Alyserv Parliament

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Alyserv Parliament
Aliserv Parlamant
4th Session of Parliament
Alyserv Parliament Logo.png
Type
Unicameral parliament
History
Founded
March 25, 2006 (297 PGA)
Leadership
Speaker Mitsan Adojot-Hēdi (NP)
Gov't Leader Ajo Sełe omme Gēp (ACP)
Opposition Leader Desikam Astar omme Buja (SDA)
Structure
85 MPs
Alyserv Parliament 2018.svg
Party seats
Alyserv Communist Party
26 / 85
Enbian Movement
25 / 85
Social Democrats of Alyserv
16 / 85
Revolutionary Communist Party of Alyserv
10 / 85
Unified Alyserv Communist Party
8 / 85
Alyserv National Party
0 / 85
Elections
Last election March 25, 2018 (309 PGA)
Next election March 25, 2022 (313 PGA)
Meeting place
Unknown.png
Alyservian Commons Building, 1 Birze Av.[note 1]

The Alyserv Parliament (Cordovian: Aliserv Parlamant, Standard Cordovish /ˈaliserv ˈparlamant/) is the unitary parliamentary legislature of the Most Serene Enbian Republic of Alyserv. Founded on March 25, 2006 (297 PGA), the Alyserv Parliament consists of 85 seats and is popularly elected every four years using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation. The Parliament meets in Aly City. The Alyserv Parliament is modeled very similarly to the Cordovian Parliament: accordingly, its members elect a prime minister and a president for the Republic–while the prime minister must be an elected representative of the body, the president may be any Alyservian citizen who is eligible for office. The last elections were held on March 25, 2018 (309 PGA), and the next set will be held on March 25, 2022 (313 PGA) unless Parliament is dissolved early.

One of the newest democratic bodies on the Cordovian continent, the Alyserv Parliament has a very short history. It is the product of the Democratic Reforms Package which was put into place by the Alyserv government following the Red Revolution; this package saw the structure, government, and procedures of the Parliament established. Negotiations to include a number of reserved seats for minority groups in this package fell through; however, quotas of representation are informally used in most Alyservian parties and both Communist and Enbian governments have committed to exploring their implementation. As of the 2018 elections, five parties hold seats in the Alyserv Parliament: the far-left and big-tent Marxist-Leninist Alyserv Communist Party (ACP), the far-left and anti-revisionist Marxist-Leninist United Alyserv Communist Party (UACP), the far-left and Maoist Revolutionary Communist Party of Alyserv (RCPA), the center-left Social Democrats of Alyserv (SDA), and the left populist Enbian Movement. The center-right Alyserv National Party lacks parliamentary representation, but remains a notable force in parts of Alyserv. The current ruling government is a coalition between the ACP, UACP, and RCPA: the current prime minister is the ACP's Ajo Sełe omme Gēp, while the current president is the long-time and former head of state Alyaza Birze.

Role of the Parliament[edit | edit source]

Legislation[edit | edit source]

History[edit | edit source]

TK

Elections and members[edit | edit source]

Elections[edit | edit source]

As established by the Electoral Constitution, the Alyserv Parliament is comprised of 85 seats elected through the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation. Unlike a number of countries on the Cordovian continent who use a similar system of proportional representation, Alyserv does not use electoral divisions–instead, the entire country is effectively one at-large seat electing 85 members. The justification for this is multifaceted: firstly, this allows for nearly perfect proportionality of elections, and secondly this precludes the need for redistricting on the part of the Electoral Commission of Alyserv. Because Alyserv lacks districts, counting during elections is apportioned by province.

Elections are ordinarily compelled to take place once every four year interval–starting in 2006–to coincide with the Alyserv Census and the updating of voter rolls. An election can also take place in the event that the prime minister loses the confidence of parliament; however, parliaments formed through new elections are still compelled to follow the ordinary election cycle and thus would have shorter mandates. Under the Electoral Constitution, elections always take place on March 25–if this date falls on a weekday, it becomes a mandatory holiday for all workers. By law, the campaign period must last at least 25 but no longer than 50 days, subject to the discretion of the President of Alyserv. Candidates are traditionally nominated by parties through internal processes, but candidates can also run independently (although it is rare for such a candidate to win and no independent has yet won a parliamentary election).

To run for office, candidates must first be nominated by their party or state their affiliation as independent. After this happens, they are required to file nomination papers with the Electoral Commission bearing at least 500 signatures. In the unlikely event a candidate is unable to do so, they are rejected by the Electoral Commission and effectively slotted to the bottom of the party's electoral list. To vote, one must be a citizen of Alyserv and be at least 16.

Once elected, a member of parliament normally continues to serve until the next dissolution of parliament. In the event that a member dies, resigns, or otherwise ceases to meet the qualifications of being an elected officeholder, their seat falls vacant until the party nominates a new member in their place. It is possible to expel a member from parliament, but this has never happened in the history of the Alyserv Parliament and is reserved for extreme or unusual situations.

Members[edit | edit source]

Qualifications[edit | edit source]

The qualifications for becoming a member of parliament in Alyserv are established by the Electoral Constitution, which was put into place in 2006 following the Red Revolution. The Electoral Constitution is governed by an independent government agency–this agency being the Electoral Commission of Alyserv (ECA)–but is largely amendable by the Alyserv Parliament. The Electoral Constitution currently establishes seven provisions of qualification for becoming a member of parliament, these being:

  • Persons under the age of 16 or persons who are not yet citizens are not eligible for election;
  • Persons currently imprisoned for an election-related crime are not eligible for election, and must be at least seven years from their last date of imprisonment to be eligible;
  • Persons found guilty of felonious action in Alyserv are not eligible for election, and must be at least ten years from their last date of imprisonment to be eligible;
  • Persons "associated, affiliated, in partnership with, or collaborat[ing] with" a criminal or terrorist organization are not eligible or must otherwise demonstrate their non-affiliation with such groups to be eligible;
  • Persons who are currently a member of a provincial parliament or another state’s parliament, government, or legal system are not eligible for election. They must also "resign from such a position or be in the process of resigning from such a position by the time they are an elected member" to be elected. Candidates who are outgoing members of another parliament, government, or legal system are sometimes exempt from this provision;
  • Persons who are currently a judge, justice, electoral official, member of the Electoral Commission of Alyserv, or other such position which may be involved in the electoral process are not eligible for election, or they must "otherwise immediately vacate such positions to declare their candidacy" to be eligible for election;
  • And persons who are members of organizations deemed to be an influencing or lobbying organization to the Alyserv Parliament must be at least five years from their resignation or removal from said organization to be eligible for election.
Electoral Commission of Alyserv, Electoral Constitution, June 2006[1]

In the event that a candidate is judged to have failed to meet one or more qualification on this list, but they believe that they qualify under the law, decisions can be appealed to the Electoral Commission of Alyserv. The Electoral Commission generally has final say on the validity of a candidacy; however, the Government of Alyserv may in certain circumstances appeal an individual ruling on the part of the Electoral Commission, in which case the Supreme Court of Alyserv has the final say on the validity of a candidacy. Only a handful of candidates have ever been declined candidacy by the Electoral Commission, and no candidate has yet appealed their decision.

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. The Alyservian Commons Building is the temporary meeting place of Parliament between 2018 and 2022, as the Alyserv Parliament building is undergoing renovation and modernization.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. The Electoral Constitution of the Most Serene Enbian Republic of Alyserv, §2 Qualifications (2006)