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DispatchFactbookLegislation

by Borduriaa. . 21 reads.

Constitution of the CoC

AUTHORED BY:
The unified hawaiian islands & & SPONSORED by Belhorizon

PREAMBLE
We, the members of the Commonwealth of Crowns, having formed an alliance based on a common desire to preserve our belief in a system of monarchial governance, dedicated to supporting one another, and, committed to encouraging the free exchange of our nations and peoples, with firm faith in Liberty, Justice and Equality for all, do hereby ordain and establish this Constitution for our union of free and sovereign nations.

We earnestly hope and strive for the continued growth, development, peace and cooperation of all nations joyfully associated with the Commonwealth of Crowns.

ARTICLE I

THE COMMONWEALTH

§01. THE UNION: The union of nations hereby instituted shall be called the Commonwealth of Crowns (henceforth the “COC”). The name of this union shall never be amended by any power or entity whatever. By this name, the region shall have perpetual succession.

§02. POWERS OF THE UNION: The COC and its governing body shall be charged with the responsibility of ensuring the international welfare of the COC and its members; to ensure the perpetuity of mutual peace and cooperation between its members; to regulate the induction of new members; to enforce the rules, policies and procedures of the COC; to punish members for violation of the Constitution or acts of the House of Nobles; and, to conduct foreign affairs with non-member nations and regions.

§03. LIMITATION OF POWERS: The COC is an inter-nation alliance and its governing body shall have no authority to interfere in the national sovereignty of its members. The COC shall never be responsible for policing individual nations; and, shall ensure that each member has the freedom to decide the direction of their nation.

ARTICLE II

COMMONWEALTH MEMBERSHIP

§01. QUALIFICATIONS: Membership in the COC is reserved to nations operating under a monarchial system, whether constitutional or absolute. This means that the applicant nation must have a sitting Monarch. At any time should the monarchy be abolished, the membership of that nation shall be void within thirty days unless the monarchy shall be restored in that nation during that period time.

§02. PUPPETRY: To counter illegal puppetry, all applicant nations are required to provide a link to a valid WA nation belonging to them, and provide sufficient proof that the nation effectively belongs to them by means of a telegram (henceforth a “TG”) to the Minister of the Interior.

§03. NONDISCRIMINATION: All nations found in compliance with Section 1 of Article II, are welcome to join the COC. No nation shall be denied based on the ethnicity, nationality, sex, religion or orientation of their Monarch; nor shall they be denied based on the laws and policies adopted by their nation, provided they remain in support of monarchy. However, the application for membership may be denied or membership nullified if the applicant/member nation is or has connections with an enemy of the COC, or is a suspected felon as ruled by the Court.

§04. REGIONAL FORUMS: Upon becoming a member of the COC, nations shall be required to register on the forum of the COC within fifteen days. If a member nation fails to register on the forums, he/she will not be granted admission into the House of Nobles. Moreover, admission into the House of Nobles is closed during general elections.

§05. VOLUNTARY TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP: Members shall have the right to resign their membership in the COC at any time without cause, provided that they shall give notice of their action to resign to the Secretary General. The ceasing of a nation to exist shall be deemed as a voluntary termination of resignation.

§06. INVOLUNTARY TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP: Any nation found in direct violation of the Constitution, or the laws adopted by the COC, may be expelled by act of the Court provided that they are given sufficient time to resolve the matter by restoring its adherence to the Constitution and such laws. In such cases where a member may be a serious threat to the COC, the Executive Council shall have the authority to expel such member provided that within thirty days their action to expel is confirmed by majority vote of the Court. If such decision is not confirmed, membership of such member shall be restored immediately.

ARTICLE III

COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT

§01. GOVERNMENT: The Government of the Commonwealth of Crowns (henceforth the “Government”) shall be vested in the three entities, 1) the Executive Council (henceforth the “Council”), responsible for the overall administration of the COC and conducting foreign affairs; the House of Nobles (henceforth the “House”), responsible for the enactment of legislation for the benefit of the COC and its members; and, the High Court (henceforth the “Court”), responsible for deciding cases brought before it by member nations.

