Commonwealth of Sovereign Nations

Preamble:
In recognition of the rights and responsibilities of independent self-governing nations to their peoples, and of the difficulties of fulfilling these roles without maintaining a community of trust among nations with this common interest, we do hereby ordain the creation of the Commonwealth of Sovereign Nations. As a unified body of self-governing nations, it is our responsibility to provide a workable framework for the administrative structure of such an alliance. It is the objective of this constitution to outline, improve, and provide for the modification of this structure of government. In this spirit, and aiming to provide for a more secure future, we, the associated Sovereign Nations of the Commonwealth, do ordain and endorse this document.

Admission & Expulsion

Any nation, given that they are not currently involved in an offensive war with any nation that is either neutral or allies with the CSN, and willing to switch to the Maroon team, is permitted to join the alliance. All applying member nations must post the following information which will be examined before being considered approved of precautionary standards and accepted into the alliance:

Nation Name:  Nation Ruler: Nation Strength: Former Alliances: Resources:

A member nation may be expelled from the CSN if that nation commits an action which violates or severely offends the principles of the Constitution. The expulsion of a member is decided upon by an advisory vote including the whole Senate. Ultimately, the decision of expelling a member is left up to the discretion of the Head of State.

War Policy

The CSN does not condone aggressive action. Any random attacks and wars that a CSN member wages against other nations will be condemned as a violation of the Law of the Commonwealth. Only wars authorized by the CSN Military hierarchy will be legally valid. However, wars against inactive nations are permitted as long as the following conditions are met: the nation is inactive and does not specify it is active, the nation is unaligned, the nation receives a two day warning to ensure inactivity, if the nation is to return full responsibility for reparations will be taken by the attacker, the Commonwealth is not responsible for aiding nations that are retaliated against in their wars.

The CSN does not use Nuclear Weapons as a first strike weapon nor does it condone its use as a retaliatory means of defending oneself. The use of nukes may only be permitted with clear authorization by the command of the Commonwealth.

Article I: Executive Administration
The primary routine powers and operation of government within the alliance will be vested in an Executive Administration. This branch of government is organized around a Head Of State who is the leader of one of the associated nations. The Head of State and his staff will maintain the smooth operation of the various branches of the Commonwealth by providing services such as recruiting, education, and organization of internal affairs. The Executive Administration will also be responsible for the security of nations of the commonwealth and the alliances stance with foreign powers.

Section 1: Positions

Head of State

Selection: Permanently appointed except in the case of impeachment.

Description/Duties: The Head of State is appointed for an indefinite term and is vested with the full confidence and support of the Commonwealth. The status of any particular nation leader as Head of State may only be revoked through his resignation or a conviction in impeachment proceedings carried out by the Senate of the Commonwealth. The Head of State will serve as the leader of the alliance in all its affairs, including as the Commander-in-Chief of CSN military forces. The Head of State is responsible for appointing all government ministers and controlling the stance of the CSN government through his appointed advisors. The Head of State is also endowed with the ability and responsibility to veto anything passed by the Senate provided he can show satisfactory evidence that such laws will damage the security, unity, or happiness of the majority of alliance members.

Deputy Head of State

Selection: Appointed by Head of State.

Description/Duties: The Deputy Head of State is charged with assisting the Head of State in day to day operations of the Commonwealth. The Deputy Head of State shall have the power to issue directives to all members of the executive branch and conduct diplomacy and official business with other alliances. The Deputy Head of State will not be allowed to appoint ministers or veto legislation passed by the senate, but is in all other cases endowed with the full powers of the Executive branch. The Deputy Head of State may be overruled in any directive or decision by the Head of State, and may be dismissed at his discretion at any time.

Foreign Minister

Selection: Appointed by Head of State

Description/Duties: The Foreign Minister is responsible for maintenance and establishment of relations with other alliances. The Minister will be responsible for meeting with diplomats assigned to CSN from other alliances as well as recruiting our own diplomats from the ranks of CSN nations. The Foreign Minister is also charged with initial negotiation of treaties, which must be signed by the Head of State.

Defense Minister

Selection: Appointed by Head of State

Description/Duties: The Defense Minister is charged with maintaining and utilizing the Commonwealth Defense Forces. The Minister, through the direction of the Head of State, will be responsible for coordinating strategies and the incorporation of all CSN members into the CDF in various positions. During peacetime, the Defense Minister concerns himself primarily with defense readiness, intelligence on the strength of potential opponents, and communication with military allies. During wartime, the Defense Minister is in charge of tactical engagements and is closely involved in strategic decisions with rest of the Ministries under the direction of the Head of State.

