Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2018 18:12:43 GMT
Government Overhaul
Author(s): New Bazlantis
Co-Signer(s): N/A
Date Enacted: 10 May 2012
Final Vote Count: 8-0-0
Archivist's Note: This overhaul was presented by New Bazlantis as a 'package' of amendments which effectively rewrote the Charter and have since become known as the 'First Great Overhaul'. The retroactive numbering of the Second Great Overhaul to become the 20th Amendment therefore left the First Overhaul outside of the numbered sequence of amendments.
Author(s): New Bazlantis
Co-Signer(s): N/A
Date Enacted: 10 May 2012
Final Vote Count: 8-0-0
Archivist's Note: This overhaul was presented by New Bazlantis as a 'package' of amendments which effectively rewrote the Charter and have since become known as the 'First Great Overhaul'. The retroactive numbering of the Second Great Overhaul to become the 20th Amendment therefore left the First Overhaul outside of the numbered sequence of amendments.
"After much discussion I am please and proud to offer the following amendments to the Charter. As you will note this is not a single amendment rather a package of amendments which will transform and modernise our Charter and the region... The purpose of these is to make the roles of officials in the region more specific and to ensure the Assembly and her government operates in the most efficient and effective way possible. Positions have clearly defined duties and responsibilities and preexisting clauses have been shuffled in order to ensure the document is simple to read and more easy to reference."
(Changes brought about by the overhaul have been made explicit)
(Changes brought about by the overhaul have been made explicit)
Preamble
'We, 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 this region and adopt this Charter to promote the values of democratic socialism'.
Definable terms used herein and throughout the region:
Charter - this document
DSA principles or regional principles - Those pertaining to the membership requirements of the DSA cited herein.
Founder's powers - The specifically legislated powers of the Founder cited herein.
In good standing - Any nation that is currently with good relations and in favour of the Congress established herein.
the Assembly - The Democratic Socialist Assembly.
Charter nation/Charter member - any nation in the DSA who have signed the Charter
Acronyms used herein and throughout the region:
Art. - Article
Cl. - Clause
DSA - Democratic Socialist Assembly
GMT - Greenwich Mean Time
NS - NationStates
RMB - Regional Message Board
Sec. - Section
WA - World Assembly
WA Delegate - World Assembly Delegate
WFE - World Factbook Entry
Charter of the Democratic Socialist Assembly
Article I: Establishment
Section I - Membership
Clause I. Membership shall be open to all nations that currently reside in the DSA and subscribe to the principles of the DSA. Nations who fall into the following WA categories shall be considered as espousing principles incompatible with those of the DSA:
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. Membership shall be closed to any nation out of compliance with DSA principles until such time as the nation brings itself into compliance. A member nation out of compliance with DSA principles shall be granted five days of probation in which to bring its actions into conformity in accordance with Article III, Section IV, Clause I.
Clause III. Any person may have only one nation as a Charter nation at any time. If a person is found to have more than one Charter nation concurrently, the respective nations will be prompted by the Supreme Court of the Assembly to correct the issue and if failing to comply within seven (7) days be expelled from the Congress. A person may have any number of nations as non-Charter nations in the DSA.
Clause IV. The purpose of the DSA shall be to establish solidarity and unity between sovereign nations in pursuit of our common goals. The DSA shall also seek to extend relations between itself and other compatible nations and/or regions not in membership that desire relations with the DSA.
Clause V. Except for the specific enumerated powers cited herein, it is understood that the Founder shall have the same rights, duties, and obligations as other nations in regard to this Charter.
Article II: Organs of the Democratic Socialist Assembly
Section I - The Congress
Clause I. The Congress is the supreme policy and decision-making body of the Democratic Socialist Assembly. All Charter members shall be entitled to participate in its deliberations and vote in matters affecting the DSA. Voting shall occur in accordance with Art. III, Sec. I.
Clause II. Nations on probation shall not be allowed to vote in the Congress, but may continue to debate. Non-Charter nations may similarly engage in debate, but shall not have voting rights.
Clause III. The Congress may impeach any member of the Council Cabinet or Supreme Court for good cause by a two-thirds vote of all Charter members in good standing. Articles of impeachment may be presented to the Congress provided that at least five charter members have endorsed said articles of impeachment. The Council Cabinet member or Tribune shall be provided an opportunity to contest the articles of impeachment before any vote.
Section II - TheCouncil Cabinet
Clause I. TheCouncil Cabinet shall carry out the administrative functions of the Assembly and present proposals or recommendations to the Congress.
Clause II. TheCouncil Cabinet shall consist of the Secretary-General and the Foreign Ministry, which shall include the WA Delegate and a maximum of three other ambassadors the President of the Congress, the World Assembly Delegate, the Secretary-General and all Ministers of the Assembly. The President of the Congress shall chair Cabinet meetings and shall reserve the right to invite the Founder to join Cabinet in its discussions however in a non-voting, advisory capacity only.
Clause II(a). On matters before the Cabinet where a vote is called by the President of the Congress, all members of Cabinet shall have one vote.
Clause III. TheCouncil Cabinet shall establish embassies in foreign regions and accept foreign embassies and ambassadors from among those regions desiring diplomatic relations with the DSA. This process will be completed by the World Assembly Delegate as s/he is the only member of the Foreign Ministry Cabinet with power to officially do so in the administration page of DSA Civil Headquarters. The Ambassador Diplomatic Corps and other member states of the DSA may recommend regions where an embassy is appropriate to the Foreign Ministry Cabinet. The Foreign Ministry Cabinet shall then determine whether or not to establish an embassy with said region. Should issues arise as to the appropriateness of an embassy, a consensus of the Foreign Ministry and the Council must be reached before an embassy may be established. Furthermore the Congress, by a majority vote, may overturn the Foreign Ministry's Cabinet's establishment of an embassy in a foreign region or extension of diplomatic recognition to foreign embassies or ambassadors approval of such a request by a foreign region.
Clause IV.The Foreign Ministry shall coordinate the Assembly's diplomatic activities before the WA and represent the DSA in other regions. The Foreign Ministry shall be composed of the World Assembly Delegate the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the ambassador diplomatic corps. (MOVED UNDER FOREIGN MINISTER'S SECTION)
Clause IV.The World Assembly Delegate shall put forth to the Congress his or her recommendation as to whether specific resolutions before the World Assembly should be adopted. The Congress shall determine whether to accept, reject, or modify the Delegate's recommendation by a majority of Charter members voting. Voting shall be limited to Charter members also having membership in the WA, but all nations may participate in debate. The World Assembly Delegate shall faithfully execute the wishes of the Congress. (MOVED UNDER DELEGATE'S SECTION)
Clause V. Acknowledging the World Assembly Delegate as the democratically elected representative of the member states of the Assembly, the World Assembly Delegate shall enjoy uninterrupted access to Regional Control and the Administration page of the DSA Civil Headquarters. This function may only be temporarily removed from the Delegate by the Founder in cases of a raiding or invasion from a hostile foreign region or impeachment of the Delegate by the Congress, as specified under Article II, Section I, Clause III. (MOVED UNDER DELEGATE'S SECTION)
Clause VI. The ambassadors shall, under the supervision of the WA Delegate, manage any foreign relations not involving the World Assembly. It shall be their duty to communicate regional policies in contacts with other regions, after deliberations with the WA Delegate. Further, the ambassadors shall coordinate recruitment of new nations and policies regarding recruitment. The ambassadors shall also be responsible for regularly welcoming new nations arriving in the DSA.
