Government of the United Republic

*See also: Politics of the United Republic*

The United Republic is a representative democratic federal presidential constitutional republic. It is based primarily on the government of Earth and that of Mars. It features a tricameral legislature, complex executive, and elected judiciary.

A popularly-elected President of the United Republic serves as head of both state and government with the assistance of a popularly-elected Chancellor, an appointed Secretary General, the Executive Representatives Council, the Cabinet, and the Security Council.

The Legislative branch of the Government of the United Republic of Sol-Centauri, called the Congress, consists of an Upper Chamber, commonly called the Senate, a Middle Chamber, known as the Chamber of Representatives or simply Chamber, and a Lower Chamber, called the General Assembly or simply Assembly.

The Judicial Branch is independent and elected by the communities they are to serve. However the Justices of the Supreme Court are elected by the Senate. They are term-limited and there are formal mechanisms for removing Justices from office.

### Election and Selection

* Assembly Members are elected biennially by popular vote.
* Chamber Representatives are elected quadrennially by popular vote.
* Senators are elected sexennially, on a rotating basis, by popular vote.
* Supreme Court Justices are elected by the Senate and are term-limited. They may be impeached and recalled by a two-thirds majority of all three chambers of the Congress
* The President and Chancellor are elected by an anonymous popular vote, with the election certified by the Congress.
* The members of the Cabinet are approved by the Senate after Presidential nomination.
* The executive and legislative leaders of the Constituent Republics and their individual States are all popularly elected.

### Executive

A popularly-elected President of the United Republic serves as head of both state and government with the assistance of a popularly-elected Chancellor, an appointed Secretary General, the Executive Representatives Council, the Cabinet, and the Security Council.

The Principal Executive Officers, members of the Presidential Succession, comprise the Executive Representatives and the Upper Cabinet. With the exception of the Chancellor and Executive Representatives, executive officers are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Independent Executive Officers do not answer to the President, but rather to the relevant Permanent Conference Committees of the Congress.

#### Executive Representatives Council

The Executive Representatives Council comprises the leader of each Constituent Republic.

* Secretary General of the United Nations of Earth
* Chancellor of the Republic of the Federal-Imperial Republic of Mars
* Chancellor of the Cytherean Commonwealth
* President of the Ardan Republic
* Secretary General of the Republic of Galilea
* President of the Saturnian Commonwealth
* Prime Minister of the Principality of Poseidon

#### Cabinet

##### Upper Cabinet

* Chancellor - also called the Senior Vice President
* Secretary General - also called the Junior Vice President
* Principal Secretary - functions as Chief of Staff
* Secretary of State - chief of diplomatic affairs
* Secretary of Defense - in charge of the military
* Secretary of Homeworlds Security - oversees primary federal law-enforcement and security agencies

##### Lower Cabinet

* Secretary of Finance - manages the treasury and financial regulations
* Secretary of the Interior - regulates natural resources and reserves
* Secretary of Infrastructure - oversees development of various forms of infrastructure
* Secretary of Health - heads healthcare regulation and manages state medical facilities
* Secretary of Education, Science, and Research - heads educational and research institutions

##### Independent Executives

* Attorney General - principal prosecutor
* Inspector General - provides centralized internal oversight
* Solicitor General - principal attorney for government cases
* Warden General - administrator of the Federal Detention System

#### Security Council

##### Principals Committee

* Chancellor
* Secretary General
* Secretary of Defense
* Secretary of Homeworlds Security
* Minister of War (Imperial)
* Minister of Security (Imperial)

##### Joint Chiefs of Staff

* Marshal of Martisia
* Director of Surface Operations
* Director of Aerospace Operations
* Director of Fleet Operations
* Director of Military Justice
* Director of Domestic Security
* Director of the Republic Guards

##### Committee on the Intelligence Apparatus

* Director of the State Integrity Service
* Chief of the Republic Guards Special Operations Bureau
* Director of Imperial Intelligence
* Director of Naval Intelligence (Imperial)
* Chief of the Imperial Investigative Service
* Director of Imperial State Integrity
* Director of the Cyber and Information Security Agency

#### Presidential Succession

The Presidential Succession consists of the Principal Executive Officers (members of the Upper Cabinet) and the Steward, a Senator elected by the Congress specifically to serve in the succession.

