Grand Assembly

The Grand Assembly (Acirian: Grande Assemblea) is the bicameral legislature of the Grand Empire of Aciria. While bicameral, it consists of three parts; the Grand Emperor who signs new laws into action, the Imperial Senate where matters such as budget are debated, and the People's Senate, where laws are initially drafted before being passed onto the Imperial Senate for judgment. The 1784 constitution declares that any legislation or decision reached by the Grand Assembly is subject to oversight and correction by the Emperor, granting final say in all legislation to the Emperor who holds absolute power over the Grand Assembly.

The Imperial Senate can be entered in multiple ways. There are no public elections held for positions in the Imperial Senate, so the most common way to enter it is through The Game by winning favour of members of the Imperial Senate, which can result in a current member being removed from their post and a new member elected in their place by members of the Imperial Senate. The seven Imperial Governors appoint seven representatives to the Senate which have a permanent seat there. Technically, a seat in the Imperial Senate can be hereditary, with your firstborn having a right to your seat if you die while a member of the Senate, but these occasions are rare. Rarely, the Emperor has the right to place anyone he decides into the Imperial Senate.

The People's Senate is open to any citizen of Aciria, with its 450 members being voted on every ten years through ranked voting.

Free Republic of Aciria
The first free elections held in Aciria were held in 16XX following its independence, with the People's Senate made up of the nobility, clergy and peasants, each promised by the constitution a third of the seats. The senate was overseen and lead by the First Speaker of the Republic. While on paper equal, the nobility quickly began secret interventions in elections by funding the peasants who were willing to play along to the interests of the nobility, which in turn eventually meant that two-thirds of the senate was ran by the nobility. It resulted in distrust of the senate by both commoners and clergy, both in and out of senate.

Grand Empire of Aciria
The Grand Assembly's republican roots can be found in the People's Senate, which was never formally dissolved, but the 1784 constitution simply added the Imperial Senate between the Emperor and the People's Senate in hierarchy. Little changed in reality, with the Imperial Senate consisting of the same noble families and aristocrats that made up the Free Republic's senate, with the People's Senate slowly filling up with more peasants. The People's Senate initially enjoyed popularity with the people due to the People's Senate actually representing the people instead of the nobility and aristocracy, but the popularity waned after the uselessness of the People's Senate became apparent after Imperial Senate refusing to pass any laws in interest of the peasantry.

Membership and elections
As per the 1784 constitution, the only requirements to vote in the elections of the People's Senate or to join or be a part of either the People's Senate or Imperial Senate were to be an Acirian (later specified in 1917 to refer to Acirian citizens), and to not be a freed slave or a descendant of a freed slave. The latter part was then removed in 1877.

While both the Imperial Senate and People's Senate are open to any Acirian citizen, the resources, connections and wealth required to join the Imperial Senate and hold the seat makes it very unlikely for someone not a part of the nobility or aristocracy to ever make it to the Imperial Senate. The exception to the rule are high-ranking military officers, who have often made Imperial Senate despite their humble background.

First Speaker
The title of First Speaker was reused for the Imperial Senate following its formation, with the leader of the People's Senate being replaced with the Voice of the People. While the Imperial Senate seats can be inherited, the title of First Speaker is not. The First Speaker is personally appointed by the Emperor, following the coronation of a new Emperor, or the death of the last First Speaker, usually meaning it is a life-long title.

Voice of the People
The Voice of the People, as opposed to the First Speaker, is elected by members of the People's Senate. While not instructed by the law, the members of the People's Senate traditionally party with those of similar socioeconomic backgrounds to elect a "representative". The People's Senate then votes on the chosen representatives to choose the Voice of the People.

Legislative process
The People's Senate is the lowest level of legislature, where initial drafts of laws are drafted, debated and voted on. Would the majority of the People's Senate vote positively on the law, it is then passed onto the Imperial Senate for further scrutiny. The Imperial Senate debates and votes on the draft, and regardless of the results of the vote, the Emperor is briefed on it to give the Emperor last say on whether or not to sign it into effect or abandon it.

Legislative violence
The title of the Voice of the People is highly-coveted, which has resulted in four recorded senate wide fights relating to the election of the Voice of the People.