Grosseschnauzer
TNPer
This thread will remain open until 7 November. On 8 November this will move into formal discussion, with voting beginning on 15 November for one week. Please use this thread to discuss or propose changes to the Haor Chall proposal:
The Haor Chall proposal:Constitution of The North Pacific
Preamble
We, the people of The North Pacific united in our belief in democracy and freedom, and the right to justice and security, look to this Constitution to guide our region into long-lasting peace and prosperity. It is our hope that this Constitution will make The North Pacific a more vibrant and fun region and create a better game play environment for all.
Table of Contents
Article I: The Legislature
Article II: The Executive
Article III: Other Government Bodies
Article IV: Amendments
Article I: The Legislature
Section 1: Registration and Membership
The following requirements must be met before a nation may be allowed to vote:
1.Residency in The North Pacific
2. They must also publicly take the following oath:
"I, (Forum Name), as the leader of the (Official Full National Name), pledge to obey the Constitution and Laws of The North Pacific Region, and to act as a responsible member of its society. I understand that if my Nation leaves The North Pacific region for unapproved reasons, I may be stripped of my right to vote and be required to reapply. I pledge to only register one Nation to vote in The North Pacific. I understand that my registration of, or attempt to register, multiple Nations to vote in The North Pacific shall warrant the summary withdrawal of my right to vote from all my Nations, past, present, and future, as well as possible expulsion from the Region. I understand that if any nation under my control directly wages war against The North Pacific, or allies themselves with a region waging war, declared or not, against the North Pacific, this shall warrant the summary withdrawal of my right to vote from all my Nations, past, present, and future, as well as possible expulsion from the Region. In this manner, I petition the Regional Government of The North Pacific region for membership in the Assembly."
3. Nations must give immediate notice to the proper officials if the nation resident in TNP changes.
4. Membership in the Regional Assembly will be confirmed by the Minister of Internal Affairs.
Section 2: Speaker of the Assembly
1. The Assembly is led by the Speaker, whose task it is to lay out a uniform set of guidelines by which proposed legislation may be considered and voted upon.
2. The Speaker decides the order in which bills will be voted upon. The Speaker also opens and closes each vote.
3. If the Speaker realizes that he/she will be absent when a vote is scheduled to open or close, he/she may authorize a "Speaker Pro Tempore" to open and/or close voting on the legislation.
4. The Speaker is elected via the election protocol laid out in Section 4 of this Article.
Section 3: Legislative Action
1. The Regional Assembly shall have the power to make and pass laws on any matter and make and pass amendments to the Constitution and Judicial Code.
2. The Regional Assembly shall elect the Head of State, Head of Government and other elected officials.
3. Only current Assembly-members are allowed to propose, discuss and vote on legislation.
4. A bill has reached quorum if at least 50% of current Assembly-members has participated in the bill's vote.
5. Assembly-members are not required to vote.
6. The voting period for legislation is a full seven days, unless specified otherwise within this Constitution.
7. A bill is automatically passed into law if it garners 50%+1 approval, with a quorum participating.
8. The Assembly is the jury for all impeachment cases. An official may be impeached by a 75% vote, with a quorum participating.
9. The Assembly may subpoena any member of the Government to give sworn testimony before the Assembly with at least a 50% + 1 approval and a quorum participating.
Section 4: Electoral Processes
1. Only current Assembly-members are allowed to run or nominate other Assembly-members for elected office in the Government. If an Assembly-member declares his/her own candidacy, they are automatically entered into the race. If an Assembly-member is nominated by another Assembly-member, he/she must accept the nomination before he/she is entered into the race.
2. Any Assembly-member may run for any elected office, so long as he/she fills the requirements for that office.
3. Each Assembly-member may only run for one office per election cycle.
4. Only current Assembly-members are allowed to vote in any and all elections.
5. Each Assembly-member may only vote for one Nation per position.
6. A term of office lasts for four months, beginning each year on the first Monday of February, June, and October. Elections will be held for one week, beginning on the Monday two weeks before a new term begins.
7. The Nation that receives the most legitimate votes for a position wins the contest for that position and takes office at the next term.
a. In the event of a tie, a run-off between the tied candidates lasting five full days shall be held immediately.
b. If, after two run-offs, the tie is unable to be broken, the incoming Delegate shall choose the one of the tied candidates to fill the position. If the twice-unbroken tie occurs in the election for the Delegacy, the incoming Speaker shall choose the candidate.
8. These processes are to be enforced in all elections for elected office, except as otherwise indicated within this Constitution.
Article II: The Executive
Section 1: The Delegate
1. The Delegate is the elected Head of State and shall be empowered to hold the Delegacy in The North Pacific for the duration of their term.
