Government of Sanctaria: Difference between revisions
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The ninth government of Sanctaria took office in the evening of 14 December 2022 following a general election on 10 December 2022. The result was a hung parliament, and the [[Democratic Left Party (Sanctaria)|Democratic Left Party]], which had won a plurality of seats, entered into a coalition with the [[Green Party (Sanctaria)|Green Party]] to ensure the government had a majority of votes in the House. The leader of the the largest party, Ethan Ringrose of the Democratic Left Party, was appointed Chancellor. The leader of the second party, Josephine Chari-Jones of the Green Party, became Vice Chancellor. | The ninth government of Sanctaria took office in the evening of 14 December 2022 following a general election on 10 December 2022. The result was a hung parliament, and the [[Democratic Left Party (Sanctaria)|Democratic Left Party]], which had won a plurality of seats, entered into a coalition with the [[Green Party (Sanctaria)|Green Party]] to ensure the government had a majority of votes in the House. The leader of the the largest party, Ethan Ringrose of the Democratic Left Party, was appointed Chancellor. The leader of the second party, Josephine Chari-Jones of the Green Party, became Vice Chancellor. | ||
Secretaries of State are listed by seniority as per the Government Secretaries Acts 1974 to 2022. The new Chancellor dissolved some departments that had been created by the previous government and allocated their duties among existing departments, renaming them where necessary.<ref>The Departments that were abolished and had their briefs merged with extant departments were the Departments of Labour & Employment, Equality & Minority Affairs, Families & Youth, Devolution & Governmental Affairs, and Science, Innovation & Technology.</ref> | Secretaries of State are listed by seniority as per the Government Secretaries Acts 1974 to 2022. The new Chancellor dissolved some departments that had been created by the previous government and allocated their duties among existing departments, renaming them where necessary.<ref>The Departments that were abolished and had their briefs merged with extant departments were the Departments of Labour & Employment, Equality & Minority Affairs, Families & Youth, Devolution & Governmental Affairs, and Science, Innovation & Technology.</ref> A small reshuffle took effect on 02 March 2024. | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
| Line 992: | Line 992: | ||
|[[Chancellor of Sanctaria|Chancellor]] | |[[Chancellor of Sanctaria|Chancellor]] | ||
|[[Ethan Ringrose]] | |[[Ethan Ringrose]] | ||
|rowspan= | |rowspan=2|2022—present | ||
|style="background-color: orange;"| | |style="background-color: orange;"| | ||
|[[Democratic Left Party (Sanctaria)|Democratic Left Party]] | |[[Democratic Left Party (Sanctaria)|Democratic Left Party]] | ||
| Line 1,002: | Line 1,002: | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[Secretary for Infrastructure (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for Infrastructure]] | |[[Secretary for Infrastructure (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for Infrastructure]] | ||
|2022—2024 | |||
|- | |- | ||
|[[Secretary for the Treasury (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for the Treasury]] | |[[Secretary for the Treasury (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for the Treasury]] | ||
|[[Ben Jackson]] | |[[Ben Jackson]] | ||
|2022—present | |||
|rowspan=7 style="background-color: orange;"| | |rowspan=7 style="background-color: orange;"| | ||
|rowspan=7|[[Democratic Left Party (Sanctaria)|Democratic Left Party]] | |rowspan=7|[[Democratic Left Party (Sanctaria)|Democratic Left Party]] | ||
| Line 1,010: | Line 1,012: | ||
|[[Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs]] | |[[Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs]] | ||
|[[Kathryn Stewart]] | |[[Kathryn Stewart]] | ||
|2022—2024 | |||
|- | |- | ||
|[[Secretary for Homeland Security (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for Homeland Security]] | |[[Secretary for Homeland Security (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for Homeland Security]] | ||
|[[Nicola Allman]] | |[[Nicola Allman]] | ||
|rowspan=3|2022—present | |||
|- | |- | ||
|[[Secretary for Business, Industry, and Trade (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for Business, Industry, & Trade]] | |[[Secretary for Business, Industry, and Trade (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for Business, Industry, & Trade]] | ||
| Line 1,022: | Line 1,026: | ||
|[[Secretary for Justice and Equality (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for Justice & Equality]] | |[[Secretary for Justice and Equality (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for Justice & Equality]] | ||
|[[Xander Morgan]] | |[[Xander Morgan]] | ||
|2022—2024 | |||
|- | |- | ||
