Charter of Symphony

The Charter of Symphony is the most fundamental piece of legislation for the alliance, serving as the springboard for all policies and procedures. This crucial element outlines the government structure of the alliance, the processes for admission, and the expectations for the behavior of each Symphonian.

Article I – PREAMBLE
Section 1 – The purpose of Symphony shall be to provide for the protection and support of her member nations, as well as present organized interactions with other alliances in an effort to promote a productive and holistic existence within the world of CyberNations.

Section 2 – Above all else, Symphony values honor, loyalty, respect, strength, integrity, mutual prosperity, a sense of humor, intelligence, and most importantly, the voice of all nations contained within the membership. These concepts are the inspiration for the foundation of the alliance, and should remain at the forefront of all policies, procedures, and actions of the member nations.

Article II – GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE
Section 1 – The premier legislative body of Symphony is composed of four members, hereby referred to as “the Quadrumvirate,” which shall consist of the following positions:

* Quadrumvir of Defense – Responsible for wartime preparations and military organization * Quadrumvir of Economics – Responsible for procuring trades, technology, and growth opportunities * Quadrumvir of Foreign Affairs – Responsible for creating and maintaining foreign relations * Quadrumvir of Internal Affairs – Responsible for member admission, compliance, and discipline

Section 2 – Each Quadrumvir shall have complete dominion over all policies, procedures, and personnel of their respective Council. In any situation that requires cooperation between two or more divisions, these efforts shall be overseen by the entirety of the Quadrumvirate.

Section 3 – Quadrumvirs may appoint up to two Deputies – one Senior and one Junior – in order to assist with the proper supervision of all matters within their Council. The Senior Deputy shall lead their Council during an approved leave of absence of the Quadrumvir, and shall be the prime candidate to replace the Quadrumvir in the case of resignation or removal from office.

Section 4 – When a measure has reached the stage of a vote, each Quadrumvir must cast their ballot on the forums within a 72-hour window from the initial call for a vote. Responses via proxy will not be permitted. In addition, each Quadrumvir is responsible for stating that they have voted on the issue, while not revealing which response they have chosen.

Section 5 – A three-fourths (or 75%) majority must be reached in order for any legislation to be successfully passed. If any Quadrumvirate vote should result in a tie, the Senior Deputies of each Council will be brought into a joint vote with the Quadrumvirate. Following further debate, another vote shall take place. In this circumstance, a five-eighths majority (or 63%) vote is required for approval.

Section 6 – In the event that a Quadrumvir is absent for a period of two weeks, and they have not been properly cleared for a leave of absence by the rest of the Quadrumvirate, a Vote of No Confidence shall be brought forth to the alliance.

Section 7 – Should any one Quadrumvir resign or be removed from office, their Senior Deputy will supervise all functions of their Council until another Quadrumvir is selected by a unanimous vote of the remaining members of the Quadrumvirate.

Article III – GOVERNMENT SELECTION
Section 1 – At any time, if the membership feels as though a Quadrumvir does not properly represent the alliance and her principles, or is incapable of properly running their Council, they may present a Vote of No Confidence. This Vote can be called at any time given the signature of any five members in good standing.

Section 2 – In the case of a Vote of No Confidence, a vote shall be placed before the entire population of the alliance. A two-thirds (or 67%) majority is required in order to remove any Quadrumvir from power.

Section 3 – If the Senior Deputy is not approved as the replacement, or if two positions within the Quadrumvirate are vacant at the same time, a joint vote of the congress between the remaining Quadrumvirs and Senior Deputies shall take place in order to instate another candidate. In this circumstance, a four-sevenths (or 57%) majority is required to declare a clear winner.

Section 4 – If a Senior Deputy resigns, the Junior Deputy is automatically assumed to be the Senior Deputy of their respective Council, unless the Quadrumvir appoints another candidate.

Article IV – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1 – This alliance shall never tolerate preferential treatment of any nation ruler, including those wishing to apply for membership. In accordance with the guiding principles in Article I.2 of this charter, all applicants are to be given proper consideration and respect. However, anyone may be rejected in order to maintain the integrity of the alliance.

