Parliament of Lashardia

* Greens (24)
* Christian Democrats (1)

**Opposition parties (41)**
* Lasdö (29)
* Conservative (9)

The **Parliament of Lashardia** (Lashardian: *Mavna* or *Mavnilasda*) is the parliament of Lashardia. The unicameral parliament has 100 members and normally meets in the Parliament House in Ubenmoor. The latest election to the parliament took place on 10 June 2014.

## Constitution

Under the Constitution of Lashardia, the 100-member unicameral parliament exercises supreme decision-making authority in Lashardia. Sovereignty belongs to the people and that power is vested in the parliament. It passes legislation, decides on the state budget, approves international treaties, and supervises the activities of the government. It may alter the constitution, bring about the resignation of the Council of State, and override presidential vetoes; its acts are not subject to judicial review. Legislation may be initiated by the Council of State, or one of the members of the Mavna. To make changes to the Constitution, amendments must be approved twice by the Mavna, in two successive electoral periods with a general election held in between.

Members of parliament enjoy parliamentary immunity: Without the parliament's approval, members may not be prosecuted for anything they say in session or otherwise do in the course of parliamentary proceedings, or be arrested or detained except for serious offenses.

## Parliamentary elections

The Mavna's 100 representatives are elected directly by secret ballot on the basis of proportional representation. The electoral period is four years. Elections are held on the second Tuesday of June.

Every citizen who is at least 18 years of age by the election date is entitled to vote in general elections. With certain exceptions, such as high judicial officials, the President of the Republic, and persons under guardianship, any voter may also stand as a candidate for Parliament. All registered parties are entitled to nominate candidates; individual citizens and independent electoral organizations must be endorsed by a sufficient number of voters to qualify.

The President of Lashardia can call for an early election, after consultations with the parliamentary groups while Parliament is in session. Prior to the new constitution the President had the power to do this independently. However, this has never happened in Lashardian history.

There is no hard and fast election threshold to get a seat in Parliament. In large part due to this, it is nearly impossible for one party to win an outright majority. It is also very difficult for the socialist and non-socialist blocs to form a government on their own. Most Lashardian governments in recent history have been coalitions between three or more parties, and many of them have been grand coalitions between socialist and non-socialist parties.

## Government formation

The President consults the Speaker of Parliament and with representatives of the parliamentary groups about the formation of a new Council of State (Government). According to the constitution, the Mavna elects the Prime Minister (typically the leader of the party with the most seats), who is appointed to office by the President. Other ministers are appointed by the President on the Prime Minister's proposal. While individual ministers are not appointed by the Mavna, they may be individually removed by a vote of no confidence. The government as a whole must also have the confidence of the Mavna and must resign on a vote of no confidence.

Before the Prime Minister is elected, the parliamentary groups negotiate on the political program and composition of the Council of State. On the basis of the outcome of these negotiations, and after having consulted the Speaker of the Mavna and the parliamentary groups, the President informs the Mavna of the nominee for Prime Minister. The nominee is elected Prime Minister if this is supported by a majority of votes in the Mavna.

## Sessions

The annual session of parliament generally begins in February and consists of two terms, the first from January until June, the second from September to December. At the start of an annual session, the nation's political leaders and their guests attend a special worship service at Ubenmoor Cathedral, before the ceremonies continue at Parliament House, where the President formally opens the session.

On the first day of each annual session, the Mavna selects a speaker from among its members. This election is chaired by the senior member in terms of age.

## Committees

The Parliament has 16 standing committees. Most committees have 10 permanent members. In addition the committees have a number of substitute members. On average each MP is a member of two committees.

15 of the committees are special committees, while the Grand Committee deals with AU affairs, but also has a wider range of tasks. The Committee for the Future is noteworthy, as it does not usually deal with bills, but instead assesses factors relating to future developments and gives statements to other committees on issues relating to the future outlooks of their respective fields of speciality.

The chairmanships of the committees are divided proportionally to the amount of seats held in Parliament. The Social Democratic Party chairs five committees, Lasdö and the Green Party chair four committees, and the Conservative Party, Liberal Party, and Christian Democrats each chair one.

## Members

The 100 members of parliament enjoy a limited legal immunity: they may not be prevented from carrying out their work as members of parliament. They may be charged with crimes they have committed in office only if the parliament gives a permission to that end with a majority of five-sixths of given votes. For other crimes, they may be arrested or imprisoned only for crimes which carry a minimum punishment of six months in prison, unless the parliament gives permission to arrest the member.

The members receive a yearly salary of $150,000, which is taxable. Those who have served 10 years, receive $175,000 euros. In addition, they receive tax-free compensation of expenses, and may travel for free within the country by train, bus or plane for purposes related to legislative work. Inside the capital region, they may freely use taxis.

The members have an unlimited right to discuss the matters at hand. However, they must behave in a "solemn and dignified manner" and refrain from personal insults. If the member breaks this rule in the session of parliament, they may be interrupted by the spokesman. Grave breaches of order may be punished by two weeks' suspension from office after the decision of parliament. If a member is convicted of an intentional crime for a term in prison or of an electoral crime to any punishment, the parliament may decide to dismiss the member if two thirds of the votes given are for dismissal.

## Major political parties

The Lashardian Social Democratic Party (Lashardian: *Lasdipolunisosiaaldemokraata*) was the largest party in the 2014 election. It is a social democratic party and has traditionally been the leading party in Lashardia.

Lasdö (English: *Lashardians*) was the second largest party in the 2014 election. It is an ultra right-wing, nationalist, conservative party.

The Green Party of Lashardia (Lashardian: *Polunivergsilasda*) was the third largest party in the 2014 election. It is a left-wing eco-socialist party that supports social liberalism.

The Lashardian Conservative Party (Lashardian: *Lasdipolunikonservita*) was the fourth largest party in the 2014 election. Typically, the Conservatives are the main opposition to the Social Democrats, but have since lost their popularity in favor of Lasdö. It is a liberal conservative right-wing party.

The Lashardian Liberal Party (Lashardian: *Lasdipolunilibala*) was the fifth largest party in the 2014 election. It's a centrist, liberal, and libertarian party.

The Christian Democrats (Lashardian: *Demokraatikristianö*) were the sixth largest party in teh 2014 election. They are a Christian democratic party.