Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2018 16:59:22 GMT
The Thirty-Ninth Amendment to the Charter (Full Revision)
Author(s): Suceavija, with a number of co-authors.
Co-Signer(s): N/A
Date Enacted: 25 September 2013
Final Vote Count: 12-0-2
Archivist's Note: The thirty-ninth amendment involved the creation of a new and fully-revised charter, reproduced in full below.
Author(s): Suceavija, with a number of co-authors.
Co-Signer(s): N/A
Date Enacted: 25 September 2013
Final Vote Count: 12-0-2
Archivist's Note: The thirty-ninth amendment involved the creation of a new and fully-revised charter, reproduced in full below.
Charter of the Democratic Socialist Assembly
Contents
Charter Key
Section I: Acronyms used herein
DSA: Democratic Socialist Assembly
GMT: Greenwich Mean Time
Section II: Definable terms used herein
Administrative Privileges: Those privileges including but not limited to:
Suppressing or editing Regional Message Board and Forum posts
Altering the World Factbook Entry
Altering the Forum structure and/or content
Ejecting and/or banning nations from the region
Accepting, rejecting, and/or soliciting embassy requests
Adding or removing regional tags
Distributing region-wide mass telegrams
Administrator: The Founder, World Assembly Delegate, or other official that has Administrative Privileges.
Administrator Emeritus: A veteran Cabinet Member that has had prior experience as an Administrator and is generally trusted by the Congress to retain Administrative Privileges in the Forum so as to serve the Cabinet as a Cabinet Aide with Administrative Privileges.
Ambassador: A diplomat appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to serve as a liaison with a foreign region and represent the interests of the DSA abroad.
Cabinet: The group of Cabinet Members that the Congress elects from among its peers to manage specific areas of government and to perform certain duties on behalf of the Congress in the interests of the DSA.
Cabinet Aide: A Resident in good standing that is appointed by a Cabinet Member to assist in upholding the duties of that Member’s Cabinet position.
Cabinet Doctrine: The formal administrative and diplomatic agenda created by the President of Congress for the Cabinet to pursue each term.
Charter: This document in its entirety.
Congress: The group of Members of Congress that legislates the affairs of the DSA.
Court: The region's judicial organ, led by the Minister of Justice and charged with interpreting and applying the Rules of the Charter as well as resolving disputes between Residents.
DSA Regional Principles: Those principles contained in Article I, Section I of this Charter.
Forum: The DSA’s independent offsite forum designated for various regional discussions, documents, projects, referenda, and elections that is available just below and through the link posted on the DSA’s World Factbook Entry. (http://s1.zetaboards.com/DemocraticSocialist/index/)
Founder's Powers: The specific powers, including the permissions and restrictions of their use, granted to the DSA’s Founder and cited herein.
In good standing: Any Resident in compliance with the Rules of the Charter.
NationStates Player: As defined by the NationStates game moderators, one (1) Real Life person commanding at least one (1) nation in NationStates, and distinguished in the Forum as unique by that Real Life person’s IP address.
Opt(ed, ing, s)-in: The act of any NationStates Player and Resident applying for Membership in Congress by publicly declaring that they “Opt-in to the Charter.”
Prohibited Content: Any content that is described as prohibited in the Etiquette section of the NationStates FAQ.
Publicly Declare: To announce by way of Regional Message Board post, World Factbook entry, forum post or discussion, mass telegram, or national factbook entry.
Puppet World Assembly Delegate: A nation established and controlled by the democratically elected President of Congress to perform World Assembly Delegate duties in the event that the President of Congress is not a member of the World Assembly at any time during their term as President of Congress.
Resident: A nation currently residing in the DSA under the control of a NationStates Player.
Request of the Congress: A formal request made by the Congress by way of referendum for an Administrator to exercise Administrative Privileges.
Rules of the Charter: All of the rules, requirements, provisions, sections, articles, subsections, and clauses defined in the Charter.
Simple majority: More than 50%.
Preamble
The DSA aims to reduce or eliminate regional inactivity and atrophy, and to nurture a welcoming and safe environment that encourages open, candid, and civilized debate and discussion, as well as active participation and engagement by all Residents in the affairs of the DSA.
We, therefore, the sovereign nations of the Democratic Socialist Assembly, reaffirming our commitment to the values of democracy, solidarity, equality, justice, and freedom, standing together in opposition to the forces of fascism, tyranny, and oppression, do hereby establish and adopt this Charter.
Article I: Establishment
Section I: Regional Purpose and Principles
Clause I. The purpose of the DSA shall be to establish and to nurture solidarity and unity between sovereign nations in the pursuit of common goals and ideals associated with democracy and leftism.
Clause II. This Charter is the supreme law of the DSA and no Resident shall be exempt from its authority.
Clause III. All Residents are regarded as equal under the rule of law and are unconditionally bound by the Rules of the Charter.
Clause IV. All Residents have the right to pursue independent projects and endeavors within NationStates insofar as these do not endanger the safety, reputation, or well-being of the DSA.
Clause V. Except for the specific enumerated Founder’s Powers cited in Article II, Section II, Subsection II, the Founder shall have the same rights, privileges, and responsibilities as other Residents with regard to the Charter.
Clause VI. The Founder, World Assembly Delegate, and all other officials with Administrative Privileges shall only exercise Administrative Privileges for the purpose of removing Prohibited Content as defined in this Charter. Content and opinions expressed by any Resident may not be suppressed or edited by any Administrator under any other circumstances.
Clause VII. The DSA shall seek to extend relations between itself and other compatible regions and nations that reflect DSA Regional Principles and desire to build meaningful relationships with the DSA.
Clause VIII. The DSA’s foreign policy is based upon a position of presumed neutrality. The DSA reserves the use of its regional defensive capabilities exclusively for the security of itself and its allies. The DSA shall only seek to influence events, activities, and individuals abroad via formal diplomacy based upon the Regional Principles.
Section II: Residency
Clause I. Residents may not be in any of the following categories due to their incompatibility with the Regional Principles:
Authoritarian Democracy
Benevolent Dictatorship
Compulsory Consumerist State
Conservative Democracy
Corporate Police State
Corrupt Dictatorship
Father Knows Best State
Free Market Paradise
Iron Fist Consumerists
Iron Fist Socialists
Libertarian Police State
Moralistic Democracy
Mother Knows Best State
Psychotic Dictatorship
Right-Wing Utopia
Tyranny By Majority
Clause II. All Residents must have a minimum rating of “Average” for both Civil Rights and Political Freedoms at any given time.
Clause III. Residents agree to conduct themselves with honesty, patience, and civility in dealing with other Residents.
Clause IV. It is incumbent upon every Resident that is a member of the World Assembly to endorse within three (3) days the democratically elected World Assembly Delegate following an election.
Clause V. All NationStates Players may have as many Residents as they wish.
Clause VI. All Residents agree to be unconditionally bound by and subject to this Charter.
Clause VII. Residents that fail to uphold their responsibilities as described in this subsection shall be subject to disciplinary measures as described in Article III, Section IV.
Article II: Organs of the Democratic Socialist Assembly
Section I: The Congress
Subsection I. Composition and Powers
Clause I. The Congress is the sole legislative body of the DSA. It is composed of all Members of Congress.
Clause II. The Congress may, by a simple majority of votes cast,
Elect Cabinet Members
Pass laws
Enact resolutions
Impeach a Resident
Repeal a law or resolution
Clause III. The Congress may, by a ⅔ majority of votes cast,
Amend the Charter
Remove a Cabinet Member from office
Ratify or withdraw from an interregional treaty or alliance
Veto a decision or action of the Cabinet or a Cabinet Member
Request Founder intervention
Subsection II. Requirements of Membership
Clause I. In addition to the requirements of Residency, Members of Congress agree to have a minimum rating of “Good” for both Civil Rights and Political Freedoms at any given time.
Clause II. Membership in Congress is voluntary.
Clause III. A NationStates Player wishing to obtain Membership in Congress may designate only one (1) Resident to be their Member of Congress at any time, and must publicly declare that Resident in the Opt-in subforum. A NationStates Player having more than one (1) Resident which is a Member of Congress is considered fraudulent.
Clause IV. Membership in Congress shall last as long as the nation is in compliance with the requirements of Members of Congress. Any Member of Congress that wishes to resign from the Congress may do so at any time by making a formal statement to that effect to the Secretary General or President of Congress.
Clause V. If a Member of Congress ceases to exist or has been ejected from the DSA, that Member of Congress shall be regarded by the Charter as having resigned from the Congress and forfeited their Membership in Congress. If a NationStates Player that once ceased to exist renews their expired nation, moves back to the DSA, and wishes to obtain their previous Membership in Congress, that NationStates Player must opt-in to the Charter again and be in compliance with the requirements of Membership in Congress prior to obtaining Membership in Congress again.
Clause VI. Members of Congress that fail to uphold their responsibilities as described in this subsection shall be subject to disciplinary measures as described in Article III, Section IV.
Subsection III. Rights, Privileges, and Responsibilities of Members
Clause I. A Member of Congress in good standing has the right to accept as many nominations for Cabinet positions as it wishes during any given term. However, the nominated Member of Congress may only accept one Cabinet position during any given term.
Clause II. A Member of Congress in good standing has the right to vote in every Congressional election and referendum.
Clause III. Each Member of Congress shall have one (1) vote in all decisions made by the Congress.
Clause IV. Members of Congress in good standing may propose any form of legislation to be voted on by the Congress.
Clause V. All Members of Congress shall remain vigilant over the behavior of the Cabinet Members and the Founder, and are obligated to question any actions which violate this Charter.
Section II: The Cabinet
Subsection I: Establishment and Composition
Clause I. The Cabinet is the sole executive body of the DSA. It shall exercise Administrative Privileges and conduct diplomacy in accordance with the Rules of the Charter and DSA Regional Principles, and shall present proposals, news, and recommendations to the Congress.
Clause II. The Cabinet shall consist of the President of Congress, World Assembly Delegate, Secretary General, Minister of Justice, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Immigration & Regional Promotion, Minister of Domestic Affairs, and Minister of Role Play.
Clause III: Cabinet Members may not hold any other elected position, Cabinet position, foreign World Assembly Delegate position, or Foreign Affairs position within NationStates during any term of their active service.
Clause IV. Terms of the Cabinet shall each be seventy-five (75) days, and there are no term limits on any of the Cabinet positions.
Subsection II. Duties
Clause I. All Cabinet Members are expected to familiarize themselves with and to execute their duties to the best of their abilities with honor and integrity, and shall present themselves both domestically and abroad with professionalism and civility.
Clause II. All other Cabinet Members are fully accountable to the President of Congress and shall in earnest try to fulfill all reasonable requests made by the President of Congress as they pertain to their respective duties.
