THE IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

[Caranthir_ 2533]

 

THE STATUTE OF CAROLUSTADT

✠

GREAT COUNCIL OF THE IMPERIAL CROWN OF EXALTED GODFREY

Consilium Magnum de Imperiale Corona elevati Godefridus

 

Penned by Fabius Bracchus and Alexander Frederick

 

Spoiler

 

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ARTICLE I | Preamble

ARTICLE II | The Crown

    SECTION I | Defining the Crown

    SECTION II | Role of the Crown

ARTICLE III | The Imperial Parliament

    SECTION I | Composition of the Parliament

        SUBSECTION I | Lords Temporal

        SUBSECTION II | Lords Spiritual

        SUBSECTION III | Prefects

        SUBSECTION IV | Prefectures

        SUBSECTION V | Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal

        SUBSECTION VI | Privy Council

    SECTION II | Role of the Parliament

        SUBSECTION I | Responsibilities of the Parliament

        SUBSECTION II | Powers of the Parliament

    SECTION III | Legitimacy of the Parliament

ARTICLE IV | Procedure of the Parliament

    SECTION I | Legislative Procedures

                    SUBSECTION I | Bills, Resolutions, and Motions

        SUBSECTION II | Judicial and Subpoena Process

        SUBSECTION III | Proclamations

        SUBSECTION IV | Absenteeism

    SECTION II | Misconduct

        SUBSECTION I | Imperial Sanctuary

    SECTION III | Impeachment

ARTICLE V | Electoral Procedures

    SECTION I | Imperial Department of Electoral and Legislative Affairs

        SUBSECTION I | Integrity of the Election Commissioner

        SUBSECTION I | Redistricting Process

    SECTION II | Electoral Process of Prefects

        SUBSECTION I | Registration and Voting

        SUBSECTION II | Primary Election

        SUBSECTION III | General Election

        SUBSECTION IV | By-election

        SUBSECTION V | Special Appointments

    SECTION III | Participation

        SUBSECTION I | Requirements to Vote

        SUBSECTION II | Requirement to Run for Office

        SUBSECTION II | Rights of the Voter

ARTICLE VI | Amendment Process

ARTICLE VII | Ratification

 

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ARTICLE I | Preamble

We recognise the undeniable, inevitable shift in the continental political climate. Our Empire, the most powerful, glorious material force known to descendents, is undergoing a fundamental change in our system of governance. That is why We, those concerned councillors of the Empire, including His Imperial Majesty Aurelius I Horen, hereby declare the establishment of the Great Council of the Imperial Crown of Exalted Godfrey, to represent the citizenry and their interests, whilst also upholding the rule of law in the Empire. It is decidedly the best course of action to embark on a national experiment, imploring the ideals of this newfound electoral system in many of our vassal states. The Imperial Parliament shall act as our generation’s most profound civil reforms in government, a landmark which shall be revered throughout our domestic history, both appointing and electing the best writers and policy crafters in the Imperial state to an advisory body, composed of pious individuals with the utmost reverence for Man, GOD, and Empire.

 

ARTICLE II | The Crown

 

SECTION I | Defining the Crown

The Crown of the Empire of Man refers to the Emperor of Man himself, to be addressed as His Imperial Majesty, the absolute authority in the entirety of the Empire. We define this individual by order of hereditary succession to the throne.

 

SECTION II | Role of the Crown

The Crown of the Empire of Man shall act as the supreme executive authority, to work in conjunction with this established legislature. The role of His Imperial Majesty shall be to review passed legislation from the Parliament, casting final judgement on the provisions in every article presented to him. His Imperial Majesty holds full authority to veto any legislation at will. In addition, it’s Privy Council are permitted to call a session of Parliament to convene at any time they deem necessary. These individuals include the Emperor of Man, the Arch-Chancellor, the Arch-Seneschal, the Grand Knight, the Grand Marshal, the Castellan Engineer, and the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. However, legislation may only be vetoed by His Imperial Majesty.

 

ARTICLE III | The Imperial Parliament

 

SECTION I | Composition of the Parliament

The Imperial Parliament shall be composed of a unicameral legislature, who shall have the authority to convene either separately or conjointly at the discretion of their respective body’s leaders. All members of the Parliament shall possess the same powers, but their modes of selection will differ.