Clause IV. Any non-elected office created by aCouncil Cabinet member along with the chosen holder of said office shall be publicly announced to the Congress before it taking effect. Should the Congress be displeased with the creation of such a said office they may undo this creation by way of a majority vote.
Clause IV(a). Envoys and Recruiters shall be exempt from the restrictions of Art. II, Sec. II, Cl. VII as they are legislated for separately.
Clause V. TheCouncil Minister for Domestic Affairs shall inform the Congress of all major decisions made by the Council Cabinet.
Clause VI. All Ministers of the Assembly shall be fully accountable to the President of the Congress and the Congress itself. All Cabinet members are expected to carry out their duties with honour and integrity. Any Cabinet members who acts in a manner not befitting their position shall tender their resignation to the Congress.
Clause VII. A Minister who commits an act of gross misconduct or carries out his/her duties poorly may immediately be dismissed by the President of the Congress. In such an instance a special election will be called to fill the position and in the mean time the President shall appoint a replacement or fill the ministerial office him/herself.
Clause VII(a). The Congress, by way of a simple majority vote, may overturn any ministerial dismissal by the President of the Congress.
Clause VIII. In an emergency or other clearly critical situation, any official may act beyond their given bounds. Every such action will be subject to a vote of confidence for the officer in question, at the earliest convenience following the action. The officer is allowed three (3) full days of discussions, starting from the initiation of the vote of confidence by a Congress member, to defend the action, after which the vote of confidence is held by the Congress, excluding the officer in question. The vote lasts for seven (7) full days. A two thirds majority is required for the officer to remain in office, otherwise he/she is unseated and Congress will hold a new election for the position, at the earliest convenience. In the mean time the President of the Congress shall appoint a replacement or fill the office him/herself.
Section III - The President of the Congress
Clause I. The President of the Congress shall act as the Head of Government for the Assembly and also the Head of the Cabinet. The President of the Congress shall be the nation that is chosen by the Congress to be the World Assembly Delegate of the Assembly via the Charter's election process.
Clause II. In a situation whereby the President of the Congress and the World Assembly Delegate are two separate nations neither shall act without the consent of the other thus they shall effectively serve as co-Heads of Government. However this provision is not extended to authority within the Cabinet of which only the President shall command.
Clause III. Major disputes between the President of the Congress and the World Assembly Delegate shall be referred by either party to the Supreme Court which will promptly make a ruling on the matter.
Clause IV. Once the President of the Congress becomes the World Assembly Delegate s/he shall operate with the full and standard authority as granted to the two positions under the Charter. However despite the President and the Delegate being the same nation, s/he shall not in any instance have more than one vote in any matter in the region.
Clause V. Should a President of the Congress not be elected, the current World Assembly Delegate shall assume the role of Caretaker-President of the Congress. The Caretaker-President of the Congress must abide by all Supreme Court rulings and judgements and must act in full accordance of the will of the Congress. The Caretaker-President of the Congress will assume all the duties and responsibilities in line with the role of President of the Congress as detailed in this Charter
Clause VI. In such times as those of a Caretaker-President of the Congress, any nation may be nominated at any time during the term to officially fill that office for the remainder of said term. Should that nation receive approval from the Congress, by way of a simply majority vote lasting seven (7) full days, they shallimmediately assume the role of President of the Congress.
Clause VII. The role of Caretaker-President of the Congress is a temporary position. On the election of a candidate to the position of the President of the Congress, the position of Caretaker-President of the Congress shall immediately be dissolved and all authority be transferred to the successful candidate.
Section IV - The World Assembly Delegate
Clause I. The World Assembly Delegate shall represent the Assembly on the floor of the World Assembly as well as bodies and institutions the are under the umbrella of the World Assembly.
Clause II.The World Assembly Delegate shall put forth to the Congress his or her recommendation as to whether specific resolutions before the World Assembly should be adopted. The Congress shall determine whether to accept, reject, or modify the Delegate's recommendation by a majority of Charter members voting. Voting shall be limited to Charter members also having membership in the WA, but all nations may participate in debate. The World Assembly Delegate shall faithfully execute the wishes of the Congress.
Clause III. Acknowledging the World Assembly Delegate as the representative of the member states of the Assembly as a whole, the World Assembly Delegate shall enjoy uninterrupted access to Regional Control and the Administration page of the DSA Civil Headquarters. This function may only be temporarily removed from the Delegate by the Founder in cases of a raiding or invasion from a hostile foreign region or impeachment of the Delegate by the Congress, as specified under Article II, Section I, Clause III.
Section V - The Secretary-General
Clause I. The Secretary-General shall carry out the administrative functions of the DSAand serve as the head of the Council. The Secretary-General shall keep an archive of all decisions of the Congress.
Clause II. The Secretary-General shall maintain a roster of Charter nations with posts in the government and offoreign ambassadors diplomatic envoys or embassies accorded diplomatic recognition within the DSA. The Secretary-General shall from time to time also advise the Congress on the status of alliances and diplomatic relations with foreign regions.
Section VI - The Minister of Foreign Affairs
Clause I. The Minster of Foreign Affairs shall have the responsibility of coordinating the diplomatic activities of the Democratic Socialist Assembly around the world. Furthermore the Minister of Foreign Affairs is charged with remaining intimately informed with regards to the foreign relations of the Assembly and the actions of the Diplomatic Corps abroad.
Clause II. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall operate under the direction of the President of the Congress and shall serve as the head of the Foreign Ministry which shall included the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Diplomatic Corps of appointed envoys.
Clause III. The Minister of Foreign Affairs must report as to the status of foreign relations with regions at the request of the Congress or the Cabinet as well as the President of the Congress. The Minister of Foreign Affairs may withhold diplomatically sensitive information from their reports to the Congress but shall not have this ability when reporting to the Cabinet. Furthermore the Minister must disclose any information withheld from the Congress to the Cabinet as well as the Supreme Court who will have the authority to rule such a move unwarranted and force the Minister to disclose said information to the Congress.
