The Cyrenian Houses of Conference are the main legislative and democratic bodies
in Cyrenia. Split into two Houses, the House of Nobles and the House of Parliament (or in its native name the Duma),
the Houses' main purposes are to create and veto bills, debate the main political issues in Cyrenia, and to scrutinise
the workings of government.
A session of Conference can last for a maximum of five years and after this
time has expired or the Minister of State calls for it prior to this, Conference is dissolved and a General Election
is held. The Minister of State usually calls for an Election every 3 years, traditionally on the first Friday of January,
or the Second Saturday of August. The House of Parliament sits on the basis of a two week timetable, sitting
on Wednesdays in the First Week from about 11 am and Tuesdays and Fridays in the Second Week at the same times. Sometimes
they sit on Mondays of both weeks.
The House of Nobles sits once a week on Thursdays and some Mondays from 10 am
Major Conferencial Occasions
The Opening of Conference
Performed by the Grand Czar sitting on the chair in the House of Nobles, he speaks
to the Lord Executive and the Lord Chancellor (the Chairpersons of each House) and reads out the Bills passed in the last
session of Parliament and a speach which the two Lords then relay to there respective Houses which will be sitting on either
side of the House of Nobles. The Houses of Parliament and Nobles then file out through opposite ends of the chamber.
The Communique
A report of the activities of Royal Cabinet to the Houses of Conference, it is
published fortnightly on every other Friday in the House of Parliament and every other Thursday in
the House of Nobles
The State's questions
Members of Parliament pose questions to members of the Ministry of State on every
other Tuesday and every other Wednesday. Each member of Parliament may pose two questions apart from the leaders of political
parties who may repeatedly ask questions.
The Budget
The Budget is prepared by the Baronet of the Treasury (Minister of Economy) with
assistance from the Minister of State. The Budget itself is a document highlighting the governments plans for taxation and
spending. The Baronet's speach brushes over the main features of the Budget, which will become subject to debate in Conference
The Party System
In existence throughout the history of Cyrenia, the party system is a key element
in the Houses of Conference.
The political party that gains the most votes in a General Election wins the
most seats in Parliament, and the right to form a government.
When a Minister of State is elected he forms the Ministry of State out of MC's
(Members of the House of Parliament) and Confederates (Members of the House of Nobles).
The role of the opposition parties are to:
contribute to the formulation of policy and legislation by constructive criticism
oppose government proposals it considers objectionable; seek amendments to government
bills
put forward its own policies in order to improve its chances of winning the next
general election.
The three main opposition parties (the ones that come highest in the yearly polls)
which are currently the Cyrenian Green Party, the Libertarianist Union Party, and the Conservative and Social Party may form
'mirror cabinets', which are in effect Ministries of State of the Non-government parties. The first highest opposition party
(the Cyrenian Green Party) may call their mirror cabinet members 'shadow' (e.g. shadow Minister of Education etc.), the second
'Shaded' and the third 'minor'.
The House of Parliament
Although traditionally regarded as the lower House of Conference, the
House of Parliament is in fact the most powerful of the two Houses, with far greater legislative ability than the nobles.
An Act of Conference requires at least 50% support in the House of Parliament to passed, but only 25% in the House
of Nobles
Parliamentary procedure is based on the system known as Robert's Rules of Order
and lots of Cyrenian customs. Members of Parliament contact the Lord Executive (the chairperson of Parliament) to add
issues and items to the agenda prior to the meeting. A day before Parliament sits, the Lord Executive compiles
the Agenda. Each member of Parliament may only make one suggestion for the Agenda although the Lord Executive is
not obliged to accept any. When Parliament sits the agenda is read to the House and a motion to amend any part of
the Agenda is held followed by a motion to adopt the agenda. If the agenda is rejected another motion to amend it is held
and then another to adopt it. This procedure is continued until the agenda is adopted. Once it has been adopted, a two
thirds (67%) majority is required to add to the agenda and a three quarters (75%) majority to delete items from it. Issues
on the Agenda should be issues only, no proposals for bills. The first issue on the agenda should be read out by the
Lord Executive, along with who presented it to the agenda, and Members of Parliament wishing to speak must stand and
make the request known to the Lord Executive who will choose a selected appealent. The appealent can then either start
a debate on the issue or move for a motion. A motion is a proposal that the House should take certain action, e.g. creating a
bill. When speaking members of the House of Parliament must address the Lord Executive, not the person they are refering to,
e.g.:
My Lord, I am sure the honourable gentleman (or Lady) does know that the implications
of cutting funding to the ....
The rules of Parliamentary procedure are known as the scriptures
The House of Nobles
The House of Nobles is very different form Parliament. Confederates
(members of the House of Nobles) are not elected, but are members by virtue of hereditary peerage. Some confederates are not
actually nobles, they sit in the House as an appointed representative of a royal if a royal is a noble of a particular province,
or if a province is a borough or other none noble type of government. Procedure is basically the same in the House of Nobles
except that the chairperson is the Lord Chancellor and that the Agenda just mimicks Parliament's. However, the House of Nobles
requires only a 25% majority to pass a bill, and the nobles cannot initiate legislation. As a Cyrenian citizen you have a
confederate who represents you and your province in the House of Nobles (see here to find your confederate). The House of Nobles is also the final court of appeal for citizens after the Supreme Court.
Conferencial Committees
Committees are groups in either Parliament or the Nobles that investigate and scrutinise government,
new bills, legislation, and all other affairs. Committees publish their reports to their respective House in sittings. Often
opposition parties found committees imitating the governmental ministries etc. e.g. The Green Foreign Committee, the Libertarianist
Internal Committee.
Elections
A General Election is held when Conference is dissolved, usually every three years. Cyrenia is divided up
into Constituencies, varying in size, some can be a whole Province, but each constituency has an MC. However, not all MCs
represent a constituency as you will see below. When Parliament is dissolved, each political party chooses a Candidate
to run for election in each constituency. When all the votes have been counted in a single constituency the winner becomes
the MC for that constituency. However, as there are only twenty-one constituencies and a possible two-hundred seats in Parliament,
the remainder of the seats are filled with MC's by adding up the overall percentage of votes , i.e. in the whole
country and since there are 200 seats, a percentage is just the number of seats held halfed, so 40% means 80 seats, etc.
So therefore, if a party has one 12 seats from constituencies, and an overall 60% of the vote, then 60% is worth 120 seats,
but then you deduct the other twelve already taken which means the party would have won an extra 108 seats this way.
By-Elections
When an MC dies or resigns, A by-election is held in their constituency to choose a new MC.
