Elections in Mobius

Elections in Mobius are held for three territorial levels of government: the state, the nineteen States, and the 710 municipalities. Apart from elections, referenda are also held occasionally. The most recent national election results and an overview of the resulting seat assignments and coalitions since 1977 are shown at the bottom of the page.

At the national level, legislative power is invested in the Jesston State Hall, which is bicameral. The House of Congress has 400 members, elected for a four-year term by proportional representation. Elections are also called after a dissolution of the House of Congress. All elections are direct, except for the House of Peers, which has 133 temporal members, elected for a four-year term by the upper houses of the states who in turn are elected for a four-year term by the lower houses of the states, all of which on the basis of proportional representation.

Mobius has a multi-party system, with numerous parties, in which usually one party secures an overall majority of votes, though there have been instances in which several parties have formed a coalition government which usually includes the party supported by a plurality of voters.

Candidates to the elections of the House of Congress are chosen from party lists according to a system of party-list proportional representation. The threshold is 1/400 of the total number of valid votes.

Mobius elects the monarch when the incumbent monarch dies, abdicates, or is removed from office. Candidates must be at least 18 years of age, is a direct descendent of Myles, and has not opted out of the candidacy. A monarch is elected in a direct popular vote under a three-round system.

The most recent election was the general election in 2020.

Timing
The maximum parliamentary term is four years, and elections are generally held about four years after the previous one. Regular elections take place throughout the year, with municipal elections in May, regional lower house elections in June, regional upper house elections in August, regional presidential elections in September, and the national upper and lower house elections in November. This is to ensure that the transition period between the old and new cabinets are smooth by Inauguration Day in January. If the House of Congress is dissolved by the whim of the King of the Confederation so long as it has been at least twelve months since the last dissolution of Congress, a snap election takes place as soon as possible, usually after two months to give parties time to prepare. The term of the next Congressional election can be shortened or prolonged to ensure that it aligns with the next normal election cycle.

Municipal and regional elections always take place every four years, with the former happening in May, and the latter happening between June and September for the regional legislature and executive. Municipal legislatures cannot be dissolved, but regional lower houses can be, so snap elections can occur for the latter, but not the former. An exception to the four-year term for municipalities is made when two or more of them merge and a new election takes place for the merged municipality.

Peerage elections also take place every four years, in November following the regional elections, but before the Congressional election. The House of Peers cannot be dissolved, so no snap elections can occur, and thus sits for the entire four-year term.

Elections usually take place on Tuesdays, but the government can change this to a Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday if there are good reasons to do so (e.g. when the election day coincides with a national holiday).

Eligibility
Every Mobian citizen who has reached the age of 18 must register to vote, and is required to vote in elections as voting is compulsory in Mobius, but they may stand for election as well. One has to be a Mobian citizen in order to run for office; any candidates must be naturalized by May of an election year. Someone may be exempted from compulsory voting if they are mentally incapable of making a reasoned choice. Two weeks before an election all voters receive a card, which is evidence that they are able to vote, and this card must be handed over at the polling-station before voting.

Because of the compulsory registration, and the compulsory voting, every citizen is on the electoral register which contains the municipality in which they registered, the current municipality in which they reside in, and their date of birth.

Mobian citizens who live abroad are also exempt from compulsory voting if they have been deregistered as a Mobian national, but they do enjoy full voting rights in monarchical, parliamentary, and regional elections, regardless of how long they have lived abroad. Mobius has a dedicated Assembly of Mobian Expatriates, the president of which is the Mobian Foreign Minister. Votes from expatriates go to the region they last lived in, and are counted towards the final count for regional, and parliamentary elections.