3
Dispatch → Account → Diplomacy
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The WE ARE SO BACK of Merlovich.
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Government
| |
Flag |
"Advance Merlovich Fair"
National Anthem | |
Capital | Hirane |
Government | Federative Republic |
• Prime Minister | |
• Deputy Prime Minister | |
• Opposition Leader | Bruno Schulz |
Current Governing Party | One Nation Coalition |
Current Opposition Party | Unity Party |
Legislature | Parliament of Merlovich |
• Upper house | Senate |
• Lower house | National Assembly |
Legend
GOVERNMENT:
One Nation (76)
Country Party (11)
CROSSBENCH:
The Greens (6)
Socialist Front (3)
Centre Alliance (1)
OPPOSITION:
UNITY Party (68)
THE SENATE
Legend
GOVERNMENT:
UNITY Party (36)
The Greens (3)
Socialist Front (1)
OPPOSITION:
One Nation (39)
Country Party (4)
ELECTION MAP
Click for higher resolution
National Assembly
The Senate
1. Government in Merlovich
....1.1 How does it work?
....1.2 Three Levels of Governance
....1.3 The National Assembly
....1.4 The Senate
....1.5 The High Court
2. Political Parties
....2.1 The UNITY Party
....2.2 The One Nation Party
....2.3 Minor Parties
3. Current Parliament
....3.1 Government
....3.2 Opposition
....3.3 Independents and Minor Parties
4. Elections
....4.1 Previous Election
....4.2 Next Election
5. Budget
Government in Merlovich Government in Merlovich is exercised on three levels. Executive, Legislative and Judicial. Executive Power is held generally by the office of the Prime Minister, however the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament hold limited executive power, such as budget management and creation of executive branches, the High Court also has the limited executive ability of ruling unconstitutionality in the actions of the executive branch. The Legislative Branch generally resides with Parliament, as they are responsible for drafting and passing legislation, though the Prime Minister does hold veto power, and can sway public opinion. The Judicial Branch relies on the High Court, which has final jurisdiction on all cases relating to the Merlovichan constitution. The Prime Minister again, has the ability to sway public opinion, and Parliament draws up the laws in which the High Court must follow, so long as they are constitutionally legal. The National Assembly is the lower house of the Merlovichan Parliament, where bills are initially drafted and voted on. The Assembly is presided over by a speaker, who's role is to manage the members of the Assembly and control debate. Members of the National Assembly are voted into office via single person electorates, commonly referred to as "seats". The National Assembly hosts 165 seats, requiring an 83 seat majority to form government. The Senate is the upper house of the Parliament of Merlovich, the lower house being the National Assembly. There are a total of 83 senators. Senators are popularly elected under the single transferable vote system of proportional representation. Unlike upper houses in other Westminster-style parliamentary systems, the Senate is vested with significant powers, including the capacity to reject all bills, including budget and appropriation bills, initiated by the government in the National Assembly, making it a distinctive hybrid of British Westminster bicameralism and American-style bicameralism. As a result of proportional representation, the chamber features a multitude of parties vying for power. The governing party or coalition, which has to maintain the confidence of the lower house, has not held a majority in the Senate since 2011, and usually needs to negotiate with the opposition and minor parties to pass legislation. The High Court is the primary and most senior judicial court in the Federation, responsible for any all all legal cases relevant to the Merlovichan constitution. The High Court consists of 7 judges, appointed by the Prime Minister. A High Court judge can be appointed upon the death, removal or resignation of a sitting judge. The UNITY Party is a centre-left political party based in Hirane. The party incorporates a hybrid socialist-capitalist economic model, and takes a left-leaning stance on social policies. It's flagship policies include public healthcare, free tertiary education, increased welfare support and a hands-on economic position. The One Nation Party is a centre-right leaning political party based in Asmain. The One Nation Party touts a more conservative economic and social policy of the two major parties, advocating for a more capitalist leaning, free market economy as well as privatization of healthcare and other government controlled entities. There are several minor parties in Merlovichan politics, all of which play a role, however minimal in the democratic running of the country. While many minor parties exist, it should also be noted independents play just as important of a role in forming government. The largest and most well known minor party are The Merlovichan Greens, an environmentalist party, advocating for greater action on climate change. Second only to the Greens in public knowledge is the Socialist Front, an alliance of left-leaning socialist, communist and labor parties, merged into a coalition. They advocate for further socialization of economic policy, greater spending on welfare and government ownership of vital economic industries. Several centrist parties exist, notably the Centre-Alliance, which generally holds on to a single seat in Escain. Right-wing and conservative parties exist, such as the Country Party, currently in coalition with the One Nation party. They hold 8 seats in the National Assembly and 4 in the Senate. The Libertarian Party holds 2 seats in the National Assembly, also in coalition with the One Nation Party in opposition. The current Parliament of Merlovich was first convened on May 24th 2032. The National Assembly is held by the ONCP Coalition, and the Opposition is held solely by the Unity Party. The crossbench consists of the Merlovichan Greens, Socialist Front and the Centre Alliance. The Senate is held by the opposition, in coalition with the Country Party holding a combined majority of 43 seats. The government, in coalition with the Merlovichan Greens and the Socialist Front hold a combined 40 seats. The current government of Merlovich is held by the One Nation Party, headed by Prime Minister Julia Bishop and Deputy Prime Minister Michael Charlton. The government was elected by coalition majority on May 24th 2032, gaining 87 seats (an emphatic win by Merlovichan electoral standards). Ms Bishop was elected Prime Minister in a leadership spill in November 2032, succeeding former PM Anthony McGowan. The Opposition is currently headed by the Unity Party. The Opposition serves it's role in both houses, providing policy amendments to government legislation and opposing relevant positions. Independents and Minor Parties While independents have played little to no role in Merlovichan politics since the last election cycle, minor parties are currently crucial to the balance of power and necessary to form government for both parties. EG. The One Nation Party requires the Country Party to form a majority government. Federal and State Elections are held every 4 years, though rarely if ever at the same time. There are generally campaigns of between 3-8 weeks prior to elections, with federal campaigns generally lasting longer than state campaigns. The previous election was held on January 1st 2028, electing a coalition government of the Unity Party and Merlovichan Greens. The government was defeated in the following election by an emboldened One Nation. The next election is scheduled for May 24, 2026.
