Beastopia

Section 1. All nations are created equal and partake of the same rights endowed by the Creator upon their own makers, ergo all nations retain the right to seek equality before and justice from the law of Beastopia.
All nations retain the right to an effective remedy from the government when the government has infringed their rights.
All nations retain the right to freedom of conscience.
All nations in good standing retain the right to seek asylum in Beastopia.
All nations retain the rights to privacy of personal information and to reasonable privacy of national information.
All nations retain the rights to the due process of law, and to immunity from being twice put in jeopardy for the same crime.
No nation shall be punished for a crime ex post facto, nor subject to a bill of attainder.
All nations retain the right to fair and open court proceedings.
All nations retain the right to the presumption of innocence in procedure.
All nations retain the rights to speak in their own defense, and to refuse to self-incriminate.
All nations retain the right to examine accusers.
No nation shall be obligated by penalty to obey an order of the Regent which contradicts the law.
No nation shall be unfairly persecuted by the government for the exercise of their rights.
Criminal responsibility shall be considered personal, and no nation shall be subjected by the Regency, nor by the Royal County of Beastopia, to collective punishment for crimes.

Section 2. All nations, excluding foreign dignitaries, who are resident in the region of Beastopia for a term which may be regulated, may claim and shall receive Beastopian membership. Claimed membership shall not be unfairly denied to any eligible nation in good standing.
Beastopian membership shall be granted automatically to all resident nations at the time of the proclamation of this Charter.
All nations who shall claim Beastopian membership shall be eligible for grant of Beastopian citizenship by the Count of Beastopia, on behalf of the Regent. Nations shall take the following Oath of Citizenship upon being approved for a grant thereof:
“Solemnly, freely, and without mental reservation, I, (name), hereby renounce all allegiance to any foreign power. My fidelity is to Beastopia and the Crown thereof. I pledge to support, honor, and be loyal to the Regent, the constitution, and the laws. This I do solemnly swear. (So help me God.)”

Section 3. The government shall respect the rights and immunities of all Beastopian member-states, who may be collectively called Beastopian “Members” or “Beastopians.”
All Members enjoy the right to fair and equal treatment under the law, without suffering prejudice for or against their honors, offices, and arbitrary attachments.
All Members enjoy the right to immunity from discrimination by the government on the basis of ethnicity, religion, race, or sex.
All Members enjoy the right of security in their nation and other personal property.
All Members enjoy the right to immunity from slavery, serfdom, or conscription, except in times of declared crisis or as a defined, time-limited punishment for a crime.
All Members enjoy the right to petition the government for redress of grievances.
All Members enjoy the right to sue the government for restitution of harm.
All Members enjoy the right of managing their national affairs free from excessive interference.
All Members in good standing enjoy the equal right to stand for election when equally provided for by law.
All Members in good standing enjoy the right to exercise of franchise without unnecessary impedance.
All Members enjoy the rights to freedom of speech, and to freedom of publication.
All Members enjoy the rights to adequate representation in criminal trials, and to seek legal counsel in civil trials.
All Members shall not be subject to the imposition of excessive and unusual punishment.
All Members enjoy the right to be informed of the crimes with which they are charged before proceedings.
All Members enjoy the right to speedy public trials.
All Members convicted of a crime retain the right to the benefit of lesser penalty when change of law has occurred between the commission of the crime and the sentencing of penalty.
All Members enjoy the right to judicial proceedings which justly draw their substance from the respective law of the County or from the Regency, and to enjoy the greater protections of both when either the law of the County or the law of the Regency is violated.

