House of Consuls of the Batavian Empire

The House of Consuls is the lower house of the Consulate, the Batavian Empire's legislative branch, the upper house being the Senate. The House meets in the Imperial Palace of Amsterdam. 
It has 500 members elected by constituencies (matching the 117 departments and the ICA) by open list proportional representation using the D'Hondt method. Consuls serve five-year terms. The presiding officer is the Speaker of the House of Consuls, who is elected by the members thereof. 
In the House, Consuls from the political parties, or groups of parties, form parliamentary groups. Any Consul directly elected to their position is eligible to form a parliamentary group. Consuls who resign their parliamentary group's whip, or have their whip removed are required to sit as independents. A group consisting of more than five independents, however, is eligible to form a (new) parliamentary group
== Constitutional position ==
=== House's nature ===
==== Composition ====
Section 2.16 of the Batavian Constitution establishes that the House of Consuls must be composed of 500 Consuls.
==== Electoral system ====
The Batavian Constitution establishes that Consuls are elected by universal, free, equal, direct and secret suffrage. The election is held every five years or earlier in the case of a snap election. The members of the House are elected by proportional representation with open lists in each constituency.
There are 112 multi-member constituencies for the House of Consuls which correspond to the departments of the Batavian Empire, and the Imperial City of Amsterdam (ICA). According to the Batavian Constitution, each constituency with a population over 100,000 shall be represented by at least two Consuls, thus 224 Consuls are already apportioned. The six departments with a population lower than 100,000 (Falklands & South Georgia, Dutch Atlantic, Labrador, Greenland, Bermuda, and Seychelles) function as single-member constituencies. The remaining 270 seats are allocated proportionally per constituency. This distribution can change in each election and it is specified by the Joint Elected Committee (JEC) when writs of election are issues. After the General Election, seats are assigned to the electoral lists in each constituency separately, using D'Hondt method; parties receive seats in approximate proportion to the number of votes each received in the constituency. A strictly proportional system would result in fractional seats. The D'Hondt method resolved this by favouring parties receiving larger shares of the votes. The Batavian Constitution does not require electoral lists to surpass an electoral threshold to be eligible for seat distribution. 
While electoral lists are submitted in accordance with the number of available seats in a particular constituency and follow a specific order determined by the party, citizens directly cast their votes for individual candidates. Once the allocation of seats to parties is finalised, the precise number of votes received by each candidate is counted. If a candidate further down the list receives more votes than those ranked higher, they are elected in place of the higher-ranked candidates. 
In the event of a vacancy arising due to the resignation, removal, or death of a consul, the next candidate on the ex-consul party's list from the previous election has the opportunity to assume the seat. If this candidate declines, the offer is extended to the subsequent candidate in line, and so forth. Additionally, parties have the option to include supplementary candidates on the ballot. These supplementary candidates cannot be voted for during the election itself, but they can step in to fill a vacancy when the list of all eligible candidates is exhausted and none of them is able or willing to do so.
To be able to field an electoral list in a constituency, the Batavian Constitution requires parties that are not represented as a parliamentary group in the House of Consuls or the Senate to collect signatures to support their candidacy to be able to run in the election: 3% of those registered to vote in a constituency are required to be on the ballot in that constituency and each citizen can sign only once for a party candidacy per election. 
==== Mandate ====
The Consuls' term of office finishes five years after their election or when the House is dissolved, which can take place jointly or separately with the dissolution of the Senate. The prerogative to dissolve the House of Consuls belongs exclusively to the Emperor, who usually exercises it at the request of the Prime Minister or the Speaker of the House. During their mandate, Consuls have some guarantees and privileges to carry their responsibilities, including immunity from prosecution, a right which can only be withdrawn by the Supreme Court.
=== Bodies of the House of Consuls ===
Exercising the autonomy recognised by the Constitution to the House of Consuls, the parliament is regulated by internal rules established by itself and it configures different government bodies to carry out the pertinent competencies. 
==== Governing bodies ====
The governing bodies of the House of Consuls are the bodies under which authority the House is managed. These bodies are the Speaker, the Presidium and the Leader's Bureau. 
The Speaker of the House of Consuls is the highest authority who represents the House and is, de facto, the leader of the parliament. As head of the House, the Speaker also chairs the Presidium, the Leader's Bureau and the Permanent Deputation. In their duties, the Speaker is supported by the Speaker's Office, which consists of several registrars, including the Chief Clerk. To be impartial, the Speaker gives up their position as Consul entirely upon assuming the position. Although still a member of their party, the Speaker is therefore not normally able to vote, except in the case of a tie, in which case the Speaker can break the deadlock. 
