Chancellor of the Realm

The Chancellor of the Realm (太政大臣) or CT, also known called as Chief Minister is the highest ranking official in the Federal Government of Teiko and is considered as the head of the government. He is appointed by the Prince of Teiko after he is elected by the people via direct popular vote. He must enjoy the confidence of the Teiko Royal Council to remain in office. He is the head of the Great Council of State and appoints justices of the Supreme Court of Teiko and other independent commissioners as approved by the Teiko Royal Council. The literal translation of the Japanese name for the office is Minister for the Comprehensive Administration of the Great Council or Minister who Presides over the Great Council.

The office was first introduced in 13th century during the creation of the Dazaifu government after the separation of the Yamato Court but was only formally established in 1895 when the Kingdom of Teiko was formed. The office took its modern and current form after World War 2 during the promulgation of the 1946 Constitution of Teiko. The terms and selection of the chancellor have varied greatly throughout history. During the feudal period, the chancellor is selected among the daimyos of the nation's largest clans. From 1895 to 1985, the chancellor is selected among the members of the Teiko Royal Council. Current selection for the office took form only in 1985 after the 1984 Teiko Constitutional Crises with fixed six years in each term.

In all, 29 individuals have taken the office in its modern form. On 30 January 2010, Akashi Seijuro became the 29th and current chancellor. Inaugurated at age of 28, Akashi is the youngest democratically elected head of government of any modern state. He is also at the same time, the first openly homosexual head of government in the world at the modern era. On 26 November 2015, he was re-elected for his second term. The next chancellorship election is scheduled to take place on 24 November 2022.

Origin
The roots of the Office of Chancellor of the Realm trails back in 13th century during the creation of the Dazaifu government by Emperor Go-Daigo. The position was disestablished in 1846 after the fall of the Mibu shogunate and was reinstated in 1872 during the creation of ministerial cabinet for the State of Teiko. Although, there was no explicit document that labels the office as chancellor itself, the duties and responsibilities correlates that to the modern day chancellor. During the Satsuma period from 1846 to 1872, the highest official was the Sangdaedeung which presided over the Teiko Royal Council.

Eligibility
Article IV, Section 4 of the 1986 Teiko Constitution sets the requirements to hold the office. A chancellor must:
 * be a natural born citizen of Teiko;
 * be at least 25 years of age before the day of the elections;
 * be an incumbent member of the Central-46 at the time of the submission of his candidacy until the national elections;
 * be a registered voter;
 * be able to read and write;
 * have been a permanent resident of Teiko for at least ten years;

A person who meets the above qualifications is still disqualified from holding the office of chancellor under any of the following conditions:
 * Under the Article IV, Section 5 of the 1986 Teiko Constitution, no person shall be elected as chancellor more than twice. It further clarifies that any person who have served as acting chancellor for more than two years shall only be eligible to run for one more term.
 * Upon conviction in impeachment cases, the Central-46 has the legal authority to disqualify aforementioned person from any federal office.
 * Under the Article IV, Section 6 of the 1986 Teiko Constitution, no person who have swore allegiance to other countries and have rebelled against the country can become chancellor.

Elections and oath
The chancellor is elected by the people via direct plurality majority voting system during national elections which occurs every six years in which he is then officially appointed by the prince into the position. As the appointment of the prince is stipulated in the constitution, the prince theoretically can refuse to appoint a winning candidate selected by the majority of the people.

Tenure and term limits
According to the Teiko Constitution of 1986, a chancellor can be elected to a maximum of 2 terms with 6 years in each term - a term is defined as a whole six years in office. For person who have acted as de jure chancellor for more than 4 years will also be considered as one term.

Vacancy and disability
Vacancies in the Office of Chancellor may arise under several possible circumstances: death, resignation and removal from office.

Article V, Section 4 of the constitution allows the Central-46 to impeach high federal officials, including the chancellor, for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." Article V, Section 5 gives the Central-46 Blue Ribbon Committee the power to investigate the official under impeachment through a trial as the official impeachment court. Impeachment is a long process of which voting shall be done in three separate occasions. An official maybe removed from office if in 2 of the 3 occasions, the person has garnered 2/3 majority to convict. No other body can interfere or restrain an impeachment court during investigation and resolutions of the Blue Ribbon Committee is absolute.

Article V, Section 6 also gives the Teiko Royal Council another way of removing the chancellor from power through a loss of confidence or vote of no confidence. The vote of no confidence merely removes the official from power while impeachment removes the official from power with subsequent administrative or federal cases. It has to be taken note that at least 2/3 majority of the Teiko Royal Council is needed for an official to be removed through a vote of no confidence. A vote of no confidence may spring from lack of support from the legislative body while not necessarily an indication of high crime or misdemeanor.

