Difference between revisions of "House of Representatives (Omerica)"

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House of Representatives of Omerica
Chambre des députés d’Omérique
Type
Type Lower house of the Parliament of Omerica
Leadership
Speaker Martina Casanova, Socialist
Since 1 April 2013
Leader Alex O’Brien, Socialist
Since 14 July 2012
Manager of Opposition Business Lisa Granger, Liberal
Since 5 October 2013
Structure
Seats 200
200px
Political groups

Government (107)

Opposition (81)

Crossbench (12)

Elections
Voting system Single transferable vote
Last election 2 June 2017
Next election 4 June 2021
Commonwealth of Omerica
Coat of arms of Omerica.png
This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of Omerica







The House of Representatives (French: Chambre des députés) is the directly-elected lower house of the Parliament of Omerica, sitting alongside the House of Councillors. The chamber consists of 200 members elected by single transferable vote and sits in the Hall of the People (Salle du peuple) in Commonwealth House.

Election and members

The House constitutionally consists of 200 representatives, commonly referred to as MPs in English and députés in French. The Basic Law allows the House to sit for up to five years from the date of its first meeting after an election unless earlier dissolved by the President; however, since the passage of the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act 2000, elections have been scheduled for the first Friday in June in the fourth year after the previous election.

Members are elected by single transferable vote (French: scrutin à vote unique transférable). The electoral system produces broadly proportional representation in the House, but the small average constituency size usually favours larger political parties—particularly the Omerican Socialist Party and Reformist Party—at the expense of smaller parties. As a result, Omerican politics are multi-party, with coalition and minority governments being the norm.

Eligibility to vote in federal elections is determined by cantonal legislation, with the proviso that no Omerican citizen over the age of 18 may be denied the right to vote; notably, the Romainbourg, South Provence and Orangeshire set lower minimum ages than constitutionally required, while Avon allows 17-year-olds to vote if their eighteenth birthday occurs before the fourth Friday in June, the traditional last day of the academic year.

Candidates for election are required to be eligible to vote in the canton in which they are standing for election—implying a requirement to live in the canton—and have been Omerican citizens for at least five years by the close of nominations. To stand for election, candidates must collect at least 100 signatures from enrolled voters in the constituency they wish to contest or be nominated by a registered political party. Additionally, candidates are disqualified if they are:

  • sitting judges or civil servants;
  • undischarged bankrupts;
  • dual citizens;
  • a convicted traitor; or
  • currently serving a sentence for an indictable offence.

Apportionment

Seats are reapportioned following each census, which takes place in the second-to-last year in each decade (i.e. years ending in the digit "9"). Each canton is constitutionally guaranteed to return at least as many MPs as it has councillors, namely two. The remaining seats are then distributed proportionally by population according to the Huntington–Hill method.

Cantons which return five or fewer representatives form a single at-large constituency, of which there are currently twelve. Cantons which return more than five representatives are divided into constituencies which each elect between three and five members; 39 of the current 51 constituencies are subdivisions of a canton.

Canton MPs Canton MPs Canton MPs Canton MPs
 Côte-Verte 33  Romainbourg 9  Emerald Isles 5  Port Saint George 3
 Philibiscostal 22  Reicastel 9  Altomare 5  Port-Saint-Denis 3
 Free State 19  Coleraine 8  South Provence 5  Seafoam Islands 2
 Charlottesburgh 17  Corpshire 7  Orangeshire 4  Marche Rouge 2
 Avon 12  Cardiganshire 7  Blandshire 4  Saint-Jérôme 2
 Bridgecastle 10  Pays-de-la-Mer 6  North Provence 4  Sainte-Lucie 2

Functions

Legislative power

Relation with the executive

Organisation

Officers

Groups

Committees

Current composition