Clause IV. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, with the consent or on the direction of the President of the Congress, shall have the authority to appoint individual diplomatic envoys to significant regions. Envoys will be expected to create official puppet nations in the regions of which they are appointed and to become intimately acquainted with the politics of the regions in which they are appointed.
Clause V. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is responsible for the actions of diplomatic envoys.
Clause VI. The Minister, with the consent or on the direction of the President of the Congress, shall have to authority to dismiss and replace an envoy.
Clause VII. The Congress may by way of a simple majority vote overturn the decision of the Minister to appoint or dismiss an envoy.
Section VII - The Minister of Immigration and Regional Promotion
Clause I. The Minister of Immigration and Regional Promotion is charged with conducting global recruitment campaigns to promote the Assembly. The Minister also has the responsibilty of welcoming new nations to the region and helping them to become familiar with domestic politics and regional operations.
Clause II. The Minister of Immigration and Regional Promotion, with the consent or on the direction of the President of the Congress, shall have the authority to appoint recruiters to assist him/her in the execution of their global promotional duties.
Clause III. The Minister of Immigration and Regional Promotion is responsible for the actions of recruiters.
Clause IV. The Minister, with the consent or on the direction of the President of the Congress, shall have to authority to dismiss and replace a recruiter.
Clause V. The Congress may by way of a simple majority vote overturn the decision of the Minister to appoint or dismiss an recruiter.
Section VIII - The Minister of Domestic Affairs
Clause I. The Minister of Domestic Affairs shall have the responsibility of monitoring regional matters. The Minister shall be the Editor-in-Chief of and a contributor to "Solidarity" and publish articles on matters significant both within and outside of the Democratic Socialist Assembly.
Clause II. The Minister of Domestic Affairs will stimulate discussion on the Regional Message Board as well as the external forums of the Assembly. The Minister shall endeavour to ensure the region does not slip into a state of inactivity.
Clause III. The Minister of Domestic Affairs shall also from time to time coordinate domestic related duties entrusted to him/her by the President of the Congress.
Section IX - The Minister of Justice
Clause I. The Minster of Justice shall have the responsibility of coordinating the execution of the duties of the Supreme Court. Additionally, the Minister of Justice shall enforce the provisions of Article I, Section I, Clause I & Clause II and Article III, Section IV, Clause I.
Clause II. The Minister of Justice shall be elected for a one hundred and fifty (150) day term. The Minister of Justice shall only serve one (1) consecutive term.
Clause III. The Minister of Justice shall remain a nation in good standing, as set forth in Article I, Section I, Clause I. If the Minister of Justice falls out of good standing, s/he shall immediately be removed from office and a replacement appointed as per Article II, Section II, Clause VII.
Section X - The Supreme Court of the Democratic Socialist Assembly
Clause I. The Supreme Court shall interpret the Charter in cases where a dispute arises concerning the meaning of the Charter or any provision herein. Additionally, the Supreme Court shall enforce the provisions of Article I, Section I, Clause I & Clause II and Article III, Section IV, Clause I.
Clause II. The Supreme Court shall consist of the President of the Congress, the Secretary-General and the Minister of Justice. The Minister of Justice shall be considered the chair and head of the Supreme Court on a 'first among equals' basis.
Clause III. Any nation may bring a dispute concerning interpretation of the Charter before the Supreme Court through a procedure prescribed by the Supreme Court. By signing the Charter, each nation submits itself to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and agrees to abide by its decisions in full. The Supreme Court shall record all of its decisions on the regional forum. Congress shall not have the authority to reverse an interpretive decision of the Supreme Court however it shall retain full rights to amend the Charter to the effect of making the interpretation null and void. Congress' power to amend the Charter shall not be limited in any way by this Clause.
Clause IV. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over any dispute involving the President of the Congress, World Assembly Delegate, Secretary-General, Founder, any other officer of the Assembly or Charter members if any nation of the Assembly asks the Supreme Court to resolve said dispute. Failure to abide by a decision of the Supreme Court is an impeachable offence.
Clause V. In situations of significant conflicts of interest, the member of the Supreme Court in question shall be expected to excuse him/herself from their position for the duration of the case in question. The President of the Congress thus shall appoint another nation to fill the post for the extent of the case in question only. The appointment must be agreed to by all other members of the Supreme Court. Should it be the President of the Congress that excuses him/herself, the Minister of Justice shall appoint a replacement on the authority of the President of the Congress and with his/her approval as well as the approval of the other remaining members of the Court.
Clause VI. A nation may not be ejected under Article I, Section I, Clause I and Article III, Section IV, Clause I without majority approval of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court shall record its votes and shall enumerate the reasons for a nation's ejection from the Assembly upon the regional forum.
Section XI - The Founder
Clause I. The Founder of the DSA shall enjoy no special privilege under this Charter based upon its status as regional founder.
Clause II. The Founder shall obey all provisions of this Charter and shall perform such functions as requested by the the President of the Congress, World Assembly Delegate, Secretary-General, officer of the Assembly, Congress, Cabinet or any governing body of the DSA. Such requests shall be limited to the special powers provided to the Founder by virtue of its position. The Founder's special powers are limited to: a) editing the World Factbook Entry, b) suppressing posts on the regional message board, c) establishing or withdrawing of embassies, d) ejecting and/or banning of a nation from the region and e) any special power not in existence upon the adoption of this Charter, but granted to the Founder at some future date. The Founder shall not exercise such special powers except as otherwise provided in this Charter.
Clause III. Should the Founder, for whatever reason, choose to depart the Assembly, the President of the Congress shall have the authority to request that the Founder return. The request shall be subject to what is reasonable in terms of time spent away, and the circumstances for the departure and shall be treated by the Founder to be of utmost significance and importance.
Article III: Special Regulations
Section I - Voting, office holding, recalls and roster of Charter nations
Clause I. Any member nation accepting and agreeing to be bound by the terms of this Charter shall have the right to vote in the Congress, provided that the nation is in compliance with Article I, Section I, Clause I. Non-Charter nations may debate and present recommendations to the Congress, but shall not have voting rights. The Congress shall have a one-cast/one-vote policy for all Charter members.
Clause II. Any member nation accepting and agreeing to be bound by the terms of this Charter shall have the right to hold office, provided that the nation is in compliance with Article I, Section I, Clause I. Any Charter nation may only be elected to one office concurrently, with the obvious exception of the President of the Congress also holding the World Assembly Delegate's position. The Founder may not hold the Office of World Assembly Delegate or the Office of President of the Congress. Non-charter nations may not hold any office provided for by the Charter.
