Koninklijke Statenraad

Royal Council of States Koninklijke Statenraad
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
King	Quentin I of Wyvern
Structure
Seats	4 Members of the Statenraad
Political groups	SDMP, WLP, BP, WLaP
Elections
Last election	n/a; election to be held on May 2, 2012
Meeting place
Wyvern-Stad

The Koninklijke Statenraad (English: Royal Council of States) is the current legislature of the Kingdom of Wyvern following a political and constitutional reform in February 2012. It was introduced officially in March that year, replacing the Senate of the Kingdom of Wyvern, with current members of the Senate retaining their seats until the next election, which is scheduled for May 2, 2012.

History

Snakian System, 2006-2008

During the Kingdom of Snakia and the Grave Stones Clan, much of what is now Wyvern was governed by an absolute monarch, usually King Quentin I of Wyvern, with the possibility of a majority of active members overruling him in practical situations, often leading to political turmoil and military unrest.

Wyvern's Advisory System, 2009

For the first few weeks that Wyvern existed, it was an administrative absolute monarchy under King Quentin I of Wyvern, with Bradley of Dullahan and Ossie of Behemoth serving as permanent advisors and, later, heads of government in their respective states. This system was known for being efficient, but undemocratic, and not fully utilising the potential of the Wyvernian electorate.

Wyvernian Parliament and the House of Lords

The first official legislature introduced in Wyvern was a hybrid bicameral system based both on the Dutch political system and the Westminster system. It involved Wyvernian Parliament, which was an elected legislature, and the Wyvernian House of Lords, a mainly nepotist organisation that contained mostly politically inactive members of the royal family.

Senate of the Kingdom of Wyvern

After Parliament and the House of Lords were found to be too bureaucratic, the Senate of the Kingdom of Wyvern was introduced along with a new constitution and new elections in 2010. The House of Lords was abolished. The Senate of the Kingdom of Wyvern had most of the rules that the old Parliament had; everyone with a certain amount of votes, no matter the amount of candidates, was entitled to a seat in Parliament, and a coalition had to form with a sizeable majority, often two-thirds or more.

Statenraad

In December 2011, the Senate of the Kingdom of Wyvern passed a law indicating its intention of replacing itself by a Statenraad, a Council of States, along with constitutional reform. A new constitution was drafted and approved, and the Statenraad officially replaced the Senate in early 2012. The Statenraad can contain three or six seats, divided equally amongst the 'core states' of Wyvern State, Dullahan and Behemoth.

Voting procedure

After the Statenraad or a coalition in power has called for elections, they are to be held within a month. An amount of seats, either three or six, is set relative to the amount of candidates participating. Parties can register in three core states: Wyvern State, Dullahan or Behemoth. Other, non-core states such as Xtabay and Marine State are automatically, for voting purposes, put under control of one of three core states. The election is held, and candidates with most votes for every state are elected. In practical terms, because of a consolidated elite that constitutes most of the voters, the parties most likely to win the elections for the core states are, respectively, the SDMP, WLP and BP.

Legislative power

The Statenraad has a budgetary right; it can approve or dismiss a funding plan by the national government. The Statenraad can debate, issue, pass, amend and remove laws, and change the constitution. It is able to issue votes of confidence or votes of no confidence against members of the national government, and is able to remove a cabinet from power.