It ends with an "i"!

From Roach Busters

Revision as of 06:52, 12 April 2009

Red 1,570,745 km2 606,468 sq mi

Green 686,652 km2 265,106 sq mi

Blue 1,390,503 km2 536,876 sq mi

Orange 1,526,662 km2 589,447.5 sq mi

Gray 576,408 km2 222,551 sq mi

Capital 203 km2 78.5 sq mi

TOTAL 5,751,173 km2 2,220,527 sq mi

Preamble

We, the States, in humble submission to Almighty God, each State acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to secure the blessings of justice, liberty, and peace to ourselves and our posterity, do hereby ordain, decree, and promulgate this Constitution for Ledgersia.

Chapter I - The Federation

1. The form of government of Ledgersia shall be that of a federal, representative, parliamentary republic.

2. The official name of Ledgersia shall be: "Federation of Ledgersia."

3. The States of New Vermont, Plymouth, Turgot, and Monticello shall together comprise the Federation of Ledgersia.

4. (1) The city of Honoria shall serve as the seat of the federal government of Ledgersia.

(2) The organization, functioning, and operation of the city of Honoria shall be determined by federal law.

Chapter II - Declaration of Principles and Policies

5. God and the people are the source of all governmental authority. No group of people or individual can vest in themselves the exercise of power.

6. Sovereignty shall be exercised by the people through their representatives and by way of referendum. Suffrage shall be universal, egalitarian, and secret. The right to vote shall be enjoyed by all Ledgersian citizens of legal age who are in full possession of their civil and political rights.

7. No person shall owe obedience to a usurper government or to anyone who assumes public office in violation of the Constitution and the law. The acts of those who usurp public office by unconstitutional means shall be nugatory.

8. Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees shall serve with the highest degree of responsibility and integrity, and shall remain fully accountable to the people.

9. Everyone shall be equal before the law. No one shall be privileged, favored, prejudiced, deprived of any right, or exempted from any duty for any reason or on any basis whatsoever.

10. With the exception of the right to vote, to hold public office, and to serve in the armed forces, foreigners resident in Ledgersia shall otherwise enjoy all the rights enjoyed by Ledgersian citizens.

11. The separation of church and state shall be inviolable. All religious associations shall enjoy full equality and protection under the law.

12. The Federation of Ledgersia shall adhere to the principles of international law which are not contrary to the exercise of national sovereignty and shall observe a foreign policy based on the principles of peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all countries, the avoidance of entangling alliances, and complete non-interference in the affairs of other countries.

13. The Constitution shall be the supreme law of the Federation. All federal laws inconsistent with the Constitution shall, to the extent of such inconsistency, be null and void.

Chapter III - The Bill of Rights

14. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

15. No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.

16. Every person shall be guaranteed freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, including the right to profess, individually or together with others, any religion, or to profess no religion at all, and to freely choose, possess, and disseminate religious and other views and act according to them. No religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil or political rights.

17. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, of whatever nature and for any purpose, shall be inviolable, and no search warrant or warrant of arrest shall issue except upon probable cause to be determined personally by the judge after examination under oath or affirmation of the complainant and the witnesses he may produce, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.

18. The privacy of communication and correspondence shall be inviolable, except upon lawful order of the court. Any evidence obtained in violation of this or section seventeen shall be inadmissible for any purpose in any proceeding.

19. The liberty of abode and of changing the same within the limits prescribed by law shall not be impaired except upon lawful order of the court. Neither shall the right to travel be impaired except in the interest of national security, public safety, or public health, as may be provided by law.

20. The right of the people to information on matters of public concern shall be recognized. Access to official records, and to documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions, as well as to government research data used as basis for policy development, shall be afforded the citizen, subject to such limitations as may be provided by law.

21. Every person shall have the right to have and to carry arms for his security, recreation, legitimate defense, or to hunt for food. The right to have and to carry arms shall not be infringed in any way, shape, or form.