The Presidium is the collective body that represents the House and manages the day-to-day business of the Chamber, preparing its budget and making all the necessary decisions to allow the proper functioning of the parliament. The Presidium is chaired by the Speaker and comprises the four deputy speakers. Contrary to the speakership, the the role of deputy speaker can be combined with the role of Consul. 
The Leader's Bureau is the collective body formed by the floor leaders of all the parliamentary groups that establishes the agenda of the House. Decisions in the Leader's Bureau are made by qualitative majority, where each spokesperson can represent all Consuls affiliated with their group. In addition, the Minister responsible for Parliamentary Affairs (a portfolio usually allocated to the Deputy Prime Minister) is an ex-officio member on behalf of the government. Independents are not represented in the Leader's Bureau. 
==== Working bodies ====
The working bodies of the House of Consuls are the Plenary, the Standing Committees, and the Permanent Deputation.
The Plenary is the central body of the House of Consuls, which allows the House to exercise its choices. It is the reunion of all Consuls when half plus one of its members is attending the house. This body represents the unity of the House and works through its ordinary and extraordinary sittings. The ordinary sittings take place during two meeting terms: September to December and February to July. They are convened by a calendar set by the Leader's Bureau. Extraordinary sittings are convened at the request of the Speaker, upon consultation with the Presidium and Permanent Deputation, or the Emperor. In case of the convocation by the latter, it is usually in the form of a Joint Session of the Consulate, which happens at least once a year for the State of the Empire and presentation of the annual budget. Joint Sessions are chaired by the Speaker Pro Tempore of the Senate. Extraordinary sessions of the House are not usually convened by the Emperor, although it has happened in times of national emergencies to discuss necessary legislation.
The Standing Committees are the basic working bodies of the House. They are composed of a proportional number of Consuls depending on the numerical importance of the parliamentary groups. The committees are classified as follows: permanent or special and legislative or non-legislative. The permanent legislative committees examine and work on the development of bills. All legislative proposals need to be approved by a simple majority in the relevant committees before being debated by the Plenary. In some cases, the Plenary can even confer permanent legislative committees full legislative power in relation to a specific matter, enabling them to permanently approve or reject and bill. The regulations of the House establish X permanent legislative committees. The permanent non-legislative committees have responsibilities outside of the legislative domain. Special legislative or non-legislative committees are created by the Plenary with a specific purpose, with their thematic scope and mandate set beforehand. 
The Permanent Deputation is a new body created recently wit the purpose of having a permanent constituted legislative power. It is responsible for safeguarding the powers of the House between legislative sessions in January and August, as well as during a special recess or dissolution. In these three cases, the Permanent Deputation is a temporary extension of the House. The Permanent Deputation is presided by the Speaker of the House and it composed of a proportional number of deputies depending on the numerical importance of the different parliamentary groups. 
== Composition of the VI legislature ==
The 6th legislature of the Batavian Empire started on 22 January 2056 when the House of Consuls was constituted after the 2056 general elections. The House of Consuls was constituted at 12 noon on Monday 22 January 2056, where all Consuls were sworn in. That same day, the Speaker and the rest of the Presidium were elected by secret ballot and in the ballot box, directed by the Father of the House and the Chief Clerk. 
=== Plenary of the House of Consuls ===
=== Speaker of the House of Consuls ===
For the election of the Speaker of the House a first vote is carried out, secret and in a ballot box, with the candidates who run for said position. In this vote, an absolute majority of Consuls (251/500) is necessary for a candidate to be elected as such. In the event that neither candidate reaches the absolute majority required, a second vote is carried out, also secret and in a ballot box, with the two candidates with the most votes. The candidate that obtains a simple majority of the votes will be elected Speaker of the House of Consuls. 
Election of the Speaker of the House (VI legislature)
Candidate 	Group/Party 	Group/Party 	Group/Party 	First Ballot 	Second Ballot
Candidate 	Group/Party 	Group/Party 	Group/Party 	251 out of 500	Simple
Dara Baseland 	 	 	SSFF/CWP 	 	
Steffan Merzler	 	 	LP 	 	
Lance Fenwick 	 	 	NUP/GB-CUP 	 	
Blank votes 	Blank votes 	Blank votes 	Blank votes 	37 	76
Invalid votes 	Invalid votes	Invalid votes	Invalid votes	0 	0
Total: 	Total: 	Total: 	Total: 	500 	500
===Presidium of the House of Consuls===
After the election of the Speaker, the four deputy speakers are elected, using the same system as for the previous election. By secret ballot and ballot box, the four candidates with the most votes will be elected, with the First Deputy Speaker being the one who gets the most votes and the Fourth Deputy Speaker the one with the fewest. In the event of a tie, a second vote is taken between the tied candidates to settle the order.
