Charter of the Democratic Order

Charter of The Democratic Order.

Contents
Article 1 Senate Structure and Membership

Section 1: High Senate Section 2: Low Senate Section 3: Senate Membership Section 4: Chancellor Section 5: Expulsion from Senate

Article 2 Voting, Bills, and Veto Power

Section 1: Presenting a Bill or Motion Section 2: Voting Section 3: Veto Section 4: Abstaining

Article 3 Minister Election, Duty, and Power

Section 1: Elections and Terms Section 2: Positions Section 3: Ministries Section 4: Senate Oversight

Article 4 Membership

Section 1: Joining Section 2: Secession Section 3: Expulsion

Article 5 Charter Amendment

Section 1: Proposal and Requirements Section 2: Voting

Article 6 War stance and declaration

Section 1: Alliance Stance Section 2: Declaration of War

Section 1: High Senate
The High Senate shall be the highest level of government within The Democratic Order. The High Senate consists of the core group of founding members as well as those who have shown sufficient merit and skill to be voted in by the current High Senate. Members sit in High Senate indefinitely until expulsion, stepping down, or leaving The Democratic Order.

Section 2: Low Senate
The Low Senate is the lower tier of the government. Membership shall be granted to those members having shown sufficient merit and skill to be raised into the ranks of government.

3a: High Senate
When a member of the Low Senate has shown sufficient skill and merit a member of the High Senate may move that he be made a High Senator at any time. At this time debates will take place and a vote of High Senate members will take place. Entry into the High Senate requires a unanimous vote.

3b: Low Senate
At certain times the High Senate may decide more Senators are needed. At this time members of the High Senate may move that an alliance member/s be elevated in status to Senator. Debates for each member will take place and votes will then happen for each individual member in question. Entry into Low Senate requires a majority vote.

3c: Absent Vote
Any High Senator not placing a vote within 72 hours will be considered absent and will not count towards the vote for Low Senators. This time shall increase to one week for High Senate votes. It shall be possible for a High Senator to post an absentee ballot on any election for which he knows in advance he will not be able vote in person. Absentee votes will be made by stating his voting intentions to the Chancellor in advance of the voting period. The Chancellor will add this to the other votes cast when declaring the winner.

Section 4: Chancellor
Every other month, from the High Senate members a chancellor shall be elected during the regular minister elections. The chancellor shall hold no extra real power, but will serve to moderate Senate functions as well as act as the public facing, political head of The Democratic Order. In the event of a tie in a High Senate vote the chancellor may vote again to break the tie.

Section 5: Expulsion from Senate
At any time a member of either Senate chamber is no longer thought to serve the best interest of The Democratic Order any Senator may move that he be lowered in status. At this time debate will begin and High Senate will vote, minus the vote of the Senator in question should he be a High Senator though he may participate in the debate. Expulsion requires a 2/3 majority vote with the same abstaining rules as defined in Article 1 Section 3c: Absent Vote.

Section 1: Presenting a Bill
A Bill shall be defined as any written piece of legislation, such as mutual defense pact, non-aggression pact, internal legislation, and any other written and formal legislation. A member of either chamber of the Senate may at any time present a bill to the Senate for legislation. Debate will take place and will end in a vote.

1a: Motion
A Motion shall be any call to a vote on an issue, posted in the forum. Motions are basically the same as presenting a Bill however less formal and for more everyday legislation.

Section 2: Voting
Once a Bill or Motion is presented it shall be debated and voted by the Senate. All Senators regardless of position or chamber to which they belong shall have one vote in all votes. Both Chambers vote together and their votes are counted together. High Senate votes are only done separately in instances where the High Senate is the only chamber voting such as promoting members to Senate status, veto, etc. Unless otherwise specified all votes are won or lost by a simple majority.

2c: Tie
In the event of a tie when voting a Bill or Motion the High Senate shall vote and its vote will serve to break the tie. In the event of a High Senate tie the Chancellor shall cast another vote to break the tie.

Section 3: Veto
In response to passed legislation any High Senator may announce a move for Veto at which time it will move to the High Senate chambers. It will be debated, voted, and the decision will then be announced to the Low Senate. Veto requires a 2/3rds majority vote of the High Senate. Any vetoed bill or motion may not be presented again without High Senate approval for two weeks.

