Government of Corsia

The government of Corsia is centred around a monarch with a series of governing assemblies. The Emperor of Empress is the head of state governed by a constitution that determines their executive powers within reason, albeit to a limited extent. At the highest level of the governing bodies is a proto-bicameral system made up of the Imperial High Council and the Imperial Senate.

The Crown continues to have a large amount of executive power in the Corsian Empire's system with the ability to pass official orders and edicts to determine every aspect of government. These powers however are rarely used beyond the Royal Advisory Council's limited role.

List of Governing Branches

The Royal Advisory Council

The royal advisory council was established under Gregory II's reign during periods of his absence from state duties due to ongoing illnesses. The council's purpose was to convene with the monarch and convey the affairs of the government, advising upon legislation and any recommended edicts. It was a common practice for these representatives to be closely favoured sitting senators by the monarch however naturally factional politics and misrepresentation of the emperor or empress's wishes lead to this position being allocated to any representatives that were favoured in the royal court. A Royal Advisor typically maintains their position for life or until the coronation of a new monarch and as such, it is a highly coveted role. There are no official limits on royal advisors however convention dictates a limit of 3 to reduce factionalism within this highest form of governance.

The Monarch

Naturally, the Royal Advisory Council's chair is the current emperor or empress. They preside over all meetings, sign legislation, edicts, and executive requests provided by the Imperial High Council. The monarch additionally dictates requests of their own to the sitting High Councillors and may sign edicts as they see fit.

Members of the Royal Advisory Council

The Imperial High Council

The Imperial High Council is headed by the Monarch, commonly represented by the Royal Advisor in their absence, whilst delegates are almost entirely appointed High Lords and Ladies elected from the senate by sitting representatives and approved by the Crown for a term of 8 years. The Crown may bypass the senate and dictate High Council members of their own, however, this is typically only for positions such as the Grand Minister of Defence who is almost always the top serving commander of the Corsian Armed Forces.

The high council's primary role is to oversee and enact legislation passed in the senate while each high councillor is assigned to a principal ministerial department by the crown in the form of a 'Grand Minister'. The high council can vote on enacting legislation received from the senate while each high councillor also has the power to veto legislation pertaining to their designated ministerial role. Tradition dictates that a veto must be enacted only in the presence of the senate to allow for debate however some vetoes have been recorded by High Councillors while absent or via a message from a representative sent to the senate. This is highly improper conduct and often leads to calls for Grand Minister's dismissal by the senate however this is not the first time tradition has been altered for the High Councillors.

In the reign of Gregory III high councillors were only to be selected if they were of noble birth, however, this law was abolished for Waylength Grastus, Corsia's "father of invention" and a personal friend of the monarch.

The Crown

The Crown is the head of the Imperial High Council to preside over official proceedings such as voting and vetoes. Typically the monarch is not present in these meetings to allow for a more impartial setting, instead, a Royal Advisor is present on their behalf to document proceedings and convey any official orders. These official orders may pertain to any governing branch including the dismissal of any Grand Minister as their executive power permits.

Members of the High Council

The Imperial Senate of the Corsian Empire (Senate)

The Imperial Senate is an interesting mix of old traditions and ideas of democratic principles. Although ultimately a plutocracy with many seats granted by the crown to powerful noble houses, the senate also houses seats granted to regionally elected ministers as representatives of their regional government. Over the more recent decades, changes to regional territorial governments and political turmoil resulting from populist policies during the Gregorian Crisis, resulted in the shift of more of the senate's seats being granted to regionally elected members thus establishing a minor majority. This, however, has not allowed for a more societal-representative political landscape in the upper echelons of Corsian government with many [noble secondaries]/nations/corsian-empire/nobility#secondaries) or minor noble families entering regional politics to stake their claim. In reality, only 1 in 5 senators are of non-noble birth and 1 in 10 of those have no honorary titles in addition to that of a senator.

The Senate currently consists of 149 seats (75 regional representatives and 74 landed nobility). Of these 149 seats, 7 are allocated to the Grand Ministerial positions, and 12 to additional Ministerial Seats. Presently all grand ministers are of 'noble' title while 7 of the 12 minor ministries are held by regional representatives. It is not yet known as to where the additional 2 territorial seats will be allocated at this time however it is expected that at least one of these will be allocated to nobility due to the long-standing vacant seat of Lonten House with no apparent heir recently granted to the regional council of Westhaven.

The role of the Senate is to approve legislation within the nation on an empire level and to help implement and create new national laws. New legislation is typically tabled from Grand Ministerial and High Council proposals, or laws proposed by individual Regional Councils as a two-thirds majority for Imperial level consideration. Additionally, new bills may be proposed through a quarter minority of senators in line with the senate's procedures. Non-grand ministers have previously also proposed legislation in the past, however, this is uncommon as these ministers report to their respective Grand Minister who occupies a seat in the High Council. It is typically considered political suicide to lose the favour of their respective Grand Minister by proposing legislation without their consent when these individuals have the ability to influence the budget allocation of your ministry.

It should also be noted that more representatives are present from more population-dense regions than smaller regions due to the differences in the size of their Regional and Lower Councils.

Grand Overseer

The role of the Grand Overseer is to be the Empress/Emperor's impartial presence in their absence and to preside overall activities of the house. This role is nearly always officially held by the Royal Advisor however emergency protocol permits any senator to hold the role upon a majority vote in their absence.

The system is consisted of one to three seats depending on a region's population and will have a High Council member acting as a relay between the two this person is known as Electorate Senator and has two additional seats worth of voting, though this position is elected and bestowed by the Senate the bearer of this title often becomes detracted from their duties as a Senator thus the position rotates every two and a half years instead of the standard five-year term of a Senator.

Senators of Corsia

Regional Council

Just like the senate, Regional Councils are governed by several representatives who hold a given seat for 4 years. These councillors establish a regional government through the creation of a cabinet of ministers who manage regional affairs. These seats are divided up by areas of the population that also occupy the Lower Council or Civic Council of that designated area. Although commonly backed by the local ruling political faction of the area's Lower Council, nominated representatives can be any Corsian citizen.

Lower Council / Civic Council

The Imperial Lower Council or more commonly referred to as a 'Civic Council' for townships is the most democratic level of governance in the Corsian Empire with all representatives of the council elected by legal voting citizens. These councils vote on budgets and laws for predominantly cities and townships which typically concern the everyday lives of common citizens. Some lower councils occupy multiple towns when their representative populations are too small to warrant more than a single representative in the form of a mayor and to ensure proportional regional representation is maintained.

Territorial Council

Corsian Territories typically are lacking in the form of proper governance as their populations tend to consist of contractors or Territorian Corsians who are yet to become Corsian citizens. Voting still occurs for some representation for legislation concerning local customs however this is still limited as the Territory's Administrators role is to ensure Corsian Imperial Law is upheld first and foremost.

The Administrator

The Territorial Administrator is an Imperial Senate appointed representative on the behalf of the Corsian Empire to manage a region in terms of governance and economical output for the empire. Administrators typically are well versed in imperial law or have positions in military command to ensure they can establish order while occupying a location.