National Government
Executive Branch
His Grand Majesty's Government, or the Government of the Grand Kingdom of Cembria, is the central government of Cembria. The Government is led by the Prime Minister, who selects the other members of the Cabinet. The Prime Minister and the other most senior Ministers belong to the supreme decision-making committee, known as the Council of Ministers. The Council members advise the monarch as members of the Privy Council. They also exercise power directly as leaders of the Government Ministries.
Council of Ministers
The Council of Ministers is the executive council of His Majesty's Government, formed by all the ministers. This executive council initiates laws and policy. The Council of Ministers is distinct from the Cabinet which also includes state secretaries. State secretaries do not attend the Council of Ministers unless they are requested to do so and they do not have voting rights.
The Council of Ministers normally convenes every week, usually on Fridays at 11:00 a.m. at the Royal Palace (the Room of Treaties), Calnebridge. It makes decisions by means of collegiate governance. All ministers, including the Prime Minister, are (theoretically) equal. These meetings are chaired by the Prime Minister. Behind the closed doors, ministers can freely debate proposed decisions and express their opinion on any aspect of Cabinet policy. Generally much effort is put into reaching relative consensus on any decision. A process of voting within the Council does exist, but is hardly ever used.
Together with the King the Council of Ministers forms His Grand Majesty's Government, also known as the Crown, which makes all the major decisions. In practice the King does not participate in the daily decision-making of government, although he is kept up to date by weekly visits (on Tuesday) of the Prime Minister. The Constitution does not clearly speak of Cabinet, but instead only of the Council of Ministers and Government.
A department acts as the secretariat to the Minister. Its functions comprises overall planning, development and strategic guidance on the entire area of responsibility of the Minister. The Ministers' decisions are carried out by the permanent and politically neutral civil service within the department.
Legislative Branch
It consists of two chambers, the more important of which is the directly elected Secondary Council (lower house): it has 169 seats which are filled through elections using a party-list proportional epresentation. The Secondary Council is the main chamber of parliament, where discussion of proposed legislation and review of the actions of the cabinet takes place. Both the Council of Ministers and the Secondary Council itself have the right to propose legislation; the Secondary Council discusses it and, if adopted by a majority, sends it on to the Primary Council (the upper house). It is also responsible for the first round of selection for judges to the Supreme Court of Cembria. The maximum term is four years.
The Primary Council (upper house) is elected indirectly by members of provincial legislatures. It currently has 55 members, elected by the members of the five States-Provincial (provincial councils) every four years. Unlike the politically more significant Secondary Council, it meets only one day a week. Its members tend to be veteran politicians or part-time politicians at the national level, often having other roles. It has the right to accept or reject legislative proposals, but not to amend them or to initiate legislation. Members of the Primary Council are elected indirectly through the States-Provincial, which in turn are elected by the people of embria every four years. The States-Provincial work in the same way as the Secondary Council. After elections for the States-Provincial, their new membership elects people to take a seat in the Primary Council.
The meeting rooms of the States-General are at the Palace of State in Calnebridge. The States-General meets in joint session at least once a year, at the opening of the parliamentary year. On special occasions, such as when the States-General vote on a marriage of a member of the royal house, when a king is inaugurated or when a member of the royal house dies, both houses also meet in a joint session, with the President of the Primary Council presiding. The rest of the time, the two chambers sit separately.
Constitutionally, all functions of the parliament are given to both houses, except for the rights of initiative and amendment. In practice, however, the Secondary Council has these functions, as the Primary Council meets only one day a week. The Joint Session also appoints the monarch if there is no heir to the throne and the regent is unable to exercise his or her powers.
Judicial Branch
The Cembrian system of courts is based on a unified structure, in which there are no special or constitutional courts of law, as well as no formal division within the courts. As a rule, all courts of law may adjudicate disputes in legal areas such as civil, labour, administrative and constitutional law as well as criminal justice. Judicial action against ministers and/or former ministers, in cases surrounding their dealings as minister, are however handled by a Court of Impeachment of the Realm, composed of Supreme Court judges and members of parliament. The Court of Indictment and Revision handles complaints regarding procedure, disqualification of judges etc. brought by the users of the courts, against the courts.
Proceedings are oral in general and open to the public in the lower courts, and always oral in the Supreme Court. Media transmissions from within the court are prohibited, unless allowed by the presiding judge.