Parliament of the United Earth Government

"Unless you were born on a Republic world, the ability to do anything worthwhile doesn't exist. It's a broken system."

- Francis Maynard quoted in the New Parisian Express, a daily broadsheet e-paper on Kafka.

The Parliament of the United Earth Government, also known as the Parliament on Earth, or more colloquially, The Parliament, was the supreme legislative body in human space. The parliament was headed by the President of the United Earth Government, a non-Parliamentarian who acted as a figurehead with ceremonial duties. As a political entity, it held suzerainty over the five constituent Republics, and in economic, diplomatic and military matters held unlimited veto powers and was the ultimate decision making body. The Parliament was divided into two chambers, the lower chamber being the legislative House of Commons which housed one thousand and thirty nine MPs elected by universal suffrage by anyone aged sixteen and over. While the Upper Chamber, the Senate House, was made up of two thousand and seventy four experts and people of note hand-picked by the heads of state of all six Republics. The Political Party Coalition who won the most seats at the end of a general election was permitted to found a government, headed by a Prime Minister. Likewise, the second largest Coalition was permitted in law to form a coalition with its own legislative powers to act as an effective check on the Government.