The people of Neptunia elect the Government of Neptunia, every four years, on the first Tuesday in November. There are four types of people who are elected on election day:
Voting is mandatory at the Federal level, punishable by a $500 fine for failing to do so. In all provinces except Oceana, voting is mandatory, punishable by a fine between $200 and $500. In Oceana, federal voting is mandatory; provincial voting is not.
At the municipal level (IE. cities and towns), voting is mandatory in many jurisdictions. However, there are a great deal of municipalities that do not fine people for voting. In any case, many cities and towns only hand out a nominal fine, which is usually around $100.
The citizens of Neptunia vote for one of several teams of candidates, from a host of political parties, in each citizen�s own riding. The citizen�s vote for ONE MP to fill the respective riding. Each riding has a seat in the House of Commons (Parliament), and The party that wins the most seats in Parliament becomes the ruling party. There are 420 ridings, and 420 Members of Parliament are elected. The party that wins the most seats in one province officially "wins" that province. To form a majority government, one party must win 50%+1 of the seats in the House of Commons. That means 211 seats must be won by one party.
It has been that the party in power was of a different party than the winning Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister and Vice Prime Minister, who run as a team, are elected by the people separately from MP's. Every registered voter can cast his or her vote for one of the teams of candidates running for Prime/Vice Prime Minister.
Whichever candidate team receives the most votes in a province "wins" that province (they receive all of the electoral votes for that province). There are 538 electoral votes; a candidate team must receive 50%+1 (220) of them to win the election.
Members of Parliament are elected by a simple majority. Whichever candidate receives the most votes in the riding they are running in wins that seat in Parliament.
Senators are elected by the people. Each province has two Senators, for a total of 82. Each territory gets two Senators as well for a total of 6. Neptunia City F.D. also receives two Senators for a grand total of 90 Senators.
All members of the government are elected for four years. Terms begin on the first of the new year after the election and last until the 31st of December, four years later.
To be eligible to run in an election, they (the political party) must supply at least one candidate in at least 50 ridings. To obtain "Official Party Status" in the legislature after the election, the party must have at least 10 elected members. Thus, some of the fringe parties that get elected don't receive full party status as they don't have enough elected members in the House of Commons.
Anyone of legal voting age (18 in Neptunia) can run for office in a Neptunian election. However, there are some other restrictions. To become a candidate up for election (for the Senate or Member of Parliament), one must:
In Neptunia, each political party has their own platform, which they run on, with the hopes of getting elected. There are several different (and not so different!) political parties to choose from when voting. There are usually nine parties, but there are more that are not "official" parties. The main nine parties are:
Each political party elects their candidate by having leadership conventions (registered party members vote for one of several nominees running for party leader). These are known as national conventions; IE Reform National Convention, New Democratic National Convention, Rhinoceros National Convention, etc. Each convention is held (usually) in a different city.
The party nominee for PM, if elected by the people, would control the party, but one of the elected Member's of Parliament (MP's) is chosen to be the house leader (he controls the party in power when the parliament is sitting).
The political party's candidate for Prime Minister usually chooses his own running mate. This person would become Vice Prime Minister if elected by the people.
The Prime Minister
The PM is the leader of the people; citizens look to the PM for leadership in times of crisis. It is the PM's job to see that the country is running smoothly and safely, and to make sure that things that need to get done do indeed get done. However, to accomplish these tasks, the Prime Minister can only propose legislation, in the form of a bill; the Member's of Parliament debate and pass or veto the legislation.
However, once the legislation is passed by Parliament, it goes to the Senate. If they pass it, it comes to the PM who will either veto it or sign it into law.
The PM's duties extend beyond legislation. The Prime Minister is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Neptunia. In times of war, the PM can lead the troops themselves (from behind the front lines in the capital city) or use their top generals to create tactical manoeuvres. Either way, the PM must see the country safely out of the war or crisis.
The Vice Prime Minister
The Vice Prime Minister is the second in charge of Neptunia. The VPM's main function is to submit legislation from the PM to Parliament. He/She is the official "go-between" between the two factions of the government.
The Vice Prime Minister is also responsible for counting Electoral Votes and certifying who will become the new Prime Minister and Vice Prime Minister. The Vice Prime Minister will become Prime Minister should the president die in office (such was the case in 1322, 1346, 1351 & 1405).
Members of Parliament (MP's)
It is the job of the Members of Parliament to debate on, vote on, and pass legislation, in the form of a "bill," created by the PM or Parliament.
Some MPs from the ruling party also have different jobs, called portfolios. If an MP is given a portfolio, they become a Minister. Some examples of Ministers are: Minister of Native Affairs, Minister of the Environment, Transportation Minister, Finance Minster, etc.
The leader of the Official Opposition usually hands out shadow portfolios to his fellow opposition MPs. These "shadow ministers," like watchdogs, follow their counterparts in the ruling party and make sure that the Minister is doing a good job.
Most importantly of all, Member's of Parliament must remain accountable to the people. They are the average citizen's connection the government. With out them, citizens would not be able to have a handle on the ruling government.
The MPs must tow the line; they must watch what they do. In other word, they must be accountable. The citizens have the power to recall any MP from office (called Voter Recall) and force a by-election. To institute a by-election, A petition with the signatures of 51% of the voters in the riding must be submitted to Parliament. Once that petition is received by Parliament, the MP is removed immediately from his seat (figuratively, not literally) and a by-election is called for that ridding.
Senators
Senators are the next-to-last obstacle for a piece of legislation. They are the final debaters of a bill. If they vote in favour on a bill, it will go to the Prime Minister who will either sign it into law or Veto it. Should they veto it, it will go back to its original starting point and have to go through Parliament again.
Most of the Senators elected are from the ruling party, so legislation is almost always passed. However, there are Senators from the other parties as well, so legislation isn't always easy to pass.