§02. SEPARATION OF POWERS: No one entity of the Government may exercise the powers of another entity at any time. However, it is established that members of the Council and Justices of the Court shall be elected and confirmed by the House from within the membership of the House and shall be allowed to maintain all the rights and responsibilities of a member of the House. It is provided, however, that members of the Council (henceforth “Councilors”) cannot jointly serve as a Justice of the Court or vice versa.

§03. FOUNDER: The nation of Osberg-Thitania is the Founder of the Commonwealth of Crowns and shall therefore serve as the symbol of the region and the unity of its inhabitants. The Founder may advise the Council, of which the Founder is an ex-officio member, on any pending matters of the region, but shall have no vote on any executive decisions nor shall the Founder exercise any powers except those expressly enumerated in this Constitution. The Founder is a member of the House and therefore shares the same rights as members of the House. The House shall enact legislation to establish necessary procedures in the event that the Founder should cease to exist.

§04. REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES: Each member nation shall appoint a single person to be its COC regional representative. It is established that nations are often referred to in the exchange of business in the COC, but, it should be noted that such reference is to the regional representative, who exercises the rights of their respective nation on its behalf.

ARTICLE IV

THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

§01. EXECUTIVE COUNCIL: The Executive Council is charged with the administration and overall management of the internal and foreign affairs of the COC. The Council shall consist of the following officers called “Councilors”, namely 1) the Secretary General, 2) the Chancellor, 3) the Speaker of the House of Nobles, and, 4) the Prosecutor General. The Founder and the High Commander shall be non-voting, ex-officio members of the Council. The High Commander is appointed by a minimum 3 three-fourths majority of the voting members of the Council. In the event of a tie vote, the House of Nobles shall break the tie.

§02. QUALIFICATIONS: All elected Councilors shall be members of the House of Nobles in good standing, free of any restrictions imposed by the House of Nobles; and, no candidate may be under trial or penalty by the Court. All candidates for a position on the Council shall have been a member of the COC for a minimum of 60 days.

§03. ELECTIONS: General elections shall be held every 60 days. Eight days prior to the date of the election, the Founder, or the Minister of the Interior shall the Founder be unavailable, shall, by proclamation, call for an election and dissolve the current session of the House, effectively suspending all legislative activity. Immediately, candidates shall have two days to declare their intention to run. Following this two-day period, a list of candidates shall be published by the Minister of the Interior and candidates will have three days to campaign. When this three-day period has ended, voting shall commence for a period of three days. When the voting period has ended, the Minister of the Interior shall review the results and, upon approval of an elections report by the Secretary General, declare the winners. A candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast during that period to be declared victorious.

Winning Threshold – A winning majority of the vote herein defined by the real-number formula: (Number of Votes Cast/Number of Candidates) +2, or an absolute majority. Fulfilling either of these two conditions shall constitute a winning threshold.

Election Protocol

§1. All party nominees and independent candidates shall be subject to the laws of the Commonwealth of Crowns which govern all political candidates and election protocols.
§2.1. Partisan nominees and independent candidates shall be entitled to the same rights and privileges, and shall be held to the same standards in their conduct and responsibilities.
§2.2. And no party nominee nor independent candidate shall enjoy election-related privileges or suffer election-related penalties on account of their official political affiliation or lack thereof.
§3. The authorities of the Commonwealth of Crowns shall provide the official list of candidates to the voting public, including the method of selection and Terms of Nomination in the case of partisan nominees.
§4. In accordance with election protocol in the Commonwealth of Crowns, the authorities thereof shall be empowered to declare the winner of an election to be the candidate who receives a winning threshold.
§5. In the event that no candidate receives a winning threshold a new round of elections will be called that includes only those candidates who mustered at least an average polling in the previous election round. [Amendment: Party Administration Act]

If a candidate campaigns in a period not dedicated to campaigning, he is immediately barred from running for elections. This includes TG campaigning. Said candidate is also liable to further prosecution by the Court. Furthermore, during the entire election period, admission into the House of Nobles is suspended.

