Government of the Free March
It is the nature of the Inner Sphere that most worlds have hereditary rulers, save for some of the new governments arising that are attempting to emulate 20th Century socialist structure. The Free March is no exception.
The Arcadian Free March is governed by the Constitution of the Free March, ratified by the founding worlds in 2956. The constitution served to provide for each world to retain specific privileges and governance separate from the new body while recognizing power to the newly-established central government, which set up facilities near in the Arcadian capital of Forsyth in the Laughlin Capital District, named for Lord Andrew Laughlin, the Arcadian noble and negotiator who completed the negotiations alongside the new March-Princess Sara Proctor. As Inner Sphere constitutions and documentation goes, it affords a significant number of civil rights to citizens of all classes, commoner and noble, and provides for democratic government structure in the legislature. That said, the nobility of the founding worlds insisted on retaining certain powers, especially their rights to enter into land tenancy and other feudal contracts, and control of the military forces and foreign policy. The sovereign is invested with significant authority in those respects, effectively serving as both head of state and head of government. Their power is subjected to some oversight, as both constitutional form and custom dictate they consult the advice of the Privy Council and the Ducal Council on various matters outside of foreign policy and the exercise of military power.
As for who can hold the position, the relevant article openly states that "The March-Principality shall be held by the currently-reigning Duke or Duchess of Arcadia", tying the position to the hereditary inheritance law of Arcadia. The Constitution also provides for the formal styling of the ruler as "Serene Highness", with the consort provided the style of "Gracious Highness". Only the children of a March-Prince or March-Princess are to be considered Prince or Princess and given the styling "Highness", which predominates over all other titles.
The Privy Council is established by the Constitution as "an assemblage of persons of distinction to execute the high duties of government office serving at the pleasure of His or Her Serene Highness", divided into Officers of State and Privy Councillors and overseen by the Lord of the Privy Council, by custom a noble of at least Viscount rank. The Officers of State function as the Cabinet of the Free March, serving as the Secretaries of the various government Offices, with the Speaker of the Assembly and the Chair of the Ducal Council seated as Officers of State as well. By custom former Officers of State are likewise granted status as Privy Councillors, as are prominent scientists and legal scholars and retired Chiefs of Staff of the AFFM, although in practice the whole Privy Council rarely meets outside of ceremonial occasions such as the March-Princess' Annual Address.
The members of the Privy Council can be but are not always drawn from the legislature of the Free March. It is a bicameral structure with the Assembly below and the Ducal Council above. The Assembly is defined in the Constitution as "the representative of the peoples of the Free March, representing their will in determining the laws to govern all their worlds." Every world is divided into districts of "not less than a hundred million persons", who elect Assembly Representatives to represent them on Arcadia. The Constitution allows for the Assembly to elect its own officers without the consultation of the monarch, including the Speaker of the Assembly who oversees debate and maintains the rules, protocols, and general decorum of the chamber. By the Constitution only the Assembly can draft new law, although the March-Prince or March-Princess is allowed to propose tax and customs legislation to provide for government revenues.
Laws decided upon by the Assembly are sent to the Ducal Council. The primary function of the Ducal Council is to provide the nobility of the Free March a brake upon the power of the Assembly, preventing popular passion and fury from leading to laws being rushed into being, while providing the planetary rulers a body to represent their interests in the capital and to the ruler. The Council consists of the representatives of the ruling family of each world (regardless of their title and style). Under the Constitution, the Council is provided with the authority to "advise the representatives of the Assembly and His or Her Serene Highness as to the merits and value of proposed laws", but they have no authority to draft law themselves. If a law wins a majority vote, it is sent on to the March-Princess for the final approval. If the law was unanimously elected, unwritten custom is that it will be approved regardless of the feelings of the sovereign. A law rejected is, meanwhile, sent back to the Assembly, which must either re-draft the law for immediate reconsideration or has to wait a year before they can vote on it again. Should it pass a second time, the Ducal Council is restrained from blocking it again (although they retain the legal power to do so, it is considered a violation of the purpose in question). If rejected by a unanimous vote, the bill is considered completely dead and cannot be re-drafted, only left fallow for a year. This has only happened twice in the history of the Free March, a reflection of how careful the Council is to avoid from appearing in lockstep against the democratic wishes of the citizenry.
