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by The Pacific Alpine Commonwealth of Mount Seymour. . 3,802 reads.

Constitution of Forest

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The Constitution of Forest

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Article 1 - The Powers of the Head of State

1.1 By right of being 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 retains perpetual right to serve as Forest's Head of State.

1.2 In the absence of the Founder due to Ceasing To Exist (CTE), the Head of State title and all authorities associated therewith, enumerated or unenumerated, pass to the duly selected World Assembly Delegate.

1.3 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.

1.4 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.

1.5 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.

1.6 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.

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 World Assembly Delegate powers.

3.5 In the event that a World Assembly Delegate should voluntarily leave their position, express a desire to do the same, or CTEs, the Forest Keeper is responsible for leading the effort to select a new World Assembly Delegate. This procedure is covered in Article 8.

3.6 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 All embassy-related polls falling under this section shall be posted for a duration of three days, open to native residents only, and shall have the options "Yes" and "No" as their choices. The opening of a new embassy, or the closure of an existing embassy, shall require a two-thirds majority to pass. The continuation of an embassy with an official successor region shall require a simple majority (greater than 50%) 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 - Founder Ceasing to Exist

7.1 Should the Founder cease to exist, the duly selected World Assembly Delegate assumes the role of Head of State, as described in Clause 1.2. The World Assembly Delegate shall have only those powers identified in this Constitution. Should the World Assembly Delegate overreach their authorities, the Forest Keeper may initiate the process for replacement of the World Assembly Delegate using the procedures outlined in Article 8 of this Constitution for World Assembly Delegate selection. Change of the World Assembly Delegate in this manner shall be undertaken only if absolutely necessary.

7.2 In the event that the World Assembly Delegate has assumed the role of Head of State, they shall have the authority to temporarily password lock the region if it is necessary to protect the region from imminent threat. The password lock shall exist only for the duration of such a threat and must be removed after no more than two weeks unless extension is approved by greater than 50% of native resident WA nations participating in a poll lasting at least three days.

7.3 In the event that Clause 7.1 is in effect, the World Assembly Delegate and the Forest Keeper may mutually determine whether or not the refounding of Forest is worthy of consideration. If the parties are in agreement that it is worthy of consideration, the following poll shall be created: “Shall we begin preparations to refound Forest with a new Founder?” with the response options of “Yes” and “No.” The poll shall be open to all native resident WA nations of Forest and must be open for a period of at least one week. The series of actions outlined in this clause shall only be legal if the World Assembly Delegate is duly selected and has held that position for at least one full week.

7.4 If the result of the poll is greater than 50% in favor of refounding, the World Assembly Delegate shall place a password lock on the region for the remainder of the refounding process. Additional polls shall then be held to identify a new founding nation. These polls shall follow the same procedures as those for the election of a Forest Keeper with the necessary language changes to reflect the position in question. The region shall then follow the steps outlined in Clauses 7.5, 7.6, and 7.7. If the result of the poll is not in favor of refounding as previously described, the region shall remain in operation in its present status and with its present laws. Another such poll may not be held until three months have passed.

7.5 Once a new founder is selected, a dummy region will be created and all nations will be encouraged and eventually forced to move to the dummy region or face ejection from Forest. The new founder nation will be the last remaining nation in Forest. The new founder nation will not refound Forest immediately after clearing all nations from Forest but will wait an undisclosed period of time (perhaps as long as months) before refounding. If the name Forest is lost, Forest will live on under a new name of the new founding nation’s choosing. Forest is more than a name.

7.6 Once Forest is re-founded this Constitution is no longer valid. Most or all of this Constitution may be used by the re-founding nations of Forest if they so choose.

7.7 Should the CTE’d Founder return to active status at any point while Article 7 is in force, return to Forest, and indicate that they are prepared to resume their role as Head of State, all Article 7 processes shall be cancelled, any passwords removed, and regional operations shall return to their normal conditions.

