Politics and Government of Zahava

Administrative Divisions
The Empire is divided primarily into three separate political layers.

The Polis- a village, town, or city government

The Prefecture - a collection of towns, villages, or other area, established by the Segmentum government

The Segmentum- This represents the government at a provincial level certain laws enacted at the Segmentum level will only pertain to citizens who reside within that territory and do not affect neighboring regions

The Imperium- Consists of the other two subdivisions, any edict or law passed at an imperial level must be obeyed and enforced through all levels of government

Primogenitor
The Primogenitor, seen as a living divine being, and ruling with divine authority ensures the Primogenitor wielded complete control of the land and its resources having the final say on all matters related to policy and decision making. The Primogenitor's position however is not unassailable and relies heavily on maintaining good relationships with the ruling class hierarchy, which are often used to hold key offices as administrators and appointed as other government officials. Additionally the Primogenitor relies on religious leaders, primarily in order to assure that their designated successor will be deemed a decedent of Zahavarius and thus eligible for the throne.

While there is no official mechanism to remove a Primogenitor outside of assassination or open rebellion, it is possible for the religious leadership to declare an exceptionally unpopular Primogenitor as corrupted by forces of the underworld, thus making their rule, and that of their successors invalid. After being labeled corrupt a Primogenitor would either have to choose to resign, or typically prepare for civil war.

Indeed the most practical source of the Primogenitor's power and authority comes from the military, and the secret religious police. The fact that all soldiers of the Imperium swear oaths of loyalty to the Primogenitor and to them alone, this military backing makes the prospect of removing a Primogenitor extremely slim, and throughout history was only done when significant military support could be swayed towards a person deemed more desirable.

Additionally should a Primogenitor feel threatened, the Invictarii could be directed against potential rivals, making their removal relatively easy.

In order to ensure the continued support of all the necessary factions Primogenitors often relied on an informal, and unofficial body of advisors called the Rhetai,typically this council would consist of other Imperial family members, members of the religious and upper class, and mid to high ranking members of the armed forces, occasionally a distinguished lower class individual or two would be appointed to the council as well. The Rhetai had many duties but primarily served as a means for the Primogenitor to canvas the mood and sentiments of the various power blocs in the Zahavan government.

Segmentarch
Segmentarchs are essentially provisional governors, appointed by the Primogenitor. Segmentarchs serve as the presiding official in provincial councils and as representatives of the Imperial government. They have the authority to veto provincial level legislation, and report directly to the Primogenitor. Historically Segmentarchs have been military commanders and also responsible for maintaining the military formations within their respective Segmentums. Segmentarchs typically serve anywhere from two to six year terms in their positions although there is no official minimum or maximum length that they may hold office. It is in fact a common practice to simply shuffle Segmentarchs around from territory to territory.

Synedrion


The Imperialis Synedrion, or Imperial Senate consists of members from every social order in Zahavan society. The Synedrion is responsible for drafting national legislation and passing it to the Primogenitor for approval and signing into law. The Imperial senate has 500 seats and its makeup is divided into groups, the majority of the seats are pre-allocated from members of the Imperial and noble houses getting 250 seats. The religious order also automatically gets 125 seats. The remaining 125 seats are allocated to each segmentum, with the number of seats each segmentum gets being dependent on the segmentum's population.

For legislation to be passed on for signing into law a two-thirds majority must be achieved on any vote. If this can not be achieved, a lower one half vote can carry legislation to be considered by the Primogenitor, whom can then choose to issue an Imperial edict, immediately putting the proposal into law, or dismiss the petition outright.

The Imperial Senate can be dissolved by the Primogenitor at any time, and has no method of overriding the veto of the Primogenitor on a particular piece of legislation.

Both sexes may run for, and hold office in the Imperial senate, so long as they are citizens, in good standing without a criminal record and are at least 35 years of age. The chief official of the senate is the Megas Syndriot, who serves as a moderator during discussions and ensures all petitions are heard and debated on the senate floor. There is no set term limit for members of the Senate, and they are elected every four years

Concilium
Concilium, or Councils exist at both a Polis, and Segmentum level. At the polis level the chief official is known as a Poliarch and guides debates in the Polis' concilium. Poliarchs are appointed by members of the Concilium, and can veto legislation proposed by the Polis' concilium, these vetos can be overridden if the councilium achieves a two thirds majority. Both sexes may run for office in a Polis concilium so long as they are 25 or older, citizens, and in good standing. Even at a Polis level the ecclasia automatically has representation in the form of an appointed official or officials. The size of a Polis' concilium differes depending on the population of the Polis which it governs. Poliarchs can be recalled or dismissed from their positions following a vote of no confidence by their Polis' concilium.

Polis' concilium serve two years terms, and have no term limits.

At a Segmentum level Concilium are capped at a maximum of 100 seats, a quarter of which are allocated to the ecclasia and headed by a Segmentarch. The Segmentatch can veto all legislation passed by a Segmentum's concilium and there is no method to override a Segmentarch's veto. Segmentarchs can not be removed from their positions but the concilium does have the right to pass a petition of grievances to the Primogenitor and request a Segmentarchs removal from office.

