao's regime were often removed from parliament soon after. At the height of his regime in the early 1970s, the parliament consisted entirely of the LPP, its sister party the [[Party of the Emperor]] and some independent politicians who had been former members of other parties. | + | After the death of the Qing Emperor and the return of the Leaders of Parliament Party and the Wang Emperor, many of Monsilva's liberal and welfare reforms were reversed. However, it was in 1953 after the [[assassination of Liang Huiqing]] and the beginning of [[Shao Yaoting]]'s authoritarian premiership that martial law was enacted, which removed most of the parliament's abilities and gave Shao and his government essentially complete rule over the country. Members of the Royal Parliament who tried to protest or speak out against Shao's regime were often removed from parliament soon after. At the height of his regime in the early 1970s, the parliament consisted entirely of the LPP, its sister party the [[Party of the Emperor]] and some independent politicians who had been former members of other parties. |
In December 1978, the Great Hall of Amking was raided and Shao Yaoting, who had been staying there in hiding since the [[1978 Jingtianmen Square protests and massacre|Jingtianmen Square protests]], was arrested. This marked the end of the [[Kingdom of Monsilva]] and the Royal Parliament. The [[Monsilvan Republic]] and the current parliament were established in their place. | In December 1978, the Great Hall of Amking was raided and Shao Yaoting, who had been staying there in hiding since the [[1978 Jingtianmen Square protests and massacre|Jingtianmen Square protests]], was arrested. This marked the end of the [[Kingdom of Monsilva]] and the Royal Parliament. The [[Monsilvan Republic]] and the current parliament were established in their place. | ||
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The first parliament under the new republican system consisted of the 179 members of the [[provisional government of Monsilva]]. This was also the number of seats in contest at the [[1980 Monsilvan general election|1980 general election]]. The seat numbers changed in 1984 to 203; in 1996 to 221; in 2008 to 254; in 2023 to 454; and in 2024 to 510. The 1984 change was a result of the establishment of Monsilva's federal state system. The 2023 change was a result of the [[Electoral Reform Act 2023 (Monsilva)|Electoral Reform Act]] and [[Legislative Reform Act 2023 (Monsilva)|Legislative Reform Act]], both passed earlier in that year. The 2024 change was a result of the addition of [[Shaoyu]] as Monsilva's 15th state. | The first parliament under the new republican system consisted of the 179 members of the [[provisional government of Monsilva]]. This was also the number of seats in contest at the [[1980 Monsilvan general election|1980 general election]]. The seat numbers changed in 1984 to 203; in 1996 to 221; in 2008 to 254; in 2023 to 454; and in 2024 to 510. The 1984 change was a result of the establishment of Monsilva's federal state system. The 2023 change was a result of the [[Electoral Reform Act 2023 (Monsilva)|Electoral Reform Act]] and [[Legislative Reform Act 2023 (Monsilva)|Legislative Reform Act]], both passed earlier in that year. The 2024 change was a result of the addition of [[Shaoyu]] as Monsilva's 15th state. | ||
| − | The first 18 years of the new parliament was led by the [[Reformed National Party (Monsilva)|Reformed National Party]] under prime ministers [[Hsu Xue-zhou]] and [[Qi Hu]]. This was succeeded by the [[Freedom and Democracy Party (Monsilva)|Freedom and Democracy Party]] leading parliament for 20 years from 1996 to 2016. Monsilva's current prime minister, [[Lin Yao-tang]], is a member of the FDP and has served since June 2023. | + | The first 18 years of the new parliament was led by the [[Reformed National Party (Monsilva)|Reformed National Party]] under prime ministers [[Hsu Xue-zhou]] and [[Qi Hu]]. This was succeeded by the [[Freedom and Democracy Party (Monsilva)|Freedom and Democracy Party]], leading parliament for 20 years from 1996 to 2016. Monsilva's current prime minister, [[Lin Yao-tang]], is a member of the FDP and has served since June 2023. |
== Composition and electoral systems == | == Composition and electoral systems == | ||
Revision as of 01:36, 13 May 2024
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Politics of Monsilva |
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The Parliament of Monsilva (Monsilvan: 山国议会; pinyin: Shānguó yìhuì) is the supreme legislative body of the federal level of government of Monsilva. It meets at the Great Hall in Amking. Although the parliament is bicameral, it consists of three parts: the President, the Senate and the Legislative Assembly. The president is elected by popular vote with their role being described as 'the representation of the people of the Monsilvan Republic' in the constitution. The president is permitted to grant their opinion on legislation, they are obliged to act on the advice of the prime minister and defiance or veto of legislation that reaches presidential assent is extremely rare, with the most recent occurence in 2000 when President Guo Ming-chen chose to veto a legislation to limit the power of the president after a nationwide petition reached several hundred thousand votes for Guo to veto the act. The parliament's upper house, the Senate, has relatively limited powers. They are able to delay and propse further ammendments to legislations from the Legislative Assembly. However, they are unable to prevent legislation from being passed, and the Legislative Assembly is permitted to reject ammendments proposed by the senate. The Senate's role is described the constitution as 'a body of experienced politicians who can propose change based on wisdom'. The Legislative Assembly, despite being the lower house and de jure at the bottom of the parliament's heirarchy, is the most powerful body in parliament.
