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The Constitution of Forest

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Article 1 - The Powers of the Head of State

1.1 In recognition of having been the nation selected by the residents of Forest in May 2007, when Forest was re-founded, the nation of Errinundera is declared the Founder of Forest and shall remain perpetually honored and commemorated as the foundation upon which Forest is rooted.

1.2 By regional vote in April 2023, Forest has chosen to operate under a Governorship. It is therefore incumbent upon all relevant regional authorities, should any deviation from that state to occur, to ensure that an active Governorship be restored.

1.3 The Head of State title and all authorities associated therewith, enumerated or unenumerated, are vested in the Governor. Should the Governor CTE with a Successor appointed, the Successor shall inherit the Head of State title and all authorities associated therewith, enumerated or unenumerated, and by game mechanic shall automatically become the new Governor. Should the Governor CTE without an appointed Successor, the Head of State title and all authorities therewith, enumerated or unenumerated, pass to the duly selected World Assembly Delegate.

1.4 The Head of Government shall be known as the Forest Keeper (see Article 3). All powers and responsibilities of the Forest Keeper, and the members of the Forest Keeper's government, are at the ultimate discretion of the Head of State.

1.5 The selection of all members of government, both the Forest Keeper and the Forest Keeper’s Regional Officers, are at the ultimate discretion of the Head of State. However, provided all members of government follow this document, the Head of State is trusted to uphold the will of the people as expressed in the elections herein described and as it flows through the Forest Keeper.

1.6 The Head of State holds ultimate authority and is the last word in matters of the interpretation of this Constitution, determining if a resident of Forest has violated this Constitution, and deciding the punishment for violating this Constitution.

1.7 The power of Border Control and ejecting nations from Forest shall be carefully limited by the Head of State to only those officers necessary for maintaining the security of the region. Special officers may be appointed on a temporary basis for exceptional circumstances, such as annual NationStates events or a security crisis.

1.8 The Governor of Forest, as Head of State, is enjoined to appoint a suitable Successor, so that they may assume the Head of State title and all enumerated and unenumerated authorities associated therewith, should the Governorship become vacant. The Successor title and authority is under the purview of the State, rather than the Government. The Successor may not simultaneously serve as the Forest Keeper, but they may serve in any other Governmental position, including as World Assembly Delegate. Should the Successor assume the Governorship, they must resign immediately from their Regional Officer position, and must also resign from the World Assembly Delegate position, pursuant to the procedures in Article 7. Should a Successor desire to run for Forest Keeper, they must first resign from their Successorship in order to be eligible to stand for election as Forest Keeper.

1.9 While Forest retains a Governor, the position of World Assembly Delegate shall be non-executive in nature.

Article 2 - The Forest Way

2.1 Forest is understood to be a region that promotes inclusiveness and free expression from its member nations. All ideologies, government types, and perspectives are welcome in Forest so long as they are not purposefully hurtful or offensive to other nations in Forest in a serious way. Although disagreement and discussion are encouraged in Forest, being disrespectful to other nations is not.

2.2 Forest is neither a raider region, nor is it a defender region. Nations in Forest are expected to not undertake any sort of inter-regional ‘military’ action (raiding or defending). Forest will not act as a staging ground for military operation. There are only two narrow exceptions to this rule:

1. If a region that holds an embassy with Forest is raided by a clearly outside power, members of Forest may take part in a liberation effort. In this case members are expected to act in a deliberate manner and are encouraged to coordinate their efforts as part of a greater inter-regional liberation effort.

2. If Forest itself is invaded defender nations are welcome to come to Forest in an effort to foil the invasion.

2.3 The government of Forest (ie the Forest Keeper and ministers) is expected to act in an open, verdant, and democratic manner. The government is trusted to act in the best interest of Forest and put the interest of the greater good of Forest above their own interests.

Article 3 - The Forest Keeper

3.1 The Forest Keeper is the Head of Government of Forest. The Forest Keeper is an elected position (see Article 4).

3.2 The Head of State and the Head of Government shall not be the same person.

3.3 Regional Officers are expected to be subordinate to, and execute the will of, the Forest Keeper. The promotion, dismissal, and powers given to Regional Officers are the choice of the Forest Keeper, subject to the approval of the Head of State. The number of and types of Regional Officers are also the choice of the Forest Keeper, subject to approval by the Head of State. The Head of State retains the right to limit the distribution of the Border Control power and to add additional Regional Officers for the express purpose of utilizing that power.

3.4 No Regional Officer may have a power that the Forest Keeper does not also have, except for the World Assembly and Successor powers.

