Politics of Hama
The politics of Hama take place in the framework of a monarchy.
King
The King is the head of state, head of government and nominal commander-in-chief of the arms forces. He has the power to declare war and make peace. He has the power to appoint ministers, senior civil servants, military officials, judges and officers of state-owned entities. He has the power to receive the accreditations of foreign ambassadors and appoint ambassadors to other nations. He has the power to grant royal assent, by which a proposal for a law voted upon in the Parliament becomes a law. He can withhold royal assent, by which he sends the proposal back to the Parliament. The Council of Chiefs can overturn this by passing the proposal again with a two-thirds majority, in which case the Chamberlain of the Royal Court promulgates and publishes the law without the King's consent. The King has the power to issue decrees. These are formal instructions to the civil service, military and state-owned corporations on how the King interprets the way that the law must be implemented.
The King is elected by the Council of Chiefs every few years. When a King abdicates, passes away or his term expires, the Chamberlain of the Royal Court makes a declaration in which he temporarily assumes the role of regent and summons the Council of Chiefs to a meeting in the Red Fort to discuss and elect a new King. The King's oldest son or closest male relative is usually elected to be the next King and he is reelected when his official term comes to an end. There have been several examples where a King from a different tribe or clan has been elected. The King must be a male citizen of Hama, a professed Abrahamist, an adult, the legitimate issue of a nobleman. The chief of the Manonite tribe is usually elected to the throne. When the King is elected for his first term, he is enthroned in a ceremony in which he is blessed and conferred with the royal regalia. This ceremony does not take place again when the King is reelected.
Executive branch
The King, having the power to issue decrees, essentially forms the executive branch. He appoints ministers who preside over portfolios. These are formal jurisdictions which delineate the policy areas, agencies of state and state-owned entities over which they exert control. The ministers also meet weekly in a meeting called the Cabinet presided over by the King to inform and advise him on policy issues. The King can invite individuals to these meetings who do not have specific portfolios allocated to them who are called Ministers without Portfolio. As the mechanisms of governance have become more complex, ministers have evolved into a separate position with a great deal of power. They have been delegated the power to appoint officials, propose laws and issue decrees. Ministers are immune from prosecution for their work. They may only be summoned before the Parliament to answer questions and present reports through a decree from the King himself. Usually, ministers are elevated to knightly rank if they are not noble already so that they may receive the right to speak before a full sitting of the Council of Chiefs.
Legislative branch
The legislative branch is formed of the Parliament. The Parliament is made up of two separate chambers. The upper chamber is called the Council of Chiefs and the lower chamber is called the House of the People. The Parliament is primarily responsible for making laws. This responsibility is divided between the House of the People (which has the power of review) and the Council of Chiefs (which has the power of effect). In reality, the House of the People has no real power to propose laws, participate in their construction or consent on their passage. The Council of Chiefs wields the power to make laws. In fact, ministers do not present laws to the House of the People at all. The House of the People is informed by a messenger sent by the Council of Chiefs of the proposal presented by the minister.
The House of the People can make direct recommendations on the proposed law or any other issue arising or not from that proposal or it can send recommendations to the Council of Chiefs through a nobleman. The Speaker of the House of Chiefs is usually elevated to knightly status if they are not of that rank already so that they may receive the right to speak to a full sitting of the Council of Chiefs and present the recommendations of the House of the People to it. The Speaker is elected by the members of the House of the People. If the House elects a Speaker who is disliked by the King, he may choose to withhold the conferral of knighthood. In this case, the House of the People can elect a noble member from among its ranks if there is such a one or commission a nobleman to represent it.
