Governor-General of Ibagli: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:Ggflag.png|thumb|right|200px|The Governor-General's Flag]] | [[Image:Ggflag.png|thumb|right|200px|The Governor-General's Flag]] | ||
In the order of precedence, the Governor-General outranks all individuals except the monarch. While in office the Governor-General, as well as his or her spouse (the Viceregal Consort), is styled "His Excellency" or "Her Excellency." The Governor-General is the | In the order of precedence, the Governor-General outranks all individuals except the monarch. While in office the Governor-General, as well as his or her spouse (the Viceregal Consort), is styled "His Excellency" or "Her Excellency." The Governor-General is the Chancellor of all of the orders comprising the Ibaglian [[honours system]]. | ||
The Governor-General's flag has a 1:2 ratio, it has a royal blue background and in the centre of the flag there is a Royal Crest (a crowned lion standing on a St Edward's Crown) and the word "Ibagli" in dark blue letters on a gold scroll below the Crest. This design is the traditional throughout the Commonwealth. The flag takes precedence over all other flags, save only the Queen's Personal Ibaglian Flag. The flag may be flown from a vehicle in which the Governor-General is travelling, or from a building in which the Governor-General is present or is residing. | The Governor-General's flag has a 1:2 ratio, it has a royal blue background and in the centre of the flag there is a Royal Crest (a crowned lion standing on a St Edward's Crown) and the word "Ibagli" in dark blue letters on a gold scroll below the Crest. This design is the traditional throughout the Commonwealth. The flag takes precedence over all other flags, save only the Queen's Personal Ibaglian Flag. The flag may be flown from a vehicle in which the Governor-General is travelling, or from a building in which the Governor-General is present or is residing. | ||
Revision as of 03:09, 6 July 2007
 This article is a part of the Politics and Government of Ibagli series. |
| Executive |
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Monarch (King Charles III) |
| Legislative (Parliament) |
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House of Commons (Speaker) |
| Judicial |
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Supreme Court (Chief Justice) |
The Governor-General of Ibagli is the representative of the monarch of Ibagli, currently Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor-General is appointed by the Monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister. The letters patent creating the office of Governor-General also state the Governor-General shall be the Commander-in-Chief of the Ibaglian armed forces. The current Governor-General is Sir Steven Spell.
As Ibagli is a constitutional monarchy, the Governor-General's role is limited to primarily ceremonial functions. By constitutional convention, the Governor-General exercises his or her powers, with few exceptions, on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. Though the Queen retains all executive power and royal prerogative, she very rarely personally intervenes in Ibaglian politics. Actions requiring the approval of the Queen are the appointment of a Governor-General and the creation of honours.
History
Albert Cunard, 1st Viscount Feldon, the first Governor-General of Ibagli was appointed in 1955. He had previously been the Governor of Ibagli. The office of Governor-General is a direct successor to that of Governor, with many similar roles.
In 1972, Governor-General Sir Aaron Lastman was involved in a constitutional crisis in which Joseph Kenilworth refused to advise the Governor-General to dissolve Parliament at the end of its five-year term, citing the protests against him, which he called a national crisis, as the basis for the extension of Parliament's term. At the end of the Parliament's mandate, Lastman dissolved it and called an election without the advice of the Prime Minister.
In 1976, Sir Gregory Parks visited Australia, becoming the first Governor-General to make a state visit to another country.
In 2005, Dame Annette Farquhar became the first female to be appointed to the office of Governor-General. In late 2005, she used her reserve powers to dissolve Parliament after Prime Minister Anthony Kinder thrice prorogued Parliament to dismiss nearly all Senators who disagreed with the Senate abolition resolution passed by the House of Commons. Her commission as Governor-General was revoked in early July 2006 after the dictatorship of Steven Lyall ended. It was believed that she had aided Lyall in gaining power.
Appointment
The Governor-General is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister of Ibagli. So far, all of Ibagli's Governors-General have came from a background in the military, politics, or the judiciary.
If the Governor-General dies, resigns, is incapacitated, or leaves Ibagli for more than one month, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ibagli shall exercise the powers of the Governor-General. If the Chief Justice is likewise unavailable to fulfil the requirements of office, the most senior of the Commissioners of Ibagli that is resident in Ibagli and not incapacitated shall exercise the office. Should there be no commissioners who meet the requirements, the senior justice of the Supreme Court shall exercise the office.
