Parliament of the United Bayou
Parliament of the United Kingdom of the Great Bayou | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | House of Lords House of Commons |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 March 2023 |
| Leadership | |
Speaker of the House of Commons | Terry Jacobs |
Crown-in-Parliament | Charles I, IND |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 19/20 |
Political groups | House of Lords
House of Commons
|
| Elections | |
| Direct Popular Vote (House of Commons) | |
| Meeting place | |
| Royal Residence de jure UKGB Government Discord server de facto | |
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of the Great Bayou is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom of the Great Bayou. The parliament meets in the official United Kingdom of the Great Bayou Discord server. It alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all other political bodies in the Great Bayou and it's territories. Parliament is bicameral but has three parts, consisting of the sovereign (King-in-Parliament), the House of Commons, and the House of Lords (the primary chamber). In theory, power is officially vested in the King-in-Parliament. However, the powers of the House of Commons are limited to only delaying legislation (or vetoing a bill if given ability to do so by the sovereign); thus power is de facto vested in the House of Lords.
There are 13 seats in the House of Commons and 6 - 7 if the Monarchy is included - in the House of Lords. The House of Commons are elected officials who run to represent groups of subdivisions in the Kingdom of Pontunia and the Empire of Ela'r'oech. In the House of Commons, Pontunia has 7 seats and Ela'r'oech has 6 based on the aforementioned. The 'speaker' of the House of Lords is the Monarchy, with the House of Commons speaker being elected by the House in a parliamentary session. They essentially act as speakers in each respective constituency of the United Bayou.
History
Parliament of Ela'r'oech
The Elarian Government has a long history and is quite complicated without proper context. Mainland Ela'r'oech had a parliament with 2 seats per district, of which there were multiple. Before all of the cities, provinces, and noble states became districts, there was a series of improper attempts at a parliament with residents of Ela'r'oech until eventually in 2021, after each city, noble state, and province became districts, there was a successful attempt at bringing a parliament together online through Discord after the first elections. Ela'r'oech Abroad had a governor for each constituent, which is a member of parliament. A main rule in Elarian Politics is that every governor is a member of parliament. Each governor must list themselves as a Liberal or Conservative. These aren't used as party terms, just as catch-alls to provide a big tent of possible beliefs or belief systems.
The parliament in general was unorganized, generally, until February 2023. In February, the parliament finally had reformed enough to be able to hold it's own sessions without the Emperor in session.
Parliament of Pontunia
The Parliament was unicameral but held two parts, consisting of the sovereign (Crown-in-Parliament), and the Estates General (the primary chamber). The Estates General was a de jure democratically elected body, consisting of 10 Members of Parliament. MPs are elected using single transferrable voting. The Royal Assembly meets with the Monarch and Chief Minister to make new laws. When in this legislative role, they were collectively known as Parliament. Due to the nature of the office of Chief Minister, they usually included in the Royal Assembly as an elected MP. MPs are the only people eligible to stand for the office of Chief Minister.
Powers
The legislative authority, the King-in-Parliament, has three separate elements: the Monarch, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons. No individual may be a member of both Houses. All legislation must be passed by the House of Lords to become law. The House of Lords also control taxation and the supply of money to the government. Government ministers (including the Prime Minister) must regularly answer questions in the House of Commons and there are a number of select committees that scrutinize particular issues and the workings of the government. This group of individuals is known as the Mass. There are also mechanisms that allow members of the House of Commons to bring to the attention of the government particular issues affecting their constituents.
Privileges
The foremost privilege claimed by both Houses is that of freedom of speech in debate; nothing said in either House may be questioned in any court or other institution outside Parliament. Another privilege claimed is that of freedom from arrest; this applies for any arrest except for high treason, felony or breach of the peace. Additionally, members of the Houses are not required to be in a jury if they do not wish to be.
Both Houses possess the power to punish breaches of their privilege. Contempt of Parliament—for example, disobedience of a subpoena issued by a committee—may also be punished. The punishments imposed by either House may not be challenged in any court.
Procedure
Both houses of the Parliament are presided over by a speaker, collectively known as the senate, the Speaker of the House for the Commons and the Lord Speaker in the House of Lords. For the Commons, the approval of the Sovereign is theoretically required before the election of the Speaker becomes valid, but it is, by modern convention, always granted. The Speaker's place may be taken by the President or Chancellor in emergency situations.
Both Houses may decide questions by voice vote; members shout out "Aye!" and "No!" in the Commons—or sending them as messages in the Discord Server—and the presiding officer declares the result.
Public Image
All public events are broadcast live and on-demand via the official United Bayou Government Discord Server, which maintains an archive dating back to 1 March 2023, the first day that the Parliament was formed. In the United Bayou, the official Elarian government radio station plans on launching it's own podcast and show to archive parliamentary sessions. It will show live coverage from the House of Commons, House of Lords, and the Monarchy.