Section 4. The government shall respect the rights and immunities of all Beastopian citizen-states, who may be collectively called Beastopian “Citizens” or “Bond States,” which shall also encompass all those of Beastopian members. Claimed citizenship may not be denied indefinitely except in cases of treason, perfidy, fraud, or violation of NationStates Terms of Service.
Citizens shall not suffer the permanent involuntary loss of citizenship, except as punishment for crime or for irresidence for an excessive period of time.
Citizens shall not suffer the impermanent involuntary loss of citizenship, except as an emergency measure during a declared crisis, in which case citizenship shall be restored automatically and immediately upon the expiration of the crisis, or in the case of engaging in royal military service or while travelling abroad.
All Citizens enjoy the right to renounce their Beastopian citizenship. The voluntary renunciation of Beastopian citizenship shall not be held against a nation that seeks it again.
The enumeration of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by Citizens.
All Citizens in good standing enjoy the right to propose legislation.
All Citizens enjoy the right to peaceably assemble and peaceably debate public issues.
All Citizens enjoy the right to freely associate.
All Citizens enjoy the right to apply to the Crown for Free Statehood.
All Citizens enjoy the right to travel in peacetime free from excessive interference, and when so travelling, retain the right to the immediate resumption of their citizenship upon their return to the region.
All Citizens enjoy the right to engage in military service within the Royal Armed Forces and to engage in intelligence service within the Royal Sentinel Corps. When so engaged in the Royal Armed Forces, all Citizens retain the right to the immediate resumption of their citizenship upon the end of their engagement.
All Citizens in good standing enjoy the right to accept awards and honors from foreign powers.
All Citizens enjoy the right of security in their national and regional possessions, of which they shall not be deprived nor alienated without due cause, just procedure, and appropriate recompense.

Section 5. All Free States and Republican Knights thereof who are not engaged in service to the Royal Armed Forces, nor in any foreign office of the Crown and its Republic, shall enjoy Beastopian membership upon immigrating to the region for the duration of their residence.
All Republican Knights who are not engaged in service to the Royal Armed Forces, nor in any foreign office of the Crown and its Republic, shall enjoy Beastopian citizenship automatically for the duration of their residence.
All Free States shall, by that fact, be eligible for Beastopian citizenship, and shall be entitled to receive Beastopian citizenship upon application, in a timely fashion, excepting a 24-hour delay immediately before and a 24-hour delay immediately after the day of a scheduled election. No right or privilege of Beastopian membership nor Beastopian citizenship shall be denied to any Free State as such. No Free State nor Republican Knight shall be denied entry into the region, except during a declared crisis.
Nations engaged in service to the Royal Armed Forces shall not be subject to the laws of the Royal County of Beastopia, nor shall they enjoy the rights and privileges duly owed to a Beastopian member-state or citizen-state.

Section 6. As no condition is so abhorred by political community as Anarchy, the inalienable rights of the nations constituent of the Royal County of Beastopia are forever retained, in the prolonged absence of the Regent and his Count, to make law and govern themselves as necessity and prudence demands; and, in the dissolution of both, to reconstitute themselves in a matter according to natural law and political principles which suits them.

Section 1. The sovereignty of Beastopia, as a civil society, lies in the Regency of the Crown, with whom is vested headship and ownership for life, or until abdication or cession. All power granted by these shall be held to flow through Regency and shall not be alienated from it, without the consent, or demise, of the Regency in a manner hereby instituted.
The Regent of Beastopia, who shall also be the Crown Sovereign of the Royal Federal Republic of Free States, shall have ultimate power over the County and region of Beastopia. The executive and legislative power shall be vested in the Beastopian Regent as Head of State. The Regent retains, by natural right of sovereignty, complete immunity to all laws of the Regency and of the County of Beastopia. The Regent enjoys all privileges entitled to Beastopian citizen-states.

Section 2. The Regent shall be obligated to defend and support this Constitution, Beastopia, and its nations with all reasonable effort and expediency. The Regent shall be entrusted to exercise the sovereignty of Beastopia with due discretion and always for the greater well-being of the region. The Regency shall have the sacrosanct powers and prerogatives as follows:
to give laws or modify given laws by royal authority over Beastopia;
to exclusively make laws over all royal Dominions;
to decide the future fate of Beastopia;
to approve the Count of Beastopia, to remove him, to judge his incompetence or guilt, and to designate his successor;
to carry on foreign relations;
to make war and conclude peace;
to organize, command, and station military forces;
to make treaties and alliances;
to create and award royal orders and grant republican privileges, such as Free Statehood;
to add, subtract, modify, or administer further regional property of the County;
to undertake all foreign and domestic military actions of the region, besides mere civil defense;
to dissolve the Assembly and provide for its reconstitution in times of legislative crisis;
and to establish royal courts, appoint magistrates, and judge crimes of royal nature.

