Argent

History

 * Argent was founded September 17, 2008.
 * Argent joined The Citadel on June 2, 2009.

Article I: Admission
Any nation wishing to join Argent must meet the following criteria:

Not in another alliance, dual membership is not allowed.

Applicants must apply on Argent’s offsite forums (http://www.argent-cn.com) and fill out an application for membership per instructions available on that site.

Applicants will be interviewed by members of Argent and possibly the subject of a background check with former alliances.

Argent's home color is Aqua. New members below 5000 nation strength without full trade circles are required to move to Aqua. Larger nations are exempted from this requirement, although it is encouraged.

All new applicants will be in a 2 week probationary period before they are full members. During this time, applicants will be observed to determine if they are a fit for the Argent alliance. During the probationary period, applicant status may be withdrawn based on behavior or compatibility issues with the alliance. The Emperor or a majority vote of the Council may waive the probationary period requirement.

Nations may be approved that do not meet the above criteria, or denied who do meet the above criteria at the discretion of the Emperor or Regent.

The Conclave
The Conclave shall consist of all members of the alliance in good standing. Each member will receive one vote in all matters brought before the Conclave.

The Emperor
Emperor is a permanent position with a confidence vote occurring every four months (October, February and June). Should the Emperor get less than a simple majority of votes amongst those who have voted, the Regent shall assume the position of Emperor immediately.

The Emperor is responsible for overseeing all alliance affairs and may declare war, expel members deemed an immediate threat to the alliance and other powers not explicitly denied.

The Regent
The Regent is an elected position, which will occur every four months. (October, February and June)

The Regent is responsible for assisting the Emperor in the management of alliance affairs and to act as temporary Emperor during the Emperor’s absence. In the event the Emperor is removed by a vote of no confidence, the Regent ascends to the position of Emperor, and a new election is held for Regent.

The Council
The Argent Council consists of the Regent, Senior and Junior Ministers. All positions in the Council are equal, the Regent and each Minister receives one vote on all matters brought before the Council.

The Council is responsible for validating treaties to be brought before the Conclave, serving as the voice of the Conclave in government decisions and working to ensure the growth and stability of Argent.

The Council may veto a decision of the Emperor with 5 of 7 votes required to do so.

Treaties require 4 of 7 votes to approve for discussion, at which point the treaty is sent to the Conclave for discussion and once completed, back to the Council for final vote. All treaties require the Emperors approval.

A Declaration of War may be passed by the Council with 5 of 7 votes.

Senior Ministers
Senior Ministers include the following positions:


 * Minister of War
 * Minister of Finance
 * Minister of Foreign Affairs

All Senior Ministers are appointed by the Emperor and must undergo a Conclave confidence vote every 4 months (October, February, and June). Senior Ministers serve at the will of the Emperor. A Minister can be removed by the Emperor at any time. Duties detailed for each position do not preclude other responsibilities from being added as needed by the Emperor

5a) The Minister of War is responsible for the Argent military both in times of war and peace. The Minister is responsible for war planning and strategies as well as ensuring that all members are as prepared as they can be to maintain our safety in cases of armed conflict.

5b) The Minister of Foreign Affairs is responsible for maintaining overall relationships with treaty partners and acting as a point of contact for foreign entities. This Minister will keep the Emperor and Council informed of the state of relations with other alliances as well as maintains a diplomatic corps that he or she appoints and manages.

5c) The Minister of Finance is responsible for the economic growth of Argent and will establish and maintain the Argent banking system. This Minister will be responsible for making sure that Argent has a steady supply of tech and the money needed to finance growth programs as developed within the ministry.

Junior Ministers
The Junior Ministers are elected positions, which will occur every four months. (October, February and June) Junior Ministers include the following positions:


 * Minister of Communications
 * Minister of Internal Affairs
 * Minister At-Large

Junior Ministers are elected by the Conclave and serve by the will of the Conclave. The Regent, with the approval of the Emperor and the majority of the uninvolved Council's approval, may request a new election if it is determined that a Junior Minister is not fulfilling their duties. Duties detailed for each position do not preclude other responsibilities from being added as needed by the Emperor or Regent.

6a) The Minister of Communications is responsible for any internal and external communications such as newsletters, voting reminders or any other mass communication deemed necessary by the Council. This Minister will also work to promote activity internally and externally with programs designed to do so.

