Senator

The Senate is currently the only part of the YY civilian government that is elected by the citizens without any involvement of the military. As of the third downscale of Martial Law, one senator seat is available for every twenty thousand citizens. Until the fifth downscale of Martial Law, the Senate will remain the only citizen representation, and there are no authorised political parties yet. This has not prevented factions from forming.
The Senate has authority over 30% of the government budget, and no say over laws or Defenders. As Martial Law downscales, this is set to change. As part of the fifth downscale, an actual House and political parties will be added, which will have authority over 80% of the government budget, and partial authority over Defender leadership. At that point, the Senate's jurisdiction will be downvoting laws and government budget plans, and launching inquiries.

Elections

Senator terms are six years, with staggering elections every two years. First, a pre-election takes place where every candidate needs 200 signatures. In the pre-election, the people will be allowed to pick up to five candidates that they believe should be in the main election.
The pre-election results are used to thin out the options to twice the amount of seats up for election. In the main election, each citizen may rank up to five candidates. The candidates are eliminated based on vote-count, when someone's primary choice is eliminated, their vote goes to their next choice, and so on.
Laws are in place regulating how candidates are allowed to advocate for themselves and others, including equal broadcasting time and a ban on political promotion outside designated areas. This hasn't stopped candidates from covertly raising support, but has prevented the most blatant forms of manipulation.

Current total

18

Term duration

6 years

Term limitation

3 full terms

Minimum age

30 years

Maximum age

80 years