1. Chancellor
2. Secretary General
3. Secretary of State
4. Secretary of Defense
5. Secretary of Homeworlds Security
6. Chair of the Executive Representatives Council
7. Vice Chair of the Executive Representatives Council
8. Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - requires issuance of the Final Decree
9. Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - requires issuance of the Final Decree
10. Steward

### Legislative Branch

The Legislative branch of the Government of the United Republic of Sol-Centauri, called the Congress, consists of an Upper Chamber, commonly called the Senate, a Middle Chamber, known as the Chamber of Representatives or simply Chamber, and a Lower Chamber, called the General Assembly or simply Assembly. The arrangement is modeled on that of the United Nations of Earth.

The Senate’s principal special duties are to confirm executive appointments and hold trials of officials impeached by the Assembly. The Senate’s control over executive appointments makes it extremely powerful and to be a Senator is considered a great prestige. It consists of two Senators from each of the major regions of each world. Every two years one third of the Senate seats are up for reelection.

The Chamber’s special duty is to craft the budget. The Chamber consists of two Representatives from each of the minor regions - typically corresponding to a small country or a state/province - of each world. Every two years half of the Chamber seats are up for reelection.

The Assembly is especially focused on oversight, and its special power is to impeach government officials from any of the three branches. Assembly seats are distributed proportionally by population according to community groups, and do not conform to regional borders. Every two years all of the Assembly seats are up for reelection.

#### Leadership

In addition to the leaders of each party’s delegation to each chamber, each elects its own chief officer. As a committee those leaders also elect chief officers. Congress elects one Senator as Steward, a special position assigned to the Presidential Succession. The Steward is typically the senior-most Senator of the ruling party.

1. Chair of the Congressional Leadership Committee
2. Vice Chair of the Congressional Leadership Committee
3. Steward
4. Principal of the Senate
5. Speaker of the Chamber of Representatives
6. Secretary General of the General Assembly

#### Permanent Conference Committees

The Permanent Conference Committees function similarly to the Martian Joint Congressional Inter-house Committees. They consist of the majority and minority leadership from the relevant committee in each chamber and are chaired by the senior Senator from the majority party.

##### Congressional Committee on Ethics and Professional Conduct

Enforces rules of ethical conduct by members of the Congress.

##### Executive Oversight Conference Committee

Formally the Conference Committee on Executive Oversight of the United Republic Congress, it has numerous subcommittees providing oversight on almost all aspects of the Executive.

##### Joint Armed Services Committee

Provides specific oversight on the Armed Forces of the United Republic, including both Departments of Defense and Homeworlds Security.

##### Judicial Conference Committee

Formally the Conference Committee on the Judiciary of the United Republic Congress, this committee provides oversight on all aspects of the judiciary.

##### Rules Committee of the Congress

Reviews, revises, and enforces the rules of conduct within joint sessions of the Congress.

#### Select Conference Committees

Select Conference Committees are temporary committees formed to address specific issues. Typically they are investigatory in nature, but they are also formed to craft particularly important legislation. Examples include:

##### Congressional Select Committee on the Independence Coalition

This committee is formed early in the Coalition Wars to investigate and address issues specific to the ongoing conflicts with the Independence Coalition. Their initial investigations are in conjunction with Executive agencies looking into the terror attacks and border wars that quickly led to the outbreak of war.

### Judicial Branch

The Judicial Branch is independent and elected by the communities they are to serve. However the Justices of the Supreme Court are elected by the Senate. They are term-limited and there are formal mechanisms for removing Justices from office.