The Legislative Assembly is an elected body of 510 members each corresponding to one of Monsilva's 510 constituencies. Members are elected by an instant run-off voting system which was implemented in 2023 with the passing of the Electoral Reform Act after previously using first-past-the-post. The size of the Legislative Assembly has varied significantly since its creation in 1978, with the first Legislative Assembly having only 179 members. By the constitution, all government ministers, including the prime minister, are members of the Legislative Assembly. Senators are not permitted to serve in government roles, except for the Leader of the Senate who is the most senior senator of the governing party in the senate.
The Senate is an elected body of 85 members each corresponding to one of Monsilva's 85 districts. Senators are elected at the same time as members of the Legislative Assembly. From 1978 to 2023 this was simply a traditional practice to hold both federal and senate elections on the same day, however, with the passing of the Legislative Reform Act in mid-2023 the two elections were officially combined, with voters recieving two ballots on election day. Although it is possible to have different governing parties in the Senate and the Legislative Assembly, this has not happened as of 2024.
Both chambers have maximum terms of four years, although they can be dissolved early. By constitution, should an early election be called and the Legislative Assembly is dissolved, the Senate must also be dissolved.
The two chambers meet in seperate areas of the Great Hall. The Legislative Assembly is located in the largest chamber in the east wing of the main building, while the Senate is located in the west wing. The Legislative Assembly chamber from 1978 to 2023 was significantly larger than neccessary to fit all members, however, after renovations in 2023, the layout of members in the chamber has changed, with an inclusion of raised backbenches on opposing sides of the room.
Contents
History
Founding and Song-era royal parliament (1830–1898)
The Kingdom of Monsilva was founded on 26 August 1830 at the conclusion of the Monsilvan Civil War. The government, lead by Chai Lin formed the first provisional government of Monsilva that same day. Chai chose to have Monsilva's inaugural election in August 1835 to create the country's first royal parliament. The Royal Parliament first met in September 1835 in the Great Hall of Amking. It was opened by the Song Emperor, who sat at the head of the parliament, where the speaker is located today. Despite attending parliament, as part of Monsilva's new constitution, the emperor was not allowed to intervene in parliament operations other than calling for order. Although until Emperor Song turned 25 in 1842, the Empress dowager Sui Chongging (Song's mother) took his place in parliament instead.
Throughout the entire 19th century, the Royal Parliament consisted of 459 seats which were designated proportionate to population of Monsilva's historical territories. From 1830 to 1855, 1857 to 1875 and from 1895 to 1908, parliament was led by the People's Culture Party. Notable PCP prime ministers during the Song-era parliament include Chai Lin, Deng Yahui and Lo Zhou. When the PCP was not in power, the parliament was led by the Leaders of Parliament Party (from 1855 to 1857 and from 1875 to 1895). The three LPP prime ministers to serve during these periods were Cheng Li, Gao Aiguo and Wu Zhong.
