Constitution of the Federation of Independent Sovereign Territories

Constitution of the Federation of Independent Sovereign Territories As of the 20/11/07

Preamble
This is the constitution of the Federation of Intendant Sovereign Territories. It is the official document which outlines how this alliance functions.

Simple Majority
A vote of over 50%

Voting Majority
A majority of the specified amount, of the people whom vote. For example, if there are 7 eligible voters, and 5 vote, 3/5 would be a simple voting majority.

Member Entry & Resignation
To be accepted as a member of FIST, one must satisfy the following requirements: If these requirements are fulfilled, potential members may request membership in the appropriate section of the forums.
 * Not be a member of any other alliance
 * Not hold any debts in Cybernations
 * Not be on any perma-ZI list
 * Not be a prisoner of war
 * Not be in a war

Trial Member
When people first join, they will do so as a trial member. Trial members have limited access to the forums and limited economic support. They cannot vote in elections, nor can they hold any government or military positions.

Full Member
Full members enjoy full member forum access, and full economic support. To become a full member, trial members must do the following:
 * Request and obtain Newb Aid (if applicable)
 * Read the guides in the Library of Alexandria
 * Pass several tests
 * Reach 500 Infrastructure
 * Sign-Up to the active military

Resignations
All new members are not allowed to leave for a minimum of 30 days. In addition, before any member is allowed to leave, they must pay back 1.5 times the total amount of aid money they have received within the alliance, and 2 times for bank nations. Failure to comply with this will result in perma-ZI.

In addition, nations are never allowed to leave in a state of war, or a state of imminent war. Doing so will result in the worst punishment possible.

Member Conduct
All members should conduct themselves in a professional and role-playing manner. The following rules and regulations must be followed by all members.

Friendship & Respect
We are all members of one alliance. As such, you should have the greatest respect for your alliance members. You must never insult them, nor flame them. You should not hold grudges, and seek to solve any problems you have with any other members in a honourable way.

In addition, should have great respect for all leaders of FIST, trust them with their decisions, and follow their leadership as best you can.

Aggression
You should never, under any circumstances attack another member of FIST. Failing to follow this rule will result in serious consequences. You should never, under any circumstances attack any player of Cybernations, unless specifically ordered to by a ranking military officer.

Foreign Conduct
Cybernations is a highly involving and role-playing game. How you conduct yourself globally directly reflects on our entire alliance. As such, when dealing with nations from outside our alliance, whether it's through the Private Message system on Cybernations or Cybernations Forums, you must do the following:
 * Always act respectful
 * Never accuse anyone of anything
 * Don't say things others won't like
 * Ensure to state that your opinions do no represent your alliance
 * Do NOT get involved in flame-wars and arguments. They are a common occurrence in Cybernation forums, and often result in nations being reduced to Zero Infrastructure by war. We will not protect you if you get yourself into trouble on Cybernation forums.
 * Try to make friends, not enemies

Involvement with the Government
You should follow all government decisions, and act accordingly. If you are in disagreement, you are allowed to state your concerns, however you are not allowed to continuously raise dissent, especially if the issue has already been discussed. You should accept the fact that your leaders are experienced, and long-time players of Cybernations. As such, it is likely they understand situations better than you, especially due to the fact that the government, by it's very nature, usually knows more about complex and delicate situations than regular members.

Espionage
You must NOT commit acts of any of the following:
 * Spying for us on any alliance.
 * Spying on us for any alliance. Please note, that we consider the disclosure of anything discussed in any forum to those whom do not hold access to it, an act of spying.
 * Conspiracy against any element of FIST.

Members found to be committing any of the above actions are subject to cruel and unusual punishments.

Member Rights
All members whom follow all of the rules outlined above have the right to the following:

Freedom of Speech
A basic right given to all members of the alliance. You are at all times allowed to voice yourself, both on the FIST forums and the Cybernation forums. This right is however given with limits, which are stated both above and below. Namely, you must not seek to continuously raise dissent on the FIST forums, and you must not be rude, disrespectful or undiplomatic in any way on the Cybernations forums. Failure to comply with these two simple rules, will have this right taken away from you.

