Since the Eternal Emperor is considered divine and, thus, not to be bothered with the boring details of day-to-day governance that may distract him from the really important duties of an Emperor, such as indulging in exotic tonics, entertaining the harem, and invading faraway countries, the Imperial Senate was founded around 200 AFE. It is empowered to do things like legislate and gently scold the Emperor when the excesses grow too large to ignore. The members of the senate are called Senators and two thirds, the Patricians, are elected from within the noble families for two-year terms. That is to say, each of the ennobled families listed in the Almanac d’Armagnac picks (elects) a member to represent them in the Senate. The remaining third, the Popularists, are indeed chosen by the People, which means the Eternal Emperor, since He is the embodiment of the will of the people. There are currently nearly 400 senators and votes in the senate require a qualified majority of three fifths to pass. Arguments are often chaotic and the Sergeants-at-Arms get a lot of practice at subduing feral nobles.