Clause III. The Cabinet shall approve, by majority vote, the Cabinet Doctrine for each term, and may by majority vote subsequently amend it.
Clause IV. All Cabinet Members are expected to uphold DSA Regional Principles and honor the Cabinet Doctrine when conducting any form of diplomacy abroad. All Cabinet Members shall express the opinions of the Cabinet and Congress when conducting any form of diplomacy, regardless of any personal apprehension or disagreement with the Cabinet Doctrine.
Clause V. Cabinet Members are encouraged to freely express their opinions regarding decisions made by other Cabinet Members in closed-door Cabinet meetings.
Clause VI. Should a Cabinet Member be unable to perform their duties or must be absent from NationStates for more than fourteen (14) days, then that Cabinet Member shall notify the rest of the Cabinet so that Cabinet Aides or other Cabinet Members may take on their duties.
Clause VII. Any Cabinet Member that is absent from participating in Cabinet meetings, has not communicated with another Resident, or has otherwise apparently left the business of their ministry unattended for more than fourteen (14) days without prior explanation, shall be regarded as having resigned from the Cabinet.
Clause VIII. Cabinet Members must immediately divulge all conflicts of interest.
Clause IX. Outgoing Cabinet Members shall offer advice and assistance to incoming Cabinet Members so as to retain institutional memory.
Clause X. Cabinet Members that fail to uphold their duties as described throughout this subsection shall be subject to disciplinary measures as described in Article III, Section IV.
Subsection III. Rights and Privileges
Clause I. Each Cabinet Member shall have one (1) vote in its closed-door meetings, and decisions there are made by a simple majority of votes cast.
Clause II. Each Cabinet Member shall have the privilege of appointing and dismissing various Cabinet Aides. Cabinet Members may serve as Cabinet Aides to other Cabinet Members (with the exception of Administrators Emeritus).
Clause III. Cabinet Members shall enjoy parliamentary privilege in closed-door meetings of the Cabinet, and may not be held liable for any statement made there.
Clause IV. Cabinet Members with Administrative Privileges may freely edit and delete their own posts.
Subsection IV: The President of the Congress
Clause I. Each term, the Congress shall democratically elect from among its members one (1) President of Congress to preside over the Congress and to perform the administrative duties of the World Assembly Delegate. The President of Congress shall have direct authority over the actions of the World Assembly Delegate whenever the World Assembly Delegate nation is not also the President of Congress nation for any reason.
Clause II. The President of Congress shall not be required to be a member of the World Assembly in order to serve the DSA as President of Congress. The President of Congress, when also a member of the World Assembly, automatically shall be the World Assembly Delegate of the DSA as well. The President of Congress, when not a member of the World Assembly, shall create and publicly declare to the Congress a Puppet World Assembly Delegate (of a similar or recognizable name to that of the President of Congress), that is a member of the World Assembly, under the sole control of the President of Congress to execute all World Assembly Delegate duties. All the Rules of the Charter that apply to the President of Congress and the World Assembly Delegate shall apply to said Puppet World Assembly Delegate as well, without exception. However, if the President of Congress does not wish to be part of the World Assembly in any manner, then a special election and nomination process shall be held for the World Assembly Delegate.
Clause III. The President of Congress and the World Assembly Delegate, when not the same nation, shall only have one (1) vote between them in the Cabinet as well as the Congress, and not one vote apiece in either.
Clause IV. The authority and duties of the President of Congress include but are not limited to:
Proposing the Cabinet Doctrine for each term
Presiding at closed-door Cabinet meetings
Coordinating the activities and efforts of the Cabinet
Monitoring the Cabinet for efficiency and effectiveness
Executing or delegating the duties of vacant Cabinet positions
Presiding over legal cases involving a recused Minister of Justice, but only if the case does not involve the President of Congress
Executing the recommendations of the Minister of Domestic Affairs, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Justice as they relate to Administrative Privileges
Requesting Founder intervention
Documenting suppressed Forum posts
Clause VII. The President of Congress shall have the authority to execute the duties of all vacant Cabinet positions personally, or to delegate such duties to another Cabinet Member. A special election shall be held within fourteen (14) days of the vacancy unless there are twenty-one (21) days or fewer remaining in the Cabinet’s term, in which case no election need be held.
Clause VIII. When a Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Justice, or Minister of Domestic Affairs is serving in the Cabinet, the President of Congress must follow the recommendations of those Ministers relative to Administrative Privileges. If the President of Congress does not agree with any such recommendation, the President of Congress must carry out the recommendation regardless, and may only solicit the Congress to overturn the decision on behalf of the President of Congress; but may not ever circumvent the Congress or the authority of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Justice, or Minister of Domestic Affairs in order to oppose a recommendation by them.
Clause IX. The President of Congress shall, each week, select five (5) Residents to be featured on the World Factbook Entry. The President of Congress will then showcase those Residents in the World Factbook Entry and the Featured Nations topic in the Office of the President and World Assembly Delegate subsection (http://s1.zetaboards.com/DemocraticSocialist/topic/5106530/1/) accordingly. The President of Congress shall have the authority to determine the criteria for featuring Residents in the World Factbook Entry, and he/she is encouraged to showcase Residents that have little or no presence in the Regional Message Board and Forum over those that do.
Subsection V: The World Assembly Delegate
Clause I. The World Assembly Delegate shall represent the DSA at the World Assembly and its subsidiary organs.
Clause II. A World Assembly Delegate that has not been democratically elected by the Congress shall promptly resign from the World Assembly or move out of the DSA for as long as it takes for the democratically elected World Assembly Delegate to obtain World Assembly Delegate status. If a non-democratically elected World Assembly Delegate fails to obey this rule, the Founder may eject that World Assembly Delegate at the request of the President of Congress.
Clause III. The World Assembly Delegate, when not also the President of Congress, shall only be permitted to exercise Administrative Privileges as directed by the President of Congress. The World Assembly Delegate, when not also the President of Congress, does not have the authority of the President of Congress; and may only execute Administrative Privileges that are explicitly delegated or requested by the President of Congress. However, in the event that the Congress does not have a President of Congress, the democratically elected World Assembly Delegate shall be regarded as the President of Congress, and have the authority of the President of Congress in accordance with Article II, Subsection III, until the end of the term or until a President of Congress is chosen via special election before the end of the term, whichever comes first.
Clause IV. When a World Assembly Delegate’s term has ended, and that World Assembly Delegate has not been re-elected, then that World Assembly Delegate shall promptly resign from the World Assembly or move out of the region temporarily to allow for the democratically-elected World Assembly Delegate to be granted World Assembly Delegate status by NationStates-game-mechanics. If an outgoing World Assembly Delegate fails to obey this rule, that World Assembly Delegate shall be regarded by the Charter as non-democratically elected, and shall be subject to the protocol established in Clause II of this Subsection.
Clause V. The World Assembly Delegate shall be permitted to approve any proposed World Assembly resolution available to the World Assembly Delegate for scrutiny and approval in the World Assembly; however the World Assembly Delegate must publicly divulge to the Congress each approval that is made, and provide reasoning for an approval if so requested by any Resident.
Clause VI. The World Assembly Delegate may author or co-author World Assembly resolutions as long as the World Assembly Delegate publicly declares such an endeavor prior to submitting it for approval; and that such a resolution is in accordance with DSA Regional Principles.
Clause VII. The World Assembly Delegate shall regularly notify the DSA of new developments and proposed resolutions in the World Assembly, and shall foster healthy public discussion and debate about these in the DSA.
Clause VIII. The World Assembly Delegate shall cast a symbolic vote in the World Assembly on all resolutions which reflects the preferences and opinions of a simple majority of World Assembly-member Residents that voted on the resolutions; however the World Assembly Delegate may publicly issue a dissenting opinion as to why they disagree with the majority of the DSA’s World Assembly members.
Clause IX. The World Assembly Delegate shall with the Cabinet establish a welcome telegram to be sent to all new Residents.
Subsection VI: The Secretary General
Clause I. The Secretary General shall be charged with maintaining current and accurate records for the DSA, and conducting administrative functions for the DSA on behalf of the Congress.
Clause II. The Secretary General’s authority and duties include but are not limited to:
Administering all votes and elections and certifying their results
Evaluating Residents that Opt-in to the Charter for approval
Keeping Forum users accurately categorized
Keeping an accurate and current roster of Members of Congress and World Assembly members
Keeping accurate and historical records of key regional events in the Forum and NationStates Wiki
Serving as the administrator of the Capitol of the DSA
Setting up, declaring, and executing elections and referenda
Monitoring and organizing the Forum
Applying ratified amendments to the Charter
Subsection VII: The Minister of Justice
Clause I. The Minister of Justice shall be charged with upholding justice and maintaining the rule of law in the DSA. The Minister of Justice shall preside over the Court of the DSA. Decisions and recommendations made by the Minister of Justice shall be upheld by the Court, the Cabinet, and the Congress unless otherwise legally challenged and overturned.
Clause II. The Minister of Justice’s authority and duties include but are not limited to:
Making binding interpretations of Charter meaning and intent
Auditing Residents for compliance with the Conditions of Residency
Formally notifying Residents of their failure to comply with the Conditions of Residency
Ordering ejections of Charter violators
Settling disputes between Residents
Keeping an accurate and current roster of Charter violators
Keeping an accurate and current log of rulings
Helping nations to reach proper compliance with the Conditions of Residency
Clause III. The Minister of Justice shall refrain from ruling in cases to which the nation serving as such is a party, or in other cases where the Minister of Justice otherwise cannot be reasonably expected to maintain objectivity due to a conflict of interest. In such case, the President of Congress shall assume the duties of the Minister of Justice specifically in said case, though the Minister of Justice shall retain their authority in any other pending cases before the Court where such conflicts of interest are not present, as well as with respect to audits of Residents for compliance with the Conditions of Residency.
Clause IV. The Minister of Justice shall extend the probation period for nations that show any sign of progress towards compliance with the Conditions of Residency.
Clause V. The Minister of Justice, or another nation as the Minister of Justice may designate, is obligated to help any nation that requests assistance in reaching the requirements of the Conditions of Residency.
Subsection VIII: The Minister of Foreign Affairs
Clause I. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall conduct interregional diplomacy on behalf of the DSA, and shall promote the interests of the DSA abroad in interregional diplomatic affairs.
Clause II. The Minister of Foreign Affairs’ authority and duties include but are not limited to:
Setting the DSA’s foreign policy objectives each term
Gathering and synthesizing intelligence from allies and other regions abroad
Establishing embassy criteria and making embassy recommendations to the World Assembly Delegate
Brokering interregional treaties and agreements
Appointing and dismissing Ambassadors
Keeping the DSA informed about significant events outside the region
Clause III. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall represent the DSA abroad using a fleet of uniform ambassadorial puppet nations that will be under the control of the Minister of Foreign Affairs as well as any appointed Ambassadors.
