Supreme Law of Goyanes

[Goyanes]

About time I finally posted it on here, so here's Goyanes' supreme law.

A brief history:

In January 1703, information to the general public had arisen of corruption within the House of Lords. The people began blocking the convoys of carriages that would ransport lords tot the chambers in Gojannesstad. By Summer, riots had begun to form, and a brutal winter the year before had made the public angrier than usual. Mobs assembled in Gojannesstad demanding that the people gain control of the government. When Grand Emperor Oslo III arrived for his sessions in Goyanes, he invited the mob leaders into Tageskiele and considered their demands. After several weeks of consideration, Oslo capitulated and signed the July 22nd Treaty, which established the Supreme Law as the consititution of the Goyanean realm, and established a new, bicameral legislature, which included the Stortinget and the Riksdag, which continue to this very day. Madam Amalie Kronnek, heiress to the vast landowning Kronnek family, was appointed as the first Prime Minister by decree of the Grand Emperor, and modern Goyanean politics was born.

Summary:

The Supreme Law, as is implied by the name, is the supreme law of the Imperial Goyanean Federation. The Supreme Law, signed in 1703, affirms governance based on parliamentary precedent and divides powers between the federal and kingdom governments. The Supreme Law also guarantees basic rights and freedoms that cannot be over-ridden by any government within the Goyanean realm.

Actual Text:

1. Preamble

1. In the name of the Most Holy Trinity, whom all men and nations answer to, and humbly remembering our devotions to Jesus and God, establish this Supreme Law to promote a unified and indivisible realm, the wellbeing of its subjects, the authority of the sovereign, and the rule of law.

2. The Grand Emperor

1. The Imperial Goyanean Federation shall be reigned over and governed by the Grand Emperor and his lineage, unbroken.
2. The Imperial throne shall be succeeded by the oldest legitimate child of the Grand Emperor, of the house of Kjellse and Tages.
   1. Legitimate children are born in lawful and sacred wedlock between the Grand Emperor and his spouse.
   2. All legitimate children are to be of the most noble Courantist Church of Goyanes to succeed the throne.
   3. Females are to be considered valid heirs of the Grand Emperor provided they meet all clauses laid herein.
   4. If a female ascends to the throne, she shall be known as Grand Empress and shall exercise the same rights afforded to the Grand Emperor in this Supreme Law.
   5. When a prince is born who is entitled to succeed to the Imperial Throne, his name is to be notified to the Stortinget and Riksdag for their log.
   6. If there is no legitimate prince to ascend to the throne, the Grand Emperor may choose a successor, pending approval by the Riksdag.
3. The Grand Emperor’s person is sacred and inviolable.
4. The Grand Emperor is the head of the Imperial Goyanean Federation. In himself lies the right of sovereignty, and he shall exercise them according to the provisions of this Supreme Law.
5. The Grand Emperor exercises his legislative right through the Riksdag and the Stortinget, which collectively shall be known as the Landesdag.
6. The Grand Emperor shall sanction laws, and shall order them to be promulgated and executed.
7. The Grand Emperor shall convoke, open, close, prorogue, and dissolve the Landesdag.
   1. The Grand Emperor shall convoke a new Landesdag every year.
   2. The Grand Emperor shall open the Landesdag in joint session on the first day after return from the winter rest period, and shall lay out his wishes for governance to all members in attendance.
   3. The Grand Emperor shall dissolve the Landesdag at a minimum of once every five years for the public and Kingdoms to determine new representatives.
8. The Grand Emperor, in consequence of an urgent necessity to maintain public safety, or to avert a public crisis, may issue, when the Landesdag is not sitting, Imperial Decrees in place of laws.
   1. All Imperial Decrees are subject to the blessing of the Privy Council.
   2. An Imperial Decree may be issued while the Landesdag is sitting, subject to approval of the Privy Council.
   3. May no father, nor son, nor brother of any other member sit in the Privy Council.
   4. No law passed shall be in violation of this Supreme Law.
9. The Grand Emperor shall have him assembled a Privy Council, whose membership shall consist of any lawful adult subject of the realm, in addition to the Prime Minister.
10. The Grand Emperor shall issue or cause to be issued ordinances necessary for the execution of laws, or for the maintenance of public peace and order, or for the welfare of the subjects of the realm.
    1. No ordinance issued shall be in violation of this Supreme Law.
11. The Grand Emperor shall determine the organization of the different branches of the administration, the salaries of all civil or military officers, and make all appointments and dismissals of the aforementioned.
    1. The Grand Emperor may delegate these authorities to the Stortinget for the purposes of expediency.
    2. All who are appointed must be subjects of the realm and shall swear allegiance to the Grand Emperor and to the Supreme Law.
12. The Grand Emperor has the supreme command over the military forces of the Empire.
    1. The Grand Emperor, in consultation with the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, shall determine the organization of his military forces.
13. The Grand Emperor shall make war and peace, and shall conclude all treaties presented before the realm.
    1. The Grand Emperor shall also have all diplomatic envoys presented to him for his blessing.
14. The Grand Emperor shall confer all titles of nobility, rank, order, or any other marks of honor, on whom he sees fit.
15. The Grand Emperor alone orders amnesty, pardon, and commutation of punishment or rehabilitation.
    1. The Prime Minister and Minister of Justice may make pleas to the Grand Emperor requesting the above gifts upon a subject of the realm.
16. If the Grand Emperor is below the age of majority, a regency may be established by the Stortinget and Riksdag.
    1. The Regent is afforded all the rights of the Grand Emperor laid herein.
    2. The Regent may not spend in office more than one day after the heir becomes of age, or else they shall be executed or punished under all force of the law.
17. The Grand Emperor shall provide for the collection of duties and taxes in his name, as determined by the Landesdag.
18. The Grand Emperor shall choose and dismiss, at his sole discretion the members of his Imperial House.

