Monarchy of Econia

Imperial Sovereign of Econia
Incumbent
Octavian I since 30 October 2023 (2023-10-30)
Details
Style	His Imperial Majesty
Heir apparent	Sandra
First monarch	Octavian I
Formation	30 October 2023
Appointer	Hereditary

The monarchy of Econia, officially referred to as the Imperial Throne, is the constitutional monarchy of Econia. The current Imperial Sovereign since October 30th 2023 is Octavian I who has held the Throne since the nations founding.

The holder of the Imperial Throne is known as the Imperial Sovereign and they serve as the monarchical head of state in the Imperial State of Econia. Their duties are mostly representative and ceremonial however they do hold a number of powers and duties. Their main duty is keeping order within the country and upholding the constitution and it's core principles. They are for example Commander-in-Chief of the Econian Armed Forces, they appoint and dismiss Governments, can call elections to the Riksting and are required to sign bills into law. These duties are seen as safeguards on Econias democracy. The rest of the Sovereign duties are mainly symbolic like awarding orders of chivalry and noble titles.

The Econian Monarchy is modeled after constitutional monarchies around the world altough it is mostly influenced by the British Monarchy. It was one of the first aspects of the nation that was sorted out in the constitution and it was vested with broad executive powers and in theory all legislative and judicial authority within the State, although this was to be delegated to other institutions. When drafting the constitution there was some debate around the monarch appointing the Government and the absolute veto, some arguing that these powers be restricted to certain situations or removed completely. It was however eventually accepted and put in the final draft that took effect on November 1st after 2 days of rule by Imperial Decree since the declaration of independence.

Powers and duties

Appointing the Government

The Sovereign, as Head of State, is responsible for appointing the People’s Minister and the Government. Although it is convention that the Sovereign only appoints the People's Minister who then appoints the rest of government in the Sovereigns name. This power they exercise after elections to the Riksting when they hold audiences with the leaders of all parties within the Riksting. This they do to find which candidate that can command the confidence of a majority in the Riksting, which is required for a government to remain in power. Once they think they have found a candidate that meet this requirment they ask all members of the Riksting that would have to support this government to sign a Declaration of Confidence. If enough members sign to give the Government a majority within the Riksting the Sovereign appoints the leader of the most influential of the parties in Government as People's Minister and allow them to appoint the remaining ministers themself.

In the case that a Government would have to be appointed during war or another national emergency during which the Riksting cannot meet the Sovereign either has to appoint a Government of politicians without party affiliation or take full controll of the nation himself. This rule by Imperial Decree which he can begin may only last until at most 1 week after the war or emergency that caused these events ends.

Sovereign Signature

The Sovereings Signature is the collective name of the Sovereigns Veto Right and the Imperial Assent required to be given to bills passed by the Riksting to become laws. The Sovereigns Veto can't be overturned by the Riksting but can be revoked by the Sovereign. Imperial Assent to bills has to be given within the year that the bill passes through the Riksting unless the Government introduces and passes a request to prolong the bills waiting time by another year. If assent has not been given at the end of the bills waiting time the Sovereign either has to Veto the bill or the Riksting holds a Confirmation Vote on it. Should the bill be approved by this vote it is given Imperial Assent by the Speaker of the Riksting acting on the Sovereigns Behalf.

Commander-in-Chief

The Imperial Sovereign serves as Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Armed Forces of Econia and hold the highest rank within each of it's branches. They are in this capacity the Chairman of the Defence Council and togheter with the Minister of Defense responsible for commanding the nations armies. The Sovereign alone has the power to declare war and peace with other nations but it is heavily implied by the Constitution that these decision should be taken jointly by the Defense Council and Government only making the Sovereign required to approve all decisions taken by the Council. Further the Sovereign as Chairman appoints all Generals, Admirals and Special Commanders to sit on the Defense Council but mostly delegates this duty to the Minister of Defense in their authority as Deputy Chairman.

Judicial Authority

The Imperial Sovereign serves as the official head of Econias Judiciary but just like most of their other powers a majority of this authority is delegated to the Courts of the nation. A notable difference to this case is that the Sovereign is required to delegate their judicial powers to courts and it's not just a recommendation and custom. Only in time of war or other national emergency can the Sovereign, with the approval of the Imperial Justice and Speaker of the Riksting, assume full judicial powers. Most of the time however they only hold a few reserve powers. The most notable being the Sovereigns Pardon which they can use to pardon any individual for any crime. Finally they appoint the Imperial Justice however they see fit. It is however encoureged that they follow the advice of either the judges of the Imperial Court or the Riksting Justice Comittee.

Relations with Rikstinget

The Sovereign, as Head of State, is responsible for proroguing, dissolving and opening the Riksting. Prorogation is the name of the Sovereigns power to force Rikstinget out of session for a period of time, at most 2 weeks. This, opposed to dissolving the Riksting, does not trigger elections but it does require that the Sovereign opens the Riksting again. During the period when Rikstinget is out of session the Government cannot exercise their full authority. It is thought that this power is to be used on advice of the People´s Minister, who may use this to delay votes within the Riksting, even motions of no confidence. Dissolving the Riksting on the other hand results in the Speaker being forced to within a month call elections to elect new members. Elections must be held at least every 2 years but can be held at any time between 6 months after the election to 2 years after. In both of these cases the Sovereign is required to open the Riksting again during a special ceremony during which they read a speech from the Imperial Throne outlining the Governments policies for the upcoming parliamentrary year.

With the exception of the Opening Ceremony the Sovereign is not allowed to enter the Riksting Chamber without special premission from the Speaker, Head of Government and Leader of the Opposition. They therefore have a special representitive appointed from amongst the members of the Imperial Family to on other occasions represent them, this person is known as the Imperial Ambassador to the Riksting. As of 2024 no one has been appointed to this role.

List of Imperial Sovereigns

No.	Imperial Sovereign		Reign			Enthronement	Monogram	House
	Portrait	Name	Became Sovereign	Ceased to be Sovereign	Duration of reign
1		Octavian I	30 October 2023	Incumbent	182 days	14 January 2024		Marklandia