The Pompourelian Reforms

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THE EDICT OF POMPOURELIA
16^th of Godfrey’s Triumph, 1787

 

 

An edict clarifying the composition of the Cabinet and associated bodies.

 

THE COUNCIL OF STATE

 

The Council of State is the formal legal name for what is typically referred to as the Cabinet. This institution, in existence since the Council of State Establishment Edict (1732), is the foremost body of advisors to His Imperial Majesty The Holy Orenian Emperor. They are the conciliary body concerned with the active executive government of the Empire, and are themselves a special committee of the wider Privy Council, which at time of publishing is a vestigial and honorary body. 

 

The Cabinet can be informally divided into two parts. Firstly, there is the head of government, the Archchancellor, who presides over it, and his deputy the Vice Chancellor. Secondly, there are the Great Offices of State, composed of the six most senior cabinet ministers in charge of various departments and government bodies. These two parts make up the government.

 

The purpose of this document is to clarify the Council of State Establishment Edict (1732).

 

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THE GOVERNMENT

 

The government of the Holy Orenian Empire is, as the name suggests, responsible for the active governance and administration of the realm. The government is composed of all ministers of the Crown, so practically this means the Archchancellor, who is the head of government, as well as the holders of the Great Offices of State. The government, along with each specific office that comprises it, is formally appointed and dismissed by His Imperial Majesty, serving at his pleasure, and derives its authority as the realm’s executive through him. However, in a practical sense, several conventions of advice and confidence govern this appointment, and the government is responsible to the Imperial Diet. 

 

 

Archchancellor 
Archchancellor of the Holy Orenian Empire 

 

The Archchancellor is the head of the government of the Empire and is ex officio the President of the Council of State. He is the prime minister of the country and is responsible for presiding over a government, which is also known as a ministry. The ministry bears the Archchancellor’s name (i.e the Basrid Ministry) or, if he has one, the name of his peerage (i.e the Selm Ministry). Ultimately, all agencies of the country are accountable to him, and he is expected to serve as His Imperial Majesty’s right hand in the governance of the realm. Like the Great Offices of State, the Archchancellor holds the rank of minister of the Crown. 

 

Vice Chancellor
Vice Chancellor of the Holy Orenian Empire 

 

The Vice Chancellor is the deputy head of the government of the Empire and can be described as a deputy prime minister. This somewhat amorphous role is expected to serve as an understudy to the Archchancellor, aiding him in the discharge of any of his official duties. In this way, the office has a rather broad scope of powers and authority. In the event of the absence or incapacitation of the Archchancellor, it is typically expected that the Vice Chancellor will be able to take up his roles. The Vice Chancellor is also a minister of the Crown.

 

 

The Great Offices of State 

 

The Great Offices of State are the six most senior ministers of the Crown in charge of the six most important political ministries within the Holy Orenian Empire. Together with the Archchancellor and the Vice Chancellor, they make up the government, or ‘ministry’. 

 

 

Foreign Secretary 
His Imperial Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs

 

The Foreign Secretary is the minister responsible for the Foreign Office. As such, he is in charge of the country’s external diplomatic efforts with foreign bodies, as well as the maintenance of the Empire’s network of ambassadors and emissaries. He is expected to receive foreign dignitaries as well as travel extensively to represent the Empire’s interests abroad, crafting the government’s foreign policy in conjunction with the sovereign’s wishes. 

 

Home Secretary
His Imperial Majesty’s Secretary of State for Home Affairs

 

The Home Secretary is the minister responsible for the Home Office. He manages the Empire’s public lands, as well as those Crown lands under the Empire’s direct authority, facilitating the development of infrastructure projects and housing. He is expected to administer construction and contract labour on behalf of the government, also taking charge of negotiation with delegated bodies such as municipal authorities. He also serves as the honorary chancellor of the Imperial Everardine College on an ex officio basis.

 

Treasury Secretary
His Imperial Majesty’s Secretary of State for the Treasury 

 

The Treasury Secretary is the minister responsible for the Treasury Office. He is the chief financial officer of the Empire, and is in charge of the management of its fiscal and trade system. Government revenues and expenditure, exports and imports, tax, rent and excise policy as well as the allocation of resources are all administered by his department. He is expected to maintain accurate records of the country’s transactions, optimising efficiency and minimizing wastage. 

 

War Secretary
His Imperial Majesty’s Secretary of State for War

 

The War Secretary is the minister responsible for the War Office, the department that comprises the Imperial State Army and the Imperial State Navy. He is responsible for the defense of the Empire, along with the crafting of military policy and strategy at the highest level of government. He is also responsible for ensuring that the Empire’s armed forces are appropriately resourced. He is expected to maintain close relationships and communication with the General Staff who execute command over the Empire’s armed forces.

 

Civil Affairs Secretary
His Imperial Majesty’s Secretary of State for Civil Affairs

 

The Civil Affairs Secretary is the minister responsible for the Ministry of Civil Affairs. He is in charge of the Empire’s elections, archives and documentation. As such, his office is responsible for the maintenance of all certifications within the country, along with the drafting and issue of documents including, but not limited to, Imperial letters for peers. He also retains a purview surrounding education, culture and matters of historical record.

 

Solicitor-General 
His Imperial Majesty’s Solicitor-General 

 

The Solicitor-General is the minister responsible for the Ministry of Justice. He is the government’s chief lawyer and prosecutor and is expected to represent it in cases, while also safeguarding the proper and fair application of law across the country’s judicial system. In this capacity, he conducts criminal investigations and is in charge of the Empire’s policing, as well as the proper recording of precedents and rulings. He also has a role in ensuring that all legislation is compliant with the various instruments of government that constitute the realm. 

 

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DEPUTY SECRETARIES

 

It may be required from time-to-time, so as to manage the various departments that serve the government, that various assistants to the Cabinet ministers of the Crown be appointed to specific offices. These assistants and aides shall be known as deputy secretaries of state for a particular field, or deputy secretaries in short. They are not considered ministers of the Crown, and do not sit on the Cabinet, and are created and maintained on an ad hoc basis within their department. 

Deputy secretaries are answerable to their respective minister of the Crown, and in many cases may be either from the apolitical Imperial Civil Service or be political appointees - however, they are not formally part of the ‘government of the day’ and as such are not responsible to the Imperial Diet.

 

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Signed,

Anne I, by the grace of GOD Holy Orenian Empress, forever August, Queen of Renatus, Curon, Salvus and Seventis, Defender of the Faith, Princess of Malinor, Duchess of Adria, Novellen and Lorraine, Baroness of Renzfeld, Protector of the Heartlanders, Highlanders and Farfolk, etcetera. 

 

Joseph II, by the grace of GOD Holy Orenian Emperor, forever August, King of Renatus, Curon, Salvus, and Seventis, Defender of the Faith, Prince of Malinor, Duke of Adria, Novellen and Lorraine, Baron of Renzfeld, Protector of the Heartlanders, Highlanders, and Farfolk, etcetera.