The Congress exists more by convention than law yet it is the theoretical originating point for all legislation presented to the senate in the form of proposals adopted by a sympathetic senator once the measure has been passed in Congress.
The Congress of Elwynn comprises 1,154 delegates. There are 182 Bailiwick Circles of which the 158 in Elwynn Proper enjoy full civil liberties and elect six delegates (1 per guild) each whilst the 13 Bailiwicks of the Northern March and 11 Bailiwicks of the Eastern March have one delegate each appointed by the Wardens of the respective marches.
The Guilds established by law (Charter of Coordination, Chapter One) are as follows:
The electorate in each Bailiwick votes for the candidates for the seat representing the guild they belong to, so the socially conservative Aldermen get a guild seat worth just as much as the guild seat of the seething masses who are enrolled in the Dunporters Guild who tend to vote for left-wing egalitarian parties. The Artisans, Artificers and Factors tend to divide along social and ethnic lines into liberal and nationalist parties representing their particular background.1. The Guild of Dunporters represents the cleaners, the diggers and the toilers who remove the nightsoil of our Common Weal. They are also responsible for the spreading of the nightsoil in the fields and for this reason we count the constituency of yeoman-farmers and country folk amongst them.
2. The Guild of Artisans comprises the craftsmen responsible for the manufacture of the products necessary for the functioning of our society and trade.
3. The Guild of Artificers [...] craftsmen
4. The Guild of Factors is the home of all merchants [...]
5. The Guild of Aldermen, formerly senior merchants and descendants of the landed-gentry [...]
The breakdown of the votes in the last election[1] before the Coordination Era is as follows:
There are also 182 UDF Delegates (Bailiwick = Military District) elected by Soldiers' Committees.
[1] The Administration considers the 'Election of 5138 ASC' to be a Counter-Revolutionary and Subversive Action by the Steward of the Ousted Clique against the Coordination Regime of the First Conducator, the late General Royston Merrick.