Charter of the Aqua Defense Initiative

The Charter of the Aqua Defense Initiative is ADI's official constitution, ratified on 18 September 2009, the same day the ADI declared their existence. The Charter currently contains five Articles, each split into Sections.

Introduction
Aqua Defense Initiative

Charter
We the people of the Defense Initiative, in order to ensure the smooth, certain, and efficient operation of our alliance, to promote a peaceful and joyful experience of our member nations, and to lend aid to our fellow Aquans in times of need, do ordain and establish this Charter for the Aqua Defense initiative.

Name and Acronym
The Aqua Defense Initiative shall be known formally as “Aqua Defense Initiative” or “ADI”. Informally, and internally only, The Aqua Defense Initiative may be known as the Defense Initiative or the Initiative.

Section 1 Gaining Membership
Any nation wishing to gain admittance into the Aqua Defense Initiative must sign up to the Aqua Defense Initiative’s forums and post an application.

Section 1a Provisional Membership
Upon acceptance to the Aqua Defense Initiative, a member will be considered to be a provisional member until he or she has shown sufficient knowledge of our Charter and the game to be deemed worthy of Full Membership by the Department of Education.

Section 1b Full Membership
Once the Department of Education sees fit to grant Full Membership to a member, that member retains the right to vote in elections for Ministers, Lord High Sentinel, and for the Council of Guardians. Full Members are entitled to protection from the Initiative as well as startup aid and other monies in accordance to the Policies set forth by the Minister of Finance.

Section 1c Voting
All debates over any matter in the Initiative will last 48 hours and will be followed by a 48 hour vote. This encompasses anything that requires a debate and a vote.

Section 1d Member Removal
Any time a member is not thought to serve the best interests of the Initiative, any member of the Council of Guardians or the Hall of Sentinels may bring forth an indictment. Indictment will result in a trial where the accused may defend himself or herself. A vote will then be conducted in both Chambers. Successful removal requires a majority vote.

Section 2 War Stance
No nation of the Initiative shall declare an offensive war without the express consent of the Minister of Defense. Any unauthorized wars will result in discussion between the Council of Guardians and the Hall of Sentinels regarding membership.

Section 2a Provisional Member Violations
If a provisional member violates the war stance, they will receive immediate expulsion, and will be subject to action by the Minister of Defense.

Section 2b Full Member Violations
Any Full Member that violates the war stance will receive a freeze on their forum account and be considered “Under Review”. Full Members are entitled to a trial and will be able to plead their case to the Council of Guardians and to the Hall of Sentinels. Both the Council of Guardians and the Hall of Sentinels will vote on that member’s expulsion. A majority vote is required in both Chambers for the expulsion to remain in effect.

Article II The Government of the Aqua Defense Initiative
The Government of the Initiative shall be made up of two Chambers. The first chamber will be called the Council of Guardians. The second chamber shall be called the Hall of Sentinels. Each chamber shall have specific powers.

Section 1 The Council of Guardians
The Laws of the Aqua Defense Initiative shall be exclusively created by the Council of Guardians.

Section 1a
The Council of Guardians shall be composed of member nations chosen by member nations. The Council will consist of 9 Guardians. Only Full Members shall be eligible for election to the Council. Guardians shall serve a term of 3 months. Guardians shall be divided into three classes. Class one shall be elected in January, April, July, and October. Class two shall be elected in February, May, August, and November. Class three shall be elected in March, June, September, and December.

Section 1b
The Council shall be lead by the Champion. The Champion shall be selected from among the many Guardians by the many Guardians. The Champion shall serve during good behavior as long as they shall remain a Guardian. Any Guardian may call for a vote of vacancy should the Champion abandon their post without notice. Any three Guardians may call for a vote of no confidence. Upon a successful declaration of vacancy or no confidence vote, the Council shall immediately hold elections to determine a new Champion.

Section 1c Guardian Vacancy
If any Guardian vacates his or her seat due to the voluntary remittance of his or her seat, or his or her impeachment from the Council, the Hall of Sentinels will vote on a replacement to fill the seat until the next election.

Section 1d Guardian Impeachment
Any time a Guardian is not thought to serve the best interests of the Initiative, 1 Sentinel, 3 Guardians, or 5 members may move to impeach. Impeachment will result in a trial where the accused may defend himself or herself. A vote will then be conducted in both Chambers. Successful impeachment requires a 2/3 vote.

Section 2 Hall of Sentinels
There shall be, in the Aqua Defense Initiative, a Hall of Sentinels.

Section 2a
Members of the Hall shall be elected by the Hall of Sentinels. Sentinels shall serve for life during good behavior.

Section 2b
The Hall shall have the power to veto legislation brought before it by the Council. Veto requires a majority vote. Should the Hall veto the Council of Guardians, the Council of Guardians may override the Hall’s veto with a 3 /4 vote, in which the legislation would return to the Hall of Sentinels for a final vote. A unanimous vote is then required to override the Council of Guardians a second time.

Section 3a
There shall be a Lord High Sentinel. The Lord High Sentinel shall be chosen from among all the Sentinels by a vote of the full membership of the Aqua Defense Initiative in the same manner as Ministerial Elections. The Lord High Sentinel shall serve for a term of 3 months; elections shall be held in January, April, July, and October.

Section 3b
The Lord High Sentinel shall hold two votes in all Hall votes and shall also hold the tie breaking vote. The Lord High Sentinel shall be the Commander General during all times of declared war. During times of declared war, the Lord High Sentinel shall have supreme power over all activities of the Aqua Defense Initiative.