Please note, that the one exception to this, is that certain government members (outlined later in the constitution) are allowed to issue blanket bans on talking on Cybernations forums or certain thread(s), only and only in times of war.

Freedom from Oppression
Members of FIST have the right to be approached by government members with non-threatening and friendly attitudes, providing they have not broken any rules above or other alliance rules and laws.

In addition, members of FIST have the right to play the game of Cybernations, without oppression from external influences such as other alliances. If FIST members develop external problems outside the alliance of FIST, they are encouraged to approach government members and seek support and guidance.

Article 2: Government Structure
The government will have four main entities, the Marshal of the State, the Generals of the State, the Ministers of the State and the Council of the State.

The Marshal of the State
The Marshal is the supreme ruler of the alliance. The Marshal manages all aspects of the alliance. This position is permanent, and should the Marshal ever resign, he or she shall appoint a successor.

Internal Powers
The Marshal makes all decisions regarding the alliance, as long as those decisions follow the law set by the constitution. The Marshal is the only person with the authority to make changes to the constitution of the alliance of FIST. All entities of the alliances shall take orders from the Marshal above all else, as long as these orders are constitutional. The Marshal holds these powers in addition to others:
 * Create any position and appoint any individual to it
 * Promote members from trial to full if the Marshal deems necessary
 * Expel members immediately if he deems they have broken the rules of the alliance in a serious way which could compromise it

Military Powers
The Marshal serves as the very head of the military. He is in charge of every aspect of the military, and all military personal must take his orders directly, and without hesitation - specifically in times of war.

Diplomatic Powers
The Marshal has the right to propose any treaty and war to any alliance. The Marshal has the supreme authority to declare war and sign any treaty, except in cases stated below. The Marshal has the authority to represent the alliance on Cybernations Forums and to any foreign diplomat.

The Generals of the State
The Generals of the state are highly-trained, highly experienced nations, assigned only and only by the Marshal. Generals are permanent, appointed positions.

Internal Powers
The Generals are the second highest authority after the Marshal. Shall the Marshal be ever unavailable for whatever reason, for whatever amount of time, the Generals can assume his duties, except signing treaties and declaring war. The Generals may be asked to fulfil any job in the alliance which needs doing, however they alone do not hold the authority to tell Ministers or the Council what to do.

Military Powers
The Generals should all be very experienced warriors, and will have the job of organising doctrines and battle plans in both peace and war time with the Marshal. During wartime, Generals have the authority to lead any aspect of the military, just like the Marshal does. The Marshal outranks Generals on any final decision, where an agreement cannot be reached.

Diplomatic Powers
Generals have the authority to represent the alliance on Cybernations Forums and to any foreign diplomat.

The Ministers of the State
The ministers of the state are appointed by the Marshal, and hold permanent positions. Their primary job is to run their ministries, and implement any plans the Marshal gives them. The Marshal may create any amount of ministries he wishes, and ask members to serve as ministers in them.

Internal Powers
Ministers have control of their ministries. They have the power to create positions within the ministry and appoint members to them.

Diplomatic Powers
Ministers have the authority to represent the alliance to foreign diplomats.

The Council of the State
The Council is the only elected body of the government. It's main purpose is to connect members to the government, and to make suggestions in regards to how the alliance can be improved upon. It is designed with the intent to help the Marshal run the alliance, not to replace the Marshal in decision making, and not to change the way the alliance works. Members on the Council should understand this clearly.

Structure
The Council consists of five elected members, and is lead by the Marshal.

Elections
Note that Generals and Ministers can not be members of the Council. Elections are held every two months, at the end of the months. The election process is as follows:
 * 5 Days prior to the end of the month, nominations begin for the council. Members are only eligible for nominations, if they have been in the alliance for a period of over 30 days.
 * 3 Days Prior to the end of the month, nominations close. The members receiving 2 or more nominations will be asked to create campaign threads.
 * 2 Days prior to the end of the month, elections will commence. The 5 eligible candidates with the most votes win. In the event of a tie for last places, such as 5th, a 1 day run-off election will be held.[/list]

Jobs and Powers of the Council
The council has a lot of important jobs and powers, which council members should be familiar with.

