Charter of the Legion

The Legion Charter is the current governing document of The Legion. The current Charter has been in continuous effect since it was officially ratified on April 6th, 2009.

Preamble
We, being the members of the Legion, agree to come together in a spirit of co-operation, friendship and togetherness to draft this Charter of our alliance. Through this document we establish our rights, provide for the general welfare of the alliance and its members, assist nations in domestic growth, establish an alliance-wide defence, and together reap the blessings of the strength that flows from our common unity.

One: Admission

 * A: Admission shall be granted to applying nations by a Verifier, who can be overruled by the Imperator.
 * B: All potential members must take the Admission Test on the Legion's forums in order to be admitted. The specific requirements beyond this will be clearly set by the Imperator, and can be changed at any time by him/her.

Two: Membership

 * A: Member nations are encouraged, but not required, to join the Purple Team, as the bulk of The Legion's nations are situated on that colour. This is to help the growth of The Legion and Purple alike.
 * B: Membership of other alliances is prohibited.
 * C: Members of The Legion agree to be bound by this Charter and the Code of Ethics. Any member found in violation of the Charter and/or Code of Ethics may be subject to disciplinary action.
 * D: All Legionnaires are entitled to freedom of speech, within the boundaries set by the Charter and Code of Ethics.

One: The Imperator

 * A: The Imperator serves as the Chief Executive of the Legion. The Imperator controls all aspects of the alliance aside from anything specified within the Charter. Once the Imperator is selected, the Imperator will stay in power until he/she resigns or is removed.
 * B: The first Imperator will be elected. He/she reserves the right to resign at any time and if the Imperator is resigning, the outgoing Imperator must determine his/her replacement.
 * C: In the event that the Imperator-elect does not wish to undertake the position, that person has the right to abdicate, in which case an election will take place. In the event that the Imperator is forcibly removed by a Vote of No Confidence, an election to determine their replacement will occur.
 * D: The Imperator will face a Confirmation Vote every four months. In this vote, the membership will choose whether to keep the Imperator or remove him/her out of office. The Imperator must pass with a majority to remain in office. If the Imperator fails this Confirmation Vote, the Proconsul will assume power as the new Imperator, subject to an immediate Confirmation Vote. If the Proconsul fails this, an election will be held.
 * E: The Imperator reserves the right to appoint and remove the Proconsul and any Consul at any time.

Two: The Proconsul

 * A: The Proconsul is appointed by the Imperator, and is the second-in-command. The Proconsul will act as Imperator whenever the Imperator is away. Whilst a Proconsul, he/she has no Executive Power, assists the Imperator, oversees the Consuls and is the Chief Advisor to the Imperator.
 * B: In the event that the Proconsul resigns, the Imperator must select a replacement.

Three: The Consulate

 * A: The Consulate consists of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defense and the Minister of Economics. The Consulate control their Ministries under the guidance of the Imperator. The four Consuls have equal power. At the time of this Charter's effect, the current MoIA, MoFA, MoD and MoE will retain their positions.
 * B: If there is a vacancy within the Consulate, the Imperator must select a replacement. Consulate members must appoint a substitute for their role when they are temporarily absent. For unexpected absences, the other Consuls will appoint a substitute.
 * C: The Consulate has the power to overturn an Imperial Decision by at least a 3/4 vote. The vote must be set up no longer than 24 hours after the decision is made.

Article III: Inspector General

 * A: The Inspector General is an Elected Official who serves six month terms. Vacancies in this position are filled by bi-election. A member of the Government may not be the Inspector General at the same time.
 * B: The Inspector General is the membership's eye on the Government and reports to them the affairs of the Imperator, the Proconsul and the Consulate including their respective ministries. The Inspector General primarily does this through required monthly audits of each Ministry.Proconsul and of the Imperator.
 * C: The Inspector General shall have observer status in all venues of Government decision-making, but have no right to participate in proceedings unless their advice is requested. The Inspector General must also not intervene with any Legionnaire-made Votes of No Confidence, disapproved by them.

One: Votes of No Confidence (VoNC)

 * A: Any Legionnaire may request a VoNC of any Government member, to the Inspector General in confidence. When the request is received, the Inspector General is to measure the validity of the argument posed to them. If the VoNC is deemed worthy, the Inspector General will open up a topic in a designated area for a vote on the matter.
 * B: A majority vote is needed for a successful Vote of No Confidence upheld by the Inspector General. If the VoNC request is blocked by the Inspector General, any Legionnaire may set up their own vote, marked clearly in the designated area. A Legionnaire made VoNC needs a 2/3 majority to pass.
 * C: Any Legionnaire may, in confidence, request a Vote of No Confidence of the current Inspector General to the resident Proconsul. Should the Proconsul see ample reason to initiate the Vote of No Confidence, the current Inspector General's office is suspended for the duration of 48 hours while the Vote of No Confidence is passed to the public for vote. Should the vote pass, Clause A of Article III will take effect immediately.

Two: Treaties
Any Government Member, Ambassador or Envoy may officially propose a treaty with another alliance. Treaty signings and their cancellations occur after a 3/5 majority vote between the Imperator and Consulate.

