The Royalist Government

    The Royalist Alliance is a democracy. The part the monarchy plays is only that of statesmen and women; important primarily for national pride although brighter Royals have made quite successful careers in the armed forces, mostly the Navy. There is a system of nobility in the Alliance similar to that of the Federated Suns, with knighthoods for those who deserve them. Theoretically every region should have a Duke or Duchess but eventually the position was squeezed out of use, leaving the Duchy of Marathon the last remaining Dukedom.

    Every man and woman over the age of 17 has a vote, although it is calculated that approximately only 70% of the adult population exercises this right. Efforts are made every election to combat voter apathy, often to little real effect. You must be a citizen of the Royalist Alliance to vote, and those with dual citizenships are not allowed vote in General Elections, although they may vote for Regional and Planetary Governors. The right to vote is protected by the Royalist Constitutional Laws (RCL) and it is not affected by race or creed.

    Every May and November there are the Planetary Elections. Each planet in the Alliance votes to appoint the man or woman who will represent them in the Houses of Parliament (or simply the Houses) for the coming months. The most successful of these can remain in office for years, while most only last about 12 months. The worst ones can actually be ousted by a Vote of No Confidence from their constituents. The 30 Planetary Governors sit in the Lower House (often called the “Shack”) and put forward their constituents concerns and desires to their peers and the members of the Cabinet (Higher House, or “Palace” in typical Royalist slang).

    Furthermore, every Region of the Royalist Alliance (for example, Odysseus’ Reaches or the League Pact) has one elected Regional Governor, chosen by the people of that Region in the same manner as Planetary elections, except Regional Elections take place every two years. Even so, poor politicians can be removed in the same fashion as underperforming Planetary Governors. The 5 Regional Governors form the Cabinet, the chief ruling body of the Alliance which creates all new legislation, presented to the Lower House as a Bill. Both Houses must vote on whether or not to implement any new legislation. The Commander in Chief of the RAAF and his Liaisons at the heads of the Army, Navy and Flying Corp are also members of the Cabinet.

    At the head of the Cabinet and indeed the Royalist Alliance is the Prime Minister. Once every three years the population of the Alliance votes to elect the Prime Minister. No one PM can remain in office for more than 3 terms, and after their third term (if they remain that long) they must retire to lower level politics. Alongside the reigning monarch the PM is the figure-head of the Alliance, but unlike the monarch the PM has actual power. Generally speaking decisions such as troop redeployment or tax raises must be agreed by the majority of the Cabinet and the Planetary Governors in the Lower House but in time of crisis the Prime Minister is granted special powers, such as instating conscription or rationing. In this case the Houses do not get an overruling say, although they are within their rights to voice the opinion of their constituents.

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