|[[Secretary for Social and Family Affairs (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for Social & Family Affairs]] | |[[Secretary for Social and Family Affairs (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for Social & Family Affairs]] | ||
|[[Amanda Thomas]] | |[[Amanda Thomas]] | ||
|rowspan=6|2022—present | |||
|- | |- | ||
|[[Secretary for Energy, Renewables, and Natural Resources (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for Energy, Renewables, & Natural Resources]] | |[[Secretary for Energy, Renewables, and Natural Resources (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for Energy, Renewables, & Natural Resources]] | ||
| Line 1,048: | Line 1,054: | ||
|style="background-color: orange;"| | |style="background-color: orange;"| | ||
|[[Democratic Left Party (Sanctaria)|Democratic Left Party]] | |[[Democratic Left Party (Sanctaria)|Democratic Left Party]] | ||
|- | |||
|colspan="5" style="text-align:center"| | |||
'''Changes March 2024''' | |||
|- | |||
|style="text-align:center"|Office | |||
|style="text-align:center"|Name | |||
|style="text-align:center"|Term | |||
|colspan="2" style="text-align:center"|Party | |||
|- | |||
|[[Secretary for Justice and Equality (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for Justice & Equality]] | |||
|Josephine Chari-Jones | |||
|rowspan=3|2024—present | |||
|style="background-color: green;"| | |||
|[[Green Party (Sanctaria)|Green Party]] | |||
|- | |||
|[[Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs]] | |||
|[[Bethany Greer]] | |||
|rowspan=2 style="background-color: orange;"| | |||
|rowspan=2|[[Democratic Left Party (Sanctaria)|Democratic Left Party]] | |||
|- | |||
|[[Secretary for Infrastructure (Sanctaria)|Secretary of State for Infrastructure]] | |||
|Xander Morgan | |||
|- | |- | ||
|} | |} | ||
Latest revision as of 17:27, 2 March 2024
| Government of Sanctaria | |
|---|---|
 Sanctarian Coat of Arms | |
| Overview | |
| Established | 19 November 1974 |
| State | Sanctaria |
| Leader | Chancellor |
| Appointed by | Chancellor and Secretaries approved by Parliament, ceremonially appointed by the President |
| Main organ | Cabinet |
| Ministries | 14 |
| Responsible to | Parliament |
| Headquarters | Government Manor Sanctus, Sanctaria |
The Government of Sanctaria is the federal cabinet that exercises executive authority in Sanctaria.
The Constitution of Sanctaria vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the Chancellor, the head of government. The government is composed of government ministers, called Secretaries of State, all of whom must be members of the federal Parliament of Sanctaria. The Chancellor must be nominated and approved by the House of Deputies, the lower house of Parliament. Following the House's nomination, the President of Sanctaria appoints the Chancellor to his/her role.
Secretaries of State must be nominated by the Chancellor and approved by the Senate, the upper house of Parliament. The President then also appoints these members of the government. The government is dependent upon Parliament to make primary legislation and, as such, the government needs to command a majority in the House of Deputies in order to ensure support and confidence for budgets and government bills to pass. Collectively the government is known as 'the cabinet".
The current Chancellor is Ethan Ringrose who took office on 14 December 2022. He is the leader of the Democratic Left Party, the party with the most seats in the House; the Democratic Left Party are currently in a coalition with the Green Party to have a government that can command a majority of votes. The Vice Chancellor is Josephine Chari-Jones who took office on 14 December 2022.
Membership[edit | edit source]
Membership of the cabinet is regulated by the Constitution of Sanctaria, and by the Government Secretaries Acts 1974 to 2018. The Sanctarian constitution requires the government to consist of at least six members, with no maximum limit, all of whom must be members of Parliament.
Prior to constitutional changes in 2012, there were no limits on how many members of the Senate, the upper house of parliament, were permitted to be members of Government; since then, no more than two members of the Senate are permitted to be a member of the Government, primarily because the constitutional changes at the time sought to give more independence to each house. The Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, and Secretary for the Treasury are required to be members of the House of Deputies, the lower house of parliament.
Members of the government in charge of government departments are designated Secretaries of State. Prior to 2018, junior ministers, or assistant secretaries, were also appointed to assist the running of government departments, but were not members of the government, and were answerable to the Secretary of State responsible for the department they were assigned to. Ministers without portfolio may be appointed as members of the government without being appointed as the head of a department, though this has not yet occurred in Sanctarian governmental history; legislation for this specifies such ministers are to be designated Secretaries-at-large.
