User:Glide08/Sandbox/Thyrraneia Study
The President and the Cabinet
The president is elected for a five-year term by universal suffrage and is limited to two consecutive terms. A candidate to the office must be eligible to the Senate. To be elected, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of votes cast. If no candidate succeeds on the first ballot, a runoff election is held between the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes.
The vice president has the same term of office as the president and is elected in the same manner, and also may serve as a member of the cabinet. Until 1979, the president and vice president were elected on separate tickets, which produced incompatible duos in 1966 and 1972. To address this, the 1979 constitution requires presidents and vice presidents to be elected on a single ticket, though this provision is yet to be implemented.
The Constitution states that in case of temporary absence or incapacity of the president, the vice president serves as acting president. If the absence or incapacity becomes permanent, or if presidency otherwise falls vacant by resignation or death, the vice president succeeds to the Presidency. In addition, the president is required to name a new vice president, with parliamentary approval, when the office is vacated.
In absence of the Vice-President, a committee composed of the prime minister and heads of the Senate and Constitutional Court becomes responsible for exercising presidential functions in case of the incapacity, absence, death, or resignation of the president; this committee must call a special presidential election to complete the term within ninety days in case a vacancy occurs.
The president can be removed upon a decision of the Chamber of Deputies to depose the president on grounds of misconduct or incapacity: Two procedures for doing so are outlined in the constitution.
The first procedure entails a referendum; to set it in motion, one-half of the deputies must be present and vote by a simple majority for a referendum. The referendum is carried if a simple majority of voters vote in favor of it The second procedure for deposing the president merely requires a parliamentary decision; however, such a decision must be by a two-thirds vote, provided that the two-thirds majority constitutes no fewer than the absolute majority of the Chamber membership.
Vested with sweeping powers, the president is both the head of state and the chief executive officer of the government, and is also commander in chief of the armed forces. He appoints and dismisses the prime minister, as well as other members of the Council of Ministers (the cabinet) at the Prime Minister's recommendation.
The president is empowered to summon extraordinary meetings of Parliament, promulgate laws, and negotiate international treaties. The president also may veto legislation passed by Parliament, and convening special meetings of the Council of Ministers over which he automatically presides.
Apart from executive authority relating to a wide range of governmental functions including foreign affairs, the president also has the right to dissolve the Chamber of Deputies, in which case a new chamber must be elected within ninety days from the date of dissolution.
The constitution also provides the president with substantial appointive powers for high ranking civil and military officers. For example, the president is empowered to appoint the judges of the Constitutional, Supreme and Regional Courts, all diplomatic representatives, the chief of the General Staff, all military officers ranked Colonel or higher, and all university rectors.
Under the Constitution, presidential authority extends also to the broadly phrased "right to submit to popular referendum important matters relating to the destiny of the country." However, the question of what constitutes the "destiny of the country" is left undefined. The presidential emergency power granted under Article 113 provides a mandate that is beyond any legal challenge: "In case of grave danger threatening public security, or impeding State institutions' exercise of their constitutional prerogatives or the ensurance of supplies and essential services, the President of the Republic has the right to take appropriate emergency measures..." This article has been in effect since the late 1960s.
The president presides over the National Security Council, a body composed of the prime minister, the chief of the General Staff, the ministers of national defense, interior, and foreign affairs, and the commanders of the branches of the armed forces and the gendarmerie. This body sets national security policy and coordinates all activities related to mobilization and defense.
The Council of Ministers, headed by the prime minister, is responsible to the president and serves collectively as the executive and administrative arm of the president and of the state. A cabinet member cannot also simultaneously be a member of Parliament, but is nonetheless answerable to the legislature for his official conduct while acting as a cabinet member.
The prime minister heads the government and manages the nation's affairs on a daily basis. He directs and coordinates ministerial actions, and proposes cabinet nominees to the President. The office thus differs from that in Britain, where the prime minister is the first among equals. Moreover, the entire cabinet bears responsibility for its actions, not the prime minister alone. The prime minister also directs the operations of the armed forces, although the president is the commander in chief. In most domestic matters, the prime minister is autonomous, and the president has no right to direct the prime minister's policies.
The government is authorized to dispatch the Thyrraneian armed forces for domestic or foreign military missions with Chamber of Deputies approval.
As in other parliamentary systems, the prime minister is the leader of the largest party in parliament or the head of a coalition of parties. The prime minister may ask for a vote of confidence from the parliament, but he could also be ousted by a vote of no confidence or through a leadership change in his own party; The president may also dismiss a prime minister who proves incompetent, loses support, or fails to provide needed national direction.
Although the size and composition of the Council of Ministers often fluctuates, its basic elements are the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers, the ministers, and the state secretaries with ministerial rank – state committee chiefs and heads of certain other important government agencies.
Typically, the apportionment of the cabinet posts is roughly proportional to the governing parties' respective strengths in the Chamber of Deputies, and the leaders of junior coalition parties are appointed deputy prime ministers; the awarding of particular posts is based on a coalition agreement reached between the parties, thus ensuring parties can name individuals to posts of particular concern to them.
However, Thyrraneian governments are often quite large by international standards – almos no government has ever had less than thirty-eight members, with the usual number being fifty. As a result, the cabinet rarely meets as a single body; There is a hierarchy of influence among the different cabinet posts, with only the higher ranked ministers habitatually attending meetings of the cabinet proper.
