Politics, Parliament and Government

The National Assembly, officially called The Honourable Assembly of the Nation of Cattala, is entirely elected and is where a majority of the laws of Cattala are made. There are 100 seats in the Assembly, and the Government needs at least 51 seats to govern with a majority. The Assembly must vote on all legislature introduced by the Government, and the Opposition. Each Member of Parliament (MP) belongs to a political party, or runs as an independent. They hold their seats until the Royal and Holy Majesty dissolves Parliament, which must happen every four years. There is no limit to the number of consecutive terms a single MP can serve. The Government is responsible for the National Assembly, and every Lord Celestine is selected by his party from this Chamber. The head of Parliament is the current monarch, and they open each Assembly session, which begins on the first Monday after the Epiphany, and closes for a two-week break during August, before re-opening until the last Friday prior to Christmas Day.

The Senate, officially called the Senato Del Regno, is a semi-aristocratic and partially-elected upper house consisting of 35 elected members and 15 hereditary members. In the past the Senate was the most powerful chamber, and could overrule the Parliament. However since 1949, the Senate has been reformed to take on the role of a debating chamber to decide whether legislative introduced by Parliament should be put into law and passed onto the monarch for Royal Assent. The 35 elected senators are voted on in every other general elections, meaning their terms are 8 years. Five senators are elected from each province, and represent their provincial Government in the upper house, as well as the citizens of their province. The 15 hereditary senators are made up of the three Lords of each province, from the three most aristocratic families of each province. The Regal Monarch sits in the Senate when they open the Twin Chambers.
Lord Celestine, the only MP who can sit in the Senate, can also ask permission for the dissolution of the Senate, meaning that all 50 members can be removed at once, and replaced. This happened in 1971 when the Government collapsed, and Lord Bertollini attempted to cling onto control. Lords do not have to be members of any political party. Senators are given the title of "Lord Senator", and once they leave the Senate are titled "Lords".

For the full details about each ministry, minister and their responsibilities, please see: http://aoin.wikia.com/wiki/Politics_and_Government_in_Cattala#Regal_Government