Earth-Mars (SWM)

Earth-Mars is a sovereign federation consisting of Earth and Mars.

The federation is governed by the General Assembly under the chairmanship of the President. Between sessions, the General Assembly is administered by the Secretariat, consisting of the Secretary General and the Security Council. The federal government's role is limited. Earth is governed by its own institutions, to a large degree independent from the federation. Mars, too, is self-governing, although less so than Earth. Both Earth and Mars are represented on the Security Council and hold equal seats in the General Assembly.

General Assembly
Article II of the Constitution establishes the General Assembly as the supreme governing body within the federation. It consists of 1,000 seats, 500 of which are reserved for Earth and Mars respectively. Due to its size, most of the work of the General Assembly is conducted through its committees and the commissions it establishes from time to time. It meets in plenary session only once every five years, on Earth.

The President of the General Assembly is the chairman of the body and the unofficial head of state of the federation. Chairing meetings of the General Assembly and some of its committees is the core function of the President, although they do perform other ceremonial tasks, such as mediation between Earth and Mars, or between the various states and territories thereof. The President is an ex officio member of the Security Council, however their status on that body is not elevated above the others (the Secretary General chairs the Security Council).

Secretariat
Article III of the Constitution sets out the functions and responsibilities of the Secretariat. The Secretariat is a body of the General Assembly and therefore not independent of it. Its most important organs are the Secretary General and the Security Council. The Secretary General is the unofficial head of government of the federation and heads the Secretariat, including chairing the Security Council.

The Security Council consists of the Secretary General, the President, X undersecretaries, the permanent representatives of both Earth and Mars, the leaders of the X-largest factions or parties in the General Assembly, and the heads of the armed services. The council's responsibility is limited to maintaining peace and security within the solar system. The Secretary General's role is broader: giving effect to the will of the General Assembly.

Judiciary
Article IV of the Constitution establishes and regulates the judiciary of Earth-Mars. Unlike the Secretariat, the judiciary is independent of the General Assembly. The apex judicial body is the Supreme Court, consisting of the Chief Justice and X associate justices. The Chief Justice is an ex officio observer (i.e. not a participating member) of the Security Council.

Earth and Mars maintain their own judicial systems, separate from the judiciary of the federation. Earth and Mars do, however, each have a "colonial court" that forms part of the federal judiciary. The Circuit Court for Colonial Matters hears appeals from the colonial courts on constitutional affairs, before appeals reach the Supreme Court.