Post by Culture of Life on Dec 22, 2011 15:07:16 GMT -5
Second Constitution of Right to Life
Preamble
The Nations of Right to Life, recognizing the human dignity and inherent rights of the unborn and seeking to maintain a community that is a haven for the pro-life nations of the world, do ordain this their second Regional Constitution.
Article 1: Citizenship
1. A member nation is a resident of the region who is pro-life, or opposed to elective abortion in all or most cases. A member nation may support legal access to therapeutic abortion and abortion in cases of rape, incest, and fetal defects.
2. A citizen is a member nation who holds World Assembly membership in the region. Member nations who do not hold World Assembly membership in the region but serve in the Army can be granted citizenship by the Founder at his discretion.
Article 2: The Executive Branch
1. The Founder of the region is Culture of Life.
2. The Founder is the supreme executive authority of the region. Subject to regional law, the Founder may exercise any and all powers granted by NationStates to his position at his discretion. This includes the ability to grant administrative powers to the World Assembly Delegate or to withhold those powers.
3. In accordance with this Constitution and statutory law, the Founder may issue decrees to govern the region.
4. The Founder is primarily responsible for foreign policy, including the creation and destruction of in-game embassies. The Founder is also the Supreme Commander of the Army. At his discretion, the Founder may grant dispensations to member nations serving in the Army to allow them to vote in regional elections.
5. The Founder is responsible for maintaining offsite forums for the region.
Article 3: The Legislative Branch
1. Legislative power is vested in the Senate, which consists of five members in this order of seniority: the Founder, the President, the Vice President, the Senior Senator, and the Junior Senator. Except for the Founder, members of the Senate are elected.
2. The Founder, as the head of the region and the most senior member of the Senate, shall act as the speaker of the Senate.
3. The President is the World Assembly Delegate of the region unless otherwise stated in this Constitution.
4. The World Assembly Delegate may act on World Assembly proposals however he chooses provided he approves and votes for every proposal that would advance the pro-life cause and does not approve and votes against every proposal that would promote abortion.
5. A majority vote in the Senate is the agreement of the Founder and at least two other Senate members. A supermajority vote in the Senate is the agreement of the Founder and at least three other Senate members.
6. By majority vote, the Senate may enact statutes to govern the region. By majority vote, the Senate, with the consent of the President, may delegate the duty of being the World Assembly Delegate to someone other than the President.
7. By supermajority vote, the Senate may amend this Constitution. By supermajority vote, the Senate may expel one of its own members.
8. At his discretion, the Founder may remove from office any lower-ranking member of the Senate who is inactive for five days or longer.
9. When there is a vacancy in the Senate, every remaining member shall move up in seniority to fill whatever higher-ranking vacancy may have been created.
10. When there is a vacancy in the Senate, the Founder may appoint someone who is a citizen and forum member to fill that vacancy. If no such person can be found to fill the office, then the Founder may appoint any nation of his choosing to fill the Senate vacancy.
Article 4: The Judicial Branch
1. Judicial power is vested in the Senate, which shall make every judicial decision by the agreement of at least three members. The judicial power of the Senate extends only to actual cases and controversies arising under regional law or otherwise affecting nations affiliated with the region.
2. The Senate is primarily responsible for interpreting regional law. The hierarchy of regional law is as follows: this Constitution, statutes of the Senate, decrees of the Founder, and precedents established by the Senate in previous judicial decisions.
3. Exercising its judicial power, the Senate, by a vote of at least three members, may override any of these executive actions of the Founder: the ejection of a nation from the region, the banning of a nation from the region, or the suppression of a post on the Regional Message Board.
4. Unlike legislative actions, judicial actions of the Senate do not require the agreement of the Founder.
Article 5: Elections
1. The nominations period for an election of the Senate shall occur during the last seven days of the months of January, March, May, July, September, and November. Anyone who is a citizen and forum member may declare his candidacy. At the end of the nominations period, the Founder shall dissolve the Senate and begin the election. When he begins the election, the Founder shall publish a list of eligible voters.
2. The elected members of the Senate are chosen by the citizenry on the first three days of the months of February, April, June, August, October, and December.
3. In each election, voting shall occur secretly via telegram to a nation or nations designated by the Founder. Except as otherwise dictated in this Constitution, only citizens present in the region when an election begins shall be eligible to vote. No one may vote for himself in an election.
4. In every election, each citizen may vote for a maximum of two candidates. These votes may be changed at any time before the end of the election. Voting in an election is voluntary; compulsory voting is prohibited.
5. The candidate who receives the most votes shall be elected President, the candidate who finishes second shall be elected Vice President, the candidate who finishes third shall be elected the Senior Senator, and the candidate who finishers fourth shall be elected the Junior Senator.
6. The Founder is responsible for breaking any ties that may occur in an election.
7. A new session of the Senate begins when the Founder ratifies the results of the election.