§04. OATH OF OFFICE: Before assuming office, each Councilor-elect and their Deputy-designate must take the following oath: “I, [name of elected member] of [name of member nation], do solemnly swear (or affirm), that I will bear true allegiance to the Commonwealth of Crowns, faithfully exercising the duties of the office of [state the office]; and, will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and laws of the COC.”

§05. SECRETARY GENERAL: The Secretary General shall have primary charge over the internal affairs of the COC and shall chair the Executive Council. The Secretary General will have primary responsibility over internal security, immigration and financial management of the COC. The departments of the Interior, Finance and Recruitment and Finance [Removal of the Ministry of Recruitment] shall be subject to the Office of the Secretary General; and, their respective ministers shall be answerable to the Secretary General.

§06. CHANCELLOR: The Chancellor shall have primary charge over the external affairs of the COC. The Chancellor shall be responsible for regional defense by assuming responsibility as the Delegate and Chief Representative to the World Assembly. The Chancellor will be empowered to enter into foreign treaties, form inter-regional alliances, and enter parleys with other regions considering mergers and the reestablishment of old regions. The departments of Foreign Affairs and Culture shall be subject to the Office of the Chancellor; and, their respective ministers shall be answerable to the Chancellor. The House shall enact legislation concerning the regulation of World Assembly endorsements of the Chancellor.

§07. SPEAKER: The Speaker of the House of Nobles shall be the Presiding Officer of the House of Nobles and the Chief Moderator of all legislative activities. The Speaker shall ensure that all legislative procedures are followed. The Speaker is authorized to submit proposals for debate and will decide upon “emergency” legislation proposed by members.

§08. PROSECUTOR GENERAL: The Prosecutor General shall be Chief Legal Counsel and head of the Department of Justice. The Prosecutor General shall have primary charge over general discipline, the conduct of nations, and representing the Council in cases brought against it in the Court. The Prosecutor General shall also be responsible for prosecuting nations in cases it may refer to the Court. The Prosecutor General shall act as the liaison between the Council and the Court.

§09. HIGH COMMANDER: The High Commander shall be in charge of the Armed and Uniformed Services (henceforth the “Military”) of the COC; and, the High Commander will lead the Military in any and all foreign missions approved by the Council and be in full charge of mission timetables, deciding on the duration of the stay for the Military, provided that the House shall have the power to recall the Military to the homeland and effectively end any foreign mission. The High Commander shall also be empowered to lead the Military into member nations to assist such nation during times of extreme disorder and distress; but, only upon the request of such nation and not during conflicts between members. The High Commander shall have no vote on executive decisions, except in the event of a tie-vote in which shall the High Commander shall cast a vote to break the tie.

§10. OFFICIAL STYLE: Councilors shall have the title of Lord, regardless of the sex of the incumbent. Councilors shall be styled as “His or Her Excellency”.

§11. TERM OF OFFICE: The term of a Councilor shall be 60 days. A member nation shall serve no more than two consecutive terms of 60 days in a specific office, provided that following a 60-day wait period, such nation may become eligible to seek additional terms in that office. This should not be so construed as to limit a member nation from seeking other offices on the Council.

§12. REMOVAL: All Councilors shall be subject to removal by a majority vote on a motion of no-confidence in the House. If a Councilor has committed an intentional or reckless violation of the Constitution or the laws of the COC, the House may, upon the approval of a vote of no-confidence, refer such matter to the Court for prosecution.

§13. VACANCY: In the event of the resignation, removal or demise of a Councilor, a special election shall be called to elect a successor to fill the remainder of the term.

§14. TRANSPARENCY: On demand of at least 5 members of the House of Nobles, the Council shall present a report detailing all actions undertaken by the Council, as well as all future actions it plans to undertake. Failure to present a report, or concealing information in such report, may lead to prosecution. However, the Council is entitled to conceal information that can expose the region militarily, but must declassify the information as soon as it is deemed safe. At the end of each term, the Council must give all classified information to the Founder, who will decide upon the appropriate timetable for declassification. Furthermore, the Council must post a full term summary of all its actions at the end of its term.

