Ardin:Featured Article/November 2020

The Chamber of Commons (: Camara dei Comuni, : Bürgerkammer) is the unicameral legislature of the Free City of Tross.

The Chamber of Commons was established in 1291 as part of a complex government structure, together with the Chamber of Patricians and the Lord Provost. Members of the Chamber were elected for life by a small class of bürger or sitidani, wealthy merchants, bankers and civil servants. The Constitution adopted in the aftermath of the Umber Revolutionary Wars limited terms to six years with staggered elections every two years. Suffrage subsequently gradually expanded, until universal suffrage was granted in 1917 in the aftermath of the 1915–1917 Trossian riots. This compromise also added three members to represent the Hinterland.

Today, the Chamber of Commons consists of 93 members elected for six-year terms, with a third of seats up for election every two years. Elections are held under the system, with the city's nine boroughs functioning as multi-member constituencies, while Hinterland elects a single member every two years under an  system. Members of the Chamber organise themselves into parliamentary groups, which correspond to political parties. Since the 2020 election, the three largest groups have been the Green Party, the Liberal Union and the Democratic Party. Additionally, committees play an important part in the legislative process. (Full article...)