Government of Teiko

The Government of Teiko, officially known as the Central Government of Teiko, is the governing body of the Socialist Republic of Teiko exercising authority and sovereignty over 32 prefectures based on the 1986 Teiko Constitution. Teiko has been a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic since the founding of the First Republic of Teiko on 1895. Prior to its full independence, Teiko has been under the Japanese control. The Kaijo Mutiny brought an end to Japanese colonization and the establishment of an autonomous government.

From then on, Teiko was led by several premier from different parties. The 1986 Teiko Constitutional Crises, nearly crippled the other political parties and placed the country under the banner of the Teiko National Party (Formerly Socialist Party of Teiko) since then. Reforms by Sasuke Gemba brought the country closer to its current state by enforcing strict fiscal and domestic policies while slowly integrating Teiko's economy to the world.

Despite several changes in the constitution, the basic structure of government has remained the same. The Government of Teiko is made up of three branches: the executive, the legislative and the judiciary. The power is held chiefly by the Teiko Premier and other elected members of the Central-46, while sovereignty is vested in the Teikonian people. The government abides by the constitutional check and balances. All branches of the government are located within Tetsuya Special Administrative District, the capital city of Teiko.

Premier
Main article: Premier of the Socialist Republic of Teiko

The Teiko Premier is the highest official in the country. He is considered both as the head of the government and state. He is elected by the people during the national elections and must enjoy the confidence of the Central-46 to stay in power. Normally, the Teiko Premier will come from the dominant party in the Central-46 but there are several occasions that the winner is from a minority party. However, all the Premier since 1986 are from the Teiko National Party as it enjoys continuous political success.

The Teiko Premier, as head of the executive branch, is also the leader of the Cabinet of Teiko. The Premier therefore retains the prerogative to appoint or remove any minister he or she so chooses. However, such actions needed at least 1/2 of the votes in Central-46. As the most visible member of the government the Premier represent the country abroad and is as well the main spokesperson for the government at home. The Prime Minister’s official residence and office is the Kōkyo, a mansion located adjacent to the Teiko National Council Hall in Tetsuya.

The current Premier is Seijuro Akashi from the Teiko National Party who was inaugurated on January 30, 2010. By constitution his term will end on January 2016 but he retains the prerogative to run for one more term. Akashi Seijuro is the youngest to hold the office to date and is the first openly-gay head of state and government of Teiko. He is also the third person from the Akashi Clan to hold the office after Ryuichi Akashi and Kouzo Akashi.

Cabinet
Main article: Cabinet of the Socialist Republic of Teiko

The Cabinet of Teikō or the Council of Ministers of Teikō is an autonomous executive body composed of 14 ministers, who run the cabinet ministries of the country and other commissioners and heads of several independent government offices including the Teiko Regional Statistics Office and Teiko Special Advisory Board. Although not part of the cabinet, department heads under different ministries may also be called during cabinet meetings.

As of 2014, there are currently 14 in-office cabinet ministries excluding the constitutional commissions and other floating offices. The Cabinet is also responsible for the formulation and execution of policies of the government. Members of the Cabinet are not necessarily from the Central-46 however incumbent members of the Central-46 can also be be appointed as ministers. All appointments of the 14 ministries must be approved by a 1/2 majority of the Central-46. Ministers can also be partisan or non-partisan.

Members of the cabinet also cannot participate in any law making processes but however can be called into any session as required by the Central-46. The cabinet is headed by the Teiko Premier and is directly responsible to the Central-46. The main operating headquarters of the cabinet offices vary differently from one ministry to another and cabinet meetings occurs routinely at the Kōkyo.

Teiko National Council (Central-46)
Main article: Teiko National Council (Central-46)

The legislative branch (also called the Teiko National Council) of the Teikonian government was first established in 1882 via a temporary resolution adopting the use of a government body that will create laws that will be implemented in the country. The first assembly which was on 29 July 1882 in the Imperial Palace was composed of 46 original representatives from different districts hence the name Central-46 and was headed by Sanosuke Sagara, considered as the first Sandaedeung of Teiko. The Sandaedeung serves as the official speaker of the council and facilitates the parliamentary sessions.

The Teiko National Council is a unicameral legislature composed of 150 prefectural representatives of whom each serves a 6 year term and can run for a maximum of three consecutive terms. After three consecutive terms, a representative may opt to retire from the legislature, be appointed for a government post in the executive branch or rest for six years in which they may be able to run again for another three consecutive terms. The number of representatives in each prefecture is relative to its population size. The legislative branch took its current form in 1987 in line with the Teiko Constitution of 1986. The Teiko National Council holds its congressional meetings at the Teiko National Council Hall.

The Central-46 members are strictly partisan and normally the Teiko Premier and Sandaedeung comes from the majority party. Elections for the Central-46 occurs every three years. There are also several committees under the council and among the most controversial is the Blue Ribbon Committee, the only committee given power by the Teiko constitution to put into trial government officials with impeachment cases. There are four more primary posts in the council after the Sandaedeung which are the Deputy Sandaedeung, President Pro Tempore, Majority Leader and Minority Leader. The last election was held on 2012. Currently, the Teiko National Party holds the majority of the seats while Democratic Party of Teiko and Teiko Liberal Party comes in second and third respectively. Since 1986, only the three parties dominate the council with some representatives running independently.

Sandaedeung
Main article: Sandaedeung of the Socialist Republic of Teiko

The Sandaedeung is the head and the presiding officer of the Central-46. He is considered to be the head of the legislative branch. The sandaedeung is not necessarily from the majority party and is elected two weeks prior to the first session of the Central-46. The term Sandaedeung was adopted from the Korean kingdom of Silla legislative system. Since the inception of the office, there has been several debates regarding the use and abuse of the Sandaedeung powers and its correlation to the Teiko Premier. Today, its rights and privileges has been clearly bounded by the current Teiko constitution.

The current Sandaedeung is Kensuke Fukui who was elected on February 14, 2013. Generally, they do not have limits in their term in office and will continue to assume power as long as they are voted by their fellow representatives. Fukui is currently in his third term, a consecutive three year in office is considered as one term.

Supreme Court of Teiko
Main article: Supreme Court of Teiko

The Supreme Court of Teiko was established pursuant to the Article III of the 1986 Teiko Constitution as the highest court in the Socialist Republic of Teiko. It has an ultimate jurisdiction over all local courts and its subordinates. In the Teiko legal system, the Supreme Court is the final interpreter of the constitutional law, although it may only act within the context if a case in which it has jurisdiction.

The Court consists of a chief justice and five associate justices who are appointed by the premier and confirmed by the Central-46 in a 1/2 majority vote. Once appointed, justices have lifetime tenure unless otherwise resigned, retire or removed after being impeached. Impeachment of a chief justice is done by the Blue Ribbon Committee with the consent and approval of a 1/2 majority vote of the Central-46.