Seven State Council

The Seven State Council is a legislative body which de facto is the highest authority in the State of Seven.

History
Up until 2003, when centralization took place on a large scale, Seven was ruled by a State Council elected according to the regulations laid down by the Basic State Law, first written by Samuel Sawyer around 1920. The abolishment of state legislatures was accepted, though with some demur, up until 2011, when a large number of politicians began to call for more autonomy to the states. Although this had been suggested before, the possibility for the first time looked as if it would become a reality. Former Prime Minister Marcus Villanova proposed a constitutional amendment which would change the situation, but a set-back occurred when it received heavy criticism, including from pro-federalism politicians, and eventually achieved only 33 votes, less than half the number needed to pass.

Semyon Breyev, governor of Seven, abstained from the vote, stating, 'my preference for an informal model which is adopted by governors on a state-by-state basis.' After his reëlection in October, Breyev announced the creation of such a system, and elections were held for the first state council in nine years. The proposal unveiled by Breyev described the election of the council, which would consist of thirty councillors elected by district, with districts electing different numbers of councillors based on population. In the case that a district elected more than one councillor, elections within that district took place by D'Hondt proportional representation.

Legality
The body has technically no legal status, as such a concept is not described in the Constitution, though Breyev pointed out that the Constitution also did not forbid such a body. This means that the power of the council is somewhat limited, though Breyev has pledged to be bound by its decisions, except in exceptional occasions when he retains a veto. Because the council could be abolished at any time, either by the current or any successsive governors, there have been calls for its existence to be guaranteed by law. Breyev has responded that in his opinion the system needs some 'fine-tuning' before a bill is taken to Congress, though he does support the idea.

2012 election
Elections were held on the 28th of October and results released on the next day.