The Romulan Goverment

The Rihannsu government is an authoritarian system of checks and balances designed to prevent any one group or individual from monopolising power for too long a period. Devised in the period following the overthrow of T'Rehu, the Ruling Queen, the Rihannsu system is tricameral in nature. The Rihannsu Senate is the legislative body responsible for the proposal and passing of legislation. The Senate is divided into two halves: the Lower Senate to propose and pass legislation, and the High Senate strictly to veto legislation. This structure provides a certain amount of governmental inertia, which prevents the passing of large amounts of revolutionary legislation and promotes stability.

The Lower Senate draft it's members from the Noble Houses of the Romulan Star Empire, The Rihannsu senator is a hereditary position, passed only through the blood-line of a noble house. Only true Romulans can be members of the Senate, the senate does not let half-breeds into its ranks. Also members of the High Senate cannot be member's of the Lower Senate. A senator may only loose his or her position due to loss of the house name or death.

It is the purpose of the Lower Senate to propose and drafting of legislation's. Only once a bill has gone through the process of the Lower Senate can it be taken up at the High Senate. It should be noted that the Lower Senate has the ability to nullify the High Senate's suggestions by turning it down in this process. And ex. is one of the goals of House s'Vulokk, to engage the United Federation of Planets (UFP) in combat. A member of House s'Vulokk and also member of the Lower Senate has proposed at a regular meeting in the Senate that the Romulan Navy should attack an UFP outpost, he calls for a vote session at the Lower Senate, he knows that he has total support from all other senators from his own House, but if House s'Vulokk does not have majority in the Lower Senate, and if the other Noble Houses vote No to his suggestion, then will the legislation not reach the High Senate. So therefor it is common to see the Senators to make all sort of deals right before a major vote is called for.

Any member of the Lower Senate may propose a bill, which must be posted in a public place, and forwarded to the Head Senator of the Lower Senate for initial passage. The Head Senator will place the bill on the agenda of the next sitting of the Lower Senate. The Lower Senate then debates and either passes or defeats the bill. If it passes, the bill is forwarded to the Head Senator of the High Senate, and notice of First Passage is posted. The Head Senator of the High Senate then places the bill on the agenda of the next sitting of the High Senate. The High Senate then debates and either passes or defeats the bill. If it passes, the bill is forwarded to the daise'Fvillha, who either proclaims the bill as law, or vetoes it. If a bill is defeated by the High Senate, or daise'Fviillha, the bill is sent back to Lower Senate, which may either amend it and pass it again, or discard it.

When it is time for the vote session, each Senator gives his vote to the current suggestion, each senator have a given vote points, pls. referee to the Noble House's of the Empire page. If a Senator cannot come to a meeting or if he is member of the High Senate he can give another Senator of the same House the right to use his vote points, to do that the Ruler of the Lower Senate should be notified before the meeting at the Lower Senate.

The High Senate is composed of four members, the Leader of the Civilian Department, the Leader of the Navy, the Leader of the Security Department and the Leader of the Empire. It is the purpose of the High Senate to help the Leader of the Empire to go through the various legislation's from the Lower Senate and help him to decide if they should become laws. Each member of the High Senate have one vote, but the Leader of the Empire have the right to call for a veto. The members of the High Senate cannot make any laws or call for any use of military powers without the consent of the Lower Senate, but to any laws there is a "but". The Leader of the Tal'Shiar or the Leader of the Navy can if they have proof of a complot against the Romulan Government, or the Romulan Star Empire, call for immediately military action from the Galae. But there will be held an official herring in the Lower Senate afterwards. As can be seen the members of the High Senate have allot of powers, but they need allot of networking within their Houses to introduce legislation's as they are not members of the Lower Senate.