Liberal HavenBoard

Preamble

We, the nations of Liberal Haven, for the fair governing of the Region declare that in order to preserve a more democratic union, provide basic civil rights to the people and supply a more safe, active and open region to the populace hereby establish this Constitution to uphold the ideas of democracy, security and justice

Section 1: Bill of Rights

1.All Nations of Liberal Haven are sovereign. Each Nation has the right of self-determination in that Nation's domestic policies, including, but not limited to, issue selection and region location.

2.All nations shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, subject to reasonable restrictions imposed by law which do not violate the spirit of this Constitution

3.All nations shall have the right of freedom of religion and the freedom to freely worship without persecution

4. All nations shall have the right to be members of the WA or decline membership of the WA, to be secure against requirement to endorse any WA nation except in extreme cases, to be secure against any specialized endorsement limit, and to be secure against punishment for endorsing any WA nation which has a number of endorsements above the endorsement limit lawfully and publically established for that nation

5. Nations will have the right to due process of law and equal protection under the law.

6. All nations have the right to contact the government on all matters of their interest and receive a prompt and adequate response from the appropriate official

7. When charged with criminal acts, Nations of Liberal Haven shall have a fair, impartial, and public trial before a neutral and impartial judicial officer.

8. Nations will have the right, during all criminal prosecutions, to be informed of the cause of the action against them, and will enjoy a presumption of innocence until proven guilty. They will have the right to represent themselves or to be represented by counsel in a speedy, impartial, and public trial. Trial may proceed notwithstanding a defendant's absence provided that due notice has been given and the defendant's absence is beyond justification.

9. Nations will have the right to be secure against ex post facto laws and bills of attainder.

10. Nations will have the right to apply for, stand for, vote for, and be appointed to government office provided they meet eligibility requirements imposed by law.

Section 2: Parliament

Division

1. The Parliament of Liberal Haven shall be the sole legislative body in the region, charged with all legislative power and responsibility

2. Parliament shall consist of two legislative houses. The Senate and The Assembly

3. For acts and/ or decisions to pass Parliament, the required majority, as outlined by this Constitution, must be reached in both houses

4. The Senate shall be the upper house of Parliament ,which shall consist of no less than 3 senators, who have been elected by the citizens of Liberal Haven

a) The Speaker of the Senate will administer the rules of the Senate. Where no rules exist, the Speaker may use their discretion

b) The Speaker of the Senate shall be responsible for the administering of the drafting, debate, and passage of legislation

c) The Speaker shall be the only Senator who is obliged not to vote unless in the event of tie-breaker

5. The Assembly shall be the lower house of Parliament which shall consist of citizens, styled Assemblyman, who have been approved for membership according to standards established by law

a) The Assembly shall be responsible for selecting a Chair from among themselves whom shall serve a term of 2 months

b) The Chair of Assembly will administer the rules of the Assembly. Where no rules exist, the Chair may use their discretion

c) The Chair of Assembly shall be responsible for the administration the drafting, debate, and passage of legislation

d) The Chair will accept or reject application for membership in the Assembly within 1 week of its filling. Any Assemblyman may move for a full Assembly vote on any membership application accepted or rejected by the Chair within 1 week of its acceptance or rejection of the application

e) The Chair shall be the only Assemblyman who is obliged not to vote unless in the event of tie-breaker

5) Both houses of Parliament shall have equal legislative power and authority.

Duties and Powers

1. Parliament shall be responsible for the drafting and discussion of general legislation and amendments to the Constitution and Criminal Code

a) Each house has the right to introduce acts before Parliament for a formal debate

b) Acts introduced before parliament shall be debated in the house to which the act was introduced according to the established procedures as required in Section 2.2.4 of this article

2. Parliament may pass, amend or repeal legislation with a majority vote

3. The quorum for any vote in each house of Parliament, except for elections, will be a third of its membership

4. Each house, and Parliament as a whole, will have the power to make and revise its own procedural rules

5. Parliament shall have the sole power to declare a state of war with another region or organisation with a two-third majority vote

6. Parliament shall have the sole power to ratify negotiated treaties with other regions, groups and organisation with a two-third majority vote