Interior Minister

Selection: Appointed by Head of State

Description/Duties: The Interior Minister is responsible for maintaining coherant operation of all internal activities within the Commonwealth. The Minister, through the cooperation of his own appointed Deputies, will be responsible for coordinating all recruitment, education, and financial efforts within the alliance. The Interior minister is also charged with fulfilling any and all other internal duties such as managing alliance records, informing the general populace on internal operations, and coordinating efforts with the other Ministries.

Director of Recruitment

Selection: Appointed by Head of State, Interior Minister

Description/Duties: The Director of Recruitment will organize efforts to recruit and integrate new members into the Commonwealth. The Director is charged with spreading our values to interested nations while ensuring against the use of coercion or intimidation in the enlistment process. Following recruitment, the Director will work with member states to ensure their successful integration into the CSN.

Director of Education

Selection: Appointed by Head of State, Interior Minister

Descriptions/Duties: The Director of Education is in charge of the continued training of members of the alliance in techniques towards successful development. The Director will teach budding nations the mechanics of international trade and the effects of various decisions on the course of a nation's development. The Director of Education will also be responsible for collecting and publishing literature on a wide range of topics, including guides to rapid development, alliance history, and the state of affairs in the world.

Director of Finance

Selection: Appointed by Head of State, Interior Minister

Descriptions/Duties: The Director of Finance will be the coordinator of all economical affairs within the alliance. The Director will ensure that nations are achieving ultimate efficiency in industrial and economical growth. The most important duty of the Finance Director is to head the Commonwealth Bank. He/she holds veto over the CEO of the Bank and will verify that Bank operations are running smoothly and successfully.

Article II: Legislative Assembly
The Senate of the Commonwealth is an elected body of member nations assigned the responsibility to make laws, act as a judicial body in disciplinary proceedings, and choose a Prime Minister to lead the Senate and represent the people in the cabinet. The Senate is not concerned with the routine activities of the Commonwealth, but instead passes appropriate measures to be carried out by the Executive Administration. During any judicial actions, a committee of Senate members will be responsible for judging guilt and handing out disciplinary action. While the Senate may be vetoed by the Head of State on many matters, they retain an ultimate tool of control in the guise of impeachment powers.

Section 1: Positions

Prime Minister

Selection: Elected by simple majority vote in the Senate out of the pool of available Senators, if no candidate gains a simple majority, run-offs will be held to determine who gets the position. The two candidates with the highest vote getters will participate in the run-off. Should the run-off remain indecisive, the outgoing Prime Minister will choose from among the candidates with the highest vote totals. Senators cannot vote for themselves. The Prime Minister is elected at the start of each 3 Senate terms.

Description/Duties: The Prime Minister is the only member of the CSN government to be effectively involved in the Legislative and Executive branches of government. While the Prime Minister holds no power in the Executive Administration. While the Prime Minister retains the powers of a Senator, his primary role besides breaking ties in the senate is to serve as a liaison between the legislative and executive branches. The Prime Minister also has the important role as the only member of the government able to initiate a vote towards impeachment of the Head of State. This judgment may be submitted by the Prime Minister for consideration by the Senate at any time.

Senator

Selection: Nominees for Senate will be submitted in the last 5 days of each month. To be a candidate, two nominations are necessary. Senators of the previous term may choose to be placed on the ballot without nomination, but will lose their ability to nominate someone else. Prospective Senators and Incumbents must pledge to conduct their campaigns in full integrity and in accordance to the Senate Ethics bill. The general election will be on the last day of each month, and the top eight vote-getters (nine once every quarter when a Prime Minister's term expires) will be elected as senators.

Description/Duties: A Senator is responsible for drafting and voting on legislations and foreign policies to ensure the safety of the Commonwealth. Each Senator also may be selected at any time by the Head of State to serve on a judicial panel for disciplinary action, and is responsible for being part of any impeachment proceedings against the Head of State.

Section 2: Bills/Laws

Introduction: Laws may be introduced for consideration by any Senator. They may also be introduced directly by the Head of State when they are not within his executive powers. Petitioners may include Ministers or Senators.

Consideration: Each law passing the criteria for consideration will be judged and debated before a meeting of the full Senate, and a simply majority will be required to pass the vote.

Effect: After passage of a bill as Law of the Commonwealth, the Head of State must either sign or veto it within a week of passage except during an absence from office, or it will be automatically judged to have the weight of law.

Time Limit: Each vote proposed to the Senate will have a time limit of three days (unless otherwise specified). The result after three days will be made final, any Senators that haven't voted will be considered to have "abstained" from the vote.

Article III: Judicial Branch
The purpose of the Commonwealth Judiciary is to provide a platform for which the alliance can adjudicate Criminal and Constitutional issues between nations and the Commonwealth Government.

Section 1: Positions

Chief Justice

Selection: Appointed by the Head of State and confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate

Description/Duties: The Chief Justice will serve permanently until retirement and can only be removed from his or her post through a majority vote by the Senate after recommendation by the Head of State. It is the responsibility of the Chief Justice to operate the Judicial Branch and to judge violations of the laws of the Commonwealth without bias and announce verdicts of either guilty or not guilty. The Chief Justice has the authority to appoint and dismiss as many justices as he or she feels are necessary for the judiciary. The Chief Justice is the only authority that can determine punishment, unless one of the four remaining justices is duly authorized as a deputy.The Chief Justice also has the authority to adjust the level of punishment within the bounds decreed by any enacted law, but cannot commute a sentence if the accused is found guilty, as is the authority of the Head of State. The Chief Justice must appoint one of his four Justices of the Peace as Deputy Chief Justice for a short time if a leave of absence is required. The Chief Justice is required to recuse him or herself from participation in a decision on grounds such as prejudice or personal involvement with the accused.

Associate Justice

Selection: Appointed by Chief Justice

Description/Duties: It is the responsibility of a Associate Justice to judge violations of the laws of the Commonwealth fairly and without bias and give a vote of either guilty or not guilty. An Associate Justice is required to recuse him or herself from participation in a decision on grounds such as prejudice or personal involvement with the accused.

Section 2: Judicial Procedure

Charges: Charges of a Criminal or Constitutional nature may be brought against any member of the Commonwealth or the Government as a whole by any regular member of the Commonwealth. The charges presented must be clearly described and include evidence that supports the claims.

Judicial Procedure: It is a requirement of the Chief Justice or another judicial member to create a separate trial outlining all of the facts of the case as told by both the accuser and the defense counsel. Any evidence will also be included in the introduction of the trial, and discussion of the evidence and supporting facts at hand is a privilege of both the accuser and the defense. Any member of the judiciary may raise questions regarding the evidence, both in its substance (what it is) and how it was obtained.

Verdict: A verdict of guilty or not guilty will be determined and announced after an analysis of the facts of the case and the evidence to support the accuser's claim has occurred.

Section 3: Punishments

If not otherwise directed by law, the Chief Justice has the authority to impose any punishment from fines, revoking of powers, to expulsion from the alliance depending upon the severity of the offense. If the Chief Justice proposes expulsion from the alliance as a punishment for the crimes committed, both the Head of State and Prime Minister must confirm the punishment. If the punishment cannot be confirmed a lesser sentence must be used.

Section 4: Fundamental Rights of the Accused

It is a legal right of any member of the Commonwealth to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

In all prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation.

The accused has the right to counsel for his or her defense from another member of the alliance, which he may appoint.

Section 5: Pardoning and Commuting of Sentences

Pardoning a Sentence: The Head of State and the Prime Minister can pardon a Nation found guilty of a crime of the Commonwealth by dual signature.

Commuting a Sentence: The Head of State and the Prime Minister can commute the sentence of a Nation found guilty of a crime of the Commonwealth by dual signature.

Section 6: Obligation of the Head of State

It is the authority and responsibility of the Head of State to ensure that the sentences properly imposed by the judicial branch are carried out in a timely and correct manner.

Section 7: Dismissal of Charges

The Chief Justice has the authority to dismiss charges that he or she deems to be without merit. The Accuser has the right to appeal this decision, which will result in the random selection of three associate justices to rule on the merit of the charges. A majority vote of the Associate Justices, independent of the Chief Justice can override the decision and force a Trial.

Section 8: Courts

Depending on the severity of the case, the Chief Justice may elect to conduct the Trial in either of these two Trial Systems:

A Standard Court is a Trial conducted with 2 Associate Justices and the Chief Justice. A majority vote of guilt or innocence will determine the verdict.

A Supreme Court is a Trial conducted for offences of an extreme nature or to determine the Constitutionality of an action. The Supreme Court will be made up of as many Associate Justices as are available along with the Chief Justice as long as the total number of Justices is odd in order to ensure a majority vote.

