The General Assembly of the Rockalese
parliament consists of 400 members, of whom 23 are members by right
of position (non-elected), 364 elected nationally and 13 elected by
citizens of Rockall Oversea. The Parliament functions as eight Houses,
each with 50 members, as follows:
Matters of overlapping concern may
be successively considered by several Houses. All resultant bills have
to be ratified by the Executive before passage. The Executive also deals
with any matters outside the specific concern of any of the Houses,
including the adminstration of the armed services.
All political parties with eight
or more representatives automatically have one seat in each house (or
more, according to their representation). There is always an independent
member on the Executive. Other independents and the members of minor
parties (with less than 8 seats) negotiate among themselves to decide
the House in which they will sit, drawing lots if agreement cannot be
reached. Representation in the Houses is otherwise proportional to the
number of seats held by particular political parties.
The five electoral wards of the
capital, Rockall Peak, are traditionally open only to Independents,
one of whom sits in the Executive House. The members from Rockall Oversea
must either be independents or representatives of local political parties;
affiliations with any political party of Rockall itself is a disqualification.
The non-elected members of the Executive
are:
-
The President of
the Republic of Rockall.
-
Twelve Princes
(of Barodda, Dedesta, Herador, Kelcestre, Lyonesse, Mionia, Noroway,
Pavonara, Reschora, Salastre, Sandastre and Temecula)
Note: Royal titles, other than princedoms, were abolished
when Rockall was united.
-
Two Presidents
of Councils of Marcher Earls (the East Marches and the West Marches)
-
Four Presidents of Constituent
Republics (Arcturus, Bayard, Fachane and Montariot)
- Four Governors
of Territories (Huntingtower, Perry Hills, Vragansarat and Westley)
Rockall Oversea consists
of island groups acquired (by negotiation or purchase), to form a circumglobal
chain in the days when travel was essentially by ship. The wealth of
Rockall and careful diplomacy with adjacent countries, plus direct representation
in Rockall's Parliament, has meant that none have yet striven for independence;
if they did, it would surely be granted. The thirteen territories are:
Chagos Archipelago,
Indian Ocean
Dahlak Islands, southern Red Sea
Easter Island and Sala-y-Gomez, Pacific Ocean
Farasan Islands, southern Red Sea
Galapagos Islands and Oceanographic Missions, eastern Pacific Ocean
Kermadec Islands, western Pacific Ocean
Magdalen Islands, western Atlantic Ocean
Manihiki Archipelago, central Pacific Ocean
Natuna Islands, South China Sea
Pelew Islands, western Pacific Ocean
Revillagigedo Islands, eastern Pacific Ocean
Shadwan Island, northern Red Sea
Socotra, northwest Indian Ocean