Federal Parliament of Tumbra
Federal Parliament of Tumbra | |
|---|---|
| 46th Parliament | |
| Type | |
| Type | Bicameral |
| Houses | Senate House of Representatives |
Term limits | Six years for the Senate; up to four years for the House of Representatives |
| Leadership | |
Kelia Campbell since 4 March 2020 | |
James Broadbent since 4 March 2020 | |
Senate president pro tempore | James Powell, Labour 16 May 2017 |
Speaker of the House of Representatives | Robert Croft, Labour since 16 May 2017 |
Kenneth Everett, Labour since 16 May 2017 | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 850 650 Members of Parliament 200 Senators |
 | |
Senate political groups | Government (90) Labour Party (90) Opposition (80) Liberal Party (80) Crossbench (30) Moderate Party (15) Green Party (10) Conservative Party (5) |
 | |
House of Representatives political groups | Government (339) Labour Party (339) Opposition (241) Liberal Party (241) Other Opposition (70) Moderate Party (37) Green Party (18) Conservative Party (12) Social Democratic Party (3) |
| Elections | |
| Closed-list proportional representation | |
| Instant runoff voting | |
Senate last election | 7 February 2020 |
House of Representatives last election | 6 February 2026 |
Senate next election | 16 April 2017 |
House of Representatives next election | 9 April 2021 |
| Redistricting | Federal Elections Commission every ten years |
| Meeting place | |
| Federal Parliament Building Straton Tumbra | |
| Constitution | |
| Constitution of Tumbra | |
The Federal Parliament of Tumbra is the federal legislature of the Federal Republic of Tumbra, seated in the Federal Parliament Building in Straton, Tumbra, and is comprised of three parts; the President, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives is typically the dominant body; constitutionally, the Prime Minister is a member of the House of Representatives, and it is the only body allowed to raise money bills. The Senate may also not block supply, and is only allowed to delay it for a certain period. However, the Senate still possesses certain powers, including the power to confirm political appointees; the Senate is also allowed to raise its own legislation so long as it is not a money bill.
The 200 Senators are elected from each of the 25 states alongside the President; each state elects between six and twelve Senators through closed-list proportional representation. Because of the presence of proportional representation, the ruling party or parties rarely have a majority in this chamber, and usually needs to negotiate with other parties to get legislation passed.
The 650 members of the House of Representatives - called Members of Parliament (MP) - are elected via full-preference instant-runoff voting from single-member constituencies. This has led to the chamber being dominated by one of the two biggest political parties in Tumbra - the centre-left Labour Party and the centre-right Liberal Party, which includes the right-wing agrarian National Party in its ranks. The government of the day must achieve the confidence of this House in order to gain and hold on to power. The House has a maximum term of four years, though it can be dissolved early if the Prime Minister chooses to dissolve the chamber or the House votes to dissolve itself.
Composition
The Parliament comprises the Tumbran president and vice-president; an upper house, the Senate and a lower house, the House of Representatives. Each part has its own officers and organisation, and have a distinct role in the legislative process. Only those who serve in the House of Representatives are called Members of Parliament; the term usually does not apply to Senators, even though the Senate is a part of the Federal Parliament. Despite being less powerful, Senators rank above MPs in the order of precedence. No individual may serve in both chambers at the same time.
President
Senate
The Senate of Tumbra is the upper house of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Tumbra and is often considered to be the secondary chamber of its body. It meets in the Senate Wing of the Federal Parliament building in Straton, Tumbra.
The Senate, comprised of 200 Senators, is elected via party-list proportional representation. Each state sends between 6 and 12 Senators to the Senate, the exact composition of which is determined by the Federal Elections Composition every twenty years. Elections to the Senate occur every six years, concurrent to those for the Presidency.
The Senate has several functions that are unique to upper houses throughout the region, but with several caveats - it has the same power to raise legislation as the House, with the exception of all money bills. It cannot, however, fully reject bills, but only delay their passage. The Senate, however, has the power to accept or reject political appointments to various statutory boards and other posts as outlined by legislation and other conventions. Such posts include ambassadorships, and the appointment of federal judges to both the Supreme and Federal Constitutional Courts.
As a result of the proportional representation system used, the Senate is more politically fragmented than the House, with no one party having ever achieved a majority of seats in the Senate. As such, the two major parties must negotiate with the smaller parties to get legislation passed.
Some proposals for reform of the Senate have included its abolition, deeming it as unnecessary to the modern legislative process; critics also note that the same appointments process can be handled by the House of Representatives, pointing to the unicameral State Parliaments handling this process by itself. Other proposals include equalising the number of seats each province gets and changing the electoral system to single transferable vote. None of these proposals, however, as of 2020, have garnered widespread support.
House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Tumbra and is the primary chamber of its body. It meets in the House Wing of the Federal Parliament building in Straton, Tumbra.
The House, comprising of 650 members known as Members of Parliament (MPs), is elected via full preferential instant runoff voting. MPs are elected to represent constituencies until Parliament is dissolved, either by reaching the term limit or by Parliament being dissolved earlier. Elections are held every four years, and Members of Parliament are elected by Tumbran citizens over the age of 18.
The House has several functions - it elects the Prime Minister, who has to be a member of the lower house, is responsible for executive oversight, and sets the Federal Budget. It is able to originate legislation in the form of Private Members' Bills, scrutinises legislation brought forth by all three of the executive branch, the Senate and private members by referring matters to Legislative Committees.
The House's presiding officer is the Speaker, who is also fourth in line to succeed the President. The current Speaker is Robert Croft, the MP for Dorival North-East in Iswilyn.