ARTICLE V

THE EXECUTIVE CABINET

§01. THE CABINET: The Cabinet shall be charged with assisting the Council in the exercise of their duties by heading sub-departments and agencies; and, by carrying out the directives of the elected Council. The Cabinet shall consist of 1) the Minister of the Interior, 2) the Minister of Finance, 3) the Minister of Recruitment, [Removal of the Ministry of Recruitment] 3) the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and 4) the Minister of Culture. The House may establish by Act additional departments and ministries as needed and such Ministers will be members of the Cabinet; provided that departments and ministers shall number less than 10.

§02. QUALIFICATIONS: All Cabinet Ministers shall be members of the House of Nobles in good standing, free of any restrictions imposed by the House of Nobles. All candidates for a position on the Cabinet shall have been a member of the COC for a minimum of 15 days.

§03. APPOINTMENT: All Ministers must be appointed by the Councilor responsible for the specific office under which the Cabinet department falls. However, the Founder and/or Councilor responsible for a Cabinet department may dismiss the appointed minister at any time, provided there is just cause and such is reported to the House. An appeal may be voiced to the Court at any time.

§04. OATH OF OFFICE: Upon appointment, the ministers-designate shall swear or affirm the following oath: “I, [name of member] of [name of member nation], do solemnly swear (or affirm), that I will bear true allegiance to the Commonwealth of Crowns, faithfully exercising the duties of a Minister, and, will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and laws of the COC.”

§05. OFFICIAL STYLE: Ministers of the Cabinet shall receive no title, but shall be styled as “The Right Honorable”.

§12. TERM OF OFFICE: The term of a Minister shall be 60 days. Ministers may serve an unlimited number of terms, provided that following two consecutive terms of 60 days a Minister in a specific ministry must wait 60 days before becoming eligible for another term in the same ministry. This should not be so construed as to limit a Minister of one department from being appointed as Minister to another department. However, upon serving three terms in the Cabinet, an incumbent Minister shall wait 60 days before becoming eligible for reappointment to any department of the Cabinet.

§13. REMOVAL: All Ministers shall be subject to removal by a majority vote on a motion of no-confidence in the House. If a Minister has committed an intentional or reckless violation of the Constitution or the laws of the COC, the House may, upon the approval of a vote of no-confidence, refer such matter to the Court for prosecution.All Ministers shall be subject to removal by the member of the Executive Council to which they are responsible, or upon a majority vote on a motion of no-confidence in the House of Nobles. A Minister may also resign their office without cause. If a Minister has committed an intentional or reckless violation of the Constitution of the laws of the COC, the House may, upon the approval of a vote of no-confidence, refer such matter to the Court for prosecution. [Amendment # 2: Minister Removal Act]

§14. VACANCY: In the event of the resignation, removal or demise of a Minister, a successor shall be formally appointed to fill the remainder of the term.

ARTICLE VI

HOUSE OF NOBLES

§01. MEMBERSHIP: All members of the COC, who have been duly registered on the forums of the region, and who shall not have been barred from the House by the Court, shall be a voting member of the House of Nobles. Each member shall have the right to cast one vote. Moreover, admission into the House of Nobles is closed during the election period.

§02. LEGISLATIVE SESSION: The House shall convene daily during each legislative session at the Imperial Complex in the capital city. Each session of the House shall begin upon the inauguration of the Council and be dissolved by the Founder eight days prior to the general election effectively suspending all legislative activity. Each session shall last a total of 52 days. However, the House shall be convened under an emergency session shall need arise. An emergency session is defined as a session that is held to respond to a region-threatening event when regular session has been dissolved or suspended.

§03. RULES OF THE HOUSE: House members shall, by an Act of the House, establish the rules of decorum and parliamentary procedure under which it will operate.

§04. DUTIES OF THE HOUSE: The House shall have the power to draft, propose, debate and vote on legislation and repeal or amend previously passed legislation. The House may impose feeds and tariffs upon its members and establish rules and regulations concerning the Military. The House shall act as a counterbalance to the Council and the Court. The House shall have all other powers named in this Constitution and all other powers not expressly enumerated in this Constitution. The House may also exercise powers granted by Act, provided that such Act does not conflict with the Constitution.

