Post by Culture of Life on Aug 22, 2018 0:47:22 GMT -5
Second Constitution of Right to Life
Preamble
The nations of Right to Life, recognizing the equal dignity and the inherent human rights of unborn children and seeking to maintain a community that is a haven for the pro-life nations of the world, do ordain this their regional Constitution.
Article 1: Citizenship
1. Citizenship belongs to every member of the regional forums who has a nation present in the region, has taken the oath of citizenship, and has complied with regional law.
2. The oath of citizenship is "I, [insert nation name], hereby affirm that I am pro-life; I am against induced abortion in all or most cases."
3. Only someone who is pro-life can hold citizenship. Someone pro-life must be opposed to induced abortion in all or most cases. A citizen may support legal access to therapeutic abortions as well as abortions in cases of rape, incest, and serious fetal abnormalities.
4. Right to Life, as a community, does not advocate induced abortion in any case. Aware of the incalculable worth of each and every human life, the region promotes the abolition of abortion on request, especially abortions that are performed merely or primarily for social or economic reasons, as well as the elimination of the underlying causes of abortion.
Article 2: The Founder
1. The Founder of the region is Culture of Life. The Founder is the head of state of the region, and he is its supreme executive authority. Subject to regional law, the Founder may exercise any and all powers granted by NationStates to his position, including the power to grant or withhold executive authority from the World Assembly Delegate and the power to appoint or dismiss in-game regional officers.
2. The Founder has the power to issue decrees for the governance of the region, provided such decrees are not inconsistent with this Constitution or with the statutory law.
3. The Founder is primarily responsible for foreign policy, including for the creation and destruction of embassies and for the appointment and dismissal of ambassadors. The Founder is also the Supreme Commander of the Right to Life Army.
4. The Founder has the absolute power to veto any enactments of the Senate.
5. The Founder is responsible for maintaining the offsite forums of the region and for enforcing their terms of use and service. To aid him in the performance of these duties, he may appoint and dismiss forum administrators and moderators as he deems fit.
Article 3: The President
1. The President is the head of government and the World Assembly Delegate of the region. As the World Assembly Delegate, he may act on World Assembly proposals however he chooses, provided he approves and votes for every General Assembly proposal that would advance the pro-life cause and does not approve and votes against every General Assembly proposal that would promote abortion.
2. The President has the power to appoint and dismiss ministers. He also has the power, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint other principal officers, created by statute, whose duties require their independence. The appointments of inferior officers may be statutorily granted to the President, the Founder, or any other official whom the Senate considers proper.
3. The President should advise the Founder on the exercise of his powers (especially the veto), but such advice shall never be considered binding on the Founder or judicially enforceable.
4. At the beginning of each new session of the Senate, which follows the senatorial election, the President shall deliver an address to the Senate on the state of the region. In this address, he should outline his accomplishments and goals, evaluate the performance of the officials whom he appoints, and recommend to the Senate such legislative measures as he deems appropriate.
5. The President may be removed from office by the Founder if he is inactive for five or more days.
6. Whenever the presidency is vacant, the Founder may appoint a citizen, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to fill that vacancy for the remainder of the term of office.
7. The person who is President, while serving in office, shall not transfer the delegacy, either permanently or temporarily, to any other person or nation without the approval of a majority of senators as well as the Founder.
8. If the Founder ever ceases to exist, the President shall ensure peace and order in the region and shall serve as the interim head of state, exercising the powers of the Founder, until the Founder returns or until a supermajority of the Senate enacts a new regional constitution.
Article 4: The Senate
1. The Senate is the regional legislature and the supreme court. There are three senators, and none of them shall be the Founder or the President. Nevertheless, the Founder and the President shall each have the freedom to propose legislation and open votes in the Senate chamber.
2. A majority vote consists of the approval of at least two senators, and a supermajority vote consists of the approval of all three senators.
3. By majority vote and with the approval of the Founder, the Senate may enact statutes for the governance of the region.
4. By majority vote and with the approval of the Founder, the Senate may expel one of its own members.
5. By majority vote, the Senate may impeach the President. Upon impeachment, the Founder shall be responsible for determining whether the President shall be removed from office or retain his office.
