National Diet of Onaway

The National Diet ( Gichidaala a'Onaweyaa, Oireachtas Ónaivéingeasa) is the supreme legislative body of the United Commonwealth of Onaway, established in 1824, again in 1880, and entered its current form in 1991 with the passage of the new constitution. The parliament has 205 members, elected every six years through   from thirteen single-member constituencies. Members of the Diet are referred to as either MDs (literally an abbreviation standing for Member of the Diet), or a gigiduwinini (Ziibwingon for "councillor").

History
The National Diet in its present form was established with the creation of the Second Kingdom in 1888, though a precursor existed during the First Kingdom at its inception in 1824, and the origins of both can be traced back to the gikaazagaswe'idiwing ( "old councils") practiced. A gikaazagaswe'idiwin was composed of the chiefs of each of the pre-colonial bands which served as part of the Chawegan Confederacy, as well as an additional representative from the population of the band chosen by the chief, usually a respected warrior, craftsman, or shaman. These events would take place on dates of religious significance, typically on or, as well as dates of historic importance to the Ziibwingon, in which over the course of twelve days, members would share news of their bands, participate in Old Heptine rituals and dances, exchange gifts, and make plans for the period until the next gikaazagaswe'idiwin. Similar meetings would take place on a band level as was deemed necessary by the Chief, and usually took place halfway between each session of the gikaazagaswe'idiwing.

Upon the arrival of the Salish and Myrish in the 15th and 16th centuries, Azoran influences and improving regional infrastructure, as well as the integration of friendly settler communities into Onawean society, the gikaazagaswe'idiwinawag grew to resemble the ' and ' of old Myrish society in function, with attendance being open to much more of the community than a chosen few among each band, growing to encompass all adults in a community, often regardless of ancestry. These meetings would be known as daalawag (Véisagod: "gatherings", rooted in the "dáil"), with the first gichidaala taking place sometime in the early 18th Century, and merged the old practice of the gikaazagaswe'idiwinawag with the daalawag of the times. No gichidaalawag are believed to have taken place during the period of resistance against the Salish Empire, but local daalawag were important for maintaining the social fabric of the Onaweans, especially among the Measctha population, during this time. This allowed for the retention of a social continuity to connect pre-colonial governmental and spiritual culture through to the recognition of Onawean sovereignty in 1824. Onawean government was highly decentralized throughout much of the First Kingdom's history, only being changed during the time of High Chief Mingan II in the 1860s, though this early Azoran-style parliament would be dismantled not long after its foundation as the high chief assumed absolute rule at the onset of the Onawean-Velorencian War. Upon the establishment of the Second Kingdom, the Diet in its modern form was established, and remained largely unchanged until reforms during the Onawean constitutional restoration of the late 1980s which granted it substantially more power to counter the High Chief and aristocracy.

The first Gichidaala building was constructed as the Chawegan Governor-General's House in 1793, and was requisitioned upon independence in 1824. The building was demolished during the Battle of Chawegan in 1876 in the closing days of the Velorencian invasion. The Hotel Storset was requisitioned to serve as the Diet building following the reinstatement of a sovereign Onawean government in 1888, and construction of the modern Onawean capitol building began in 1902, and was completed in 1905.

Number of seats
The number of seats in the Diet have varied since its modern establishment in 1888, in accordance with the growth in the nation's population and the changing circumstances of the government and nation at large. In 1888, 120 seats were allocated, with it increasing to 121 in 1903 with the separation of the role of chancellor from the Speaker of the Diet. The 1991 Constitution mandates that a seat be allocated per every 120,000 citizens, with one seat per constituency (known as a riding).

Legislative
The legislative process goes through five stages. First, bills are introduced to the Diet by either a member of the government, or alternatively by any one MD in the case of a private member's bill. The Diet will thus refer the bill to the appropriate standing committee, and be significantly deliberated upon, considered, and refined into workable legislation. The first reading of the bill (which must be done in full) takes place upon leaving committee, followed by a debate among the MDs, and then by a vote. All which take place are determined by written, in which individual MDs can elect to vote in favor, against, or to abstain. The decision of the speaker, following the announcement of the results of the ballot, is final. The speaker is not themselves permitted to vote, excepting situations when a tie must be broken. In order for a to be established, a simple majority (102 MDs) must be present in the Diet at roll call. If the bill is dismissed by a, the procedure ends. If dismissed by a, it goes back to committee. If passed, it moves on to a second reading of the full text of the bill, which takes place three days from the first reading, and thus put to a second vote. All stipulations of the first vote apply, excepting it passes by a majority or more, in which it is presented to the chancellor and high chief in council for the final executive approval and reception of the royal assent.

If the bill presented receives a difference in vote of more than a plurality, a third reading and vote may take place no less than three days following, in which amendments may thus be attached, without need of repeating the entire legislative process up to that point.

Royal assent
Once a bill passes the Diet, it is first signed by the chancellor and co-signed by the high chief in council. Upon the reception of the royal assent, the bill is passed into Onawean Law upon the date of implementation specified by either the bill itself or by the Diet.

The constitution (as well as its antecedent versions) allows the High Chief to withhold the royal assent. This right has rarely been utilized throughout Onawean history, but was notably a feature of High Chief Tihkoosue's reign from 1951 through to his death in 1987. From the time of Sugmuk on, however, it has not been invoked. Should the high chief choose to use this privilege, the Diet may vote to override the withholding, bypassing the need for royal assent if passed by a and signed by the Chancellor once again in an unaltered form.

Standing committees
Members of the National Diet are allocated into one of twelve which are related to specific topics in politics and policy. Each committee is associated with a portfolio of one or more of governmental agencies.

Administration
The National Diet is administered by roughly 545 staff. The administrative staff is led by Director of the Diet Numis Makawi, who assumed office in 2019. She also acts as secretary to the speaker of the Diet.

Party groups
Each in Onaway with national representation has a party group, led by a group board and chaired by a Diet Chairperson. The party leader is usually also the Chairperson, but upon being made either chancellor, speaker, or a member of the National Privy Council, the party is required to appoint a different MD to assume the role of chairperson in the Diet.

The following reflects the current group leadership following the 2018 elections:

Elections
Members of the National Diet are elected via from  referred to as ridings, with each riding being composed of 120,000 citizens, demarcated following every  year and put into effect during the next national election, which takes place every six years. The electorate does not vote for individual candidates, but rather for party lists, with a ranked list of candidates nominated through a within the individual parties. This means that by default, the candidate at the top of the list will usually get the seat, though voters can whilst casting the ballot. Parties can only nominate persons living within a given riding for that particular seat, though citizens living abroad at the time of the elections in that constituency are eligible if they had resided in their home riding within the preceding six years. The is utilized to allocate seats.

Unlike many parliaments, it is extremely rare for a to be called, and sessions of the Diet almost always reach their full six-year term. Substitutes for each MD are elected at the same time as those who become sitting members, usually going off of the ranked list utilized in the past election. When snap elections are called, the new Diet is still required to observe the time period allocated during the last regular election.

2018 election results
In the previous election, held on 20 September, 2018, Rhys Raferty, leading the Farmer-Labor Party, staged a surprising upset, achieving its first minority government in the nation's history. Upon becoming hancellor, Raferty's government formed a coalition with the Social Republicans and Progressives, which once combined occupied 107 of the 205 seats in the Diet. The opposition, led by Dorthea Matthiesen and the United Onaway Party, forming a coalition with the Liberals, won a total of 69 seats. The Ogemaw Freedom Party, one of the main Onawean instigators for the 1990 Ogemaw regional plebiscite in Florencia, lost its last seat in the Diet.