Clause III. Any nation of the Congress that has been inactive for twenty-eight days and therefore removed from NationStates shall also be removed from the Congress. However, any nation that has informed the Congress of an absence or vacation lasting longer than twenty-eight days shall be exempt from expulsion.
Clause IV. Any nation of the Congress that has not been present in the DSA for a continuous period of seven days shall be removed from the Congress. However, any nation that has informed the Congress of an absence from the DSA lasting longer than seven days shall be exempt from expulsion.
Clause V. Any official that has been inactive in his or her duties for more than fourteen days shall be removed from office and another nation elected in a special election for that position, to be held within seven days of the departure. In the mean time, the President of the Congress shall appoint an immediate replacement or fill the office him/herself. However, any official that has informed the Congress of an absence or vacation lasting longer than fourteen days shall remain in his or her position and have a representative appointed by theSecretary-General (or WA Delegate in the case of absence of the Secretary-General) President of the Congress for the duration of their absence. Should the majority of the Congress disapprove of the Secretary-General's (or WA Delegate's as appropriate) President's selection, the Secretary-General (or WA Delegate as appropriate) President of the Congress shall select another candidate who commands the support of the majority of the Congress.
Clause VI. Any official who performs their duties without the support of the majority of the Congress shall be expelled from their position and have a special vote held to elect a successor for the remainder of the position's lifespan. Such a vote is to be held within seven days of a majority of Congress vote on support for that official.
Clause VII. The Secretary-General shall maintain a roster of those nations accepting and agreeing to be bound by the terms of this Charter. The Secretary-General shall also maintain a roster of those Charter nations having membership in the WA.
Section II - Elections
Clause I. The Congress shall elect theCouncil Cabinet by a majority of Charter members voting. All Council Cabinet members' terms shall last seventy-five (75) full days, except for the Minister of Justice who is legislated for seperately. Nations nominated for a position on the Council Cabinet must be in good standing and have an account on the forum. Any nominated nation that is not a member of the forum must join within one week of his or her nomination; if by that time the nominated nation has not joined the forum, his or her nomination shall be considered invalid and terminated.
Clause II. Nominations for government positions shall begin at 00:00 GMT on the 60th day of the terms and close at 00:00 GMT on the 65th day, thereby lasting five full days. Nations who are nominated by other nations shall be sent a notification telegram by the Secretary-General and will be able to accept or decline their nomination or nominations until 00:00 GMT on the 67th day; candidates can accept nominations for several offices, but can only be elected to one. The final candidates shall then be posted and a vote set before 23:59 GMT of that day. Voting shall begin at 00:00 GMT on the 68th day of the terms and close at 00:00 GMT on the 75th day, thereby lasting seven full days. Votes shall then be tallied and the elected officers announced before 23:59 GMT of that day. The elected officer for each position will be determined in the following manner:
1) During the voting period, a Charter member may vote for any number of nominees for each office, numbering them in descending order from first preference to last.
2) When the votes for each office are counted, only first preference votes are considered. If one candidate has more than 50% of the total votes for that office or they are the only running nominee, they are elected to that office and no further votes for that office are counted.
3) Should no candidate have more than 50% of the votes for that office, the nominee with the fewest first preference votes is eliminated and the second preference votes for that office of the voters whose first preference votes were eliminated are counted and added to the previous first preference votes. If one candidate now has more than 50% of the total votes for that office or they are the only nominee left, they are elected to that office and no further votes for that office are counted.
4) This procedure is repeated, eliminating nominees with the fewest votes at the counted preference level and counting the votes at the next lower preference level of the voters whose votes were eliminated and adding them to the total number of votes, until one candidate has more than 50% of the votes or there is only one nominee left for that office.
If a Charter member is elected to more than one office, they will be required to declare what office they wish to take up before the start of the new term. That Charter member will then be eliminated from the vote counts for the other offices and votes for those other offices will be recounted.
At 00:00 GMT on the 76th day of the terms, the newly elected officials shall take up their positions and the term cycle shall reset.
Clause III. Every seventy-five (75) days, concurrent with the election of the otherCouncil Cabinet positions, the Congress shall select a candidate for the position of World Assembly Delegate, this nation will assume the office of the President of the Congress with immediate effect. The nation shall be selected from among members of the DSA in good standing, who are also WA members, by the same voting procedure as laid out in Clause III of this section. Once a candidate has been selected it is to be announced to the region, asking that all members of the DSA who are also WA members endorse the candidate. Endorsement of the President of the Congress for World Assembly Delegate is non-mandatory. The new WA Delegate is selected by being the nation with the highest number of endorsements seven (7) full days after the announcement of the Congress candidate, whether this is the Congress candidate or not. In the event of the World Assembly Delegate and the President of the Congress being two separate nations, and that the Delegate has not signed the Charter, it will be requested to do so. If the World Assembly Delegate is not a member of the off-site forum it will be requested to register for it, in order for communication between Delegate/President/Cabinet/Congress to work. Should it fail to do so, the Congress may select and announce another President of the Congress to be endorsed as World Assembly Delegate, thus, following the procedure set out above.
Clause IV. The Secretary-General shall announce the coming nomination and election process by posting on the Regional Message Board and the relevant forum thread. The Secretary-General shall administer and supervise the nomination and election process.
Clause V. TheCouncil Cabinet shall seek the advice and consent of the Congress regarding the appointment of such additional officers as may be needed to carry out the functions of the DSA.
Section III - Honors
Clause I. The Congress may honor any nation or region, regardless of membership or affiliation, for special acts in defence of the DSA or for such acts that otherwise further the principles of the DSA.
Clause II. A nation may display recognition of such honor in the form of a medal or otherwise, however such display is not mandatory.
Section IV - Expulsion
Clause I. The Minister of Justice shall place member nations on probation if found to be out of compliance with Article I, Section I, Clause I. The member nation shall have five days in which to bring its actions into conformity. If after five days it has failed to do so it shall be expelled.
Clause II. Expulsion may be overturned and the member reinstated by a majority vote of the Congress. The member nation shall have the right to petition the Congress for reinstatement and explain the reasons why the expulsion was unjustified or how it has brought its actions into conformity. Written notice shall be provided to all member nations prior to the vote to reinstate the expelled member.
Clause III. The Founder or World Assembly Delegate, in their discretion, may immediately expel member nations engaging is disruptive behavior as evidenced by spamming, griefing, posting of overtly obscene content, libel, or defamation of character. It is the collective sentiment of the DSA that immediate expulsion should be reserved for egregious instances of disruptive behavior and that nations should ordinarily receive warnings and an opportunity to conform their conduct for breaches of forum decorum.
Clause IV. Expelled nations shall no longer have rights as members of the DSA. In addition, the DSA forums shall not be open to expelled members.
