Southern Districts of Barrayar

The Southern Continent is divided into 64 administrative Districts, 62 of which are on mainland, and two of which are islands. Each District is further subdivided into Regions, ranging in number from 3 to 5 per District. Often, District borders form cultural and/or geographical boundaries. Therefore, Southern Districts have come to serve an important cultural role in Barrayar, also because people tend to be identified in terms of their native Districts, and each province has a stereotype that corresponds to their inhabitants.
Southern Districts lack full separate legislative authority and therefore they cannot write their own statutory law; each District is administered under laws passed by the Government of the Empire.. They levy their own taxes and, in return, receive a decreasing part of their budget from the central government, which gives them a portion of the taxes it levies. Districts have considerable discretionary power over infrastructural spending, e.g., education, public transit, universities and research, and assistance to business owners. Local services of the State administration are traditionally organised at District level, where the District High Sheriff represents the Government. Since Barrayar is an unitary state, there is little true political power and weight that Districts actually hold. Districts are subservient to the central government, but in practice provincial officials have discretion with regard to economic policy. However, powers of the central government is (with the exception of the military) not exercised through a parallel set of institutions.
The District seat of government is called the Capital City and is generally a city of some importance, roughly at the geographical centre of the district. Each District is administered by a General Council, an assembly appointed for ten years by the Prime Minister or, in his absence, by the Minister of the West, with the District High Sheriff, who represents the Government in each District and serve as its local chief executive: he often is a retired military officer and is appointed by the Emperor. The District High Sheriff is assisted by one or more Aldermen (which are appointed by the High Sheriff himself) and by Regional Sheriffs.

District High Sheriff

Basic template for Southern Districts coats of arms.

In the Southern Districts, the title High Sheriff refers to the chief executive of each Districts, appointed to represent the central government and to carry out the local governance. One of the most important functions of an High Sheriff is to make sure decisions and legislative requirements are implemented within the District over which he presides. The High Sheriff is also tasked with the implementation of any demands of government ministries. In the event that legislation cannot be directly or practically implemented, the High Sheriff is responsible for bringing about the conditions in which new legislation is compatible with his District. The High Sheriff has the right to preside over any matters of state that are not already covered by public institutions within a District, or any matters that do not have an assigned public official to deal with them. The High Sheriff can also request public institutions or officials to perform tasks that are related to their aims and purpose if a public institution dealing with said tasks is not available in a District. The High Sheriff has the right to appoint and remove some public officials from their positions, as well as provide them his own personal viewpoint on certain matters.
District Governments have some powers, each District managing to a certain point internal government. The High Sheriff heads the executive branch in each District and has considerable control over government budgeting, the power of appointment of many of the District officials, and a patronage role in legislation and regulation. The High Sheriff is directly appointed by the Government of the Empire. High Sheriff can veto local bills, as well as the power of the line-item veto on appropriations bills. The High Sheriff's veto can be overridden by the Minister of the West upon a formal request (passed with a two-thirds majority) made by the General Council. The High Sheriff has an official residence, which also is a seat of government.
During ceremonies or formal national holiday celebrations, the High Sheriff of a District serves as the most senior state official during provincial events unless a national state official is in attendance. The High Sheriff presides over the celebrations and formally accepts any awards presented during a ceremony.

Lieutenant High Sheriff

The Lieutenant High Sheriff, who ranks Southern District Senior Councillor as a Regional Sheriff, succeeds to High Sheriff office vacated by the removals from office, the deaths, or the resignations of the previous governors or serves as unofficial acting High Sheriff in case the incumbent High Sheriff is disabled; Lieutenant High Sheriffs also serve as presiding officers of the General Council.
The Lieutenant High Sheriff is the highest District official after the High Sheriff, standing in for that officer when the High Sheriff is absent from or temporarily incapacitated. In the event an High Sheriff dies, resigns or is removed from office, the lieutenant High Sheriff typically takes his post until the new appointment. The High Sheriff and the Lieutenant High Sheriff are appointed together. The Lieutenant High Sheriff is also the presiding officer of the General Council of the District.

