2024 Constitution Draft v2

This is strictly a draft and shall not be used as a official constitution unless ratified.

Preamble

We, the citizen nations of the Rhineland, in order to establish a just and equitable governance, promote the welfare of our citizens, safeguard their rights and freedoms, and ensure the unity and prosperity of our region, do hereby establish this Constitution of the Rhineland. This will also mark the adoption of the unofficial name of the Frontier, The Federal Republic of the Rhenish-Commonwealth.

Article I - Definitions

1. 'The (or 'the') Rhineland' (or simply 'Rhineland') is defined as the NationStates region of The Rhineland.

2. A 'resident' is defined as a nation that resides within the Rhineland, but has not attained citizenship.

3. A 'citizen' is defined as a nation that resides within the Rhineland and has attained citizenship.

4. 'RMB' - the regional message board of the Rhineland.

5. The Rhenish-Commonwealth is a federal constitutional and democratic monarchy with power emanating from the Sovereign People.

6. The Rhenish-Commonwealth places itself firmly with the West and the values of democracy, truth and justice.

7. Other definitions may be provided as necessary.

Article II - Citizenry and Rights of Citizens

1. Residents of the Rhineland are granted the following rights and duties: full and uninterfered command of their nation and freedom to move in and out of the Rhineland as they see fit.

2. To become a citizen, a resident of the Rhineland must join the World Assembly, endorse the elected World Assembly Delegate and any officers of security, and maintain that endorsement for at least 3 consecutive days.

-Members of a foreign army supporting the Delegate may not become citizens without making a special application to the Minister of State.

3. Once a citizen has qualified through the above, they must swear the following oath by posting it on the RMB and pinging the Minister of State:
''I swear my service and allegiance to the Rhineland and Fatherland, and pledge to uphold the security and strength of the Rhineland through the power vested in me by the Constitution.''

4. In addition to rights given to residents, citizens are granted the following rights: freedom of speech and ideology (provided the speech/ideology does not espouse hateful thinking, such as Nazism), right to vote and run in elections, and right to vote freely in the World Assembly.

5. Honorary citizenship, with all powers of citizenship not involving elections, may be granted and revoked by the Minister of State or Emperor for service to the Emperor.

6. All citizens have the right to be treated with proper respect.

7. No citizen shall be discriminated on any basis.

Article III - Government

The Rhineland's Government shall be headed by the World Assembly Delegate, who will have all powers and will be charged with appointing and dismissing officers as necessary.

1. The Commonwealth recognizes a monarch as head of state to serve as the necessary unifying force of the States and the Sovereign People and be their first servant and protector. In the event of the Commonwealth having no monarch, one must be elected by a) The Congressional District by a supermajority vote, b) If the Congress is unable to convene, a plebiscite. The title of the monarch shall be either "Emperor of the Commonwealth" or "Empress of the Commonwealth," representing a connection to the sovereign people and dismissing feudal connections to land as property. The monarch is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The monarch represents the Commonwealth. The monarch has the power to declare plebiscites. The Parliament may depose the monarch in a supermajority vote. The monarch selects a Regent to act in their full capacity in the event of the monarch's death until the election of a new monarch, or upon the specific request of the reigning monarch for any duration of time. The monarch is allowed to abdicate the throne if they feel they cannot uphold their duties stipulated by the constitution.
In order to abdicate the monarch must submit a message to the Federal Council including the following: a brief reasoning why they feel they can no longer conduct the duties of monarch; recommendation to the parliament of a valid successor; the date they shall officially step down, which shall be no sooner than 72 hours from the time of deliverance.
-The monarch will be the WA Delegate

2. The Head of State is the Chancellor and it will be the highest Office in the land. The Chancellor will be Commander & Chief of the Rhine's Armed Forces. The Chancellor will have the power to sign and enact legislation passed through the Congressional District as well as vetoing legislation. Every Chancellor that is elected will have to appoint their Cabinet of the Interior which consists of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of State, Minister of Security, Minister of Culture, and Head of the Rhines Armed forces. The Chancellorship will always be a electable position, with elections taking place every four months. A Chancellor will only serve three consecutive or non consecutive terms. Campaigns for Chancellorship will only be able to start a month before the election is held, any attempts to campaign before its allowed will cause the offender to be struck from that elections ballet. If campaigning attempts before the allowed time are committed by a person not running but for the candidate they support, the offender will lose their privilege to vote for that election cycle. The Chancellor will also be the Head of Party Registration. That meaning when a new political party wants to be a official party to participate in elections, the founder must submit a application to the Chancellor of the parties ideals, beliefs, and what ideology your party aligns with. The Chancellor must immediately deny a party that revolves around Fascism, discrimination, racial superiority, and hate. Or if the party aligns with a banned ideology.

Article VI - Foreign Policy

Note that this is a set of general guidelines, rather than a strict and formal policy. The Minister of Foreign Affairs may decide on a more formal foreign policy that remains in line with this Article.

1. The Rhineland shall only construct embassies with regions that meet the following criteria:
-Have at least 50 nations, with at least 10 percent of their nations being in the WA

-Does not have "Fascist", "Embassy Collector", or "Puppet Storage" tags

-Has some semblance of organized government, or an active administration

-Be in good standing with the government of the Rhineland

2. Regions that believe the criteria have been met must send an ambassador to the Rhineland and contact the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

3. Once an embassy request has been accepted and embassies constructed, the region in question must maintain the following:
-Continue to meet all criteria above

-Make one government update post every three months, either in the HL Discord or on the HL RMB via the posted ambassador. (There may be more, of course, but this is the optimal requirement.)
If the government of a region that has not updated us on government in more than two months remains in good standing, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is obliged to contact that region's foreign affairs offices or government and notify them preemptively that their embassy may be pulled without a government update.

4. This foreign policy may be expanded on or rewritten wholesale by the Minister of Foreign Affairs at a time where it is required or desired, but for the most part, these guidelines should remain unmodified.

Article VII - Amending this Constitution

1. This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of both the citizenry and the Cabinet.

2. This Constitution may be modified a maximum of twice a month, non-cumulative.

3. The following articles of this Constitution may not be modified except in cases of extreme emergency:
-Article III, Section 1

-Article V, Section 3

Article VIII - The Rights of the Citizenry

The listed rights below are the inalienable rights of the Rhineland Citizenry, which grant the people their freedoms, and shall never be taken.

Sec. I
The right of freedom of speech is granted to every citizen, and may not be suppressed unless there is a clear and present danger to the People or Democratic Government of the Rhine.

Sec. II
The right of freedom of press is granted to every citizen, and may not be suppressed unless there is a clear and present danger to the People or Democratic Government of the Rhine.

Sec. III
The right of freedom of religion is granted to every citizen, but any religion actively promoting extremist, racist, or genocidal rhetoric will not be allowed to be openly practiced or preached in the rmb and may face ban from practice.

Sec. IV
The right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances is granted to every citizen.

Sec. V
The right to peacefully assemble in the rmb, telegram, and external sites is granted to every citizen, and may not be suppressed unless there is a clear and present danger to the People or Democratic Government of the Rhine.

Sec. VI
The right to not be held to answer for a crime unless on a presentment or indictment of the Judicial District. As well as protection from self-incrimination without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation., and protection from double jeopardy.

Sec. VII
The right of the accused in criminal prosecutions to a impartial, speedy, and public trial by the Judicial District, who is to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in their favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Sec. VIII
The right by trial in the Judicial District publically shall be preserved, and shall never be suppressed in any situation ever.

Sec. IX
The right to protect the accused from the Judges overruling proven facts/evidence revealed by witnesses.