Section V - Reaffirmation of the Freedom of Expression
Clause I. As the Democratic Socialist Assembly has made special commitments to the preservation of civil and political rights and have espoused equality, justice and freedom as core values, the Democratic Socialist Assembly hereby reaffirms our commitment to the freedoms of speech and expression.
Clause II. As evidence of this reaffirmation, the Assembly hereby limits the authority of the Regional Founder, the World Assembly Delegate or any other DSA official to censor both the Regional Forum and the Regional Message Board. These officials shall retain their right to edit or suppress a member’s post for the sole purpose of removal of overly obscene posts, threatening or malicious posts, defamatory or libelous statements or unwanted spam.
Clause III. To further protect the freedoms of expression and speech, an archive of removed or suppressed posts shall be kept in the archive of other regional message board posts on the off-site forum. In addition, a similar log of removed posts shall be kept of posts from the regional forum. If a post is deemed to be so heinous as to merit exclusion from being logged, the person censoring such a post must explicitly detail why said post was inappropriate.
Clause IV. Any abuse of such a power on the part of the World Assembly Delegate, the Regional Founder or any other DSA official shall be considered appropriate grounds for the drafting of articles of impeachment under Article III, Section I, Clause V of this Charter.
Clause V. The affirmation of this right shall in no way infringe upon the right of any member nation to delete, edit or otherwise alter his or her own post.
Section VI - Ratification, amendments, and new members
Clause I. Member nations desiring to vote in regard to the ratification of this Charter shall be required to register prior to voting. Voter registration shall be held open for five days. This Charter shall be ratified if a majority of member nations having previously registered affirmatively consent to its terms. Voting on ratification for this Charter shall be held open for ten days following the period of registration. Failures to register or vote shall be considered as abstentions.
Clause II. In the event of ratification, member nations having registered a 'no' vote in regard to the Charter shall be considered as non-Charter members, but may subsequently agree to be bound by the charter by registering their assent with the Secretary-General. Nations having registered a 'yes' vote in regard to the Charter shall be counted as having opted in to the Charter.
Clause III. Any signatory of this Charter in good standing may propose an amendment to this Charter. Before going to a vote, the amendment shall be subjected to a period of scrutiny during which it is discussed and debated. The period of scrutiny shall be at least seven full days long, and may be lengthened as the amendment's author sees fit. The Secretary-General will announce the beginning and the ending of the period of scrutiny on the Regional Message Board as they occur. Once the period of scrutiny is over, the amendment shall be brought to a vote. The voting period shall be seven full days long, but it may be extended at the Secretary-General's discretion. The Secretary-General will announce the beginning and ending times of the vote on the Regional Message Board and the thread in which the amendment was scrutinized, and will also declare voting open and closed in the relevant forum thread.
Clause IV. After the adoption of this Charter, any nation that is in or joins the DSA may voluntarily agree to be bound by this Charter's terms by opting in to the Charter in the forum thread dedicated to this purpose.
Section VII - Departments and specifications
Clause I. The motto of the DSA shall be 'Democracy, Equality, Solidarity, Freedom'.
Clause II. The main flag of the DSA shall be this flag, and this secondary flag shall exist to be used by the Congress as it sees fit. (Hyperlinks removed)
Clause III. The forum of the DSA shall be this forum. A secondary forum shall exist here and shall serve as an archive of pre-June 2010 activities. In the case of disruption to the main forum, the secondary forum shall take its place until such time as the main forum is again operational. (Hyperlinks removed)
Clause IV. The time zone of the DSA shall be Greenwich Mean Time. This shall be used in elections and votes on amendments.
'We, 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 this region and adopt this Charter to promote the values of democratic socialism'.
Definable terms used herein and throughout the region:
Charter - this document
DSA principles or regional principles - Those pertaining to the membership requirements of the DSA cited herein.
Founder's powers - The specifically legislated powers of the Founder cited herein.
In good standing - Any nation that is currently with good relations and in favour of the Congress established herein.
the Assembly - The Democratic Socialist Assembly.
Charter nation/Charter member - any nation in the DSA who have signed the Charter
Acronyms used herein and throughout the region:
Art. - Article
Cl. - Clause
DSA - Democratic Socialist Assembly
GMT - Greenwich Mean Time
NS - NationStates
RMB - Regional Message Board
Sec. - Section
WA - World Assembly
WA Delegate - World Assembly Delegate
WFE - World Factbook Entry
Charter of the Democratic Socialist Assembly
Article I: Establishment
Section I - Membership
Clause I. Membership shall be open to all nations that currently reside in the DSA and subscribe to the principles of the DSA. Nations who fall into the following WA categories shall be considered as espousing principles incompatible with those of the DSA:
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. Membership shall be closed to any nation out of compliance with DSA principles until such time as the nation brings itself into compliance. A member nation out of compliance with DSA principles shall be granted five days of probation in which to bring its actions into conformity in accordance with Article III, Section IV, Clause I.
Clause III. Any person may have only one nation as a Charter nation at any time. If a person is found to have more than one Charter nation concurrently, the respective nations will be prompted by the Supreme Court of the Assembly to correct the issue and if failing to comply within seven (7) days be expelled from the Congress. A person may have any number of nations as non-Charter nations in the DSA.
Clause IV. The purpose of the DSA shall be to establish solidarity and unity between sovereign nations in pursuit of our common goals. The DSA shall also seek to extend relations between itself and other compatible nations and/or regions not in membership that desire relations with the DSA.
Clause V. Except for the specific enumerated powers cited herein, it is understood that the Founder shall have the same rights, duties, and obligations as other nations in regard to this Charter.
Article II: Organs of the Democratic Socialist Assembly
Section I - The Congress
Clause I. The Congress is the supreme policy and decision-making body of the Democratic Socialist Assembly. All Charter members shall be entitled to participate in its deliberations and vote in matters affecting the DSA. Voting shall occur in accordance with Art. III, Sec. I.
Clause II. Nations on probation shall not be allowed to vote in the Congress, but may continue to debate. Non-Charter nations may similarly engage in debate, but shall not have voting rights.
Clause III. The Congress may impeach any member of the Council Cabinet or Supreme Court for good cause by a two-thirds vote of all Charter members in good standing. Articles of impeachment may be presented to the Congress provided that at least five charter members have endorsed said articles of impeachment. The Council Cabinet member or Tribune shall be provided an opportunity to contest the articles of impeachment before any vote.
Section II - The
Clause I. The
Clause II. The
Clause II(a). On matters before the Cabinet where a vote is called by the President of the Congress, all members of Cabinet shall have one vote.
Clause III. The
Clause IV. Any non-elected office created by a
Clause IV(a). Envoys and Recruiters shall be exempt from the restrictions of Art. II, Sec. II, Cl. VII as they are legislated for separately.