Apart from the legislature, the Free March Judiciary are known as the March Law Courts. Appointed by the ruler of the Free March from a list typically agreed upon by the Speaker of the Assembly and Chair of the Ducal Council, these lawyers judge cases involving the laws of the Free March, including but not limited to criminal proceedings, civil lawsuits, and matters of interplanetary commerce and contract law. They have limited power to rule on feudal contracts should the appellant subordinate show cause that his or her rights as as noble citizen of the Free March have been violated by his superior. The Admiralty Courts likewise rule exclusively on matters involving spacecraft, such as smuggling and piracy. The highest court is known as the Supreme Court of the Free March, consisting of nine justices making the final ruling on matters of Free March constitutional law. They are likewise appointed by the ruler from candidates suggested by the Assembly and the Ducal Council. By tradition the members of the Supreme Court are made Privy Councillors and given the grade of Knight-Commander in the Order of St. Michael.
The worlds of the Free March each retain certain individual characteristics and forms that are unique to their histories. Hollabrunn, for instance, is ruled by a Landgrave and not a Duke. The Duke of Concord's powers are, outside of military authority, entirely ceremonial, with civil authority in the hands of the President of the Concord Congress, and no feudal contracts accepted under the Concord common law. The position of Duke of Senftenberg is an elective one, not hereditary, with the planet's Council of Nobility deciding on a new ruler upon his or her passing.
Offices of State
The Offices of State act as government ministries, seeing to various aspects under the competence of the Free March's government. Their governing officers, typically entitled Secretary with some exceptions, act under the oversight of the Lord of the Privy Council, currently His Grace Simon Allen, Duke of Togwotee.
The Office of the Treasury
The Treasury Office controls the revenue of the government, dispersing funds as required by law and engaging in revenue collection, including enforcement of the same. They also oversee the relevant regulations on the financial institutions operating in the Free March. They are under the Treasury Secretary, Sir Karl von Newburg of Hyde.
The Exchequer
Not to be confused with the Treasury Office, this smaller organization sees to the treasury of the March-Princess, which is typically employed for the social duties of House Proctor and to the upkeep and costs of the family estates, as well as the Ducal Palace. Its revenues are derived from the tenants of Proctor-held estates across the Free March, the operations of civilian ships owned by the Proctor Estate, and the dividends of bank accounts and stock portfolios gained over the century since Sara Proctor accumulated her first fortune. The current Lord of the Exchequer is Dame Rhonda Cranston of Arcadia.
The Office of Foreign Affairs
The Foreign Office oversees the network of diplomatic missions the Free March maintains with other governments in the Inner Sphere. They man the consulates, consulates-general, and embassies on other worlds, and provide the staff for all consuls, consul-generals, ministers, and ambassadors. They are also the administrative overseers of the Security Information Service, the Free March's intelligence agency. The Foreign Secretary, responsible for advising the Privy Council and March-Princess on foreign policy, is His Lordship Edward Baden-Grey, Earl of Prestwick on Ford. The Director of the SIS is Sir James Bronson KCSM.
The Office of Protocol
The Protocol Office sees to the ceremonial side of the government, organizing all necessary resources to that effect, while also advising on new developments involving the styles and forms of address among the nobility. They work closely with the Foreign Office to assist diplomats with the often-touchy issues that can arise with matters of noble rank and the protocols involved in dealing with the nobility. The Protocol Secretary is His Lordship Wilbur Pentworth, Count of Lowery on Arcadia.
The Office of Defense
The civilian side to the AFFM, this is a small office by comparison since the AFFM directly answers to the March-Princess. Their primary purpose is to ensure relevant laws are enacted and to defend the ruler's military policies to the Assembly and Ducal Council. The Defense Secretary is Lord Richard Marcus, Viscount of Hartleford on Ford.