Non-members attending cabinet[edit | edit source]
Non members of government may be invited to attend cabinet meetings, but without voting rights. Such members may otherwise participate fully and receive circulated confidential cabinet papers on the same basis as a full member of Government. Typically, these non-members include the Attorney General, and the Chief Whip of the party in power.
The Attorney General is a constitutional office who, while not formally a member of the Government, is obliged to attend cabinet meetings in their role as legal advisor to the Government. To date all Attorneys General have not been members of parliament and have instead been leading solicitors or advocates, but there is no prohibition on appointing a member of parliament as Attorney General.
Prior to the abolition of junior ministers and assistant secretaries in 2018, it was normal for the Prime Minister of the day to invite those ministers to cabinet meetings when topics under their portfolio were being discussed.
Term of office[edit | edit source]
The Government serves in office until the nomination of a new Chancellor by the House. Prior to 2013, the maximum term was 7 years by law, which most governments served; since then the maximum term is set to 5 years.
The Government must enjoy the confidence of the House of Deputies if it is to remain in office. If the Chancellor ceases to retain the support of a majority in the House, either the House must be dissolved or the Chancellor must resign. This applies only in cases of a no-confidence vote, or the loss of a supply (i.e. budgetary) vote, rather than a simple government bill being rejected. The President may refuse to grant a dissolution to a Chancellor who does not enjoy the support of the House, thereby forcing the resignation of the Chancellor. Current convention, however, is that a President will always allow a dissolution to a Chancellor when requested; the power to refuse a dissolution has never been invoked.
When the Chancellor resigns, the entire Government is deemed to have resigned as a collective. The Chancellor may also direct the President to dismiss or accept the resignation of individual Secretaries. When the House or Parliament as a whole is dissolved, the Chancellor and the entire Government is similarly deemed to have vacated their offices. The offices remain vacant until a new government is appointed, with no new policies announced or enacted in the interim, and government departments only exercising day-to-day obligations.
Authority and powers[edit | edit source]
Unlike cabinets in other parliamentary systems, the Government is both the de jure and de facto executive authority in Sanctaria. The Constitution explicitly vests executive authority in the Government, not the President. In other parliamentary regimes, the head of state is usually the nominal chief executive, though bound by convention to act on the advice of the cabinet.
The executive authority of the Government is subject to certain limitations, however. In particular:
- The state may not declare war, or participate in a war, without the consent of both Houses of Parliament. In the case of an actual invasion, however, the Government is permitted to "take whatever steps they may consider necessary for the protection of the state".[1]
- Treaties must be laid before the Senate.
- The Government must act in accordance with the Constitution.
History[edit | edit source]
The first Government of Sanctaria took office on coming into force of the Constitution of Sanctaria on 19 November 1974 following the establishment of the Divine Republic of Sanctaria after the death of Patriarch Aequitas IV, head of the Sanctarian Catholic Church, and the break-up of the Papal States of Sanctaria that he, by virtue of his office, headed.
The detail and structure of the Government of Sanctaria has its legislative basis in the Government Secretaries Act, 1974; it has been amended on a number of occasions, most recently 2018, and these may be cited together as the Government Secretaries Acts 1974 to 2018 and are construed as one Act.
Governments typically have consisted of one party in a majority government, the leader of that party always becoming Prime Minister; the 2nd Government of Sanctaria from 1981 to 1986 was a coalition government between the Sanctarian Conservative Party and the Christian Union Party - the Prime Minister in this instance was the leader of the largest party. Similarly, the current government of Sanctaria - the 9th Government - is a coalition between the Democratic Left Party and the Green Party, with the Chancellor being the leader of the largest party in the coalition, the Democratic Left.
On 01 January 2019, Sanctaria was federalised and became the Divine Federation of Sanctaria. The offices of Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister were renamed to Chancellor and Vice Chancellor respectively. The powers and duties of the office(s) were not changed.
Governments of Sanctaria[edit | edit source]
1st Government of Sanctaria[edit | edit source]
The first Government of Sanctaria was formed on 19 November 1974 following elections earlier in the year for a Parliament that was to be formed on coming into effect of the Constitution of Sanctaria. The largest party was the Christian Union Party, and their leader, Rev. Eric Childerson, was appointed Sanctaria's first Prime Minister.
