The Parliament of Danatha
Overview:
The Parliament of Danatha is one of few nations with a tricameral (three house) legislature. The houses are as follows:
- The Highest House: The Senate
- The Upper House: The Council of Duchies
- The Lower House: The Chamber of Deputies
_ The Senate is the highest house of Parliament. There are 187 Senators (3
from each province and 1 from New Danatha). They have 5 year terms, and
one person may only serve 20 years total. Senate candidates must be at least 33 years old to
run for the Senate, and have no criminal record whatsoever, not even a
misdemeanor. The Senate may introduce bills to amend the Constitution of
Danatha, while the Chamber of Deputies may not. (The CD must still
approve the amendments.) Also, the Senate may request to impeach the
Prime Minister. If 2/3 of the Senate is in favor of impeachment, the Council of Duchies holds a trial. If s/he is proven guilty, s/he is immediately removed from office and the Archduke and
Archduchess appoint a new Prime Minister.
The Council of Duchies is a council of all Dukes/Duchesses of Danatha's United Duchies. They must approve all spending or medical bills for it to become law. Also, they conduct the impeachment trial for Premier accusations. The Council is chaired by the Archduke. The Council is the only legislative body that may declare war. However, they are not required to pass all laws.
_The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of Parliament. They, as
described above, have fewer powers than the Senate and Council. There are 311
Representatives (5 from each province, and 1 from New Danatha). They are
elected every 4 years, and may only serve 5 terms (or any combination
of the two houses, as long as it does not amount to more than 20 years).
There is one power the CD has that the Senate does not, to introduce a
bill that will raise money. The CD elects its own Chancellor from it's
members.
The Chancellor of the Chamber of Deputies:
__The Chancellor, as stated above, is elected from the Chamber. He oversees the
proceedings of the CD, sets the agenda, and may suspend a member from the Chamber for up to two weeks. He has the power to call for the
expulsion of a Delegate. (The Board of Ministers, along with the
Archduke and Archduchess decides for or against expulsion.) The
Chancellor is also regarded as a more politically prominent figure than
Representatives, but not more than the Prime Minister or Senators. He
may be removed from office by the Chamber, through a vote of no confidence,
which is called by a Representative.