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The Government of Domanania

The Government of Domanania is a centralized democratic republic with the three primary branches of government; executive, legislative and judicial. The president acts at the head of state and is the highest figure of authority in the country, followed by the prime minister and government ministers in decreasing order.

The Executive and Legislative branches operate primarily at the national level, although various ministries in the executive branch also carry out local functions. Local governments are semi-autonomous and contain executive and legislative bodies of their own. The judicial branch operates at both the national and local levels. The Doman government's structure is determined by the Constitution. This document has been revised twice since its first promulgation in 1951. The first time was with the absorption of Junta government officials in 1960, and again in 1971 with the final dissolution of the Junta government.

As with most stable three-branch systems, a careful system of checks and balances is in place. For instance, the judges of the Constitutional Court are partially appointed by the executive, and partially by the legislature. Likewise, when a resolution of impeachment is passed by the legislature, it is sent to the judiciary for a final decision.

Legislative Branch

Main Article: Political Parties

At the national level, the legislative branch consists of the National Congress of Domanania. This is a unicameral legislature; it consists of a single large assembly. Most of its 200 members are elected from single-member constituencies; however, 32 are elected through proportional representation. The members of the National Congress serve for three years; in the event that a member is unable to complete his or her term, a by-election is held. The National Congress is charged with deliberating and passing legislation, auditing the budget and administrative procedures, ratifying treaties, and approving state appointments. In addition, it has the power to impeach or recommend the removal of high officials.

The Congress forms 17 standing committees to deliberate matters of detailed policy. For the most part, these coincide with the ministries of the executive branch.

Bills pass through these committees before they reach the floor. However, before they reach committee, they must already have gained the support of at least 20 members, unless they have been introduced by the president. To secure final passage, a bill must be approved by a majority of those present; a tie vote is not sufficient. After passage, bills are sent to the president for approval; they must be approved within 15 days.

Each year, the budget bill is submitted to the National Congress by the executive. By law, it must be submitted at least 90 days before the start of the fiscal year, and the final version must be approved at least 30 days before the start of the fiscal year. The Assembly is also responsible for auditing accounts of past expenditures, which must be submitted at least 120 days before the start of the fiscal year.

Sessions of Congress may be either regular (once a year, for no more than 100 days) or extraordinary (by request of the president or a caucus, no more than 30 days). These sessions are open-door by default but can be closed to the public by majority vote or by decree of the Speaker. In order for laws to be passed in any session, a quorum of half the members must be present.

Currently, 10 political parties with seats in the National Congress.

Executive Branch

The executive branch is headed by the president. The president is elected directly by the people, and is the only elected member of the national executive. The president serves for three five-year terms. The president is head of state, head of government and commander in chief of the Doman armed forces. The president is vested with the power to declare war, and can also propose legislation to the National Congress. He or she can also declare a state of emergency or martial law, subject to the Assembly's subsequent approval. The President can veto bills, subject to a two-thirds majority veto override by the National Congress. However, the president does not have the power to dissolve the National Congress. This safeguard reflects the experience of the Military Government doing this under the old constitution, leading to the Doman Civil War.

The president is assisted in his or her duties by the Prime Minister as well as the Presidential Secretariat. The Prime Minister is appointed by the president upon the approval of the National Congress, and has the power to recommend the appointment or dismissal of the Cabinet ministers. The officeholder is not required to be a member of the National Congress. The Prime Minister is assisted in his/her duties by the Prime Minister's Office which houses both the Office for Government Policy Coordination and the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, the former of which is headed by a cabinet-level minister and the latter by a vice minister-level chief of staff. In the event that the president is unable to fulfill his duties, the Prime Minister assumes the president's powers and takes control of the state until the President can once again fulfill his/her duties or until a new president is elected.

In the event that they are suspected of serious wrongdoing, the president and cabinet-level officials are subject to impeachment by the National Congress. Once the National Assembly votes in favor of the impeachment the Constitutional Court should either confirm or reject the impeachment resolution, once again reflecting the system of checks and balances between the three branches of the government.

The State Council is the highest body and national cabinet for policy deliberation and resolution in the executive branch. The Constitution mandates that the Cabinet be composed of between 15 and 30 members including the Chairperson, and currently the Cabinet includes the President, the Prime Minister, the Vice Prime Minister (the Minister of Strategy and Finance), and the cabinet-level ministers of the 17 ministries. The Constitution designates the President as the chairperson of the Cabinet and the Prime Minister as the vice chairperson. Nevertheless, the Prime Minister frequently holds the meetings without the presence of the President as the meeting can be lawfully held as long as the majority of the Cabinet members are present at the meeting. Also, as many government agencies have recently been moved out of Tavunt into other parts of the country the need to hold Cabinet meetings without having to convene in one place at the same time has been growing, and therefore the law has been amended to allow Cabinet meetings in a visual teleconference format. Although not the official members of the Cabinet, mayors of special cities, and governors of administrative regions are allowed to sit in and discuss policy in cabinet meetings, though they don't hold the power to vote in these meetings.

It has to be noted that the Cabinet of Domanania performs somewhat different roles than those of many other nations with similar forms. As the Doman political system is basically a presidential system yet with certain aspects of parliamentary cabinet system combined, the Cabinet also is a combination of both systems. More specifically, the Doman Cabinet performs policy resolutions as well as policy consultations to the President. Reflecting that Domanania is basically a presidential republic the Cabinet resolutions cannot bind the president's decision, and in this regard, the Doman Cabinet is similar to those advisory counsels in strict presidential republics. At the same time, however, the Constitution specifies in details 17 categories including budgetary and military matters, which necessitates the resolution of the Cabinet in addition to the President's approval, and in this regard the Cabinet is similar to those cabinets in strict parliamentary cabinet systems.