Qing-era royal parliament (1898–1943)
The Qing-era royal parliament featured multiple reforms of the electoral process. The first of which was a reformation of the seat system, with the introduction of counties, which had much more practical boundaries than the preceding territories. This also increased the number of seats in the royal parliament from 459 to 573. The second reformation took place in 1913, after the nationwide protests during the premiership of Zhong Wei, which resulted in the Qing Emperor invoking a clause of the country's constitution which permitted him to intervene in political affairs 'on behalf of the request of the people of Monsilva'. This was the first and last time this clause was invoked. After this event, the National Party's 40-year long dominance in parliament began under the premierships of Mao Yanlin, Su Zian and Heng Lei. During Heng Lei's premiership in 1933, women were given the right to vote in elections.
Wang-era and martial law royal parliament (1943–1978)
After the death of the Qing Emperor and the return of the Leaders of Parliament Party and the Wang Emperor, many of Monsilva's liberal and welfare reforms were reversed. However, it was in 1953 after the assassination of Liang Huiqing and the beginning of Shao Yaoting's authoritarian premiership that martial law was enacted, which removed most of the parliament's abilities and gave Shao and his government essentially complete rule over the country. Members of the Royal Parliament who tried to protest or speak out against Shao's regime were often removed from parliament soon after. At the height of his regime in the early 1970s, the parliament consisted entirely of the LPP, its sister party the Party of the Emperor and some independent politicians who had been former members of other parties.
In December 1978, the Great Hall of Amking was raided and Shao Yaoting, who had been staying there in hiding since the Jingtianmen Square protests, was arrested. This marked the end of the Kingdom of Monsilva and the Royal Parliament. The Monsilvan Republic and the current parliament were established in their place.
Republican-era parliament (1978–present)
The first parliament under the new republican system consisted of the 179 members of the provisional government of Monsilva. This was also the number of seats in contest at the 1980 general election. The seat numbers changed in 1984 to 203; in 1996 to 221; in 2008 to 254; in 2023 to 454; and in 2024 to 510. The 1984 change was a result of the establishment of Monsilva's federal state system. The 2023 change was a result of the Electoral Reform Act and Legislative Reform Act, both passed earlier in that year. The 2024 change was a result of the addition of Shaoyu as Monsilva's 15th state.
The first 18 years of the new parliament was led by the Reformed National Party under prime ministers Hsu Xue-zhou and Qi Hu. This was succeeded by the Freedom and Democracy Party, leading parliament for 20 years from 1996 to 2016. Monsilva's current prime minister, Lin Yao-tang, is a member of the FDP and has served since June 2023.
Composition and electoral systems
The Constitution establishes the Parliament, consisting of three components: the President of Monsilva, the Senate and the Legislative Assembly.
President
The president has very little power in parliament, and they can generally only exercise their powers upon the advice of ministers of the government. There are some limited circumstances whereby the president can intervene. The president is permitted to be politically active, but they cannot actively attempt to prevent legislation being passed without good reason.
Senate
The upper house of the Monsilvan Parliament is the Senate, which consists of 80 members. Each senator represents a single district. Monsilva therefore has 80 districts, which were designed to vaguely represent equal numbers of electors. The senate is elected at the same time as the Legislative Assembly.
The Senate was created with the conclusion of the 1984 senate election in Monsilva. The Royal Parliament during the Kingdom of Monsilva had only one house, but with the foundation of the republic, Hsu Xue-zhou's government decided to form a senate defined as 'a body of experienced politicians who can propose change based on wisdom'. Senators are generally experienced politicians that have already served in the Legislative Assembly for several years or demonstrate extensive knowledge of Monsilva's political system, but this is not a requirement and the designation of potential senators is entirely up to the discretion of political parties, or in the case of independence candidates, whether the electorate wishes for them to become a senator representing their district or not.
As the Senate and the Legislative Assembly are voted on at the same time, they usually have proportionately similar results. The Senate is able to delay and propose further amendments to legislations from the Legislative Assembly. However, they are unable to prevent legislation from being passed, and the Legislative Assembly is permitted to reject amendments proposed by the Senate.