6. By supermajority vote and with the approval of the Founder, the Senate may amend this Constitution.
7. A senator may be removed from office by the President if he is inactive for five or more days.
8. Whenever a seat in the Senate is vacant, the President may appoint a citizen to fill that vacancy for the remainder of the term of office.
9. In accordance with regional law and principles of natural justice, the Senate may exercise its judicial power by majority vote. The Senate has the power to reverse bans and ejections from the region, and it can order that suppressions of posts on the regional message board be undone. Judicial acts of the Senate cannot be vetoed by the Founder, the President, or any other official.
10. The Senate is primarily responsible for interpreting regional law. The hierarchy of regional law is as follows: this Constitution, statutory law, decrees of the Founder, and precedents established by the Senate in previous judicial decisions.
11. If a senator recuses himself from a judicial proceeding, he may appoint, if he so chooses, another citizen to serve as a substitute judge, provided at least half of the other senators consent.
12. The Senate should conduct its proceedings in public view, exempting matters pertaining to regional security and foreign relations; appointments, dismissals, and supervision of regional officials; and judicial deliberations.
Article 5: Presidential Elections
1. Presidential elections shall begin on the first day of the months of March, June, September, and December. There shall be seven days of nominations followed by three days of voting.
2. To run in a presidential election, a person must be a citizen who holds World Assembly membership in the region. However, no person who has won two consecutive presidential elections shall run in a presidential election for a third consecutive term of office.
3. Presidential elections shall take place in public polls on the main page of the region. Subject to such reasonable restrictions that the statutory law may impose, anyone who holds World Assembly membership in the region at the beginning of the nominations period and maintains it through the whole election process may vote. Each eligible voter can vote for one candidate. The candidate who receives the most votes shall become the President.
4. The Senate, by majority vote, is responsible for breaking any ties that might occur in a presidential election.
5. The Founder may allow members of the Right to Life Army who are ineligible to vote in a presidential election to cast votes if those members are ineligible to vote only because of military service; that is, their World Assembly member nations are present in foreign regions because of military service.
Article 6: Senatorial Elections
1. Senatorial elections shall begin on the fifteenth day of the months of January, April, July, and October. There shall be seven days of nominations followed by three days of voting.
2. To run in a senatorial election, a person must be a citizen. However, no person who has won two consecutive senatorial elections shall run in a senatorial election for a third consecutive term of office.
3. Senatorial elections shall take place publicly on the regional forums. Subject to such reasonable restrictions that the statutory law may impose, anyone who holds citizenship in the region at the beginning of the nominations period and maintains it through the whole election process may vote.
4. In each senatorial election, cumulative voting shall be used. Every voter shall have three votes, which he may cast for a single candidate or for any combination of candidates. The three candidates who receive the most votes shall become senators.
5. The President is responsible for breaking any ties that might occur in a senatorial election.
Article 7: Direct Democracy
1. The citizenry shall have the freedom to petition for and initiate a public vote on the removal of a regional official, on the direct enactment of a statute, or on the direct passage of a constitutional amendment as provided in this article.
2. No petition for any of the reasons named in the first section of this article shall be valid, unless it is approved by the Founder and is signed by at least one-fifth of citizens within seven days of its introduction.
3. The Founder shall be responsible for responding to all valid petitions made by citizens; and, if he decides that it is appropriate, he may choose to open on the regional forums a public vote, which shall last not less than three days nor more than seven days. No such public vote shall be valid, unless a majority of the citizenry participates.
4. By a simple majority vote, the citizenry shall have the power to remove a regional official in accordance with the procedures outlined in this article.
5. By a simple majority vote, the citizenry shall have the power to enact, repeal, or amend a statute directly in accordance with the procedures outlined in this article.
6. By a simple three-fourths vote, the citizenry shall have the power to pass a constitutional amendment directly in accordance with the procedures outlined in this article.
Effective December 30, 2011
Amended May 27, 2012
Amended February 26, 2013
Amended July 13, 2013
Amended June 6, 2014
Amended January 18, 2015
Amended July 18, 2015
Amended August 7, 2015
Amended August 28, 2015
Amended May 1, 2016
Amended May 7, 2016
Amended June 11, 2016
Amended August 22, 2016
Amended July 8, 2017