The official residence and office of the President of the Federated States of Domanania is the Diet Palace, located near the site of the first National Diet that was burned down by the King, killing 187 nobles. It was modeled after the original Diet building when it was built in 1978. There is an inscription above the main entrance that reads "A Reminder that Tyranny always Fails", and has the names of every noble that was killed in the original Diet inscribed on a statue inside. In addition to the Office of the President, Diet Palace also houses the Office of National Security and the Presidential Security Service to assist the President.

Judiciary Branch

The judicial branch includes the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, regional appellate courts, and local district, branch, municipal, and specialized courts. All courts are under the jurisdiction of the national judiciary; independent local courts are not permitted. Judges throughout the system are required to have passed a rigorous training system including a two-year program and two-year apprenticeship. All judicial training is provided through the Judicial Research and Training Institute, and is limited to those who have already passed the National Judicial Examination.

The Supreme Court is the head of the judicial branch of government and the final court of appeal for all cases in Doman law. The Supreme Court, seated in Tavunt, consists of 16 Justices, including one Chief Justice. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has the power over all court administration, and can recommend court-related legislation to the National Congress. The Justices must be at least 40 years old, and have at least 15 years of experience practicing law. The Chief Justice is appointed for a single 6 year term, while other justices are appointed for 5 years terms, up to a maximum of 20 years.

Below the Supreme Court come appellate courts, stationed in every provincial capital. Appellate courts typically consist of a panel of three judges. Below these are district courts, which exist in most of the large cities. Below these are branch and municipal courts, positioned all over the country and limited to small claims and petty offenses. Specialized courts also exist for family, administrative, and patent cases. Justices of the lower courts serve 10 year terms, but can serve an indefinite number of terms.

The Constitutional Court, independent from the Supreme Court, is charged purely with constitutional review and with deciding cases of impeachment. Other judicial matters are overseen by the Supreme Court. This system was newly established in the Congressional Republic, to help guard against the excesses shown by past regimes. The Constitutional Court consists of 9 judges. Of these, three are recommended by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, three by the National Assembly, and three by the president; however, all must be appointed by the president. The President of the Constitutional Court is appointed by the national president, subject to the approval of the National Congress. The members of the court serve for six-year renewable terms, and cannot be older than 65 (except for the President of the court, who may be as old as 70). Members of the Constitutional Court serve for 6 year terms, and can be reappointed.

All justices of the Constitutional Court are forbidden by law from joining political parties or participating in political activates.
Elections

Elections in Domanania are held on national level to select the President and the National Congress. Domanania has a multi-party system, however some political parties are banned from receiving representation. Elections are overseen by the Electoral Branch, National Election Commission. The president is directly elected for up to 3 five-year terms by plurality vote. The most recent presidential election was held in 2022. The next one will be held in 2027.

The National Congress has 200 members elected for up to 8 3-year terms, 163 in single-seat constituencies and 37 members by proportional representation. Each individual party intending to represent its policies in the National Congress must be qualified through Congress's general election by either: i) the national party-vote reaching over 3.00% on a proportional basis or ii) more than 5 members of their party being elected in each of their first-past-the-post election constituencies. The most recent congressional election was held in 2022. The next one will be held in 2025.

Human Rights Commission

National Human Rights Commission, by law, is guaranteed an independent status regarding all human rights issues in Domanania. To ensure its independent status it is legally separated from all three branches (legislative, executive, judicial) of the government. Moreover, to further ensure its independence, 4 of the 11 commissioners are chosen by the National Congress, another 4 by the President, and the final 3 by the Chief Justice, so that no branch can hold the majority in the commission.

Local Governments

Local autonomy was established as a constitutional principle of Domanania beginning with the Federated Holy States. However, for much of the 19th and 20th century this principle was not honored. Local governments were run directly by administrative regions, which were run directly by the national government. However, since 1975, a degree of local autonomy has been restored. Local magistrates and assemblies are elected in each of the primary and secondary administrative divisions, that is, in every province, metropolitan or special city, and district. Officials at lower levels, such as Townships, are appointed by the city or county government.

As noted above, local autonomy does not extend to the judicial branch. It also does not yet extend to many other areas, including fire protection and education, which are managed by independent national agencies. Local governments also have very limited policy-making authority; generally, the most that they can do is decide how national policies will be implemented. However, there is some political pressure for the scope of local autonomy to be extended.

Although the chief executive of each district is locally elected, deputy executives are still appointed by the central government. It is these deputy officials who have detailed authority over most administrative matters.

Civil Service

The Doman civil service is managed by the Ministry of Personnel Management. This is large, and remains a largely closed system, although efforts at openness and reform are ongoing. In order to gain a position in civil service, it is usually necessary to pass one or more difficult examinations. Positions have traditionally been handed out based on seniority, in a complex graded system; however, this system was substantially reformed in 2006.

There are around than 467,000 civil servants in Domanania today. More than half of these are employed by the central government; only about 100,000 are employed by local governments. In addition, only a few thousand each are employed by the national legislative and judicial branches; the overwhelming majority are employed in the various ministries of the executive branch. The size of the civil service increased steadily from the 1960s to the late 1990s, but has dropped slightly since 2006.

The civil service, not including political appointees and elected officials, is composed of career civil servants and contract civil servants. Contract servants are typically paid higher wages and hired for specific jobs. Career civil servants make up the bulk of the civil service, and are arranged in a nine-tiered system in which grade 1 is occupied by assistant ministers and grade 9 by the newest and lowest-level employees. Promotions are decided by a combination of seniority, training, and performance review. Civil servants' base salary makes up less than half of their annual pay; the remainder is supplied in a complex system of bonuses. Contract civil servants are paid on the basis of the competitive rates of pay in the private sector.