Section 9: Emergency Powers

In the case that evidence of an offense of extreme nature is discovered against one or more members of the Commonwealth, any member with Administrative rights to the Forum has the authority to revoke the Member’s rights. Attacks against the nation to prevent it from going into Peace Mode should be first authorized by the MoD but can be authorized by the most senior member available in the event that the MoD is unavailable. If this action is taken, a post in the Main section of the forums detailing the reasons and evidence of the offense must be posted as soon as possible so that the entire Alliance may be informed.

The member(s) removed have the right to request a Trial, and will be granted Temporary access to the judicial section in order to defend themselves in a Supreme Court Trial. In the event that the accused is found not-guilty of the charges it will be the responsibility of the Commonwealth to aid the member’s nation back to the state it was before the attacks.

Section 10: Right to a Trial

Any member of the Commonwealth has the right to a fair trial. The right to a fair trial does not preclude the temporary removal of rights and/or attacks on their nation as outlined in Section 9: Emergency Powers.

Article IV: Impeachment
While the Head of State is appointed for a life term each time he is chosen, the position is not without a check on its power. The Prime Minister may authorize the impeachment of the Head of State, in which case he is put up for trial and judgment by the senate.

Section I: Initiation of Proceedings

The Initiation of impeachment proceedings must be declared by the Prime Minister, along with a brief description of the cause for impeachment. This notice must be delivered to the attention of the Head of State and to the Senate by the Prime Minister.

Section II: Vote for Impeachment

The vote to impeach the Head of State is a simple majority vote by the Senate, and is similar to any other bill or law put before the Senate. The question here is whether to consider beginning a trial of the Head of State, not whether he should be removed from office.

Section III: Impeachment

The actual impeachment proceedings will proceed as a judgment of the fitness of the Head of State to perform activities consistent with the security of Commonwealth nations. During these proceedings, the Senate will act as jury, with the Prime Minister acting as chief prosecutor and the Head of State acting in his own defense. The conviction of the Head of State in these proceedings will begin the process of removing him from office, and requires a three-quarters majority of the Senate to be in agreement.

Section IV: Popular Approval

Due to the serious nature of this act, the impeachment conviction of any Head of State will be turned over to the member nations of the Commonwealth for their consideration. A referendum will be held within 10 days of conviction, and two-thirds or more of the member nations that voted must approve the removal of the Head of State from office for the conviction to be upheld. The total number of nations that voted must be 10% of the alliance or more. This referendum must be held for seventy-two hours. If the referendum receives sufficient public support once the vote is taken, the Head of State is removed from office.

Section V: Aftermath

After an impeachment, the Prime Minister will hold office with the existing cabinet members retaining their positions until a popular election can be held for the next Head of State, this will be the responsibility of the top vote-getter besides the Prime Minister in the Senate to organize, and must be completed in 10 days or the Head of State will be re-instated.

Article IV: Amendments
The Constitution, while essentially considered to be complete and viable to serve the alliance, is subject to amendments. If at any time does a nation of the alliance feel the Constitution must be amended, it must propose the Amendment to the general public. If the support of at least 15% of the nations within the CSN is established, the amendment will be forwarded to the Senate for consideration and debate. If a majority vote is established by the Senate, the amendment will be ratified.

Leadership
Head of State

GinoTheRoman

Deputy Head of State

Benjamin Arouet

Prime Minister

Allied_Threat

Minister of Defense

bernard55

Minister of Foreign Affairs

HappyHappyLand

Minister of Interior

Vivalasteve

Director of Recruitment

redneck_shooter

Director of Education

Scorp

Director of Finance

hotchi

Senate

Dantes

President Screw

The Russian Empire

Comrade General

Stalin the Great

The Black Watch

pb4life16

Timeline

History
The Commonwealth of Sovereign Nations was founded by GinoTheRoman on the 28th of October in the year of 2006. It was officially announced 3 days later on November 1st, 2006. The initial Commonwealth consisted of a group of StarCraft players, mainly those in the Soviet Clan, such as Gino, Arouet, The_Black_Watch, Anarchy, and Verdale. The CSN began with an open recruitment policy, growing steadily as a small alliance with less than 100 members.

Maroon-ICP War
Some time later the Commonwealth took up the Balkan Accords with the other Maroon Team Alliances. This inevitably led to the infamous Maroon War between the Maroon Alliances and the invading International Communist Party. The CSN was on the victorious side and several members reaped the benefits of a successful war. However, after the war the Maroon Defense Coalition and Nordreich initiated the United Global Order (now merged into Nordreich) and Frontline Formation Coalitions' moves to Maroon without the approval of the Balkan Accords.

