Post by Lady Cari on Aug 25, 2017 21:26:13 GMT
Woo, finally got this done. I'd like to bring this before you for you to peruse and suggest any necessary changes. If most of the High Council (preferably all) signs this document, I'll put it up for vote gameside.
Text in this color are changes added August 29.
Text in this color are changes made August 31.
Text in this color are changes made September 2.
It's a little incohesive because I wrote the first half about two weeks before the second, but meh. Please give feedback.
Text in this color are changes added August 29.
Text in this color are changes made August 31.
Text in this color are changes made September 2.
The Constitution of the Union of Londinium
We, the nations of the Union of Londinium, seeking to form a government for the benefit and advancement of all members, hereby ordain and establish the following Constitution of Londinium.
Article I: Definitions.
[§1.] The terms “Union of Londinium”, “Londinium”, and “the region” in this document all refer to the NationStates region Londinium, located at nationstates.net/region=londinium.
[§2.] The term “government official” refers to any member of the Executive, Judiciary, or the upper house of the Legislature.
[§3.] The term “law” refers to any bill regulating the region that has been passed by the Legislature.
[§4.] The term “executive action” refers to an action taken by the Monarch or Prime Minister without approval from the Legislature.
[§5.] The terms “citizen” and “member” refer to a player maintaining at least one nation in the region.
[§6.] The terms “in-game” and “gameside” describe actions, positions, etc. exclusive to the NationStates region.
[§7.] The term “offsite” describes any supplementary website established for the region, including but not limited to the official forum.
[§8.] All units of time in this document refer to “real-world” time.
Article II: The Executive.
Section I: The Monarchy
[§1.] The chief authority of the region shall be vested in a Monarch.
[§2.] The Monarch shall serve until they resign, cease to exist, or are recalled by the Legislature. The Legislature can only remove the Monarch from power by a three-fourths majority.
[§3.] The Monarch holds power to declare war, discipline nations in-game, call special elections, and, in extreme circumstances, dissolve the government entirely.
[§4.] The Monarch holds exclusive power to grant honorary feudal titles to citizens as they see fit.
[§5.] The Monarch shall be entrusted with all possible regional officer power in-game.
[§6.] The Monarch may at any given time appoint a successor to the position. In the event of a vacancy in the Monarchy, the Prime Minister shall take over the responsibilities until a new Monarch is selected. In such circumstances, the Cabinet will be responsible for determining how the successor will be chosen.
Section II: The Prime Minister
[§7.] The Assembly of All shall, every three (3) months, elect a citizen by popular vote to serve as Prime Minister of the region.
[§8.] A citizen may serve as Prime Minister for any number of terms, but may only serve two (2) consecutively.
[§9.] The Prime Minister shall preside over the Legislature, but cannot cast votes, except in the event of a tie. They are responsible for the presentation of bills passed by the Upper House to the Assembly of All.
[§10.] The Prime Minister has the power to veto legislation passed by the Upper House of the Legislature.
[§11.] The Prime Minister shall appoint a Cabinet, composed of citizens they deem qualified. The positions shall include:
• [11.1] a Minister of Population, responsible for recruiting new members for the region,
• [11.2] a Minister of Development, responsible for internal regional affairs, such as encouraging regional involvement in government or other regional events,
• [11.3] a Minister of Security, who shall hold gameside Border Control authority and maintain order,
• [11.4] and a Chief Diplomat, responsible for representing Londinium in other regions and appointing assisting diplomats as necessary.
[§12.] The Prime Minister may appoint and dismiss additional Cabinet ministers as they see fit.
Article III: The Legislature.
Section I: Overview
[§1.] The Legislature has sole authority to pass laws governing the region, and shall be composed of two houses, the Upper House and the Assembly of All.
Section II: Upper House
[§2.] All proposed legislation shall originate in the Upper House of the Legislature, though input from other parties is encouraged.
