Royal Council

The Royal Council or Cabinet is the primary governing body of Westarctica and reports directly to the Prime Minister of Westarctica and is overseen by the Grand Duke of Westarctica.

History

The Royal Council is the successor body to the Grand Ducal Cabinet, which was created in June 2004 and dissolved during the 2010 coup.

Although Grand Duke Travis invited several ministers to advise the Crown after returning to power in 2010, it wasn't until March 2018 that His Royal Highness formally created the Royal Council as an actual institution and invested the cabinet ministers with autonomous powers beyond merely serving as advisers.

Composition

The Royal Council is comprised of positions in two categories: Ministries and other Council-Level Positions.

Appointments to Ministry postings are made by the Prime Minister, with confirmation by the Grand Duke. Other Council-Level Positions (often called Directors or Commissioners, but also military appointments) are made solely at the discretion of the Grand Duke. These typically cover, but are not limited to, areas of concern not already addressed by an existing Ministry.

The Prime Minister

The role of Prime Minister is currently the only elected position within Westarctica's government. The Prime Minister's primary function is to represent the citizens of Westarctica to the Crown and to speak on their behalf during sessions of the Royal Council. In accordance with the Charter of Westarctica, the Prime Minister is responsible for presenting laws and ordinances to the Crown for approval. The Prime Minister is also responsible for suggesting new and replacement Ministers to the Grand Duke.

The current Prime Minister, Brendan Cook, was elected in February of 2023 to a term of four years.

Position	Current Appointee	Portrait	Since	Previous Posts Held
Prime Minister of Westarctica	Brendan Cook		20 February 2023	Minister of Citizens Affairs (2 November 2021-20 February 2023) Deputy Prime Minister of Westarctica (11 March 2021-20 February 2023)
Deputy Prime Minister	James Stoshak		20 February 2023

Current Ministries and Council-Level Positions

Position	Current Appointee	Portrait	Since	Additional Posts Held
Minister of Defense	Duke Wolf of Waesche		29 July 2005	Prime Minister (2 June 2010 - 24 May 2017)
Foreign Minister	Count of Dorchuck		November 2024	Vice Consul for Rhode Island
Minister of Culture	Duke of Fox Grove		28 January 2020	Former Minister of Citizenship & Immigration
Minister of Communications	Countess of Carter		29 June 2018

Former ministries and council-level positions

Position	Appointee	Portrait	Term of Office
Minister of Finance	Polly Wilson		5 December 2014 - June 2016
Minister of Blockchain	Hon. Brian Erdelyi		January 2018 - January 2020
Minister of Technology	Prince Dinny, the Marquis of Sarnoff		January 2015 - 27 February 2020
Minister of Education	Ms. Jama Jenkins		16 May 2019 - 19 May 2020
Minister of Commerce	Count of Dendtler		8 May 2019 - 4 March 2021
Minister of Transportation	Count of Discovery Ridge		14 March 2021 - 16 February 2022
Minister of Conservation	Duchess of Eights		16 May 2019 - 6 February 2022
Chancellor of the Westarctica Leadership Institute	Shannon Sullivan		2 November 2021 - 2 October 2022
Commissioner of Economic Development	David Eckhard		2 November 2021 - 26 November 2024
High Commissioner of Westarctica	Count of Discovery Ridge		2 November 2021 - 12 February 2025
Minister of Colonial Affairs	Duke of Tapley		2 November 2021 - 12 February 2025
Minister of Sports	Dame Kristina Sullivan		2 November 2021 - 12 February 2025