Clause IV. Passwords for the ambassadorial nations shall be kept secret and listed in a closed-door subforum to which only Ambassadors and Cabinet Members are privy. New passwords for the fleet shall be established by each incoming Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Clause V. While the Minister of Foreign Affairs has the authority to establish the criteria that will be used to assess the worth of embassies, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is encouraged to reflect DSA Regional Principles in their selection process.
Clause VI. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall publicly disclose the DSA’s foreign policy objectives and embassy criteria as part of the Cabinet Doctrine.
Subsection IX: The Minister of Domestic Affairs
Clause I. The Minister of Domestic Affairs shall be charged with stimulating regional activity and Resident involvement, boosting regional morale and tranquility, and monitoring the ‘pulse’ of the DSA.
Clause II. The Minister of Domestic Affairs’ authority and duties include but are not limited to:
Starting debates and discussions on various topics, either in the Regional Message Board or Forum
Conducting regional polls to learn about the opinions and feelings of Residents, and to encourage the free flow of ideas
Holding contests to reward various merits, attributes, and accomplishments of Residents
Starting new projects in the various studios of the Forum to nurture the artistic culture of the DSA
Reminding Residents of the various activities going on in the region
Recommending to the President of Congress a list of Residents each week that shall be featured in the World Factbook Entry
Subsection X: The Minister of Immigration and Regional Promotion
Clause I. The Minister of Immigration & Regional Promotion shall be charged with growing the population of the DSA and promoting extra-regional awareness of DSA Regional Principles, the DSA, and its culture.
Clause II. The Minister of Immigration & Regional Promotion’s authority and duties include but are not limited to:
Recruiting foreign nations to move to the DSA
Representing the DSA and promoting DSA Regional Principles in interregional expositions
Appointing Recruiters
Clause III. The Minister of Immigration & Regional Promotion may actively or passively recruit foreign nations, using various manual or automatic communication mechanisms available to the Minister of Immigration & Regional Promotion at the time.
Clause IV. Should the Minister of Immigration & Regional Promotion elect to send automated recruitment telegrams, he or she will endeavor to secure the use of a back-up computer, which may belong to any Resident, to be used in case the principal recruitment computer is unavailable.
Clause V. The Minister of Immigration & Regional Promotion shall respect and uphold all treaties and interregional agreements that have been ratified by the DSA as they relate to recruiting activities.
Subsection XI: The Minister of Role Play
Clause I. The Minister of Role Play shall be head of the Ministry of Role Play and shall have the authority over its various departments as well as the authority to appoint Role Play Administrators to oversee specific departments.
Clause II. The Minister of Role Play shall foster a fair, welcoming, and enthusiastic environment to encourage a broad range of involvement among Residents and foreign visitors.
Subsection XII: Cabinet Aides
Clause I. Cabinet Aides serve at the pleasure of the Cabinet Member that appointed them. Their service is terminated when the Cabinet Member that appointed them leaves office.
Clause III. Cabinet Aides may serve at the pleasure of more than one Cabinet Member and in more than one ministry if so requested by any Cabinet Member.
Clause III. Residents may reject all or part of any request to serve as a Cabinet Aide and may resign from their Cabinet Aide positions at any time, though they are encouraged to notify their appointing Cabinet Member of their decision to do so.
Clause IV. Cabinet Aides are fully accountable to the Cabinet Member that appointed them, and Ministers are responsible for the Cabinet Aides they appoint.
Clause V. Cabinet Aides may be admitted to closed-door Cabinet meetings by the unanimous consent of the Cabinet, but they shall have no vote in Cabinet meetings. Cabinet Aides may be invested with limited Administrative Privileges by unanimous consent of the Cabinet.
Clause VI. Cabinet Aides that are privy to sensitive or confidential information shall not have the authority to publicize or divulge any such information beyond the Cabinet and are expected to keep such information confidential. If a Cabinet Aide believes such information to be in any way a violation of the Rules of the Charter, the Cabinet Aide is obligated to report such suspicions to the Minister of Justice, but shall refrain from discussing the information with any party not a Cabinet Member.
Clause VII. Cabinet Aides must immediately divulge all conflicts of interest that may arise during their terms as they relate to their duties.
Clause VIII. Cabinet Aides that fail to uphold their duties as described throughout this section shall be subject to disciplinary measures as described in Article III, Section IV.
Subsection XIII: Administrators Emeritus
Clause I. Qualified veteran Administrators shall be chosen by a simple majority of votes cast by the Congress. Administrators Emeritus chosen will then be appointed and granted relevant Administrative Privileges by the President of Congress upon accepting their appointment.
Clause II. Administrators Emeritus may, on request of the Cabinet, organize the Forum, advise current Cabinet Members, supervise legislative processes, carry out the duties of an absentee or overburdened Cabinet Member for the sake of continuity of governance.
Clause III. Two (2) Administrators Emeritus shall be in service to the Cabinet at any time.
Clause IV. If an Administrator Emeritus is elected or appointed to any other position, the Administrator Emeritus’s term will expire automatically on taking the new office.
Subsection XIV: Ambassadors
Clause I. Ambassadors are charged with representing the diplomatic face and voice of the DSA abroad to the region(s) in which the ambassadors are appointed to serve. Ambassadors are directly accountable to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and shall rely upon direction from the Minister of Foreign Affairs to carry out their ambassadorial duties.
Clause II. Ambassadors shall gather intelligence from their appointed region(s) and create concise intelligence reports as requested by the Minister of Foreign Affairs in order to better illustrate the current diplomatic and political landscape of said region(s).
Clause III. Ambassadors may be appointed to as many regions as they wish to serve in or that are available to them, as desired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Clause IV. No more than one (1) Ambassador may be actively representing the DSA at any time in any region; though an Ambassador may perform the duties of an absentee Ambassador of another region at the same time if explicitly requested by the Minister of Foreign Affairs or by the absentee Ambassador.
Clause V. Ambassadors shall periodically carry out investigations of potential regions that are compatible with DSA Regional Principles.
Clause VI. Ambassadors shall defer to the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ instructions and policies when carrying out their diplomatic duties. Ambassadors must seek counsel from the Minister of Foreign Affairs before making statements on sensitive regional positions within their appointed region or regions.
Section III: The Court of the Democratic Socialist Assembly
Subsection I. Establishment, Authority, and Jurisdiction
Clause I. The Court of the DSA is the sole judicial body competent to hear disputes among Residents of the DSA at the first instance. It shall fairly administer justice within the DSA and uphold the Charter at all trials and disputes.
Clause II. The authority and duties of the Court include but are not limited to:
Determining the scope of the Rules of the Charter when applied to various rulings
Determining the legality of pending and passed legislation
Determining the legality of Cabinet Members’ official decisions and actions
Determining the legality of treaties
Resolving disputes among Residents
Investigating various claims as requested
Sentencing or pardoning Residents that are successfully impeached by the Congress
Determining the legality of the World Assembly Delegate placing any nation on the DSA’s ban list
Clause III. The jurisdiction of the Court shall extend to all Residents of the DSA.
Clause IV. The Court shall be typically be presided over by the Minister of Justice, but when the case involves the Minister of Justice, the President of Congress shall take his/her position for that case only. If the case involves both the Minister of Justice and the President of Congress, a new judge shall be elected by the Congress in a four (4) day nomination and election period.
Subsection II. Cases
Clause I. Each case or request for an advisory opinion submitted to the Court shall be given a title. In the case of contentious issues, the title shall be of the form “A v. B”, with the names of the two parties in alphabetical order. In the case of advisory opinions, the title shall be of the form “In re A”, with A being the subject in question. In the case of impeachments, the title shall be of the form “Impeachment of A”, with A being the name of the nation in question.
Subsection III. Proceedings
Clause I. The proceedings of the Court shall be public.
Clause II. In contentious issues, the party bringing the case to the Court shall submit an initial statement to which the defending party shall have the opportunity to respond.
Clause III. Nations at trial have the right to the assistance of other nations in making their case. They may call witnesses whose testimony the Court shall have power to compel and may be represented by another nation of their choice.
They may not be compelled to testify against themselves.
Clause IV. The parties shall have the opportunity through the Court to ask each other questions and cross-examine those testifying.
Clause V. The Court may require from Residents in the form of a written and public subpoena any evidence that it deems necessary to make its decisions, including private communications and telegrams, and may compel parties to give testimony before the Court. The refusal of such information or testimony shall constitute contempt of court, which the Court may punish.
Clause VI. Testimony given before the Court will be subject to penalty for perjury.
Clause VII. At all controversies before the Court, all Residents shall have the right to submit whatever briefs, comments, or other information for consideration that they wish.
Subsection IV. Decisions
Clause I. The Court shall issue a written opinion on each of its decisions.
Clause II. Penalties imposed by the Court in cases of impeachment shall be limited to removal from office and, optionally, disqualification from holding office under the DSA fo a certain period of time or indefinitely.
Clause III. No penalty may be imposed as part of an advisory opinion.
Clause IV. Penalties imposed by the Court in the case of contentious issues may include:
Formal reprimand,
Placing a nation under a period of probation, during which any new offense may be punished with a greater than usual degree of severity,
Disqualification of a nation from holding office under the DSA for a period of time or indefinitely,
Recommendation to the President or World Assembly Delegate that a nation be expelled from the DSA, or
Any combination of the above.
Clause V. The Court may choose not to impose a penalty in contentious cases, letting its decision stand for itself as a form of justice.
Clause VI. Penalties shall be proportional to the severity of the offense committed.
Section IV: The Founder
Clause I. The Founder may only exercise Administrative Privileges at the request of the Congress and/or President of Congress, and may not disrupt or inhibit the ability of a democratically-elected World Assembly Delegate to exercise Administrative Privileges.
Clause II. The Founder may not remove the executive status of the World Assembly Delegate except as an emergency measure to safeguard against an imminent, apparent, or declared act of aggression targeted at the DSA by external or internal forces that specifically aim to usurp the World Assembly Delegate position. Executive status of the World Assembly Delegate must be reinstated immediately once the act of aggression has subsided.
Clause III. The Founder may eject and/or ban a non-democratically elected World Assembly Delegate at the request of the President of Congress.
Clause IV. The Founder may conditionally apply for temporary World Assembly membership with the explicit permission of the World Assembly Delegate in order for the Founder to cast a symbolic vote on a particular resolution; but only under the condition that the Founder shall immediately resign from the World Assembly after said resolution has either passed or failed. The Founder may not use temporary World Assembly member status to actively obtain or reciprocate World Assembly endorsements. In the unlikely event that the Founder wrongly obtains World Assembly Delegate status, the Founder must resign from the World Assembly immediately, and refrain from executing any World Assembly Delegate duties throughout the Founder’s duration as World Assembly Delegate until the democratically elected World Assembly Delegate obtains World Assembly Delegate status by NationStates-game-mechanics.
