Yokozean Government

*For general information about the country of Yokoze, see Yokoze Confederation*

Seal of the Parliament of Yokoze

The **Government of Yokoze** operates under the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, and a decentralized unitary state. The Yokoze Confederation is described as a consociational state, in which major ethnic, religious, and linguistic divides exist but are kept peaceful through government policies and negotiation between members of each of these groups. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Yokoze, which states that there shall be a legislative, executive, and judicial branch. It was modeled heavily off of the Shingōan system of government.

The Parliament is the legislature, the organ of the Legislative branch. It is unicameral, consisting of a single body of 39 elected members. Its members are directly elected by the people, who are the source of sovereignty. The Supreme Court and other inferior courts make up the Judicial branch and have all the judicial powers in the state. They are independent from the executive and the legislative branches. Judges are designated or appointed by the Cabinet and never removed by the executive or the legislature except during impeachment. The Supreme Court is the court of last resort and has the final say in cases relating to the law and the Constitution.

## The Presidency

The President of the Yokoze Confederation is the nation's primarily ceremonial head of state. The President serves as the symbol and figurehead of the Confederation, however, the officeholder still retains certain political powers such as the ability to dissolve parliament. The Presidency was established in 360 G.E. and holders of the title must be appointed to the position by the Parliament via two-thirds majority vote.

## Executive

The Executive branch of Yokoze is headed by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is the head of the Cabinet, and is designated by the legislative organ, the Parliament. The Cabinet consists of the Ministers of State and may be appointed or dismissed by the Prime Minister. Cabinet appointments require the affirmative vote of a majority of Parliament's members to be confirmed, but no such vote is required to dismiss Cabinet officials. The Cabinet is responsible to Parliament, and as a whole, should the Cabinet lose confidence and support to be in office by Parliament, the Parliament may dismiss the Cabinet *en masse* with a motion of no confidence.

### Prime Minister

The Prime Minister of the Confederation (連合首相) is designated by Parliament and serves a term of four years; with no limits imposed on the number of terms the Prime Minister may hold. The Prime Minister heads the Cabinet and exercises "control and supervision" of the executive branch, and is the head of government and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Yokoze. The Prime Minister is vested with the power to present bills to Parliament, to sign laws, and to declare states of emergency. He or she presides over the Cabinet and appoints, or dismisses, the other Cabinet ministers.

Parliament elects the Prime Minister via majority vote. If no member receives a majority of all votes cast, then subsequent elections are held in which members with the least amount of votes in the previous round are excluded. Typically, the leader of the party with the most seats in Parliament becomes the Prime Minister.

### The Cabinet

The Cabinet of the Confederation (連合内閣) consists of the Ministers of State and the Prime Minister. The members of the Cabinet are appointed by the Prime Minister. There are no official regulations on who may be appointed as a Cabinet Minister; however, appointees have always been lifelong Yokozean citizens with backgrounds in governmental affairs. The Cabinet is required to resign *en masse* while still continuing its functions, until the appointment of a new Prime Minister, when the following situation arises:

1. Parliament passes a non-confidence resolution, or rejects a confidence resolution, unless Parliament is dissolved within the next ten days.
2. When there is a vacancy in the post of the Prime Minister, or upon the first convocation of Parliament after a general election of the members of Parliament.

#### Ministries

The Ministries of the Confederation (行政機関) consist of six ministries. Each ministry is headed by a Minister of State, which are mainly senior governmental officials, and are appointed from among the members of the Cabinet by the Prime Minister.

* **Ministry of General Affairs**
	+ responsible for handling the day-to-day affairs of the Cabinet.
* **Ministry of Finance**
	+ responsible for economic, monetary, and fiscal policy. Oversees taxation and the national budget.

* **Ministry of Foreign Affairs**
	+ responsible for foreign policy and international relations. Also facilitates international trade and oversees Yokoze's participation in the Central Tōkai Union.
* **Ministry of the Interior**
	+ responsible for domestic policy and civil service. Oversees elections and local governmental affairs. Also responsible for agricultural, wildlife, and environmental policy.

* **Ministry of Justice and Security**
	+ oversees the judicial system and correctional services and is the government's legal representative. Responsible for counter-terrorism and immigration policy.
* **Ministry of War and Defense**
	+ responsible for military policy and national security. Oversees the armed forces and veterans affairs.

## Legislative

The Legislative branch organ of the Yokozean government is the Parliament of the Confederation (連邦議会). It is a unicameral legislature, consisting of a single house of elected representatives. It is specified by the Constitution as the "supreme law-making organ of the Confederation." Members of Parliament are elected using a single transferable vote system, in which candidates are ranked by preference and appointed to represent multiple member districts. Currently, national-level voting is restricted to men aged over 20 who paid at least 18 yen in national taxation.