3.5 All powers not expressly covered in the Constitution may be used in whatever way the Forest Keeper and associated Regional Officers determine appropriate.

Article 4 - Forest Keeper Elections

4.1 The Forest Keeper shall be elected for a nominal six month Term in Office. A Term in Office is defined as the period between the ending of one Election Season and the beginning of the next.

4.2 Election Season begins as soon after March 1st and September 1st at 00:01 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) as the Head of State is able to initiate the steps listed in this article. It concludes upon the declaration of an election winner.

4.3 As soon as possible after Election Season begins, the Head of State shall take the following actions:

1. Remove all serving Regional Officers, except for the World Assembly Delegate.

2. Modify the world factbook entry to an entry they feel is neutral to all parties.

3. Stop all other normal workings of government, including acceptance of embassy requests.

4. Open a poll for the duration of one week with all nations in Forest eligible to vote. The poll will be entitled "Do you want to run to be the Forest Keeper?" and will have two options: "Yes" and "No". Further explanation of all polls by the Head of State is permissible, at the Head of State's discretion.

5. At the beginning of the poll, the Head of State will make note of all World Assembly (WA) members in Forest at that time. Only these nations are eligible to vote in the election. The Head of State and puppets of the Head of State are not eligible to vote in the elections, and the Head of State is not to endorse a candidate, except as provided in Clause 4.8.

4.4 All Nations who voted ‘Yes’ in the poll are candidates to be Forest Keeper.

4.5 The exclusion of candidates from the election by the Head of State falls with the Head of State's purview as defined in Clause 1.4. The Head of State may exclude from the election process any potential candidate deemed unfit for office.

4.6 The week following the closure of the poll is Campaign Week. Candidates and associates are permitted to campaign in this time. Campaigning may occur on the RMB or the forum. Telegram campaigning and forum spamming are not permitted. Smear campaigning is discouraged.

4.7 Upon the conclusion of Campaign Week, the Head of State will hold a poll with the following text: "Whom do you want to be the next Forest Keeper?" or words to that effect. Each candidate will be made available as an option unless they have publicly stated their desire to withdraw from the election. The poll will be open to resident WA members only, and only those nations noted by the Head of State in Subclause 4.3.v may vote. The poll will be open for three days. Additional campaigning is not permitted during this time. If any candidate receives a simple majority (greater than 50%), they will be declared the new Forest Keeper. If no candidate receives a simple majority, there will be a run-off election between the two candidates that received the highest number of votes in the first poll. The poll will be open to resident WA members only, and only those nations noted by the Head of State in Subclause 4.3.v may vote. The poll will be open for three days.

4.8 Should the number of candidates exceed the maximum number that can be given as options in a single poll:

1. The candidates shall be randomly divided, as equally as possible, between the however many polls as are necessary to include the number of candidates. These polls shall be known as Primary Rounds.

2. The polls for each of these primary rounds shall have the following text: "Whom do you wish to advance to the election for Forest Keeper" or words to that effect.

3. Each Primary Round poll shall be open to resident WA members only, and only those nations noted by the Head of State in Subclause 4.3.v may vote. These polls will be open for three days.

4. The top vote-receiving candidate from each poll will advance to the election, as well as the top two vote-receiving candidates across all Primary Rounds who did not win their polls.

5. Upon completion of all Primary Rounds, the election will proceed according to the procedures outlined in Clause 4.7, featuring those candidates who advanced to the election per Subclause 4.8.iv.

4.9 In the event of a tie at any point in Clauses 4.7 or 4.8 such that it is unclear who should advance or become Forest Keeper, the Head of State shall choose the incumbent candidate to either advance or become Forest Keeper (depending on the situation). If no tied candidate is the incumbent, the Head of State may choose as they desire.

4.10 The Head of State may, at their discretion, appoint one or more temporary regional officers during the Election Season when all other normal workings of government are stopped. These officers shall have power over Communications and, if determined necessary by the Head of State, Border Control. At the discretion of the Head of State, these temporary regional officers may be assigned, individually or in groups, to perform moderation functions on the Regional Message Board, to carry out regional security functions, and/or to encourage and lead questioning and discussions during Campaign Week about the platforms and positions of eligible candidates for the impending Forest Keeper election.

4.11 Should an extraordinary circumstance such as a game-wide event arise during the Election Season, the Head of State may, at their discretion, appoint such officers as are necessary to facilitate the operation of Forest during the aforementioned circumstance.