Section 4: Absent Vote
Any Senator not placing a vote within 72 hours will be considered absent and will not count towards the vote unless time not to exceed one week is specified in the bill or motion. It shall be possible for a Senator to post an absentee ballot on any vote for which he knows in advance he will not be able vote in person. Absentee votes will be made by stating his voting intentions to the Chancellor in advance of the voting period. The Chancellor will add this to the other votes cast when declaring results.

Section 5: Abstaining
No Senator of either Chamber is obliged to cast a vote on any given issue. Abstention is a legitimate form of response to a debate.

Section 1: Elections and Terms
Elections shall take place every other month over the course of the last full week of the month. Entry will open on Sunday for eligible members to enter into the running for the position of their choice, only one position may be held or run for at any time by any one member. Entry will remain open until Wednesday evening. Each Ministry shall be served by a single Minister for two months. All times are based on EST.

1a: Debates
Debates will open immediately after entry begins. One area will be opened for each position for their debates. Debates will remain open until the start of voting.

1b: Voting
Voting shall begin Thursday and last until Saturday evening with the winner coming by way of simple majority. Elected officials will take office on the first day of the month of their term. All member nations of The Democratic Order get one vote in each race.

1c: Term of office
Minister seats are held for two months, starting on the first day of the month and ending on the last day of the second month. The chancellor seat is held for two months, taking office on the first day of the month and ending on the last day of the second month.

1d: Eligibility
Minister positions may be held by any Senator of either chamber. The Chancellor position may only be held by a member of the High Senate.

2a: Chancellor
The chancellor shall serve to moderate senate functions as well as act as the political head of the alliance. In the event of a tie in a high senate vote the chancellor may vote again to break the tie.

2b: Minister
Ministers shall be responsible for everyday running and organization of their Ministry. Ministers may appoint Deputy Ministers as needed, from any member rank. Deputy Ministers shall work under their Minister to aid in the everyday operations of the Ministry.

3a: Ministry of Defense
The goal of the Ministry of Defense is to organize the members of The Democratic Order into a cohesive organized unit for warfare and military preparedness and ensure member nations adhere to the The Democratic Orders policy on aggressive acts against other nations. The Ministry is divided into two parts separating active military from reservists.

3b: Internal Affairs
The goal of Internal Affairs is to protect The Democratic Order from the inside out. Its duties include identification of spies, internal security matters, performing checks on suspect members, and settling member disputes.

3c: Finance
The Ministry of Finance shall be responsible for the coordination of aid and grants, loans, aid, trades, and all matters pertaining to economy between alliance members.

3d: Ministry of Intelligence
The Ministry of Intelligence shall be responsible for all matters of external intelligence. To include but not limited to; surveillance of other alliances, records of current alliances and treaties within the world, current leadership of other alliances, and all external intelligence gathering needs of The Democratic Order. Intelligence gathering shall not include use of spies during peacetime.

3e: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for coordinating and carrying out of diplomatic relations and negotiations with other alliances. It is responsible for building and making treaties, establishing and maintaining embassies, and building better relations with other alliances.

3f: Ministry of Recruitment
The Ministry of Recruitment is responsible for recruiting new members and growth of the alliance, keeping a current up-to-date member list.

3g: Ministry of Membership Orientation
The Ministry of Membership Orientation shall be responsible for receiving and reviewing applications for Provisional Membership, monitoring Provisional Members and ensuring they are properly prepared for full membership. The Ministry shall be empowered to bestow full membership status when entitlement is reached. The Ministry shall also be responsible for introducing new members to The Democratic Order, its offsite forum, information resources, processes and policies.

Section 4: Senate Oversight
Should the Senate come to believe that the actions of a Minister are not in the best interests of The Democratic Order any Senator may move to overrule him. At which time debate will begin followed by a vote. Simple majority will overrule minister.

Section 1: Joining
Any nation may request membership into The Democratic Order. New members are required to not be in any current wars and request membership in the appropriate area using the following information:

Nation Name: Ruler Name: Nation Strength: Forum Name if different: CN Forum Name: Resources: Past Alliances: Recruited By: Current Wars: Special Skills or Training: I confirm I have read TDO Charter and will abide by it:

Should said nation be at war its application will be put on hold for the duration of said war.

1a: Provisional Membership
Upon Acceptance a member shall be granted the status of Provisional Member and masked on the forum accordingly.

