Politics of Sinope

Politics of Sinope


The Senate of the Republic in Patras, Braavos the Great.

In the early years of the republic, the Doge ruled Braavos and then Sinope in an autocratic fashion, but later his powers were limited by the promission, a pledge he had to take when elected. As a result, powers were shared with the Council of Ten, composed of 10 members taken from patrician families, so that he could do nothing without the Council of Ten and the Council of Ten could do nothing without him.

In the 12th century, the aristocratic families of Braavos further diminished the Doge's powers by establishing the Minister of State known as YAK (765) as a supreme tribunal. In 773, these institutions were combined into the Lordship, which consisted of the Doge, the Council of Ten and the three leaders of the YAK. The Lordship is the central body of government, representing the continuity of the republic as shown in the expression: "The Doge is dead, but the Lordship is not".

In 765, the Ministry of State of the three state inquisitors was established to guard the security of the republic. By means of espionage, counterespionage, internal surveillance and a network of informers, they ensured that Sinope did not come under the rule of a single "king", as many other Western Althenan countries did at the time. One of the inquisitors is chosen from the Doge's Councillors, two are chosen from the Council of Ten. The Ministry of State gradually assumed some of the powers of the Council of Ten.

Also created were the College, which forms the executive branch. In 1229, the Senate of the Republic was formed, being 120 members selected by the regional governments and the Council of Ten. These developments left the Doge with little personal power and saw actual authority in the hands of the Council of Ten. In 1426 was established the Agora, which is a popularly elected legislature with limited powers.

Whilst Sinope claimed to be a "Republic", in reality it followed a mixed government model, combining monarchy in the Doge, democracy in the Senate and the Agora, and an aristocracy of Braavos families in the Council of Ten. Machiavelli also refers to Sinope as a republic, considering it "excellent among modern republics" (unlike his native Matinenda).


Sinope's government structure

Election of the Doge

The doge's prerogatives were not defined with precision, and though the position was entrusted to members of the inner circle of powerful Braavosian families, after several doges had associated a son with themselves in the ducal office, this tendency towards a hereditary monarchy was checked by a law which decreed that no doge had the right to associate any member of his family with himself in his office, or to name his successor. After 1172 the election of the doge was finally entrusted to a committee of forty, who were chosen by four men selected from the Council of Ten, which was itself nominated annually by twelve persons. After a deadlocked tie at the election of 1229, the number of electors was increased from forty to forty-one.

New regulations for the elections of the doge introduced in 1268 remains in force as of this day. Their object was to minimize as far as possible the influence of individual great families, and this was effected by a complex elective machinery. Thirty members of the Great Council of Braavos (popularly elected in the region of Braavos the Great), chosen by lot, were reduced by lot to nine; the nine chose forty and the forty were reduced by lot to twelve, who chose twenty-five. The twenty-five were reduced by lot to nine and the nine elected forty-five. Then the forty-five were once more reduced by lot to eleven, and the eleven finally chose the forty-one who actually elected the doge. None could be elected but by at least twenty-five votes out of forty-one, nine votes out of eleven or twelve, or seven votes out of nine electors.

In a ceremonial formula for consulting the Braavosians and then the Sinopians, when a new doge is chosen, before he takes the oath of investiture he is presented to the people with the formula: "This is your doge, if it pleases you."

The burial of a Doge is held in the Temple of Poseidon and such despite the religion of the Doge. It is a traditional practice with no religious links whatsoever. 146 Doges are currently buried in the Temple while 38 were exiled or left Sinope and were buried in a foreign country.

Council of Ten

The Council of Ten is the third legislature of the Sinopian Parliament. It is part of the essentially bicameral Sinopian legislature, representing the noble families of Braavos, the other legislative bodies being the Senate of the Republic and to a lesser extant the Agora. The Council is composed of ten members, elected for one-year terms by the respective ten most powerful and noble ancient families of Braavos. The 10 families are determined by the Golden Book of Sinope.

The election of the family representatives is to the discretion of the respective families. The Council of Ten internal election make national news every years. The Golden Book is the formal directory of nobles in the Sinope Republic.

Senate of the Republic

The Senate of the Republic is composed of 120 members of whom 60 are elected by the population for one year with 1 senator representing each region of Sinope. The 60 others are elected by the Council of Ten for one year as well. The Senate is a legislature and consists of the main section of the Lower House of the Tricameral Parliament of Sinope, the other Lower House being the Agora. The Senate's competences are numerous and consists of day-to-day legislation.

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Agora

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College

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Lordship

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