Implementing Ideas

It is the responsibility of the Council to talk to members of the alliance, and get ideas about how to improve the alliance. Possible improvements may include: However the Council need not be restricted to the above.
 * Organising aspects of the alliance better
 * Creating new positions
 * Creating new forum sections for specific tasks
 * Creating more ways for the alliance to support members
 * Creating additional ministerial responsibilities or entire ministries

If the Council acquires a good idea, these steps must be taken for it to be implemented;
 * 1) Any Council Member may propose the idea in the council chambers.
 * 2) The Council will take a vote on it.
 * 3) In the event of a simple voting majority, the Marshal will be asked to approve it.
 * 4) If the Marshal approves it, it will be implemented.
 * 5) The Council will make it clear prior to voting, which positions within the alliance will have the responsibility of implementing the idea, or if new positions need to be created.

Ministerial Watchdog

It may come to the attention of the Council that a certain Minister is not doing a good job. They may be inactive, lacking in new ideas and innovation, or their ministry may be under scrutiny for under-performing.

To remove a minister, the following process must be followed:
 * 1) Any Council Member may propose a vote of no confidence against a Minister
 * 2) The Council will take a vote on it.
 * 3) In the event of a simple voting majority, the Minister will be asked by the Council to step down.
 * 4) If the Minister refuses, the Marshal will implement the use of force, to make the Minister step down.
 * 5) The Council may take a simple majority vote, to suggest a replacement Minister for assignment by the Marshal.
 * 6) The Marshal may take the suggestion or appoint someone else the replace the Minister

Diplomatic Watchdog - Wars

The Marshal has the supreme authority to declare war in the event of an MDP or higher treaty being activated. However this is not so with lower treaties or no treaties. In this case, the Marshal must request the authority to declare war from the Council, via the following process;
 * 1) The Marshal creates a request in the Council Chambers.
 * 2) The Council has 72 hours to vote to either grant the request or deny it.
 * 3) At the end of the 72 hours, the Marshal will either declare war, stating the signatures of the Council Members as reference, or declare neutrality if applicable.

The percentages of voting chancellors required to grant authority to declare such wars is:
 * Optional Defence by Treaty: 30%
 * Aggressive War with no such Treaty: 50%

Diplomatic Watchdog - Treaties

While the Marshal has the supreme authority to sign lower treaties, such as - but not limited to - Protectorates, NAPs, PIATs, ToAs and MDPs, treaties requiring mutual aggression - whether optional or mandatory, require a Council approval. In addition, the Council needs to approve the entry of FIST into any type of alliance BLOC. Approval is to be gained by the following process;
 * 1) The Marshal proposes the type of treaty, and the alliance(s) involved to the Council.
 * 2) The Council has 72 hours to either approve or dismiss.
 * 3) At the end of the 72 hours, the Marshal will then inform the alliance(s) involved in the decision. When the treaty is signed, the appropriate Council signatures in favour of the treaty are to be attached.

The percentages of voting chancellors required to grant approval to sign the treaties are:
 * Optional Aggression (eg. MOADP): 30%
 * Mandatory Aggression (eg. MADP): 50%
 * Alliance Bloc (MDP and above): 50%

Diplomatic Representation
All Council Members have the authority to represent the alliance on Cybernations Forums and to foreign diplomats.

Corruption
Due to the nature of the council, it is important that all Council Members follow the rules closely, and support the Marshal in running the alliance. In addition, it is paramount that all Council members serve to uphold the principles of the alliance, and never go against them. If any Council Members are found to be in violation of either of those two things, the Marshal can immediately remove them from the Council, and appoint the runner up to the previous Council Elections, or if such a person does not exist, then the Marshal will decide whether to replace the Council Member(s) at all, and if so, whom with.

Sharing of Information Within the Government
The Marshal is encouraged to keep all levels of government informed about everything. Certain things will however need to be kept secret, for example: war plans, which will be between the Marshal and the Generals.

All members of the government should be perfectly clear, that any information provided to them in any private government forum, needs to be kept private and must not be spoken of to anyone or anywhere outside the forum where it was made known to them.

Article 3: Alliance Ideals and Goals
These are the ideals of the alliance of FIST. All members should support them, and foreigners should read them to know what we stand for.