The rank of Provisional Member shall last until the given member has completed the quiz certifying them as qualified for full membership, at which time the member shall be fully bound by the charter, receiving all defensive benefits. Should a provisional member break the terms of the charter - for example by declaring an unauthorised offensive war - that member shall be subject to immediate expulsion from The Democratic Order with no right to appeal.

Having been expelled, that nation will be considered a rogue Independet Nation having shown a serious infraction against The Democratic Order and may be treated accordingly, under the terms in Article 6, Section 2b.

Upon successful completion of the Provisional Membership period, full membership rights are automatically granted.

1b: Color
The Democratic Order is an Aqua alliance. While members of any team will be accepted they will have to change their color.

1c: Post Acceptance Requirements Within 48 hours of acceptance the new Provisional Memberis required to change nation color to Aqua and change alliance affiliation in their nation bio to The Democratic Order.

Exceptions may be granted by the Senate if they feel the applicant has a strong case for staying in their color

Section 2: Secession
At any time a member may leave The Democratic Order of their own free will. If any conditions were agreed to prior to secession such as acceptance of grants, loans, or any other assistance the member is required to fulfill those terms as soon as they are able.

Section 3: Expulsion
If at any time a member is thought by the Senate to no longer serve the best interests of The Democratic Order any Senator may move that the member in question be expelled from The Democratic Order. A 2/3 majority is required to expel the member.

Section 1: Proposal and Requirements
While the Charter is not necessarily a living document it is recognized and understood that as times change and The Democratic Order grows it may become necessary to amend the Charter in certain ways.

1a: Senate proposal
A group of three or more Senators who feel the Charter is in need of amendment may jointly sponsor a Bill to the Senate detailing the desired amendments. Any Bill not sponsored by at least three Senators shall not be open to debate, voting, or ratification.

1b: Member proposal
Any member may petition the Senate to amend a section of the Charter. To be brought to the Senate the member/s seeking to amend the charter must draft a Bill and submit it with the number of signers totaling ¼ of the current membership excluding Senators, both High and Low, whose signatures will not count, at the time the petition is submitted. Petitioners must also gain the support of at least one Senator to sponsor the petition within the Senate.

Section 2: Voting
When a proposed Bill or petition to amend the charter has met the requirements for submission it will move into the voting process, this process shall have a separate structure from that of normal bills.

2a: Debate
Once a Bill for amendment has been submitted to the Senate it shall remain in a state of debate for a period of four days before moving to a vote.

2b: Voting
After the four day debate period the voting process shall begin in two parts, voting and ratification. The first step in voting shall be a vote of the Low Senate following normal voting time lines. High Senate members will not cast any votes in this phase. If the proposed amendment receives a 2/3 majority vote it shall move to the High Senate for ratification. If it does not receive a 2/3 majority vote, but at least a simple majority vote, it will move back to debate for a period of 48 hours after which time another vote of the Low Senate shall take place. It is also at this time amendments may be made. If the proposed amendment does not receive at least a simple majority vote, or fails to receive the needed 2/3 majority vote on the second vote, the proposed amendment shall be considered a dead Bill. Should it receive the needed votes it will then move on for ratification.

2c: Ratification
Should the proposed amendment receive the required 2/3 majority Low Senate vote it will move to the High Senate for ratification. A 24 hour debate period for final debate among the High Senate will commence at which time it will move to vote. A 2/3 majority vote of High Senators is required to ratify the amendment. Should this occur the amendment will be implemented immediately. Should the High Senate fail to issue a 2/3 majority vote in favor of the amendment it will be considered a dead Bill. There will be only one High Senate vote for ratification of proposed amendments.

Section 1: Alliance Stance
The Democratic Order is by nature a peaceful alliance who believes that by limiting warfare nations shall prosper. It is for this reason that The Democratic Order is by nature a peaceful alliance which does not support striking the first blow or in the provoking of wars. The Democratic Order only goes to war when and as it absolutely must when no other option is present then to defend itself or its members. For the avoidance of doubt, the use of spies is included in our definition of war in all parts of this Article.

Section 2: Declaration of War
The Democratic Order shall maintain a no first strike policy in regards to war. The reasons for this are numerous but are most notably security, order, and peaceful prosperity. No member of The Democratic Order may go to war without proper approval from the Minister of Defense and/or The Democratic Order Senate.