3. The Rights of the Subjects of the Realm

1. All those born to at least one parent who is a subject within the bounds of the Realm is a subject.
2. Those born in foreign lands to parents of whom both are subjects, may elect to become a subject of the realm if they please, and shall be entitled to exercise the rights of subjects.
3. Aliens who have resided in the realm for at least ten continuous years may appeal to the Grand Emperor’s government to be promoted to a Subject of the realms.
   1. Additional qualifications may be imposed by the Landesdag.
4. Subjects of the realm, according to the provisions laid herein and in any applicable laws, may be appointed to civil and military offices, and may equally fill any public office.
5. Subjects of the realm may be called to take up arms for the Empire.
   1. Those who object may be given military service in a non-combatant position.
   2. All male subjects between the ages of 18 and 26 shall be entered into a registry of men who, in times of war and or disaster, may be called up to serve the Empire.
   3. All subjects of the realm may willingly and at their discretion, take up arms for the Empire.
6. Subjects of the realm are amenable to paying all duties and taxes as imposed by the government, according to the provisions of the law.
7. Subjects of the realm shall have the liberty of abode and free movement within the Empire, according to the provisions of the law.
8. No Subject of the realm may be arrested, detained, or tried unless there is suspicion of violation of the law, and they shall be treated according to the law.
   1. Subjects of the realm may only be punished if found liable and according to the provisions of the court and of the law.
9. No man in the Empire, subject or not, may be deprived of his God-given right to trial by his peers, where he shall be innocent unless proven guilty, according to the provisions of the law.
   1. The Subjects of the realm may not be held to answer for any crime unless in the services of His Imperial Majesty’s military.
   2. Excessive bail or punishment shall never be inflicted on any Subject of the realm.
10. The house and or property of a Subject of the realm is sacred, and is not to be searched, seized, or entered without his consent.
    1. A warrant may be issued by the courts for such purposes, only with probable cause.
    2. A warrant must be specific in nature, with exactitude on what may be searched and seized.
11. The secrecy of the letters of every Subject of the realm is inviolable, except in cases prescribed by the law.
12. Subjects of the realm shall exercise the God-given rights of property and free enterprise. Measures necessary to be taken for the public benefit shall be provided by law, with just compensation.
13. Subjects of the realm shall enjoy, despite the establishment of the Courantist Church as the national religion, the free exercise of religion without prejudice.
14. Subjects of the realm shall enjoy the rights of free speech, writing, press, public meeting, and association.
15. Subjects of the realm shall enjoy the right to defense, including the right to take up arms for one’s self, family, business, or property.
16. Subjects of the realm shall have the right to respectfully petition the government of any grievances.
17. Each and every one of the provisions contained in the preceding articles of the present chapter, that are not in conflict with the laws or the rules and discipline of the army and navy, shall apply to the officers and men of the army and navy.

