Parliament of Sarenium
| This page is a work in progress by its author(s) and should not be considered final. |
| Parliament of the United Republic of Sarenium Senatus Civitatum Foederatarum rei publicae | |
|---|---|
| 155th Parliament of Sarenium | |
| Type | |
| Type | Bicameral |
| Houses | House of Commons |
| Leadership | |
| President |
Anthony Perales, Impartial Since November 14th, 2016 |
| Speaker of the Senate |
Tim Barlow, Conservatives Since August 1st, 2016 |
| Speaker of the House |
Adrian Hemsley, Conservatives Since September 1st, 2016 |
| Structure | |
| Seats |
735 (Voting Members)
Composed of |
 | |
| Senate political groups |
Government Opposition Crossbench
|
 | |
| House of Commons political groups |
Government Opposition Crossbench
|
| Elections | |
| Senate voting system | Preferential Voting System |
| House of Commons voting system | Preferential Voting System |
| Senate last election |
1st August 2016 60 seats are by election (4/7 of total). |
| House of Commons last election | 1st August 2016 |
| Senate next election | 11th February 2017 (Expected) |
| House of Commons next election | 11th February 2017 (Expected) |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
The Parliament of the United Republic of Sarenium, variously referred to as the Saren Parliament, or the Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Sarenium. It consists of three elements: the President, the Senate and the House of Commons. The combination of two elected houses, in which the members of the Senate represent the fifteen States while the members of the House represent electoral divisions according to population, is unique in that the President is charged with the appointment of 45 of the 105 seats in the Senate (3 from each state) and the remaining sixty are elected by their constituents. Those remaining sixty are elected every six years, with thirty in each of the three years.
The Senate, consists of 105 members: seven for each state. The House of Commons, currently consists of 630 members, each elected from single member constituencies, known as electoral divisions (commonly referred to as "electorates" or "seats") using compulsory preferential voting.
The two Houses meet in separate chambers of Parliament Island (except in the rare occurrence of a joint sitting), on Constitution Island, Sydney.
Current Parliament
The current Parliament is the 155th Parliament and the most recent federal election was held on the 31st of July, 2016.
The outcome was the re-election of the Conservative Party for a fourth term with Adrian Hemsley as the leader. They won with a majority of 323 of the 630 seats. They lost two seats - both seats went to independents. The Ross led Labor Party won 260 of the 630 seats, up by fourteen seats.
The Senate has forty-five senators appointed by the President, of those senators, fourteen of them are independent and one member of the greens party, the remaining thirty were nominated by the Prime Minister and appointed on the Prime Minister advice.
History
The current Parliament came into effect from the reformation effects of 2016's constitutional reform. Members and conventions have remained consistent and maintained to the same standard and style as 1607. Initially housed in the Alhambra outside of Gibraltar before moving Parliament to Adelaide's Old Parliament House and the Presidency to Neuschwanstein Castle. Its current location in Sydney was solidified in 1742 alongside the relocation of the powers of the Presidency. Parliament Island opened to the public in 1956 and was closed in the 1992 until 2003 for major renovations and upgrades. Currently, Parliament consists of 630 members of the House which was changed in 1990 from the 540 seats. Initially the House consisted of only 150 members whilst the Senate had no more 45 members. The changes were made in regards to increased representation and political balancing for the populations.
Prime Minister Edmund Barton served as Prime Minister for a total of nearly six years, the longest serving Prime Minister was Prime Minister George Menzies who served as the fifteenth Prime Minister from 1840 to 1855, resigning after losing his party's support. The current Prime Minister is Ryan Halbourn and is the 44th Prime Minister to have served.
Composition
Main Article: Senate of Sarenium
Main Article: House of Commons of Sarenium
The Senate holds a total of 105 seats and 60 of those seats are elected every six years. Thirty are elected each 3 years and overlap with the elections for the House. The two houses meet in separate chambers on Parliament Island and both bodies may produce legislation. The only restriction is that any appropriation or financial bills must originate in the House of Commons and the Senate can only delay passage (of all bills). If the House passes legislation with the requisite 316 votes then 53 Senators must also vote in favor for passage and any less will result in the legislation being delayed by 1 session (complete electoral cycle) of Parliament. However, if the House acquires the required 378 (3/5 majority) votes, it will only be delayed for 3 terms of Parliament (16-20 months), before which the President can allow the House to pass legislation without the Senate (constitutional Presidential assent is transferred into a vote from the President to fail or refuse the legislation on any grounds.). The House also has the means to pass legislation without the Senate if 420 votes in the House approve and the Senate still refuses (under 53 votes) given that 35 of the 105 Senators vote in favor.
Elected and unelected Senators have distinct differences, elected Senators do not have limits on the number of six-year terms they can serve while appointed Senators are appointed every twelve years for single-term service. The President is charged with that appointment and it has become common tradition for fifteen Senators to be appointed each six-years. Unlike the House, Senators receive more benefits and can still be overlooked.
Should legislation be delayed, the President can allow the House to pass legislation without the Senate's permission, this would only occur when the President is content with providing Presidential Assent (which can be withheld only when the legislation is unconstitutional) or a delayed legislation passes the House and the President exercises the right of personal dis-contention and withholds assent.. If the House is to pass legislation without the Senate, the Presidential Assent can be refuted on any grounds.
Unlike the Prime Minister, the President is not elected through Parliament, the President is elected by direct popular vote in Sarenium every five years. It has become common for the appointed Senators to depart office with the old President (if close to ending term) to ensure that the transition is smooth. General elections are called either one year before or delayed slightly to avoid coinciding with Presidential Elections.
Procedure
Parliament uses roll call for initiation of every reading or day in Parliament and roll call is used to announce absence or presence for MPs and Senators. This procedure is continued for final votes as well unless the Speaker has called an anonymous vote.
Votes are tallied by the clerk who is also responsible for announcing guests of Parliament to the chamber (if a joint session).