Role and Functions
Though in theory, the Governor-General has many powers and privileges, in practice these are very limited. The Governor-General is a symbolic and nominal chief executive, acting within the constraints of constitutional convention and precedent. Should the Governor-General attempt to exercise any powers without reference to constitutional convention and solely at personal discretion, the action would likely result in a constitutional crisis and in public outrage. Almost always, the Governor-General exercises the Royal Prerogative on the advice of the Prime Minister and other ministers. The Prime Minister and ministers are, in turn, accountable to the democratically elected House of Commons, and through it, to the people.
Whenever necessary, the Governor-General is responsible for appointing a new Prime Minister. In accordance with unwritten constitutional conventions, the Governor-General must appoint the individual most likely to maintain the support of the House of Commons: usually, the leader of the party which has a majority in that House. If no party has a majority, two or more groups may form a coalition, whose agreed leader is then appointed Prime Minister. Such coalition governments are very rare in Ibagli, but may become more common under the new electoral system. Situations can arise in which the Governor-General's judgement about the most suitable leader to be Prime Minister has to be brought into play. For instance, if two parties were to be exactly tied in their working number of seats, the Governor-General would have sole discretion and responsibility as to who to appoint Prime Minister.
The Governor-General appoints and dismisses Cabinet ministers and other ministers, but exercises such a function only on the Prime Minister's advice. Thus, in practice, the Prime Minister, and not the Governor-General, exercises complete control over the composition of the Cabinet. The Governor-General may, in theory, unilaterally dismiss a Prime Minister, but convention and precedent bar such an action.
The Governor-General is the representative of the Ibaglian monarch, and may exercise most powers vested in the Crown. If the monarch is present in Ibagli, however, he or she may exercise such powers personally.
The Governor-General summons, prorogues, and dissolves Parliament. Each parliamentary session begins with the Governor-General's summons. The new parliamentary session is marked by the opening of Parliament, during which the Governor-General reads the Speech from the Throne in the Chamber of the Senate, outlining the Government's legislative agenda. Prorogation usually occurs about one year after a session begins, and formally concludes the session. Dissolution ends a parliamentary term (which lasts a maximum of five years), and is followed by general elections for all seats in the House of Commons. These powers, however, are always exercised on the Prime Minister's advice. The timing of a dissolution is affected by a variety of factors; the Prime Minister normally chooses the most politically opportune moment for his or her party. The Governor-General may theoretically refuse a dissolution, but the circumstances under which such an action would be warranted are unclear. It might be justified if a minority government had served only briefly and another party seemed likely to have better success in holding the confidence of the House.
All laws are enacted in the Monarch's name. Before a bill can become law, the Royal Assent (the monarch's approval) is required. The Governor-General acts on the Monarch's behalf; in theory, he or she has three options: he or she may grant the Royal Assent (making the bill law), withhold the Royal Assent (vetoing the bill), or reserve the bill for the Signification of the Queen's Pleasure (allowing the Sovereign to personally grant or withhold Assent). If the Governor-General does grant the Royal Assent, the Sovereign may, within two years, "disallow" the bill, thereby annulling the law in question. By modern constitutional convention, however, the Royal Assent is always granted, and bills are never disallowed.
The Governor-General also has the power to appoint cabinet ministers, Senators, judges, and other officials. Effectively, however, the appointees are chosen by the Prime Minister or other ministers. Furthermore, the Governor-General performs some of the functions normally associated with heads of state. He or she makes state visits abroad, hosts foreign heads of state, and receives ambassadors and high commissioners.
The Governor-General's functions are primarily ceremonial. He or she serves a symbolic role as the Commander-in-Chief of the Ibaglian Armed Forces. It is not clear whether the commanders of the armed forces could, in reality, turn to the Governor-General if they thought that the orders they were receiving from the Prime Minister and Minister of Defence were illegal or unethical, or whether the Governor-General would be justified in issuing new orders directly.
The Governor-General spends a large share of his or her working time attending state banquets and functions, making and hosting state visits, meeting ceremonial groups, and awarding medals, decorations, and prizes. The Governor-General is also the Colonel of the Governor-General's Horse Guards.
Precedence and privileges
In the order of precedence, the Governor-General outranks all individuals except the monarch. While in office the Governor-General, as well as his or her spouse (the Viceregal Consort), is styled "His Excellency" or "Her Excellency." The Governor-General is the Chancellor of all of the orders comprising the Ibaglian honours system.
The Governor-General's flag has a 1:2 ratio, it has a royal blue background and in the centre of the flag there is a Royal Crest (a crowned lion standing on a St Edward's Crown) and the word "Ibagli" in dark blue letters on a gold scroll below the Crest. This design is the traditional throughout the Commonwealth. The flag takes precedence over all other flags, save only the Queen's Personal Ibaglian Flag. The flag may be flown from a vehicle in which the Governor-General is travelling, or from a building in which the Governor-General is present or is residing.