4. The Landesdag

1. The Landesdag shall consist of two houses, the Riksdag and the Stortinget.
2. The Riksdag shall be composed primarily of members appointed by the governments of the Kingdoms of the Empire, and with nobility as appointed by the Grand Emperor.
   1. All members must be Subjects or the realm and of the age of majority.
3. The Stortinget shall be the house of the people, and shall be composed of members elected in free elections using secret ballots.
   1. All elected to the Stortinget, and all who vote for it must be Subjects of the realm of the age of majority.
4. No one at the same time may be a member of both houses.
5. No one at the same time, unless a senior minister of either house, may sit on the Privy Council and in the Landesdag.
6. All laws shall require the consent of both houses of the Landesdag.
7. The Stortinget shall initiate all bills and projects of law, and shall be the first vetting of all projects of law created by the government.
   1. The responsibilities of the Stortinget are as follows;
      1. To enact and repeal laws; and to levy taxes and duties in the name of the Grand Emperor which shall not remain valid longer than the 31st of December, unless expressly renewed by the Stortinget;
      2. To take loans in the name of the realm or the Grand Emperor;
      3. To supervise the monetary affairs of the realm and to establish an Imperial Bank;
         1. The Imperial Bank of Goyanes shall be the central bank of the nation, and shall possess the sole authority to print notes and mint coins, in the name of the Grand Emperor.
            1. The Imperial Bank shall answer to the Ministry of Finance and to the Landesdag.
            2. The rules governing the Imperial Bank shall be prescribed by law.
      4. To appropriate the funds for government expenditure;
      5. To determine the annual salary of the Grand Emperor and any members of the house that he determines eligible, of which any compensation may not include real estate;
      6. To have submitted to it the logs of the government events;
      7. To have communicated with it the conventions and treaties which the Grand Emperor, in the name of the Empire, has concluded with foreign lands;
      8. To have the right to require anyone, the Grand Emperor and the Imperial Family excepted, to appear before it on matters of state; the exception does not, however, apply to the Princes if they hold any public office;
      9. To review the lists of pensions and salaries of the Landesdag;
         1. All final approval of salaries is to be done by the Grand Emperor.
      10. To appoint auditors who will annually examine the Imperial Accounts and State Accounts and publish the findings in print both to the public and to the Landesdag, and make recommendations for improvement and correction;
      11. To appoint a Scrutineer, who is not a member of the Stortinget, to ensure that no injustice is committed against the Subjects by the Landesdag and to supervise both houses of the Landesdag;
      12. To naturalize aliens as prescribed by law;
      13. Provide that authors and inventors may have for a limited time, exclusive right to their creations;
      14. To enumerate and enforce the laws of the high seas belonging to the Goyanean realm through inferior tribunals;
      15. To provide for the discipline of the military of the Empire through the Grand Emperor;
   2. Every bill or law shall start in the Stortinget, as proposed by the members or by the Government, and once passed, shall proceed to the Riksdag to be reviewed and edited.
   3. Should the Riksdag reject the bill or law, it shall be passed back to the Stortinget with suggestions. Once amended, it may proceed.
   4. A bill may proceed thrice through the Riksdag before they may motion to reject such legislation, at which point it must be tabled until the next session.
   5. If a bill or law has been tabled the Stortinget may appeal directly to the Grand Emperor and his Privy Council, who may pass the law as decree if they accept.
   6. Once a bill passes both houses, it is taken to the Grand Emperor who shall provide his assent by affixing his signature and seal to the bill or law. If the grand emperor denies, the bill or law may be entered by a four-fifths majority in both houses.
      1. If a bill is rejected by the Grand Emperor and is not passed with a four-fifths majority, the bill must be tabled until the next session.
