Charter of Umbrella

Preamble
We, the sovereign nations of The Umbrella Alliance, unite under this charter to promote the values of peace, stability, and growth and to provide for the common defense of all members.

Section I: Admission
1.Nations wishing to apply must submit their application in the pinned application thread located on the Umbrella forums, following the explicit directions contained therein.

2.After submitting an application, nations approved by the Triumvirate will be given instructions regarding how to initiate their interview and continue the admissions process.

3.Admissions interviews will be conducted by the Umbrellian Guard, and shall last no more than 7 days barring alliance war or exception granted by the Triumvirate. During this period the applicant must be subjected to at least one set of questions in Umbrella's admissions IRC channel.

4.An applicant is admitted by the [Umbrellian Guard].

1.The Triumvirate retains veto power over any affirmative decision. Vetos must be exercised only through Triumvirate Decision and are to be accompanied with a post detailing the reasons for the veto.

5.During the interview period, the applicant shall wear the alliance affiliation "Umbrella Applicant" and be bound by this document and will yield to the instruction and orders of the Umbrella Government.

Section II: Membership
1.Members of Umbrella shall use the alliance affiliation of "Umbrella" without exception and shall be members solely of Umbrella. Non-member nations are not permitted to use the alliance affiliation of "Umbrella".

2.Members are expected to be respectful of non-members and members alike, and show restraint when acting otherwise would jeopardize the security or stability of Umbrella.

3.Membership is conferred by the [Umbrellian Guard] in synergy with the Triumvirate, and may be withdrawn by either assembly.

4.Upon admission, all members hold the honor, rights, and privileges pertaining to their rank.

5.Within no more than 10 days of admission, all members must be present on the black trading sphere unless granted exemption by the Triumvirate.

6.Members are ranked in the following order:

1.Umbrellian: an admitted member

2.[Umbrellian Guard]: an admitted member who has been promoted based on their interest in Umbrella's admissions and foreign affairs and continues to display the highest level of activity. The [Umbrellian Guard] is charged with deciding the admission of applicants as well as ratification of treaties. Any member of the [Umbrellian Guard] who fails to cast a vote 2 or more times shall be automatically considered for demotion.

7.Any Umbrellian who has been in the alliance for 30 days or more may apply for a promotion. The Triumvirate shall post a decision on the promotion within 72 hours following the application.

8.Members may be demoted from [Umbrellian Guard] or expelled from the alliance by Triumvirate decision. The Triumvirate may be moved to decide an issue of membership status from the alliance by written request from 2 or more members of the [Umbrellian Guard].

1.The [Umbrellian Guard] reserves the right to overrule a Triumvirate decision regarding membership status. To overrule a Triumvirate decision regarding membership status, 2 or more members of the [Umbrellian Guard] must post their objections to the decision in a new topic detailing their reasoning followed by a vote.

9.Any member ranking Umbrellian or higher may call a vote of no confidence in any official at any time upon receiving a second from no less than five members of equal rank or higher.

1.An interim official, appointed by decision of the remaining Triumvirate, will take their place. This interim official will serve the remainder of the removed official's term, unless this will cause the interim to serve for greater than one month, in which case elections will be held as described under article III to determine who should serve the rest of the expelled officer's term.

Section I: Triumvirate
1.The Triumvirate is comprised of three elected officials, each serving a term of three months. The Triumvirate is charged with directing the internal and external operations of the alliance and possesses all the powers necessary for such, unless explicitly reserved elsewhere in this charter. The Triumvirate shall be considered the final arbiter in any dispute. Each Triumvir may speak on behalf of the alliance and is responsible for negotiating and formally proposing treaties.

2.The Triumvirate is the sole assembly with the authority to declare war and authorize the use of military force (e.g. ground attacks, cruise missiles, air attacks, spy operations, and nuclear weapons) against any foreign power(s).

3.In the instance of an emergency requiring an immediate response, all available Triumvirs shall make a unanimous decision, bypassing Article IV §1.

Section II: Advisors
1.The Advisors are comprised of officials appointed by the Triumvirate. The Triumvirate may remove Advisors at any time, informing the Umbrella Membership immediately as to the removal and a short summary of the reasons for it.

