Viceroy of Savam
The Viceroy of Savam (Savamese: Vice-roi, Vice-reine if female, officially the Imperial Viceroy of the Savamese Empire) is the federal head of government of the Savamese Empire. The office was established with the 1798 Constitution and its present prerogatives and method of selection have been codified in the 1919 constitutional reforms. The viceroy is the third highest position in Savam, after the Holy Mother and the Emperor, but still comes after the realms sovereigns and some of their higher-ranking relatives in order of precedence. In effect, the Viceroy is the Emperor's most senior lieutenant, although it is not comparable to a ministre lieutenant. The viceroy yields executive power and is tasked with directing the federal government policies in all domains, as well as representing the federal state abroad and ensuring its defence (it is the effective commander-in-chief, while the Emperor remains the official commander-in-chief).
| Viceroy of Savam
Vice-roi impérial de l'Empire savamais | |
|---|---|
| Style | Eminence (or higher nobility address) |
| Member of | Council of the Chancellorship |
| Residence | Palais de Parloys |
| Seat | Quesailles, Savam |
| Term length | 5 years |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Savam |
| Formation | 25 Empery 1798 |
| First holder | Philippe-Victor Berges de Flexbourg |
The viceroy is assisted by the Council of the Chancellorship, which it chairs. The council is composed of fourteen members that have ministerial-like positions but without any specific specialisation; under the viceroy supervision, chancellors are managing the entire Savamese government agencies and directorates. The viceroy and chancellors also have legislative initiative, which they share with the parliament, but the rest of the law-making process is separated; the viceroy must enact the laws passed by the parliament and has no veto capacity (although there have been instances of a Viceroy using the Emperor as a proxy to veto legislation, generally leading to some level of scandal or political crisis). It also appoint (and dismiss) most high magisterial positions.
The viceroy can receive emergency powers under the so-called "clause discrétionnaire" of the Savamese constitution. When this clause is enacted by the parliament in time of dire crisis, the viceroy receives the so-called "pouvoirs discrétionnaires", in effect an ability for absolute rule by decree for a limited time. The last time they were used was following the 1959 coup attempt and shortly afterwards in 1960-62 during the early stage of the Years without summers, in both cases by Jules d'Aultey.
Since 1904, the viceroy is elected directly by the voting population every 5 years; there are no terms limits. Viceregal candidates must be members of the Savamese nobility, of any class or rank. Viceregal elections are conducted via run-off voting which ensures that the elected viceroy always obtains a majority: if no candidate receives a majority of votes in the first round of voting, the two highest-scoring candidates arrive at a run-off. The viceroy is thus the only real politician that serves in the highest spheres of the federal government; some members of the Council of the Chancellorship may be retired politicians, but most of them are technocrats and intellectuals, nobles, soldiers and clergywomen.
Before the suffrage crisis of 1903, the viceroy was elected by the parliament for 10-years terms; Valentin d'Hoste-Labarre served a second 10 years term after the first direct election in 1904 but the 1919 constitution reduced the viceregal term to five years. Cornélien d'Havrincourt, who was elected to succeed Labarre in 1914 to a ten years term voluntarily stepped down in 1919 following the passing of the new constitution to enable an immediate viceregal election under the new constitutional rules (where he ended securing a second term).
Origin of the term
The term "viceroy" was originally used a noble title, often to denote a high-level aristocrat that ruled over a large portion of a kingdom in the name of its suzerain king, and that a higher status that an archprince. The title was rare but sometimes used for heir-apparent in Dordanie, and as well for aristocrats task with ruling colonies before the present colonial organisation of vice-principalities was setup.
When the Savamese Empire was formed in the last years of the 18th century, the position of head of government was to be made different from the traditional position of chancellor, the speaker of a respublican parliament that was also serving as de facto co-recipient of executive power with the sovereign. As a result of negotiations, the Emperor was not to have any real executive authority over the empire and a new position was to be created, which had to be separated from that of the federal parliament's speaker. This was also necessary as for the first time a bicameral parliament was introduced with a chamber of communes, created under the newly minted idea of the Enlightened respublic. The new position was officially called "Imperial Viceroy", to avoid the awkward "vice-emperor", and also signify the high-position of this new office within the government's hierarchy. Indeed, the federal viceroy was yielding similar power as to the realms sovereigns without being an monarch itself.