Chancery
Chancery![]() |
Current Head: Sir Lüc da Schir |
Deputies: Sir Ian Plätschisch |
Function: To administer elections, oversee the legislative process, and manage petitions to the Crown. |
The Chancery is an office of the Royal Civil Service, headed by the Secretary of State. It is easily the most important of the offices of state, as it administers elections, oversees the operation of the Ziu, conducts the census, maintains the National Database, receives and acts upon most petitions made to the Crown, and issues royal grants under the Lesser State Seal which includes the granting of citizenship.
The position of Secretary of State is widely regarded as the most onerous in Talossa, and many of Talossa's most important figures have served as Secretary of State, including King John before his election to the throne. The position of Secretary of State is by norm and tradition considered apolitical.
Duties and Powers
The duties of the Chancery include the preparation and publication of the legislative journal, the Clark, issued with each monthly session of the Ziu and containing the text of all proposed legislation and results of the previous session's balloting.
The Secretary of State is empowered to distribute the duties of the Chancery to a single deputy and to any number of lesser "Members of the Office of the Secretary of State", referred to as Undersecretaries.
The Chancery has one department known as the Bureau of Citizenship (Büreu dal Citaxhienità) and is overseen by the Deputy Secretary (also known as the Head Head-Counter). The Deputy Secretary can also appoint a single Head-Counter to each province when necessary. Its duties are to conduct the census and issue paper copies of various documents when requested.
Appointment
Up until the Royal Civil Service Act of 2018, the Chancery was part of the Royal Household and the Secretary of State was uniquely responsible to the King, not to the government of the day. After reforms were passed by the Ziu, the Chancery was made an office of the new Royal Civil Service, most of whose chief officers now report to a Cabinet minister; the Secretary of State is the only one who instead reports from time to time to a commission formed by the Tuischac'h and the Mençei, in representation of the Ziu.
The office of Secretary of State is unique among Talossan appointments, as it is made by the Prime Minister, acting alone, without the consent of the King.
In 2005, this unique mode of appointment proved to be providential when it prevented an organic crisis. Talossa had suddenly found itself without a Secretary of State, or any other officer in the Chancery, and also without a King who was capable of exercising his royal powers. Furthermore, the Cosa had been dissolved, and an election, which may only be run by a Secretary of State, was necessary to seat a Ziu which could then elect a Regent to exercise the royal authority for a minor King. The ability of the Prime Minister to immediately appoint a Secretary of State saved Talossa by enabling it to meet its own Organically mandated election schedule and requirements, and conduct what became the historic elections to the 35th Cosa.
List of Secretaries of State
This is a list of people who held the office of Secretary of State.
In some cases these are de facto officeholders, such as when a person served as Acting Secretary of State while there was no Secretary of State. However, almost all of these resulted in that person receiving a full appointment later, and the tenure has therefore been merged to begin on the date of the previous appointee's resignations and/or the acting SoS's appointment. In the lone case of Robert Madison, he is listed here because his tenure as Acting SoS effectively turned permanent due to Tomás Gariçéir's parental leave.
In many other cases a Secretary of State was a deputy to his predecessor and might have administered either some Clarks or the intervening general election; such an extended period is not counted in that person's tenure as the full position was not vacant. However, General Elections and Clarks conducted by a future SoS while serving as deputy or acting SoS, when immediately preceding their full tenure, are counted and marked as such.
No. | Secretary of State | Tenure | Appointed by | Clarks conducted | Elections conducted |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ian von Metairia | August 1987 - November 1990 | 29 | 6th, 7th,8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th | |
2 | Robert Madison | December 1990 - June 1991 | 4 | 13th | |
3 | Ian von Metairia | July 1991 - June 1995 | 35 | 14th, 15th,16th, 17th, 18th, 19th | |
4 | Weston Erni | July 1995 - February 1996 | 6 | 20th | |
5 | Sean Hert | March 1996 - October 1996 | 6 | 21st | |
6 | Evan Gallagher | November 1996 - September 1997 | 7 | 22nd, 23rd | |
7 | Charles Sauls | October 1997 - April 1998 | 5 | 24th | |
8 | Ián Anglatzarâ | May 1998 - December 1999 | 15 | 25th, 26th | |
9 | Sir Tamoran dal Nava | January 2000 - April 2000 | 2 | 27th | |
10 | Davïu Foctéir | May 2000 - March 2001 | 9 | 28th | |
11 | Marti-Pair Furxhéir | April 2001 - June 2004[1] | 35 | 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd | |
12 | Marc Moisan | 25 June 2004 - 21 September 2004[2] | ? | 2 | 33rd |
13 | Tomás Gariçéir | 22 September 2004 - 20 December 2004[3] | Xheralt Conâ | 3 | none |
14 | Robert Madison (Acting) | 20 December 2005 - 15 August 2005 | Himself | 6 | 34th (Acting) |
15 | Sir John Woolley | 20 August 2005 - 22 February 2007 | Fritz von Buchholtz | 12 | 35th, 36th |
16 | Sir Mick Preston | 22 February 2007 - 7 June 2010[4] | Baron Hooligan | 26 | 37th, 38th, 39th, 40th, 41st |
17 | Iustì Canun | 7 June 2010 - 8 February 2014[5] | Alexandreu Davinescu | 28 | 42nd, 43rd, 44th, 45th |
18 | Marti-Pair Furxheir | 8 February 2014 - 22 May 2018 | Glüc da Dhi | 35 | 46th (Acting), 47th, 48th, 49th, 50th, 51st |
19 | Glüc da Dhi | 22 May 2018 - 15 August 2020 | Lüc da Schir | 18 | 52nd, 53rd, 54th, 55th |
20 | Sir Txec Róibeard Nordselva | 15 August 2020 - 30 November 2024[6] | Dame Miestră Schivă | 33 | 56th, 57th, 58th, 59th, 60th |
21 | Sir Lüc da Schir | 30 November 2024 - current | Dame Miestră Schivă | 2 | none |
Offices of the Royal Civil Service | |||||||||
Chancery![]() |
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Scribery![]() |
Archives![]() |
Royal Society![]() |
Secretaries![]() |
Offices of the Royal Civil Service | |||||||||
Chancery![]() |
Treasury![]() |
Scribery![]() |
Archives![]() |
Royal Society![]() |
Secretaries![]() |
- ↑ Furxhéir was appointed to allow Foctéir to focus on his studies for a period of six months; however, at the end of the agreed period, Foctéir did not return to activity and Furxhéir, who had resigned as planned, technically served as Acting Secretary of State for four months until he was officially reappointed. [1]
- ↑ Start date is approximate and appointer unknown. Moisan generally dubbed himself as Acting SoS, but there was no SoS he was deputising for.
- ↑ Gariçéir went on leave of absence on 20 December 2004, thus leaving Deputy SoS Ben Madison as Acting SoS.
- ↑ "Acting" from 22 February to his official appointment on 20 April, by virtue of serving as Deputy SoS for Sir John Woolley: https://talossa.proboards.com/thread/1466/appointment-secretary-state
- ↑ On leave since 26 November 2013; M-P Furxhéir served as Acting SoS.
- ↑ On leave for most of November 2024 preparing for accession to the throne; October 2024 Presumptive Heir referendum and November 2024 Clarks both administered by Lüc da Schir as Deputy SoS.