Cabinet ministers, however, also chair the so-called "sub-cabinets", meetings of ministers whose portfolios correspond to the same broad scope of authority; for example, the Social Welfare sub-cabinet is chaired by the Minister of Social Welfare, and also consists of the Ministers of Employment, Health, Housing, Immigration and Immigrant Absorption, Infrastructure, Public Works, Social Development and Veterans Affairs.
As of 1987, the Council of Ministers had last been reshuffled in April 1985. The council was headed by Prime Minister Abd ar Rauf al Kassim, who had served as prime minister since 1980, and three deputy prime ministers, who also held the portfolios of defense, services, and economic affairs. Ministers were in charge of the following portfolios: agriculture and agrarian reform, communications, construction, culture and national guidance, defense, economy and foreign trade, education, electricity, finance, foreign affairs, health, higher education, housing and utilities, industry, information, interior, irrigation, justice, local administration, oil and mineral wealth, religious trusts (waqfs), social affairs and labor, supply and internal trade, tourism, and transportation. In addition, the Council of Ministers included ministers of state for cabinet affairs, foreign affairs, planning affairs, People's Council affairs, and presidential affairs and three newly elected ministers of state without portfolio.
President Vice-President Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Minister of Archaeology, Heritage and Historical Preservation Minister of Automobile Industry Minister of Aviation Industry Minister of Building Material Industry Minister of Chemical Industry Minister of Civil Aviation Minister of Coal Industry Minister of Commerce Minister of Communications Minister of Construction Minister of Consumer Goods Industry Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs Minister of Culture Minister of Defense Minister of Defense Industry Minister of Economic and Regional Development Minister of Economics and Inter-Ministry Co-ordination Minister of Education Minister of Electrical Engineering Minister of Electronic Industry Minister of Employment Minister of Energy Minister of Environment Minister of Finance Minister of Fish Industry Minister of Food Industry Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister of Forestry Minister of General Industry and Industrial Development Minister of Geology Minister of Health Minister of Heavy Industry Minister of Higher Education Minister of Housing Minister of Immigration and Immigrant Absorption Minister of Infrastructure Minister of Internal Affairs Minister of Internal Security, Police and Counterterrorism Minister of International Trade Minister of Iron and Steel Industry Minister of Justice Minister of Labour Minister of Land Reclamation and Water Conservancy Minister of Light Industry Minister of Maritime Affairs and Merchant Marine Minister of Meat and Dairy Industry Minister of Medical Industry Minister of Mineral Industry Minister of Mines Minister of National Revenue Minister of Non-Ferrous Metallurgy Minister of Oil, Gas, and Petrochemical Industry Minister of Public Works Minister of Radio Industry Minister of Railways Minister of Regional Industrial Expansion Minister of Religious and Ecclesiastical Affairs Minister of Resources Minister of Science and Technology Minister of Scientific Development Minister of Shipbuilding Minister of Social Development Minister of Social Welfare Minister of Supply and Services Minister of Timber and Wood Processing Industry Minister of Tourism Minister of Trade Minister of Transport Minister of Veterans Affairs
Chairman of the State Commission for Audit Chairman of the State Commission for Cinematography, Broadcasting, and Printed Media Chairman of the State Commission for the Civil Service Chairman of the State Commission for Copyright and Patents Chairman of the State Commission for Foreign Economic Relations Chairman of the State Commission for Planning Chairman of the State Commission for Post, Telephony, and Telecommunications Chairman of the State Commission for Safety in the Workplace Chairman of the State Commission for Statistics
Secretary to the Council of Ministers Governor-General of the Bank of Thyrraneia Attorney-General Solicitor-General Postmaster-General Leader of the Government in the Chamber of Deputies Leader of the Government in the Senate of the Republic
In 1987 Thyrraneia was divided into [...] regions: [...]. Each region is divided into departments, which in turn are divided into municipalities, further subdivided into parishes. Local authorities on all four levels are elected and enjoy significant local autonomy.
Each province is headed by a governor, responsible for administration, health, social services, education, tourism, public works, transportation, domestic trade, agriculture, industry, civil defense, and maintenance of law and order in the province. Governors are popularly elected, with a second round between the two front-runners when no candidate receives an absolute majority of the votes.
The governor is assisted by a regional council, whose members serve four-year terms and are popularly elected through a proportional representation system. Candidates must be sponsored by registered political parties that obtained at least 5 percent of the vote in previous contests. The regional councils have legislative power, subordinate to that of Parliament with regard to matters outside regional jurisdiction and in cases where similar but not identical legislation is passed by both bodies
In addition, each region has a regional executive consisting of at least twelve officers appointed by the Governor. Each executive officer is charged with specific functions.
Departments are administered by prefects appointed by the governor, subject to the approval of the regional council. These prefects work with department boards, comprising the mayors of the department's municipalities, to attend to assorted local needs and serve as intermediaries between the central and municipal government authorities.
Local governments are formed by a municipal council and a mayor, who serve four-year terms. Municipal councils, elected through a proportional representation system, license businesses, control public services and utilities, and levy taxes. These councils also approve local ordinances and regulations and oversees the work of the mayor.
The mayors are popularly elected through a two-round system, and it is their responsibility to propose a municipal plan, a budget, investment programs, and zoning plans to the municipal council for approval. The mayor also appoints delegates to remote areas of the community.