Clause V. In the event that there is no democratically elected World Assembly Delegate in place, the Founder shall execute World Assembly Delegate’s duties at the request of the President of Congress, or in the event that the President of Congress is also not in place at the same time, by the Congress, in the World Assembly Delegate’s absence, and shall immediately cease to execute World Assembly Delegate duties upon the return or election of a proper World Assembly Delegate or President of Congress or by request of the Congress.
Clause VI. The Founder may not stand for election, or serve, as the President of Congress or World Assembly Delegate, Minister of Justice, or Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Clause VII. The Founder may be permitted to serve as a Cabinet Aide to any Cabinet Member upon request.
Clause VIII. The Founder may not threaten to use or exercise Administrative Privileges, or use any other form of intimidation or coercion, against any Resident for any purpose other than to promptly alert a non-democratically elected World Assembly Delegate of impending ejection.
Section V: The Ministry of Role Play
Subsection I: Rights, Privileges, and Responsibilities of the Ministry of Role Play
Clause I. This Ministry shall be a centralized subforum for all aspects of Role Play that fall outside the scope of the Congress, Cabinet, and Court.
Clause II. Departments within the Ministry of Role Play include but are not limited to:
Cartography
The DSA Convention (similar function to the World Assembly, but on a regional level)
Games and gaming
Fantasy Sports Leagues
Trade and Commerce
War and Peace
Subsection II: The Department of Cartography
Clause I. Within the Department of Cartography, the Minister of Role Play shall have the responsibility of maintaining at least one regional map which shall be available for any member of Congress to establish an area comprising the administrative borders of their nation.
Clause II. The regional map shall be maintained such that its format shall be one that is commonly accessible and usable for anyone with a basic level of computer skills. Access and use of the map shall not require the purchase or extensive working knowledge of proprietary software beyond that provided by basic operating system packages widely available for use on personal computers, or free, open-source design software. The Minister of Role Play shall coordinate with the President of Congress as to how to best display the map for the region.
Clause III. The Minister of Role Play shall make efforts to accommodate the reasonable wishes of all Charter Members in good standing for their desired national administrative boundaries on any DSA regional map.
Clause IV. The Minister of Role Play shall have jurisdiction over international administrative boundary claim disputes between all nations that are represented on any DSA regional map. Any Member of Congress who has their nation represented on any DSA regional map may appeal the rulings of the Minister of Role Play to the Court of the DSA.
Clause VI. The Minister of Role Play shall have authority over redistributing the territories of nations that have either departed the region, resigned or have been removed from the Congress, or which have ceased to exist. Any disputes arising from the related actions taken by the Minister of Role Play to redistribute said territories shall be settled by the Court of the DSA.
Subsection III: The DSA Convention
Clause I. This Subsection is reserved for all rules pertaining to the DSA Convention.
Subsection IV: The Department of Games and Gaming
Clause I. This Subsection is reserved for all rules pertaining to the Department of Games and Gaming.
Subsection V: The Department of Fantasy Sports Leagues
Clause I. This Subsection is reserved for all rules pertaining to the Department of Fantasy Sports Leagues.
Subsection VI: The Department of Trade and Commerce
Clause I. This Subsection is reserved for all rules pertaining to the Department of Trade and Commerce.
Subsection VII: The Department of War and Peace
Clause I. This Subsection is reserved for all rules pertaining to the Department of War and Peace.
Article III: Miscellaneous Provisions
Section I: Voting and Elections
Subsection I: Voting Procedures
Clause I. At all votes but elections, voters shall have the right to cast a vote in the form FOR, AGAINST, or ABSTAIN, and these votes shall conducted through polls on the forum.
Clause II. If an there is an election for a position with one or two candidates, there shall only be one poll for this position, and the voters may either vote for a single candidate or abstain.
Clause III. Elections with more than two candidate shall be conducted by poll instant-runoff voting.
In an instant-runoff election, there will be different numbers of polls depending on the number of candidates running for a position.
For one position, there will be the same number polls as the number of candidates, and the each poll shall be titled first choice, second choice, and so on.
Each voter may choose which nation they would like to vote for as their first choice, in the first choice poll, up through the total number of choice polls for a given position.
At the end of the voting period, the votes in first-choice poll are tallied. If one candidate has received a majority of the first-choice votes, he or she is elected.
If no candidate has received a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated. If there is a tie for the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes, all tied candidates are eliminated.
Ballots whose first choice was assigned to the eliminated candidate or candidates are reassigned to their second-choice vote and added to that candidate’s total number of votes. If this results in one candidate having a majority of votes, that candidates is elected.
This procedure is repeated until one candidate has achieved a majority.
Ballots which have exhausted all of their candidates are discarded in future rounds.
Clause IV. All votes that are specifically reserved for Charter Members, including elections and referendums, shall be conducted in the Congressional Elections and Votes subforum on the main DSA forum. (http://s1.zetaboards.com/DemocraticSocialist/forum/1706758/)
Subsection II: Cabinet Elections
Clause I. The Cabinet Election process shall begin at 0:00 GMT on the sixtieth (60th) day of each Cabinet’s term, and it shall last for fourteen (14) days.
Clause II. Nominations for government positions shall begin at 00:00 GMT on the sixtieth (60th) day of each Cabinet’s term and close at 00:00 GMT on the sixty-seventh (67th) day, thereby lasting seven (7) days. After a Member of Congress is nominated, the Secretary General shall contact that nation in regard to accepting the nomination. Nations shall have the right to accept or decline any nomination. The final candidates shall then be posted prior to the start of voting.
Clause III. Voting shall begin at 00:00 GMT on the sixty-eighth (68th) day of each Cabinet’s term and close at 00:00 GMT on the seventy-fifth (75th) day, thereby lasting seven (7) full days. Votes shall then be tallied and the elected officers announced before 23:59 GMT on the seventy-fifth (75th) day. The elected Cabinet assume their positions at 0:00 GMT that night.
Clause IV. If a Charter member is elected to more than one office, they will be required to declare what office they wish to take up at the start of the new term. That Charter member shall then be eliminated from the vote counts for the other offices and votes he/she did not choose, and those elections shall be recounted.
Clause V. If a cabinet position is vacated for any reason, the President shall either take up the role or hold a special election for the position. While the special election is taking place, the President must choose an interim minister within 2 days of the position being vacated.
Clause VI. The procedures for a special election are the same as regular cabinet election procedures, but nominations and voting shall only last four (4) days each to ensure that a new minister is elected quickly. The total special election process should last eight (8) days, and the newly minister will join the cabinet as soon as the voting ends at 0:00 GMT of the eighth day.
Section II: Disciplinary Measures
Subsection I: Impeachment
Clause I. A Member of Congress in good standing may draft articles of impeachment for any Resident that the Member of Congress has probable cause to suspect of acting against the Rules of the Charter or DSA Regional Principles. Articles of impeachment require the public support or endorsement of not less than five (5) percent of Members of Congress in good standing before they may be brought before the Congress. The impeached shall be allowed to publicly contest the articles of impeachment before the Court if the impeachment passes in the Congress (if the impeached is found guilty by the Congress).
Clause II. Being convicted by the Congress for the following reasons shall be legal grounds for ejection from the DSA by the Court:
Fraudulently representing oneself in the Congress
Repetitive violations involving Prohibited Content
Repetitive periods of violating the Terms of Residency
Willfully neglecting to divulge known conflicts of interest
Willfully bringing harm upon the DSA
Any outgoing Cabinet Member refusing to obey the Rules of the Charter during transitions of power
Any Cabinet Member willfully violating the Rules of the Charter with respect to use of Administrative Privileges or the Cabinet Member’s authority
Clause III. Being convicted for any other reason than those explicitly stated in Clause II of this Subsection shall be legal grounds for a formal censure by the Court; but shall not result in ejection.
Clause IV. The Court may dismiss articles of impeachment passed by the Congress if the articles are deemed to be frivolous or of a political nature rather than intended to uphold the Rules of the Charter and DSA Regional Principles.
Subsection II: Violating the Terms of Residency
Clause I. If a Resident violates any of the Terms of Residency, the Minister of Justice shall impose upon such Resident a probation period of seven (7) days, beginning the day that the Minister of Justice gives notice of probation, in which the non-compliant Resident may become compliant once again in order to be spared further disciplinary action.
Clause II. Nations shall enjoy a grace period during the first seven (7) days of their existence wherein they are not subject to probation or expulsion.
Clause III. If Residents under probation fail or neglect to become compliant by the end of their probation period, they shall immediately forfeit their Resident status and be ejected from the DSA per the Minister of Justice’s formal recommendation to the World Assembly Delegate to do so.
Subsection III: Violating the Requirements for Members of Congress
Clause I. If Members of Congress violate the requirements for Membership in Congress, the Secretary General shall impose a probation period of seven (7) days, beginning the day that the Minister of Justice gives notice of probation, in which the non-compliant Member of Congress may become compliant once again in order to be spared further disciplinary action. Failure by the non-compliant Member of Congress to become compliant within the aforementioned probation period shall immediately result in the loss of Membership in Congress for the non-compliant Resident and full suspension of that Resident from participating in Congressional activities, thereafter only being subject to the Conditions of Residency.
Clause II. If Members of Congress are in violation of any of the requirements for Membership in Congress during an act of Congress, such Members of Congress shall be immediately suspended from participating in the act by the Secretary General, and any of those Members of Congress’ contributions to the act of Congress shall be discounted from affecting the outcome.
Section III. Transitory Provisions
Clause I. This Charter is the sole governing instrument of the DSA, and upon its ratification all previous Charters and amendments thereof are rendered null and void.
Clause II. This Charter will enter into force immediately upon ratification.
Clause III. Upon ratification of this Charter, the nations currently serving as President of Congress, World Assembly Delegate, Secretary General, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Immigration & Regional Promotion, Minister of Domestic Affairs, and Minister of Justice will continue to serve the remainder of the terms to which they were elected. The nation serving as Minister of Cartography will become the Minister of Role Play and serve out the remainder of the term as such.
