Sirex

Sirex is a place I need to hyperlink rn

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## Politics

### Government Structure

The Sirex national government is composed of 3 branches: legislative, judicial, and executive.

**The Senate** represents the legislative branch. Senators represent certain districts and are elected by popular vote by the citizens in that district (with more populous districts having more senators -- ex: Sirex the capital city) every 5 years. Once elected the senate enacts all laws and makes all legislative decisions. The senate has power over the Sirex national budget. Most national government positions (including most judicial positions) are decided via appointment by the senate or senate subcommittees. Frequently appointed positions are reserved for nobles or individuals with high social standing, though this is not a formal requirement. Technically anyone can run for a senate seat, though successful candidates typically have the support of other senators and financial backing for their campaigns.

**The Governor of Sirex** is the executive branch and is decided via popular election (simple majority). However, an election for Governor is only held if

1. The senate holds and passes a "no confidence vote" which requires 2/3 majority to pass.
2. The Governor dies (the position will be temporarily filled by a Vice Governor, until the election is held).

Other than these 2 conditions, the Governor is appointed indefinitely. The Governor (currently Opal Mallor) also makes all appointments to the Sirex executive branch (though she often delegates these decisions). The Governor controls the Sirex Guard, and has veto power over Senate legislation and the power to dismiss any appointed government individual (both of which can be overruled by ⅔’s of the senate).

**The Judicial system** is very weak compared to the legislative and executive. The senate appoints all judges, so they really decide how laws are interpreted. However, the Governor has a power that allows them to dismiss any judge so they can effectively block appointments they do not approve of.

### Voting

Any Sirex citizen can vote. A Sirex citizen is someone who was born to Sirex citizen(s) or applied for and was granted Sirex citizenship (the process for applying for citizenship is often quite unfair and having connections is almost expected). However, Sirex citizens really only vote on 3 things:

1. Senators for their district every 5 years.
2. Governor after a “no confidence vote” or death.
3. Local Government Positions (local to their district and with very little power).

The Sirex government is quite progressive in that any citizen can vote, but citizenship can be difficult to acquire and citizens effectively only elect their senators and the rest is then beyond their control.

### Political Parties

* **New Labor Party** -
* **National Action Party** -
* **Democratic Unionist Party** -
* **Vox Liberum** -

### Party Relations

Effectively, the government runs on a quid-pro-quo system between the Governor and the Senate and between the New Labour Party and the National Action Party. Example: Opal Mallor (Governor and head of the National Action Party) may allow a judge favored by the New Labour Party to be appointed if the New Labour Party agrees to support a bill proposed by her party.

There is a Sirex senate that consists of representatives from all Sirex cities that make legislative and judicial decisions. The senate numbers at 110 senators and is broken down as follows:

* 44 New Labour
* 47 National Action
* 11 Unionist
* 8 Vox Liberum

Many senators do not vote along party lines. New Labour and National Action may be divisively separated by issues of Sirex sovereignty and magic use, but on many other topics the senators vote freely across party lines. On issues of Sirex sovereignty and magic use, Unionist and Vox Liberum votes became essential to decide what side has the majority. Unionists tend slightly towards decreased Sirex sovereignty and improved cooperation, while Vox Liberum tend slightly towards maintaining Sirex sovereignty and reducing Protectorate executive power. Magic use is very up-in-the-air between Unionists and Vox Liberum.