22. Everyone shall enjoy the right to private property, whether personal or owned in association with others. Private property, whether individually or collectively owned, shall be inviolable. The right to property may not be interfered with except in public interest, in circumstances and procedures determined by law, and subject to fair and prior compensation.

23. The right of inheritance shall be guaranteed.

24. No law impairing the obligation of contracts shall be passed.

25. Every person shall have the right to freely choose his sphere of activity, profession, and place of work.

26. The right of the people to form unions, associations, or societies for purposes not contrary to law shall not be abridged.

27. No involuntary servitude in any form shall exist except as a punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.

28. Every person shall have the right to physical and mental integrity. No one may be subjected to experimentation without his informed consent. The modalities of such consent and experiments shall be determined by law.

29. Free access to the courts and to adequate legal assistance shall not be denied to any person by reason of poverty.

30. (1) Any person under investigation for the commission of an offense shall have the right to be informed of his right to remain silent and to have competent and independent counsel preferably of his own choice. If the person cannot afford the services of counsel, he must be provided with one. These rights cannot be waived except in writing and in the presence of counsel.

(2) No torture, force, violence, threat, intimidation, or any other means which vitiate the free will shall be used against him. Secret detention places, solitary, incommunicado, or other similar forms of detention are prohibited.

(3) Any confession or admission obtained in violation of this or section thirty-five hereof shall be inadmissible in evidence against him.

(4) The law shall provide for penal and civil sanctions for violations of this section as well as compensation to the rehabilitation of victims of torture or similar practices, and their families.

31. All persons, except those charged with offenses punishable by reclusion perpetua when evidence of guilt is strong, shall, before conviction, be bailable by sufficient sureties, or be released on recognizance as may be provided by law. The right to bail shall not be impaired even when the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus is suspended. Excessive bail shall not be required.

32. (1) No person shall be held to answer for a criminal offense without due process of law.

(2) In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall be presumed innocent until the contrary is proved, and shall enjoy the right to be heard by himself and counsel, to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation against him, to have a speedy, impartial, and public trial, to meet the witnesses face to face, and to have compulsory process to secure the attendance of witnesses and the production of evidence in his behalf. However, after arraignment, trial may proceed notwithstanding the absence of the accused: Provided, that he has been duly notified and his failure to appear is unjustifiable.

33. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended except in cases of invasion or rebellion, when the public safety requires it.

34. All persons shall have the right to a speedy disposition of their cases before all judicial or administrative bodies.

35. No person shall be compelled to be a witness against himself.

36. (1) Excessive fines shall not be imposed, nor cruel, degrading or inhuman punishment inflicted.

(2) The employment of physical, psychological, or degrading punishment against any prisoner or detainee or the use of substandard or inadequate penal facilities under subhuman conditions shall be dealt with by law.

37. No person shall be twice put in jeopardy of punishment for the same offense. If an act is punished by a law and an ordinance, conviction or acquittal under either shall constitute a bar to another prosecution for the same act.

38. (1) No person shall be convicted of an act which did not constitute a criminal offense under the law in force at the time the act was committed.

(2) No person shall have a more severe punishment imposed on him than the one that was applicable at the time the offense was committed. If, subsequent to the commission of an offense, the law provides for a lesser punishment, the lesser punishment shall apply.

39. Every person shall have the right to his ethnic and cultural identity. The ethnic and cultural plurality of the nation shall be recognized and protected.

40. Any person unable to express himself in English shall have the right to use his own language before any authority through an interpreter.

41. (1) Extradition may be granted only upon the recommendation of the Supreme Court, in compliance with the law and treaties and based on the principle of reciprocity.

(2) Extradition shall not be granted if it is determined that it is sought for the purpose of persecution or punishment based on religion, nationality, opinions, or race.

(3) Those sought for political crimes or related acts shall not be extradited. Acts of terrorism shall not classified as such.

42. The government shall recognize political asylum. It shall accept the status extended by the government granting asylum. In the case of deportation, the individual granted asylum shall not be turned over to the country whose government is pursuing him.

43. The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people of the several States.

Chapter IV - The States

44. Full faith and credit shall be given in each State to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other State; and Congress may, by general laws, prescribe the manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.