Any member of The Democratic Order that starts a war is required to post in the TDO forum to explain and justify their act. If no explanation is forthcoming within 48 hours of war being declared, that member shall be summarily expelled from The Democratic Order. If an explanation is posted within 48 hours of war being declared, the Senate shall decide, by means of vote, whether a satisfactory explanation for the war has been provided. If, as a result of this, the explanation is deemed unsatisfactory, the member shall be expelled immediately.

Having been expelled, that nation will be considered a rogue Independet Nation having shown a serious infraction against The Democratic Order and may be treated accordingly, under the terms in Article 6, Section 2b.

Note that since we understand the use of spies to be a covert act - that is not one reported via an official screen, unless the spies are revealed during an operation - we can only rely on trust among our membership to report their spying activity. However, where evidence of spying is available it will be treated in a manner equivalent with other acts of war by members.

2a: Independent Nations
The sitting Minister of Defense or one of his chosen deputies may declare war against an independent nation who has attacked a member of The Democratic Order or in some other way shown a serious infraction against The Democratic Order justifying such action. A nation will be deemed Independent if they do not indicate an alliance affiliation on their nation page when the decision to attack is made. A nation who has not attacked or shown a serious infraction against The Democratic Order shall only be subject to official declaration of war by the Senate.

2b: Allied nations and other alliances
No allied nation or alliance may have war declared upon it except by official war declaration by the Senate. The Minister of Defense or his deputies do not hold the power to declare war on allied nations or alliances. Single nations within a larger alliance attacking The Democratic Order fall under this clause as well to prevent escalation into a full scale inter-alliance war. Any nation declaring alliance affiliation which subsequently proves to be falsely held, after full investigation by an appropriate officer of The Democratic Order shall be treated as an independent nation.

2c: Senate declaration of war
When the Senate feels an independent nation, allied nation, or alliance has shown sufficient justification to have war made on it, yet outside of the reasons granted the Minister of Defense and his deputies to declare war, the Senate may issue an official Senate declaration of war. 2c-1: Independent Nation- Any Senator may move that an independent nation have a declaration of war made upon it. Moving Senator must state the reasons for war and it will then be open to debate and vote with a simple majority deciding the outcome. Should a declaration of war be issued it shall be handed down to the Minister of Defense to be carried out. 2c-2: Allied Nations or Alliances- Any Senator may move that a nation within an alliance or other alliance has shown sufficient justification to have a declaration of war made against it. Due to the implications of attacking a member of another alliance, and through that possibly his/her alliance, or an alliance itself shall require a more thorough review and vote for war to be declared. Any Senator may present a bill for a war declaration to be made against an affiliated nation or alliance. This bill must include outlined statistics and strength of the alliance in question, justification for war, and reasoning behind it. It shall then move to a period of debate as needed and then onto vote within the Low Senate. Should the bill receive a 2/3 majority vote within the Low Senate it shall move onto the High Senate. Should it not receive a 2/3 majority, but receive at least a ½ majority, it may be presented again with any changes and new debate before moving to another vote. Should it receive a 2/3 majority vote it will move onto the High Senate, failing this a second time it will be considered dead. Once within the High Senate voting shall begin after any needed debate and require a 2/3 majority vote to pass else it be considered a dead bill. Once a declaration of war is passed it shall be handed down to the sitting Minister of Defense to be carried out. Before any operations commence declaration shall be made public as well as delivered directly to the named alliance.

2d: Declaration of war or full scale attack against The Democratic Order
Should The Democratic Order receive notification of war declared on it or be under full scale attack by another alliance the Minister of Defense is authorized to consider The Democratic Order in a state of full scale inter-alliance war and use all measure necessary to preserve the security of The Democratic Order. Voting in the Senate chamber shall commence immediately on response for an official declaration of war against the attackers.

2e: Nuclear first strike
The Democratic Order shall not condone nor make use of nuclear first strike without a unanimous vote in the High Senate in favor of such. This applies to any and all enemies of The Democratic Order regardless of the order attacks commenced, both independent nations and alliances. Should another entity make use of nuclear weapons against member/s of The Democratic Order use of nuclear weapons in a counter strike capacity is immediately authorized. However, full scale unrestricted use of nuclear weapons by Democratic Order members shall still require a unanimous High Senate vote.

Signed-

Anundrr Orlof of Saxneatia Mitch Daniels of Birgeland Theo Cupier of Theosophy Jebbie of Amandom Ttubrukiki of Glückliches Reich