Three: Legislation and Charter Amendments

 * A: Any Government Member may propose Legislation. Any Legion member who is not under or awaiting trial, may discuss Legislation and suggest Legislation to the Government.
 * B: A piece of Legislation must pass a vote by at least a 3/5 majority to pass. Legislation that passes this vote immediately becomes Law. Any Legionnaire not currently under trial, may at any time propose a repeal of any piece of Legislation, excluding the Charter. In order to be repealed, at least a 2/3 majority in a vote in favor of the removal of said Law must occur.
 * C: Any Government member may propose an amendment to the Charter at any time. In order for the Charter to be Amended, it must receive a 2/3 majority vote.

Four: Votes
All votes, with time limits not previously specified, are to take place over the duration of seventy-two hours with all Legionnaires voting, unless specifically mentioned. All vote fractions or percentages are also based on the number of voters. Members will be informed of upcoming votes.

Five: War

 * A: According to the principles of Pax Legio, The Legion endorses peace between its members and other nations of the world. All unprovoked attacks against any nation or alliance are strictly prohibited.
 * B: Should a member nation be the victim of an unprovoked attack, all members pledge to rally their full military and economic prowess in defense of the attacked nation and aiding reconstruction and war efforts to the best of their abilities under guidance from officials.
 * C: Development of nuclear weapons is encouraged.
 * D: The Imperator has the ability to declare war, or obtain peace, based on the Legion's current active treaties. Only in the most dire of situations, with the most convicting evidence against another alliance, may the Imperator declare an aggressive war.
 * E: The Consulate are the deciding body on the definition of a "dire or warranted" situation. A vote can be called by any Consul asking for evidence that warrants war, or an explanation as to why war was called. A 3/4 majority vote will determine whether war is warranted or not.

One: The Tribunal

 * A: The Tribunal is tasked with upholding justice within the Legion. Crimes against the Legion and her members are to be reviewed within the Tribunal. In instances where no precedent exists, the Tribunal is to look toward justice as its guiding principle.
 * B: The Tribunal shall oversee the internal discipline of all Legion members and, when deemed necessary, call for punishment.
 * C: The Tribunal will consist of Consulate, and Proconsul. The Imperator will have full veto power and final say in punishment.

Two: Tribunal Proceedings

 * A: Any member in good standing may bring forth a grievance against another to the Inspector General. Complaints without merit are to be dismissed. If the complaint is substantiated, the Inspector General may file formal charges against the accused with the Tribunal.


 * B: Should a nation be deemed to be a flight risk, the Tribunal may request the Minister of Defense to declare staggered wars upon the accused to prevent escape. No attacks or further declarations may occur without the expressed consent of the Consulate.


 * C: Upon completion of a Tribunal case, a vote will be made by Consulate, and Proconsul, who shall render a verdict of guilty or not guilty. The Imperator must approve of the decision.


 * D: Any member deemed guilty by the Tribunal has a right to appeal the decision within 48 hours of said verdict. If no appeal is requested, the case will move to the punishment stage.


 * E: The presiding authority of the appeal process is vested in the Proconsul. In the event that the Proconsul is the defendant in a case or is otherwise unavailable, the Imperator shall serve as the presiding authority.


 * F: The Proconsul will collect a statement of appeal from the defendant and a statement of verdict from the Tribunal. These statements will be included in an appeal poll put before the membership which shall last for no less then seventy two hours. A 2/3 vote by the General Membership is required to overturn a guilty verdict of the Tribunal. If the verdict stands, the trial will then move to the punishment stage. If the guilty verdict is overturned, the decision of the Tribunal will be reversed and the trial process is over.

Three: Punishment

 * A: The Tribunal, at its discretion, may impose any or all of the following punishments upon a verdict of guilty:
 * 1) Fine – Monetary or technological fine in an appropriate amount to be determined by the Court. The fine shall be paid to the plaintiff or other nations designated by the government.
 * 2) Censure – A nation shall be declared to be “not in good standing” and subject to limited alliance benefits including, but not limited to, the inability to vote, run for office or be appointed to office.
 * 3) Removal – Removal from office or staff position.
 * 4) Expulsion – Expulsion from the Legion. The government may, at their discretion, order the destruction of infrastructure, technology and monetary units of an expelled nation.


 * B: The Imperator shall have the right to offer a pardon to any member within forty-eight hours of sentencing. The Imperator shall also have the right to commute unserved portions of a sentence or reduce a sentence. The Imperator may not pardon or commute a sentence of the Imperator, the Proconsul, the Consulate or the Inspector General.


 * C: Should a member be accused of a serious crime, including, but not limited to: causing an international incident, provoking war with another alliance, violating Operational Security (OPSEC), the Imperator may invoke his reserve powers to punish or expel the member. The punished or expelled member may appeal this decision to the Proconsul, but the expulsion will remain in effect unless the decision is overturned by the Court.

Code of Ethics
Legionnaires are expected to maintain the following code of ethics:

Legionnaires will always follow the orders of higher ranks unless they violate international codes of conduct. Legionnaires will never attack their neighbors unprovoked. Legionnaires will never access the private forums of other alliances without permission or act in malice to the Legion and its allies. Failure to follow these strictures will result in punishment in accordance with the Judicial system