[§3.] The Upper House shall initially consist of five (5) members, elected by popular vote by the Assembly of All every three (3) months. Members may serve infinite terms but no more than two (2) consecutively. The Prime Minister may add or remove additional seats as they deem necessary.
[§4.] Any legislation proposed must pass by a two-thirds majority to be considered by the Assembly of All.
[§5.] The Upper House may remove one of its members, a member of the Judiciary, or a member of the Executive (the Monarch excluded), by a two-thirds majority vote.
[§6.] The Upper House must confirm all appointments to the Judiciary by a two-thirds majority.
[§7.] The Upper House shall meet and conduct business in a designated offsite location, accessible only by themselves, the Monarch, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the Prime Minister.
Section III: Assembly of All
[§8.] The Assembly of All (“Assembly”) shall consist of all citizens of Londinium in good standing, and notholding any other government position within Londinium a member of the Upper House.
[§9.] The Assembly must pass any legislation by a simple majority in order for it to become law.
[§10.] The Assembly shall elect a Speaker by popular vote every three (3) months. The Speaker shall be charged with representing the interests of the Assembly in the Upper House and the Executive.
[§11.] The Assembly may call for a referendum on any regional law, executive action, or issue. Any changes proposed must be passed by a two-thirds majority.
[§12.] The Assembly will vote on legislation through use of the in-game poll system. The Executive shall be charged with maintaining the poll and with verifying results. Each poll shall run for a period of three (3) days, unless the Executive sees fit to make it longer.
[§13.] Any citizen found attempting to vote with multiple nations shall have all their votes discounted. They may receive additional discipline if deemed necessary by the Judiciary.
Article IV: The Judiciary.
[§1.] The Judiciary shall consist of a Lord Chancellor, appointed by the Monarch, and a minimum of two Justices, appointed by the Prime Minister. These must not concurrently be members of the Executive or the Upper House.
[§2.] Members shall hold the position from their appointment until they resign, cease to exist, or are removed from office by the Monarch or Upper House.
[§3.] The Judiciary shall review and determine the legality of all laws, executive actions, and appointments as deemed necessary. They have the authority to reverse any decision on reasonable grounds.
Article V: Rights of Citizens.
[§1.] No citizen of Londinium shall be denied the following rights: the right of free press, the right to protest, the right to a fair trial, the right to freely practice religion, and the right to believe and express their own opinion.
We, the nations of the Union of Londinium, seeking to form a government for the benefit and advancement of all members, hereby ordain and establish the following Constitution of Londinium.
Article I: Definitions.
[§1.] The terms “Union of Londinium”, “Londinium”, and “the region” in this document all refer to the NationStates region Londinium, located at nationstates.net/region=londinium.
[§2.] The term “government official” refers to any member of the Executive, Judiciary, or the upper house of the Legislature.
[§3.] The term “law” refers to any bill regulating the region that has been passed by the Legislature.
[§4.] The term “executive action” refers to an action taken by the Monarch or Prime Minister without approval from the Legislature.
[§5.] The terms “citizen” and “member” refer to a player maintaining at least one nation in the region.
[§6.] The terms “in-game” and “gameside” describe actions, positions, etc. exclusive to the NationStates region.
[§7.] The term “offsite” describes any supplementary website established for the region, including but not limited to the official forum.
[§8.] All units of time in this document refer to “real-world” time.
Article II: The Executive.
Section I: The Monarchy
[§1.] The chief authority of the region shall be vested in a Monarch.
[§2.] The Monarch shall serve until they resign, cease to exist, or are recalled by the Legislature. The Legislature can only remove the Monarch from power by a three-fourths majority.
[§3.] The Monarch holds power to declare war, discipline nations in-game, call special elections, and, in extreme circumstances, dissolve the government entirely.
[§4.] The Monarch holds exclusive power to grant honorary feudal titles to citizens as they see fit.
[§5.] The Monarch shall be entrusted with all possible regional officer power in-game.