Contents
- Charter Key
- Section I: Acronyms used herein
- Section II: Definable terms used herein
- Preamble
- Article I: Establishment
Section I: Regional Purpose and Principles
Section II: Residency - Article II: Organs of the Democratic Socialist Assembly
Section I: The Congress
Subsection I. Composition and Powers
Subsection II. Requirements of Membership
Subsection III. Rights, Privileges, and Responsibilities of Members
Section II: The Cabinet
Subsection I: Establishment and Composition
Subsection II. Duties
Subsection III. Rights and Privileges
Subsection IV: The President of the Congress
Subsection V: The World Assembly Delegate
Subsection VI: The Secretary General
Subsection VII: The Minister of Justice
Subsection VIII: The Minister of Foreign Affairs
Subsection IX: The Minister of Domestic Affairs
Subsection X: The Minister of Immigration and Regional Promotion
Subsection XI: The Minister of Role Play
Subsection XII: Cabinet Aides
Subsection XIII: Administrators Emeritus
Subsection XIV: Ambassadors
Section III: The Court of the Democratic Socialist Assembly
Subsection I. Establishment, Authority, and Jurisdiction
Subsection II. Cases
Subsection III. Proceedings
Subsection IV. Decisions
Section IV: The Founder
Section V: The Ministry of Role Play
Subsection I: Rights, Privileges, and Responsibilities of the Ministry of Role Play
Subsection II: The Department of Cartography
Subsection III: The DSA Convention
Subsection IV: The Department of Games and Gaming
Subsection V: The Department of Fantasy Sports Leagues
Subsection VI: The Department of Trade and Commerce
Subsection VII: The Department of War and Peace - Article III: Miscellaneous Provisions
Section I: Voting and Elections
Subsection I: Voting Procedures
Subsection II: Cabinet Elections
Section II: Disciplinary Measures
Subsection I: Impeachment
Subsection II: Violating the Terms of Residency
Subsection III: Violating the Requirements for Members of Congress
Section III. Transitory Provisions
Charter Key
Section I: Acronyms used herein
DSA: Democratic Socialist Assembly
GMT: Greenwich Mean Time
Section II: Definable terms used herein
Administrative Privileges: Those privileges including but not limited to:
Suppressing or editing Regional Message Board and Forum posts
Altering the World Factbook Entry
Altering the Forum structure and/or content
Ejecting and/or banning nations from the region
Accepting, rejecting, and/or soliciting embassy requests
Adding or removing regional tags
Distributing region-wide mass telegrams
Administrator: The Founder, World Assembly Delegate, or other official that has Administrative Privileges.
Administrator Emeritus: A veteran Cabinet Member that has had prior experience as an Administrator and is generally trusted by the Congress to retain Administrative Privileges in the Forum so as to serve the Cabinet as a Cabinet Aide with Administrative Privileges.
Ambassador: A diplomat appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to serve as a liaison with a foreign region and represent the interests of the DSA abroad.
Cabinet: The group of Cabinet Members that the Congress elects from among its peers to manage specific areas of government and to perform certain duties on behalf of the Congress in the interests of the DSA.
Cabinet Aide: A Resident in good standing that is appointed by a Cabinet Member to assist in upholding the duties of that Member’s Cabinet position.
Cabinet Doctrine: The formal administrative and diplomatic agenda created by the President of Congress for the Cabinet to pursue each term.
Charter: This document in its entirety.
Congress: The group of Members of Congress that legislates the affairs of the DSA.
Court: The region's judicial organ, led by the Minister of Justice and charged with interpreting and applying the Rules of the Charter as well as resolving disputes between Residents.
DSA Regional Principles: Those principles contained in Article I, Section I of this Charter.
Forum: The DSA’s independent offsite forum designated for various regional discussions, documents, projects, referenda, and elections that is available just below and through the link posted on the DSA’s World Factbook Entry. (http://s1.zetaboards.com/DemocraticSocialist/index/)
Founder's Powers: The specific powers, including the permissions and restrictions of their use, granted to the DSA’s Founder and cited herein.
In good standing: Any Resident in compliance with the Rules of the Charter.
NationStates Player: As defined by the NationStates game moderators, one (1) Real Life person commanding at least one (1) nation in NationStates, and distinguished in the Forum as unique by that Real Life person’s IP address.
Opt(ed, ing, s)-in: The act of any NationStates Player and Resident applying for Membership in Congress by publicly declaring that they “Opt-in to the Charter.”
Prohibited Content: Any content that is described as prohibited in the Etiquette section of the NationStates FAQ.
Publicly Declare: To announce by way of Regional Message Board post, World Factbook entry, forum post or discussion, mass telegram, or national factbook entry.
Puppet World Assembly Delegate: A nation established and controlled by the democratically elected President of Congress to perform World Assembly Delegate duties in the event that the President of Congress is not a member of the World Assembly at any time during their term as President of Congress.
Resident: A nation currently residing in the DSA under the control of a NationStates Player.
Request of the Congress: A formal request made by the Congress by way of referendum for an Administrator to exercise Administrative Privileges.
Rules of the Charter: All of the rules, requirements, provisions, sections, articles, subsections, and clauses defined in the Charter.
Simple majority: More than 50%.
Preamble
The DSA aims to reduce or eliminate regional inactivity and atrophy, and to nurture a welcoming and safe environment that encourages open, candid, and civilized debate and discussion, as well as active participation and engagement by all Residents in the affairs of the DSA.
We, therefore, the sovereign nations of the Democratic Socialist Assembly, reaffirming our commitment to the values of democracy, solidarity, equality, justice, and freedom, standing together in opposition to the forces of fascism, tyranny, and oppression, do hereby establish and adopt this Charter.
Article I: Establishment
Section I: Regional Purpose and Principles
Clause I. The purpose of the DSA shall be to establish and to nurture solidarity and unity between sovereign nations in the pursuit of common goals and ideals associated with democracy and leftism.
Clause II. This Charter is the supreme law of the DSA and no Resident shall be exempt from its authority.
Clause III. All Residents are regarded as equal under the rule of law and are unconditionally bound by the Rules of the Charter.
Clause IV. All Residents have the right to pursue independent projects and endeavors within NationStates insofar as these do not endanger the safety, reputation, or well-being of the DSA.
Clause V. Except for the specific enumerated Founder’s Powers cited in Article II, Section II, Subsection II, the Founder shall have the same rights, privileges, and responsibilities as other Residents with regard to the Charter.
Clause VI. The Founder, World Assembly Delegate, and all other officials with Administrative Privileges shall only exercise Administrative Privileges for the purpose of removing Prohibited Content as defined in this Charter. Content and opinions expressed by any Resident may not be suppressed or edited by any Administrator under any other circumstances.
Clause VII. The DSA shall seek to extend relations between itself and other compatible regions and nations that reflect DSA Regional Principles and desire to build meaningful relationships with the DSA.
Clause VIII. The DSA’s foreign policy is based upon a position of presumed neutrality. The DSA reserves the use of its regional defensive capabilities exclusively for the security of itself and its allies. The DSA shall only seek to influence events, activities, and individuals abroad via formal diplomacy based upon the Regional Principles.
Section II: Residency
Clause I. Residents may not be in any of the following categories due to their incompatibility with the Regional Principles:
Authoritarian Democracy
Benevolent Dictatorship
Compulsory Consumerist State
Conservative Democracy
Corporate Police State
Corrupt Dictatorship
Father Knows Best State
Free Market Paradise
Iron Fist Consumerists
Iron Fist Socialists
Libertarian Police State
Moralistic Democracy
Mother Knows Best State
Psychotic Dictatorship
Right-Wing Utopia
Tyranny By Majority
Clause II. All Residents must have a minimum rating of “Average” for both Civil Rights and Political Freedoms at any given time.
Clause III. Residents agree to conduct themselves with honesty, patience, and civility in dealing with other Residents.
Clause IV. It is incumbent upon every Resident that is a member of the World Assembly to endorse within three (3) days the democratically elected World Assembly Delegate following an election.
Clause V. All NationStates Players may have as many Residents as they wish.
Clause VI. All Residents agree to be unconditionally bound by and subject to this Charter.
Clause VII. Residents that fail to uphold their responsibilities as described in this subsection shall be subject to disciplinary measures as described in Article III, Section IV.
Article II: Organs of the Democratic Socialist Assembly
Section I: The Congress
Subsection I. Composition and Powers
Clause I. The Congress is the sole legislative body of the DSA. It is composed of all Members of Congress.
Clause II. The Congress may, by a simple majority of votes cast,
Elect Cabinet Members
Pass laws
Enact resolutions
Impeach a Resident
Repeal a law or resolution
Clause III. The Congress may, by a ⅔ majority of votes cast,
Amend the Charter
Remove a Cabinet Member from office
Ratify or withdraw from an interregional treaty or alliance
Veto a decision or action of the Cabinet or a Cabinet Member
Request Founder intervention
Subsection II. Requirements of Membership
Clause I. In addition to the requirements of Residency, Members of Congress agree to have a minimum rating of “Good” for both Civil Rights and Political Freedoms at any given time.
Clause II. Membership in Congress is voluntary.
Clause III. A NationStates Player wishing to obtain Membership in Congress may designate only one (1) Resident to be their Member of Congress at any time, and must publicly declare that Resident in the Opt-in subforum. A NationStates Player having more than one (1) Resident which is a Member of Congress is considered fraudulent.
Clause IV. Membership in Congress shall last as long as the nation is in compliance with the requirements of Members of Congress. Any Member of Congress that wishes to resign from the Congress may do so at any time by making a formal statement to that effect to the Secretary General or President of Congress.
Clause V. If a Member of Congress ceases to exist or has been ejected from the DSA, that Member of Congress shall be regarded by the Charter as having resigned from the Congress and forfeited their Membership in Congress. If a NationStates Player that once ceased to exist renews their expired nation, moves back to the DSA, and wishes to obtain their previous Membership in Congress, that NationStates Player must opt-in to the Charter again and be in compliance with the requirements of Membership in Congress prior to obtaining Membership in Congress again.
Clause VI. Members of Congress that fail to uphold their responsibilities as described in this subsection shall be subject to disciplinary measures as described in Article III, Section IV.
Subsection III. Rights, Privileges, and Responsibilities of Members
Clause I. A Member of Congress in good standing has the right to accept as many nominations for Cabinet positions as it wishes during any given term. However, the nominated Member of Congress may only accept one Cabinet position during any given term.
Clause II. A Member of Congress in good standing has the right to vote in every Congressional election and referendum.
Clause III. Each Member of Congress shall have one (1) vote in all decisions made by the Congress.
Clause IV. Members of Congress in good standing may propose any form of legislation to be voted on by the Congress.
Clause V. All Members of Congress shall remain vigilant over the behavior of the Cabinet Members and the Founder, and are obligated to question any actions which violate this Charter.
Section II: The Cabinet
Subsection I: Establishment and Composition
Clause I. The Cabinet is the sole executive body of the DSA. It shall exercise Administrative Privileges and conduct diplomacy in accordance with the Rules of the Charter and DSA Regional Principles, and shall present proposals, news, and recommendations to the Congress.
Clause II. The Cabinet shall consist of the President of Congress, World Assembly Delegate, Secretary General, Minister of Justice, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Immigration & Regional Promotion, Minister of Domestic Affairs, and Minister of Role Play.