Clause V. The
Clause VI. All Ministers of the Assembly shall be fully accountable to the President of the Congress and the Congress itself. All Cabinet members are expected to carry out their duties with honour and integrity. Any Cabinet members who acts in a manner not befitting their position shall tender their resignation to the Congress.
Clause VII. A Minister who commits an act of gross misconduct or carries out his/her duties poorly may immediately be dismissed by the President of the Congress. In such an instance a special election will be called to fill the position and in the mean time the President shall appoint a replacement or fill the ministerial office him/herself.
Clause VII(a). The Congress, by way of a simple majority vote, may overturn any ministerial dismissal by the President of the Congress.
Clause VIII. In an emergency or other clearly critical situation, any official may act beyond their given bounds. Every such action will be subject to a vote of confidence for the officer in question, at the earliest convenience following the action. The officer is allowed three (3) full days of discussions, starting from the initiation of the vote of confidence by a Congress member, to defend the action, after which the vote of confidence is held by the Congress, excluding the officer in question. The vote lasts for seven (7) full days. A two thirds majority is required for the officer to remain in office, otherwise he/she is unseated and Congress will hold a new election for the position, at the earliest convenience. In the mean time the President of the Congress shall appoint a replacement or fill the office him/herself.
Section III - The President of the Congress
Clause I. The President of the Congress shall act as the Head of Government for the Assembly and also the Head of the Cabinet. The President of the Congress shall be the nation that is chosen by the Congress to be the World Assembly Delegate of the Assembly via the Charter's election process.
Clause II. In a situation whereby the President of the Congress and the World Assembly Delegate are two separate nations neither shall act without the consent of the other thus they shall effectively serve as co-Heads of Government. However this provision is not extended to authority within the Cabinet of which only the President shall command.
Clause III. Major disputes between the President of the Congress and the World Assembly Delegate shall be referred by either party to the Supreme Court which will promptly make a ruling on the matter.
Clause IV. Once the President of the Congress becomes the World Assembly Delegate s/he shall operate with the full and standard authority as granted to the two positions under the Charter. However despite the President and the Delegate being the same nation, s/he shall not in any instance have more than one vote in any matter in the region.
Clause V. Should a President of the Congress not be elected, the current World Assembly Delegate shall assume the role of Caretaker-President of the Congress. The Caretaker-President of the Congress must abide by all Supreme Court rulings and judgements and must act in full accordance of the will of the Congress. The Caretaker-President of the Congress will assume all the duties and responsibilities in line with the role of President of the Congress as detailed in this Charter
Clause VI. In such times as those of a Caretaker-President of the Congress, any nation may be nominated at any time during the term to officially fill that office for the remainder of said term. Should that nation receive approval from the Congress, by way of a simply majority vote lasting seven (7) full days, they shallimmediately assume the role of President of the Congress.
Clause VII. The role of Caretaker-President of the Congress is a temporary position. On the election of a candidate to the position of the President of the Congress, the position of Caretaker-President of the Congress shall immediately be dissolved and all authority be transferred to the successful candidate.
Section IV - The World Assembly Delegate
Clause I. The World Assembly Delegate shall represent the Assembly on the floor of the World Assembly as well as bodies and institutions the are under the umbrella of the World Assembly.
Clause II.The World Assembly Delegate shall put forth to the Congress his or her recommendation as to whether specific resolutions before the World Assembly should be adopted. The Congress shall determine whether to accept, reject, or modify the Delegate's recommendation by a majority of Charter members voting. Voting shall be limited to Charter members also having membership in the WA, but all nations may participate in debate. The World Assembly Delegate shall faithfully execute the wishes of the Congress.
Clause III. Acknowledging the World Assembly Delegate as the representative of the member states of the Assembly as a whole, the World Assembly Delegate shall enjoy uninterrupted access to Regional Control and the Administration page of the DSA Civil Headquarters. This function may only be temporarily removed from the Delegate by the Founder in cases of a raiding or invasion from a hostile foreign region or impeachment of the Delegate by the Congress, as specified under Article II, Section I, Clause III.
Section V - The Secretary-General
Clause I. The Secretary-General shall carry out the administrative functions of the DSA
Clause II. The Secretary-General shall maintain a roster of Charter nations with posts in the government and of
Section VI - The Minister of Foreign Affairs
Clause I. The Minster of Foreign Affairs shall have the responsibility of coordinating the diplomatic activities of the Democratic Socialist Assembly around the world. Furthermore the Minister of Foreign Affairs is charged with remaining intimately informed with regards to the foreign relations of the Assembly and the actions of the Diplomatic Corps abroad.
Clause II. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall operate under the direction of the President of the Congress and shall serve as the head of the Foreign Ministry which shall included the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Diplomatic Corps of appointed envoys.
Clause III. The Minister of Foreign Affairs must report as to the status of foreign relations with regions at the request of the Congress or the Cabinet as well as the President of the Congress. The Minister of Foreign Affairs may withhold diplomatically sensitive information from their reports to the Congress but shall not have this ability when reporting to the Cabinet. Furthermore the Minister must disclose any information withheld from the Congress to the Cabinet as well as the Supreme Court who will have the authority to rule such a move unwarranted and force the Minister to disclose said information to the Congress.
Clause IV. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, with the consent or on the direction of the President of the Congress, shall have the authority to appoint individual diplomatic envoys to significant regions. Envoys will be expected to create official puppet nations in the regions of which they are appointed and to become intimately acquainted with the politics of the regions in which they are appointed.
Clause V. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is responsible for the actions of diplomatic envoys.
Clause VI. The Minister, with the consent or on the direction of the President of the Congress, shall have to authority to dismiss and replace an envoy.
Clause VII. The Congress may by way of a simple majority vote overturn the decision of the Minister to appoint or dismiss an envoy.
Section VII - The Minister of Immigration and Regional Promotion
Clause I. The Minister of Immigration and Regional Promotion is charged with conducting global recruitment campaigns to promote the Assembly. The Minister also has the responsibilty of welcoming new nations to the region and helping them to become familiar with domestic politics and regional operations.
Clause II. The Minister of Immigration and Regional Promotion, with the consent or on the direction of the President of the Congress, shall have the authority to appoint recruiters to assist him/her in the execution of their global promotional duties.
Clause III. The Minister of Immigration and Regional Promotion is responsible for the actions of recruiters.
Clause IV. The Minister, with the consent or on the direction of the President of the Congress, shall have to authority to dismiss and replace a recruiter.
Clause V. The Congress may by way of a simple majority vote overturn the decision of the Minister to appoint or dismiss an recruiter.