The Silent_Spitfire Incident
As time passed, things settled down. However, one of the members that reaped the benefits of war was itching for another fight. This member was the infamous Silent_Spitfire of the well-known Silent Clan. The Silent Clan also originated from Star Craft, and there they were enemies of the Soviets. However, differences were set aside in CyberNations and Spitfire had been allowed into the Commonwealth. A fatal mistake, as Silent constantly cursed Gino and disrupted the peace with constant flame wars. While he was quiet during the war, this conflict flared up again once it was over. This would lead to a severe amount of damage to the Commonwealth.

ThePremier was the chosen Senator for the Maroon Team Senate at this time in December. However, without consent Spitfire began to message unaligned nations to vote for him. This combined with his numerous amount of multis, Spitfire managed to get a Senate Seat. However, this resulted in ejecting ThePremier from his own. Before Spitfire could be brought to justice, he fled to the Maroon Defense Coalition. Shortly thereafter he fled to the ONOS, where his application to join was spotted by CSN Diplomats and reported to ONOS Officials. After being rejected, Spitfire became a Rogue and hid in Peace Mode. He then went on to report ThePremier for multi-ing, who promptly had his nation deleted. He proceeded to sanction the top 15 members of the Commonwealth along with others he held a grudge. He also sanctioned the top 3 nations of The Templar Knights and others who dared oppose him or criticize him. He also used sanctions as threats to validating members of CSN, so that they would not join and he might prevent the Commonwealth from growing. Eventually he reached the Sanction Limit of 30.

During this time the Commonwealth gathered their evidence of Spitfire's multis, and then they reported him. During this time admin removed Spitfire from Peace Mode and his Senate Seat, causing much controversy whether the admin had the right to interfere in CN Politics of not. However, this argument ended later when Spitfire's Nation was found guilty of multi-ing, thus his Senate Seat ill-gained and had his nation deleted. He is now rumored to be among his Silent Brethren in the OASIS Alliance.

Era of Peace
After this incident, the Commonwealth recovered and led a peaceful existence. The CSN proceeded to become on of the three initial founders of GUARD with their old brothers the ONOS and new friends at the North Atlantic Defense Coalition. To this date GUARD continues as a steady bloc, with several new signatories, The Templar Knights, Tri-Color Federation, United Sovereign Nations, ASC, and Sparta. However, due to unfortunate coincidences, ONOS has left GUARD and the Tri-Color Federation disbanded.

To this date the Commonwealth has held two growth spurts, one from 75 members to 150 and another previous growth spurt from 175 members to 325. In between these two periods of extensive growth, the Commonwealth has grown steadily and has remained neutral in previous conflicts such as Great War II. ThePremier has rebuilt his nation, and the CSN is holding a Senate Seat in Maroon.

Rough Road
The Era of Peace and Growth lasted for a considerably long time in CSN, ranging from after the Spitfire incident in December all the way to May. However, thats when the going got tough. Upon ONOS leaving GUARD, the peaceful times were no more. Although not in a war of any sort, turmoil ranged about as several members left to form their own alliance. For the most part, these members were active but were not officials, and they left on Good Terms. However, one particular group, did not. This was The Shogun. Mykillmyers had served as a Senator for one term, but had lost his seat to Juggernaut in the June Elections. Dissatisfied for unstated reasons, presumably he being the strongest nation in CSN yet not having more power, he went to found The Shogun.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been just another splinter alliance. However, others left with mykill. Among them were GhostArmy, GOWFANATIC, and Meaney. At first it was believed they were leaving on their own accord to help mykill, but then it was discovered the Mykill was actively recruiting from CSN. And had been doing so before even leaving CSN, trying to recruit as many members as possible to his new alliance. His defense that he was only trying to bring friends failed when PewterPirate55 stepped forward, a new arrival previously from ONOS who hardly knew mykill, showed screenshots that mykill had attempted to recruit him as well.

It was soon discovered that Pewter was not the only one. Others that he attempted to recruit were Jakeinto and grandxanth. Before the CSN could touch them, all of the Shogun entered Peace Mode. Protesting innocence despite overwhelming evidence, they soon turned to trolling. Mykill and GhostArmy mainly, while meaney was left trying to work out a diplomatic solution and GOWFANATIC returned to CSN. The situation is nearly resolved, but the drama is almost equivalent to that of the Spitfire Incident months before.