Clause III: Cabinet Members may not hold any other elected position, Cabinet position, foreign World Assembly Delegate position, or Foreign Affairs position within NationStates during any term of their active service.
Clause IV. Terms of the Cabinet shall each be seventy-five (75) days, and there are no term limits on any of the Cabinet positions.
Subsection II. Duties
Clause I. All Cabinet Members are expected to familiarize themselves with and to execute their duties to the best of their abilities with honor and integrity, and shall present themselves both domestically and abroad with professionalism and civility.
Clause II. All other Cabinet Members are fully accountable to the President of Congress and shall in earnest try to fulfill all reasonable requests made by the President of Congress as they pertain to their respective duties.
Clause III. The Cabinet shall approve, by majority vote, the Cabinet Doctrine for each term, and may by majority vote subsequently amend it.
Clause IV. All Cabinet Members are expected to uphold DSA Regional Principles and honor the Cabinet Doctrine when conducting any form of diplomacy abroad. All Cabinet Members shall express the opinions of the Cabinet and Congress when conducting any form of diplomacy, regardless of any personal apprehension or disagreement with the Cabinet Doctrine.
Clause V. Cabinet Members are encouraged to freely express their opinions regarding decisions made by other Cabinet Members in closed-door Cabinet meetings.
Clause VI. Should a Cabinet Member be unable to perform their duties or must be absent from NationStates for more than fourteen (14) days, then that Cabinet Member shall notify the rest of the Cabinet so that Cabinet Aides or other Cabinet Members may take on their duties.
Clause VII. Any Cabinet Member that is absent from participating in Cabinet meetings, has not communicated with another Resident, or has otherwise apparently left the business of their ministry unattended for more than fourteen (14) days without prior explanation, shall be regarded as having resigned from the Cabinet.
Clause VIII. Cabinet Members must immediately divulge all conflicts of interest.
Clause IX. Outgoing Cabinet Members shall offer advice and assistance to incoming Cabinet Members so as to retain institutional memory.
Clause X. Cabinet Members that fail to uphold their duties as described throughout this subsection shall be subject to disciplinary measures as described in Article III, Section IV.
Subsection III. Rights and Privileges
Clause I. Each Cabinet Member shall have one (1) vote in its closed-door meetings, and decisions there are made by a simple majority of votes cast.
Clause II. Each Cabinet Member shall have the privilege of appointing and dismissing various Cabinet Aides. Cabinet Members may serve as Cabinet Aides to other Cabinet Members (with the exception of Administrators Emeritus).
Clause III. Cabinet Members shall enjoy parliamentary privilege in closed-door meetings of the Cabinet, and may not be held liable for any statement made there.
Clause IV. Cabinet Members with Administrative Privileges may freely edit and delete their own posts.
Subsection IV: The President of the Congress
Clause I. Each term, the Congress shall democratically elect from among its members one (1) President of Congress to preside over the Congress and to perform the administrative duties of the World Assembly Delegate. The President of Congress shall have direct authority over the actions of the World Assembly Delegate whenever the World Assembly Delegate nation is not also the President of Congress nation for any reason.
Clause II. The President of Congress shall not be required to be a member of the World Assembly in order to serve the DSA as President of Congress. The President of Congress, when also a member of the World Assembly, automatically shall be the World Assembly Delegate of the DSA as well. The President of Congress, when not a member of the World Assembly, shall create and publicly declare to the Congress a Puppet World Assembly Delegate (of a similar or recognizable name to that of the President of Congress), that is a member of the World Assembly, under the sole control of the President of Congress to execute all World Assembly Delegate duties. All the Rules of the Charter that apply to the President of Congress and the World Assembly Delegate shall apply to said Puppet World Assembly Delegate as well, without exception. However, if the President of Congress does not wish to be part of the World Assembly in any manner, then a special election and nomination process shall be held for the World Assembly Delegate.
Clause III. The President of Congress and the World Assembly Delegate, when not the same nation, shall only have one (1) vote between them in the Cabinet as well as the Congress, and not one vote apiece in either.
Clause IV. The authority and duties of the President of Congress include but are not limited to:
Proposing the Cabinet Doctrine for each term
Presiding at closed-door Cabinet meetings
Coordinating the activities and efforts of the Cabinet
Monitoring the Cabinet for efficiency and effectiveness
Executing or delegating the duties of vacant Cabinet positions
Presiding over legal cases involving a recused Minister of Justice, but only if the case does not involve the President of Congress
Executing the recommendations of the Minister of Domestic Affairs, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Justice as they relate to Administrative Privileges
Requesting Founder intervention
Documenting suppressed Forum posts
Clause VII. The President of Congress shall have the authority to execute the duties of all vacant Cabinet positions personally, or to delegate such duties to another Cabinet Member. A special election shall be held within fourteen (14) days of the vacancy unless there are twenty-one (21) days or fewer remaining in the Cabinet’s term, in which case no election need be held.
Clause VIII. When a Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Justice, or Minister of Domestic Affairs is serving in the Cabinet, the President of Congress must follow the recommendations of those Ministers relative to Administrative Privileges. If the President of Congress does not agree with any such recommendation, the President of Congress must carry out the recommendation regardless, and may only solicit the Congress to overturn the decision on behalf of the President of Congress; but may not ever circumvent the Congress or the authority of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Justice, or Minister of Domestic Affairs in order to oppose a recommendation by them.
Clause IX. The President of Congress shall, each week, select five (5) Residents to be featured on the World Factbook Entry. The President of Congress will then showcase those Residents in the World Factbook Entry and the Featured Nations topic in the Office of the President and World Assembly Delegate subsection (http://s1.zetaboards.com/DemocraticSocialist/topic/5106530/1/) accordingly. The President of Congress shall have the authority to determine the criteria for featuring Residents in the World Factbook Entry, and he/she is encouraged to showcase Residents that have little or no presence in the Regional Message Board and Forum over those that do.
Subsection V: The World Assembly Delegate
Clause I. The World Assembly Delegate shall represent the DSA at the World Assembly and its subsidiary organs.
Clause II. A World Assembly Delegate that has not been democratically elected by the Congress shall promptly resign from the World Assembly or move out of the DSA for as long as it takes for the democratically elected World Assembly Delegate to obtain World Assembly Delegate status. If a non-democratically elected World Assembly Delegate fails to obey this rule, the Founder may eject that World Assembly Delegate at the request of the President of Congress.
Clause III. The World Assembly Delegate, when not also the President of Congress, shall only be permitted to exercise Administrative Privileges as directed by the President of Congress. The World Assembly Delegate, when not also the President of Congress, does not have the authority of the President of Congress; and may only execute Administrative Privileges that are explicitly delegated or requested by the President of Congress. However, in the event that the Congress does not have a President of Congress, the democratically elected World Assembly Delegate shall be regarded as the President of Congress, and have the authority of the President of Congress in accordance with Article II, Subsection III, until the end of the term or until a President of Congress is chosen via special election before the end of the term, whichever comes first.
Clause IV. When a World Assembly Delegate’s term has ended, and that World Assembly Delegate has not been re-elected, then that World Assembly Delegate shall promptly resign from the World Assembly or move out of the region temporarily to allow for the democratically-elected World Assembly Delegate to be granted World Assembly Delegate status by NationStates-game-mechanics. If an outgoing World Assembly Delegate fails to obey this rule, that World Assembly Delegate shall be regarded by the Charter as non-democratically elected, and shall be subject to the protocol established in Clause II of this Subsection.
Clause V. The World Assembly Delegate shall be permitted to approve any proposed World Assembly resolution available to the World Assembly Delegate for scrutiny and approval in the World Assembly; however the World Assembly Delegate must publicly divulge to the Congress each approval that is made, and provide reasoning for an approval if so requested by any Resident.
Clause VI. The World Assembly Delegate may author or co-author World Assembly resolutions as long as the World Assembly Delegate publicly declares such an endeavor prior to submitting it for approval; and that such a resolution is in accordance with DSA Regional Principles.
Clause VII. The World Assembly Delegate shall regularly notify the DSA of new developments and proposed resolutions in the World Assembly, and shall foster healthy public discussion and debate about these in the DSA.
Clause VIII. The World Assembly Delegate shall cast a symbolic vote in the World Assembly on all resolutions which reflects the preferences and opinions of a simple majority of World Assembly-member Residents that voted on the resolutions; however the World Assembly Delegate may publicly issue a dissenting opinion as to why they disagree with the majority of the DSA’s World Assembly members.
Clause IX. The World Assembly Delegate shall with the Cabinet establish a welcome telegram to be sent to all new Residents.
Subsection VI: The Secretary General
Clause I. The Secretary General shall be charged with maintaining current and accurate records for the DSA, and conducting administrative functions for the DSA on behalf of the Congress.
Clause II. The Secretary General’s authority and duties include but are not limited to:
Administering all votes and elections and certifying their results
Evaluating Residents that Opt-in to the Charter for approval
Keeping Forum users accurately categorized
Keeping an accurate and current roster of Members of Congress and World Assembly members
Keeping accurate and historical records of key regional events in the Forum and NationStates Wiki
Serving as the administrator of the Capitol of the DSA
Setting up, declaring, and executing elections and referenda
Monitoring and organizing the Forum
Applying ratified amendments to the Charter
Subsection VII: The Minister of Justice
Clause I. The Minister of Justice shall be charged with upholding justice and maintaining the rule of law in the DSA. The Minister of Justice shall preside over the Court of the DSA. Decisions and recommendations made by the Minister of Justice shall be upheld by the Court, the Cabinet, and the Congress unless otherwise legally challenged and overturned.
Clause II. The Minister of Justice’s authority and duties include but are not limited to:
Making binding interpretations of Charter meaning and intent
Auditing Residents for compliance with the Conditions of Residency
Formally notifying Residents of their failure to comply with the Conditions of Residency
Ordering ejections of Charter violators
Settling disputes between Residents
Keeping an accurate and current roster of Charter violators
Keeping an accurate and current log of rulings
Helping nations to reach proper compliance with the Conditions of Residency
Clause III. The Minister of Justice shall refrain from ruling in cases to which the nation serving as such is a party, or in other cases where the Minister of Justice otherwise cannot be reasonably expected to maintain objectivity due to a conflict of interest. In such case, the President of Congress shall assume the duties of the Minister of Justice specifically in said case, though the Minister of Justice shall retain their authority in any other pending cases before the Court where such conflicts of interest are not present, as well as with respect to audits of Residents for compliance with the Conditions of Residency.
Clause IV. The Minister of Justice shall extend the probation period for nations that show any sign of progress towards compliance with the Conditions of Residency.
Clause V. The Minister of Justice, or another nation as the Minister of Justice may designate, is obligated to help any nation that requests assistance in reaching the requirements of the Conditions of Residency.
