Regent of Austenasia
| Regent of Austenasia | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms of Austenasia | |
| Appointer | Austenasian Senate |
The Regent of Austenasia serves as acting head of state of the Empire of Austenasia in the case of the incapacity or infancy of the Monarch. Should the appointment of the Regent become necessary, they are chosen by the Austenasian Senate either from the incumbent Prime Minister or from the most senior member of the Line of Succession willing; if the latter is selected, they are titled as Prince Regent.
Since 30 April 2024, the position has been held by Prince Regent Aggelos, the Heir to the Throne. This follows an announcement of incapacity made by Emperor Jonathan I.
The appointment of a Regent means that the Monarch - although they retain all titles - no longer exercises the powers of the Throne. All imperial powers, duties and responsibilities are instead wielded by the Regent. A Regent should not therefore be confused with a Counsellor of State.
Appointment
Provision for a regency is set out in Article IV, Section E of the Austenasian Constitution of 2011. A Regent is appointed in one of three scenarios: the Monarch declares themselves incapable of ruling, the Throne is inherited by a minor, or the Senate votes for a regency.
The Austenasian Senate is responsible for choosing whether the Regent will be the Prime Minister, or chosen from the Line of Succession. If the Prime Minister is selected to become Regent, they cannot remain in office as Prime Minister. In such a situation, the Deputy Prime Minister serves as Acting Prime Minister either until the next general election or until the regency ends and (should the House of Representatives vote in favour of such) the former Regent reassumes the office of Prime Minister.
If the Senate chooses for the Regent to come from the Line of Succession, then each member of the Line who is of voting age is presented with the offer to assume the regency in turn. The first to accept then takes on the office.
Should the Monarch abdicate or die during a regency, then the regency is ended as the Heir becomes Monarch (unless the Heir is underage). Otherwise, a regency ends only if the Senate votes for the Monarch to return to power after receiving certification of their ability to rule from a medical doctor (unless the regency was put in place because of the infancy of the Monarch, in which case they would automatically assume full power upon turning 16).
Should a serving Regent die, resign, or be convicted of a crime, the Senate is to select a new Regent, following the same process. The Senate may also vote to do so on its own initiative should the Regent lose the confidence of the Senators.
History
Provision for a regency was first made early on in Austenasia's history, by Act 18 and Act 24, both passed in November 2008. These pieces of legislation set up a system which was broadly similar in structure to the current one as outlined above, although it initially had no provision for infancy; the appointment of a Regent for an underage Monarch was only provided for in November 2009 with Act 107.
The Austenasian Constitution of 2011 came into force on 20 September of that year. Prior to the creation of the Senate in January 2018, the House of Representatives held the role in the selection and appointment of a Regent which the Senate now does.
Prince Regent Aggelos
The first and incumbent Regent was appointed on 30 April 2024, after Jonathan I announced his incapacity to rule. With Austenasia only having recently had a general election, the Senate chose against appointing Lord John Gordon (the Prime Minister) as Regent, in order to prevent further political instability in such an unprecedented situation by requiring another election. The Senate chose instead to have the Regent selected from the Line of Succession, which had been changed only that month to be composed of experienced statesmen chosen specifically for their apparent suitability to succeed the Emperor. Aggelos, the newly appointed Heir, accepted the offer and therefore became Regent.
Titles and styles
Should the Prime Minister be appointed Regent, they would be styled and titled as "His/Her Highness Regent Forename". Should the Regent come instead from the Line of Succession, they are ordinarily to be styled and titled as "His/Her Imperial Highness Prince/Princess Regent Forename".
A complicated situation arose upon the appointment of Aggelos I to the regency. It was considered inappropriate to style Aggelos as merely Imperial Highness given he is the sovereign Emperor of Imvrassia, a title and rank fully recognised by Austenasia. However, it was likewise considered inappropriate for Aggelos to use the style of Imperial Majesty in an Austenasian context, where that style refers solely to the Monarch (and not even the imperial consort). The Senate therefore resurrected the style of Imperial and Majestic Highness for his use while in office as Regent, enabling him to have his rank as Emperor of Imvrassia acknowledged while not going by Imperial Majesty in his Austenasian role.