Position 	Holder 	Group/Party	Group/Party	Group/Party
Speaker 	Dara Baselan 	 	 	SSFF/CWP
First Deputy Speaker 	Guy Koffi 	 	 	USLD
Second Deputy Speaker	Igor Zhukov 	 	 	SDP/SPR
Third Deputy Speaker 	Raúl Martín Artuinez	 	 	LP
Fourth Deputy Speaker	Camille Blanchet 	 	 	CD
==Standing Committees==
The House of Consuls comprises a number of standing committees. Whilst committees are always created by the Plenary by simple majority, the House has established a number of permanent standing committees, as well as some special committees, the latter created at the start of each legislature. The purpose of these bodies is to facilitate the work of he House. In general, committees have the same powers at the Plenary: to control the government by questing information from the responsible ministers or state-secretaries. Committees also debate bills originated at the Plenary, which have to pass through the so-called committee-stage, before they can be debated by the Plenary and voted on there. In some cases, the Plenary can delegate full legislative power to the committees, delegating the power to fully accept or reject a bill directly, thereby by-passing debate in the Plenary all-together. 
===Current Standing Committees (VI legislature, 2056-present)===
====Permanent Legislative Committees====
There are currently 17 permanent legislative committees, which have different functions enshrined in the regulations that govern the House of Consuls. 
Committee 	Chair	Group/Party	Group/Party	Group/Party
Budgetary Affairs and Appropriations (BUDG) 	 	PP 	 	
Foreign Affairs (FOAF) 	 	SSFF/ANF 	 	
Judicary and Legal Affairs (JURI) 	 	SSFF/NIU 	 	
Defence and Armed Services (DEAS) 	 	USLD 	 	
Finance, Economic and Fiscal Affairs (FEFA) 	 	USLD 	 	
Trade and International Development (INTA) 	 	USLD 	 	
Constitutional Affairs (COAF) 	 	SSFF/ANF 	 	
Public Safety and Homeland Security (SECU) 	 	SSFF/NIU 	 	
Health and Human Services (SANA) 	 	SDP/ASC 	 	
Home Affairs and Territorial Relations (TERR) 	 	SSFF/ANF 	 	
Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) 	 	SSFF/CWP 	 	
Education and Vocational Training (EDUV) 	 	USLD 	 	
Industry, Environment and Natural Resources (IENA)	 	GPP/BGP 	 	
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Safety (AGRI) 	 	GPP/AAA 	 	
Transportation, Infrastructure and Science (TECI) 	 	SSFF/ANF 	 	
Housing and Spatial Planning (HOSP) 	 	SDP/SPR 	 	
Culture, Sports and National Heritage (CULT) 	 	SDP/PES 	 	
====Permanent Non-Legislative Committees====
There are currently 2 permanent non-legislative committees, which both have functions enshrined in the regulations that govern the House of Consuls.
Committee 	Chair	Group/Party	Group/Party	Group/Party
Ethics (MORL) 	 	LP 	 	
Internal Rules and Standing Orders (IRSO)	 	SSFF/ANF 	 	
==== Special Committees====
There are currently two special committees: the Future Comprehensive Infrastructure Act Committee, which involves itself with the legislative execution of the FCIA, and the Indo-Batavian Harmonisation Committee, which oversees the efforts to create a personal union between the Batavian Empire and the Kingdom of Indonesia, involving itself with the legal implications of such a union.
Committee 	Chair	Group/Party	Group/Party	Group/Party	Term
Future Comprehensive Infrastructure Act	 	 	 	 	
Indo-Batavian Harmonisation 	 	 	 	 	
==Design, Roles and Layout==
In its design and layout, the House of Consuls is often described as a mixture between continental and Westminister-style legislatures, comprising features from both systems.
===Roles in the House of Consuls===
====Floor Leaders====
All parliamentary groups are led by spokespersons, who are referred to as Floor Leaders. Floor leaders are elected by their parliamentary groups at the beginning of each legislature, and can be considered the main representatives of the political parties in parliament. Especially for floor leaders of opposition parties, it holds that they are often also the political leaders of their respective parties. Floor leaders sit in the Leader's Bureau, where they co-decide on the long-term agenda of the legislature. In addition, floor leaders often represent their parties in the most important debates, such as debates on motions of no-confidence or actualities.