Both sexes may run for office in a Segmentum's concilium so long as they are 30 or older, citizens, and in good standing. Segmentum Concilum members elect from among themselves who will represent the Segmentum in the imperial synedrion every four years. Members of any concilium are often referred to as Conciliots or Concilators.

Citizenship
Imperial citizenship is a privileged political and legal status afforded to free individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance. Citizens are afforded many rights and privileges not extended to non citizens, and especially those whom have had their citizenship revoked do not have. Among these are the right to run for, and vote in elections, the right to hold, buy, and sell property, and full legal protections under the law as well as exemption from certain taxes and other requirements.

Citizenship could be attained via several ways, to be born to both parents whom were citizens, born to one citizen and one non citizen where the citizen is the mother, through military service or in defense of the Imperium or Imperial family. Citizenship could be bestowed upon entire populations by Imperial decree, this method was often used as a means to promote integration of newly conquered territories historically. Joining and successfully completing the process to become a member of a Zahavan religious order and acceptance of the Zahavan faith is also a path to citizenship.

Citizenship could be revoked for committing a number of crimes such as treason, or attempts at harming members of the Imperial government, or family

Ecclasia
The Ecclasia are the religious persons who make up the body of the official state church of the Imperium of Zahava. Their task is to maintain and spread the Zahavan faith throughout the Imperium, and abroad, as well as the administration of all religious rites and ceremonies, the maintenance and construction of temples, shrines, and other religious sites. The Ecclasia's secondary purpose is to route out any serious deviance from the Zahavan faith, which is considered heresy and dealt with with the most extreme severity of punishments.

The Primogenitor is by default the head of the Zahavan religious class, beneath him are the heads of the various fellowships each headed by an Ecclasiarch, organized into a council called the Ordo Templi with the Megas Templi as the head of the council. The Ordo Templi's purpose in governance is to ensure that no law shall violate the Zahavan faith, or even unintentionally offend the gods. The Ordo Templi also serves as the religious court for government officials who are accused of Heresy.

To ensure religious compliance the Ecclasia maintains a secret religious police force known as the Invictarii tasked with rooting out heresy, and enforcing religious compliance across the Imperium. No individual is above investigation by the Invictarii regardless of ones social or political rank or wealth. The Invictarii are lead by the Primaris Invictarus and answer only to the Primogenitor.

Any person residing in the Imperium, or its territories who has accepted the Zahavan faith may pledge to join the Ecclasia, and service through the religious ranks is a path to full citizenship for non-citizens. Religious service is also one of the few ways an individual can elevate themselves in social status. All persons regardless of wealth or previous social rank start as Acolytes, and may only ascend the ranks of the Ecclasia through merit. The leadership of temples, shrines, or other holy sites often appoint individuals to serve as the Ecclasia's representatives in both the polis and segmentum Conciliae, while the Ecclasiarchs appoint special representatives to serve as the Ecclasia's representatives in the Imperial senate.

Rehati
The Rehati is the Primogenitor's Small Council, headed by the right-hand figure of the empire, the Rehatiarch. The Rehati was an unofficial body and had no set size, and any person regardless of station or wealth could be appointed to the council by the Primogenitor for any reason, likewise an individual regardless of rank or station could removed from the council for any reason.

Typically the Rehati consisted of Imperial family members, members of the noble classes, and religious leaders and military commanders. Its primary purpose is to advise the Primogenitor and act as the eyes and ears for them, and on occasions act as agents to carry out missions the Primogenitor themselves would be unable to do. With the exception of the Primaris Rehatiarch, membership of the Rehati is unknown, this allows its members to carry out their missions quietly or to uncover information persons would not be so forthcoming with had they known whom they were speaking to.

Primaris Rehatiarch
The Primaris Rehatiarch, literally meaning "The right hand" or "the prime hand" and commonly referred to simply as Rehatiarch is the head of the Rehati, and is often a direct relative of the current Primogenitor such as a brother or sister and are typically considered heir apparent to the throne until the current Primogenitor has a child. The Rehatiarch is designated as they are permitted to wear a crown, with the Imperial diadem removed.

Imperialis Administratum
The Administratum are various government departments that oversee the implementation and regulation of imperial policy. Laws and edicts are sent from the Imperial senate, or directly from the Primogenitor to the Administratum are then enacted into policy at a national level. The heads of each department or ministry are appointed by the head of the Imperialis Administratum, known as the Magister Administratum or chancellor.

Magister Administratum
The Magister Administratum is appointed by the Primogenitor to oversee the functions of the various government departments, ministries, and offices that make up the Imperial bureaucracy. The Magister Administratum is often also a member of the Rehati and has a small cabinet of assistants, known as Adeptus Magisters to aid them in overseeing the Imperial government. The Magister Administratum reports directly to the Primogenitor.

Judicatum
As with the standard political divisions the Imperium's legal system is also broken up into tiers. At a polis, segmentum, and finally imperial level. In addition to being split among levels at the political subdivisions courts are further divided between civil and criminal cases and special courts for the interpetation of religious based offenses.

Each court may have cases appealed to the next tier higher court, which may then issue a ruling. Ultimately the Imperialis Judicatum, which consists of a panel of seven judges, appointed by the Primogenitor will have final say on a case, the exception being criminal cases where the defendant may face the death penalty. The convicted can then appeal directly to the Primogenitor themselves for mercy.