[§6.] The Monarch may at any given time appoint a successor to the position. In the event of a vacancy in the Monarchy, the Prime Minister shall take over the responsibilities until a new Monarch is selected. In such circumstances, the Cabinet will be responsible for determining how the successor will be chosen.
Section II: The Prime Minister
[§7.] The Assembly of All shall, every three (3) months, elect a citizen by popular vote to serve as Prime Minister of the region.
[§8.] A citizen may serve as Prime Minister for any number of terms, but may only serve two (2) consecutively.
[§9.] The Prime Minister shall preside over the Legislature, but cannot cast votes, except in the event of a tie. They are responsible for the presentation of bills passed by the Upper House to the Assembly of All.
[§10.] The Prime Minister has the power to veto legislation passed by the Upper House of the Legislature.
[§11.] The Prime Minister shall appoint a Cabinet, composed of citizens they deem qualified. The positions shall include:
• [11.1] a Minister of Population, responsible for recruiting new members for the region,
• [11.2] a Minister of Development, responsible for internal regional affairs, such as encouraging regional involvement in government or other regional events,
• [11.3] a Minister of Security, who shall hold gameside Border Control authority and maintain order,
• [11.4] and a Chief Diplomat, responsible for representing Londinium in other regions and appointing assisting diplomats as necessary.
[§12.] The Prime Minister may appoint and dismiss additional Cabinet ministers as they see fit.
Article III: The Legislature.
Section I: Overview
[§1.] The Legislature has sole authority to pass laws governing the region, and shall be composed of two houses, the Upper House and the Assembly of All.
Section II: Upper House
[§2.] All proposed legislation shall originate in the Upper House of the Legislature, though input from other parties is encouraged.
[§3.] The Upper House shall initially consist of five (5) members, elected by popular vote by the Assembly of All every three (3) months. Members may serve infinite terms but no more than two (2) consecutively. The Prime Minister may add or remove additional seats as they deem necessary.
[§4.] Any legislation proposed must pass by a two-thirds majority to be considered by the Assembly of All.
[§5.] The Upper House may remove one of its members, a member of the Judiciary, or a member of the Executive (the Monarch excluded), by a two-thirds majority vote.
[§6.] The Upper House must confirm all appointments to the Judiciary by a two-thirds majority.
[§7.] The Upper House shall meet and conduct business in a designated offsite location
Section III: Assembly of All
[§8.] The Assembly of All (“Assembly”) shall consist of all citizens of Londinium in good standing, and not
[§9.] The Assembly must pass any legislation by a simple majority in order for it to become law.
[§10.] The Assembly shall elect a Speaker by popular vote every three (3) months. The Speaker shall be charged with representing the interests of the Assembly in the Upper House and the Executive.
[§11.] The Assembly may call for a referendum on any regional law, executive action, or issue. Any changes proposed must be passed by a two-thirds majority.
[§12.] The Assembly will vote on legislation through use of the in-game poll system. The Executive shall be charged with maintaining the poll and with verifying results. Each poll shall run for a period of three (3) days, unless the Executive sees fit to make it longer.
[§13.] Any citizen found attempting to vote with multiple nations shall have all their votes discounted. They may receive additional discipline if deemed necessary by the Judiciary.
Article IV: The Judiciary.
[§1.] The Judiciary shall consist of a Lord Chancellor, appointed by the Monarch, and a minimum of two Justices, appointed by the Prime Minister. These must not concurrently be members of the Executive or the Upper House.
[§2.] Members shall hold the position from their appointment until they resign, cease to exist, or are removed from office by the Monarch or Upper House.
[§3.] The Judiciary shall review and determine the legality of all laws, executive actions, and appointments as deemed necessary. They have the authority to reverse any decision on reasonable grounds.
Article V: Rights of Citizens.
[§1.] No citizen of Londinium shall be denied the following rights: the right of free press, the right to protest, the right to a fair trial, the right to freely practice religion, and the right to believe and express their own opinion.