Chamber of Commons

The Chamber of Commons (: Camara dei Comuni, : Bürgerkammer) is the unicameral legislature of the Free City of Tross. Founded in 1291, the Chamber became the sole legislative body of the city-state in 1853. Its 93 members are elected for six-year terms through single transferable vote, with a third of the seats up for the election every two years.

History
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, all of which shared legislative, executive and judicial power. The system was inspired by the theory of, combining democracy, aristocracy and monarchy. Members of the Chamber of Commons, which represented democracy, were elected for life by a small class of bürger or sitidani, wealthy merchants, bankers and civil servants. The granting of this status was tied to a number of conditions, including duration of continuous residency, value of the property owned in the city, and "good standing among the citizenry". This last condition in particular, due to its highly subjective nature, was a common source of corruption and favouritism. After the Trossian Reformation, membership of the Church of Tross became another requirement. The Constitution adopted in the aftermath of the Umber Revolutionary Wars limited terms to six years with staggered elections, with each of Trossel's five quarters electing two members every two years.

The entire political system of Tross was reformed in the 1853 Constitution. In accordance with the more modern theory of, the Chamber of Patricians and Lord Provost were relegated to merely ceremonial duties, thus consolidating the Chamber of Commons as the sole legislative body. Additionally, Council of Ministers, elected by the Chamber of Commons, was established to exercise executive power. This settlement remains in place to this day. Citizenship, and, by extension, suffrage, was also subject to reform, with only property requirements remaining in place. Because the exact property value required was fixed in the Constitution, rising wealth and inflation led to a gradual expansion of suffrage. While 31% of the city's adult population was eligible to vote upon the adoption of the Constitution (up from 6% prior to the reform), this proportion gradually rose to 78% in 1917. In the decades following the 1853 Constitution, the Chamber of Commons was dominated by the newly established Liberal Party. Opposition to the Liberals remained disunited by personal rivalries and ideological disagreements until the 1880s, when the opposition coalesced into the Conservative Party, thus heralding two decades of a relatively stable. This system remained stable until the early 1900s, when expanding suffrage led the the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SAP/PSL) to win representation in the Chamber.

The property requirement was finally abolished, and universal suffrage achieved, as part of the Compromise of 1917 in the aftermath of the 1915–1917 Trossian riots. This compromise also added three members to represent the Hinterland, and changed the electoral system from to. The Compromise split the SAP/PSL in two, with the pro-compromise wing forming the Labourers' Party and the anti-compromise wing forming the Communard League. Voters in the newly enfranchised Hinterland, meanwhile, founded the Hinterland League. The first elections held in this new pluralistic system resulted in a Labourers' plurality and a left-wing majority by 1922. This prompted the Liberal and Conservative parties to form the Liberal/Conservative Alliance and, in 1932, merge into a single party called the Liberal Union. This in turn prompted two further splits: the progressive faction of the Liberal Party founded the Democratic Party, while a number of right-wing Conservatives formed the National Corporate Party. More recent additions to the party system include the Green Party, founded in 1981, and the People's Party, founded 2017. The structure of the Chamber of Commons has remained unchanged since 1917, although there have been proposals to elect the Chamber in halves rather than thirds in order to increase the proportionality.

Elections
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. Vacancies are filled using the countback method.

Elections are held on the third Tuesday of March every even year. The session of the elected Chamber starts roughly a month later, on the third Tuesday of April, and it elects members of the Council of Ministers roughly a month after that, on the third Tuesday of May.

Organisation
The conduct of the Chamber of Commons is based on the standing orders; all members are expected to read them and understand them. The Chamber elects a Speaker and two Deputy Speakers from among its ranks. Elections take place in similar fashion to those for the Chamber itself, with one elected for a six-year term every two years. These three officers form the Praesidium, which is responsible for the day-to-day governance of the Chamber, organising its plenary debate schedule and directing its civil staff.

Members of the Chamber of Commons organise themselves into parliamentary groups along partisan lines, and committees along jurisdictional lines. s are formed after each election, and typically correspond with political parties. Parliamentary groups must consist of at least two members; sole members of the Chamber are classified as independents, even if they were elected on a party label. Parliamentary groups typically coordinate voting behaviour in accordance with election manifestos, although the strong electoral link between representatives and constituents has led to a relatively low degree of parliamentary group unity in voting behaviour. Additionally, some parliamentary groups create a division of labour among their members, assigning a policy portfolio to each member. Larger groups typically make a distinction between a "frontbench" of official party spokespersons and a "backbench" of members who spend most of their time on constituency service.

The Chamber of Commons has a relatively strong system. The Chamber has twelve committees, each of which covers the policy area of a government department. Committees have the right to initiate and amend legislation, and compel ministerial attendance and evidence. This leads committees to dominate the legislative process, with the plenary session typically voting only on the final bill. Each member is entitled to a position in two committees, with each committee consisting of either 15 or 16 members. The partisan composition of each committee is roughly proportional to the composition of the Chamber as a whole, but small variations between committees can exist.