Sarda

The sarda is the head of state and head of government of Sanmra. Although often referred to collectively, the sarda is a pair of dalar--a man and a woman--who jointly bear the responsibilities of leadership. They serve as commanders of the Tasen ni Sanmra, chief judges of the Sanmran judicial system, and share executive functions with the Nuoda.

The sarda is elected by the Nuoda upon the death, resignation, or legal removal of power of the previous sarda, though the latter case has never occurred. All sarda have been married couples, though like members of the Nuoda, this is not a formal requirement. The current sarda is married couple Tien'a and Ledan rıl Losa.

History and development

The leader of Sanmra has been referred to as sarda as far back as the Garsenian Confederation. At the time, it referred to a war leader elected by councils convened by the Garsenian villages. Later, after Tirina became leader of the confederation, it was used to refer to the sole leader of the nation. The power of the sarda waxed and waned over time in relation to the Council of Elders, the precursor to the modern Nuoda, culminating in the Great Warring Period in which sarda and council repeatedly overthrow one another to seize power. After the Bloody New Year, a night of assassination and massacre in the early morning of the first day of 1076, the Elten Resolution is signed by all major political factions and prominent families in Elten. While this does not single-handedly restructure the government, it is the first step in a decade-long process of reorganizing both the Council and the sarda and redistributing power between them.

In modern times, the sarda is often said to have all the power and enough wisdom to know not to exercise it--theoretically, the only true check on the sarda's power is the Nuoda's hypothetical ability to remove the current sarda from office. In practice, this has never occurred and no one particularly wants to find out what happens if it becomes necessary. However, a series of informal agreements between the Nuoda and the sarda have resulted in a system where the Nuoda handles most day-to-day governance while the sarda has direct control of foreign relations, military maneuvers, and the judiciary. The sarda can and occasionally does overrule the Nuoda, or send directives to the Nuoda to be voted on, but such situations are generally those with very broad public support or where the sarda has arranged the matter ahead of time with the Nuoda.