Difference between revisions of "Speaker of the Senate"

Latest revision as of 16:51, 8 July 2013

Speaker of the Senate
History
Formation	Constitution of Taijitu June 20, 2010
Inaugural holder	Eluvatar July 02, 2010
Incumbent	Disputed:      Delfos      Funkadelia since February 13, 2012
Election
Method	Majority vote of the Senate
Term length	Indefinite, unlimited renewable
Office
Office of the Speaker

The Speaker of the Senate is the office responsible for running the everyday business of the the Senate of Taijitu. They are bound by the Internal Procedures of the Senate in this task, but are permitted to use their own discretion in cases where no pertinent procedure exists. The Speaker is the de facto representative of the Senate, and has also traditionally been responsible for ensuring that legal records are accurate and up to date. They are elected by a simple majority vote of the Senate which may be initiated at any time, and serve for indefinite terms of office until their removal, replacement or resignation. The current Speaker is Disputed:
     Delfos
     Funkadelia , who was elected on February 13, 2012 .

History

The original office of Speaker dates back to the very first constitution of Taijitu. Like the modern office, they were charged for administering the day to day business and maintaining the records of the Senate. However, the office of Speaker under the first constitution had set terms, with elections held regularly every fourth month. This arrangement was reflective of the Senate's role at the time as an open, direct legislature composed of lay citizens rather than elected representatives.

The very first elections for Speaker were conducted simply using first-past-the-post, as mandated by the Constitution at the time. Shortly after, concerns were raised about the deficiencies of the method, which did not require the winner to obtain a majority to be elected. The discussion of electoral reform that followed resulted in a constitutional amendment, passed on April 2, 2007, which changed the method of the Speaker's election from first-past-the-post to a Condorcet vote.

The next major alteration to the office of Speaker was also the result of electoral concerns. Ties in elections for Delegate at the time were broken by the Speaker, and vice-versa. Because the Delegate was elected only ever three months, elections for the two offices would sometimes occur simultaneously. This fact led to worries that a person trying to go directly from one office to the other would potentially be in a position to unfairly break a tie in their favor. To address this, a constitutional amendment was passed on September 30, 2007, shortening the Speaker's term to three months so that elections for the office and that of Delegate could always be staggered.

The election of the Speaker became an issue yet again in early 2008. Until then, several elections had been held without incident using the Condorcet method. However, a closely contested Delegate election in February led to confusion over how the system worked, and a brief uproar over the results when some incorrectly interpreted the ballots as electing Allama instead of her opponent Sovereign Dixie. This prompted two different proposals to eliminate the Condorcet method in both Delegate and Speaker elections, one which replaced it with an instant runoff vote, and one which restored first-past-the-post. Neither proposal succeeded when put to a vote.

The issue was not resolved until other events intervened. On March 23, the recently elected delegate Sovereign Dixie staged a coup and, four days later, he declared a new constitution which abolished the Senate and with it the office of Speaker. In their place the Citizens' Assembly and the Chair of the Citizens' Assembly were established. This arrangement was short-lived, as the Assembly quickly restored the previous constitution. In doing so, the method of electing the Speaker was moved from the Constitution to a supplementary electoral law which implemented an instant runoff vote.

On June 20, 2010, a new regional constitution was ratified and established the office of Speaker as it currently exists. As the Senate is now an elected and specialized representative body, Speaker elections are no longer regularly scheduled, but are instead treated as any other exercise of the Senate's power by a majority vote.

Powers

The primary responsibilitiesof the Speaker is to administer discussions and votes in the Senate according to body's Internal Procedures, and to maintain the Senate's records. In situations where no established procedure exists, the Speaker is entitled to use their own discretion. While not constitutionally or procedurally mandated, the Speaker has traditionally been responsible for gathering other senators when a pressing matter is at hand, and ensuring that legal records are accurate and up to date. They are also the de facto representative of the Senate to the public and to other government bodies and officials.

Election and removal

Elections for Speaker are not held at any established intervals. Instead, under the Internal Procedures of the Senate, a motion to elect a certain senator as Speaker may be introduced. Such a motion is treated like any other, requiring a second to be brought to a vote where it may either be approved by a majority or rejected. Similarly, if there is doubt as to who to nominate, a discussion may be opened using general procedures. There are no written procedures for when there are multiple contenders for the office. When this has occurred before, senators have simple voted for one of the candidates, with the one obtaining a majority of votes being elected Speaker.

Removal of the Speaker is handled under the same procedural stipulations as the office's election. A motion may be introduced to remove the Speaker and, if brought to a vote by a second, will carry if a majority approve the measure.

List of Speakers of the Senate

1. Pragmia (January 2007-September 2007)
2. Gnoled Ttam (October 2007 - December 15 2007)
3. Meri (December 16 2007-Unknown)
4. korinn (Unknown - Unknown)
5. Eluvatar (June 28 2010 - June 6, 2011)
6. Gallipoli-China (June 6, 2011-September 5, 2011)
7. Gulliver (September 13, 2011-February 12, 2012)
8. Myroria (February 13, 2012-September 9, 2012)
9. Letonna (September 9, 2012-June 30,2013)
10. Delfos (June 30,2013-Present)

See also

Senate of Taijitu