Caphiria: Difference between revisions

===Government===

The executive power in the government is vested in its entirety through the Imperator of Caphiria. The Imperator governs by way of his imperium maius (supreme executive power), his auctoritas principis (primary legislative authority), and his jure divis (divine mandate as Pope) As its chief executive, the Imperator is head of state and thus head of the Ministries of Caphiria, the trans-parliamentary bodies that administer the functions of the federal government on behalf of the Imperator. He has the ability to appoint and fire ministers, create and dissolve ministries, as well as the responsibility to appoint diplomatic and provincial officials.The Imperator relies on the Office of the Imperium, the principal executive organ through which his Prime Minister leads. This Office consists of the Prime Minister, the chair of the council, who is appointed by the Imperator after consultations and is confirmed by a vote of both houses of the Senate, and all of the Ministers, according to the request of the Prime Minister. These ministries are the de facto administers of the government of Caphiria, serving the functions of the federal government on behalf of the Imperator. Ultimately though, the powers of the Office of the Imperium rest in the hands of the Imperator of Caphiria until the ministers assume their offices. While the Imperator maintains executive power at the highest level, he delegates power and authority to a Praetor (governor) to administer the Imperium's 21 provincial-level divisions. The Imperator also serves as military commander-in-chief and chief diplomat, directly presiding over the 13 million active-duty military personnel, 7 million employees within the executive branch, and 4 ministries. While the Imperator possess near limitless executive power, the Senate has the ability to legally oppose most of the Imperator's actions by a super-majority.

   

Government District, Downtown Venceia. The Forum, where the Senate meets is in the background.

The legislative branch for the Imperium, the Senate of Caphiria - known traditionally as the Imperial Senate - separates into two distinct representative bodies. First, the Curiate Assembly (Comitia Curiata) occupies itself with the fiscal responsibilities of the Senate as its Lower House and gives legitimacy to legislation by its support. Second, the Consular Congress (Comitium Consularis) writes bills and provides a second democratic check on enacting new laws. The Curiate Assembly is officiated by democratically elected representatives of the public known as senatores (senators). Their role evolved from the self-serving aristocrats of the Old Republic who, plagued with greed, were individually possessed of a great deal more power than modern senators. Today, each senator represents 550,000 citizens of a curia, a contiguous political district within the Imperium. Regular bills need a 51% senatorial majority to become senatus consultum (decree of the senate). Such a bill will be posted in the Forum the following morning for review by magistrates and citizens. Afterward, the Imperator has the power to either enact or veto the bill, unless it carries a supermajority in the Senate. Meanwhile, the Consular Congress is composed of Consuls, but are not like the bureaucrats who bore their name during the Old Republic. Consuls are unique in that they govern and represent the Imperium's major cultural groups - Foederatae - and maintain the concept of stratification, which in Caphiria is incredibly complex and diverse, encompassing both legal and social status. The Congress is also unique in that it has the sole power to write bills and introduce legislation, the sole power to ratify treaties, the sole power to try (but not necessarily initiate) impeachment cases against officials of the executive or even judicial branch, following enabling resolutions passed by the Assembly, and it may give advice and consent to some executive decisions (e.g. appointments of cabinet ministers, judges or ambassadors). Presiding over the Assembly and the de facto head of both houses is the President of the Senate (Princeps Senatus), a magistrate with no voting power but who decides the vote in the event of a tie, sways the opinion of senators by his influence, and can nullify a maximum of 10 votes with a valid reason. As figurehead of the Senate, the Princeps is often the public face for the legislature, speaking to the people of Caphiria several times a year.His duties as president include calling the either house of the Senate to assemble, issuing the final legislative position of the Assembly, maintaining order during parliamentary discussions, and delivering messages from the Assembly in person to the Imperator.

   

Caphirian Forum, Downtown Venceia

===Magistrates===

{{main|Magistrates of Caphiria}}