8. There shall be a government composed of the senior ministers of the Stortinget and their party, in the name of the Grand Emperor.
   1. There shall be a Prime Minister, who shall be the executive of the Stortinget and will be the senior representative of the Government, and is entitled to represent and execute government business and laws in the name of the Grand Emperor.
      1. For any man to be Prime Minister he must be a natural-born Subject of the realm, who has lived within its bounds for no less than twenty continuous years.
   2. There must be several senior ministers, which comprise a Minister of Defense, a Minister of Finances, a Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a Minister of the Interior.
   3. The Prime Minister may, at his discretion, create new senior ministers and ministries, or consolidate senior ministers and ministries.
9. There shall be a Lawspeaker in both houses of the Landesdag whose authority is to mediate discussion, maintain order in the houses, and execute the internal affairs of the houses. In addition, he may appoint clerks to assist in the internal affairs of the houses.
10. The Landesdag must be convoked every year, and shall be divided into two sessions, one for the spring, and one for the fall.
    1. There shall be a period of rest in between sessions not lasting more than two months. The time of rest periods is to be determined by the Grand Emperor.
11. The Grand Emperor may postpone or truncate a rest period at his discretion for the public benefit.
12. The Grand Emperor may call extraordinary sessions during a rest period for the public benefit or due to war or calamity.
    1. The duration of such a session shall be decided by the Grand Emperor.
13. The opening, closing, prolongation, or proroguing of a session must apply to both houses simultaneously.
14. When the Grand Emperor dissolves the Landesdag, the election of new representatives must happen within one month of dissolution.
    1. The Grand Emperor shall open the Landesdag no more than three weeks after the conclusion of elections.
    2. The Grand Emperor’s privy council shall set up a department in conjunction with the Ministry of the Interior for the stable administration of all elections across the realm when both the Landesdag is convoked or dissolved.
15. No votes or deliberations may take place in either house unless at least one third of members are present. In addition the Lawspeaker and the appointed clerks of his choosing must be in attendance.
16. Votes shall be taken by the members of the houses to decide on issues. Simple majority is required. In case of a tie, the lawspeaker is to cast a deciding vote.
17. The deliberations of both houses must be held in public, and any Subject of the realm may be present to observe, provided they behave in good conduct in the presence of the Landesdag.
    1. The deliberations of the Landesdag may be conducted in secret upon the explicit authority of the Grand Emperor.
18. Both houses of the Landesdag may respectively present addresses to the Grand Emperor.
19. The Stortinget may receive petitions of grievances from Subjects of the realm.
20. The Riksdag may receive petitions of grievances from the Kingdoms of the Empire.
21. Both houses may enact, besides what is prescribed in this Supreme Law and any subsequent laws, rules for their internal affairs.
22. Members of the Riksdag are responsible to their Kingdoms, and Members of the Stortinget are responsible to their constituents.
23. Members of either house are to be free from arrest during the session, unless consented by the Lawspeaker or a general vote of their house.
    1. This does not apply to violations of the law relating to foreign interests or felonies, at which members may be freely arrested by the Rikspolizei.
24. The senior members of the Stortinget may address the Riksdag at any time.
25. Either house may obtain the opinion of the Grand Emperor’s Court on matters of law.
26. The Stortinget shall establish special committees, headed by the senior ministers, to handle ministries. Special committees may also be established by the Lawspeaker to provide public oversight on government functions, that does not supersede the role of the Scrutineer.
27. Members of the Stortinget and non-noble members of the Riksdag may serve a 5 year term, which may be completed no more than four times.
28. All events in both houses are to be notated in the log, and major events are to be communicated in a gazette to the general public.