§05. SUSPENSION OF THE HOUSE: In the event of an emergency or during any form of extreme regional disorder, the Founder shall, upon the request of the Speaker or upon a majority vote of the House, be authorized to suspend all legislative activity until such time as the emergency or disturbance has been resolved and order has been restored to the region.

ARTICLE VII

LEGISLATION

§01. CLASSIFICATION OF LEGISLATION: House members shall introduce legislation to the House. Legislation, called Acts, shall be classified either as 1) Amendments, or acts that aim to amend the Constitution, 2) General Provisions, or acts that create new provisions of law or that amend/repeal existing provisions of law, or 3) Non-binding Resolutions, or acts that state the position of the House on a specific matter but which do not have the effect of a law. Acts are not the same as motions, which may be made orally by a member of the House at any time. Motions shall be deemed as requests for the House to render a decision or action. For example, motions of no-confidence, if approved by the House, may effectively remove members from office. Other motions of procedure shall be regulated by the rules established by the House.

§02. BILL FORM: All Acts shall be introduced in the form of a bill. Each bill shall be drafted in a form to be adopted by the House as part of its rules. The Speaker should ensure that the form of each bill is acceptable, including ensuring spelling and grammar correctness.

§03. CONSTITUTIONALITY: All forms of Acts, excluding Amendments, shall, after being reviewed by the Speaker, be submitted to the Secretary General for inspection to ensure that such legislation is in compliance with the Constitution and the laws of the COC. If the bill is found in compliance, it may then be introduced for debate by the Speaker. If the legislation is in violation of the Constitution or the laws of the COC, the author of the bill have 10 days to bring their bill into conformity. Concerning amendments, the Secretary General shall ensure that amendments, if passed, will not conflict with any other section of the Constitution.

§04. VOTING AND QUORUM: All Acts, excluding Amendments, shall have a two-day voting period. An Act to Amend shall have a five-day voting period. A bill requires only a majority vote to pass. A minimum of 15% of the total House membership must cast a vote in that time in order for the Act to pass. If that is not accomplished, the bill shall be deemed to have received insufficient support during that time and be dismissed, unless, upon the request of 5 members, the Speaker may extend the voting period for an additional 24 hours. All Acts, excluding Amendments, shall have a two-day voting period. A bill requires only a majority vote to pass. A quorum shall be determined by calculating twenty-five percent of the number of House members who voted in the previous regular election of officers to the Executive Council. The resulting number shall be the quorum. If that is not accomplished, the bill shall be deemed to have received insufficient support during that time and be dismissed, unless, upon the request of five members, the Speaker may extend the voting period for an additional twenty-four hours. [Amendment I]

§05. CODE: All Acts passed by the House and signed by the Council shall be entered into an archive established by the Council, with each passed Act being entered into a specific section designated for its classification. The Council may also provide a section for Acts which shall not have passed.

ARTICLE VIII

THE HIGH COURT

§01. THE HIGH COURT: The judicial powers of the COC shall be vested in the High Court which shall hear and decide all cases that are referred to it by the Prosecutor General or the House, including such cases in which a member nation is charged with intentional or reckless violation of the Constitution or laws of the COC.

§02. JUSTICES: The High Court shall consist of a judicial panel of three Justices, one being the Chief Justice of the High Court.

§03. APPOINTMENT AND TERM: Justices are appointed by a three-fourths vote of the Council to serve terms of sixty days. On the sixtieth and final day of the term of an incumbent Council, such Council shall select the Chief Justice. The new Council shall appoint one associate justice on the twentieth day of their term, and, a second associate justice on the fortieth day of their term. The incumbent Council shall then begin the process again by appointing a new Chief Justice on the sixtieth day of their term. Terms are staggered so that a new Justice is appointed every twenty days. No Justice may serve more than two consecutive terms in office. After two terms, a Justice must wait 60 days before becoming eligible for reappointment.
§03. APPOINTMENT AND TERM: Justices are appointed by a three-fourths vote of the Council to serve terms of sixty days. On the sixtieth and final day of the term of an incumbent
Council, such Council shall appoint three members of the House of Nobles to the High Court; one being the Chief Justice and two being Associate Justices. No Justice may serve more than two consecutive terms in office. After two terms, a Justice must wait 60 days before becoming eligible for reappointment. [Court Appointment Adjustment Act: Amendment]

