House of Commons (Bastara)
House of Commons הויז פון פּראָסט | |
|---|---|
| 1st Parliament | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
| Founded | 9 June 2023 |
| Leadership | |
Speaker | Vacant |
Vacant | |
House Leader | Vacant |
Opposition Leader | Vacant |
| Structure | |
Length of term | 5 Years |
| Elections | |
| First Past the Post | |
| Meeting place | |
| Doiwood | |
| Constitution | |
| Constitution of Bastara | |
The House of Commons, commonly known simply as the The Commons, is the lower house of the Parliament of Bastara.
The house is the elected body of parliament. Its members are known as Members of Parliament and are elected to represent single member constituencies by the first past the post system. Members hold their seat until parliament is dissolved.
History
The Commons was established on 9 June 2023, and was founded by the Constitution. It was the first parliamentary body outlined by the constitution.
Role
Relationship with Government
Although the House of Commons does not formally elect the prime minister the prime minister is answerable to the House, and therefore must maintain its support. In this way, the position of the parties in the House is important. This means that whenever the office of prime minister falls vacant, the monarch appoints the person who has the support of the house, or who is most likely to command the support of the house, normally the leader of the largest party in the house, while the leader of the second-largest party becomes the Leader of the Opposition.
The Commons may also dismiss governments via Motions of No Confidence. If a government loses a vote of no confidence, they are expected to resign or a general election is called.
Scrutiny of Government
The House of Commons formally scrutinises the Government through its Committees and Prime Minister's Questions, when members ask questions of the prime minister - the house also gives other opportunities to question other cabinet ministers.
Legislative Functions
Bills may be introduced in either house, though bills of importance and money bills generally originate in the House of Commons.
Membership
In the house, every constituency is represented by a single Member of Parliament. General elections occur whenever parliament is dissolved. The timing of the dissolution is normally chosen by the Prime Minister, but constitutionally has to occur at some point within the five year period after the previous election.
Qualifications
To be eligible to run for membership the following requirements need to be met:
- be Aged 17.5
- be Nominated as a Candidate in a Constituency
- Hold Bastaran Citizenship
- not have been Convicted of Any Crime
- not be an Incumbent Member of the Police or Armed Forces
Officers
At the start of each parliament the House of Commons elects one of its members as a presiding officer, known as the Speaker. If the incumbent Speaker seeks a new term, then the house may re-elect him or her merely by passing a motion; otherwise, a secret ballot is held. A Speaker-elect cannot take office until she or he has been approved by the Monarch.
The house speaker, upon election is required to leave the political party to which they belong and when they seek re-election to parliament it is convention that no parties will nominate any opposing candidates in the speaker's constituency.