5. The Judiciary

1. The judicial power is to be exercised by the court system in the name of the Grand Emperor.
   1. A jester may be provided to any court in the realm pursuant that there are no cases of importance to hear.
2. The Grand Emperor’s Court is to be established and is to be the court of final review for all cases in the realm, and may review any law that has been passed by the Landesdag or by decree of the Grand Emperor for compatibility with the Supreme Law.
   1. The Grand Emperor’s Court shall comprise no less than ten justices, of which one is chosen by the justices to be their head and represent them before the Grand Emperor.
   2. The justices of the Grand Emperor’s Court are to be appointed by the Grand Emperor in consultation with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice.
   3. The Grand Emperor’s Court may remove any government official from their position if they find them to be in violation of the laws governing them.
   4. Further procedures governing their affairs are to be prescribed by law.
3. Criminal cases are to be heard in the Magistrates and Assize Courts, and civil cases are to be heard in the Peasants’ and Chancery Courts.
   1. The procedures governing their appointments and affairs are to be prescribed by law.
4. The Councillors’ Court shall be established to provide appellate functions to all courts in the realm.
   1. There is to be a Councillors’ Court in the capital of every kingdom in the realm, as well as in the national capital.
   2. Their members shall be appointed by the Grand Emperor upon consultation with the Prime Minister and Minister of Justice.
   3. The procedures governing their affairs are to be prescribed by law.
5. Special Courts shall be established to cover extraordinary jurisdictions. All special courts answer to the Councillors’ Court, and may refer cases they feel are criminal and or devious in nature to the Assize Court.
   1. There shall be a Military Tribunal established for the handling of military policy affairs that answers to the Ministry of Defense.
   2. There shall be an Admiralty Court to handle all affairs regarding the laws of the ocean. It shall answer to the Ministry of the Interior.
   3. There shall be a Tax Court to handle all tax disputes that remain unpaid. Disputes of paid taxes must proceed to a civil court. It answers to the Ministry of Finance.
   4. A supervisory board of the Stortinget shall be created to oversee the just operation of the Special Courts.
6. All decisions by the Courts of the realm shall be communicated to the public.
7. There shall be a Rikspolizei, which shall provide for the general public security and serve all warrants and wishes of the Assize and Magistrate Courts.
   1. The members of the Rikspolizei may be any Subject of the realm fit for the role, as determined by law.
   2. The Rikspolizei shall answer to a joint commission of the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of the Interior.
   3. Should the joint commission see fit, there may be formed a National Police which shall provide for the general public security in the urban municipalities.
   4. The National Police shall consist of Subjects of the realm who are deemed fit according to law.
   5. The Rikspolizei and the National Polices shall execute the enforcement of laws in the jurisdiction of their patrol.
   6. The Rikspolizei and the National Polices serve the Grand Emperor and the Subjects of the realm, and no other man or prince.
   7. The directors of the Rikspolizei or National Polices may form a posse comitatus where able-bodied subjects may be conscripted to enforce public security in times of calamity or great need, or resistance of a fugitive.
8. The Landesdag retains the authority to establish inferior tribunals for purposes that must be made explicitly clear.