7.8 Should the Founder CTE, and the region chooses to operate with the World Assembly Delegate serving as Head of State, an Endorsement Cap shall come into force. In this situation, a nation that has endorsed the World Assembly Delegate may have no more than 80% the number of endorsements as the World Assembly Delegate. A nation that has not endorsed the World Assembly Delegate may have no more than 50% the World Assembly Delegate's number.

7.9 If a nation has exceeded the permitted number of endorsements, they should immediately contact a suitable number of endorsers and request the removal of their endorsements so that they drop back below the mandated number. Regional officers may also make such contact, issue a public reminder, or withdraw endorsements themselves as necessary. If a nation appears to be in imminent danger of usurping the delegacy, especially if deliberately, any and all efforts may be made to protect the position, including ejection of the offending nation from the region as a last resort.

Article 8 - Selection of the World Assembly Delegate

8.1 The office of 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 citizen action.

8.2 A World Assembly Delegate is only considered "duly selected" if they obtained their office by one of the procedures outlined in this Constitution as a valid selection process.

8.3 Upon completion of a valid selection process, it is the responsibility of all WA nations in Forest to support the duly selected World Assembly Delegate by taking the necessary steps to ensure that nation assumes and retains office.

8.4 If the Founder of Forest is present and serving in their role as Head of State, the Founder may at their discretion appoint a new nation to serve as the duly selected World Assembly Delegate. The Founder is encouraged to consult with government officials prior to such an appointment.

8.5 If a World Assembly Delegate is serving as the region's Head of State and indicates a desire to surrender their office, the Forest Keeper shall consult with the outgoing World Assembly Delegate and no fewer than three other officers or long-time citizens to duly select a successor. That successor shall then be announced by either the outgoing World Assembly Delegate or the Forest Keeper through regional telegrams or another suitable medium with instructions for ensuring the smoothest possible transition to the new office holder.

8.6 If a World Assembly Delegate is serving as the region's Head of State and unexpectedly departs, ceases to exist, or otherwise abandons the office without warning, by game rule the position of World Assembly Delegate will fall to the next-highest endorsement holder in the region. In this event, the new holder-by-rule of the title is not considered duly selected and is enjoined to do nothing more with their powers but support the government and region in the successful passage of the office to a duly appointed holder. In this circumstance, the Forest Keeper must urgently consult with no fewer than three other officers or long-time citizens to duly select a successor, announcing the selection as soon as practical in the same manner as in Clause 8.5.

8.7 If a World Assembly Delegate is serving as the region's Head of State and is usurped from the position by another individual exceeding their endorsement count, the duly appointed World Assembly Delegate retains their legal status and office. No act of a usurping nation has or shall retain any legal weight, nor shall any policy, decree, statement, or action by that nation carry any authority in the region. Upon removal of the usurping nation from office and restoration of gameside authority, any and all steps may be taken by the duly appointed World Assembly Delegate to restore any changes made by the usurping nation, which may include the re-opening or cancellation of embassies without vote, restoration or removal of authorities and officerships, tag changes, and other such acts.

8.8 Should a nation participate in the deliberate usurpation or attempted usurpation of a duly appointed World Assembly Delegate, either by willingly being a usurper or by deliberately supporting such an act or attempted act, that nation is subject to permanent banning from the region.

8.9 In the event of a total loss of control of the region, requiring either coordination of a counter-offensive by Forest residents and allies or the assistance of Defender forces, any citizen of Forest may serve as the temporary World Assembly Delegate for purposes of regaining native control and restoring the region to its proper operation. Such a nation should follow procedures outlined in Clause 8.6 for return of the office to the duly appointed World Assembly Delegate as soon as possible.

8.10 Should a World Assembly Delegate be derelict in their duties or otherwise go rogue, the elected Forest Keeper and the WA nations of Forest retain final authority to replace the delegate via informal means with their endorsements.

Article 9 - Amendments to the Constitution

9.1 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.

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

9.3 If and only if the amendment is brought to vote through Subclause 9.1.iii or Subclause 9.1.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 9.4.

9.4 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 9.2 or Clause 9.3 (depending on how the amendment is brought up as defined in Clause 9.1) is fulfilled. If the Forest Keeper has not vetoed the amendment, as outlined in Clause 9.3, 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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