Estates General
Political power in the Southern Republic is centralized in the Estates General. This parliamentary body is comprised of five hundred councilors elected every three cycles from the 145 electoral districts that divide the Republic. The number of representatives from each county is determined by relative population, leaving the city-states with more representatives than any single rural community, but leaving a majority of the political power in the hands of the representatives from the rural regions of the Republic. The government is formed by the party that occupies the most seats in this assembly and a majority vote is required to pass any piece of legislation. Louis Philippe deRouen's Liberal Republican Party has controlled the assembly since TN 1919, collecting an especially solid majority of the popular vote in the last two elections.
Power in the Estates General is divided into three tiers, each possessing less official power than the last. The head of the government, and theoretically the most powerful individual in the Republic, is the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is more than the leader of the political party that holds power, he (or she) is the person who has accumulated the greatest amount of influence in the state through guile, subterfuge, or true charisma: often a Prime Minister's power will be rooted in a healthy dose of all three. Aiding him, through advice, counsel and occasionally representing the Prime Minister when he cannot attend events himself, is a body known as the Cabinet of Ministers. Numbering between twenty and thirty, Cabinet posts are seen as desirable by those who seek to gain access to their party's support network. Generally, highlevel members of the Prime Minister's party form the Cabinet, but often important opposition councilors are given a seat as a courtesy. Below the Cabinet sit the bulk of the Estates General members, known as junior councilors. The Estates General sits for three seasons out of every cycle. The Cabinet meets every five days to discuss policy and the direction of the government and the Republic. The Estates General as a whole must, by law, convene once every four days, but they often meet more frequently.
Estates General Representation
More than 15 parties hold seats within the Estates General based on the results of the TN 1931 elections. Six have enough seats to be granted a substantial voice. The governing Liberal Republicans dominate the committees and official discussion time, while the Fondation National and Republican Libertains account for most of the time allocated to the opposition. Smaller parties have precious little time to speak before the assembly and the nation-wide trideo coverage. Because of this, leaders do almost a l l the talking in an attempt to capture the pubtic imagination in time for the next elections.
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