Difference between revisions of "Luthadel Assembly"
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m (Notes on the Assembly's powers. Hidden for now, will write up properly later, but I need to close some windows right now.) |
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== 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.
-->=== Members of the Assembly ===▼
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}}
{{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:
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=== 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
When a meeting with Straff is finally arranged, the Assembly schedules a meeting at the same time, knowing that Elend couldn't participate and
=== After the Battle of Luthadel ===
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