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[[File:NATO-2002-Summit.jpg|frame|The Council | [[File:NATO-2002-Summit.jpg|frame|The Federal Council convening to confirm a judicial appointment]] | ||
The '''Council | The '''Federal Council''' ([[Kiravic Coscivian|Kiravic:]] ''Rektārkax Kovar'') is one of the five constitutional bodies of the [[Kiravian]] federal government. It consists of Councillors representing the governments of the member states of the Kiravian Federacy. Its sessions are held at Confederation Hall in [[Kartika]] (known unofficially as the {{wp|Tholos (architecture)|Kartika Tholos}}), which also houses its permanent Secretariat. | ||
==Powers and Function== | ==Powers and Function== | ||
The Council | The Federal Council serves to represent the interests of the Federacy's member-states, acting as a national "board of directors" of sorts on long-term policy directions and major national decisions. | ||
*Approval of amendments to the Fundamental Statute by a 3/4 majority | *Approval of amendments to the Fundamental Statute by a 3/4 majority | ||
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*Approval of changes to the boundaries of states and territories already consented to by the legislatures of the affected states. | *Approval of changes to the boundaries of states and territories already consented to by the legislatures of the affected states. | ||
*Admission of new states to the Federacy | *Admission of new states to the Federacy | ||
*Nomination of the Prosecutor-General of the Kiravian Federacy | |||
*Appointment of Grand Prosecutors to carry out criminal prosecution against constitutional officers. | |||
The Council | The Federal Council does not have power over the federal budget. This proceeds from the fact that the Fundamental Statute prohibits the federal government from taxing the states but allows it to tax the people. | ||
In addition to its constitutionally-enumerated powers, the Council | In addition to its constitutionally-enumerated powers, the Federal Council exercises a great deal of "authority without power" (''akrovir dhas āra''). Most of the articles the body debates and passes are nonbinding resolutions voicing the Council's (and by extension, the states') opinion on matters of national policy. These are frequently used to express objections to executive actions or legislation, which can have a significant effect on public opinion. | ||
==Membership== | ==Membership== | ||
The Fundamental Statute requires only that Councillors must be resident citizens of the Federacy and of the states that they represent, be at least 35 years of age, and not hold any other state or federal office. Enlisted members of state guards may be Councillors, but officers may not. Councillors serve at the pleasure of their state legislatures, and can be appointed, recalled, or replaced at any time for any or no reason. The Federal Consistory case ''Kilkennan v. [[Ilfenóra]]'' determined that the states are not obligated to seat a Councillor, and may leave their seat vacant for any duration of time they wish. Long-term vacancies were very common historically, when lengthy and difficult | The Fundamental Statute requires only that Councillors must be resident citizens of the Federacy and of the states that they represent, be at least 35 years of age, and not hold any other state or federal office. Enlisted members of state guards may be Councillors, but officers may not. Councillors serve at the pleasure of their state legislatures, and can be appointed, recalled, or replaced at any time for any or no reason. The Federal Consistory case ''Kilkennan v. [[Ilfenóra]]'' determined that the states are not obligated to seat a Councillor, and may leave their seat vacant for any duration of time they wish. Long-term vacancies were very common historically, when lengthy and difficult journeys between the more distant states and Kartika often resulted in Councillors spending many months in transit. Additionally, gridlock in state legislatures has been (and continues to be) a cause of long-term vacancy. | ||
Modern Councillors usually vote according to instructions from their legislatures, especially on votes with legally binding consequences. However, the degree of control that legislatures exert over Councillors varies by state, over time, political landscape, and the individuals involved. A few states require that their Councillors vote only according to instructions voted on by the legislature or as directed by the legislative leader, forcing them to abstain if instructions are not sent. Most states, however, permit their Councillor to vote according to their own judgement in the event that the legislature does not send instructions, cannot agree on any, or is not in session. Legislatures have also been known to "punt" decisions on controversial or contentious votes to their Councillors to avoid electoral backlash. Councillors from states whose legislatures are not in session year-round, such as [[Kyllera]] and [[Koskenkorva]], frequently vote on their own initiative. | Modern Councillors usually vote according to instructions from their legislatures, especially on votes with legally binding consequences. However, the degree of control that legislatures exert over Councillors varies by state, over time, political landscape, and the individuals involved. A few states require that their Councillors vote only according to instructions voted on by the legislature or as directed by the legislative leader, forcing them to abstain if instructions are not sent. Most states, however, permit their Councillor to vote according to their own judgement in the event that the legislature does not send instructions, cannot agree on any, or is not in session. Legislatures have also been known to "punt" decisions on controversial or contentious votes to their Councillors to avoid electoral backlash. Councillors from states whose legislatures are not in session year-round, such as [[Kyllera]] and [[Koskenkorva]], frequently vote on their own initiative. | ||
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==Administration and Procedure== | ==Administration and Procedure== | ||
The Fundamental Statute gives no prescriptions for how the Council | The Fundamental Statute gives no prescriptions for how the Federal Council is to conduct its business, so the rules and organisation of the Council are largely self-created. Leadership of the Council is vested in a President, who presides over meetings and oversees the Secretariat. The Presidency rotates among the regional groups (''see section below'') annually, changing hands on the day of the autumnal equinox. The regional group receiving the Presidency usually selects the President from among its number a week or so before the equinox. While a group can replace the President anytime during its turn in the rotation, this is almost never done for any reason other than death or vacancy. If the President is absent from a meeting or the presiding regional group fails to select a President, the longest-serving member of the Council becomes the acting President. | ||
The Council is a continuous body that schedules meetings all year-round. It does not differentiate between annual sessions in its records, and it is never "dissolved". | The Council is a continuous body that schedules meetings all year-round. It does not differentiate between annual sessions in its records, and it is never "dissolved". | ||
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==Regional Groups== | ==Regional Groups== | ||
The Council | The Federal Council is a non-partisan body. While many of its members belong to state-level political parties, the Council does not recognise any cadres or other political groups. Councillors are instead seated by Regional Groups corresponding (generally) to the geographic location of the state they represent. The Presidency of the Federal Council rotates among the Regional Groups annually, with each group electing one of their number to the Presidency. | ||
===Western Regional Group=== | ===Western Regional Group=== | ||