Secretaries of State are listed by seniority as per the Government Secretaries Acts 1974 to 2018. A reshuffle took place on 17 September 1979.
The following attended cabinet meetings, but did not have a vote:
| Office | Name | Term | Party | |
| Attorney General | Robert Hogan | 1974—1981 | Independent | |
| Government Chief Whip | James Boyd | Christian Union Party | ||
2nd Government of Sanctaria[edit | edit source]
The second government of Sanctaria was formed on 06 December 1981 following elections the month prior. No one party had a majority of seats. The party with the largest number of seats, the Sanctarian Conservative Party joined with the party with the second largest number of seats, the Christian Union Party, in a coalition government. The leader of the largest party, Richard Hammersley, became Prime Minister, and the leader of the second party in the coalition became Deputy Prime Minister.
Secretaries of State are listed by seniority as per the Government Secretaries Acts 1974 to 2018. A reshuffle took place on 28 February 1984.
The following attended cabinet meetings, but did not have a vote:
| Office | Name | Term | Party | |
| Attorney General | Alastair Petty | 1981—1986 | Independent | |
| Government Chief Whip | John Turnbull | Sanctarian Conservative Party | ||
3rd Government of Sanctaria[edit | edit source]
The third Government of Sanctaria was formed on 29 November 1986 after the previous parliament was dissolved early due to differences in policy between the coalition parties. The Sanctarian Conservative Party won a majority of seats, and Eli Taylor was appointed Prime Minister.
Secretaries of State are listed by seniority as per the Government Secretaries Acts 1974 to 2018. A reshuffle took place on 31 January 1990.
The following attended cabinet meetings, but did not have a vote:
| Office | Name | Term | Party | |
| Attorney General | Alastair Petty | 1986—1990 | Independent | |
| Nigel Beckett | 1990—1993 | |||
| Government Chief Whip | Charles Dawson | 1986—1990 | Sanctarian Conservative Party | |
| Ron Fallon | 1990—1993 | |||
4th Government of Sanctaria[edit | edit source]
The fourth government took office on 12 December 1993 after the general election of that year. The Democratic Left Party won a majority of seats and their leader, Glen Cox, was appointed Prime Minister.
Secretaries of State are listed by seniority as per the Government Secretaries Acts 1974 to 2018.
| Office | Name | Term | Party | |
| Prime Minister | Glen Cox | 1993—2000 | Democratic Left Party | |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Stuart Payne | |||
| Secretary of State for Finance | ||||
| Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Niki St. James | |||
| Secretary of State for Home Affairs, Justice & Equality | Jennifer Quinn | |||
| Secretary of State for Commerce | Lance Monroe | |||
| Secretary of State for Health | Donna Blight | |||
| Secretary of State for Education & Science | Henry Collins | |||
| Secretary of State for Social Welfare | Charlene Hendry | |||
| Secretary of State for Transport & Communications | Lewis Trotter | |||
| Secretary of State for Defence | Ian Keating | |||
| Secretary of State for Agriculture & the Environment | Bernard Howe | |||
| Secretary of State for Culture & Tourism | Mary-Ann Norris | |||
The following attended cabinet meetings, but did not have a vote:
| Office | Name | Term | Party | |
| Attorney General | Mark Blumenthal | 1993—2000 | Independent | |
| Government Chief Whip | Susanne Connors | 1993—2000 | Democratic Left Party | |
5th Government of Sanctaria[edit | edit source]
The fifth government took office on 01 December 2000 after the general election of the previous month. The Sanctarian Conservative Party won a majority of seats and their leader, Charles Dawson, became Prime Minister.
Secretaries of State are listed by seniority as per the Government Secretaries Acts 1974 to 2018. A reshuffle took place on 18 September 2005.
The following attended cabinet meetings, but did not have a vote:
| Office | Name | Term | Party | |
| Attorney General | Gareth Kirkbride | 2000—2007 | Independent | |
| Government Chief Whip | Luke Jones | 2000—2007 | Sanctarian Conservative Party | |
6th Government of Sanctaria[edit | edit source]
The sixth Government of Sanctaria was formed on 13 December 2007 following the general election earlier that month. The Sanctarian Conservative Party were returned to power and their leader, Joshua Turner, was appointed Prime Minister.
Secretaries of State are listed by seniority as per the Government Secretaries Acts 1974 to 2018. A reshuffle took place on 18 December 2010. A minor reshuffle took place on 28 June 2012.