The Office of Commerce and Industry
Responsible for enforcing the commercial and business regulations, the Commerce and Industry Secretary is Harold Cushing of Concord.
The Office of Energy Supplies
This government office is responsible for policy regarding energy needs. Not all worlds in the Free March have kept the Star League-era infrastructure that made energy cheap and easy to distribute, requiring some administrative action to ensure the citizens of the Free March have access to basic power for their homes and fuel for their vehicles. The Energy Secretary is Sir Frederick Mountbatten of Ford.
The Office of Justice
The Justice Secretary oversees two distinct subordinate offices: the Attorney-General, who represents the government in criminal and law enforcement matters as well as other issues, and the Solicitor-General, responsible for the government's civil law cases. The Office also oversees the law enforcement agencies of the Free March. The current Secretary is Lady Karla Lockwell of Arcadia.
The Office of Education
The Education Secretary sees that laws about the basic education standards of the Free March are upheld, generally acting to ensure the planetary educational authorities have the appropriate curriculum. The Education Secretary is Dame Laura Roslin.
The Office of Employment and Labor
Responsible for seeing to issues of labor relations and matters of unemployment in the Free March, this office handles matters involving everything from strikes to recommending wage standards and pension systems. They also maintain the government pension system for its employees. The Labor Secretary is Lord Patrick Rogers, Baron of Yakima on Togwotee.
The Office of Health
The government ministry that enforces regulations on the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. They also operate the Rural Medical Service, which provides physicians and surgeons for the benefit of rural communities across the Free March. The Health Secretary is Doctor Sir John C. McGinley-Cox of Arcadia.
The Office of Agriculture
Sees to the well-being of the Free March's agricultural production, including cash crops and foodstuffs. The Agriculture Office acts to ensure every world in the Free March has adequate food supplies. The Agriculture Secretary is Lady Helga von Dusseldorf, Landgravine of Leuburg on Hyde.
It is the nature of the Inner Sphere that most worlds have hereditary rulers, save for some of the new governments arising that are attempting to emulate 20th Century socialist structure. The Free March is no exception.
The Arcadian Free March is governed by the Constitution of the Free March, ratified by the founding worlds in 2956. The constitution served to provide for each world to retain specific privileges and governance separate from the new body while recognizing power to the newly-established central government, which set up facilities near in the Arcadian capital of Forsyth in the Laughlin Capital District, named for Lord Andrew Laughlin, the Arcadian noble and negotiator who completed the negotiations alongside the new March-Princess Sara Proctor. As Inner Sphere constitutions and documentation goes, it affords a significant number of civil rights to citizens of all classes, commoner and noble, and provides for democratic government structure in the legislature. That said, the nobility of the founding worlds insisted on retaining certain powers, especially their rights to enter into land tenancy and other feudal contracts, and control of the military forces and foreign policy. The sovereign is invested with significant authority in those respects, effectively serving as both head of state and head of government. Their power is subjected to some oversight, as both constitutional form and custom dictate they consult the advice of the Privy Council and the Ducal Council on various matters outside of foreign policy and the exercise of military power.
As for who can hold the position, the relevant article openly states that "The March-Principality shall be held by the currently-reigning Duke or Duchess of Arcadia", tying the position to the hereditary inheritance law of Arcadia. The Constitution also provides for the formal styling of the ruler as "Serene Highness", with the consort provided the style of "Gracious Highness". Only the children of a March-Prince or March-Princess are to be considered Prince or Princess and given the styling "Highness", which predominates over all other titles.
The Privy Council is established by the Constitution as "an assemblage of persons of distinction to execute the high duties of government office serving at the pleasure of His or Her Serene Highness", divided into Officers of State and Privy Councillors and overseen by the Lord of the Privy Council, by custom a noble of at least Viscount rank. The Officers of State function as the Cabinet of the Free March, serving as the Secretaries of the various government Offices, with the Speaker of the Assembly and the Chair of the Ducal Council seated as Officers of State as well. By custom former Officers of State are likewise granted status as Privy Councillors, as are prominent scientists and legal scholars and retired Chiefs of Staff of the AFFM, although in practice the whole Privy Council rarely meets outside of ceremonial occasions such as the March-Princess' Annual Address.