 

SUBSECTION I | Lords Temporal

The Lords Temporal, more informally addressed as the Peerage, is the most basic legislative and advisory board in the Parliament. It shall be composed of all summoned land owning, governing individuals of the various Imperially recognized baronies, counties, margravates, kingdoms or duchies throughout the Empire, who possess the titles of Duke or Duchess, Lord or Lady Protector, Count or Countess, Baron or Baroness, King or Queen, Earl or Earless, Margrave, or the political equivalents of such. Each member of the Peerage shall hold one vote. The right to serve in the Parliament is tied directly to one’s ownership of land, and once he or she has either abdicated, rescinded, or been stripped of titles, the next individual in the line of succession shall assume their seat in the Parliament.

 

SUBSECTION II | Lords Spiritual

The Lords Spiritual shall be composed of governing Prince-Bishops and Prince-Archbishops, for the purpose of retaining the holy state of the Empire and its newly established political institutions. Each member of the Lords Spiritual shall garner the same legislative authority as their peers.

 

SUBSECTION III | Prefects

As Prefects, elected members will perform the same functions as the Peerage, but shall instead reflect the desires of the constituency. All elected representatives, formally titled “Prefects,” may be addressed as “the honourable.” Each Prefect shall serve a term of five years, and hold one vote each. Those serving in the Peerage may not simultaneously serve as a Prefect, those who are noble may not serve as Prefects.

 

SUBSECTION IV | Prefectures

We hereby declare that certain Prefectures shall be established from specific chartered regions within the Empire. The Imperial Arch-Chancellery is granted the ability to determine those cities and towns which shall be named as chartered, and each shall incur one seat within the Parliament to be elected upon by citizens of that territory. The charters currently extend to Carolustadt, Markev, and Belvitz.

 

SUBSECTION IV | Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal

The Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal, appointed by His Imperial Majesty, is charged with organising the Parliament. The Privy Seal, in addition to his other administrative tasks, is granted the responsibility of scheduling meetings amongst the Parliament. He shall tally votes, physically conduct sessions, and maintain the general order, whilst performing day-to-day operations. As a member of the privy council, the Lord Privy Seal has the right to vote in parliament.

 

SUBSECTION V | Imperial Privy Council

The entirety of the Privy Council is to serve as the Grand Council in the Parliament, and each member shall garner one vote each. They shall be present for the purpose of answering inquiries and presenting their own opinions to the Parliament. The present individuals serving on the Privy Council include the Arch-Chancellor, the Arch-Seneschal, the Grand Knight, the Grand Marshal, Grand Chamberlain and the Castellan Engineer, in addition to the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal.

 

SECTION II | Role of the Parliament

 

SUBSECTION I | Responsibilities of the Parliament

The Imperial Parliament shall hereby be tasked with debating proposed legislation, reviewing the governmental actions of the subjects of the Empire, reviewing the governmental actions of the Crown, drafting bills, writs, and proposals. The Parliament shall meet when requested to by the Emperor, the Lord Privy Seal, or if those holding a seat wish it so. Responsibilities of Prefects also includes serving their full term, as they were elected to do, which lasts five years each. No Lord, be it Temporal or Spiritual, may abdicate their seat in Parliament without doing so first with the title which binds them to the House. A Prefect, however, may resign if presenting a valid reason.

 

SUBSECTION II | Powers of the Parliament

All members of Parliament are granted the following powers;

To propose legislation

To propose a non-binding writ or proclamation

To review executive actions

To revive previously failed propositions

To review and investigate the actions of government agents

To attainder individuals

To establish caucuses and committees alongside fellow members of Parliament, to unify members with similar objectives

To vote on proposed measures

 

SECTION III | Legitimacy of the Parliament

The Crown of the Empire of Man shall grant available advisory powers herein to the Imperial Parliament so long as they continue to serve the Imperial State and GOD faithfully and without deceit. The Emperor of Man alone may choose to dissolve the Imperial Parliament and return vested powers to the Crown of the Empire. At any point, the Emperor is fully able and justified in altering the articles herein presented.

 

ARTICLE IV | Procedure of the Parliament

 

SECTION I | Legislative Procedure

The traditional procedure for passing legislation varies in differing circumstances but is to be upheld by the officers of the Parliament.

 

SUBSECTION I | Bills, Resolutions, and Motions

The individual(s) proposing the legislation or motion must announce their intention to do so on the floor during a legislative session. The designated officer will then designate a sufficient amount of time for debate, and then another date for the voting session. Upon reaching the voting session, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal shall call for a verbal vote, if there is not a clear victor, he will send present members into division chambers - whereupon they shall physically vote aye or nay. The proposed measure will require a simple majority to pass. It shall then be delivered to the Emperor’s throne by the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal, to be signed by His Imperial Majesty into law. Should he veto the proposition, the bill shall then return to the Parliament. The legislation may be revived, should the sponsor so wish. If the legislation is delivered to the Emperor, but He refuses to either sign or veto after a Saint week’s time, then the legislation will automatically be signed into law and may be rescinded at a later date by the Emperor’s decree.