==== Leader of the House====
Traditionally, the floor leader of the largest government party is also designated by the Speaker as the Leader of the House. Due to their close ties with the administration, the Leader of the House takes the a leading role in proposing the House's agenda in the Leader's Bureau. Apart from the Speaker, the Leader of the House is the only one who can grant leave to deviate from the agenda set by the Leader's Bureau. Whilst other Consuls and floor leaders are only deemed to have a majority for their proposals after these are supported by a majority vote, the principle works in reverse for the Leader of the House, who is considered to have theoretical command over a working majority of the Plenary. However, as is the case with the Speaker, this theoretical majority can be challenged, which regularly happens in a hung parliament.
====Leader of the Opposition====
The floor leader of the largest opposition party is by convention also the Leader of the Opposition, although this title has often been disputed in the case of small numerical differences between opposition parties, or their status in the opposition. For example, in the IV legislature (2050-2051), Gustaf Andersson, the floor leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), vied for the position of Leader of the Opposition, as his party, which held a 103 seats, had not officially entered the government. However, considering their abstention had facilitated the investiture of the independent, but LP-affiliated, Lotte Grister as Prime Minister, the African National Front (ANF) and New Islamic Union (NIU) disputed his claim. After a change in regulation, it was then decided that Leader of the Opposition would henceforth be appointed by the Presidium, with the only official requirement being that this person is a Consul and does not hot hold any executive office. In addition, however the Presidium was to take into consideration a candidate's effective parliamentary preeminence and the input of other opposition parties. Due to these new guidelines, ANF-leader Samual Coffin took over the role of Leader of the Opposition from Andersson for the remainder of the IV legislature. The Leader of the House is granted several perks, including a greater amount of allotted speaking time and the right to introduce a motion of no-confidence in the whole cabinet without the need to be granted leave from the Leader of the House or Speaker to do so. 
====Parliamentary Whips ====
All parliamentary groups comprising more than five Consuls also appoint so-called parliamentary whips, which are responsible for party discipline, as well acting as a deputy for the floor leader, being able to fulfil their responsibilities in their absence. The extent of the responsibilities of parliamentary whips is dependent on the parliamentary groups, but especially in groups that consist of a wide variety of political parties, their role of enforcing party discipline is important. Sometimes, parliamentary whips from government parties are referred to a 'government whips', with the whip of the largest government party being referred to as the chief whip. 
==== Father of the House====
The longest-serving Consul is considered to be the Father (or Mother) of the House (in the case of a tie, the oldest of the Consuls takes on the role). Whilst this role is mostly a ceremonial one, the Father of the House does have an important role in the election of the Speaker of the House. At the start of each legislature, the Father of the House is the first to be sworn in by the Chief Clerk to act as the presiding officer until the House has elected a new Speaker. In this role, the Father of the House is assisted by the oldest Consul and the two youngest Consuls, who effectively take on the duties of that ordinarily befall the Deputy Speakers and are tasked with the counting of the ballots. 
===Layout===
The chamber of the House of Consuls consists of a hemicycle. The seating arrangement of Consuls is determined by the Presidium with the input from the Leader's Board. It is customary for government parties to be seated on the Speaker's left and opposition parties on the Speaker's right. In accordance with this, the rightmost seat is traditionally occupied by the Leader of the House, whilst the leftmost seat is taken by the Leader of the Opposition. In general, the left side of the chamber is organised from the largest to the smallest government party, an arrangement which is repeated on the right side of the chamber with opposition parties. Requests from parliamentary groups are taken into consideration, however, which often leads to small anomalies to this typical arrangement. Under the Speaker's chair, there are two dedicated benches for ministers and state-secretaries, for when these are required to attend debates in the House. 
==Functioning of the House of Consuls==
The House of Consuls is in session from September to December and February to July, with sittings taking place from Monday to Friday, with the exception of special holidays or extraordinary recesses. During this time, the House of Consuls seeks to work through the agenda set by the Leader's Bureau, which includes committee or plenary debates on legislative proposals or holding executive officials responsible for their conduct. In addition to this, however, there are some special debates that are held, most notably Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs), the debate on investiture, and debates on so-called motion of no-confidence. 
===Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs)===
In Westminster tradition, the debate on the Prime Minister's Questions is held every Friday from 12:00-13:00. During this debate, the Prime Minister comes to the House to answer a wide-range of questions, some of which will can be raised without prior notification. The first question is traditionally referred to as "Question No. 1" to provide the Prime Minister with the opportunity to talk about his business of the day. Afterwards, questions alternate between Consuls from government and opposition parties. Both the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the House are given the right to ask three questions, engaging in a cross-examination of the Prime Minister. 
===Investiture of the Informator Consulati===
At the commencement of each legislative term, the House of Consuls initiates a process to designate an individual for the position of Informator Consulati, whose primary responsibility is to apprise the Emperor of the newly established parliamentary majority set to assume governance. Whilst it is no official requirement, the Informator is conventionally requested to lead this government as well in the role of Prime Minister, which has led to the informator's unofficial title as "Prime Minister-elect."
To nominate an Informator, the Speaker of the House initiates a series of one-on-one discussions with the leaders of all parliamentary groups. Based on these conversations, the Speaker selects the candidate deemed most likely to secure a functional parliamentary majority as the Informator. Depending on the House's composition complexity, the Speaker may grant this candidate extra time to negotiate parliamentary support before scheduling the investiture debates. The investiture debates afford the Informator the opportunity to address the House, with other floor leaders sharing their perspectives on the prospects of the new parliamentary majority at hand.
At the conclusion of the first day, an initial vote is conducted, necessitating the candidate to garner an absolute majority (251 votes) for immediate investiture. If the candidate falls short of the requisite 251 votes, a second vote takes place the following day, requiring a simple majority (more votes in favour than against). Should the nominee only secure election in the second round, they must also receive additional support from a simple majority in the Senate before being formally invested in order to confirm the existence of sufficient support from both houses of the Consulate. Although the candidate nominated for the position of Informator is often a member of the House of Consuls, this is no formal requirement, and the Speaker is authorised to nominate any non-Consul for this role as well.
===Motion of No-Confidence (Censure)===
The House of Consuls has the prerogative to withdraw its support from ministers and state-secretaries at any time through a motion of no-confidence. Motions of no-confidence require the backing of a simple majority to be adopted. In the case of a motion of no-confidence in the entire cabinet, it is more commonly referred to as a motion of censure. To introduce of motion of no-confidence against any minister or state-secretary, leave is required, which can be granted by the Leader of the House or obtained through a simple majority. In rare cases, the Speaker can also grant leave for motions of no-confidence to be debated if they deem it in the national interest, although such unilateral rulings could be dissented by a simple majority. A motion of censure can be introduced without the need for leave, either by the Leader of the Opposition or by signature of one-tenth of the House (currently 50 Consuls). When a motion of censure is introduced, the Speaker has to table the motion within a period of 7 days. 
Motion of no-confidence and censure are non-constructive and continuist, meaning that there is no need for an alternative candidate to be proposed and that there is no requirement to hold elections if the motion is successful. After a successful motion of no-confidence, the relevant official is expected to resign, having lost the confidence of the House, but is under no legal requirement to do so, as ministers and state-secretaries serve at the pleasure of the Emperor. If a motion of censure is successful, a new government needs to be formed, with the need for another investiture vote. In the meantime, the Prime Minister and the rest of the ministers can continue to serve as caretakers until this process is concluded. If no new parliamentary majority can be found, the Emperor can dissolve the House of Consuls by calling snap elections, with the incumbent government continuing to serve under a caretaker status. 
==List of Speakers of the House of Consuls==
Legislature	Speaker 	Party	Party	Constituency 	Tenure 	Duration
I 	Selma Gatsema 	 	LP 	The Netherlands	7 April, 2042 -
30 April, 2049	7 years, 24 days
II 	Selma Gatsema 	 	LP 	The Netherlands	7 April, 2042 -
30 April, 2049	7 years, 24 days
III 	Selma Gatsema 	 	LP 	The Netherlands	7 April, 2042 -
30 April, 2049	7 years, 24 days
III 	José Peter Garcia	 	LP 	Castile 	3 May, 2049 -
22 December, 2055	6 years, 7 months,
20 days
IV 	José Peter Garcia	 	LP 	Castile 	3 May, 2049 -
22 December, 2055	6 years, 7 months,
20 days
V 	José Peter Garcia	 	LP 	Castile 	3 May, 2049 -
22 December, 2055	6 years, 7 months,
20 days
VI 	Dara Baselan 	 	SSFF 	Lower-Egypt 	24 January, 2056 -	TBD
Category:Batavian Empire
Category:Politics of the Batavian Empire
Category:Politics of Official Nations