The members of the Privy Council can be but are not always drawn from the legislature of the Free March. It is a bicameral structure with the Assembly below and the Ducal Council above. The Assembly is defined in the Constitution as "the representative of the peoples of the Free March, representing their will in determining the laws to govern all their worlds." Every world is divided into districts of "not less than a hundred million persons", who elect Assembly Representatives to represent them on Arcadia. The Constitution allows for the Assembly to elect its own officers without the consultation of the monarch, including the Speaker of the Assembly who oversees debate and maintains the rules, protocols, and general decorum of the chamber. By the Constitution only the Assembly can draft new law, although the March-Prince or March-Princess is allowed to propose tax and customs legislation to provide for government revenues.
Laws decided upon by the Assembly are sent to the Ducal Council. The primary function of the Ducal Council is to provide the nobility of the Free March a brake upon the power of the Assembly, preventing popular passion and fury from leading to laws being rushed into being, while providing the planetary rulers a body to represent their interests in the capital and to the ruler. The Council consists of the representatives of the ruling family of each world (regardless of their title and style). Under the Constitution, the Council is provided with the authority to "advise the representatives of the Assembly and His or Her Serene Highness as to the merits and value of proposed laws", but they have no authority to draft law themselves. If a law wins a majority vote, it is sent on to the March-Princess for the final approval. If the law was unanimously elected, unwritten custom is that it will be approved regardless of the feelings of the sovereign. A law rejected is, meanwhile, sent back to the Assembly, which must either re-draft the law for immediate reconsideration or has to wait a year before they can vote on it again. Should it pass a second time, the Ducal Council is restrained from blocking it again (although they retain the legal power to do so, it is considered a violation of the purpose in question). If rejected by a unanimous vote, the bill is considered completely dead and cannot be re-drafted, only left fallow for a year. This has only happened twice in the history of the Free March, a reflection of how careful the Council is to avoid from appearing in lockstep against the democratic wishes of the citizenry.
Apart from the legislature, the Free March Judiciary are known as the March Law Courts. Appointed by the ruler of the Free March from a list typically agreed upon by the Speaker of the Assembly and Chair of the Ducal Council, these lawyers judge cases involving the laws of the Free March, including but not limited to criminal proceedings, civil lawsuits, and matters of interplanetary commerce and contract law. They have limited power to rule on feudal contracts should the appellant subordinate show cause that his or her rights as as noble citizen of the Free March have been violated by his superior. The Admiralty Courts likewise rule exclusively on matters involving spacecraft, such as smuggling and piracy. The highest court is known as the Supreme Court of the Free March, consisting of nine justices making the final ruling on matters of Free March constitutional law. They are likewise appointed by the ruler from candidates suggested by the Assembly and the Ducal Council. By tradition the members of the Supreme Court are made Privy Councillors and given the grade of Knight-Commander in the Order of St. Michael.
The worlds of the Free March each retain certain individual characteristics and forms that are unique to their histories. Hollabrunn, for instance, is ruled by a Landgrave and not a Duke. The Duke of Concord's powers are, outside of military authority, entirely ceremonial, with civil authority in the hands of the President of the Concord Congress, and no feudal contracts accepted under the Concord common law. The position of Duke of Senftenberg is an elective one, not hereditary, with the planet's Council of Nobility deciding on a new ruler upon his or her passing.
Offices of State
The Offices of State act as government ministries, seeing to various aspects under the competence of the Free March's government. Their governing officers, typically entitled Secretary with some exceptions, act under the oversight of the Lord of the Privy Council, currently His Grace Simon Allen, Duke of Togwotee.