4.12 Should the Head of State choose to appoint any officers during the Election Season, such officers:

1. May not be a candidate for Forest Keeper.

2. May not use their position to campaign for or against any candidate.

3. Retain their right to vote in the election, if they are otherwise permitted to vote.

4. Serve only until the conclusion of the Election Season or the conclusion of the circumstance resulting in their appointment – whichever is shorter.

5. May be dismissed by the Head of State at any time, with or without a reason being given.

Article 5 – Recall Elections

5.1 Recall elections serve to remove the Forest Keeper and Regional Officers from office and should be avoided except in the most extreme circumstances, such as gross neglect or pursuing policy that is intolerable to Forest’s residents. A recall election may be triggered by the Head of State if:

1. The Forest Keeper ceases to exist.

2. The Forest Keeper leaves Forest for an extended period of time.

3. The Forest Keeper is removed from office by the Head of State.

4. A group of WA nations equal to 33% of the WA nations presently endorsing the World Assembly Delegate declare themselves in favor of a recall election on the RMB within a one week period.

5.2 A recall election will take the form of an election as outlined in Article 4. If the recall election is unsuccessful, in other words, if the current Forest Keeper is re-elected to office, then all those nations who initially called for a recall election are not eligible to do so again during the same Term in Office.

5.3 If a new Forest Keeper is elected, then the Term in Office is either until the next fixed election date as per Clause 4.2 (if that date is greater than three months from the recall election) or until the fixed election date thereafter (if the next fixed election date is less than three months from the recall election).

Article 6 – Embassies

6.1 Regions must have at least six WA nations in residence, and must have existed for at least six months, to be eligible for an embassy with Forest.

6.2 To establish embassies with Forest, eligible prospective regions must formally request embassies in game and send a telegram of intent to either the designated foreign minister or the Forest Keeper.

6.3 Once all requirements are met, either the designated foreign minister or the Forest Keeper will provide a suitable summary of the telegram received, and the government’s interpretation of it, to all residents via regional telegram. They will also create the following poll: “Shall Forest open an embassy with [region]?”

Should the poll pass, the government will accept the embassy request in question.

6.4 Should a region with which Forest has an embassy cease to operate, and a new region is created as the unified, legitimate successor, the six month age requirement will be waived. Upon either satisfactory request of the successor region, or interest from within the Forest community, either the designated foreign minister or the Forest Keeper will provide a suitable summary of the relationship history to all residents via regional telegram. They will also create the following poll: “Shall Forest continue embassies with [successor region], the official successor region of [former region]?”

Should the poll pass, the government will attempt to open an embassy with the identified region, following that region’s protocols for doing so, or will accept their request as appropriate. The government will also close the previous embassy should it still remain active.

6.5 Any resident nation of Forest can call for the creation of an embassy with another region, provided it meets the requirements of Clause 6.1, by posting to that effect on the Regional Message Board. If there is considerable interest from the Forest community, as determined by the regional government, either the designated foreign minister or the Forest Keeper will create the following poll: “Shall Forest request to open embassies with [prospective region]?”

Should the poll pass, the government will attempt to open an embassy with the identified region, following that region’s protocols for doing so.

6.6 Any resident nation of Forest can call for the closure of an embassy with another region, provided they post legitimate reasons for their proposal on the Regional Message Board. If there is considerable interest from the Forest community, as determined by the regional government, either the designated foreign minister or the Forest Keeper will create the following poll: “Shall Forest close embassies with [region]?”

Should the poll pass, the government will initiate closure of the embassy with the identified region.

6.7 Polls for the opening, continuance, or closure of embassies shall be posted for a duration of three days and shall be open to native, resident nations only. The opening or closure of an embassy requires a two-thirds majority to pass, whereas the continuance of an embassy with a successor region requires a simple majority (i.e. 50%+1) to pass. If multiple regions are being voted on simultaneously, all votes must be for the same proposed action (i.e. opening, continuance, or closure), not a mixture of the three. The options for voting shall be as follows:

1. If a single region is being voted on, the poll shall ask "Shall Forest [open/continue/close] embassies with [region]?" There shall be two options: "Yes" and "No". For a continuation embassy, additional wording may be added to specify the original region with which the embassy's continuation is proposed.

2. If two regions are being voted on, the poll shall ask "With which of the following regions shall Forest [open/continue/close] embassies?" There shall be four options: "A only", "B only", "both A and B", and "neither A nor B", with the regions' names supplied for "A" and "B".

