Government and Politics of Chitonia

## **Regime**

Chitonia is a **constitutional monarchy**, being officially ruled by a King that serves a largely ceremonial role. True power lies within the institutions which find their sources of power from the general population and the lower nobility, namely through the Royal Parliament and the Ministerial Council.

### **Legislature**

The most powerful branch of the Chitonian government is the legislature, made up of the Royal Parliament and its two chambers. The lower and most powerful chamber is the Assembly of Commons, the elected body responsible for the passage of legislation. The Assembly of Commons is one of two bodies in the Chitonian government with the power to create enforceable laws and regulations, and is the only body with the power to amend the constitution. Members of the Assembly of Commons (called Members of Parliament) are elected every four years in party-based proportional elections in each of the six Duchies, with each Duchy sending one hundred MPs to the Assembly of Commons, resulting in a total of six hundred MPs.

The upper chamber of the Royal Parliament is the Council of Nobles, which is made of a total of sixty members who hold lifelong and hereditary office, though Nobles can be impeached and replaced by the King or the Assembly of Commons. The Council of Nobles hold very little legislative power, and their presence in this area of governance is limited solely to reviewing and approving legislation passed in the Assembly of Commons.

### **Executive**

Executive power in Chitonia is split between the King and the Ministerial Council, and there are two chief executives. The King (who serves as the head of state) holds very little if any legitimate power, and has been relegated to an official that simply provides a rubber stamp of approval upon the appointment of the Ministerial Council and the setting of foreign and military policy. The one power expressly given to the King is the right to unilaterally remove and replace members of the Council of Nobles, though these actions can be overturned by the Assembly of Commons.

The second chief executive is the Prime MInister (who serves as the head of government). The Prime Minister chairs the Ministerial Council, and is elected along with the Council by the Assembly of Commons. The Prime Minister has sole control over the legislation brought before the Assembly of Commons and sets the agenda for the Assembly and Ministerial Council.

The Ministerial Council itself and its Ministers have more power than the Prime Minister in their respective areas, however the Prime Minister has the right to overturn actions taken by Ministries or Ministers. Each Ministry has the power to implement regulations and issue orders within their jurisdiction unilaterally and without votes.

### **Judiciary**

Chitonia's judiciary is largely comprised of local courts and judges responsible assembling juries, holding trials, and passing verdict on civil and criminal cases. The exception to this is the role of the Council of Nobles in the process, which acts as a high court responsible for judging the constitutionality of legislation passed by the Assembly of Commons and of executive action taken by the Ministerial Council and its Ministries. The Council of Nobles also has the responsibility of appointing local judges and monitoring them to ensure politcal impartiality.

## **Politics**

### **Political Culture**

The Chitonian population generally supports more moderate policies and opposes fringe policies on both the left and the right. Ideals of radical liberalism, social libertarianism, and national patriotism are strong within the population. In the more rural north, the population votes more for conservative and liberal policies, while in the urban centers in the south and along the coasts, the populations are generally more supportive of more moderate leftist politics. Nationalist parties are generally less successful in the Duchies of Colmshire and Æthelbria, where the population is less ethnically Chitonian, and are more successful in the four other Duchies.

### **Political Parties**

There are currently five political parties holding seats in the Assembly of Commons, the Tories, New Whigs, Labour, Socialist, and Chitonian Union.