45. (1) The citizens of each State shall be entitled to all the privileges and immunities of citizens in the several States; and shall have the right of transit and sojourn in any State of the Federation.

(2) A person charged in any State with treason, felony, or other crime against the laws of such State, who shall flee from justice, and be found in another State, shall, on demand of the executive authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having jurisdiction of the crime.

46. Other States may be admitted into the Federation by a vote of two-thirds of the Senate and two-thirds of the House of Representatives; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other State, nor shall any State be formed by the junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the consent of the legislatures of the States concerned, as well as of Congress.

47. The Federation may acquire new territory, and Congress shall have power to legislate and provide governments for the inhabitants of all territory belonging to the Federation, lying without the limits of the several States, and may permit them, at such times, and in such manner as it may by law provide, to form States to be admitted into the Federation.

48. Trade, commerce, and intercourse among the States shall be absolutely free.

49. The Federation shall guarantee to every State that now is, or hereafter may become, a member of this Federation, a republican form of government; and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the government thereof, against insurrection and insurgency.

50. Any State may freely secede from Ledgersia at any time and for whatever cause, and may likewise be re-admitted as provided for in section forty-six.

51. The powers that are not explicitly delegated to the federal government by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, shall be reserved to the governments of the States.

Chapter I - The Head of State

Part I - The President and the Vice-President of the Federation

1. The President of the Federation shall be the head of state and the primary representative of the Ledgersian people in both domestic affairs and international relations. He shall be directly elected by the people of Ledgersia as hereinafter provided.

2. (1) A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President of the Federation if he-
(a) is a citizen of Ledgersia by birth;
(b) has attained forty years of age;
(c) is qualified to be registered as a voter for the election of members of the House of Representatives in one of the States; and
(d) has resided for at least fifteen years within the limits of Ledgersia.

(2) A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if-
(a) he has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a country other than Ledgersia or has made a declaration of allegiance to such other country; or
(b) under the law in any part of Ledgersia, he is adjudged to be a lunatic or otherwise declared to be of unsound mind; or
(c) he is under a sentence of imprisonment or fine for any offense involving dishonesty or fraud (by whatever name called) or for any other offense, imposed on him by any court or tribunal or substituted by a competent authority for any other sentence imposed on him by such a court or tribunal; or
(d) he is an undischarged bankrupt, having been adjudged or otherwise declared bankrupt under any law in force in Ledgersia or any other country; or
(e) being a person employed in the civil or public service of the Federation or of any State, he has not resigned, withdrawn, or retired from the employment at least thirty days before the date of the election; or
(f) he has been indicted for embezzlement or fraud by any court, tribunal, or commission set up under any law by the federal government or any State government, which indictment has been accepted by the federal or State government, respectively; or
(g) he has presented a forged certificate to the Federal Electoral Commission.

(3) Where in respect of any person who has been-
(a) adjudged to be a lunatic or declared to be of unsound mind; or
(b) adjudged or declared bankrupt;

any appeal against the decision is pending in any court of law in accordance with any law in force in Ledgersia, subsection (2) of this section shall not apply during a period beginning from the date when such appeal is lodged and ending on the date when the appeal is finally determined or, as the case may be, the appeal lapses or is abandoned, whichever is earlier.

3. (1) The election of the President of the Federation shall be held ninety days before the end of the administration of the President then holding office.

(2) The candidate who obtains an absolute majority of the votes validly cast shall be deemed to be elected President of the Federation. Blank and null and void votes shall be considered as if they had not been cast.

(3) Should there be more than two candidates in the presidential election, none of them obtaining more than half of the votes validly cast, a new election shall be held within twenty days from the announcement of the results. This election shall be limited to the two candidates with the highest relative majorities.

(4) Should one of the candidates, before the second round of voting is held, die, withdraw, or become legally impaired, the candidate with the highest number of votes among the remaining candidates shall be deemed to be elected President.

(5) If, in the event of the preceding subsections, more than one candidate with an equal number of votes remains in second place, the eldest one shall qualify.