Veto power
The first power the constitution provides for the chancellor is the veto power. The presentment clause requires any bill passed by Teiko Royal Council to be presented to the chancellor before it can become law. Once the legislation has been presented, the chancellor has three options:
 * 1) Sign the bill and the bill becomes a law.
 * 2) Veto the legislation, expressing any objections, the bill does not become a law and it is returned to the Central-46 for a fourth reading. The bill however can override the chancellor's veto by 2/3 majority vote.
 * 3) Take no action. In this instance, the chancellor neither signs nor vetoes the legislation. After 15 days, not counting Sundays, two possible outcomes emerge:
 * 4) *If the council is still convened, the bill becomes a law.
 * 5) *If council has adjourned, thus preventing the return of the legislation, the bill does not become law. This latter outcome is known as the pocket veto.

Veto power is limited to only in the approval and disapproval of the legislation, the constitution does not grant the chancellor any power to modify the bill for whatever reason the chancellor may deem so as necessary.

Administrative role
The bulk of the chancellor's power is derived from his legal authority to control and supervise the great council of the state and other offices which constitutes the executive branch of the Teikonian government. The chancellor presides over all cabinet meetings and the constitution provides for that he may be able to appoint or remove cabinet officials with or without the approval of the Teiko Royal Council. The chancellor also exercises legal power to permit administrative actions against cabinet members. The chancellor may also issues executive orders that are grounded by Teiko's constitution and by-laws. Executive orders may be amended or lifted by a superseding chancellor and is reviewable by the Supreme Court of Teiko who has the power to struck down unconstitutional executive orders.

The chancellor is also responsible for appointing chairperson's of several key government offices such as constitutional commissions, government controlled corporations, government controlled project based organizations and others. The chancellor also appoints ambassador and other diplomatic corps. Appointments of for offices however all require confirmation from the Central-46.

Legislative role
As a member of the Teiko Royal Council, the chancellor maintains the roles and responsibilities of that as a representative. The chancellor may be able to present bill directly to the council in behalf of the cabinet. During voting when the council is convene and a quorum is secured, the chancellor also takes part in process of voting for the approval of the bill. However, the chancellor while in office is excluded from any general elections. The chancellor may also be summoned by the council to provide reports and explanations as the council may deem necessary. By constitution, the chancellor is also required to submit to the council an annual review of its administration collaborative efforts and developments which is referred to as the "State of the Nation Address". The chancellor may also advice the prince to dissolve the council.

Juridical powers
The chancellor has legal authority to nominate judges across the judicial branch of the government which also includes the Supreme Court of Teiko. The confirmation of this judges are done by the Judicial Bar Council of Teiko and the confirmed nominees are official sworn in by the prince. The constitution provides criteria for appointment which barres the chancellor from nominating judges without legal experience.

The chancellor may also invoke the state secrets privilege which allows the chancellor and the executive branch to withhold information or documents from discovery in legal proceedings if such release would harm national security. The chancellor may also be able to grant pardon, commutation, reprieve and amnesty which is absolute and cannot be questioned by any judicial and legislative body.

War and foreign affairs powers
The constitution clearly states that the prince is the official commander-in-chief of the Teiko Royal Military. However such responsibility might be delegated to the chancellor upon conferral of the prince. In this case, while the power to declare was is vested in the council, the chancellor is ultimately responsible for the direction and disposition of the military. The present-day operational command of the Teiko Royal Military (belonging to the Ministry of Defense) is normally exercised through the Minister for Defense, with assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The chancellor also heads the Teiko National Security Council.

Along with the military, the chancellor also directs Teiko's foreign policy through the Ministry of Internal and External Communications specifically Department of Foreign Affairs. The chancellor is responsible for the protection of Teikonians abroad and of foreign nationals in Teiko. The chancellor decides whether to recognize new nations and new governments, and negotiates treaties with other nations, which become binding with Teiko when approved by two-thirds vote of the Teiko Royal Council. The chancellor however as legally allowed by the constitution have borrowing power which allows the chancellor to borrow money from creditors in behalf of Teiko with or without council's approval.

Official Residence
The official office and residence of the chancellor is called the Akaie (赤家) or Red House. The original Akaie was located in Kaijo, the former capital of Teiko and it served from 1872 until 1990. During the construction of a new capital, the new building was designed in the same style as the original although a few alterations were made and the former Akaie was turned into a heritage site. The building's facade is made with red bricks that were made similar to the original bricks used when building the original Akaie. It is located adjacent to the center of Dazaifu, the location of many of the government ministry offices.

Post-Chancellorship
Beginning in 1986, all living former chancellors were granted a pension, an office, and a staff. Former chancellor's continuously serve as members of the Teiko Royal Council for their district represented even after chancellorship while others become emissary for the current administration. There are currently seven living former chancellors.