Politics
The Imperium of Humankind is arguably the pinnacle of human civilization, spanning nearly a third of the Milky Way. Due to the significant distances and enormous magnitudes of citizenry from countless worlds, the system of governance required to maintain this massive society was perhaps unique in its integration of seemingly opposed structures. As a government, the Imperium can best be described as a Constitutional Triumvirate based on the principles of Egalitarian Meritocracy.
Principles
Egalitarian
All individuals are granted fundamental rights consistent with the principle that all sapient beings are equal because of their value as moral subjects capable of making rational and responsible actions, and by their intrinsic value in the potential that their actions could bring to the universe.
Meritocratic
However, the popular notion that all people are equal is untrue in terms of actuality. Some people are better at things than others. This does not mean they should be treated as superior, but to deny the use of their abilities for the sake of equality has been shown historically to be disastrous. Thus, in society, those who are able to perform better should be given the more important work for the common good.
Triumvirate
Power is effectively divided between a democratic representative legislature, a genetically engineered hereditary executive, and a technocratic and cybernetic bureaucracy and tradition-bound judiciary. These three structures form what is known as the Triumvirate, and important decisions are generally made by a vote where each Triumvir Structure has one vote. This means that in order for a decision to be made, at least two of the three Triumvir Structures must agree.
Triumvir Structures
The Genetic Dynasty of Imperial Executors
The ultimate executive power of the state is placed in the hands of a dictator, chosen from a dynasty of genetically engineered humans designed specifically to be ideal leaders. The executive has substantial power limited only by the constitution, and their entire life is dedicated to proper governance.
The Imperial Family consists of genetically engineered humans who are designed and breed to spend their lives in the service of humanity as ideal leaders. They are generally seen as the representatives of perfected humanity. The position of Emperor/Empress grants them tremendous executive power, and also some substantive legislative and judicial powers (such as being the final court of appeal). These powers all exist to serve the purpose of allow the Emperor to dictate a solution to a given problem as efficiently as possible, wherever in the galaxy they happen to be.
Selection from among the Imperial Family for the position of Emperor/Empress is exceedingly rigorous. As this is a title that will be served for life, only the most dedicated volunteers will be considered. The Trials of Imperial Succession are a series of extraordinary tests determined by the current ruler to determine suitable candidates. From there, candidates are apprenticed in the Imperial entourage.
One perhaps the most interesting demands is that some members of the Imperial Family are not told their position until adulthood. These dark horse candidates tend to be adopted into normal, positive family environments in an attempt to create divergent conditions for adaptation from their more aristocratic siblings. Sociologists have noted that a number of fictional works have been created focusing on the imaginary lives of such candidates, and that as a cultural phenomenon the suggestion that someone is a secret royal is widely considered either a tremendous compliment or insult depending on circumstances.
The Voice of Humanity
A senate of elected officials who serve devoted to the cause of representing their planetary systems and enacting legislation. Due to the sheer number of worlds involved, the Voice consists of representatives elected from Stellar Assemblies, which are in turn elected from Planetary Congresses, which are in turn elected from National Parliaments. The system of democracy is thus one of hierarchical votes.
All citizens of the Imperium are granted the right to vote on a wide range of issues, ranging from whom to send to represent them in the capital, to any number of local issues. Unlike the modern democratic republic however, not every person has the same number of votes. Instead, votes now function as a kind of reward system. Every citizen is entitled to a minimum 1 vote. In addition to this base amount, there are ways of receiving additional votes.
For instance, performing a public service can be worth a vote. The government can register in advance a particular action or behaviour to be worth a vote. Certain empowered authorities can also reward individuals they deem worthy.
Each citizen furthermore has the power to grant or subtract a single vote from any other person. These citizen vote evaluations can be made in secret to encourage honesty. Vote evaluations are reset every election cycle.
The actual number of votes a person has is not known until the date of voting. This is because of the manner in which the vote value is calculated. As sometimes a person will be subtracted more votes, the negative value must be normalized to be positive. Thus all numbers are shifted such that the lowest vote of all voters is 1.
Galactic Mind
A massive multi-system network of sentient planet-sized interconnected A.I.’s who serve as an efficient bureaucracy and judicial authority; they also command vast Allied Network resources.