4. In the event that, after ten days from the date scheduled for the inauguration, the President of the Federation, except by reason of force majeure has not taken office, the office shall be declared vacant.

5. The President shall not, during his tenure of office, hold any other executive office or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever.

6. (1) A person elected to the office of President shall not begin to perform the functions of that office until he has declared his assets and liabilities and has taken and subscribed the following oath before the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court:

"I, A.B., do hereby swear (or affirm) to faithfully perform my duties as President of the Federation, to preserve the independence of the nation, to maintain, defend, and uphold the Constitution and all other laws of the Federation, and to consecrate myself to the service of the people. So help me God."

(In case of affirmation, the last sentence may be omitted.)

(2) The President shall take office immediately after taking the oath as prescribed in the previous subsection.

7. (1) The President of the Federation shall hold office for a term of six years. He may not be re-elected for the consecutive period, and re-election shall be permitted only once.

(2) The term of office of the President shall commence on January 1 of the year following the year of his election.

(3) The President shall leave office on the same day on which his term of office is completed and shall be succeeded by the newly-elected President.

8. (1) The President shall not be absent from Ledgersia for a period of more than fifteen days or during the last ninety days of his administration except with the prior consent of the Senate.

(2) In any case, the President communicate the Senate with due anticipation, his decision to leave the country and the reasons therefor.

(3) Failure to comply with the provisions of subsections (1) and (2) shall automatically entail loss of office.

9. (1) The President shall nominate and, with the consent of the Senate, appoint ambassadors, plenipotentiaries, diplomatic representatives, and other diplomatic officers, consuls, and consular officers; the justices of the Supreme Court, if and when vacancies in the membership of the Court shall arise; the commanders of the armed forces; and all officers of the public service of Ledgersia, unless the appointment is delegated by the Constitution or by a law of Parliament to some other authority.

(2) The President shall have power to fill all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session; but no person rejected by the Senate shall be reappointed to the same office during their ensuing recess.

10. The President shall have power, with due regard to the provisions of this Constitution, to appoint the times for the holding of sessions of Parliament and to prorogue Parliament, or to dissolve the House of Representatives and call general elections thereto.

11. The President shall have power to enter into and ratify treaties and international agreements; but no treaty or international agreement shall be valid and effective unless concurred in by at least two-thirds of all the members of the Senate.

12. (1) The President shall be the commander-in-chief of all armed forces of the Federation and whenever it becomes necessary, he may call out such armed forces to prevent or suppress lawless violence, invasion or rebellion. In case of invasion or rebellion, when the public safety requires it, he may, for a period not exceeding sixty days, suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus or place Ledgersia or any part thereof under martial law. Within forty-eight hours from the proclamation of martial law or the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, the President shall submit a report in person or in writing to Parliament. Parliament, voting jointly, by a vote of at least a majority of all its members in regular or special session, may revoke such proclamation or suspension, which revocation shall not be set aside by the President. Upon the initiative of the President, Parliament may, in the same manner, extend such proclamation or suspension for a period to be determined by Parliament, if the invasion or rebellion shall persist and public safety requires it. Parliament, if not in session, shall, within twenty-four hours following such proclamation or suspension, convene in accordance with its rules without need of a call.

(2) The Supreme Court may review, in an appropriate proceeding filed by any citizen, the sufficiency of the factual basis of the proclamation of martial law or the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus or the extension thereof, and must promulgate its decision thereon within thirty days from its filing.

(3) A state of martial law does not suspend the operation of the Constitution, nor supplant the functioning of the civil courts or legislative assemblies, nor authorize the conferment of jurisdiction on military courts and agencies over civilians where civil courts are able to function, nor automatically suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus.

(4) The suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall apply only to persons judicially charged for rebellion or offenses inherent in, or directly connected with, invasion.

(5) During the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, any person thus arrested or detained shall be judicially charged within three days, otherwise he shall be released.

13. (1) The President shall have power to declare war and to make peace; but he shall not declare war or make peace without the prior consent of Parliament, except for the circumstances mentioned in subsection (3).

