Constitution Drafting

Newest draft, with changes bolded for easy identification.

Constitution of Saarland

Preamble

His Majesty Emperor Kaisersesch, Founder and Sovereign of Saarland, hereby establishes the following Constitution for the eternal welfare and prosperity of the people of Saarland and its dependents.

Article I: The Emperor

Section 1: Authority
The Emperor is the foremost authority in Saarland. He is the head of state and government, the chief diplomat to foreign powers, first citizen, and guardian of the Saarlandic people.

Section 2: Executive Powers
The Emperor has the authority to execute the laws and policies of Saarland. He may take any action to execute these laws not forbidden him by law. He may interpret the laws, both in letter and in spirit, for the benefit of Saarland. He may not abuse his executive powers to undermine the constitutional authority of Parliament and the Chancellor. He has the authority to pardon any citizen or resident of Saarland of their crimes. He may make Imperial Edicts which have the weight of law unless vetoed by a simple majority of Parliament.

Section 3: Diplomatic Authority
The Emperor is the chief diplomat of Saarland and may conduct business with foreign powers as he sees fit so long as it does not violate official foreign policy or treaties ratified by Parliament. He may appoint diplomats to assist him. The Emperor may not enter into binding treaties with foreign powers without the approval of Parliament.

Section 4: First Citizen
The Emperor, as First Citizen of Saarland, is seen as the prime example of citizenship, and his actions shall set precedent for regional policy unless later clarified by Parliamentary law. He also has the authority to establish standards for immigration and naturalization.

Section 5: Guardian
The Emperor has the authority to eject and ban nations in Saarland as he sees fit, besides the Chancellor and any Minister of Parliament. Parlimanent may revoke bans and bar the Emperor from subsequent ejections.

The Emperor, in his role as guardian, is also supreme commander of the military and intelligence services of Saarland. He may organize and wield the army as he sees fit so long as he does not invade a foreign power without Parliamentary permission or usurp a duly elected Chancellor.

Article 6: Delegation
The Emperor may delegate his powers to ministers he appoints. These ministers serve at the pleasure of the Emperor and are secondary to his authority. The Emperor may only grant them as much authority as he himself is capable of exercising.

Article 7: Report to Parliament
The Emperor, during the first week of every month, must present a report to Parliament on the state of the Empire. This report must at least include a list of all nations banned, ministers appointed, and ministers dismissed.

The Emperor shall also be granted permission to post to the Parliamentary forums and to propose motions, but he may not vote on proposals or motions.

Section 8: Succession
The Emperor has the authority to appoint an heir to succeed him should he abdicate or otherwise be unable to execute his duties. Should no heir be designated in these circumstances, or the heir is somehow unable to take the throne, Parliament shall appoint a new Emperor.

Article II: Parliament

Section 1: Membership
Any citizen may petition to be made a Minister of Parliament. Their petition may be accepted by the Emperor, the Chancellor, or two current Ministers of Parliament. Should the petition fail be be accepted within one week of it being put forth, it shall be considered void, and the petitioner must wait another week before petitioning again. A Minister of Parliament shall be removed by the Emperor or Chancellor if they lose their citizenship, they do not post on the forums for 21 days, or they do not vote on five consecutive motions. Any Minister of Parliament may be removed by a simple majority of Parliament and the approval of either the Chancellor or the Emperor. If a Minister is removed from Parliament, they may not petition to rejoin for thirty days.

The Emperor acts as a non-voting member of Parliament who may engage in discussions and propose motions. The Emperor may never become a full member of Parliament so long as he is Emperor, and any Minister of Parliament who becomes Emperor must first resign from his office as a Minister of Parliament.

Upon the ratification of this document, the first Parliament shall consist of Reinmont, Foristan, and Annabull.

Section 2: Authority
Parliament is the legislative body of Saarland.

Section 3: Forms of Legislation
Parliament has the authority to establish a criminal code for how citizens and residents are to conduct themselves, to form treaties and alliances with foreign powers, to declare war and peace, to oversee the actions of the Emperor, and to issue non-binding decrees on other matters.