6. The Kingdoms of the Realm

1. The realm shall be divided into kingdoms according to the old ways.
2. The Grand Emperor is the sovereign king and ruler of all the kingdoms.
   1. The Grand Emperor may assent all laws passed by the Kingdoms.
   2. Any and all laws passed by the Imperial Government supersede and override any laws passed by the kingdom.
3. New kingdoms made of territorial acquisitions may be drawn up by the Landesdag on behalf of the Grand Emperor.
   1. The borders of the kingdoms may be amended as seen fit by the Kingdom and Local authorities with the consent of the Landesdag.
   2. A colony that seeks to become a Kingdom shall inform the Viceroy of such petition and shall invite all who would become subjects who are above the age of majority to participate in a referendum.
      1. A three-fifths majority is needed for such a petition to be considered by the Landesdag.
4. The Kingdoms shall have explicit authorities as prescribed by the Supreme Law and subsequent acts of law.
   1. The explicit authorities are as follows:
      1. The Kingdoms have exclusive right over their finances and over the organization of their municipalities and landkreises.
         1. The collection of certain duties is provided.
      2. The Kingdoms shall maintain a civil registry, which shall be compiled by the Imperial Government for a national census every 5 years.
      3. The Kingdoms shall provide for the social needs of their subjects.
      4. The Kingdoms shall exclusively manage the natural resources God has given them, including the water.
      5. The Kingdoms shall exclusively manage the education of their subjects.
   2. The Landesdag may prescribe and dismiss authorities to the Kingdom to make expedient the administration of government as it sees fit.
5. Each Kingdom is to have a unicameral parliament in the name of the Grand Emperor.
   1. Each parliament is to be headed by a government in a similar fashion to the nation, however the leader is to be made Chancellor, and he is to be answerable to his subjects.
   2. Each parliament must conduct itself in a democratic manner, answering to the people through elections.
6. Each Kingdom is to appoint members to the Riksdag, who are to serve no more than four five-year terms.
   1. The breakup of members by faction must match the breakup by faction of their own parliament.
7. The Kingdoms are to cooperate as children of the Empire, and are to engage perpetually in friendly ambition with each other.
   1. No Kingdom may levy taxes on traffic to or from another Kingdom.
   2. No Kingdom may produce a law in violation of the Imperial Laws or the Supreme Law.
   3. No Kingdom may represent itself as a sovereign entity to foreign entities.
   4. No Kingdom may print its own notes or mint its own coins.
   5. No Kingdom may leave the Empire unless its subjects and the Stortinget have come to agreeable terms, which must then be approved by the Grand Emperor.
8. The Landesdag may enact additional provisions relating to the Kingdoms as they see fit.

7. General Provisions

1. There is to be a Chief of Heraldry who, on behalf of the Grand Emperor, shall maintain all heraldic elements belonging to the Grand Emperor, his government, his nobility, and any subjects who have been granted heraldic elements.
   1. The Chief of Heraldry shall maintain and prescribe the details of the Imperial Coat of Arms and all devolutions thereof.
   2. The Chief of Heraldry shall keep all flags issued and sanctioned for the Imperial Federation of Goyanes in his record and possession, and shall be the registered keeper of marks of the state.
2. The flag of the empire, just as the old way, shall be a blue cross, outlined with a thin blue cross, upon a white sheet. The tee of the cross shall be oriented horizontally with towards the hoist.
   1. An ensign formed of a swallow-tail cutting of the Imperial flag shall be made acceptable for usage by ships of the Imperial Navy.
   2. A jack formed by the heraldic banner of the Empire shall be used as a jack by ships of the Imperial Navy
   3. The personal flag of the Grand Emperor is prescribed as the Union Flag with the Escutcheon and Crown of Goyanes in the center.
3. No decree of the Grand Emperor may supersede any law laid herein.
4. An amendment to this supreme law requires at least two-thirds approval in the Stortinget and Riksdag, with at least four-fifths of all members present for any deliberation and voting.
   1. No amendments may be proposed during a time of regency or rest period of the Landesdag.
5. A national hymn may be proposed and enshrined by law.
6. The Courantist Church, as affirmed in 3.13, is the official church of the Empire and the Government is responsible for its promotion and maintenance.
   1. The Courantist Church is the only religious body not subject to taxation.

8. Signatories

1. This Supreme Law has been decreed into law by His Imperial Majesty, Oslo of Kjellse and Tages, Grand Emperor of Goyanes and Grand King of Andrenne, Emperor of Emperors, King of Kings, Prince of Princes, on the twenty second day of the seventh month of the year of our Lord Jesus Christ, one thousand seven hundred and three, in the presence of God in Gojannesstad, Nyhett, and is effective for all eternity unless supplanted henceforth.
2. This Supreme Law has been consented to by the first session of the Stortinget, under the presiding of Prime Minister, Baroness, Amalie Kronnek on the same date as His Imperial Majesty, in the presence of God.
3. This Supreme Law has been consented to by the first session of the Riksdag, under the presiding of Lawspeaker, Lord, Johan Edelstein-Tages-Van Der Jung XVI on the same date as His Imperial Majesty, in the presence of God.