Government of the Republic
The legislative branch is composed of a single house with the executive being formed of the party (or coalition) having the majority of seats. Election are held through a "first past the post" method whereby "Deputies" are elected by obtaining a simple majority of vote in a given circumscription. Whichever political party has the most deputies is declared by the Director General of election to have won the election and asked to form the new government. A given government can stay in power for a maximum of five years but can request that the Director General declare an election before the end date. There are no limits on the number of terms a given deputies can serve and thus no limit on how long a Prime Minister can govern.
By law, only private individuals (and not companies or organizations) may contribute money to a political party. The amount given is also limited but reviewed occasionally to take into consideration the relative value of money. Only money raised this way can be use to pay for a campaign. Also, finances are verified after each election to ensure that no personal amount (or those of unverifiable origin) has been used. Violation may attract fines or even void an election.
The justice system of the republic is based on Civil Laws.
Courts are divided into: Small Claims, First Instance, Appeal and Supreme Court. Judges and prosecutors are appointed.
French is recognized by law as the administrative language of Quebec. In certain regions, other languages can legally be used on an equal basis with French (either English or First Nations' languages). French is considered an advantage but not a requirement for citizenship purposes.
The republic is divided into regions. These can be Administrative or Autonomous. The first type exist strictly on paper (no elected officials) and correspond roughly to the touristic regions. The second type has an elected government of sort and is composed of a territory inhabited by a native tribe which has obtain full control over certain political aspect (such as culture and law enforcement).
The republic has a number of active political parties. Among them are the following:
- Parti Quebecois
- Parti Liberal du Quebec
- Action Democratique du Quebec
- Quebec's Partitionist Party/Parti Partitioniste du Quebec: A party that promote Partitionism.