Council of Shulim:  Function and Composition

Function

The Council of Shulim is a religious body composed of a number of Iyudah's most prominent clergy.  It serves as the ultimate religious authority of Iyudah.  In addition to charting religious policy and keeping the Kuzri faith vibrant and alive, the Council is charged, in keeping with the Iyudean monarchy's fusion with the state religion, with governmental oversight and the right of judicial review.

Composition

The Council consists of ninety-nine of the leading religious authorities of the planet.  These councilors are addressed as "Elder."  The Council head is responsible for managing the business of the Council, but votes only to break ties among the members.  The Council is democratic in its procedure and is served by a system of internal minority review that prevents the dangers of "the tyranny of the majority."  Divided into several Committees, including the Observance Committee, the Outreach Committee, and the Oversight Committee, the Council monitors the whole of Iyudean society in its attempts to continue the study and interpretation of the holy books as commanded by the Kuzri God.

Currently, the Council is headed by Aton ben Ami, a close friend and counselor to King Joshesh.  He leads a majority coalition of Shulim representing the traditional socialists.  Elder ben Ami's leading coalition partner represents the esoteric liberals, headed by Elder Avi Avlafiyya.  The leading opposition group represents the esoteric individualists and is led by Elder Ashvi Sevi.

Factions and Representation

The current majority coalition is composed of the Traditional Socialists, the Esoteric Liberals, and the Traditional Moderates.  The coalition enjoys a small margin in voting processes with 55 seats.  The Esoteric Individualists have found common cause with the Traditional Individualists, and their coalition holds 33 seats.  The Ultra-Orthodox Union remains aloof from both coalitions but has little real power;  conversely, the Revisionist Socialists have courted the majority coalition on several occasions, but their politics are a touch too radical for Elder ben Ami to offer them a seat with his ruling body.

Committees

The Council of Shulim operates largely out of several committees, each of which is committed to a singular aspect of the Council's mandate.  Voting issues are debated and assembled in these committees before being brought to the full Council for vote.  The Committees include: