The Charter of the Alliance of Democratic States

In a real world where politics is a problem and not an answer, the Alliance of Democratic States aims to showcase the better qualities of politics and governance to demonstrate that a more perfect union can be achieved. We build institutions based tested structures that emphasize balance of power, an engaged and empowered citizenry, and a culture of working for the common good. We accomplish this by creating a manageable government that provides a balance in size and opportunities for leaders. We allow nations to live freely and independently though with the aim of supporting a democratic regional system.

Article 1: The Legislature

Section 1:
The Legislature is hereby known as the Allied Senate and has sole legislative authority within the Alliance of Democratic States (ADS)

Section 2:
The Senate must be composed of a minimum of three Senators at any point and may increase in size by one Senator for every ten nations in the region beginning at 30 nations; 31+ nations residing in the region two weeks ahead of a given election permits the number of senators to increase to four, and so on for every ten nations residing in the region.

The Senate must internally elect a legislative leader known as People’s Speaker within the first 48 hours following election day. The People’s Speaker will be responsible for pursuing any necessary checks against the executive branch.

In order to qualify as a candidate for the Senate, a candidate must have resided in the Alliance of Democratic States for a consecutive month at the time of election day.

Section 3:
A Senator serves a two-month term and is eligible for a consecutive two-month term. Following the two-term limit, the nation may re-run for the legislature following a two-month hiatus from the legislative body.

A Senator may be removed from their office for any act deemed to be a crime against the region. Following a simple majority censure vote in the legislative branch, the removal case will then be tried in the Supreme Court of the ADS. The majority voters in the legislature may choose one prosecutor for this case and the defendant may choose one person to be their counsel or may choose to self-represent. It is not a requirement that the representative be a government official.

Should a senator face a situation where they are not able to complete their term, the Prime Minister may appoint an acting Senator that will serve the remainder of the vacated term. The remaining senators must provide a majority vote that the appointee may remain in the Senate with a week of said appointment.

Section 4:
The People’s Speaker will set the time for any debate and the rules of any legislative vote. Should the People’s Speaker not fulfill their responsibilities within three days of a bill being properly proposed by a Senator, the proposing Senator may set the rules in order to ensure legislative progress.

All votes on regular bills and resolutions pass with a majority vote. Any amendment to the charter passes with a 3/4 vote in the legislature. If there are only three senators, the Vice Prime Minister is permitted to vote. A charter amendment is wholly ratified following its passage in the Senate and ratification by a two-thirds popular vote in the region. The Vice Prime Minister shall set the vote date within a reasonable timeframe and the vote shall last for no longer than one day.

In the event of any tie, the Vice Prime Minister of the ADS will provide a tie-breaking vote in the legislature. Any member is permitted to abstain from a vote with the exception of the Vice Prime Minister when needed for a tie-breaker vote.

Section 5:
The Allied Senate has the authority to set its own internal rules and procedures not otherwise articulate in the charter.
A senator may not be serving in any other government position in any official or acting capacity when serving as an elected or appointed senator.

Section 6:
The Allied Senate is also responsible for the following:
- Originating legislative bills and resolutions
- Declare states of war against enemies of the region
- Approve official inter-regional alliances outside of embassy development
- Investigate executive actions in order to maintain accountability
- Impeach executive officers
- Approve lengths of time for invasion or defense of the ADS or other allies

Section 7:
The Allied Senate is not permitted to make ex post facto laws with the intent of punishing another government official or a private citizen of the Alliance of Democratic States. Furthermore, the Senate is not permitted to pass into law bills of attainder against a citizen of the region.

Article 2: The Executive

Section 1:
The power of the Executive Branch is conveyed by the Prime Minister of the ADS. The Prime Minister holds office for a term of three months and may be re-elected in a regular election for an additional term of three months. The Prime Minister may run again for a third term following a full one-term hiatus from an elected office of the executive branch.

The Prime Minister must select a Vice Prime Minister within one week of the election. The Vice Prime Minister is the direct successor of the Prime Minister and serves as the Senate Chairman with the primary role of casting tie-breaking ballots in the Senate.
Only a nation who has been a citizen of the ADS for one continuous month may be elected as Prime Minister and they must be a current citizen at the time of the election.

The Prime Minister must also publicly print their oath of office within one day of being elected or all other duties are suspended until the oath is stated. The oath is as follows: Upon my life, I swear that I will execute the Office of the Prime Minister in good faith that I am best serving the Alliance of Democratic States. I will champion this region to the best of my ability and protect the Charter of the Alliance of Democratic States.

Section 2:
The Cabinet of the ADS Government must always include a Minister of Regional Security, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a Minister of Immigration. These positions must all be nominated by the Prime Minister within four days of taking office and shall be voted on by the Senate in order to confirm their status. The roles of these nations are as follows:

Minister of Regional Security: Executes the PMs policy on defense against foreign threats and oversees any related intelligence activities.
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Chief liaison between regions and oversees the PMs foreign policy between regions. Chief diplomat.
Minister of Immigration: Leads the effort to recruit talent to the region and is primarily in charge of correspondence to new nations and resurrected nations on behalf of the ADS.

Should the number of nations in the region fall below 15 citizens, the Prime Minister is only obliged to fill the role of the Vice Prime Minister.

Section 3:
The Prime Minister may appoint any other officers to their cabinet as deemed necessary to fill positions relevant to the Prime Minister’s policy platform. These additional cabinet positions do not require a confirmation vote by the Senate and serve at the pleasure of the Prime Minister.

Section 4:
The executive powers of the Prime Minister also include:
- Appointment of ambassadors to foreign regions as required
- Overseeing and commanding any defense efforts against foreign threats
- Introduce legislation for the Senate to consider
- Veto Senate legislation; the Prime Minister holds no pocket veto powers. Any legislation not signed into law within four days of passage automatically becomes law. The Prime Minister may delegate law signage responsibilities to the Vice Prime Minister if they will be on extended leave. The Senate may override a veto with a 3/4 majority.
- Pardon nations for crimes committed or grant reprieves from punishment, except in cases of self-pardons for impeachment

Section 5:
The Prime Minister, Vice Prime Minister, or any officer in the cabinet may be removed from office on impeachment and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes, as defined by the articles of impeachment.

The Senate may raise an article of impeachment against the Prime Minister for any offense pursuant to the aforementioned crimes. An article of impeachment is approved with a simple majority vote in the Senate. The Senate will then hold a trial that will either convict or acquit the Prime Minister. A conviction only occurs with a 2/3 majority vote in favor. The Vice Prime Minister is not permitted to cast any vote. The Chief Justice is then responsible for the sentencing of the Prime Minister.

Removal of other executive branch officials will follow a procedural vote in the Senate in which a simple majority vote approving the removal of any other executive branch official would move the case to the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice would hear arguments and decide on the removal of the official and any other additional sentence deemed necessary though not to be cruel or unusual in its nature.

Article 3: The Judiciary

Section 1:
The Judicial power of the Alliance of Democratic States is only entrusted to the Supreme Court of the ADS. Any other government-sanctioned tribunals or hearings can be appealed to the Supreme Court and any ruling in the Supreme Court is deemed final.

The Supreme Court is chaired by one Chief Justice that is nominated by the Prime Minister and approved by the Senate to serve an 8-month term. The Chief Justice is eligible for reappointment by a sitting Prime Minister for an additional 8 months in perpetuity or may select a new Chief Justice. Any re-nomination would also be subject to Senate approval.

Section 2:
The Supreme Court’s authority extends to any issue under the Charter, any subsequent laws passed by the Senate, executive orders decreed by the Prime Minister, or any other legal or extrajudicial action taken by a government official.

The Supreme Court can have original jurisdiction over any government matter, dispute between nations, or dispute between a nation and the regional government.

Any trial involving a dispute with the government or within the government is only heard by the Chief Justice. Any trial between citizens may have a jury should the defendant choose to have a jury. A jury will consist of three nations appointed by the defendant and confirmed by the plaintiff. If no agreement can be reached, the Chief Justice will appoint three jurors who are compelled to serve unless a conflict of interest can be determined.

The Chief Justice is responsible for issuing the terms of punishment of any crime though the punishment must not be considered cruel or unusual under existing norms.

The Chief Justice may establish the proceedings and filings pursuant to their term in office.

The Chief Justice may be removed from their position if any misconduct is charged and then must be approved with a 2/3 approval in the Senate, Vice Prime Minister, and Prime Minister consensus.

Section 3:
The Chief Justice shall appoint an Inspector General, which is not to be any nation currently serving in the regional government. The Inspector General serves continuously until the Chief Justice dismisses them or until the Inspector General retires from their position.

An Inspector General may serve continuously across Chiefs Justice.

The Inspector General is to investigate suspicious activity within government or against nations that the IG feels are conspiring against the regional government of the ADS. The IG will also scrutinize government actions involving citizens of the ADS to ensure compliance with the ADS Charter.

The Inspector General may employ any methods deemed necessary to investigate suspicious acts so long as they do not expressly go against the ADS Charter, other legislation, or NS rules.

The Inspector General will also be responsible for prosecuting any defendants during a trial in the Supreme Court.

The Inspector General can be removed either by Chief Justice dismissal or via 2/3 Senate vote. The Chief Justice can then decide punishment if removal was for an illicit action.

Article 4: The People’s Chamber

A forum shall be made available for the people to propose legislative ideas, challenge and scrutinize government activity, and provide an informal check into the actions of all three official branches of government. The People’s Chamber may select a position known as the Chamber Speaker. That speaker will have an ability to engage legislators in the Senate chamber in debate about pending legislation. However, they will have no vote in any legislation.

The Chamber Speaker can be censured by the Senate and removed from being able to engage, at which time the People’s Chamber can select a new speaker to fill this role.

The People’s Chamber will not be otherwise checked by the government unless it is found to be in violation of any conspiracy against the regional government.

Article 5: All Other Business

Section 1: Elections: The Vice Prime Minister is in charge of promulgating an upcoming election, which shall occur on the 22nd of any month that an office is open for re-election (every two months for Senate, three for Prime Minister). The results will adhere to a direct democracy with every nation, no puppets under any circumstance, voting one time. The vote will be a public vote in the discord forum in a specified thread for that election. No other campaigning or posts of any kind are permitted aside from the ballot that is being cast.

Section 2: There are no prohibitions on a nation running for multiple offices at one time. However, a nation can only occupy one office. If they win multiple offices, they must immediately select one and the runner-up is awarded the unchosen office.

Section 3: The Senate retains the ability to regulate election law and procedures as deemed necessary.

Section 4: The Charter shall have no authority over the internal business of a particular nation, specifically regarding the type of government a nation chooses to operate within its own borders.

Article 6: Ratification

Once the founding government approves the language of this charter, it will be voted on by the nations currently residing in the Alliance of Democratic States at the time that the Charter is provided to the region. The region will have three days to vote yay or nay on the Charter. A 3/4 vote from the citizens of the ADS will ratify the Charter in its entirety. Founding government officials are permitted to vote in the general ratification vote.

Upon passage of the charter, the process for establishing the regional government goes into full effect.

Amendments:

Amendment I

The Regional Government shall make no law that prohibits nor abridges the freedom of speech and the press, as long as it complies with NS guidelines. Nor the right for the people to peaceably assemble and/or protest, and to petition the Reginal Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II
The Regional Government shall make no law of the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Nor shall it favor any religion over another.

Amendment III
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and any other property against unreasonable searches and seizures will not be violated, and no warrants shall be issued, but upon probable cause and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment IV
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the Region wherein the crime shall have been committed, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer or be subject for for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment VII
The enumeration in the Charter, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment VIII
The powers not delegated to the Regional Government by the Charter, nor prohibited by it to the Nations, are reserved to the Nations respectively, or to the people.