Protectorate Assembly

The imperial government in Khezvaros, represented by the Khephale and hundreds of imperial bureaucrats, has a very specific mandate in the city: to protect the Eternal Empire's interests there. This primarily involves projecting imperial strength and protecting imperial trade. The imperial government has little interest in routine matters of day-to-day government.  These matters are handled by two legislative bodies: The Protectorate Assembly and the Imperial Assembly.  
The Protectorate Assembly represents the "native" (or more accurately, "non-imperial") inhabitants of the city. Any proposal, appropriation, edict, or law proposed by the Protectorate Assembly must be ratified by the Imperial Assembly and then the Imperial Governor. Legislation passed by the Imperial Assembly, in contrast, goes directly to the Khephale without the involvement of the Protectorate Assembly.

Structure

The Protectorate Assembly consists of one hundred Alders. Seventy-Five alders represent the various wards of the city. The remaining twenty-five seats are "at-large" Alders selected by the Imperial Assembly. They are usually held by representatives of powerful or influential organizations: guilds, merchant companies, churches, even powerful private coffee houses have been known to have representation on the assembly. The oft-repeated claim that The Lusty Minotaur once had its own assembly representative is untrue, but many speculate that Hippolyta Minotaur's rapid rise through the ranks of powerful Taverner's Guild could lead to the ostension of this particular urban legend.
The number of representatives from each ward is variable and set by the Imperial Assembly. Traditionally the reallocation of ward seats occurs each year after the census and is theoretically based on population, though many believe that the amount of gold brought in by the tax collectors who accompany the census takers is the real metric for seat allocation. Even if the number of seats is truly determined by population, the act of combining yearly tax collection with the census results in under-representation of the poorer wards since those who successfully dodge their tax burden are not counted. In addition to the routine reallocation of seats, the Imperial Assembly can vote to reallocate seats in the lower house at any time, and have been known to do so in an attempt to squeeze troublesome Alders out of office by lowering the number of seats for their ward. The selection of ward Alders varies from ward to ward (see Ward Politics for more information).  
The at-large members of the council are selected and replaced more or less at the whims of the Imperial Council.

Culture

The Protectorate Assembly is clearly designed to do the grunt work of city management and make the subjugated Khezvarans feel like they have some modicum of self-rule without giving any real power to the natives of the city. This, combined with aggression from average citizens who see them as imperial toadies, often leads to a sort of bunker mentality among Alders who remain in office for any length of time. Within the assembly itself, there is a stark divide between the ward representatives and the at-large members, who the ward alders consider to be simply another instrument of imperial power over them.

Public Agenda

The Protectorate Assembly typically handles the mundane details of city government: infrastructure, sanitation, management of the municipal work force, and so forth. Most attempts at meaningful legislation that would benefit everyday Khezvarans die in the Imperial Assembly or are vetoed by Imperial Governor.

Assets

The Protectorate Assembly's budget is set by the office of the Khephale. They have the power to request additional funding for specific projects, but are usually vetoed by the Imperial Assembly.

History

The Protectorate Assembly was established within a generation of the empire's arrival in the city, initially as a council comprised of one representative from each ward. The assembly's growth over the years is primarily a matter of the imperials discovering more and more aspects of city government that were too tedious to concern themselves with.

Type

Governmental, Senate/Parliament

Predecessor Organization

• Council of Lords

Leader

Antal Dezso

Leader Title

Városatya

Location

Basilica Gokhan