Second Constitution of The League

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Second Constitution of The League[1]
JurisdictionThe League
Ratified9 December 2016 (fully ratified)
SystemDemocratic Republic
Author(s)Icares and Kurnslav[note 1]

The Second Constitution of The League, contemporarily known as the 2nd LCN Constitution was the foundational document for The League's second stable government. The constitution was unique in that it was not ratified in finished form (bar amendments), but rather ratified section by section through public opinion polls known as the Second Constitutional Convention.

For a long period, the text of the second constitution was thought lost to history due to there being no original copy, and no centralized archives of dispatches (in contrast to WFEs, regional flags, and some other information).

Preamble

In order to establish a utopia for conservatives and promote the Conservative Movement, we found this regional code, our Constitution of the League of Conservative Nations, in honor of our those who have dedicated their time and effort in keeping peace and unity and to guide those to do it in the future, united under God and conservatism we stand, divided we fall.

Forward:

The Constitution is the supreme law of the land, those who go against it will be swiftly brought to justice. Those who question it shall do so democratically, and therefore, this document may be amended by the Regional Senate. This also allows for other documents to be established, and therefore, becoming a parachute guidebook for all departments and realms of our regional government. Documents created by the government, in forms of bills, codes, or other proposals may be put into law and be affected by the same punishments to that of the Constitution.

Article I: Bill of Rights

All nations have the right to freedom of speech, as long as the content does not go against NationStates rules, or is seen as an immediate threat or hindrance to our region goal or unification
All members have the right to vote
All member nations have the right to run or be appointed to a government or public service position
All members are innocent until proven guilty in the court of law; all nations have the right to a fair and speedy trial as long as they aren’t seen as an immediate threat to security or regional stability
All nations have the right to communicate through telegrams. The privilege of communications authority is for official use only, and violations of this right may be the loss of the privilege
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

All nations receive membership after residing in the region for 10 days and with approval from immigration officials
After receiving membership, all members become a part of the Regional Senate
A nation’s membership is revoked after being away for 10 days under their own motives, not under government nor military mission. If a nation returns, after a period of 10 days has past, that nation must wait the 10 day period for membership once more. If someone in power accidentally kicks him out of the region, he/she still does have their citizenship.
The Chief Justice may oversee all revocations and denials of membership, and may overturn the decision of the Immigration Office, only if he feels the nation in question is worthy

Article III: Legislative Branch

The Legislative Branch is composed of the Regional Senate
All nations in the region, who have received membership and full clearance from the Immigration Office are accepted into the Regional Senate
All Regional Senate members have the right to one vote in referendums, and decisions are made based on the simple majority
The Senate is organized by the Speaker of the Senate, who puts legislation proposals to the Senate floor and monitors political party and membership registration
The Regional Senate may impeach all members of government with a simple 2/3 majority of voters in the referendum poll, but the Chief Justice may overturn the Senate’s ruling The Regional Senate may hold referendums to amend any government documents or pass legislation
The Regional Senate may veto a President’s executive action bill with 2/3 majority of voters

Article IV: Executive Branch

The Executive Branch is composed of the President, Vice President, and Founder
The main duties of the Executive Branch are to represent the region and serve it’s people
The President is elected by a simple majority of the Regional Senate and can be impeached with 2/3 majority of voters
The President is the executive leader of the region, but must not act without approval from the Regional Senate or National Council
The President’s term is two months long, is flexible around a certain if issues with election scheduling arise, but ideally a 60 day term
The President may only serve two terms
The President is given the right to make quicker decisions, called executive action bills, passed by 3/4 of the National Council, these decisions can be judged unconstitutional (or that boundaries have been overstepped), by the Chief Justice, with proper justification (such as a letter or document explanation)
Executive orders may not altar the Constitution, and must be a separate law
An executive order may involved a pardon to a law for certain people or groups of people
A poor executive order is not an impeachable offense, due to it's ability to be overturned
The Senate overturns an executive order with a petition of 3 Senators, which then orders a Senate-wide vote
The Chief Justice may suspend the executive order abilities of the President, if he deems the President abuses the power
The President may select his cabinet, but his choices may be subject to impeachment by the Regional Senate by majority
The President may remove cabinet positions if the need arises and if a nation fails to uphold their duties
The President can be removed from power at the will of the Chief Justice, but the Justice must provide a letter to the Senate will the justification of this
To affirm the impeachment by the Chief Justice, the Senate must hold a vote within 120 hours of the impeachment
The Vice-President will be President between Justice impeachment and the vote and will not select a new Vice President during this time
If the Senate gets the 60% majority required to impeach the President, he will remain out of power and the acting President will finish the term and select a new Vice-President
If a Senator(s) wishes to impeach the President, they must get at least 10 signatures on a petition and send it to the Speaker of the Senate, along with justification for the impeachment, including legitimate claim(s), such as lying/fraud, abuse of power, or not representing the people well, or something along those lines
The Vice President is second in line of succession and ensures communication within the Presidential cabinet.
The Founder is merely a figurehead, but is to be informed of regional happenings and promote regional growth and prosperity

