A sneak preview into the 2nd convening of the Great Council of the Republic in 1453.... which will include limited constitutional reform. The chief features of this reform are strengthening the bureaucracy and placing restraints upon the powers of the Consul. Perhaps a little too dry to read. : ) Ibrahim --------------------------------------- The Compact of the Republic of Kaeir As signed and agreed upon by the Heads of the Great Houses of the Republic of Kaeir on this first day of Spring in the year 1453. [signatures] 1. Ultimate executive power lies with the Great Council of the Republic. From the Great Council all other forms of authority in the Republic flow. i. Membership of the Great Council is limited to the Houses who sat were present at the convening of either the first session of the Great Council in , or the second session of the Great Council in 1453. The names of these Great Houses will be recorded in the Green Book. i.a. Members of the Great Council shall be known as the Great Houses. i.b. Membership of the Great Council grants the House the right to use the Great House prenomine of Van, distinguishing its user from the common prenomine of Von. ii. A Young House cannot be added to the ranks of the Great Houses without an absolute majority of the Great Council. Furthermore: ii.a. Quorum for the Great Council shall be the three-quarters of the Great Houses, and quorum must be met for a Young House to be added to the Green Book. ii.b. In the event of a Great House losing vitality and ceasing to function, the Great Council shall convene to decide upon a suitable replacement from amongst the ranks of the Young Houses. ii.c. Should a Young House, on its own merits, warrant elevation to the status of Great House, then any session of the Great Council may do so provided it possesses both quorum and an absolute majority of the quorum. iii. In the event that a Great House ceases to function, or a Young House is elevated to the status of Great House, then the Chamberlain of the Republican Palace shall carry the Green Book to the Chamber of the Great Council and make the alteration to the Green Book before the members of the Great Council. 2. The Head of State, the Consul, is elected by the Great Council to carry out the affairs of State. The appointment is for life, unless the Consul resigns or is impeached (both of which are subject to the approval of the Great Council). Any citizen of the Great Houses of the Republic may be elected to the Consulship. i. The primary responsibility of the Consul is to ensure: i.a. The protection and promotion of the Republic's trade, i.b. The smooth functioning of the State, i.c. The protection of the Republic's interests. 3. The Consul is advised and counseled by the Senate of the Republic. All new legislation must be approved by the Senate (with the exception of legislation relating to matters the Great Council have already made decisions on - in which case the legislation must be approved by an equivalent majority of the Great Council). Senators are elected by the Great Council, and are for life or until the Great Council elects a new Senate. Any citizen of the Great Houses of the Republic may be elected to the Senate. 4. Regulations concerning the functioning of the Consul's office: i. The Consul shall surrender the right to choose his wife to the Senate if he is unmarried prior to his election to office. ii. No progeny of the Consul may occupy a civilian position higher than a Rector of a Parish nor an Ambassador, nor a military rank higher than a Captain of a galley of the Fleet. iii. The Consul shall conduct all meetings with foreign visitors in the company of a member of the Senate and an official of the Office of the Inquisitor. iv. The Consul shall not answer a question on foreign policy without consulting his advisors. v. The Consul shall not leave Port Kaeir without permission of the Senate. vi. The Consul's mail shall be opened by the Secretary of the Senate. vii. The Consul shall transfer management of his business concerns to another branch of his House upon succession to the Consulship. iix. No member of the Consul's House may take the House's seat in the Great Council, nor be elected to the Senate, whilst the Consul occupies his office. ix. The Consul may not make any agreement with a foreign, spiritual or otherworldly power or entity without Senatorial approval, nor may he conduct military operations that place the Republic at risk. 5. A declaration of war requires an absolute majority in the Great Council. i. However, in the event that the Republic is attacked first, only a simple majority of the Senate is required. 6. The Great Council shall be responsible for appointing all state positions at the rank of Magister or higher, based upon a list of candidates nominated by the Senate. Such appointments shall be considered for life (or for a term determined by the State), unless the official is impeached or resigns. i. The Great Council shall appoint a capable and trusted citizen to the office of the Inquisitor, who shall be charged with the defence of the Republic from internal and external enemies. Upon the Inquisitors death, resignation or impeachment, a Great Council shall be immediately called to elect a new Inquisitor. i.a. All state officials suspected of crimes against the State shall be investigated and then tried by the Office of the Inquisitor. Any noble of the Great House shall be tried by the Inquisitor with a jury comprising the Senate. i.b. The Inquisitor shall have the right to sit in on any session of the Great Council or the Senate, and an attempt to refuse entry to the Inquisitor shall be the equivalent of rebellion against the State. The Inquisitor shall possess the right to participate in any and all discussions, though being separate from both bodies, he shall not possess voting rights. i.c. The Office of the Inquisitor shall also be charged with ensuring the Republic possesses suitable, sufficient and appopriate otherwordly defences. i.d. The Inquisitor shall also hold the rank of Commander of the Home Guard. ii. The Great Council shall appoint an Admiral of the Seas from among a pool of four candidates nominated by the Fleet. The appointment of a new Admiral of the Seas shall warrant the