Legislature of Grand Besaid

First Republic

First House of Representatives

Elections

The House of Representatives consisted of 463 members. Each member was elected by the populace of an electoral district. The entire nation was broken into 458 districts which were equal in population to the nearest thousandth of a percent, and each one elected one representative through a plurality voting system. The last five representatives were elected by the populace of the entire nation. The House of Representatives elected a speaker and other officers from amongst its own members.

Committees

There were seventeen committees, those on War and Defense; Commerce and Economics; Communications, Information, and the Media; Transportation and Energy; Foreign Affairs and International Relations; Education; The Environment and Resources; Labor and Development; Rules and Ethics; Appropriations and Spending; Immigration, Citizenship, and Naturalization; Agriculture, Food, and Medicine; Science, Technology, and Copyrights; Health and Human Services; Welfare, Housing, and Family Affairs; The Constitution, Justice, and Laws; and the special Committee of the Whole. Members were appointed to each committee by the Speaker of the House with the approval of the majority of members present during committee assignments.

Legislative Functions

The House of Representatives was the lower house of the National Assembly, having dealt with almost everything that included legislative powers.

Qualifications

In order to have been eligible to run for Representative, a person must have been at least twenty years old, a citizen of Grand Besaid for at least ten years, a resident of Grand Besaid for at twelve years, and a resident of the district they were representing for at least one year. One may only have been a representative for ten consecutive years, before needing to take a break from the House of Representatives for at least four years.

Elder Council

Elections

The Elder Council, also known as the Council of Elders, consisted of 51 members. Each member was elected by the populace of an electoral district. The populace of each state elected five members, with a total of 25 have been elected by the populace of states. 20 Elders were elected by the entire nation by open list proportional representation. Lastly, six Elders were elected by the nation as a whole through plurality elections. The Elder Council's speaker, the Senior Elder, was its oldest member.

Committees

Committees were assigned in a rather odd fashion in the Council of Elders. Rather than committee assignments and appointments going by seniority, experience, or party loyalty; they were decided through allotment. This is due, in part, to the lack of permanent committees in the Council of Elders.

Legislative Functions

The Elder Council was the upper house of the National Assembly, having dealt with almost everything that included legislative powers.

Qualifications

In order to have been an Elder, a person must have been at least sixty-five years old, a citizen of Grand Besaid for at least thirty years, a resident of Grand Besaid for at thirty-four years, and a resident of the district they were representing for at least two years. One may only have been an Elder for eighteen consecutive years, before needing to take a break from the council for at least seven years.

House of Censors

Elections

The House of Censors, consisted of 15 members, three representing each state. Each member was elected by the populace of a state for a three year term, with each state electing one member each year. The House of Censors elected its own speaker.

Committees

There were three committees in the House of Censors: the committee on government accountability, the committee on investigations and impeachments, and the committee of law and constitutional duties. Each state recieved a single member on each committee; members chose their committee, with the most senior censor from a state choosing first, and the second most senior censor from a state choosing second, the least senior censor from a state became a member of the remaining committee. The most senior member of each committee was its chairperson.

Legislative Functions

Unlike the House of Representatives and the Elder Council, which were both part of the National Assembly, the House of Censors' primary duty was not law making, and it was not part of the National Assembly. Rather, the House of Censors' primary duty was the investigation of the government, and the impeachment of officials. However, the House of Censors doid hold an overturnable veto over laws passed by the National Assembly, and it could take part in the constitution's amendment process.

Qualifications

In order to have been a censor, a person must have been at least twenty-five years old, a citizen of Grand Besaid for at least fifteen years, a resident of Grand Besaid for at twenty years, and a resident of the state they were representing for at least three years. One may only have been a censor for nine consecutive years, before needing to take a break from the House of Censors for at least two years.