6b) The Minister of Internal Affairs is responsible for the education of new and existing members, maintaining our membership standards, including a standardized application process and background checks and assisting Argent growth via audits and trade assistance.

6c) The Minister-At-Large has no direct responsibilities. The Minister-At-Large will be assigned as needed for special projects for the Emperor or Regent, as well as assisting in all departments as warranted or as a temporary replacement for other ministry positions.

Article III: Amendment of the Charter
This charter may be amended by a 4/5 super-majority vote of the Conclave. Any member of the alliance in good standing may propose an amendment, however it must be seconded by at least two additional members in good standing before it may be put up for a vote.

Article IV: Expulsion
Members may be expelled from Argent by a majority vote of the Conclave. This vote is triggered by a Conclave member request and requires Emperor approval or majority vote of the Council.

Expulsion is a last resort and should be reserved for those members who have proven themselves incapable of working with the other members of the Conclave at a mature level (including harassment sexual or non-sexual), or for violating Argent rules (tech raiding, spying).

Article V: Further Rules and Procedures
No member may hold more than one government position at any one time, exceptions would include during an election cycle and a reasonable time after ensuring a stable hand off of duties.

Any member of good standing may run for any elected position after 45 days in the alliance.

All votes presented to the Conclave shall have duration of four days. At the end of this time period, the necessary majority or super-majority required for an issue to pass will be calculated based on those members who voted, not from the overall membership as a whole. Null votes and “abstaining” votes shall not be considered in this calculation. For votes where more than 2 options are presented, and no majority/super majority is required (Emperor, Regent or Junior Minister election), the party with the most votes cast in their favor is declared the winner.

Elections shall begin the 1st of the month and last until the 5th of the month for any normal election cycle. Votes begin at update on the 1st and end at update on the 5th, using the Cybernations server time zone (Central time US).

If the Emperor position becomes vacant, the Regent shall become the new Emperor immediately. If both the Emperor and Regent positions are vacated during the same time, the Senior Ministers shall act as a temporary triumvirate until the elections can be held.

If the Emperor is deemed to have lost the confidence of the Conclave, as determined by receiving less than 50% + 1 Confidence votes held every 4 months, the Regent shall become the new Emperor and a new election is held for Regent. This election should take place no less than 3 and no more than 7 days after the No Confidence vote. Nominations for Regent are opened for no less than 3 days.

If a Senior Minister is deemed to have lost the confidence of the Conclave as determined by receiving less than 50% +1 Confidence votes held every 4 months, the Emperor will have 7 days to appoint a new Senior Minister to the position. The current Senior Minister shall remain in that position until a new Senior Minister is appointed and all duties and information have been transferred.

If a new election is requested for a Junior Minister position by the Regent, and approved by the Emperor and a majority of the uninvolved Council, that election should be held no less than 3 and no more than 7 days after it is requested. Nominations for the vacant position are opened for no less than 3 days.

Elections that end in a tie will have another election between the tied parties, until an election ends with a clear winner.

Acts of espionage are considered an act of war. Members engaging in this behavior will be brought before the Council and can face punishment up to and including removal from the alliance. In matters of spying upon the alliance members by foreign powers, all reasonable efforts to resolve the situation by diplomacy are to be made, but if diplomacy is unsatisfactory, the spying shall be construed as an act of war.

Any unprovoked attack upon any member of Argent is considered by the alliance to be an attack upon all members. Argent will seek diplomatic resolutions to such acts where possible, but reserves the right to first aid the member nation by any means necessary, and after that to prosecute war against the offending nation or alliance.

Team sanctions placed on a member of Argent without prior warning and just cause will be considered an act of war.

Participation in defensive actions is mandatory for all members, though exemptions may be obtained by the deliberative process in cases of economic inability.

Argent does not allow tech raiding by any members. Unauthorized wars are grounds for punishment up to and including removal from the alliances. In cases involving an unauthorized declaration of war which has been made in error by a member nation, reparations will be paid to the affected nation or alliance by the member nation of origin. If the member nation cannot or will not pay reparations then the alliance shall take responsibility for reasonable reparations. In the case of the member nation refusing to pay reparations, then this nation shall be immediately removed from the alliance and will be treated as a rogue nation.