Section 4: Criminal Code
Parliament shall establish a criminal code, divided into felonies and misdemeanors, which governs the conduct of citizens and residents of Saarland. The Emperor has the duty to enforce the criminal code and the authority to reasonably interpret it. The Criminal Code may establish punishments for certain crimes, and the Emperor is required to carry out such punishments unless he pardons the convicted.

Section 5: Treaties and Alliances
Parliament may establish treaties and alliances with foreign powers for the common good of Saarland. Treaties and alliances that bind Saarland to defend a foreign power if they are attacked or join them in an offensive war must be either approved by the Emperor or by a two-thirds majority of Ministers of Parliament.

Section 6: War and Peace
Parliament may declare war with a two-thirds majority, and may declare peace with a simple majority. The military of Saarland may not enter or invade any region Saarland is not at war with, besides warzones, regions created for military training, regions that Saarland is defending from invaders, and regions that have agreed to conduct military exercises with Saarland.

Section 7: Oversight
Parliament may require the Emperor to unban or stop ejecting a nation with a simple majority. They may also call the Emperor before them to have him testify for the public record on matters concerning the common good of Saarland. Parliament may also recall any minister or diplomat appointed by the Emperor with a two-thirds majority. If a minister or diplomat is recalled in this way, the Emperor may not appoint them to any other position for one month.

Section 8: Non-Binding Decrees
Any decree made by a simple majority of Parliament that does not fall under its full legal authority are considered non-binding decrees and treated as suggestions.

Article 9: Procedure
The Parliamentary subforum must contain a section for proposing motions and voting on motions. Any Minister of Parliament may propose a motion in the proposal chambers. Should it garner the approval of the Chancellor or one-quarter of the Ministers of Parliament, it shall go to vote on the general floor as a motion. Motions shall be up for vote for one week. Should they reach the required number of votes to pass before then, it shall become law, but shall still be up for vote for the full duration of the week in case other Ministers wish to cast their votes. Parliament may enact more procedural standards for itself.

Article III: The Chancellor

Section 1: Authority
The Chancellor has the authority to oversee the conduct of Parliament and ensure proper parliamentary procedures. If they are a member of the World Assembly, they shall become the WA Delegate of Saarland. If not, they shall appoint one to serve as Delegate in their place.

Section 2: Election
The Chancellor is elected by the citizens of Saarland from among Ministers of Parliament who have announced their candidacy. Ministers of Parliament may announce their candidacy within the week leading up to the election. Elections begin on the first Saturday of every even numbered month and last for three days. The Emperor shall oversee the Chancellor's election and cannot delegate this role. The vote count shall not be made public until the end of the voting period. Voters shall remain anonymous. Should no candidate hold a majority of votes, the top two candidates shall immediately enter a runoff election lasting three days. Should there be a tie for the top two, the Emperor chooses which two of the top candidates to continue to the runoff. Should the runoff result in a tie, the Emperor shall decide who becomes Chancellor. The new term begins on the second Saturday of every even numbered month. There shall be no term limit for Chancellors.

Section 3: Oversight
The Chancellor shall be the moderator of the Parliament subforum and will ensure that all motions are put to vote properly and promptly. If procedures are not followed, they may take any moderator action besides deleting a post in order to restore order.

Section 4: WA Delegate
As WA Delegate the Chancellor may vote as they please in the General Assembly. They may vote as they please in the Security Council unless the Emperor or a simple majority of Parliament petitions them to vote one way or the other. Should the Emperor and Parliament petition differently, the Emperor's petition shall supersede Parliament's.

Section 5: Removal and Replacement
The Chancellor may be removed from office by a two-thirds majority of Parliament, not counting the Chancellor himself. If the Chancellor resigns or is removed from office before the end of his term, an election is held three days later that follows normal election guideline, with Ministers of Parliament declaring their candidacy in the three days preceding the special election. However, if such an election would end seven days or less before the end of the previous Chancellor's term, the government shall operate without a Chancellor until a new Chancellor is elected.

Article IV: Amendments

This constitution may be amended by the approval of a simple majority of Parliament and the Emperor.

Article V: Ratification

This document shall be ratified by decree of the Emperor.