§04. CHIEF JUSTICE: The Chief Justice accepts and denies cases to the court and presides over the court session. Finally, the Speaker of the House must voice a mandatory call in the House asking if there is any opposition to the list of nominees. If opposition is voiced, a vote is launched. A simple majority vote is needed to refuse a nomination.

§05. QUALIFICATIONS: All Justices shall be members of the House of Nobles in good standing, free of any restrictions imposed by the House of Nobles. All candidates for a position on the Court shall have been a member of the COC for a minimum of 60 days.

§06. OATH OF OFFICE: Upon formal appointment, a Justice-designate must take the following oath: “I, [name of member] of [name of member nation], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will bear true allegiance to the Commonwealth of Crowns, that I will support and defend the Constitution; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office of Justice of the High Court."

§07. DECISIONS: A majority vote of all Justices shall be required in order for the Court to render a decision. No decision may be rendered in the absence of a Justice. Once a decision of the High Court is made, it shall stand. No entity may have the power to appeal the decision of the High Court.

§08. POWER TO OVERRULE: The court may overrule a decision of the Council or House, at the demand of any member of the house, provided sufficient grounds for unconstitutionality.

§09. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: If a seated Justice is related in any way to the case being brought to the court, such Justice shall be temporarily removed and a replacement appointed by the Founder shall sit as a Justice pro tempore. This also applies to the Chief Justice.

§10. OFFICIAL STYLE: Justices shall have the title of Lord, regardless of the sex of the incumbent. Justices shall be styled “The Eminent”.

§11. REMOVAL: Justices shall be subject to removal by a majority vote on a motion of no-confidence in the House. If a Justice has committed an intentional or reckless violation of the Constitution or the laws of the COC, the House may, upon the approval of a vote of no-confidence, refer such matter to the Court for prosecution.

§12. VACANCY: In the event of the resignation, removal or demise of a Justice, a new Justice shall be formally appointed to fill the remainder of the term.

ARTICLE IX

IMPERIAL ASSOCIATION

§01. IMPERIAL ASSOCIATION: The Commonwealth of Crowns and the various regions under the jurisdiction of the COC shall be collectively referred to as the “Imperial Association of Commonwealth Realms” (henceforth “the Realm”). The Government of the COC shall act as the government of the Realm.

§02. ANNEXATION: The Council shall have full charge over the location and annexation of regions. Such act of annexation shall be formalized by treaty. The House shall be empowered to eject any region from the Realm. Ejected regions shall be ineligible to rejoin except upon a majority vote of the House.

§03. IMPERIAL CLASSIFICATION: The regions of the Realm shall be organized according to three administrative levels called “Classifications”. Such classifications will include 1) Dominion, 2) Territory, and 3) Dependencies. The classification of any region shall be determined by the Council, in accordance with the qualifications established by this Constitution. Only the House may change the classification of any region by majority vote on a simple motion.

§04. DOMINIONS: Dominion realms shall be self-governing regions under the sovereignty of the COC. Dominions shall be responsible for their domestic affairs while responsibility over foreign affairs, defense and inter-regional economic relations is vested in the COC. Dominions are guaranteed their own representative governments. To qualify as a Dominion, a region must have a minimum of 20 member-states. Dominions shall adopt their own Constitutions provided that such Constitutions state the Dominion’s support of, and subjection to, the COC and the Realm. Such Dominion Constitutions, or amendments thereof, shall require the approval of the House; though, the legislature of each Dominion may override the rejection of the House by a two-thirds majority vote. Dominions shall be governed by a Governor-General, appointed by the Council and subject to removal by the House, who will act as Head of State of the Dominion and be directly responsible for maintaining the relationship between a Dominion and the Government. Governors General, upon their appointment, shall establish a mission in the Dominion to act as headquarters; and, they shall hold office at the pleasure of the Council.