2. The Delegate shall be responsible for upholding this Constitution as the legal and legitimate government document of The North Pacific until the Regional Assembly decides otherwise.
3. The Delegate shall head the Directorate.
4. The Delegate shall provide leadership and direction to the policy of the Directorate.
5. The Delegate shall be responsible for ensuring that The North Pacific remains a fun and welcoming place.
Section 2: The Head of Government
1. The Head of Government is the leader of the Executive.
2. The Head of Government may take a title of their choosing (e.g. Prime Minister) for the duration of their term.
3. The Head of Government is responsible for;
i. Giving leadership and direction to the policy of the Government of The North Pacific.
ii. Leading foreign policy in cooperation with the Cabinet.
iii. Appointing the members of the Cabinet.
iv. Commanding the armed forces of The North Pacific.
3. Immediately upon taking office, the Head of Government is to recommend to the Assembly a candidate for all the Ministerial cabinet offices.
a. Each Minister-candidate must have served in their respective Ministry in the preceding term.
b. After the Head of Government submits the list of nominees, the Assembly must vote on the approval or rejection of each candidate. If a candidate garners 50% + 1 support with a quorum present, the candidate is recognized as a Cabinet Minister.
c. If the candidate fails to garner the above support, the Head of Government must present a new candidate to the Assembly for review and approval.
4. The Head of Government may at any time nominate a Minister for replacement. They must present the Assembly with reasons for replacing a current Minister and offer a candidate to replace the aforementioned Minister. If the proposal garners at least 50%+1 support in the Assembly with a quorum present, the outgoing Minister is removed from office and the replacement sworn in.
5. The Head of Government, and all elected or appointed government offices, must take an Oath of Office before taking up his position.
6. The Head of Government shall be jointly responsible with the Delegate for ensuring that The North Pacific remains a fun and welcoming place.
Section 3: Cabinet
1. Each Player and Nation may only hold one position in the Cabinet per term.
2. Each Minister only has as much executive authority as the Head of Government apportions to them.
3. Each Minister is responsible for the smooth functioning of their Ministry and answers directly to the Head of Government
i. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is responsible for domestic intelligence and counter-intelligence activities conducted by the Government for the purpose of maintaining and expanding regional security. It is also responsible for checking the qualifications of Assembly-members and applicants and maintaining an up-to-date roll of Assembly-members. It is authorized to undertake any intelligence activities pursuant to background checking and security clearance.
ii. The Ministry of Defence is responsible for the recruitment, maintenance, and actions of any and all military forces acting under the jurisdiction of the Government for the purpose of maintaining and expanding regional security and power.
iii. The Ministry of External Affairs is responsible for the recruitment, maintenance, and actions of diplomats acting under the jurisdiction of the Government for the purpose of maintaining and expanding regional security and power.
5. Ministers may appoint Deputies.
6. Deputies may have powers delegated to them by discretion of the Minister.
7. The Cabinet shall have a private discussion area open to them; they will also have access and speaking privileges within the private Directorate discussion area. All conversation in this area is to be considered privileged and are not to be distributed, except with prior approval of the Head of Government or required to by Assembly or judicial subpoena.
Article III: Other Government Bodies
Section 1: The Directorate
1. The Directorate is to be comprised of the Speaker of the Assembly, the Director of Communications, the Director of Regional Life, and the Director of Culture and Education.
2. The primary responsibility of the Directorate is to ensure that The North Pacific remains a fun and vibrant region, welcoming to new nations and true to the ideals and beliefs held by the region.
3. Each Director shall be responsible for the smooth running of their Directorate and answers directly to the Delegate.
i. The Director of Communications is responsible for publicising the actions of the North Pacific Government, the Regional Assembly and other regional bodies both domestically and internationally.
ii. The Director of Regional Life is responsible for maintaining the Out of Character forums, for welcoming new nations to The North Pacific.
iii. The Director of Culture and Education is responsible for the University and for promoting and encouraging activities, primarily related to the culture and heritage of The North Pacific, that are engaging and useful, for new nations in particular.
4. The Directorate is to be given a private discussion area; it will also have access and speaking privileges within the private Cabinet areas but are not allowed to take part in votes of the Cabinet.
Section 2: The Judiciary
1. The Judicial Code and the Decleration of Rights hold Constitutional authority.
2. The Judiciary, its procedures and organisation and the details of criminal and other proceedings are to be laid down in the Judicial Code.
Article VII: Amendments
Section 1: Amendment Procedure
1. The Constitution may only be changed via constitutional amendment.
2. The procedure for passing a constitutional amendment follows the structure laid out in Art. I, Sect.3.
3. An amendment to this Constitution requires 75% of the vote, with a quorum participating.
4. Amendments to the Judicial Code requires 75% of the vote, with a quorum participating.
5. Amendments may not be made to the Declaration of Rights.