Government of Bastara
| His Majesty's Government | |
|---|---|
| זײ ן מעכטי ס רעגירונג | |
 Arms of HM Government | |
| Overview | |
| Established | 9 June 2023 |
| Country | Kingdom of Bastara |
| Leader | Prime Minister |
| Appointed by | Monarch |
| Main organ | Cabinet |
| Ministries | 17 Ministerial Departments |
| Responsible to | Parliament |
| Headquarters | Doiwood |
His Majesty's Government, commonly known as the Government of Bastara or the Bastaran Government, is the central executive authority of the Kingdom of Bastara. The government is lead by the prime minister who nominates all other ministers. The prime minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision-making committee, known as the Cabinet.
Ministers of the Crown are responsible to the House of Parliament in which they sit and take questions and scrutiny from that house. Most senior government officials sit in the House of Commons which is elected, as opposed to the appointed House of Lords. The government relies on parliament to make primary legislation, with general elections occurring every fifth year.
History
Officially the government was established by the Constitution of Bastara on 9 June 2023. Influences on government have also come from some of "The Early Decrees" passed by King Judah I which have helped define aspects of government power and roles and some additional parts of government that were added after the constitution's ratification. A lot of the 'early decrees' were designed to support the government and help clarify things not well defined or covered in the constitution.
Government Powers
The Monarch of Bastara is the head of state and sovereign, but not the head of government. The monarch is somewhat engaged in national governance, but leaves the majority of the day-to-day governance of the nation to the government. Despite this, the Crown is vested with executive power and is the source of executive power for the government, as specified in the constitution.
The Crown is granted certain powers known as the Royal Prerogative. These powers range from the authority to issue or withdraw passports to declarations of war. They are often devolved to certain ministers who do not need to obtain the assent of parliament to exercise.
Royal Prerogative powers primarily exercised by the government include, but are not limited to:
Domestic Powers
- Appoint and Dismiss the Prime Minister (Exercised Directly by the Monarch)
- Appoint and Dismiss Other Ministers (Exercised Directly by the Monarch)
- Assent and Enact Laws by Giving Royal Assent to Bills (Exercised Directly by the Monarch)
- Give and Issue Commissions to Commissioned Officers in the Armed Forces
- Command the Armed Forces
- Appoint Members to the Privy Council (Exercised Directly by the Monarch)
- Issue, Suspend, Cancel, Recall, Impound, Withdraw and Revoke Bastaran Passports
- Pardon Any Conviction
- Grant, Cancel and Annul any Honours
- Create Corporations by Royal Charter and to Amend, Revoke or Replace Existing Charters
Foreign Powers
- Make and Ratify Treaties
- Declare War and Conclude Peace
- Deploy the Armed Forces Overseas
- Recognise States
- Credit and Receive Diplomats
Ministers and Departments
As on 25 June 2023, the government has 17 ministerial departments, including HM Treasury, overseen by Secretaries of State. There is also one executive office - the Office of the Prime Minister.
The prime minister regularly meets with the monarch to discuss recent events, actions of governments, recommended actions to be taken by the monarch, and similar topics. During these meetings, the monarch is able to express their views to the prime minister and what they would like the government to consider doing as well as what they think about the current state of affairs.
Government in Parliament
In Bastara, the government is required by convention and for practical reasons to maintain the confidence of the House of Commons. It requires the support of the House of Commons for the maintenance of supply and to pass primary legislation. By convention, if a government loses the confidence of the House of Commons it must either resign or a general election is held. The support of the House of Lords, while useful to the government in getting its legislation passed without delay, is not vital. A government is not required to resign even if it loses the confidence of the Lords and is defeated in key votes in that House. The House of Commons is thus the responsible house and in this situation is seen as the senior house.
If a government loses their majority in the Commons after a general election, they are usually expected to resign and allow the new majority party to form a government.