Section 2 – All nations seeking entry to Symphony may post a public application within the forums. In order to determine the nature of the application, these applicants will be subjected to examinations and an interview process.

Section 3 – Following successful completion of the previous section, each application will be subjected to a 72-hour window of private discussion and debate within the full membership. If any current Symphonian in good standing has reason to suspect that the acceptance of the applicant would not better the alliance or its community, they may openly present this to the membership and the Council without fear of censorship or repercussion. Any such statements will be taken into serious consideration prior to an applicant's admission.

Section 4 – Any applicants that have active wars, are indebted to another alliance, or are listed on any form of ZI list must indicate this on their applications. All issues must be resolved before any further steps may be made toward membership. Failure to present the full truth about any such issues may result in the immediate termination of membership.

Section 5 – If an applicant is approved to become a member of Symphony, they will have a period of four weeks in which they should switch to the Green team. If this statute is not met, the member will be removed from good standing, and may be asked to leave the alliance. The Quadrumvir of Internal Affairs may make any exceptions to this requirement on a case-by-case basis.

Section 6 – Should a nation be found wearing the “Symphony” Alliance Affiliation without proper authorization, they will be declared to be a ghost/rogue, and will be dealt with accordingly.

Article V – CODE OF CONDUCT
Section 1 – All Symphonians shall remain in good standing in the alliance provided that they are not in violation of any of the following Sections. Should a member be found to not be in compliance, their membership may be terminated, and their nation may possibly be subjected to a sentence of Zero Infrastructure.

Section 2 – Symphonians are expected to uphold all legislation and orders that the Quadrumvirate present to the alliance, unless these actions are deemed to be in violation of Article I.2 of this charter. In this circumstance, a Vote of No Confidence should be brought forth.

Section 3 – All Symphonians are to be on the Green team, unless the Quadrumvir of Internal Affairs approves exemption.

Section 4 – All Symphonians are expected to proudly wear the Alliance Affiliation of “Symphony,” and include their membership identification number in their nation biography at all times.

Section 5 – When dealing with any outside persons or groups, each member is expected to exemplify all of the characteristics listed in Article I.2 of this charter. The image, honor, and integrity of Symphony are greater than any one member.

Section 6 – Individual nations may not engage in any aggressive wars with, or provide intelligence to, any non-member for any reason, unless given explicit orders from the Quadrumvirate.

Section 7 – All Symphonians are expected to repay any possible debts within a reasonable amount of time, though the Quadrumvir of Economics may make exceptions.

Section 8 – Tech raiding is deemed as an unacceptable practice for any Symphonian. There are no exceptions to this section.

Section 9 – Prior to departure from the alliance, a member must post a public resignation 72 hours before they are allowed to leave. All resignations are subject to approval by the Quadrumvirate.

Article VI – WAR
Section 1 – Member nations may only declare an aggressive war upon receiving an order from the Quadrumvirate or the Senior Deputy of the Defense Council. Wars declared without clear and direct orders will be seen as rogue actions.

Section 2 – At any time, members are permitted and expected to defend against any offensive military action on their nations, and will have the full support of their alliance in terms of diplomacy, finances, and military.

Section 3 – The alliance has a strict NO FIRST STRIKE policy in regard to nuclear assaults. Nuclear weapons may be used in defensive measures, but only when at least one member nation has been attacked by a nuclear weapon or upon the unanimous approval of the Quadrumvirate.

Section 4 – During a state of war, all admissions will be closed. No members are to be admitted, nor shall any be allowed to resign. In addition, those refusing to follow orders to defend their fellow members shall be declared enemies of the alliance.

Article VII – AMENDMENTS
Section 1 – Any Symphonian in good standing may present Charter amendments for debate. If significant popular opinion is deemed to be in favor of the addition, subtraction, or changing of text, the Quadrumvirate shall bring it forth for a vote.

Section 2 – Ratification of all Charter amendments requires a three-fourths (or 75%) vote from the Quadrumvirate in order to be placed into effect.