 

SUBSECTION II | Legislative Scheduling

Sponsors of proposed legislation must inform the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of their propositions ahead of time. He shall then allot debate time to the proposed legislation on a specific day. At least one Saint’s day must be granted between the time of debate and voting date, to allow lobbyists, journalists, constituents, and fellow Parliament members time to contemplate their votes. By the time of the voting date, the sponsor may request the vote be delayed, should they so wish. The “minimum time” rule does not necessarily apply if the legislation details any of the following isolated items, though sponsors may still request time for debate;

Naming or renaming roads, bridges, and other public works

Commissioning works of fine art

Non-binding proclamations

Any legislation where a quorum of eight-tenths of Parliament is in attendance

 

SUBSECTION III | Judicial and Subpoena Process

Under the supervision of the Grand Knight, the Parliament is granted the authority to launch their own non-binding investigation into government officials who may be accused of corruption, or to review potential government employees with questionable backgrounds. A three-tenths minority is needed in order to initiate the judicial review process. Any representative may subpoena an individual during the judicial session to testify in front of the Parliament. In contrast to legislation, the call to initiate the judicial process may be proposed and voted on in the same legislative session.

 

SUBSECTION IV | Proclamations

At any time, any member may issue a formal proclamation, writ, or public statement. No vote is necessary to deliver this written declaration, though if the sponsor possesses concurring support, they may add the names of cosponsors to the writ.

 

SUBSECTION V | Absenteeism

In the scenario that a member of Parliament is unavailable to attend a voting session, they forfeit the right to vote on that specific issue. In order to make one’s opinion heard on a subject, they must be in attendance.

 

SECTION II | Misconduct

“Misconduct” is considered the general violation of Parliamentary guidelines, including but not limited to speaking out of turn, public deviancy, defying the officers of the Parliament, and other regulations laid out in the Imperial Department of Electoral and Legislative Affairs’ conventional handbook. The officers reserve the authority to remove any violators from the hall at any point.

 

SUBSECTION I | Imperial Sanctuary

Conditions of the Imperial Sanctuary dictate that, whilst in session, personal matters, grievances, nor threats shall be brought to the floor of the Parliament. In addition, Imperial Sanctuary also provides that threats of force, actions of force, bribery, blackmail, or any attempts thereof are considered treasonous and shall be handled as such.

 

SECTION III | Impeachment

Impeachment occurs when a representative is convicted of violating the law or is otherwise unable to serve. Upon being convicted guilty of a crime, any member may initiate an impeachment process via Article IV, Section I, Subsection II. If a representative is found deceased, incapacitated for an elongated period of time, or otherwise is unable to further serve the Imperial Parliament, then they shall be automatically impeached, and the respective replacement process shall proceed.

 

ARTICLE V | Electoral Procedures

 

SECTION I | Imperial Election Commission

The Imperial Election Commission, otherwise abbreviated to “IEC,” is tasked with offering nonpartisan oversight to elections and filing away the necessary paperwork for Parliamentary procedures. This is the bureaucratic and administrative arm of the Parliament, to act completely independent of any partisan entities. It is to be lead by an Election Commissioner, nominated by the Crown.

 

SUBSECTION I | Integrity of the Election Commissioner

The Election Commissioner must act completely and absolutely neutral in the public eye. They are permitted to vote in elections, but their utmost task is to retain neutrality whilst organizing the regular functions of the Parliament. Should they violate this ethical neutrality, then they may be tried by the appropriate judiciary or be subpoenaed to a judicial committee for interrogation. The Election Commissioner nor anyone in the department must also refrain from revealing the confidential voting information of any constituents, or they shall be swiftly removed from their post.

 

SUBSECTION II | Redistricting Process

The Election Commissioner and their staffers shall, in conjunction with Parliamentary officers, redistrict the map when massive shifts in population sizes occur. Prefectures should be divided based on population sizes, and ideally, each district should encompass a roughly equal number of residents.