2.The Advisors may create volunteer corps to assist them in their respective duties. These volunteers will receive no additional honors, rights, or privileges beyond those conferred by their rank. Advisors are encouraged, however, to recommend outstanding corps members for promotion, if possible. Advisors retain the right to remove any member from their respective corps at any time, but are required to provide reasons to the member in question as well as to any inquirer of the alliance.

3.The Generator is charged with the administration of Umbrella's collective and loaned properties, including but not limited to web forums and internet relay chat (IRC) channels.

1.The Generator has no official power or capacity above and beyond this duty, their duty as a member of the highest rank, an elections officer, and the administration of any override or challenges to Triumvirate decision.

Section I: General Structure and Oversight
1.Triumvir elections will be held during the final two weeks of each month.

2.No more than 1 seat may be up for election in any single month, with exception to the instance defined in Article I §2.9.1.

3.Every member of the alliance is eligible to vote.

4.The Generator shall select a member to administer the elections if he chooses not to.

5.Elections will consist of three phases: nominations, debating, and voting. The nominations and debating phases will last no less than 72 hours, but may be extended at the discretion of the election officer. Votes last 72 hours (see Article III §3, below). The election officer is also tasked with opening and closing nominations and voting. 6.Elections will not extend past the end of the month.

7.All elected candidates come into power on the 1st of the following month.

Section II: Nominations
1.To run in an election, a member, residing in the alliance for greater than three months, must be nominated by at least two other alliance members, neither of whom are members of the current Triumvirate. All nominees must formally accept their nomination to be included on the ballot, either by posting in the nomination thread or by contacting the election officer directly.

Section III: Voting
1.Voting for Triumvirate will last 72 hours, at which point the candidate with a majority of the votes will be elected. Votes will be cast on a ranked ballot to be processed as outlined in Article III §3.2.

2.If no candidate receives a simple majority of votes cast as first choice, the candidate with the fewest first choice votes shall be eliminated from contention. The votes apportioned to that candidate will then be distributed according to the second choice of each affected vote cast. This process continues until a candidate is elected.

3.Should a candidate concede the election, their votes will be re-tallied under each voter's next choice.

4.A majority is strictly defined as greater than half.

5.Any tie shall be resolved by an algorithm of the Generator's choosing.

Section I: Triumvirate Decision
1.A Triumvirate decision requires 2/3 agreement among Triumvirs.

1.Article IV §1.1 does not apply to a declaration of war, which requires unanimous agreement among Triumvirs.

Section II: [Umbrellian Guard] Decision
1.An [Umbrellian Guard] decision (i.e. admission of applicants, ratification of treaties, or the overturning of a Triumvirate decision regarding promotion or demotion) is rendered by a vote lasting 72 hours in which the option affirming the decision receives 2/3 or more of the total votes (excluding abstentions).

Section III: Public Decision
1.A public decision (i.e. amendment or the removal of a Triumvir from office) is rendered by a vote in which the entire alliance may participate, with at least half of the alliance casting votes, when the option affirming the decision receives 3/4 or more of the total votes (excluding abstentions).

Section I: War
1.No member of Umbrella may declare war on another nation unless Umbrella as a whole is at war with that nation or that nation's alliance.

2.No member of the alliance may utilize nuclear weapons unless directed to do so by the Triumvirate.

3.No member of the alliance may surrender unless directed to do so by the Triumvirate.

4.Umbrella maintains a nuclear arsenal in order to provide adequate security and protection for its members. In the event of aggression against Umbrella, it should come as no surprise if Umbrella uses all available means to incapacitate any assailant and minimize a threat, including the use of nuclear weapons.

Section I: Proposal
1.Any member may propose an amendment to this charter. Prior to being brought to a vote, the proposal must receive support from at least 2 other members in good standing.

Section II: Voting and Enactment
1.The amendment shall be brought to a membership vote of all alliance members. The vote will pass when 2/3 of the alliance affirms the amendment, or after 120 hours with 2/3 of the total vote affirming the amendment.