7. Parliament shall have the power to remove the President or any other official with a two-thirds majority vote

8. Parliament shall be responsible for creating a Presidential line of succession beyond the Vice President from among members of the Security Council

9. Unless otherwise noted within this Constitution, all decisions by Parliament will be made with a majority vote

Section 3: Executive Authority

Executive Office of the President

1. The President of Liberal Haven will serve as the chief executive officer of Liberal Haven, acting as the regions head of State and holder of the in-game World Assembly Delegacy

2. The President shall be responsible for setting and implementing the general in-game policies of the Region

3. The President will have the power to set general and secondary endorsement limits for Liberal Haven with the advice and consent of the Security Council

a) The President may use the in-game powers of World Assembly Delegate to enforce the all endorsement limits

b) The President shall have the power to eject and/or ban any nation from Liberal Haven for the purpose of reducing their in-game influence/endorsements. Any such ban lasting longer than one update shall be subject to the approval of the Senate

c) It shall be the responsibility of the President to inform the Region of such ejection on the off-site forum in the appropriate thread

d) No such ejection shall be grounds for immediately voiding a nations citizenship, nor shall it void the rights of any nation

e) In the event of a citizens ejection lasting longer than thirty days, they may move a new nation into Liberal Haven for the purpose of maintaining citizenship

4. The President shall serve as commander-in-chief of the military forces of Liberal Haven and will have the power to order/authorize deployments

5. The President may negotiate treaties with foreign powers with other regions, organisations, and groups on behalf of Liberal Haven for submission to Parliament

6. The President will be required to execute declarations of war and treaty obligations

7. The President may sign or veto all acts passed by Parliament within one week of its passage.

a)All acts passed by Parliament shall take effect upon the immediate signature of the President

b)Parliament may override a presidential veto by a two-third majority vote, which shall cause the act to take immediate effect

c)Should the President neither sign or veto the act within seven days of its passage, it will automatically take effect

8. The President shall have the power to pardon or commute the sentence of any individual convicted of a crime against Liberal Haven. Each pardon or commutation is subject to being overridden by The Assembly

9. The President may declare a state of emergency, with the majority approval of the Assembly taken to vote, with reasonable justification that a threat to regional security is imminent

Office of the Vice President

1. The Vice President shall serve as the Vice Delegate of Liberal Haven, holding the second most endorsements in the Region

2. The Vice President will chair the Security Council and enforce the continued eligibility of its members as determined by law.

3. If the President is removed or unable to serve, the Vice President will assume the duties of the President. If the Vice President is also unable to serve, the first available person in the line of succession will assume the duties of the President.

4. The Vice President is charged with assisting the President in the management of the executive by supervising the individual and collective progress of the executive

5. The Vice President shall be responsible for accepting and rejecting citizen applications according to the standards and procedures as defined by law

The Executive Government

1. The Executive Government shall be responsible for the day-to-day administration of the region

2. The President shall be the Head of Government and be responsible for the administration of the executive government

3. The President shall be responsible for appointing executive officers to assist in the management of the executive and may freely dismiss them

a)Should an executive officer lose their citizenship while in office, they shall be automatically removed from their position

4. The Executive government shall consist of the President, Vice President, the Attorney General and executive officers appointed by the President or by other executive officers

5. The President or Vice President can be removed from office by a three-quarters majority vote in Parliament

6. Any executive officer can be removed from office by a two-thirds majority vote

7. The President and Vice President of Liberal Haven shall be elected by the citizens of the Region for a term of 3 months.

a) The President and Vice President of Liberal Haven may serve an unlimited number of terms

8. The President and Vice President are not permitted to serve in an position in the legislative or judicial branches of government expect as, but not limited to, an Assemblyman or Security Councillor

Section 4: Judicial Authority

The High Court

1. All judicial power an authority shall be vested in the High Court of Liberal Haven. It shall be responsible for trying all criminal cases, resolving conflicts or ambiguities in the law, and reviewing the constitutionality of laws or legality of government policies by request of an affected party.

