1973 Constitutional Crisis in Ostboland

The 1973 Ostben Constitutional Crisis was a political crisis in Ostboland triggered by the potential of a  with PAC members in the Treaty of Oradea. The crisis culminated in the of the then  Oliver Lindström in February of 1974 after the collapse of his Labour-lead government. After a series of complex inter-party negotiations, Karl Westerberg was appointed the head of a until scheduled elections in 1974. It is the only time in the 20th century that such a ministry has been formed in Ostboland. In any event, the Riksdag rejected the Treaty of Oradea.

The treaty, which proposed the creation of a Artemian Defense Community and a among the signatories, was seen to be fundamentally incompatable with the Constitution of Ostboland and Ostboland's policy of strict. Prime Minister Lindström, a committed Artemian integrationist, pushed for ratification of the treaty over the objections of those within his own government and in the country. The treaty initially passed the Riksdag, but the members of the State Council argued the treaty could only be ratified via a (which required a ). When Lindström's government passed the treaty a second time over the State Council's objections, King Gustav V was advised to the treaty by the justices on the Council of Revision.

The threat of a royal prompted a political crisis. Lindström proposed a bill to "reorganize" the Council of Revision, which critics attacked as mere "court-packing." By this time, had broken out against the treaty and the public disapproved of ratification. By the winter, the government was in danger of being defeated by. In November 1973, The King initially refused Lindström's request for an, but did later agree to the Riksdag. By 1974, Lindström's government and the Labour Party had been so badly damaged that he was forced to resign. After being appointed prime minister, Johan Westerberg put the treaty before the Riksdag in June, and it was overwhelmingly defeated.

The crisis highlighted the scope of the and the constitutional importance of Ostben. The State Council was eventually reformed by subsequent amendments, but the role of the Council of Revision as the of the constitution still survives. The crisis defined King Gustav V's moderating role in Ostben politics, and signaled the fracture of the once-dominant Labour Party of Ostboland.

The cause of Artemian Integration in Ostboland was irrevocably damaged, as the public became more Artemian-skeptic after the 1970s. Since the 1970s Ostboland has never considered any treaty which fundamentally limits its in matters of  or. To this day, Ostboland operates its own foreign policy independent of other PAC members.

Background

 * Further Information: Constitution of Ostboland

As established by its Constitution, Ostboland is a. The Parliament of Ostboland is comprised of two houses, the directly elected Riskdag, and the State Council (Statsrådet), together with the King. Most executive functions are carried out by the Cabinet and the Prime Minister, who must enjoy the of the Riksdag. The King by contrast, is a nominal figurehead who rarely exercises. By convention, the King may act only only upon the advice of the government, the Prime Minister, and the King's 'advisory councils'. The King has two nominal 'advisory councils', the State Council, and the more important Council of Revision.

Like many other, the Riksdag is the supreme chamber of Parliament (in fact, in Ostboland the Riskdag is used synonymously with "Parliament"). In the 1970s the State Council was still a and  body, but as now the Constitution forbade it from rejecting or amending money bills and further stated the State Council could only delay ordinary legislation, a delay which could be overridden by another vote of the Riksdag. The one exception was on the subject of : an amendment to the Ostben Constitution required a two-thirds vote of both houses, followed by a public. Before 1973 in Ostboland were treated as ordinary legislation, and there were even fewer precedents regarding the rejection of a treaty. In 1894, the State Council did reject a proposed commercial treaty with Ringerike, which the incumbent Liberal government then resubmitted the treaty as a. In 1926, the Conservative government of Prime Minister Lunderberg ratified the Treaty of Lusjvan without consulting the State Council, which had already adjourned for the winter (when the State Council reconvened, they ratified the agreement ).

The Council of Revision (Revisionsrådet), serves a twin function. It is Ostboland's highest constitutional authority, and officially advises the King on the use of his. The Council of Revision consists of Supreme Court Justices, ex-Justice Ministers, and appointed, though the exact composition can be modified by statute. The Council can rule on the constitutionality of legislation passed by the Riksdag. If it finds a proposed statute is, the Council can recommend that the King (withhold his assent) to the legislation. This is an absolute veto. Ostben monarchs have only rarely exercised this veto power, and only upon advice of the Council of Revision. Usually a Monarch signs all legislation, and only withholds their assent to a bill on highly technical grounds. Before 1973, a Monarch withheld their assent on bills 8 times in the 20th century. The most high profile, and controversial, of these veto'es was when Queen Alicia refused to sign a law in 1917 during the Great War. Indeed, one Ostben constitutional scholar once described the Monarchy as "the final guardian of [our] constitution." No Ostben monarch has ever withheld their assent to a treaty.