Subsection VIII: The Minister of Foreign Affairs
Clause I. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall conduct interregional diplomacy on behalf of the DSA, and shall promote the interests of the DSA abroad in interregional diplomatic affairs.
Clause II. The Minister of Foreign Affairs’ authority and duties include but are not limited to:
Setting the DSA’s foreign policy objectives each term
Gathering and synthesizing intelligence from allies and other regions abroad
Establishing embassy criteria and making embassy recommendations to the World Assembly Delegate
Brokering interregional treaties and agreements
Appointing and dismissing Ambassadors
Keeping the DSA informed about significant events outside the region
Clause III. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall represent the DSA abroad using a fleet of uniform ambassadorial puppet nations that will be under the control of the Minister of Foreign Affairs as well as any appointed Ambassadors.
Clause IV. Passwords for the ambassadorial nations shall be kept secret and listed in a closed-door subforum to which only Ambassadors and Cabinet Members are privy. New passwords for the fleet shall be established by each incoming Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Clause V. While the Minister of Foreign Affairs has the authority to establish the criteria that will be used to assess the worth of embassies, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is encouraged to reflect DSA Regional Principles in their selection process.
Clause VI. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall publicly disclose the DSA’s foreign policy objectives and embassy criteria as part of the Cabinet Doctrine.
Subsection IX: The Minister of Domestic Affairs
Clause I. The Minister of Domestic Affairs shall be charged with stimulating regional activity and Resident involvement, boosting regional morale and tranquility, and monitoring the ‘pulse’ of the DSA.
Clause II. The Minister of Domestic Affairs’ authority and duties include but are not limited to:
Starting debates and discussions on various topics, either in the Regional Message Board or Forum
Conducting regional polls to learn about the opinions and feelings of Residents, and to encourage the free flow of ideas
Holding contests to reward various merits, attributes, and accomplishments of Residents
Starting new projects in the various studios of the Forum to nurture the artistic culture of the DSA
Reminding Residents of the various activities going on in the region
Recommending to the President of Congress a list of Residents each week that shall be featured in the World Factbook Entry
Subsection X: The Minister of Immigration and Regional Promotion
Clause I. The Minister of Immigration & Regional Promotion shall be charged with growing the population of the DSA and promoting extra-regional awareness of DSA Regional Principles, the DSA, and its culture.
Clause II. The Minister of Immigration & Regional Promotion’s authority and duties include but are not limited to:
Recruiting foreign nations to move to the DSA
Representing the DSA and promoting DSA Regional Principles in interregional expositions
Appointing Recruiters
Clause III. The Minister of Immigration & Regional Promotion may actively or passively recruit foreign nations, using various manual or automatic communication mechanisms available to the Minister of Immigration & Regional Promotion at the time.
Clause IV. Should the Minister of Immigration & Regional Promotion elect to send automated recruitment telegrams, he or she will endeavor to secure the use of a back-up computer, which may belong to any Resident, to be used in case the principal recruitment computer is unavailable.
Clause V. The Minister of Immigration & Regional Promotion shall respect and uphold all treaties and interregional agreements that have been ratified by the DSA as they relate to recruiting activities.
Subsection XI: The Minister of Role Play
Clause I. The Minister of Role Play shall be head of the Ministry of Role Play and shall have the authority over its various departments as well as the authority to appoint Role Play Administrators to oversee specific departments.
Clause II. The Minister of Role Play shall foster a fair, welcoming, and enthusiastic environment to encourage a broad range of involvement among Residents and foreign visitors.
Subsection XII: Cabinet Aides
Clause I. Cabinet Aides serve at the pleasure of the Cabinet Member that appointed them. Their service is terminated when the Cabinet Member that appointed them leaves office.
Clause III. Cabinet Aides may serve at the pleasure of more than one Cabinet Member and in more than one ministry if so requested by any Cabinet Member.
Clause III. Residents may reject all or part of any request to serve as a Cabinet Aide and may resign from their Cabinet Aide positions at any time, though they are encouraged to notify their appointing Cabinet Member of their decision to do so.
Clause IV. Cabinet Aides are fully accountable to the Cabinet Member that appointed them, and Ministers are responsible for the Cabinet Aides they appoint.
Clause V. Cabinet Aides may be admitted to closed-door Cabinet meetings by the unanimous consent of the Cabinet, but they shall have no vote in Cabinet meetings. Cabinet Aides may be invested with limited Administrative Privileges by unanimous consent of the Cabinet.
Clause VI. Cabinet Aides that are privy to sensitive or confidential information shall not have the authority to publicize or divulge any such information beyond the Cabinet and are expected to keep such information confidential. If a Cabinet Aide believes such information to be in any way a violation of the Rules of the Charter, the Cabinet Aide is obligated to report such suspicions to the Minister of Justice, but shall refrain from discussing the information with any party not a Cabinet Member.
Clause VII. Cabinet Aides must immediately divulge all conflicts of interest that may arise during their terms as they relate to their duties.
Clause VIII. Cabinet Aides that fail to uphold their duties as described throughout this section shall be subject to disciplinary measures as described in Article III, Section IV.
Subsection XIII: Administrators Emeritus
Clause I. Qualified veteran Administrators shall be chosen by a simple majority of votes cast by the Congress. Administrators Emeritus chosen will then be appointed and granted relevant Administrative Privileges by the President of Congress upon accepting their appointment.
Clause II. Administrators Emeritus may, on request of the Cabinet, organize the Forum, advise current Cabinet Members, supervise legislative processes, carry out the duties of an absentee or overburdened Cabinet Member for the sake of continuity of governance.
Clause III. Two (2) Administrators Emeritus shall be in service to the Cabinet at any time.
Clause IV. If an Administrator Emeritus is elected or appointed to any other position, the Administrator Emeritus’s term will expire automatically on taking the new office.
Subsection XIV: Ambassadors
Clause I. Ambassadors are charged with representing the diplomatic face and voice of the DSA abroad to the region(s) in which the ambassadors are appointed to serve. Ambassadors are directly accountable to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and shall rely upon direction from the Minister of Foreign Affairs to carry out their ambassadorial duties.
Clause II. Ambassadors shall gather intelligence from their appointed region(s) and create concise intelligence reports as requested by the Minister of Foreign Affairs in order to better illustrate the current diplomatic and political landscape of said region(s).
Clause III. Ambassadors may be appointed to as many regions as they wish to serve in or that are available to them, as desired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Clause IV. No more than one (1) Ambassador may be actively representing the DSA at any time in any region; though an Ambassador may perform the duties of an absentee Ambassador of another region at the same time if explicitly requested by the Minister of Foreign Affairs or by the absentee Ambassador.
Clause V. Ambassadors shall periodically carry out investigations of potential regions that are compatible with DSA Regional Principles.
Clause VI. Ambassadors shall defer to the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ instructions and policies when carrying out their diplomatic duties. Ambassadors must seek counsel from the Minister of Foreign Affairs before making statements on sensitive regional positions within their appointed region or regions.
Section III: The Court of the Democratic Socialist Assembly
Subsection I. Establishment, Authority, and Jurisdiction
Clause I. The Court of the DSA is the sole judicial body competent to hear disputes among Residents of the DSA at the first instance. It shall fairly administer justice within the DSA and uphold the Charter at all trials and disputes.
Clause II. The authority and duties of the Court include but are not limited to:
Determining the scope of the Rules of the Charter when applied to various rulings
Determining the legality of pending and passed legislation
Determining the legality of Cabinet Members’ official decisions and actions
Determining the legality of treaties
Resolving disputes among Residents
Investigating various claims as requested
Sentencing or pardoning Residents that are successfully impeached by the Congress
Determining the legality of the World Assembly Delegate placing any nation on the DSA’s ban list
Clause III. The jurisdiction of the Court shall extend to all Residents of the DSA.
Clause IV. The Court shall be typically be presided over by the Minister of Justice, but when the case involves the Minister of Justice, the President of Congress shall take his/her position for that case only. If the case involves both the Minister of Justice and the President of Congress, a new judge shall be elected by the Congress in a four (4) day nomination and election period.
Subsection II. Cases
Clause I. Each case or request for an advisory opinion submitted to the Court shall be given a title. In the case of contentious issues, the title shall be of the form “A v. B”, with the names of the two parties in alphabetical order. In the case of advisory opinions, the title shall be of the form “In re A”, with A being the subject in question. In the case of impeachments, the title shall be of the form “Impeachment of A”, with A being the name of the nation in question.
Subsection III. Proceedings
Clause I. The proceedings of the Court shall be public.
Clause II. In contentious issues, the party bringing the case to the Court shall submit an initial statement to which the defending party shall have the opportunity to respond.
Clause III. Nations at trial have the right to the assistance of other nations in making their case. They may call witnesses whose testimony the Court shall have power to compel and may be represented by another nation of their choice.
They may not be compelled to testify against themselves.
Clause IV. The parties shall have the opportunity through the Court to ask each other questions and cross-examine those testifying.
Clause V. The Court may require from Residents in the form of a written and public subpoena any evidence that it deems necessary to make its decisions, including private communications and telegrams, and may compel parties to give testimony before the Court. The refusal of such information or testimony shall constitute contempt of court, which the Court may punish.
Clause VI. Testimony given before the Court will be subject to penalty for perjury.
Clause VII. At all controversies before the Court, all Residents shall have the right to submit whatever briefs, comments, or other information for consideration that they wish.
Subsection IV. Decisions
Clause I. The Court shall issue a written opinion on each of its decisions.
Clause II. Penalties imposed by the Court in cases of impeachment shall be limited to removal from office and, optionally, disqualification from holding office under the DSA fo a certain period of time or indefinitely.
Clause III. No penalty may be imposed as part of an advisory opinion.
Clause IV. Penalties imposed by the Court in the case of contentious issues may include:
Formal reprimand,
Placing a nation under a period of probation, during which any new offense may be punished with a greater than usual degree of severity,
Disqualification of a nation from holding office under the DSA for a period of time or indefinitely,
Recommendation to the President or World Assembly Delegate that a nation be expelled from the DSA, or
Any combination of the above.
Clause V. The Court may choose not to impose a penalty in contentious cases, letting its decision stand for itself as a form of justice.
Clause VI. Penalties shall be proportional to the severity of the offense committed.
Section IV: The Founder
Clause I. The Founder may only exercise Administrative Privileges at the request of the Congress and/or President of Congress, and may not disrupt or inhibit the ability of a democratically-elected World Assembly Delegate to exercise Administrative Privileges.
Clause II. The Founder may not remove the executive status of the World Assembly Delegate except as an emergency measure to safeguard against an imminent, apparent, or declared act of aggression targeted at the DSA by external or internal forces that specifically aim to usurp the World Assembly Delegate position. Executive status of the World Assembly Delegate must be reinstated immediately once the act of aggression has subsided.