convening of a special session of the Great Council. iii. The Great Council shall appoint the Commander of the Guard from among the ranks of suitable senior Guard officers. The appointment of a new Commander of the Guard shall warrant the convening of a special session of the Great Council. iv. The Great Council shall appoint the First Captain of the Tirmaeiri Rangers from the among the ranks of suitable Ranger Captains. The appointment of a new First Captain of the Tirmaeiri Rangers shall warrant the convening of a special session of the Great Council. v. The Great Council shall appoint the Magister of the Office of Colonial Affairs, who shall also hold the rank of Commander of the Colonial Guard. The appointment of a new Magister of the Office of Colonial Affairs shall warrant the convening of a special session of the Great Council. vi. The Great Council shall appoint the Chamberlain of the Republican Palace from among the ranks of honourable Citizens of the Republic. The appointment of a new Chamberlain of the Republican Palace shall warrant the convening of a special session of the Great Council. 7. The Senate shall be comprised of twelve Senators elected by the Great Council, four Ministers and the Consul. The Inquisitor shall possess at all times the right to participate in any session of the Senate or the Cabinet. i. The Consul shall appoint a Minister to each of the four central Ministries. The right to appoint a Minister remains the Consul's alone. 8. The Chamberlain of the Republican Palace shall be responsible for the administration of the Republican Palace, including the Office of the Consul, the Senate and the Great Council. i. The Chamberlain of the Republican Palace shall also be responsible for the protection of the Green Book, and shall be the only person authorised to touch, hold, manipulate, repair, or write in the Green Book. i.a. Any persons other than the Chamberlain of the Republican Palace that violates the conditions of subclause 8i shall be guilty of the capital offence of treason. 9. No official of the Republic of Kaeir, be he high or low, may in his capacity as an official of the State, publically or otherwise sponsor or support any religious or spiritual organisation. 10. Four Ministries shall exist to ensure the smooth functioning of the State and the facilitation of Commerce - the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Domestic Affairs, the Treasury, the Ministry of Law. i. In addition, several departments shall exist concerning specialised matters - the Office of the Consul, the Office of the Inquisitor, the Office of the Chamberlain of the Republican Palace, the Office of the Commander of the Guard, the Office of the Admiral of the Sea, the Office of Colonial Affairs, the Hall of the Rangers, the Office of the Port and Customs, and the Arsenal. ii. The rank of Magister shall be reckoned at the District head level and higher, or its equivalent. All such ranks and higher encompassed by this shall be appointed by the Great Council. iii. Officials lower than than the rank of Magister shall appointed by the appropriate superior from amongst suitably talented and honourable common Citizens. Members of the Great Houses are excluded from these positions. 11. The Republic of Kaeir is formed from the Dominons of Celtelath, Celtehar, and Tirmaeir, and the special municipality of Port Kaeir. i. The Dominion of Tirmaeir is comprised of five districts: New Tirmaeir city & district, Crownsbane Keep town & district, Southern March district, Northern March district, Central Tirmaeir district. ii. The Dominion of Celtehar is comprised of six districts: Northern Islands district, Eastern Celtehar district, Northern Celtehar district, Southern Celtehar district, Straits district, Lesser Celtehar district. iii. The Dominion of Celtelath is comprised of four districts: Northern Celtelath district, Central Celtelath district, Southern Celtelath district, Kahshaartown district. iv. The special municipality of Port Kaeir is comprised of four districts: Northern district, Western district, Southern district, Eastern district. v. The civilian administrator of each district shall be a Magister, appointed by the Great Council. vi. civilian governor of each of the three municipalities of Port Kaeir, New Tirmaeir, and Kahshaartown shall be known as the Mayors, and appointed by the Grand Council on the recommendation of the Citizens of Status of the respective municipalities. vii. The civilian governor of Crownsbane Keep is the Keepmagister, appointed by the Great Council. iix. The governor of the Northern March is the Marchmagister. ix. The governor of the Rimrivertown colony is the Magister of the Office of Colonial Affairs. 12. Concerning the administration of Justice, the Grand Council shall appoint a Chief District Judge to each District of the Republic, who shall report to the Minister of Law. i. The Chief District Judge shall be a graduate of law, and from a Great House or supported by a Great House. ii. The Senate shall appoint a Parish or Borough Judge to each Parish or Borough of a District, who shall be a graduate of law. 13. The Inquisitor shall appoint to each District a Bailiff, to ensure the maintenance of law and order and to assist the District's Chief Judge. i. The Bailiff shall hold the rank of Colonel in the Home Guard, and shall be responsible for marshalling and leading the Home Guard troops of his District. In his capacity as a Colonel of the Home Guard, he shall report directly to the Commander of the Home Guard. ii. The Senate shall appoint a Chief of Constabulary to each Parish and Borough, based upon the recommendation of the District Bailiff. ii. AChief of Constabulary shall hold the rank of Captain of the Home Guard. ================================ Confidentiality Statement and Disclaimer ================================ This message is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed and contains information that is privileged and confidential. If you, the reader of this message, are not the intended recipient, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by return email and delete the original message. Thank you. ---------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send mail to celandra-off@phoenyx.net.
