Parliament of Gerenia
The Parliament of Gerenia (Gerenian: Aiŷlat) is Gerenia's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house that is called the National Assembly, and an upper house, called the Higher Assembly. The Aiŷlat building is located in Nevaya, Gerenian Capital Territory.
History
The Aiŷlat was opened on 2 October 2012, after the first parliamentary election in Gerenia. Until mid-2013, when the Aiŷlat Building in Nevaya was finished, the sessions were held at Mount Slietva Palace, south-east of Salnat, Klämen.
The Parliament, dominated by the ruling Independent Party of Gerenia since its opening, had a very active era between late 2012 and November 2013, when the first signals of a crisis were perceived by the Gerenian people.
When the anarchy of December burst in the country, the Parliament was suspended. Most of the members fled to safe places. Once restored the Republic, they returned to their duties. The first meeting of the Aiŷlat after the anarchy was held on 16 January 2014.
Composition
The Aiŷlat is a bicameral parliament. According to the Constitution of Gerenia, each of its members must be a Gerenian national of at least twenty-four years of age, and have a law-related degree in a Gerenian university.
The upper house of the Gerenian Parliament is the Higher Assembly (Snireribes), which consists of 28 members. The Higher Assembly includes an equal number of representatives from each province (three), regardless of population, and one extra representative for East Gerenia. Members of the Higher Assembly are called Higher Members.
The lower house, the National Assembly (Snirenetoles), consists of 100 "National Members". The country is divided into 23 Electoral Zones, which are allocated seats based on their population, provided that every Electoral Zone is represented by at least one member.
Members of the National Assembly are elected by direct vote of each 23 Electoral Zones. On the contrary, election of the members of the Higher Assembly are determined taking into account the percentage of votes in a whole province.
Procedure
Each of the two Houses elect a "Presiding Officer" (Ilvenki Samezttör), to oversee debate and enforce rules. The position is rotative in two manners: the officer's term lasts one month (without possibility of re-election), and the position is held by members of all the parties represented in the Assembly. The Presiding Officer must vote on proposals just like the rest of the members in their house.
The Constitution authorises Parliament to set the quorum for each chamber. The quorum of the Higher Assembly is one-quarter of the total membership (six); that of the National Assembly is one-fifth of the total membership (twenty). It is mandatory for members of the Parliament to attend at least two-thirds of the meetings in a year. Failing to do so may result in punishments, such as fines, or suspensions. If a quorum is not present, members of the Parliament may be punished, as well.
In both chambers, whether a motion will be discussed or not is determined by voice vote. The voting system for motions is division: members of a house cast their votes by standing up and raising a hand.
Broadcasting
Parliamentary meetings are televised since 2014 on government-owned Channel One. When parliament is not sitting, other news are broadcasted.
Relevant meetings are broadcasted on Gevanția Radiŷ, the government's radio station.
See also
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