Parliament's responsibilities include the making of laws, the approval of the annual national budget, the approval of the conclusion of treaties, and the selection of the Prime Minister. In addition, it has the power to initiate constitutional amendments, which require the approval of three-fourths of Parliament's membership to be implemented. The Constitution also enables Parliament to conduct investigations in relation to government, demand the presence and testimony of witnesses, and the production of records, as well as allowing the house to demand the presence of the Prime Minister or the other Minister of State, in order to give answers or explanations whenever so required. Parliament is also able to impeach Court judges convicted of criminal or irregular conduct.

All decisions in Parliament are decided by a majority of those present, unless otherwise stated by the Constitution, and in the case of a tie, the matter is to be treated as rejected. A member of Parliament cannot be expelled, however, unless two-thirds or more of those members present passes a resolution therefor. The Prime Minister may be removed from office by Parliament via a majority of votes being cast in favor of a motion of no confidence.

### Speaker

The Speaker of Parliament is the presiding officer of the Parliament of Yokoze. The Speaker opens and closes meetings and debates in Parliament and determines who speaks. The Speaker also represents the Parliament as a whole, such as in ceremonies and with visits by foreign officials and heads of state.

#### Post-395

Unlike other parliamentary systems, the Yokozean Speaker is not elected from amongst the membership of Parliament. Instead, members of Parliament must elect one official who is not currently a member of Parliament to assume the role. The Speaker serves a renewable term of 6 years upon election but may be called to prematurely resign if over half of all members of Parliament vote in favor of them doing so. The Speaker is not permitted to vote on bills or motions in Parliament but may deliver addresses and speeches.

#### Pre-395

Prior to the electoral and parliamentary reforms that followed the Long Winter in 395, the Speaker was elected by Parliament from amongst its own membership. During this period, the Speaker was affiliated with political parties and permitted to vote on bills and motions.

## Judicial

The Judicial branch of Yokoze consists of the Supreme Court, and two other lower courts; the State Courts and the Regional Courts. The Judicial branch's independence from the executive and legislative branches are guaranteed by the Constitution, a feature known as the Separation of Powers. Court judges are removable only by public impeachment, and can only be removed, without impeachment, when they are judicially declared mentally or physically incompetent to perform their duties.

The Constitution states that all trials must be conducted publicly unless the Court unanimously finds doing so to be dangerous. All trials of political offenses, press offenses, and Constitutional rights must, however, be conducted publicly with no exception.

### Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of the Confederation (連合最高裁判所) is the court of last resort and has the power of Judicial review, meaning that it is vested with the power to determine the constitutionality of any law or official act. It has the authority to hear appealed cases from lower courts and overrule or reaffirm their decisions. The Supreme Court is also responsible for nominating judges to lower courts and determining judicial procedures. It also oversees the judicial system, overseeing activities of public prosecutors, and disciplining judges and other judicial personnel.

### State Courts

The State Courts of Yokoze (州裁判所) have the jurisdiction to hear appeals to judgements rendered by Regional Courts, excluding cases under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Criminal appeals are handled directly by State Courts, but Civil cases are first handled by Regional Courts.

### Regional Courts

The Regional Courts of Yokoze (地方裁判所) have the jurisdiction to hear initial civil and criminal cases within their geographical jurisdiction. Regional Courts typically have jurisdiction over a given metropolitan area or various smaller towns or villages.

## Local Governments

Yokoze has a policy of devolution, meaning that certain governmental powers are substantially delegated to lower, local authorities. These authorities are State Governments and Regional Governments. Both of these governments mirror the national government in that they both have their own executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

### State Governments

The legislative branch of State Governments are the State Parliaments (州議会), which pass laws that only apply within their state. Typically, these laws are related to state taxes, hospitals, prisons, education, and property; however, the Constitution allows States to pass any laws, so long as they do not conflict with national laws or the Constitution. Elections for members of the State Parliaments utilize a ranked-choice voting system.

The legislative branch is responsible for electing a State Prime Minister, who shall serve as the chief of the state's executive branch and the leader of the State Cabinet. The Prime Minister is tasked with nominating other members of the State Cabinet who, unlike members of the National Cabinet, do not require the confirmation of a majority of the Parliament.

The judicial branch of State Governments are the State Courts.

### Regional Governments

The legislative branch of Regional Governments are the Regional Assemblies (地方議会), which pass laws that only apply within their given geographic region. The national law states that Regional Assemblies may only pass legislation relating to building permits, zoning, parks, transportation, garbage and recycling, water and sewer services, infrastructure, and fire prevention. Different regions utilize varying methods of voting for members of Regional Assemblies and there is no single, common method. These voting methods include ranked-choice voting, first-past-the-post voting, and single transferable votes.

The chief of the executive branch of Regional Governments are the Mayors (地方長). Some regions allow the general public to directly elect the mayor while others require the mayor to be elected by members of the Regional Assembly. In cases of the latter method, candidates require the affirmative vote of at least half of the assembly's members to be elected as Mayor. Larger regions, such as cities, feature Cabinets that work alongside the Mayor, but less-populated regions often do not have formal Cabinets.

The judicial branch of Regional Governments are Regional Courts (地方裁判所).