The Caucus
The Caucus serves as the decision making body of the United Mercantile Federation Government, debating and enacting all legislation that effects the Federation as a whole. Members of the Caucus are elected in the Grand Plebiscite and serve five-year terms. Each candidate to the Caucus stands in elections for a specific post - Finance, Defense, Foreign Retations, Justice, Culture, Natural Resources, Infrastructure, Human Resources and Economic Development - and if elected becomes secretary for that department. The Finance Secretary, also known as the Treasurer, chairs the Caucus and serves as head of state.
Given the involvement of finances, corporate politics play a major role in both the elections and day-to-day government. Any serious candidate needs to secure corporate patronage if they are to stand any chance of success i n the elections. The corporate voting blocks far outweigh those of individual citizens, the largest purchasing tens of thousands of vouchers for each Grand Plebiscite. Even once in office, political lobbyists work to persuade the Caucus to support their views and advance their causes - any secretary may propose legislation - and those who seek re-election would be wise not to offend the voters who elected them. Furthermore, the byzantine web of favors, bribes and blackmail that pervades corporate society is equally prevalent in the Caucus.
The Treasurer, who also serves as head of state, chairs the nine-member body. The Caucus passes legislation by majority vote, though any secretary may call forward expert advisors to address the body. Once the Caucus has agreed upon a piece of legislation, its legal implications and interaction with other laws are closely examined and draft copies made available to the public for scrutiny and comment. Once these stages are complete, a process taking anywhere from ten days to a cycle, the draft legislation is again presented the to Caucus and if passed a second time it becomes law. It is, however, possible to fast-track laws. To do so, the proposing secretary must ask their proposal be accepted primafacie and provided the Caucus votes unanimously in favor and no legal obstacles are found to its implementation, it becomes law without public consultation or a second reading.
Ministerial Positions of the Caucus
With the exception of the post of Defense Secretary, which is open only to members of the UMFA, each Caucus position is open to any UMF citizen who can post the requisite one million mark deposit (forfeit if the candidate polls less than five percent of the vote). If elected, the candidate must forfeit any non-governmental corporate interests for the duration of their tenure. All nine elections are held simultaneously and in each election a candidate may only stand for a single post. I n the event of the death or resignation of a Caucus member, a repkacement is not elected and instead their duties are divided among the remaining secretaries until the next Grand Plebiscite.
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