Council of State (Resha)

The Council of State (Reshan: Statskmard), is a formal body composed of the most senior government ministers chosen by the Prime Minister, and functions as the collective decision-making organ constituting the executive branch of the Kingdom. The council simultaneously plays the role of privy council as well as government Cabinet.

With the exception of the Prime Minister and the Minister of State, who retain their ministerial ranking in their own right, all the other members of the Cabinet concurrently hold the position of statskmardmann, meaning Councillor of State, and that of Chief of the various departments, not formally being considered 'ministers', although commonly addressed as such. The Cabinet normally convenes every week, usually on Fridays at 11:00 a.m. at the Royal Palace, Hederhelm, and is presided over by the Monarch.

Functions and mandate
The Council of State convenes to formally make decisions on matters of State, passing so-called Royal Resolutions or Orders in Council. Theoretically, the Royal Resolutions themselves are the Monarch's decisions, but are practically those of the government. However, they require the contra-signature of the Prime Minister, or, in cases relating to military command, of the Minister of Defense in order to be valid. Later, entire records from the proceedings of the Council of State is signed by all its members. This is done in order to remove all personal responsibility on part of the Monarch, in keeping with the Constitution. Another feature of this system is that the Monarch, when having sanctioned a decision, is referred to as Monarch-in-Council, meaning the Monarch as well as his council.

According to the Constitution, certain cases, such as appointments and dismissals of higher office, pardons, provisional measures, church ordinances and ratifications of treaties must be administered by the Council of State. Whilst not prescribed in the Constitution, the signing of bills and other regulations into law is the most important feature of the work being conducted during sessions of the Council of State.

Requirements of membership
There are several requirements for becoming a member of the Council of State: they must be a member of the Assembaskgrot, must be a Reshan citizen, and must be eligible to vote (meaning they must have attained the age of 18). Until 1967, they must be registered with the Church of Resha as well.

Order of precedence and succession
The order of succession to the role of Prime Minister of Resha is as follows:
 * Prime Minister of Resha
 * 1) Minister of State
 * 2) Minister of Finance
 * 3) Minister of Defense
 * 4) Minister of Public Health
 * 5) Minister of Trade and Industry
 * 6) Minister of Labor
 * 7) Minister of the Interior
 * 8) Minister of Transport
 * 9) Minister of Energy
 * 10) Minister of Agriculture
 * 11) Minister of Justice
 * 12) Minister of Culture
 * 13) Minister of Education and Research
 * 14) Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
 * 15) Minister of Regional Development