Mandatory Ecclesia

Part of the government series of articles.

The Mandatory Ecclesia is the federal chamber of Vekllei, comprising 83 delegates, one from each republic, who together confirm State Secretary appointments, review inter-ministerial federal legislation and arbitrate constitutional questions. Its name (the chamber of mandates) reflects its primary function in the management of commissions. It holds no power to generate law on its own motion.

The Consilia preside over the Ecclesia as a speaker presides over a chamber, giving voice to decisions and maintaining its procedures. The Consilia hold no vote and may not introduce legislation or motions within it.

Each republic holds one seat in the Mandatory Ecclesia, occupied by a representative of its First Secretary rather than an independently elected federal member. The delegate acts in the First Secretary’s name, presenting the republic’s position and carrying federal decisions back as the republic’s own decisions. Delegates serve staggered three-year terms, so the chamber is never fully renewed at once.

Equal votes apply on constitutional and appointment matters; weighted voting by population applies to legislation. The two rules reflect different legitimating principles: sovereign equality governs who may exercise federal authority over the republics, while democratic proportionality governs what that authority produces. In practice, the split concentrates small-republic leverage at the confirmation stage, where each delegate casts an equal vote regardless of population. Commission scope is defined at confirmation by the same equal-vote rule, making the confirmation debate the principal arena of inter-republic bargaining; a small republic’s delegate may hold out for a narrower scope in exchange for its confirming vote, knowing it will hold fractional weight on the legislation that follows.

Powers of the Mandatory Ecclesia include:

• Confirmation of State Secretary appointments and outlining commission scope
• Review and passage of inter-ministerial federal legislation
• Constitutional arbitration between federal and republic governments
• Formal closure of commissions upon civil service certification of completion
• Petitioning for constitutional referendums on federal matters

Federal legislation crossing ministerial boundaries may be introduced only by a commissioned State Secretary; the Ecclesia reviews, amends and passes or rejects such legislation but may not introduce it. Domain legislation within a single ministerial parliament’s remit does not pass through the Ecclesia; it is handled by the relevant parliament and proceeds directly to citizen referendum if required.

The Ecclesia serves as the first point of constitutional arbitration between the federal government and the republics. Constitutional courts handle inter-governmental disputes on referral; citizen referendum provides the ultimate constitutional check. Matters brought before the Ecclesia on constitutional grounds are decided by equal-vote majority, with the Consilia giving voice to the outcome but not voting.