The following attended cabinet meetings, but did not have a vote:
| Office | Name | Term | Party | |
| Attorney General | Tara Gregory | 2007—2013 | Independent | |
| Government Chief Whip | Shane Thompson | Sanctarian Conservative Party | ||
7th Government of Sanctaria[edit | edit source]
The seventh Government of Sanctaria was formed on 01 March 2013 following the general election held the previous month. The Sanctarian Conservative Party won a majority of seats and their leader, Mark Kindle, was appointed Prime Minister. This was the first parliament limited to a 5 year term.
Secretaries of State are listed by seniority as per the Government Secretaries Acts 1974 to 2018. A reshuffle took place on 11 September 2015 where a number of government departments were renamed and functions changed. Changes in personnel are listed below, while changes in department names and functions are noted in the footnotes.
The following attended cabinet meetings, but did not have a vote:
| Office | Name | Term | Party | |
| Attorney General | Maurice Daley | 2013—2018 | Independent | |
| Government Chief Whip | Shane Thompson | 2013—2015 | Sanctarian Conservative Party | |
| Ben Sessions | 2015—2018 | |||
8th Government of Sanctaria[edit | edit source]
The eighth government took office on 01 February 2018 after the general election the month prior. The Democratic Left Party won a majority of seats and their leader, Charlene Hendry, was appointed Prime Minister.
Secretaries of State are listed by seniority as per the Government Secretaries Acts 1974 to 2018. The new Prime Minister created a number of new departments, the first time new departments had been created since the Constitution of Sanctaria came into effect in 1974.
Sanctaria was federalised on 01 January 2019. At that date, the names of the offices of Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister changed to Chancellor and Vice Chancellor respectively. No changes were made to the powers and duties of the office.
The following attend cabinet meetings, but do not have a vote:
| Office | Name | Term | Party | |
| Attorney General | William Wilson | 2018—2022 | Independent | |
| Government Chief Whip | Jeff Whitehouse | Democratic Left Party | ||
9th Government of Sanctaria[edit | edit source]
The ninth government of Sanctaria took office in the evening of 14 December 2022 following a general election on 10 December 2022. The result was a hung parliament, and the Democratic Left Party, which had won a plurality of seats, entered into a coalition with the Green Party to ensure the government had a majority of votes in the House. The leader of the the largest party, Ethan Ringrose of the Democratic Left Party, was appointed Chancellor. The leader of the second party, Josephine Chari-Jones of the Green Party, became Vice Chancellor.
Secretaries of State are listed by seniority as per the Government Secretaries Acts 1974 to 2022. The new Chancellor dissolved some departments that had been created by the previous government and allocated their duties among existing departments, renaming them where necessary.[21] A small reshuffle took effect on 02 March 2024.
The following attend cabinet meetings, but do not have a vote:
| Office | Name | Term | Party | |
| Attorney General | Doreen Hegarty | 2022—present | Independent | |
| Government Chief Whip | Sam Briggs | Democratic Left Party | ||
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Legal scholars, however, have suggested that because another constitutional provision obligates the Government to act in accordance with the Constitution, "whatever steps they may consider necessary" does not amount to or include suspending the Constitution itself, as is permissible in other systems.
- ↑ Previously Department of Finance.
- ↑ Previously Department of Defence.
- ↑ Previously Department of Social Welfare & Family Affairs.
- ↑ Previously Department of Agriculture, Energy, & the Environment.
- ↑ Previously Department of Home Affairs, Justice & Equality.
- ↑ Previously Department of Culture, the Arts, & Tourism.
- ↑ Until 31 December 2018 this position was known as Prime Minister. On 01 January 2019 it was renamed.
- ↑ Until 31 December 2018 this position was known as Prime Minister. On 01 January 2019 it was renamed.
- ↑ Previously Department of Commerce.
- ↑ Previously Department of Human Services.
- ↑ New Department.
- ↑ New Department.
- ↑ Previously Department of Land Affairs.
- ↑ New Department.
- ↑ New Department.
- ↑ Previously Department of Communities.
- ↑ New Department.
- ↑ New Department.
- ↑ New Department.
- ↑ The Departments that were abolished and had their briefs merged with extant departments were the Departments of Labour & Employment, Equality & Minority Affairs, Families & Youth, Devolution & Governmental Affairs, and Science, Innovation & Technology.