Section VIII - The Minister of Domestic Affairs
Clause I. The Minister of Domestic Affairs shall have the responsibility of monitoring regional matters. The Minister shall be the Editor-in-Chief of and a contributor to "Solidarity" and publish articles on matters significant both within and outside of the Democratic Socialist Assembly.
Clause II. The Minister of Domestic Affairs will stimulate discussion on the Regional Message Board as well as the external forums of the Assembly. The Minister shall endeavour to ensure the region does not slip into a state of inactivity.
Clause III. The Minister of Domestic Affairs shall also from time to time coordinate domestic related duties entrusted to him/her by the President of the Congress.
Section IX - The Minister of Justice
Clause I. The Minster of Justice shall have the responsibility of coordinating the execution of the duties of the Supreme Court. Additionally, the Minister of Justice shall enforce the provisions of Article I, Section I, Clause I & Clause II and Article III, Section IV, Clause I.
Clause II. The Minister of Justice shall be elected for a one hundred and fifty (150) day term. The Minister of Justice shall only serve one (1) consecutive term.
Clause III. The Minister of Justice shall remain a nation in good standing, as set forth in Article I, Section I, Clause I. If the Minister of Justice falls out of good standing, s/he shall immediately be removed from office and a replacement appointed as per Article II, Section II, Clause VII.
Section X - The Supreme Court of the Democratic Socialist Assembly
Clause I. The Supreme Court shall interpret the Charter in cases where a dispute arises concerning the meaning of the Charter or any provision herein. Additionally, the Supreme Court shall enforce the provisions of Article I, Section I, Clause I & Clause II and Article III, Section IV, Clause I.
Clause II. The Supreme Court shall consist of the President of the Congress, the Secretary-General and the Minister of Justice. The Minister of Justice shall be considered the chair and head of the Supreme Court on a 'first among equals' basis.
Clause III. Any nation may bring a dispute concerning interpretation of the Charter before the Supreme Court through a procedure prescribed by the Supreme Court. By signing the Charter, each nation submits itself to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and agrees to abide by its decisions in full. The Supreme Court shall record all of its decisions on the regional forum. Congress shall not have the authority to reverse an interpretive decision of the Supreme Court however it shall retain full rights to amend the Charter to the effect of making the interpretation null and void. Congress' power to amend the Charter shall not be limited in any way by this Clause.
Clause IV. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over any dispute involving the President of the Congress, World Assembly Delegate, Secretary-General, Founder, any other officer of the Assembly or Charter members if any nation of the Assembly asks the Supreme Court to resolve said dispute. Failure to abide by a decision of the Supreme Court is an impeachable offence.
Clause V. In situations of significant conflicts of interest, the member of the Supreme Court in question shall be expected to excuse him/herself from their position for the duration of the case in question. The President of the Congress thus shall appoint another nation to fill the post for the extent of the case in question only. The appointment must be agreed to by all other members of the Supreme Court. Should it be the President of the Congress that excuses him/herself, the Minister of Justice shall appoint a replacement on the authority of the President of the Congress and with his/her approval as well as the approval of the other remaining members of the Court.
Clause VI. A nation may not be ejected under Article I, Section I, Clause I and Article III, Section IV, Clause I without majority approval of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court shall record its votes and shall enumerate the reasons for a nation's ejection from the Assembly upon the regional forum.
Section XI - The Founder
Clause I. The Founder of the DSA shall enjoy no special privilege under this Charter based upon its status as regional founder.
Clause II. The Founder shall obey all provisions of this Charter and shall perform such functions as requested by the the President of the Congress, World Assembly Delegate, Secretary-General, officer of the Assembly, Congress, Cabinet or any governing body of the DSA. Such requests shall be limited to the special powers provided to the Founder by virtue of its position. The Founder's special powers are limited to: a) editing the World Factbook Entry, b) suppressing posts on the regional message board, c) establishing or withdrawing of embassies, d) ejecting and/or banning of a nation from the region and e) any special power not in existence upon the adoption of this Charter, but granted to the Founder at some future date. The Founder shall not exercise such special powers except as otherwise provided in this Charter.
Clause III. Should the Founder, for whatever reason, choose to depart the Assembly, the President of the Congress shall have the authority to request that the Founder return. The request shall be subject to what is reasonable in terms of time spent away, and the circumstances for the departure and shall be treated by the Founder to be of utmost significance and importance.
Article III: Special Regulations
Section I - Voting, office holding, recalls and roster of Charter nations
Clause I. Any member nation accepting and agreeing to be bound by the terms of this Charter shall have the right to vote in the Congress, provided that the nation is in compliance with Article I, Section I, Clause I. Non-Charter nations may debate and present recommendations to the Congress, but shall not have voting rights. The Congress shall have a one-cast/one-vote policy for all Charter members.
Clause II. Any member nation accepting and agreeing to be bound by the terms of this Charter shall have the right to hold office, provided that the nation is in compliance with Article I, Section I, Clause I. Any Charter nation may only be elected to one office concurrently, with the obvious exception of the President of the Congress also holding the World Assembly Delegate's position. The Founder may not hold the Office of World Assembly Delegate or the Office of President of the Congress. Non-charter nations may not hold any office provided for by the Charter.
Clause III. Any nation of the Congress that has been inactive for twenty-eight days and therefore removed from NationStates shall also be removed from the Congress. However, any nation that has informed the Congress of an absence or vacation lasting longer than twenty-eight days shall be exempt from expulsion.
Clause IV. Any nation of the Congress that has not been present in the DSA for a continuous period of seven days shall be removed from the Congress. However, any nation that has informed the Congress of an absence from the DSA lasting longer than seven days shall be exempt from expulsion.
Clause V. Any official that has been inactive in his or her duties for more than fourteen days shall be removed from office and another nation elected in a special election for that position, to be held within seven days of the departure. In the mean time, the President of the Congress shall appoint an immediate replacement or fill the office him/herself. However, any official that has informed the Congress of an absence or vacation lasting longer than fourteen days shall remain in his or her position and have a representative appointed by the
Clause VI. Any official who performs their duties without the support of the majority of the Congress shall be expelled from their position and have a special vote held to elect a successor for the remainder of the position's lifespan. Such a vote is to be held within seven days of a majority of Congress vote on support for that official.
Clause VII. The Secretary-General shall maintain a roster of those nations accepting and agreeing to be bound by the terms of this Charter. The Secretary-General shall also maintain a roster of those Charter nations having membership in the WA.