3. If three regions are being voted on, the poll shall ask "With which of the following regions shall Forest [open/continue/close] embassies?" There shall be eight options: "A only", "B only", "C only", "A and B only", "A and C only", "B and C only", "all of A, B, and C", and "none of A, B, and C", with the regions' names supplied for "A", "B", and "C".

4. Polls which combine votes on two or three regions shall be manually tallied to measure all of the votes across the poll's options for and against a given region. For example, a poll with two regions must compare the total of "A only" and "both A and B" votes against the total of "B only" and "neither A nor B" votes to determine whether region "A" has secured the necessary amount of votes to pass.
   

6.8 Any given region can only be voted on for opening, continuation, or closure one time each during a given Term in Office. An exception may be made if an extreme change of circumstances, as determined by the regional government and approved by the Head of State, warrants an additional vote.

6.9 Either the designated foreign minister or the Forest Keeper may appoint or remove ambassadors at their discretion from among resident nations in Forest. The designated foreign minister or Forest Keeper may assign the specific duties of ambassadors as needed. The government shall seek to fill the ambassador positions for new embassies prior to the opening of those embassies and must strive to appoint and maintain active ambassadors for all regions with which existing embassies are present. In the event that no ambassador volunteers prior to the completion of a successful vote, the designated foreign minister in conjunction with the Forest Keeper may, at their discretion, elect to postpone the opening of the embassy until such time as an ambassador is found.

Article 7 - The World Assembly Delegate

7.1 The office of the World Assembly Delegate is a permanent appointment, with the duly selected nation serving until such time as they cease to exist, choose to step down, or are recalled by the Governor. The office of the World Assembly Delegate shall be non-executive in nature, and moreover shall not have any power attached to it except for "World Assembly". Should the nation holding the Delegacy simultaneously serve as the Forest Keeper, a Regional Officer, a Successor, an Election Officer, or in any other officership, those powers must be granted under the aegis of an appointment separate from the World Assembly Delegate.

7.2 The Governor of Forest may at their discretion appoint a new nation to serve as the duly selected World Assembly Delegate. The Governor is enjoined to consult with the Forest Keeper, the outgoing World Assembly Delegate, and other parties as they see fit, in accordance with The Forest Way. The choice of new Delegate should be communicated to the region via telegram, RMB announcement, and other appropriate media such that the transition may be completed as smoothly as possible.

7.3 A World Assembly Delegate is only considered "duly selected" if they obtained their office by the procedures outlined in this Constitution. Upon completion of a valid selection process, all World Assembly nations in Forest are enjoined to support the duly selected World Assembly Delegate by taking the necessary steps to ensure that nation assumes and retains office. Should the duly selected Delegate be usurped, the Governor, the Forest Keeper, and the citizenry of Forest are enjoined to rectify the situation as expeditiously as possible, in accordance with The Forest Way.

7.4 Should the Governor cease to exist without a Successor named, the Executive power will devolve upon the World Assembly Delegate by game mechanic, and this shall be treated by the region as a temporary and undesirable state of affairs, in accordance with Clause 1.2. The region shall, in The Forest Way's spirit of comity and good faith as detailed in Article 2, determine which nation shall become the next Governor of Forest, and the designated nation shall begin the process to restore the Governorship, as stipulated by Clause 1.2. In the interim, the Temporary Executive Delegate(s), the Government, and the citizenry shall cooperate to secure the region’s restoration of the Governorship, such as by passwording the region and enforcing endorsement caps as they see fit. Any acts proceeding from the usurpation of power during the time of Temporary Executive Delegacy leadership are legally null and void, and the region shall use any and all means to restore the rule of law and will of the people, such as by appealing to allied regions and friends for aid, by civil action on the part of World Assembly citizens, by petitioning the Security Council for intervention, or even by re-founding the region, in the event that control of Forest is ultimately and irreparably lost.

Article 8 - Amendments to the Constitution

8.1 Amendments to the Constitution add to, delete from, or otherwise modify the Constitution. Amendments to the Constitution may be brought forward in three ways:

1. The Head of State may call for an amendment.

2. The Forest Keeper may call for an amendment.

3. Either five WA nations or 5% of WA nations, whichever is numerically greater, may publicly call for an amendment on the RMB.

4. An amendment may be called for if there is considerable interest from the Forest community, as determined by the regional government.

8.2 Amendments must first be approved by the Head of State.

8.3 If and only if the amendment is brought to vote through Subclause 8.1.iii or Subclause 8.1.iv, the Forest Keeper has a one week period after the Head of State approves the amendment to choose to veto the amendment. Vetoed amendments will be voted on as outlined in Clause 8.4.