Legislative Assembly
The lower house of the Monsilvan Parliament is the Legislative Assembly, which is made up of 510 members representing a single legislative constituency in Monsilva. The party or coalition of parties that has the majority in this house forms the government, with the leader of that party or coalition becoming the prime minister. If the government loses the confidence of the assembly, they are expected to call a new election or resign. For the government to lose confidence, the assembly must pass a motion of no confidence, which requires approval from the majority of the chamber.
The Legislative Assembly has had different seat numbers throughout its existence. During the Kingdom of Monsilva when it served as the only house, it consisted of 459 seats from its creation in 1830 until 1908. From 1908 to 1963 the house consisted of 573 seats, and from 1963 to 1980 it consisted of 600 seats, which was the maximum capacity the assembly could hold as it was at the time. This number was drastically decreased after the foundation of the republic in 1978, with the provisional government and first Legislative Assembly of the republic having only 179 seats. This was increased in 1984 after the creation of the federal system in 1983 to 203 seats. For the 1996 federal election, the seat numbers were increased again to 221 seats. For the 2008 federal election, the seat numbers were increased again to 254 seats. Both these previous changes had been decided due to increasing population and a noticeable change in the urban and rural distribution of the population. The next change was in 2023 when the Legislative Reform and Electoral Reform Acts were passed, which increased the seat numbers significantly to 454 seats. In 2024, with the addition of Shaoyu as Monsilva's 15th state, an additional 56 seats were added, making the current total 510 seats.
First-past-the-post voting was used to elect members of the Legislative Assembly until 2023, with the passing of the Electoral Reform Act, which changed the voting system to instant-runoff voting.
Both houses
Although it is not possible to be simultaneously a member of both the Senate and the Legislative Assembly, and members of the Senate are not permitted to be in most government roles, a significant proportion of senators have also served in the Legislative Assembly throughout their parliamentary career.
Only Monsilvan citizens are eligible for election to either house. Individuals with dual-citizenship are eligible for election, as long as their permanent residence is located in Monsilva.
Compulsory voting was introduced for elections in 1979, with the first compulsory election being the 1980 general election. Although many people, including members of the governing provisional government, opposed the idea of compulsory voting, the act was passed anyway and multiple amendments granting exceptional circumstances which would result in the voter not receiving a fine. As well as ineligibility to register to vote, which can be due to certain conditions on their criminal record, or because they have no permanently registered residence, some other exceptional circumstances where a voter is permitted to not vote in an election include: 'proof of illness' by a registered doctor or 'out of the country' (the government will usually provide a proxy vote form in this situation, but they are not mandatory to complete). Turnout for federal elections is usually between 80 to 90% of the registered electorate. In 2020, around 97% of the eligible population was registered on the electoral register.
Procedure
Each of the two chambers has a presiding officer. The presiding officer of the Senate is constitutionally the President, however the role has been filled by the Vice-President since its creation in 1984. The presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly is the Speaker. Elections for the speaker position is by secret ballot. The Speaker of the Assembly is not a member of the legislature, and is instead fulfilled by an independent politician, usually one who previously served on the Legislative Assembly, who declares to be non-partisan upon election as speaker. Both the Vice-President and the Speaker are expected to oversee debate and enforce the rules in an impartial manner in their respective houses.
The Parliament sets a quorum for each chamber. The quorum of the Senate is 20 seats (one-quarter of the total membership); the quorum of the Legislative Assembly is 85 (one-sixth of the total membership). In theory, if a quorum is not present, then the respective chamber may continue to meet. In practice, members usually agree not to notice that a quorum is not present, so that debates on routine bills can continue while other members attend to other business outside the chamber. Sometimes the Opposition will 'call a quorum' which interrupt proceedings until a quorum is present. This is often used as a tactic to delay proceedings.
Both chambers may determine motions by voice vote: the presiding officer puts the question, and, after listening to shouts of "是" (shì; meaning "yeah") and "不" (bù; meaning "no") from the members, announces the result. If the distinction is unclear or at least two members of the house demand a recorded vote, then the presiding officer will request those who are in favor of the motion to move to the right of the presiding officer (known as "政府一边"; meaning "government side") and those against the motion to move to the left of the presiding officer (known as the "反对党一边"; meaning "opposition side"). The number on each side is tallied, and the motion is passed or defeated accordingly. The presiding officer is only permitted to vote if it is a tie.