Section II - Elections
Clause I. The Congress shall elect the
Clause II. Nominations for government positions shall begin at 00:00 GMT on the 60th day of the terms and close at 00:00 GMT on the 65th day, thereby lasting five full days. Nations who are nominated by other nations shall be sent a notification telegram by the Secretary-General and will be able to accept or decline their nomination or nominations until 00:00 GMT on the 67th day; candidates can accept nominations for several offices, but can only be elected to one. The final candidates shall then be posted and a vote set before 23:59 GMT of that day. Voting shall begin at 00:00 GMT on the 68th day of the terms and close at 00:00 GMT on the 75th day, thereby lasting seven full days. Votes shall then be tallied and the elected officers announced before 23:59 GMT of that day. The elected officer for each position will be determined in the following manner:
1) During the voting period, a Charter member may vote for any number of nominees for each office, numbering them in descending order from first preference to last.
2) When the votes for each office are counted, only first preference votes are considered. If one candidate has more than 50% of the total votes for that office or they are the only running nominee, they are elected to that office and no further votes for that office are counted.
3) Should no candidate have more than 50% of the votes for that office, the nominee with the fewest first preference votes is eliminated and the second preference votes for that office of the voters whose first preference votes were eliminated are counted and added to the previous first preference votes. If one candidate now has more than 50% of the total votes for that office or they are the only nominee left, they are elected to that office and no further votes for that office are counted.
4) This procedure is repeated, eliminating nominees with the fewest votes at the counted preference level and counting the votes at the next lower preference level of the voters whose votes were eliminated and adding them to the total number of votes, until one candidate has more than 50% of the votes or there is only one nominee left for that office.
If a Charter member is elected to more than one office, they will be required to declare what office they wish to take up before the start of the new term. That Charter member will then be eliminated from the vote counts for the other offices and votes for those other offices will be recounted.
At 00:00 GMT on the 76th day of the terms, the newly elected officials shall take up their positions and the term cycle shall reset.
Clause III. Every seventy-five (75) days, concurrent with the election of the other
Clause IV. The Secretary-General shall announce the coming nomination and election process by posting on the Regional Message Board and the relevant forum thread. The Secretary-General shall administer and supervise the nomination and election process.
Clause V. The
Section III - Honors
Clause I. The Congress may honor any nation or region, regardless of membership or affiliation, for special acts in defence of the DSA or for such acts that otherwise further the principles of the DSA.
Clause II. A nation may display recognition of such honor in the form of a medal or otherwise, however such display is not mandatory.
Section IV - Expulsion
Clause I. The Minister of Justice shall place member nations on probation if found to be out of compliance with Article I, Section I, Clause I. The member nation shall have five days in which to bring its actions into conformity. If after five days it has failed to do so it shall be expelled.
Clause II. Expulsion may be overturned and the member reinstated by a majority vote of the Congress. The member nation shall have the right to petition the Congress for reinstatement and explain the reasons why the expulsion was unjustified or how it has brought its actions into conformity. Written notice shall be provided to all member nations prior to the vote to reinstate the expelled member.
Clause III. The Founder or World Assembly Delegate, in their discretion, may immediately expel member nations engaging is disruptive behavior as evidenced by spamming, griefing, posting of overtly obscene content, libel, or defamation of character. It is the collective sentiment of the DSA that immediate expulsion should be reserved for egregious instances of disruptive behavior and that nations should ordinarily receive warnings and an opportunity to conform their conduct for breaches of forum decorum.
Clause IV. Expelled nations shall no longer have rights as members of the DSA. In addition, the DSA forums shall not be open to expelled members.
Section V - Reaffirmation of the Freedom of Expression
Clause I. As the Democratic Socialist Assembly has made special commitments to the preservation of civil and political rights and have espoused equality, justice and freedom as core values, the Democratic Socialist Assembly hereby reaffirms our commitment to the freedoms of speech and expression.
Clause II. As evidence of this reaffirmation, the Assembly hereby limits the authority of the Regional Founder, the World Assembly Delegate or any other DSA official to censor both the Regional Forum and the Regional Message Board. These officials shall retain their right to edit or suppress a member’s post for the sole purpose of removal of overly obscene posts, threatening or malicious posts, defamatory or libelous statements or unwanted spam.
Clause III. To further protect the freedoms of expression and speech, an archive of removed or suppressed posts shall be kept in the archive of other regional message board posts on the off-site forum. In addition, a similar log of removed posts shall be kept of posts from the regional forum. If a post is deemed to be so heinous as to merit exclusion from being logged, the person censoring such a post must explicitly detail why said post was inappropriate.
Clause IV. Any abuse of such a power on the part of the World Assembly Delegate, the Regional Founder or any other DSA official shall be considered appropriate grounds for the drafting of articles of impeachment under Article III, Section I, Clause V of this Charter.
Clause V. The affirmation of this right shall in no way infringe upon the right of any member nation to delete, edit or otherwise alter his or her own post.
Section VI - Ratification, amendments, and new members
Clause I. Member nations desiring to vote in regard to the ratification of this Charter shall be required to register prior to voting. Voter registration shall be held open for five days. This Charter shall be ratified if a majority of member nations having previously registered affirmatively consent to its terms. Voting on ratification for this Charter shall be held open for ten days following the period of registration. Failures to register or vote shall be considered as abstentions.
Clause II. In the event of ratification, member nations having registered a 'no' vote in regard to the Charter shall be considered as non-Charter members, but may subsequently agree to be bound by the charter by registering their assent with the Secretary-General. Nations having registered a 'yes' vote in regard to the Charter shall be counted as having opted in to the Charter.
Clause III. Any signatory of this Charter in good standing may propose an amendment to this Charter. Before going to a vote, the amendment shall be subjected to a period of scrutiny during which it is discussed and debated. The period of scrutiny shall be at least seven full days long, and may be lengthened as the amendment's author sees fit. The Secretary-General will announce the beginning and the ending of the period of scrutiny on the Regional Message Board as they occur. Once the period of scrutiny is over, the amendment shall be brought to a vote. The voting period shall be seven full days long, but it may be extended at the Secretary-General's discretion. The Secretary-General will announce the beginning and ending times of the vote on the Regional Message Board and the thread in which the amendment was scrutinized, and will also declare voting open and closed in the relevant forum thread.
Clause IV. After the adoption of this Charter, any nation that is in or joins the DSA may voluntarily agree to be bound by this Charter's terms by opting in to the Charter in the forum thread dedicated to this purpose.
Section VII - Departments and specifications
Clause I. The motto of the DSA shall be 'Democracy, Equality, Solidarity, Freedom'.
Clause II. The main flag of the DSA shall be this flag, and this secondary flag shall exist to be used by the Congress as it sees fit. (Hyperlinks removed)
Clause III. The forum of the DSA shall be this forum. A secondary forum shall exist here and shall serve as an archive of pre-June 2010 activities. In the case of disruption to the main forum, the secondary forum shall take its place until such time as the main forum is again operational. (Hyperlinks removed)
Clause IV. The time zone of the DSA shall be Greenwich Mean Time. This shall be used in elections and votes on amendments.