Chancery

Current Head: Sir Lüc da Schir

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

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 Furxheir	April 2001 - December 2001		7	29th
12	Davïu Foctéir	Jan 2002 - April 2002		2	30th
13	Marti-Pair Furxheir	May 2002 - May 2004		26	31st, 32nd, 33rd
14	Robert Madison	June 2004 - October 2005		12	34th
15	Sir John Woolley	November 2005 - April 2007	Fritz von Buchholtz	12	35th, 36th, 37th
16	Sir Mick Preston	May 2007 - June 2010	Baron Hooligan	26	38th, 39th, 40th, 41st
17	Iustì Canun	July 2010 - December 2013	Alexandreu Davinescu	28	42nd, 43rd, 44th, 45th
18	Marti-Pair Furxheir	January 2014 - May 2018	Txec Róibeard Nordselva	35	46th (Acting), 47th, 48th, 49th, 50th, 51st
19	Glüc da Dhi	May 2018 - August 2020	Lüc da Schir	18	52nd, 53rd, 54th, 55th
20	Sir Txec Róibeard Nordselva	August 2020 - November 2024	Dame Miestră Schivă	33	56th, 57th, 58th, 59th, 60th
21	Sir Lüc da Schir	December 2024 - current	Dame Miestră Schivă	1	none