New Republic final draft

Gentlebeings of the Galaxy, this is the future of the New Republic

Government: Federal Constitutional Republic (foundational_law_of_the_new_republic.txt)
Head of State: Chief of State of the New Republic
Head of Government: Federal Chancellor (splitting_head_of_state_and_chief_executive_of_the_republic_palpatines_life_in_1000_pages.txt)
- Representative of the Federal Council of the Galactic Senate (federal_macro_regions_of_the_republic.txt)
- Speaker of the Federal Diet of the Galactic Senate (federal_direct_representation.txt)
- Head of the New Republic's Constitutional Court (constitution_of_the_new_republic.txt)

Eludication: We must reform the Republic in its re-founding to prevent something like Palpatine's rise to power from happening again. Single-chamber vote by acclaim and sectors drawn in the Ruusan reformations by the Chancellor Valorum of the times have led to the present state, somethign we must therefore stop from happening again.

We will therefore split the office of Supreme Chancellor into two offices:

The Chief of State of the Republic, who shall represent the Republic in its totality: in matters of galactic law, to conclude treaties with foreign states and entities on the Republic's behalf and who accredits her diplomats. The chief of state shall furthermore be the final check and balance upon the Federal Council with the power of singular veto over measures on constitutional matters.

The Federal Chancellor of the Republic, who shall be the chief executive of the Republic: They shall exercise central executive authority over the Federal Diet as representatives of the party or coalition of parties holding a majority of seats in the Diet. It will be the Chancellor's duty to determine the composition of the Federal Cabinet of Ministers (including but not being limited to at all times the Ministers of Justice, the Interior, the Exterior, and Armaments)



Excerpt from the Encyclopedia Galactica:

The New Republic's constitution established a parliamentary system of government that incorporated many features of the Old Republic system; however, since the Foundational Law created a federal system, unlike the Old Republic's unitary one, many political structures were drawn from the models of other polities and planetary federal governments. In reaction to the centralization of power during the Imperial era, the Foundational Law grants the states considerable autonomy in their decision-making, provided they adhere to the constitutional laws of the Republic.
In addition to this federalism, the Foundational Law has two other significant features: (1) its formal declaration of the principles of sophont rights and of bases for the government of the people and (2) the strongly independent position of the courts, especially in the right of the Federal Constitutional Court to void a law by declaring it unconstitutional.

The formal head of state is the Chief of State. Intended to be an elder statesman of stature and renown, the Chief of State is chosen for a five-year term by a specially convened Federal Assembly in a secret ballot by all members of the Diet of the Senate and an equal number of representatives drawn from the regions of the Federal Council of the Senate.

In addition to formally signing all federal legislation and treaties, the Chief of State nominates the Federal Chancellor and the Chancellor’s cabinet appointments, whom the Chief of State may dismiss upon the chancellor’s recommendation. However, the Chief of State cannot dismiss either the Federal Chancellor or members of the Federal Diet of the Senate, the lower chamber of the federal parliament. Further important functions of the Chief of State are appointing federal constitutional judges and certain other officials and the right of pardon and reprieve.

The government is headed by the Federal Chancellor, who is elected by a majority vote of the lower house of the Senate Parliament upon nomination by the Chief of State. Vested with considerable independent powers, the Chancellor is responsible for initiating government policy. The cabinet and its ministries also enjoy extensive autonomy and powers of initiative. The Chancellor can be deposed only by an absolute majority of the Senate and only after a majority has been assured for the election of a successor. This “constructive vote of no confidence” — in contrast to the vote of no confidence employed by the previous Republican Senate that resulted in the Supreme Chancellorship of Sheev Palpatine, which only required a majority-by-acclaim opposed to the sitting Chancellor for ouster — reduces the likelihood that the chancellor will be unseated. The cabinet may not be dismissed by a vote of no confidence by the Senate. The Chief of State may not unseat a government or, in a crisis, call upon a political leader at his discretion to form a new government. The latter constitutional provision in particular is based on the experience of the sequence of events whereby Sheev Palpatine became Supreme Chancellor.

Most cabinet officials are members of the Senate and are drawn from the majority party or proportionally from the parties forming a coalition, but the Chancellor may appoint persons without party affiliation but with a certain area of technical competence. These nondelegate members speak or answer questions during parliamentary debates of the Republican Senate.

The Senate, which consists of about 600 members (the precise number of members varies depending on election results), is the cornerstone of the New Republic system of government. It exercises much wider powers than the 69-member upper chamber, known as the Federal or Sectoral Council. Council delegations represent the interests of the Sectoral governments and are bound to vote unanimously as instructed by their provincial governments. All legislation originates in the Senate; the consent of the Council is necessary only on certain matters directly affecting the interests of the Sectoral regions, especially in the area of finance and administration and for legislation in which questions of the Foundational Law are involved. It may restrain the Senate by rejecting certain routine legislation passed by the lower chamber; unless a bill falls within certain categories that enable the Council to exercise an absolute veto over legislation, its vote against a bill may be overridden by a simple majority in the Senate, or by a two-thirds majority in the Senate should there be a two-thirds majority opposed in the Council. To amend the Foundational Law, approval by a two-thirds vote in each chamber is required.

The powers of the Senate are kept in careful balance with those of the sectoral assemblies. Certain powers are specifically reserved to the Republic—for example, foreign affairs, defense, telecommunications, customs, transnational trade, and matters affecting citizenship. The Senate and the sectoral regions may pass concurrent legislation in such matters when it is necessary and desirable, or the Senate may set out certain guidelines for legislation; drawing from these, each individual assembly may enact legislation in keeping with its own needs and circumstances. In principle, the Senate initiates or approves legislation in matters in which uniformity is essential, but the assemblies otherwise are free to act in areas in which they are not expressly restrained by the Foundational Law.

Regional and local government
Certain functions (e.g., education and law enforcement) are expressly the responsibility of the states, yet there is an attempt to maintain a degree of uniformity among the sectors through joint consultative bodies.