Legislation that is introduced into the Legislative Assembly goes through a number of stages before it becomes law. The first stage is a first reading, where the legislation is introduced to the chamber, then there is a second reading, where a vote is taken on the general outlines of the bill. This is followed by a consideration in detail stage, where the assembly can consider the clauses of the bill in detail and make any amendments. This is finally followed by a third reading, where the bill is either passed or rejected by the chamber. If passed, the legislation is then sent to the Senate, which has a similar structure of debate and passage. If the Senate does not pass a bill, it will return it to the Legislative Assembly with amendments or with a request for rejection. The Legislative Assembly will then decide to accept all amendments, accept some amendments, reject the amendments or reject the bill altogether. If the assembly decides to accept all amendments or reject the amendments, it will be sent straight to presidential assent, where the President will formally pass it into law. If the assembly decides to accept only some amendments, each amendment that is suggested for removal will be read by the chamber and a decision whether to keep the amendment will be decided. Once completed, the bill is sent straight to presidential assent.
Relationship with the Government
Under the Constitution, the President has the power to appoint and dismiss ministers who administer government departments. In practice, the President appoints as prime minister the leader of the party that has the most seats in the Legislative Assembly; the President will then, on the advice of the prime minister, appoint the other ministers, chosen from the majority party or coalition of parties. These ministers then meet in a council known as the Cabinet. Cabinet meetings are strictly private and occur once a week where vital issues are discussed and policy formulated.
Parliament controls the executive by passing or rejecting its bills and by forcing ministers to answer for their actions, either during scheduled government questioning periods or during meetings of the parliamentary committees. In both cases, ministers are asked questions by members of the parliament, and are obliged to answer. Although the Senate can scrutinize the executive, it cannot bring down the government. Losing the confidence and support of the Legislative Assembly through a motion of no confidence is the only way to do so.
Many votes are considered votes of confidence, although not including the language mentioned above. Important bills that form part of the government's agenda are generally considered matters of confidence. The defeat of a such a bill in the Legislative Assembly indicates that a government no longer has the confidence of the assembly. If the government has lost the ability to secure the basic requirement of the authority of the Legislative Assembly, then the Prime Minister is obligated to resign or seek the dissolution of Parliament and a new general election. Should the prime minister lose confidence but refuse to resign or call election, the President is permitted to consult the Leader of the Opposition and the Speaker of the Assembly on the opinion of the Legislative Assembly. Should both inform the President that the Legislative Assembly has lost confidence in the government, the President will force the government to resign and invite the Leader of the Opposition to form a temporary government while an election is called. This process has never been put into practice.
Privileges
Members of the Monsilvan Parliament do not have legal immunity: they can be arrested and tried for any offense. They do, however, have parliamentary privilege: they cannot be sued for anything they say in Parliament about each other or about persons outside the Parliament. This privilege extends to reporting in the media of anything a senator or member says in Parliament. The proceedings of parliamentary committees, wherever they meet, are also covered by privilege, and this extends to witnesses before such committees.
There is a legal offense called contempt of Parliament. A person who speaks or acts in a manner contemptuous of the Parliament or its members can be tried and, if convicted, imprisoned. This power is delegated to the courts.
Emblem
The official emblem of the Parliament of Monsilva is a blue silhouette of the Great Hall of Amking, with the Monsilvan text "山国议会" (meaning Parliament of Monsilva) beneath it in gray. This has been the logo of Parliament since 2012. Before which, the Parliament simply used the Emblem of Monsilva.
Broadcasting
All public events are broadcast live and on-demand via shankuoyihui.ms, which maintains an archive dating back to August 2006. MBS Yihui, is the MBS's dedicated parliament channel which broadcasts 24 hours a day showing live coverage from the Legislative Assembly, the Senate, and the State Parliament of whatever state the watcher is located. If the watcher is not located within Monsilva, no State Parliament proceedings are shown.
See also
- 2023 Monsilvan federal election
- Prime minister of Monsilva
- Legislative Assembly of Monsilva
- Senate of Monsilva
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