The Office of the Treasury
The Treasury Office controls the revenue of the government, dispersing funds as required by law and engaging in revenue collection, including enforcement of the same. They also oversee the relevant regulations on the financial institutions operating in the Free March. They are under the Treasury Secretary, Sir Karl von Newburg of Hyde.
The Exchequer
Not to be confused with the Treasury Office, this smaller organization sees to the treasury of the March-Princess, which is typically employed for the social duties of House Proctor and to the upkeep and costs of the family estates, as well as the Ducal Palace. Its revenues are derived from the tenants of Proctor-held estates across the Free March, the operations of civilian ships owned by the Proctor Estate, and the dividends of bank accounts and stock portfolios gained over the century since Sara Proctor accumulated her first fortune. The current Lord of the Exchequer is Dame Rhonda Cranston of Arcadia.
The Office of Foreign Affairs
The Foreign Office oversees the network of diplomatic missions the Free March maintains with other governments in the Inner Sphere. They man the consulates, consulates-general, and embassies on other worlds, and provide the staff for all consuls, consul-generals, ministers, and ambassadors. They are also the administrative overseers of the Security Information Service, the Free March's intelligence agency. The Foreign Secretary, responsible for advising the Privy Council and March-Princess on foreign policy, is His Lordship Edward Baden-Grey, Earl of Prestwick on Ford. The Director of the SIS is Sir James Bronson KCSM.
The Office of Protocol
The Protocol Office sees to the ceremonial side of the government, organizing all necessary resources to that effect, while also advising on new developments involving the styles and forms of address among the nobility. They work closely with the Foreign Office to assist diplomats with the often-touchy issues that can arise with matters of noble rank and the protocols involved in dealing with the nobility. The Protocol Secretary is His Lordship Wilbur Pentworth, Count of Lowery on Arcadia.
The Office of Defense
The civilian side to the AFFM, this is a small office by comparison since the AFFM directly answers to the March-Princess. Their primary purpose is to ensure relevant laws are enacted and to defend the ruler's military policies to the Assembly and Ducal Council. The Defense Secretary is Lord Richard Marcus, Viscount of Hartleford on Ford.
The Office of Commerce and Industry
Responsible for enforcing the commercial and business regulations, the Commerce and Industry Secretary is Harold Cushing of Concord.
The Office of Energy Supplies
This government office is responsible for policy regarding energy needs. Not all worlds in the Free March have kept the Star League-era infrastructure that made energy cheap and easy to distribute, requiring some administrative action to ensure the citizens of the Free March have access to basic power for their homes and fuel for their vehicles. The Energy Secretary is Sir Frederick Mountbatten of Ford.
The Office of Justice
The Justice Secretary oversees two distinct subordinate offices: the Attorney-General, who represents the government in criminal and law enforcement matters as well as other issues, and the Solicitor-General, responsible for the government's civil law cases. The Office also oversees the law enforcement agencies of the Free March. The current Secretary is Lady Karla Lockwell of Arcadia.
The Office of Education
The Education Secretary sees that laws about the basic education standards of the Free March are upheld, generally acting to ensure the planetary educational authorities have the appropriate curriculum. The Education Secretary is Dame Laura Roslin.
The Office of Employment and Labor
Responsible for seeing to issues of labor relations and matters of unemployment in the Free March, this office handles matters involving everything from strikes to recommending wage standards and pension systems. They also maintain the government pension system for its employees. The Labor Secretary is Lord Patrick Rogers, Baron of Yakima on Togwotee.
The Office of Health
The government ministry that enforces regulations on the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. They also operate the Rural Medical Service, which provides physicians and surgeons for the benefit of rural communities across the Free March. The Health Secretary is Doctor Sir John C. McGinley-Cox of Arcadia.
The Office of Agriculture
Sees to the well-being of the Free March's agricultural production, including cash crops and foodstuffs. The Agriculture Office acts to ensure every world in the Free March has adequate food supplies. The Agriculture Secretary is Lady Helga von Dusseldorf, Landgravine of Leuburg on Hyde.
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