Editing Luthadel Assembly

{{group
|founder=[[Elend Venture]]
|leaders=[[Elend Venture]], [[Ferson Penrod]]
|hq=Former [[Steel Ministry#Canton of Finance|Canton of Finance]] building{{book ref|mb2|10}}
|era=Post-[[Collapse]]
|type=Council
|world=Scadrial
|universe=[[Cosmere]]
|books=[[Mistborn Era 1]]
}}
The '''Luthadel Assembly''' is the ruling council of [[Luthadel]] that is established as part of King [[Elend Venture]]'s new government after the [[Collapse]].{{book ref|mb2|3}}

== Structure and Powers ==
The Assembly consists of seven [[noble]]s, eight [[skaa]] workers, and eight merchants. Elend set up this structure so that the common people would be able to outvote the nobles. In practice, however, the merchants held themselves separate from and above the other skaa. The King of the [[Dominance#Central Dominance|Central Dominance]] presides over the Assembly and has a vote of his own, and also exercises a [[wikipedia:casting vote|casting vote]] when the Assembly is evenly divided on a matter. If the throne is vacant, the Assembly elects a chancellor to preside and exercise the casting vote.{{book ref|mb2|31}}

Elend intended the Assembly to be an advisory council, whose members could voice concerns to the king and make sure the peoples' voices were heard.{{book ref|mb2|31}}{{book ref|mb2|3}} He also, however, wanted the Assembly to be able to keep the king from becoming a tyrant, and gave it a fair measure of counterbalancing power.{{book ref|mb2|31}}

Most notably, the Assembly has the power to depose the king, which requires a unanimous vote, except for that of the king. After the king is deposed, the Assembly has one month to choose a new king, after which the throne reverts to the previous king, who then cannot be deposed for another year.{{book ref|mb2|28}} Once the throne is vacant, the chancellor will hold nominations for the throne at an Assembly meeting. All members can nominate one person, and the Assembly must hold the nominations at least three days before it conducts the final vote. A nominee does not have to be a member of the Assembly, and can even be the king who was just deposed.{{book ref|mb2|31}} A two-thirds majority is required to elect a new king from the list of nominees.{{book ref|mb2|38}} The Assembly can also choose a new king if the previous one dies without an heir,{{book ref|mb2|20}} likely by a similar method.

The Assembly can also suspend its own authority to surrender the city, which requires a two-thirds vote;{{book ref|mb2|10}} expel a member, which requires a unanimous vote;{{book ref|mb2|34}} and also had authority over more mundane matters, such as who would be in control of the food stores.{{book ref|mb2|10}} Surrendering the city to [[Ashweather Cett]] without a king would have required a unanimous vote.{{book ref|mb2|32}}

=== Members of the Assembly ===
{{quote
|The Assembly was only twenty-four men, but getting them to agree on anything was almost more challenging than any of the problems they argued about.
|Elend's thoughts{{book ref|mb2|3}}
}}
The following table lists the known members of the Assembly:
{| align=center width=50%
| style='vertical-align: top;' |
;Nobles
* [[Elend Venture]]
* [[Ferson Penrod]]
* [[Dedri Vasting]]
* Lord [[Dukaler]]
* Lord [[Hue]]
* Lord [[Dridel]]
* Lord [[Habren]]
| style='vertical-align: top;' |
;Skaa workers
* [[Haws]]
* [[Hettel]]
* [[Jasten]]
* [[Thurts]]
* [[Vet (skaa)|Vet]]
| style='vertical-align: top;' |
;Merchants
* [[Philen Frandeu]]
* [[Getrue]]
|}

== History ==
=== Origin ===
After the [[Rashek|Lord Ruler]]'s death, Elend gives a speech to the skaa and convinces them to stop rioting and instead set up a new government based on democratic ideals. Once the rioting stops, Elend is named the new king and leads the negotiations and drafting of a new constitution.{{book ref|mb1|epilogue}} As a firm believer in democracy, Elend created the Assembly so that the people could have some control over the country, and so that the king could both receive advice and have his power limited.{{book ref|mb2|3}}{{book ref|mb2|31}} The Assembly meets in the building that formerly housed the [[Steel Ministry#Canton of Finance|Canton of Finance]].{{book ref|mb2|10}}

=== During the Siege of Luthadel ===
{{cite note}}
When King [[Straff Venture]] brings his army to Luthadel to retake the city from his son Elend, the Assembly becomes a threat to Elend's ability to function as king. Taking into consideration the coming winter, the scarcity of food and wood/oil to heat the tenements and, before all, the fact that there are only twenty thousand, mostly untrained, of their soldiers in the city, the Assembly wants to give the city to Straff. With effort, Elend is able to convince the majority of the Assembly to give him time to set up a meeting with his father. Elend is sure that Straff won't attack the city. Then a second army comes to Luthadel, headed by another King, [[Ashweather Cett]], making the Assembly even more nervous. Cett makes his way into the city and is allowed to take residence in one of the abandoned Noble's Keeps. Now two armies besiege Luthadel. 

When a third army&mdash;an army of twenty thousand Koloss, led by King Jastes Lekal&mdash;arrives, Elend still tries to convince the Assembly to stay with diplomatic efforts, avoiding a battle that would be desperate and cost a lot of lives. 

When a meeting with Straff is finally arranged, the Assembly schedules a meeting at the same time, knowing that Elend couldn't participate and&mdash;in his absence&mdash;depose him, appointing Lord Penrod as new king. They then decide to accept Straff as their emperor, although he would never get the city.

=== After the Battle of Luthadel ===
At the end of the [[Battle of Luthadel]], [[Vin]] forces King [[Ferson Penrod]] to swear allegiance to Elend. Elend and Vin reign as High Emperor and Empress of the [[New Empire]], while Penrod is allowed to keep his throne,{{book ref|mb2|55}} and the Assembly retains its power, subject to an imperial veto.{{book ref|mb3|5}} Elend later uses the Assembly as a model for setting up parliamentary councils in the other cities he brings into his empire.{{book ref|mb3|32}}{{book ref|mb3|44}}

== Notes ==
<references />
{{partial}}
{{Mistborn|Era 1}}
[[Category:Luthadel Assembly| ]]