§05. TERRITORY: Territorial realms shall be semi-self-governing regions under the sovereignty of the COC. Territories shall be governed by a Representative, Appointed or Direct system, depending upon their size. Representative territories shall have commissions consisting of the appointed Governor and five member-states, elected by popular vote of the members of their region. Appointed territories shall have commissions consisting of the Governor and three member-states appointed by the Council. Direct territories shall be directly governed by a single Governor appointed by the Council. All territorial governors shall establish a mission in the territory to act as headquarters; and, they shall hold office at the pleasure of the Council. All governors shall be subject to the removal of the House. Any territorial constitution, or amendments thereof, shall be subject to the approval of the House. The House may pass laws affecting the Territory, and any territorial laws passed may be overturned by the House.

§06. DEPENDENCIES: Dependent realms shall be non-self-governing regions under the sovereignty of the COC. Dependencies are those regions annexed by the COC that are deemed too small or inactive to merit territorial government. Dependencies shall be administered by the Council as needed.

§07. HEADS OF STATE: All Heads of State must be members of the House in good standing, free of restrictions imposed by the House of Nobles or the Court.

§08. MEMBERSHIP: Member-states from Dominions, Territories or Dependencies shall not be considered members of the COC and therefore do not share the rights and privileges of full members of the COC. Such nations may only exercise the rights of members of their own regions.

§09. UPDATED COMPILATION: The Government shall compile and consistently update a list of all Dominions, Territories and Dependencies.

ARTICLE X

REGIONAL SYMBOLS

§01. CAPITAL: Crowns City, located on the Island, shall be the capital city and the seat of Government for the COC.

§02. LANGUAGE: English is adopted as the standard language of convention. The COC shall respect the right of members to communicate in their respective languages, but, all business shall be conducted with English as the primary medium.

§03. REGIONAL ENSIGN: The flag of the Commonwealth of Crowns shall be the regional ensign. The ensign shall be blue and consist of the following elements: 1) a St. George’s cross in white, running through the center of each side of the ensign, 2) over the cross, a stylized globe in the color yellow, and 3) eight crowns encircling the globe with the crown at the crest of the globe having doubled dimensions.

§04. REGIONAL ANTHEM: “The Commonwealth March” as adopted by the House of Nobles shall be the official anthem of the region.

ARTICLE XI

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

§01. THE SUPREME LAW: The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Crowns shall be the supreme law which shall govern this union of free and sovereign nations. All laws, treaties and edicts must be in conformity with the provisions of this Constitution. All members must agree to adhere to the Constitution or risk being terminated from the COC.

§02. AMENDMENTS: All proposed amendments must be submitted to the House in the form of a legislative Act. In order to be ratified, the Act to Amend must be subject to a five-day period of voting. During that period, 25% of the total House membership must cast their vote in order for the bill to be ratified. And, if such is achieved, a two-thirds majority of those votes must be cast in favor for affirmation and ratification. All proposed amendments and revisions must be submitted to the House of Nobles in the form of a legislative Act. In order to be ratified, the Act to Amend must be subject to a five-day period of voting. During that period, a quorum, as outlined in Article 7, Section 4 (as amended), shall be met. If quorum is achieved, a two-thirds majority of votes cast shall have been cast in favor of the Act for affirmation and ratification. [Amendment I]

§03. REVISIONS: A total revision of the Constitution must be submitted to the House in the form of a legislative Act. In order to be ratified, the Act to Amend must be subject to a minimum five-day period of debate, and, when put up for vote, subject to a five-day period of voting. During that period, a minimum of 25% of the total House membership must cast their vote in order for the bill to be ratified. And, if such is achieved, a two-thirds majority of those votes must be cast in favor for affirmation and ratification.

§04. LAWS IN SUSPENSION: Upon the adoption and ratification of this Constitution, all laws of the COC shall be amended or repealed within 90 days to conform to the Constitution except those which shall not be in violation of this Constitution.

Borduriaa

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