Section 4 Sentinel Impeachment
Any time a Sentinel is thought to be no longer serving the best interests of the Initiative, 3 Sentinels may move for his or her impeachments. Motions against a Sentinel must come from the Hall of Sentinels, but for the motion to pass it must pass both the Council of Guardians and the Hall of Sentinels with a 2/3 vote. The Sentinel has the same right to a trial as expressed in the removal of a Full Member or Guardian.

Article III Ministries
The Aqua Defense Initiative will have four Ministries. The leaders of these Ministries will be referred to as Lords and will serve 3 month terms. They will be elected from the Hall of Sentinels on the following months- January, April, July, and October.

Section 1 Ministry Duties
There will be four Ministries in the Initiative. These Ministries will be the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Finance. Lords will appoint department heads, and may also appoint a deputy.

Section 1a Ministry of Internal Affairs
The Lord of Internal Affairs shall reside over the following departments: - Department of Education

- Department of Recruiting

- Department of Intelligence (ghost-hunting)

- Messenger Service

- Audit Bureau

- Art Department

Section 1b Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Lord of Foreign Affairs will be the Chief Diplomat of the Initiative and will head all diplomatic relations abroad. The Lord of Foreign Affairs will be in charge of selecting diplomats and will assist the Lord of Defense in matters when an aligned nation attacks a member nation of the Initiative.

Section 1c Ministry of Defense
The Lord of Defense will be the Military Commander, second to the Lord High Sentinel for the Aqua Defense Initiative. The Lord of Defense will have the ability to declare war on rogue and ghost nations without needing a declaration of war from the Council of Guardians and the Hall of Sentinels. In the event of a full alliance scale war, the Lord of Defense will be the Chief Executor of orders from the Lord High Sentinel. The Minister of Defense may not declare an offensive alliance war without Council and Hall approval.

Section 1d Ministry of Finance
The Lord of Finance will reside over the following departments: - Department of Technology

- Deparment of Trades

- Department of Aid

The Lord of Finance will be in charge of issuing aid toward programs deemed necessary by the Department of Education and the Ministry of War, and well as any other loans or aid requests. This will be handled via the Department of Aid. The Lord of Finance will also reside over technology and trades.

Section 2 Elections
Every 3 months, Lords will be up for election.

Section 2a Preliminary Vote
If a Lord does not plan to step down at the time of his re-election, a preliminary vote will take place. This will be called a Confidence Vote. If the Lord receives a 60% confidence vote, he will remain in power. If the Lord does not receive a 60% confidence vote, he may still run in the election for his seat.

Section 2b Debates
If a Ministry is in need of a Lord, or a Confidence Vote fails, nominations and debates will take place for that Ministry. One must receive support from 3 members of the Initiative in order to run. Debates will last 48 hours, and a vote will take place in accordance to Article 1, Section 1c. Majority vote will determine the Lord.

Section 2c Vacant Ministries
Anytime a Lord decides to step down, the Council of Guardians will decide upon a replacement. Upon a decision from the Council of Guardians, the new Acting Lord will be confirmed or rejected by a vote of the House of Sentinels.

Section 1 Bill Proposal
Any Guardian may offer general legislation by submitting a bill to the Council for consideration. Upon submitting a proposal for new legislation or an amendment to existing law, discussion for the proposal shall be had among the Guardians for a period of 48 hours. At the conclusion of that discussion period, the final bill shall be put to a vote of the entire Council.

Section 1a Hall of Sentinel Veto
Anytime the Hall of Sentinels does not agree with a passed bill, one of the Sentinels may call for a veto. Debates will take place, and the Hall of Sentinels will vote. A majority vote passes the veto. The bill will then return to the Council of Guardians, where they may attempt to override the veto with a 3/ 4 vote. The Hall of Sentinels has one more chance to veto, but the second veto must win with a unanimous vote. After the second veto, the bill is considered dead.

Section 1b Charter Amendment
From time to time, the Charter may need to be amended. If any group of 10 members or 5 Guardians, or 1 Sentinel feel the need to amend the charter, they may present a motion. Proceedings will be conducted as if it were a normal bill, the only difference being that the Hall of Sentinels will need to ratify the document after passing the Council. Both the Council and the Hall of Sentinels will need to pass the amendment with a 2/3 vote.

Section 1 Treaties
All treaties that the Initiative becomes involved in will need the unanimous approval of the Hall of Sentinels. The Lord of Foreign Affairs and the Lord High Sentinel will be the Chief Representatives of the alliance during any treaty discussions.

Section 2 Alliance War
If at any time, members of the Council of Guardians or the Hall of Sentinels feel the need to go to war, a debate and vote will take place. Going to war requires a 3/ 4 vote. Upon declaration of war, or war being declared upon the Initiative, the Lord High Sentinel will assume command of the inner workings of the alliance and have control of the resources of the Initiative for the use of defending the Aqua Defense Initiative against their foes. This power will be rescinded once the war has come to an end.

Conclusion
It is with great esteem that on this the 18th Day of September, in the year 2009, that the Aqua Defense Initiative does declare their sovereignty and existence, and ratify this, our Charter.

Signed,

John Warbuck- Founder, Lord High Sentinel Yuurei- Founder, Lord of Foreign Affairs JDorian- Founder, Lord of Finance Archon Daverin- Founder, Lord of Internal Affairs Andover- Lord of Defense, Sentinel Magister Populi- Founder, Sentinel Elspeth- Attorney General, Co Writer