(2) Parliament may only authorize the President to declare war or to make peace by a vote of two-thirds of both Houses, assembled in joint session and voting separately.

(3) In cases of a direct attack upon Ledgersian territory or an imminent invasion thereof, the President shall not require parliamentary consent to declare war.

14. The President may grant honors, military and diplomatic ranks, and other state awards established by law, to individuals who have provided exemplary service to the Federation.

15. (1) Except in cases of impeachment, or as otherwise provided by law, the President may grant reprieves, commutations, and pardons, and remit fines and forfeitures, after conviction by final judgment.

(2) The President shall also have power to grant amnesty with the concurrence of a majority of all the members of Parliament.

16. (1) There shall be for Ledgersia a Vice-President of the Federation.

(2) In any election to which the foregoing provisions of this Chapter relate, a candidate for an election to the office of President shall not be deemed to be validly nominated unless he nominates another candidate as his associate for his running for the office of President, who is to occupy the office of Vice-President and that candidate shall be deemed to have been duly elected to the office of Vice-President if the candidate for an election to the office of President who nominated him as such associate is duly elected as President in accordance with the provisions aforesaid.

(3) The provisions of this Chapter relating to qualification for election, tenure of office, disqualification, declaration of assets and liabilities, and oaths of President shall apply in relation to the office of Vice-President as if references to President were references to the Vice-President.

(4) The Vice-President shall replace the President in the event of impediment and shall succeed him in the event of vacancy.

(5) In addition to other duties attributed to him by a supplementary law, the Vice-President shall assist the President whenever summoned by him for special missions.

17. In the event of impediment of the President and the Vice-President or of vacancy of the respective offices, the functions and duties of the President shall be assumed and performed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives or, if the office of Speaker is absent or the holder of that office is unable to act, the President of the Senate or, if his office is vacant or he is unable to act, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

18. (1) In the event of vacancy of the offices of President and Vice-President, elections shall be held ninety days after the occurrence of the last vacancy.

(2) If the vacancy occurs during the last two years of the President's term of office, the elections for both offices shall be held thirty days after the last vacancy as established bv law.

(3) In any of the cases, those elected shall complete the term of office of their predecessors.

19. (1) The President or Vice-President, as the case may be, shall answer before Parliament for crimes committed in the performance of his functions.

(2) If charges against the President or Vice-President, as the case may be, are accepted by at least two-thirds of the members of the House of Representatives, he shall be submitted to trial before the Senate.

(3) The President or Vice-President, as the case may be, shall not be convicted without the concurrence of at least two-thirds of the members of the Senate.

(4) Conviction shall cause removal from office and disqualification from re-election.

(5) For crimes that are not committed in the performance of his functions, the President or Vice-President, as the case may be, shall answer before the common courts, once his term of office has ended.

20. (1) The President may resign his office by lodging his resignation in writing to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

(2) The Vice-President may resign his office by lodging his resignation in writing to the President.

21. (1) The President and Vice-President shall receive such salaries and allowances as shall be prescribed by a law of Parliament.

(2) The salaries of the President and Vice-President shall not be increased or decreased during their term of office.

The President of the Council of Ministers, through consultation with the cabinet, lays down the state's general policy and supervises its implementation.

Chapter: The Armed Forces

1. The Armed Forces of the Federation shall consist of the Federal Navy and the militias of the several States.

2. Congress shall have power to make rules for the government and regulation of the Federal Navy.

3. (1) The States shall provide for organizing, arming, training, and discipling their militias, and for appointing the officers thereof.

(2) The State militias shall be controlled by their respective State governments, except in times of war, in which case the President of the Federation shall assume control of the State militias.

(2) The federal government of Ledgersia shall not employ the services of any State militia except with the prior consent of the State legislature concerned.

(3) In the event of a direct attack on Ledgersian territory or an imminent invasion thereof, the President may order a mobilization of the State militias and shall assume command of the militias until the attack

provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the Confederate States; reserving to the States, respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress.