Aurora. When the
government of Aurora was first set up
it was intended that the executive officer fulfil only ceremonial duties. He was to
greet dignitaries from other worlds, open all meetings of the Legislature, preside over
its deliberations and vote only to break a tie. After the River
Controversy, however, there was a general determination never to allow controversy to
endanger Auroran society again. It became customary, therefore, to settle disputes
in a private and peaceable manner outside the Legislature. When the legislators
finally voted, it was in an agreed-upon fashion, so that there was always a large majority
on one side or the other.
The key figure in the settlement of disputes was the Chairman of the
Legislature. He was held to be above the struggle and his power - which, although
nil in theory, was considerable in practice - only held as long as he was seen to be so.
The chairmen therefore jealously guarded their objectivity and, as long as they succeeded
in this, it was they who usually made the decisions that settled any controversy in one
direction or the other.
The Chairman's term of office was ordinarily thirty years, with the
opportunity for reelection by the Legislature for another thirty years. If, however,
a vote were to go against a Chairman's recommendation, the Chairman would be forced to
resign forthwith and there would be a governmental crisis while the Legislature tried to
find another Chairman under conditions of bitter dispute. Few legislators would be
willing to risk that and the chance of getting a majority to vote against the Chairman,
when that was the consequence, was almost nil.
Notes
1. The River Controversy. A dull
episode in Auroran history in which impenetrable arguments over the proper division of
hydro-electric powers led to the nearest approach to civil war the planet had ever seen.