Non-residential subjects of Austenasia will henceforth be able to vote for Representatives in Parliament, following a new law passed this evening.
This sees the culmination of efforts led by Prime Minister Lord William Wilson, whose campaign for the premiership included a pledge to see parliamentary representation for non-residential subjects (an idea originally proposed by his predecessor Lord John Gordon) finally arranged.
No parliamentary representation for non-residential subjects was provided for by the Austenasian Constitution of 2011 or its subsequent amendments, due to their historically having made up such a small proportion of Austenasia’s population.
However, in recent years the proportion of Austenasians who do not live within Austenasia itself has increased, with a notable jump in numbers happening in May earlier this year as a result of Honorary Subjects being able to apply for naturalisation.
While still technically a minority, just under half of Austenasians – 47.3% – now hold non-residential subjectship as opposed to being residential subjects living in traditionally organised territorial Towns.
The growing proportion of non-residential subjects has made it a pressing concern of the government to enable parliamentary representation for them, with the Constitution only allotting Representatives to Towns.
Today’s Act of Parliament has changed the definition of Town to include a new entity known as a Division, into which Austenasia’s seventy non-residential subjects are henceforth grouped.
Four Divisions have been established, grouping together non-residential subjects living in the British Isles, in the rest of Europe and Africa, in Asia, and in the Americas and Oceania.
Parliament has appointed a prominent non-residential from each of these regions as Acting Representative of their Division on a provisional basis until elections are organised:
- Britain and Ireland will be represented by Lord Andrew Creed, who as Home Secretary has played a leading role in the political process behind these reforms;
- Europe and Africa will be represented by Aggelos I of Imvrassia, who has experience in Parliament having served as Representative of Ionisia between 2017 and 2018;
- Asia will be represented by Shiro Mephistopheles, this year’s First Consul and outgoing Chairman of the GUM; and
- The New World will be represented by Lord Charles Ross, former Governing Commissioner of Bregusland and Director-General of Austenasian Television Productions
Non-residential subjects will be contacted over the coming few days to inform them of these reforms, and to begin organising elections for the new Divisions.
With the addition of the four above-mentioned Acting Representatives to Parliament, the House of Representatives now stands at 15 strong, the largest it has ever been.