Politics of Adwa

The Politics of Adwa take place in a framework of a federalist constitutional monarchy, with a government based on a parliamentary system, whereby the monarch is the head of state and the Popular Tribune in the head of government. The monarch exercises their power through the government that they appoint, which is responsible before the Parliament.

Empress Meti Zara has been sovereign of Adwa since the death of her father in 1582 AC. Menele Yared has been Popular Tribune since 1608.

Executive
Adwa’s constitution vests executive authority in the monarch and their cabinet. The monarch sins and executes or vetoes all laws, and may suspend or dissolve parliament, as well as shorten or lengthen the term of session. A veto by the monarch may be rebuked by a resolution passed by two-thirds vote of both houses, and reversed at their discretion. The monarch appoints and may dismiss all judges by decree, approves amendments to the constitution after passing by both houses of Parliament, declares war, and acts as commander in chief of the armed forces. General elections are called by the monarch, normally at the advice of the Popular Tribune. As of 1601, the monarch is legally required to call an election at least once every five years. Cabinet decisions, court judgements, and all currency are issued in their name. The Cabinet, led by the Popular Tribune, is appointed by the monarch, and is responsible to the Nobles’ Chamber on all matters of general policy; a two-thirds vote of “no confidence” by the Nobles’ Chamber can force the Cabinet to resign.

Increasingly, Empress Meti Zara has deferred to Parliament in many executive manners; she has acquiesced to all vetoes returned to her during her reign, appointed Popular Tribunes only from the majority party of the Popular Chamber, and has increasingly been hesitant to interfere with the judiciary. Most agree that the Empress is currently engaged in a game of balance, in which she has attempted to modernize Adwa while also ensuring the monarchy’s continued existence. Many question whether she truly holds all powers ascribed to her by Adwa’s constitution, but she has not tested her boundaries much during her rule, making it difficult to tell.



Legislative
Legislative power rests in Adwa’s bicameral Imperial Parliament. The Imperial Parliament is divided into two chambers: the Nobles’ Chamber has 260 members, 200 of which are landed nobility and 60 of which are high-ranking clergy of the Imperial Adwan Conformist Temple. All members of the Nobles’ Chamber are either appointed by the monarch or inherit their seat by virtue of their title of nobility. Meanwhile, the Popular Chamber is elected by national universal vote, consisting of 535 People’s Tribunes. The Popular Chamber possesses most of the nation’s legislative power, with the Nobles’ Chamber generally limited to approving, rejecting, or amending legislation and having little to no power to initiate new laws. People’s Tribunes have no set terms, but elections are required by law to occur once every five years, setting a practical limit. They are not restricted by term limits, but may be dissolved either by an edict from the monarch or a vote of no confidence.

Political factions or blocs in the Popular Chamber change with each election, typically involving one of the following affiliations: a National/Prosperity faction, a Liberation/Unity faction, or a moderate Prosperity/Liberation faction. The Adwan Popular Chamber is known for occasional brawls between its members, including acts of violence and use of weapons. In 1604, People’s Tribune Alma Yallewi attempted to shoot one of his colleagues with a rifle while at the parliamentary premises.

Judicial
Adwa’s judiciary has historically been dependent on the monarch, but modern legislation has provided it with a great deal of independence in order for it to operate without direct interference from other bodies of government. The nation’s constitution provides for three categories of courts: common, religious, and special. Common courts consist of both civil and criminal varieties at the first level - Conciliation Courts, second level - Appellate Courts, and the Supreme Court, which is the highest judicial authority in the empire. There are two types of religious courts: Imperial Temple courts which enforce the provisions of canon law and civil status, and Noncomformist Temple tribunals, which are permitted to operate with the authority of law for Noncomformist communities that are officially recognized by the government.

Political Conditions
Emperor Merhanu Zara ruled Adwa from x to 1582 AC, succeeding his father Zara who founded the Zara dynasty in the wake of the Adwan Revolution. Drawing on the loyalty of the military and common people, Merhanu served as a symbol of unity and stability for Adwa’s various communities through the turbulent conditions that marked his reign. Controversial changes to election law under his reign lead to opposition parties boycotting several elections, however, and his selection of a minority party Popular Tribune further threw his government into uncertainty toward the end of his reign.

Empress Meti Zara succeeded her father in 1582 following his death. After the mourning period, one of Meti’s first acts was to withdraw the Adwan monarchy’s claim on the throne of Myrmark, which had served as a source of some international embarrassment since her father made the claim some years before. After, she refocused her government’s agenda on political, environmental, and economic reform.

Adwa’s continuing structural economic difficulties, burgeoning population, and more open political environment has led to the emergence of a variety of political parties. Moving toward greater independence, Adwa’s parliament has investigated corruption charges against several regime figures, some from Merhanu’s time, and has became the major forum in which the country’s differing political views are expressed.



Centralization
With the founding of the Zara Dynasty and the signing of the 1534 Constitution, the power of Adwa’s nobility to govern in a legal sense over the people of their lands was greatly reduced, instead being vested in the Parliament. This process, dubbed “Centralization” gave primacy to the national government, but also permitted for local divisions to elect Councils to balance out the remaining power held by their governing nobles. According to Adwa’s constitution, all powers not explicitly granted to the empire’s subdivisions are reserved for the Imperial Parliament.

Corruption
Despite numerous attempts, bans on members of the Imperial Parliament conducting any financial or business dealings with the government or members of the royal family have been a failure. However, the 1534 Constitution forbids any member of the royal family from serving in government in any capacity other than the current prescribed ones that come with their hereditary titles. Despite progress made in recent years, corruption remains a problem. Cases of corruption are examined by the Anti-Corruption Commission of the Imperial Parliament and referred to the judiciary for legal action. Corruption in Adwa typically takes the form of nepotism, favoritism, and bribery.

Political parties and elections
Adwa has numerous political parties, but they tend to play a different role in Adwan politics than they do in most parliamentary systems. Many “parties” are simply lists of candidates endorsed by a prominent national or local figure (often a noble or businessman). Loose coalitions, usually organized locally, are formed for electoral purposes by negotiation among community leaders and candidates representing various ethnic and religious communities; such coalitions usually exist only for the election, and rarely form a cohesive block in the Imperial Parliament after the election. Since Empress Meti’s ascent in 1582, no one party has held more than 32.5 percent of the Popular Chamber’s seats in the Imperial Parliament, requiring that coalitions be an ever-present force in Adwan politics.

There are four major parties in Adwa’s political landscape, which tend to form coalitions with one of the other major parties, groups of smaller parties, or both. The National Party represents Adwa’s largest conservative bloc centered mostly in the country’s northeast and south. The Prosperity Party is a progressive body with its base in the southeast’s populated urban centers, while the Liberal Body’s center-right politics tend to resonate most in the parts of the southeast not held by the Prosperity Party. The growing center-left People’s Unity Front has presented a challenge to the Prosperity Party, snatching some of their seats as well as making inroads into Adwa’s impoverished inland areas. Most remaining seats are won by parties that seriously participate in one or few parts of the country. In accordance with party policy, no elected members of the Socialist Front Party have ever attended the Popular Chamber to speak on behalf of their constituents, due to the requirement to take an oath of allegiance to the monarch and their office.