Government
The alliance is FIST is a dictatorship, supported by an elected body which acts both to help the Marshal run the alliance and act as an overwatch to the alliance. All members should respect this form of government, and understand it's benefits and efficiencies to the alliance as a whole.

Aggression
We are not an aggressive alliance, and will make every effort and attempt to solve any problems we have with any other alliance in a peaceful and respectful manner. We encourage the use of diplomacy and open dialogue between everyone. As such, our forums are always open to any diplomat from any alliance, choosing to discuss any issue.

Allies
We take our allies and their opinions very seriously. We take any threats or aggression against our allies very seriously. We will seek to always support our allies diplomatically, financially, intellectually and forcefully. If our allies have any problems, they can rest assured we will be there to help. If our allies are accused of something, they can rest assured we will not so blindly believe the accusers. Shall our allies ever need a favour, we will provide it.

A declaration of war upon our MDP or a higher treaty parter will amount to a declaration of war upon FIST, and we will not hesitate to use every resource at our disposal to assist our ally in every way possible. A declaration of war upon a lesser than MDP treaty partner will not be looked upon lightly, and alliances which do so should never assume our neutrality in such a conflict.

Honour
We are an alliance of honour. We pledge to do our best to do what is right. We pledge to do our best to commit decisions and acts which are honourable rather than not, and which will earn us the respect of our allies and enemies alike.

We are not an alliance to cancel a treaty before a war. We are not an alliance to surrender a few days into a war, while our allies are fighting hard. We are not an alliance to forget about our allegiances and our duties. We are not an alliance to cowardly spy and and accuse others of acts of espionage without having undeniable proof.

Mutual Friendship
The alliance of FIST exists to provide support and friendship to players of Cybernations. To provide protection from rogues and financial support. To assist players with nation management and role-playing. To provide the opportunities for players to engage in diplomacy and inter-alliance relations. To give the experience to our members of fighting wars, so they may become strong and capable warriors.

Our Goals
Our goals are very simple, they are to enforce the ideals stated above. In addition to them, we wish to support all those wrongly accused and waged war upon, all those whom cannot stand up for themselves, all those whom do not have a voice and all those whom get bullied in the Cyberverse.

Quite simply, we stand for what is right, and we seek to help others sharing our views by any means necessary.

This concludes the formal constitution of FIST

Member Entry & Resignation

 * Don't join us if you're hated
 * You must prove you actually want to play this game, before you gain full membership
 * If you come to FIST, get our aids, steal our guides, and leave....we're going to cut your balls off

Member Conduct

 * Don't act like an asshole
 * Don't attack people (ie. no tech raiding)
 * Be nice to people from other alliances
 * Be respectful to the government
 * No spying, espionage or conspiring, or you will be subject to "cruel and unusual punishments"

Member Rights

 * Free speech within reason
 * Freedom from oppression

Marshal of the State

 * He/she runs the alliance, appoints ministers and generals, and has complete authority over everything not stated otherwise in the constitution
 * Controls the military
 * Has complete authority over all treaties, except those with an aggression clause and the participation of FIST in blocs

Generals of the State

 * Help Marshal run the alliance
 * Fill in anywhere, where required
 * 2nd highest authority in the alliance & in the military

Ministers of the State

 * Run ministers, on instructions of the Marshal

Council of the State

 * Get elected every 2 months
 * Implements ideas within the alliance
 * Can remove incompetent ministers
 * Approves aggressive wars & wars as a result of optional defence treaties (PIAT, ToA, ODP)
 * Approves treaties with aggression clauses (MDoAP, MADP)
 * Approves the participation of FIST in alliance BLOCS (MDP and above)
 * If any Councillor is corrupt, or does not uphold the ideals of the alliance, the Marshal will kick their arse

Article 3: Alliance Ideals and Goals

 * We're a dictatorship, with some democratic oversight. Deal with it
 * We do not support alliance aggression
 * We have the greatest respect for our allies, and would never abandon them in times of need
 * We are an alliance of honour. No faggotry or asshattery here. If our allies get attacked, we don't cancel the treaty - we go to war, with no plans of a fast surrender
 * Our members are bound by friendship, mutual respect and the willingness to grow together, helping each other when needed.
 * Our goals are to enforce our ideals