First Constitution of The League

First Constitution of The League
Jurisdiction	The League
Ratified	18/6/2016
System	Democratic Republic
Author(s)	Icares

The First Constitution of The League, contemporarily known as the LCN Constitution or the Icares Constitution was the foundational document for The League's first stable government. The constitution was ratified on June 18th, 2016 after a regional referendum, in which it was ratified 17 to 1, with an additional one voter abstaining.

Preamble

In order to maintain law and order, we must put in a place a system of organization in which our people can unite under. We the people of the League of Conservative Nations accept and sustain these rights and doctrines in which have been formally established.

Article I: Bill of Rights

All nations retain the right of freedom of speech, as long as the content does not go against rules
The government cannot silence dissidents or trolls as long as their comments remain inside NationStates rules
All nations are given the right to vote after a wait period of ten days of residing in the region
All nations reserve the right to run for a cabinet position as long as they have resided in the region for ten days
All member nations are free to govern their nation as they please; the region may not judge their decisions
All nations are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law; all nations have the right to a fair and speedy trial.
Nations may not be punished or banned without being formally charged and given a trial, unless they are an immediate security threat.
As long as it abides by NationStates game rules, nations have the right to submit, and have their work featured, in the regional newspaper. The editor may not silence any articles unless the content breaks game rules.

Article II: Membership and the Regional Senate

After residing in the region for ten days, a nation is granted membership
A registration form must be kept to document every member nation
Every member nation is a member of the Regional Senate
Every Senate member gets one vote in elections, referendums, or polls
After a nation leaves the region and is away for 10 days, under his own motives, not under government nor military mission, will have his registration/membership revoked. If a nation returns, after a period of 10 days has past, that nation must wait the 10 day period for membership once more.
In order to be a more democratic and representative region, one person may not control more than one nation in the region at a time.

Article III: President

The region is governed by the President, who is voted in by the Regional Senate by majority
The President is voted into office by the Regional Senate and governs the region, and chooses his cabinet
Despite being the executive leader, the President and Founder must work hand in hand
The President may be impeached by the Senate with 2/3 majority or his Cabinet, or removed by the Founder
The President must not act alone in any action and must consult his Cabinet, who will make sure the Senate is informed
The President's term is two months long, or 60 days
The President is given the right to make decisions in the best interest of the region, without the Senates approval, only in times of extreme need and with 3/4 approval from his cabinet *This is up to the judgement of the President and can be charged for unconstitutional acts. The constitutionality of the actions will be up to the interpretation of the Chief Justice

Article IV: The Cabinet and National Council

The President's cabinet is made up of four nations; Vice President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Public Relations.
The Vice President handles the regional duties when the President is unable, he is second in charge and in the line of succession
The Secretary of Defense investigates those who act against the region or Constitution and safety. He also appoints the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretaries of the military branches
The Secretary of State handles diplomacy and establishes embassies
The Secretary of Public Relations gets to know every nation that joins the region and makes them feel welcome. The Secretary of Public Relations must remain neutral in elections and proposals to maintain trust from the people. The Secretary also documents the regional happenings in an almanac. The Secretary may use discretion when reporting back to the President, but only if it does not threaten the region.
The National Council is made up of all the Cabinet members. They only vote on executive actions made by the President.

Article V: Speaker of the Senate

The Speaker of the Senate head the Senate and is a representative from the political party with the most nations
The Speaker of the Senate communicates between the Regional Senate and the President
The Speaker of the Senate registers the political parties in single document
The Speaker of the Senate registers the member nations
The Speaker of the Senate is not a cabinet member, but is third in the line of succession to the President's office

Article VI: Line of Succession to the office of the President

President
Vice President
Speaker of the Senate
Secretary of State
Secretary of Defense
Secretary of Public Relations

Article VII: Judicial System

There shall be a Code of Law, which explains the judicial system in depth
There shall be a Chief Justice, who oversees every court case, a Regional Attorney, who defends the region, and a People's Attorney, who defends nations charged by either the region or in a civil suit.
The cabinet may choose several candidates for the Chief Justice position and recommends them to the President who then choses the Chief Justice
The Chief Justice gives a verdict based on a jury's recommendation, but may not take it.
A Chief Justice's verdict may only be overturned if a referendum is started, and the President himself overturns it. The President may only overturn a verdict if the a referendum by the Senate has passed with a 2/3 majority.
The People's Attorney will be elected by the Regional Senate and approved by the President

Article VIII: Defense System

The Secretary of Defense heads the Department of Defense who protects our region from enemies both foreign and domestic; both militarily and investigatively
Only members may join the Armed Forces
An extensive document will be written discussing military organization and conduct (system may change based on that document)
There shall be an Intelligence agency to infiltrate and gather information on other regions for regional security. The Director of the LCNIA is appointed by the Secretary of Defense.

Reception

This has a history that precedes my presence in the region. Written by Icaris, it was a very rudimentary document. Its objective was simply to give the region some ground and avoid arbitrariness. This is where power abuse was first officially delimited; where the first political institutions were consolidated; where the army had its opportunity to grow into one of the very essential gears of the region, in the second and third republics. Though commendable, I believe this Constitution was very abstract: everything, from the three solidified judicial positions, to the way the president's cabinet was organized, to the duties of the speaker of the Senate, looks more like a test than a consuetudinary conclusion. Of course, this is NationStates that we are talking about, and, therefore, the complexities of the outside world don't warrant their way into analyses of the game; but it's remarkable, nonetheless, that Icaris arrived at this document. Besides, the structure of the Senate was extremely democratic (which is something that I admittedly find nostalgic) and fitting for those times.

— Neo polisophos