The Empty Chair
The Empty Chair (Alexandrian: La Chaise Vide; Martino: La Silla Vacía; Wechua: Ch'usaq Tiyaña) is a parliamentary custom in the Federal Assembly of Nouvelle Alexandrie in which one seat is left permanently vacant to represent citizens who cannot be present in the chamber. The chair is located in the front row of the public gallery, directly facing the Speaker's rostrum, and remains unoccupied during all sessions. A small brass plate affixed to the armrest reads "For those who cannot be here" in all of the official languages of the Federation.
The tradition originated during the Federal Constituent Assembly in 1687 AN, two years after the Federation's founding, when Deputy Ernesto Villareal of Santander requested that an empty seat be maintained in memory of his constituents who had died in a mining disaster earlier that year and could not see the new nation they had helped build. The Assembly agreed, and the practice was formalized when the Cortes Federales convened in 1693 AN. The custom has continued through every subsequent session of the Federal Assembly.
Deputies occasionally direct remarks to the Empty Chair when speaking on behalf of constituents facing hardship, or when addressing legislation affecting those unable to advocate for themselves. The phrase "I speak to the Chair" has become a recognized parliamentary convention indicating that a Deputy is speaking on behalf of vulnerable or absent citizens rather than making a partisan argument. During the Spring Crisis of 1739, FHP Deputy Carolina Vega of Valencia famously addressed the Empty Chair while calling for resistance to the attempted coup, stating that she spoke for "every New Alexandrian who cannot stand in this chamber but stands with the Proclamation of Punta Santiago." The moment was broadcast nationally and became one of the defining images of civilian opposition during the crisis.