8.4 The amendment will be voted on through the polling system with the poll only being open to resident WA nations. The poll will be open for a length of three days. The poll may be created by whatever nation with polling authority chooses to do so, but must be created as soon as possible after Clause 8.2 or Clause 8.3 (depending on how the amendment is brought up as defined in Clause 8.1) is fulfilled. If the Forest Keeper has not vetoed the amendment, as outlined in Clause 8.3, a simple majority (greater than 50%) of voting nations must approve the amendment for it to pass. If the amendment is vetoed by the Forest Keeper, a two-thirds majority of voting nations must approve the amendment for it to pass.

Drafted by: Ransium
Edited by: Mozworld
Signed by: Ransium, Esterild, Ashrah, Santa joanna, Communal ecotopia, New Chechovenia, Mountain ash forests, Dest oritio ,Edible plywood, Gil zardon, Caracasus, Frieden-und freudenland, Dazed butterflies, Bearadise, Mag meall

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Forest Regional Map

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Continental Forest subregions

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Maesvar:This swampy subregion is so ancient, some of it's trees are said to be older than humanity itself. It is home to the Errinundera regional reserve and bathed by the Devdan Ocean, both homages to Forest's founders.

Andorœchord:A northern and icy subregion, which is the most densely populated in forest both in terms of nations and in terms of mountains.

Abeshaast and Greater Belevia:Previously two separate subregions, now fused into one. The Belevic Ocean connects Continental and Oceanic Forest.

Hyarlaurilosse:The warmest subregion in Continental Forest, and the southernmost if islands aren't considered. This subregion is notable for it's charming abundance of goldflowers.

Mosak Pulgorinzei:Sometimes referred to as Middle Forest, this subregion contains the largest sea in Continental Forest: the Carnation Sea.

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Oceanic Forest subregions

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Tyanet:The only subregion in Oceanic Forest which doesn't contain any islands, and the only one connected by land to Continental Forest.

The Puloanyar:Home to several archipelagos and a diversity of societies and cultures, as well as a number of plants and animals completely extinct elsewhere.

West Pangamotu:The bigger continent in Oceanic Forest, largely covered by tropical rainforest. It is separated from East Pangamotu by the largest sea in the entire region, the Kakamotu sea.

East Pangamotu:A continent of varied climates, flora and fauna, going from moist jungles to cloud forests to arid deserts.

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Jutsa's Statistical Maps

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Well, it's not very complicated, the only requirement is your nation must have been in Forest for at least 12 days. If you fit the requirement, just telegram Roless! It does help a lot if you have a picture of your map, even if it's just a doodle on a napkin, but you don't need an image or even a defined shape (I can make one for you if you want). There is, however, an application that you should fill out in your telegram:

Can I change my nation once it's on the map?

Yep! Let me know what changes you want, and they will be added in the next map update, unless they affect other nations too, in which case you should check with them first.

When Is the map updated?

The map should be updated around the first of every month, but keep in mind that if your map request is sent just before then, i may roll it over to the next map update.

Do nations get removed from the map?

If a nation has been cte'd for over 90 days, then it could be removed. I am quite lenient about this, but be aware that your nation might be removed if it is over 90 days cte'd.

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Jutsa-era dispatch

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Octopus Islands-era dispatch

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2017-era dispatch, including links to maps that are older still:

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Emergency .svg Downloads

Forum | Discord Server | RMB
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Read Before Requesting Embassies with Forest

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Hello region considering establishing embassies with Forest!

Assuming the Regional Delegate of Forest Ruinenlust has not had contact with you about the prospect of establishing embassies previously, you will have to follow the following procedure and meet a couple requirements before requesting embassies with Forest.

First the requirements are as such:

1. Your region must have at least six WA nations in residence at the time the request is made.

2. Your region must have existed for at least six months at the time the request is made.
   

If these requirements are met you should send a telegram to our current Foreign Affairs minister Jutsa. The telegram should discuss your region, why you think it would be a good match for Forest, and what your region's relationship is with the environment/nature.

Once your telegram has been received, your request will be voted on by the nations in Forest. If the embassy request is approved democratically by the members of Forest, Forest will establish embassies with your region. If you do not: 1) Meet the minimum requirements, or 2) Follow the appropriate methods, your request will be denied, no exceptions. Feel free to request again once you meet 1 and/or follow 2. If your request is not democratically approved by Forest, your request will be allowed to expire.

Note: if you have questions about something related to this in detail, see Forest's Constitution. It is the democratically approved backing to this dispatch.

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