Clause III. The Founder may eject and/or ban a non-democratically elected World Assembly Delegate at the request of the President of Congress.
Clause IV. The Founder may conditionally apply for temporary World Assembly membership with the explicit permission of the World Assembly Delegate in order for the Founder to cast a symbolic vote on a particular resolution; but only under the condition that the Founder shall immediately resign from the World Assembly after said resolution has either passed or failed. The Founder may not use temporary World Assembly member status to actively obtain or reciprocate World Assembly endorsements. In the unlikely event that the Founder wrongly obtains World Assembly Delegate status, the Founder must resign from the World Assembly immediately, and refrain from executing any World Assembly Delegate duties throughout the Founder’s duration as World Assembly Delegate until the democratically elected World Assembly Delegate obtains World Assembly Delegate status by NationStates-game-mechanics.
Clause V. In the event that there is no democratically elected World Assembly Delegate in place, the Founder shall execute World Assembly Delegate’s duties at the request of the President of Congress, or in the event that the President of Congress is also not in place at the same time, by the Congress, in the World Assembly Delegate’s absence, and shall immediately cease to execute World Assembly Delegate duties upon the return or election of a proper World Assembly Delegate or President of Congress or by request of the Congress.
Clause VI. The Founder may not stand for election, or serve, as the President of Congress or World Assembly Delegate, Minister of Justice, or Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Clause VII. The Founder may be permitted to serve as a Cabinet Aide to any Cabinet Member upon request.
Clause VIII. The Founder may not threaten to use or exercise Administrative Privileges, or use any other form of intimidation or coercion, against any Resident for any purpose other than to promptly alert a non-democratically elected World Assembly Delegate of impending ejection.
Section V: The Ministry of Role Play
Subsection I: Rights, Privileges, and Responsibilities of the Ministry of Role Play
Clause I. This Ministry shall be a centralized subforum for all aspects of Role Play that fall outside the scope of the Congress, Cabinet, and Court.
Clause II. Departments within the Ministry of Role Play include but are not limited to:
Cartography
The DSA Convention (similar function to the World Assembly, but on a regional level)
Games and gaming
Fantasy Sports Leagues
Trade and Commerce
War and Peace
Subsection II: The Department of Cartography
Clause I. Within the Department of Cartography, the Minister of Role Play shall have the responsibility of maintaining at least one regional map which shall be available for any member of Congress to establish an area comprising the administrative borders of their nation.
Clause II. The regional map shall be maintained such that its format shall be one that is commonly accessible and usable for anyone with a basic level of computer skills. Access and use of the map shall not require the purchase or extensive working knowledge of proprietary software beyond that provided by basic operating system packages widely available for use on personal computers, or free, open-source design software. The Minister of Role Play shall coordinate with the President of Congress as to how to best display the map for the region.
Clause III. The Minister of Role Play shall make efforts to accommodate the reasonable wishes of all Charter Members in good standing for their desired national administrative boundaries on any DSA regional map.
Clause IV. The Minister of Role Play shall have jurisdiction over international administrative boundary claim disputes between all nations that are represented on any DSA regional map. Any Member of Congress who has their nation represented on any DSA regional map may appeal the rulings of the Minister of Role Play to the Court of the DSA.
Clause VI. The Minister of Role Play shall have authority over redistributing the territories of nations that have either departed the region, resigned or have been removed from the Congress, or which have ceased to exist. Any disputes arising from the related actions taken by the Minister of Role Play to redistribute said territories shall be settled by the Court of the DSA.
Subsection III: The DSA Convention
Clause I. This Subsection is reserved for all rules pertaining to the DSA Convention.
Subsection IV: The Department of Games and Gaming
Clause I. This Subsection is reserved for all rules pertaining to the Department of Games and Gaming.
Subsection V: The Department of Fantasy Sports Leagues
Clause I. This Subsection is reserved for all rules pertaining to the Department of Fantasy Sports Leagues.
Subsection VI: The Department of Trade and Commerce
Clause I. This Subsection is reserved for all rules pertaining to the Department of Trade and Commerce.
Subsection VII: The Department of War and Peace
Clause I. This Subsection is reserved for all rules pertaining to the Department of War and Peace.
Article III: Miscellaneous Provisions
Section I: Voting and Elections
Subsection I: Voting Procedures
Clause I. At all votes but elections, voters shall have the right to cast a vote in the form FOR, AGAINST, or ABSTAIN, and these votes shall conducted through polls on the forum.
Clause II. If an there is an election for a position with one or two candidates, there shall only be one poll for this position, and the voters may either vote for a single candidate or abstain.
Clause III. Elections with more than two candidate shall be conducted by poll instant-runoff voting.
In an instant-runoff election, there will be different numbers of polls depending on the number of candidates running for a position.
For one position, there will be the same number polls as the number of candidates, and the each poll shall be titled first choice, second choice, and so on.
Each voter may choose which nation they would like to vote for as their first choice, in the first choice poll, up through the total number of choice polls for a given position.
At the end of the voting period, the votes in first-choice poll are tallied. If one candidate has received a majority of the first-choice votes, he or she is elected.
If no candidate has received a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated. If there is a tie for the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes, all tied candidates are eliminated.
Ballots whose first choice was assigned to the eliminated candidate or candidates are reassigned to their second-choice vote and added to that candidate’s total number of votes. If this results in one candidate having a majority of votes, that candidates is elected.
This procedure is repeated until one candidate has achieved a majority.
Ballots which have exhausted all of their candidates are discarded in future rounds.
Clause IV. All votes that are specifically reserved for Charter Members, including elections and referendums, shall be conducted in the Congressional Elections and Votes subforum on the main DSA forum. (http://s1.zetaboards.com/DemocraticSocialist/forum/1706758/)
Subsection II: Cabinet Elections
Clause I. The Cabinet Election process shall begin at 0:00 GMT on the sixtieth (60th) day of each Cabinet’s term, and it shall last for fourteen (14) days.
Clause II. Nominations for government positions shall begin at 00:00 GMT on the sixtieth (60th) day of each Cabinet’s term and close at 00:00 GMT on the sixty-seventh (67th) day, thereby lasting seven (7) days. After a Member of Congress is nominated, the Secretary General shall contact that nation in regard to accepting the nomination. Nations shall have the right to accept or decline any nomination. The final candidates shall then be posted prior to the start of voting.
Clause III. Voting shall begin at 00:00 GMT on the sixty-eighth (68th) day of each Cabinet’s term and close at 00:00 GMT on the seventy-fifth (75th) day, thereby lasting seven (7) full days. Votes shall then be tallied and the elected officers announced before 23:59 GMT on the seventy-fifth (75th) day. The elected Cabinet assume their positions at 0:00 GMT that night.
Clause IV. If a Charter member is elected to more than one office, they will be required to declare what office they wish to take up at the start of the new term. That Charter member shall then be eliminated from the vote counts for the other offices and votes he/she did not choose, and those elections shall be recounted.
Clause V. If a cabinet position is vacated for any reason, the President shall either take up the role or hold a special election for the position. While the special election is taking place, the President must choose an interim minister within 2 days of the position being vacated.
Clause VI. The procedures for a special election are the same as regular cabinet election procedures, but nominations and voting shall only last four (4) days each to ensure that a new minister is elected quickly. The total special election process should last eight (8) days, and the newly minister will join the cabinet as soon as the voting ends at 0:00 GMT of the eighth day.
Section II: Disciplinary Measures
Subsection I: Impeachment
Clause I. A Member of Congress in good standing may draft articles of impeachment for any Resident that the Member of Congress has probable cause to suspect of acting against the Rules of the Charter or DSA Regional Principles. Articles of impeachment require the public support or endorsement of not less than five (5) percent of Members of Congress in good standing before they may be brought before the Congress. The impeached shall be allowed to publicly contest the articles of impeachment before the Court if the impeachment passes in the Congress (if the impeached is found guilty by the Congress).
Clause II. Being convicted by the Congress for the following reasons shall be legal grounds for ejection from the DSA by the Court:
Fraudulently representing oneself in the Congress
Repetitive violations involving Prohibited Content
Repetitive periods of violating the Terms of Residency
Willfully neglecting to divulge known conflicts of interest
Willfully bringing harm upon the DSA
Any outgoing Cabinet Member refusing to obey the Rules of the Charter during transitions of power
Any Cabinet Member willfully violating the Rules of the Charter with respect to use of Administrative Privileges or the Cabinet Member’s authority
Clause III. Being convicted for any other reason than those explicitly stated in Clause II of this Subsection shall be legal grounds for a formal censure by the Court; but shall not result in ejection.
Clause IV. The Court may dismiss articles of impeachment passed by the Congress if the articles are deemed to be frivolous or of a political nature rather than intended to uphold the Rules of the Charter and DSA Regional Principles.
Subsection II: Violating the Terms of Residency
Clause I. If a Resident violates any of the Terms of Residency, the Minister of Justice shall impose upon such Resident a probation period of seven (7) days, beginning the day that the Minister of Justice gives notice of probation, in which the non-compliant Resident may become compliant once again in order to be spared further disciplinary action.
Clause II. Nations shall enjoy a grace period during the first seven (7) days of their existence wherein they are not subject to probation or expulsion.
Clause III. If Residents under probation fail or neglect to become compliant by the end of their probation period, they shall immediately forfeit their Resident status and be ejected from the DSA per the Minister of Justice’s formal recommendation to the World Assembly Delegate to do so.
Subsection III: Violating the Requirements for Members of Congress
Clause I. If Members of Congress violate the requirements for Membership in Congress, the Secretary General shall impose a probation period of seven (7) days, beginning the day that the Minister of Justice gives notice of probation, in which the non-compliant Member of Congress may become compliant once again in order to be spared further disciplinary action. Failure by the non-compliant Member of Congress to become compliant within the aforementioned probation period shall immediately result in the loss of Membership in Congress for the non-compliant Resident and full suspension of that Resident from participating in Congressional activities, thereafter only being subject to the Conditions of Residency.
Clause II. If Members of Congress are in violation of any of the requirements for Membership in Congress during an act of Congress, such Members of Congress shall be immediately suspended from participating in the act by the Secretary General, and any of those Members of Congress’ contributions to the act of Congress shall be discounted from affecting the outcome.
Section III. Transitory Provisions
Clause I. This Charter is the sole governing instrument of the DSA, and upon its ratification all previous Charters and amendments thereof are rendered null and void.
Clause II. This Charter will enter into force immediately upon ratification.
Clause III. Upon ratification of this Charter, the nations currently serving as President of Congress, World Assembly Delegate, Secretary General, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Immigration & Regional Promotion, Minister of Domestic Affairs, and Minister of Justice will continue to serve the remainder of the terms to which they were elected. The nation serving as Minister of Cartography will become the Minister of Role Play and serve out the remainder of the term as such.