Article V: The Cabinet and National Council

The National Council is made up of the nations included in the President’s cabinet
Cabinet positions may be created or destroyed by the Regional Senate
The President's cabinet is made up of four nations; Vice President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Public Relations.
The cabinet answers to the President, and vote on executive action bills
The line of succession is as follows: President, Vice President, Speaker of the Senate, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, Secretary of Public Relations

Article VI: Founder

The Founder is merely a figurehead, but is to be informed of regional happenings and promote regional growth and prosperity
He is head of The Conservative Movement, taking the role as Chairman
The Founder may take emergency executive action in government, only if the Senate gives him permission, or if it entails a matter of defense, in which the President or Secretary of Defense may instruct him to act
The Founder must represent the people and the region's interests, before his own.
The Founder is advised to not make decisions for the region, or with other regions without consulting the regional government, specifically the President

Article VII: Judicial Branch

The Judicial Branch is composed of the Chief Justice, Regional Attorney, and People’s Attorney
The job of the Judicial Branch is to uphold and protect the Constitution and as well as other government documents passed by the Regional Senate or President, from those who go against them
The Chief Justice oversees all actions by the government and makes sure to maintain the balance of power, to ensure the President represents the people’s best interest
The Chief Justice is chosen by the President, who can also remove him, but can be also removed by the Founder, or Regional Senate by majority
The Chief Justice oversees all regional court cases, and makes the ultimate verdict in said cases
The Regional Attorney upholds the Constitution and defends the regional government and its members
The Regional Attorney is chosen by the Chief Justice, but can be removed by the Chief Justice himself, the President, Founder, or Regional Senate by majority
The Judicial Branch may be further expanded in documents to establish regional law and judicial precedent

Article VIII: Department of Defense

The Secretary of Defense heads the Department of Defense who protects our region from enemies both foreign and domestic; both militarily and investigatively
The Secretary of Defense leads the military, and has the ultimate decisions when it comes to actions made by the military and other methods of regional security
The Secretary of Defense, in cooperation with the President, may define a security threat to the region, and may act accordingly
The actions of the Secretary of Defense in response to a security threat may be reviewed by the Chief Justice to decide whether the actions are justified
The Secretary of Defense is appointed by the President and may be removed by the President
The Department of Defense can be further expanded in documents to establish security organization and branches inside the Department of Defense

Article IX: Department of State

The Department of State is led by the Secretary of State
The Secretary of State operates negotiations and diplomacy with other regions, in the form of embassies and other regional communications
The Secretary of State is expected to promote the interests of our region and spread our goals
The Secretary of State is appointed by the President, and may be removed by the President

Article X: Department of Public Relations

The Department of Public Relations is led by the Secretary of Public Relations
The Secretary of Public Relations is in charge of regional communication, making sure every voice is heard, and the communication between the people and the government is stable and continuous
The Secretary of Public Relations should remain trustworthy and may use discretion when reporting back to the President, but only if it does not threaten the region
The Secretary of Public Relations may also document the regional happenings in an almanac if he so chooses.

Article XI: Non-Member Residents

Non-Member residents are defined by this Article as "People who are in the LCN but have not been approved by LCN Immigration Officials for full membership"
Non member nations can not run for or hold an LCN government office, and they may not participate in the Ambassador Program to another region. The Secretary of Defense may decide if a specific resident may serve in the LCNAF or LCNIA.
Non members may not join or start a political party. If they vote in an official government LCN law or election poll their vote will be rendered null and void. Votes in opinion polls or polls with no legal power will be counted.
Non members do not have the entitlement to a trial. The President, with a 3/4 approval from the National Council, may ban any non member resident. The President may not be impeached for this, but he must provide a letter of justification to the Senate and Chief Justice. The Chief Justice may repeal this if he feels it was not justified, and he may order a trial. However, the President or Secretary of Defense may ban unilaterally for imminent security reasons, but a National Council vote on the ban must be held within 72 hours of the ban.

Amendments

Reception

Sadly, I currently cannot find this Constitution, so I must go mainly from memory. This document refined the First Constitution, corrected some of its problems and sought to make the region more stable. In fact, the Second Constitution's was perhaps the most unstable of times for the League. Conflicts between the region's founder, Adawn, and his adversaries in principles — most of the active influential members of the League, that is —; the fragmentation into groups of diverging opinions, most notably CSNA's (Conservative States of New America); the discussions regarding the plurality of opinion in the League, and how a region called Conservative could allow Communists in... Those were all problems that the League had to face. There was also the recurrent threat of Nagarno: mayhap his was, inadvertently, the most important role in making the League stronger. By attempting so many times to destroy the region, Nagarno forced its residents to acknowledge their commonalities and work together, a spirit of unison that would overcome the dissent over internal matters. Of course, this does not mean that all went well: some residents left or started to become inactive during these times; but a filter was inevitable for a region so riddled with conundrums, and the number of dissidents was minuscule compared to the achievements of those who remained. In conclusion, the Second Constitution was, arguably, the easiest to find problems in; but that was because of its context: it was the abstraction of the First Constitution confronted by the inexorable reality of power and ideological struggle. In that regard, this is maybe the noblest of the four Constitutions.

Notes

  1. Kurnslav was an covert identity formerly used by Icares.
  1. "Text of the 2nd Constitution".
  2. "Neo's opinion on the 2nd Constitution".