 

SECTION II | Electoral Process for Prefects

 

SUBSECTION I | Registration and Voting

The “IEC” is responsible for registering constituents of the Empire to vote in Prefecture Elections. Upon applying to register to vote, the department shall then issue a request for a poll card to be manufactured within the proceeding Saint’s days, addressed to the applicant. The card will include their primary place of residence, full name, year of birth, race, and the prefecture they are permitted to vote in. This card, used as identification, shall then be used by the voters to travel to a polling station, find their candidate’s ballot box, and insert their polling card into the ballot box. After the polling locations have closed for the day, the IEC shall then be responsible for physically collecting and counting all the ballots in each prefecture. Election results are then expected to be publicly announced. After the conclusion of the election, the voter identification cards shall then be returned to their proper holders.

 

SUBSECTION II | Primary Election

Primary elections are described as optional, preliminary elections between multiple contenders for a political party’s official endorsement. The precise provisions and regulations largely depend on the leadership of the party itself and how they organize the election, but the same essential principles apply; the voter identification cards are to be tallied together by the IEC, and the winner of said primary election shall become the nominee for the upcoming standard election. If only one individual is vying for the party’s endorsement, a primary election is unnecessary and does not have to be held.

The primary elections will occur at the discretion of the party leadership, but must be hosted at least one Saint’s day before the general election.

 

SUBSECTION III | General Election

The general election occurs between the nominees of all political parties, in addition to any independent candidates for office. The traditional procedures apply, and are to be conducted solely by the IEC. The individual to garner the most votes past the post wins the seat. The standard election will occur three Saint’s days before the next legislative term.

 

SUBSECTION IV | By-election

By-elections will be invoked in the instance that a current Prefect resigns abruptly, becomes incapacitated for an extended period of time, is found deceased, is impeached, convicted of a crime, or otherwise is unable to serve the remainder of their term. By-elections shall be hosted as swiftly as possible, and the victors shall become the representative of the Prefecture within the next day.

Time should be allotted for both a primary election day, and then a standard election day following. Ideally, in the instance a special election is necessary, the total process should take no more than five Saint’s days at most.

 

SUBSECTION V | Special Appointments

In circumstances where there is no legitimate candidate running for public office, the governing individual of the respective charter in question shall select an individual to assume office.

 

SECTION III | Participation

 

SUBSECTION I | Requirements to Vote

All proper residents are allotted the right to vote, given that they meet the minimum specifications to do so. These specifications are as follows;

To reside in a vassal state of the Empire

To have resided in your given Prefecture for at least two Saint’s weeks at the time of the election

To be at least fourteen years of age

To be in satisfactory legal standing

To own property within the Empire

 

SUBSECTION II | Requirements to Run for Office

The majority of individuals residing in the Empire will easily qualify to run for political office. These requirements are as follows;

To be of at least Gentry, Burgher, or Yeoman social status, or in the immediate family of such individuals.

To have resided in your given Prefecture for at least four Saint’s weeks at the time of the election

To be at least twenty-five years of age

To be a full-blooded human

To subscribe to the Canonist faith or a denomination of such

To possess the ability to read and write proficiently

To own property in the Empire

To have an approved manifesto by the Imperial Arch-Chancellery

 

SUBSECTION III | Rights of the Voter

Constituents of the Empire are hereby granted additional powers that they may exercise at the grassroots level. Their newfound abilities are as follows;

To vote in one’s respective prefecture

To donate resources to a political candidate

To create and establish political parties, unions, or organizations

To become involved in journalistic coverage of elections and parliamentary affairs

 

ARTICLE VI | Amendment Process

This document may be amended or altered during any legislative session, following traditional legislative procedure or executive decree. However, a bill proposing the alteration of this document must include at least two debate sessions, as opposed to one.

 

ARTICLE VII | Ratification

By the power vested in us by His Imperial Majesty, the Crown of the Empire of Man, and GOD, We hereby sign this charter into effect.

 

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IN NOMINE DEI

HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY, Aurelius I of the House of Horen, Emperor of Man, King of Renatus, Marna, Mardon, Salvus, Seventis, Savoy, Courland, and Norland, Duke of the Crownlands, Cascadia, Avar, and Frederica, Count of Carolustadt, Alamar, Frederica, Thesmer, Thelen, Lorath, and Cantal, Baron of Darkwood, Gravelhold, Fidei Defensor, Protector of the Heartlanders, Highlanders, Farfolk, etcetera.

 

HIS IMPERIAL HIGHNESS, Alexander Frederick of the House of Horen, Imperial Prince of the Empire of Man, Duke of Alba and Furnestock, Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal.

[Guest]

“way too much writing to read” frowns an old charlie horen to his son

[TankM1A2 840]

“Wonder what this Parliament will be able to accomplish...” pondered Ser Carlovac, perusing the congressional chamber.

[Narthok 10416]

“Democracy is going to be a mistake” mutters Thoromir