Konkrëse

*Konkrëse*
Konkrëse
5th Konkrëse parliamentary session
Type
Type	Bicameral
Houses	House of Aristocrats; House of Councillors
Term limits	1 year
History
Founded	8 March 2021
Leadership
Monarch	Arthur II
Lord President	The Marquis of Rozandir ; since 5 December 2022
President of the Councillors	Wellington Muniz, ND ; since 30 July 2023
Minister-President	Bernardo Barcelos, ND ; since 30 July 2023
Leader of the Opposition	Henri Sãens, PN ; since 30 July 2023
Structure
Seats	Aristocrats: 9; Councillors: 18
House of Aristocrats political groups	Non-partisan (8); (House members are required to be non-partisan in the exercise of their function)
House of Councillors political groups	Government (5): New Democrats (5); Opposition (4): National Party (4); Other groups (3): Independent (1); Swedish minority (1); Republican Party (1);
Elections
House of Aristocrats voting system	Appointment by the Monarch
House of Councillors voting system	Single non-transferable vote
House of Councillors last election	30 July 2023
House of Councillors next election	30 July 2024
Meeting place
	Brauncastel

The Konkrëse (from Hunsrik: Congresso), often simply referred as The Parliament, is the supreme legislative body of the Kingdom of Ebenthal. It is a bicameral legislature consisting of an elected lower chamber, the House of Councillors, and a upper chamber whose members are appointed at the Sovereign's discretion from the nobility, the House of Aristocrats. Members of both chambers serve one-year terms. The political party or coalition that controls the majority of seats in the lower chamber chooses the national executive for the country, the Minister-President. Although by convention the Minister-President is also a member of the Councillors, there have been cases in which the Minister-President has been chosen from among the Aristocrats. The Prime Minister and his cabinet are thereby accountable to the parliament, so that their position depends on maintaining the confidence of the legislative chambers, otherwise they may be removed.

The Konrëse was innaugurated in 8 March 2021 replacing the country's former unicameral parliament, the College of Peers of the Realm, which had been active since the country's independence. Initially called Conclave, the College of Peeras underwent a reformarion in October 2020 which culminated with its abolition and replacement.^[1] There is no limit to the number of parties that can act in Konkrëse, although since 2022 a de facto two-party system remains. Since its establishment, Konkrëse has undergone two major reforms in order to give it greater representation and protagonism.

Etymology

The word Konkrëse comes from the Riograndenser Hunsrückisch, a Brazilian-originated German dialect, translating to "Congress", or "Congresso" in Portuguese. It is similar to he original German word "Kongress", but it actually evolved from the Portuguese word phonetics as a "germanization" (Brazilians spell the word konkrëse more similarly to the word congresso than to the word kongress, mainly because of the last vowel).

Legislative functions

The Konrëse perform powers on the legislative sphere. Primarily enacts laws and holds the government accountable. The enactment of laws occurs by public vote and requires a simple majority most of the time. However, some laws, such as constitutional amendments and the overturning of Royal Edicts—which are decrees granted by the Sovereign, require the approval of a double supermajority of both chambers or unanimous approval of the House of Councillors. As the Minister-President of Ebenthal is drawn from the Konkrëse, his position and cabinet depend on parliamentary trust, mainly from the House of Councillors. Both chambers can introduce a motion of no confidence into the government, but only the Councillors can vote on it, and the Sovereign's royal assent is required unless a supermajority approves the motion. Furthermore, it is within the scope of Konkrëse's powers to authorize the government regarding the use of state finances, to ratify treaties and other types of international agreements, to deal with conciliation and arbitration when required and to create committees.

Judicial functions

The Konkrëse exercises its judiciary function through the Chambers Judiciary Committee, which is since February 2024 the only trial court in Ebenthal. Its composition is made up of one member from each party represented in the House of Councilors plus the same number of members drawn from the House of Aristocrats. The members of the committee are appointed by the Sovereign on a rotating basis, that is, their positions are not fixed and the members are determined at each trial. Regardless, the committee is always chaired by the Lord President of the House of Aristocrats. The committee de facto functions as Ebenthal's supreme court, dealing with civil, criminal and constitutional law. Its rullings cannot be appealed out of the Committee in parliamentary sessions.

Procedure

A legislative bill (projeto de lei) can be formally introduced by any member of both chambers, as well as by the Sovereign, the Chiefs Executive and the Rulers of the Special Autonomous Regions, although it is more commonly introduced by the parliamentary chambers. However, only nobility and royalty can introduce bills in the House of Aristocrats. In either house, the presiding officer—the Aristocrat's Lord President and the Councillors' President—read the proposed bill and puts it up to voting by their respective chambers. If a bill is approved in the House of Aristocrats, it is immediatly sent to the Sovereign's appraisal; if it is approved in the House of Councillors, then it goes through the Aristocrats' scrutiny in which they vote on the bill—except if the bill has been approved by a supermajority, in which case it is sent directly to the Sovereign without going through the scrutiny of the Aristocrats. If it fails in the Aristocrats, the bill is returned to the Councilors to be amended following suggestions from the Aristocrats. If approved, it is sent to the Sovereign's appraisal. If a bill fails, in both chambers, it can be voted on again in the next session; if the second vote is approved, it follows normal procedures; if it is rejected again, the bill is shelved and can only be revived after a month.

Once approved in both chambers, the bill is sent for evaluation by the Sovereign, who uses his power of royal assent and veto at his own pleasure. By assenting to the bill, it becomes law and comes into force immediately. If a bill is approved by a double supermajority, that is, by three-quarters of the members of both parliamentary chambers, it automatically takes effect as law, without requiring the Sovereign's assent.

Composition

House of Aristocrats

The House of Aristocrats is made up of as many members as half the number of members of the House of Councilors. They are appointed at the Sovereign's discretion among the members of the nobility of Ebenthal to serve one-year terms. Unlike the lower chamber, members of the House of Aristocrats do not represent constituencies or political parties. If a member of the house dies or relinquish their title, provided that there is a willing heir, they assume the vacant position for the remainder of the term of office. The presiding officer of the House of Aristocrats, called Lord President, is appointed by the Sovereign from among the members of the house. In turn, the Lord President appoints his deputy, the Vice Lord President, often simply called Vice Lord. By convention, the Monarch appoints as Lord President a noble with ties to the majority party in the House of Councilors or after consultation with the Prime Minister.

House of Councillors

The House of Councillors is formed by an unspecified amount of members elected in proportional representation through universal suffrage. The proportionality system adopted in Ebenthal establishes the election of one member for every ten inhabitants. Administrative divisions that have less than 10 inhabitants also elect one member. Election takes place through the first-past-the-post system in which each citizen votes for only one candidate, and the candidate who receives the most votes wins. Members of the House of Councillors represent constituencies corresponding to the country's municipalities and special regions and may or may not be affiliated to political parties. They serve one-year terms, with unlimited possibility of re-elections. Members of the party or coalition with the most seats appoint the Prime Minister who, by convention, is a member of parliament, usually from the House of Councillors, but this is not a constitutional requirement and there have been cases where a member of the House of Aristocrats has taken the position. The Prime Minister, in turn, appoints the presiding officer of the house, the Speaker of the House, who appoints its Deputy Speaker. Since 2024 members of the nobility are barred from serving in the House of Councillors.

Parties

The table below lists parties currently represented in the Konkrëse.

Name			Ideologies	Leader	Current seats
Name			Ideologies	Leader
	PN	National Party Partido Nacional	Conservatism	Francisco Arrais	4 / 18
	ND	New Democrats Novos Democratas	Centrism	The Duchess of Guterfolg	5 / 18
	PR	Republican Party Partido Republicano	Republicanism	Alessandro Rosas	1 / 18

Seats

Aristocrats

Appointed MP		State	Took office	Seat #	Notes
Appointed
The Marquis of Rozandir	Non-partisan	Ebenthal	2 February 2020	1	Lord President
The Prince of Soussen	Non-partisan	Ebenthal	22 January 2023	2
The Baron of Sommerlath	Non-partisan	Ebenthal	22 January 2024	3
The Marquis of Braunau	Non-partisan	Ebenthal	22 January 2024	4
The Marquis of Amsee	Non-partisan	Ebenthal	22 January 2024	5
The Duchess of Guterfolg	Non-partisan	Ebenthal	31 December 2019	6
The Countess of Barcelos	Non-partisan	Ebenthal	10 March 2021	7
The Count of Aldringen	Non-partisan	Ebenthal	14 August 2022	8
The Baron of Telesia	Non-partisan	Ebenthal	22 January 2024	9

Councillors

Elected MP		Province	Took office	Seat #	Notes
Elected
vacant		Erzfelsen		1
Rodrigo Falcão	New Democrats	Erzfelsen	12 October 2022	2
Daniel Vilela	New Democrats	Erzfelsen	12 October 2022	3
Wellington Muniz	New Democrats	Brauncastel	8 March 2021	4	President of the House
Thiago Walker	New Democrats	Brauncastel	12 October 2022	5
vacant		Brauncastel		6
Bernardo Barcelos	New Democrats	Aufenbauer	8 September 2021	7	ex officio Minister-President
Eric de Pádua	National Party	Aufenbauer	8 March 2021	8
Henri Sãens	National Party	Sanktstaat	8 September 2021	9	Leader of the Opposition
Alessandro Rosas	Republican	Sanktstaat	22 January 2024	10	Indirectly elected
Vacant		New Switzerland		11
Francisco Arrais	National Party	New Switzerland	8 March 2021	12
Gabriel Carvalho	National Party	Lüttenhausen	12 October 2022	13
Oskar Andersen	Independent	Amsee	30 July 2023	14
vacant		Grünhufe		15	To be elected
vacant		Harram		16	To be elected
vacant		Guterfolg		17	To be elected
Special seat
Lukas Degermark	Independent	Swedish minority	22 January 2024	18	Indirectly elected
Non-voting delegate
vacant		Süden-Süden		19	To be elected