District-level Administration

The District High Sheriff is an official of the Ministry of the West ranking State Councillor, 2nd class; the official title is "Southern District State Councillor, 2nd class", reflecting the government branch the High Sheriff belongs to. Under the High Sheriff, the District administration forms a distinct, albeit not separate, branch of government; while the Lieutenant High Sheriff is the deputy of the High Sheriff and performs political duties, there is a precise hierarchy:

• District Cabinet Leader (ranking Southern District Senior Councillor): chief of staff of the High Sheriff;
• District Alderman (ranking Southern District Councillor): head of a Department (e.g. Public Safety, Labour Affairs, Public Health, etc.); deputy of the District Cabinet Leader; head of the High Sheriff's Secretariat;
• District Office Director (ranking Southern District Chief Commissioner): head of a subordinate Office; deputy of the District Department Director; head of a Department of the High Sheriff's Secretariat).

These positions are part of a chain of command which does not involve direct authorities over Regional and other subordinate administrations, mostly because are legally considered as the personal retinue of the District High Sheriff, who is the only one to hold authority over Regional Sheriffs.

District Economic Commission

The District Economic Commission is an organization established in each District under the District Department of Economy, in order to manage a separate economic region. They are subordinated to the Central Research Institute for National Economic Order and Large Area Economics of the Ministry for Economy and Heavy Industry and to the local District High Sheriff.

District Control Committee

The District Control Committee is an organ of the region which the functions of control over the acts of the Regions, Arrondissements and Municipalities and other local authorities. The Control Committee exercises the legality check of legal acts of the Regions, Arrondissements and Municipalities and other local authorities. In cases determined by law may also exercise control over their content, once their legality is ascertained. The Committee is based in the District capital and is appointed by the District High Sheriff. It is a collegial body consisting of three full members and three alternate members elected by the General Council among experts in administrative matters and two full member and two alternate member appointed by the District High Sheriff. The President of the District Control Committee is elected the same among the members expressed by the General Council. A District official designated by the District High Sheriff acts as secretary.

General Council

The General Council is a regulation-making assembly, established in order to provide the District High Sheriff of a stakeholders' say. The assembly members (referred to as Councillors) are appointed for ten years by the Prime Minister or, in his absence, by the Minister of the West; the appointment follows the election since the 2991 Local Government Act. General Council's powers are somewhat extended: it can draw and approve local bills, raise some forms of local taxes, formulate the appropriation bill and approves the local budget, although the High Sheriff can override the Council by vetoing individual appropriations.
The General Council is composed of indirectly-elected representatives of several types of local bodies; at least a Councillor for each Region (appointed by the Regional Sheriff), one for trade unions and one for entrepreneurs' unions, one to three Councillors for each District University network, one to two Councillors for Imperial Schools (both public and private) and one Councillor for the District capital city. In addition, according to the District population size, there may be from 5 to 15 Councillors elected by the government bodies of Arrondissements and Municipalities, as well as up to three Councillors elected exclusively from the Local Rural Communities governance bodies.

Public Security

The High Sheriff is the District Authority of Public Security. He has overall responsibility for law and order and public security in the District, oversees the implementation of the directives issued in this regard and ensures unity of direction and coordination.
For these purposes, the High Sheriff must be promptly informed by the Director of Public Security and the District Commander of the Special Corps of Gendarmes, however, have a bearing on how much of your order and public safety in the province. The High Sheriff has the public force at his disposal and directs their activities. The local Director of Public Security is the jure the Lieutenant High Sheriff.

Subordinate local government

High Sheriffs have the right to both supervise and reorganise local government positions. Although local elections are held, the High Sheriff has the right to inspect the proceedings of local administrations as well as conduct any reorganisations that may be deemed necessary.

Southern Districts

Related voices

• Local Government of Barrayar