United Council of Yesteria

United Council of Yesteria
Type
Type	unicameral
History
Founded	November 19, 1856 (1856-11-19)
Preceded by	Royal Yesterian Parliament
Leadership
First Minister	Antonis Floros Since 16 January 2021
Seats	93

The United Council of Yesteria is the national legislature of Yesteria. The United Council is comprised of one representative from each community in Yesteria, and is selected by a method chosen by each individual community. The number of representatives on the United Council is presently 93, however this is subject to change each year.

History

The United Council of Yesteria was formed in 1856, forty years after the anti-technological revolution. Since the revolution, Yesteria had primarily been governed at the local level, with few decisions being taken nationally save for the enforcement of the ban on new technologies. After concerns regarding defence, national cohesion and other factors, the communities of Yesteria chose to form the United Council with a representative of each community in order to have a forum for the discussion of governance of the country as a whole, and the passing of national-level legislation. The United Council would also appoint a First Minister, who would become the political leader of the country in charge of day-to-day domestic matters at the national level; freeing the elective monarch to focus on foreign relations and defence matters.

Responsibilities

The United Council functions as both the national legislature of Yesteria, and also in many respects as the national government of the country. The United Council appoints the First Minister every five years, and the First Minister is also responsible for convening the United Council. This close relationship between the two institutions means that they work very closely together, and with the lack of separate governing structures, the United Council plays a large role in the general governance of the country alongside the debate and passage of legislation.

Due to the confederal nature of Yesteria, few issues are decided at a national level aside from matters of defence and foreign relations, along with enforcement of the ban on technology. Many of the debates at the United Council revolve around rates of taxes and methods of collection in order to fund defence infrastructure. One major initiative to come out of the United Council during its existence has been the exception to the technology ban for medical technology; which has enabled the treatment of many previously-fatal medical conditions.

Communities by Type

Any group can apply to be considered a community, however applications are usually only accepted if they are by one of six standard types. The current makeup of the United Council of Yesteria is as follows:

Type of Community	Number	Definition
Village	39	Stationary settlement comprised of a minimum of 5 households and maximum of 1000
Neighbourhood	4	Area of a settlement with total population of over 10,000
Rural grouping	13	Collection of at least 5 isolated rural households in adjacent locations
Other settlement	2	Any other stationary settlement which does not fit into the above categories
Nomadic community	27	Nomadic community with a fixed membership of a minimum 500 individuals
Nomadic grouping	8	Grouping of numerous smaller nomadic communities (<500)
Other	0	Any other community approved the right to a representative

Communities by Selection Method

The method of selecting a representative is decided by each local community, and can vary widely. A slim majority of communities elect their representatives using democratic elections with universal adult suffrage; with a number of other communities using democratic elections with some restrictions on suffrage. Some communities continue to appoint representatives without direct elections; while a limited number also consider the position hereditary within a single family.

The following table lists the present selection methods of the 93 current communities.

Selection Method	Number
Direct election (universal adult suffrage)	47
Direct election (male-only suffrage)	3
Direct election (other suffrage group)	15
Other election type	2
Appointment by local authority	4
Appointment by local nobility or landowners	1
Hereditary (gender neutral)	17
Hereditary (male heirs)	4