Minmatar Tribal Assembly Closes After Ratifying New Political Order

Pator – Sanmatar Maleatu Shakor has declared a "new political order in the tribal republic", after the Minmatar Tribal Assembly ratified its decisions on the reorganization of the Minmatar Republic, just before closing its business today at the Grand Caravanserai on Matar. Principal among the declarations by the assembly is the formal assertion that the Tribal Council, which consists of the Sanmatar and the Chiefs of the Seven Tribes, is the collective head of state of the Minmatar Republic. The assembly has also considerably clarified the respective roles of the Tribal Council and Republic Parliament, with the latter being declared a legislative body formally subservient to the former.

Among other matters that will be keenly noted by observers of the Republic, is the attention paid to delineating the powers and responsibilities of the Sanmatar. During the recent interim period, Sanmatar Maleatu Shakor has acted as the visible head of government and state for the Republic. Some critics within the Republic have even gone so far as to label Sanmatar Shakor as a 'dictator'. The Tribal Assembly would appear to have curtailed the formal powers of the office of Sanmatar. In particular, while the Sanmatar will serve as presiding officer of the Tribal Council he will have no vote in its meetings – voting rights being reserved solely for the tribal chiefs. The Sanmatar's ceremonial role as representative head of state where necessary will continue, and the Sanmatar will retain the power to declare a state of emergency.

The Tribal Assembly's other notable changes include formally separating the office of Prime Minister of the Republic from the office of Sanmatar. The Prime Minister will now be appointed from the Republic Parliament by the Tribal Council and have observer status at meetings of the Council. The Republic Parliament itself is reduced to a 35-seat house with five seats allocated to each tribe. These seats are filled at the discretion of the tribes and this provision officially brings an end to Republic-wide democracy in the style of the Gallente Federation.

Professor Gilles Horolosios of Caille University echoed the views of many Gallente political commentators, saying "The Tribal Assembly has switched off the life-support machine that was keeping the dying body of democracy in the Minmatar Republic alive." The long-serving Krusual parliamentarian Tobias Efrit, tipped as a certain re-appointment to the new parliament, responded, "The effete academics of the Federation can whine all they like about their so-called 'democracy'. This day has brought the tribes back to power and I rejoice. I just rejoice." Public opinion polls would appear to show that Tobias Efrit's view is largely shared by the majority of Minmatar in the Republic.