2. The High Court shall consist of three justice and the Attorney General who shall be elected by the citizens of Liberal Haven for a term of four months

3. The High court will be required to make and revise its own procedural rules

4. The High Court will have the power to nullify any law or portion of law that contradicts this Constitution, and to order the cessation of any government action that violates this Constitution or the laws of Liberal Haven

5. The official opinion of the High Court in any trial or review will be binding on all Government bodies and officials.

Chief Justice of the High Court

1. The High Court shall select a Chief Justice amongst themselves after elections conclude

2. The Chief Justice shall administer the rules of the High Court. Where no rules exist, the Chief Justice may use the discretion

Attorney General

1. The Attorney General will have discretion to manage the prosecution of all criminal cases brought before the High Court, save those outlined below, and will also act as a legal advisor to the President, and the Executive, of Liberal Haven upon request.

2. The Attorney General shall not be involved in the prosecution of any criminal case in which they are a defendant, a defence attorney, or a witness.

3. The Attorney General may appoint deputies to assist them in the execution of any of their powers and duties. Appointment of deputies may be regulated by law.

Section 5: Elections

Election Administration

1. Every election shall be administered by three Election Commissioners who shall be appointed by the President for the duration of the election

2. Election commissioners must be citizens who are not be currently running in the elections

General Elections

1. Presidential Elections shall begin seven days prior to the end of the incumbent presidents term.

2. The presidential election period shall consist of a four day nomination and campaign period then a three day voting period

3. After the voting period is concluded, the election commissioners shall gather and tally the votes. The Election Commissioners shall then hand over the result to the Court for confirmation

4. Once confirmation is received, the Election Commissioners shall announce the results. The candidate with the most votes shall become President and the candidate with the second most votes becomes Vice President

Senate Election

1. The Senate shall be elected in senate elections to terms beginning 35 days after the conclusion of the preceding presidential election, to a term not to exceed 70 days in length (except as specifically provided elsewhere), it being intended that general elections for Senate will normally occur midway through each presidential term.

2. Should one or more Senate seats become open prior to the next scheduled general election for any reason, including expiration of term, resignation, and removal, a by-election will be held as soon as practically possible to fill all of the open seats for an abbreviated term that will end at the conclusion of the next scheduled general election.

3. If the circumstances described in the clause (2) above would result in a Senator being elected for a term lasting less than 21 days, the Speaker may, at his discretion, appoint an citizen to fill in the vacancy to avoid this result or elect to wait until the next scheduled senate election to fill the seat.

4. However, if the Speaker should elect to wait until the next senate election as described in the above clause (3) but if there are less than three occupied seats, the Speaker is required to appoint a citizen to fill the vacancy.

Judicial Elections

1. The election period shall begin prior to the last 7 days of the term. There election shall be divided into a four day nomination and campaign period then a three day voting period

2. Should a seat become vacant prior to the next judicial elections, a special election shall be held to fill in the vacant seat

3. If the circumstances described in the clause (3) above would result in a justice being elected for a term lasting less than 14 days, the remaining justices shall appoint a citizen to fill in the court vacancy/s

Section 6: Security Council

1. Any person who meets the endorsement and influence requirements determined by law may apply to become a member of the Security Council.

2. The Security Council may approve applicants by a majority vote. Parliament may admit an approved applicant by a majority vote. If the Security Council does not approve an applicant or does not act on them within thirty days, Parliament may admit the applicant by a two-thirds majority vote .

3. The Security Council will monitor the region’s security and report on it to the public, and enforce decisions of the Regional Assembly to remove the President.

Section 7: Provisions

1. Constitutionally-mandated elected officials are the President, the Vice President, Speaker of the Senate, the Chair of Assembly, the Attorney General and High Court Justices.

2. All government officials will swear an oath of office. The content of these oaths will be determined by law and be legally binding.

3. No person may simultaneously serve in more than one constitutionally-mandated elected official positions.

4. Government bodies may create rules for their own governance subordinate to this constitution and the laws.

5. Procedures to fill vacancies in constitutionally-mandated elected offices may be established by law.

Section 8: Amendments

1. Parliament may make amendments to this Constitution with a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Parliament

2. Parliament may make amendments to the Bill of Rights with a three-quarter majority vote in both houses of Parliament

Section 9: Supremacy

1.This Constitution shall have supremacy over all other laws

2.No law or government policy may contradict this constitution.[/quote]

Ratified via Regional General Consent August 9th 2014