Section 3. The Count of Beastopia shall be the ruling Crown representative and administrator of the Royal County thereof, whom the Regent shall appoint for a term of two years, without limit on term renewals. The Count shall be the chief executive officer of the region and its Acting Head of State in the absence of the Regent. The Count shall be a trusted person and a Free State in good standing at the time of appointment. The Regent may dismiss the Count at-will.
Upon accepting appointment as Count of Beastopia, the nation shall take the following Oath of Office:
“I do solemnly swear that I will, to the best of my ability, support and defend the Great Charter of the Royal County of Beastopia against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the advantaged and to the disadvantaged; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will stand by the Liberties and Laws of Beastopia; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge all duties incumbent upon me as Count of Beastopia under the Crown. (So help me God.)”
The Count shall have civil authority in the region second only to the Regent. The Count shall have the devolved powers to grant assent to county laws on behalf of the Regent; to execute the terms of royal laws and treaties; to execute the terms of county laws; to set policy and operate the executive functions of the government; to select candidates for approval to office; to grant Beastopian citizenship; and to hire and fire lesser officials not otherwise provided for. The Count shall enjoy immunity to civil suit for actions or harm related to the exercise of their authority during their tenure. The Count shall command and organize the County Militia, which shall be instituted for the defense of the region proper. The Count cannot simultaneously hold any other office of the County of Beastopia, except as provided in a Supreme Act. The Count shall enjoy the privilege of holding offices outside of the County of Beastopia.

Section 4. The Count may appoint one Beastopian member-state as his Viscount, who shall be their second in all matters of administration. When the Count is absent or impaired, the Viscount shall act as Count until such time as the Count returns or a new Count is appointed. The Viscount shall be Head of Government and shall manage the ministries of the Count as his chief subordinate.
The Count may dismiss the Viscount at-will without explanation, which shall not lawfully prevent him from holding office. The Council of States may vote to remove the Viscount on the explicit grounds of incompetence and/or insubordination. A Viscount removed by the Council of States may not be appointed Viscount for one year, a prohibition which may be lifted by a majority vote of the Council of States.

Section 5. There shall be legislative power coequal to the Count invested in a democratic body, called the “Beastopian Assembly” or the “Assembly.” The Assembly shall be composed of Beastopian member-states who stand for election as Assemblymen and receive either appointment by the Count to the Assembly, or at least one vote from another Beastopian member-state. Elections for the Assembly shall be conducted regularly, at least once per year, when conditions permit.
When the Assembly is empty, the Count may give laws to the County of Beastopia. When the Assembly has fewer than four members, the Count may give laws with at least one vote of approval from the Assembly. When the Assembly has five or more members, the Count may give laws only with the consent of a majority of votes therein, or with the express assent of the Regent.
The Assembly may originate law proposals and pass a proposal by a majority vote, or by a two-thirds majority of a one-third majority, or by a majority of a quorum which may be specified by legislation. The Count shall have the power of veto over any law passed by the Assembly, unless it be passed by an absolute majority of three-fourths or greater with a membership of five or greater.

Section 6. The Beastopian Assembly shall enjoy the right to petition the Regent for a redress of legislative and administrative grievances, which may include the replacement of the Count, without fear of reprisal. Assemblymen shall enjoy qualified immunity from criminal conviction and total immunity from civil suit for speech carried out in debate or in any legislative business of the Assembly. The Assembly shall have the power to pass rule resolutions for the purpose of governing itself.
The Assembly shall elect their own leader, with the oversight of the Count at their invitation, who shall be the “Head of the Assembly,” or “Headman.” The Headman shall have the powers of setting the agenda, of leading and moderating debate, of conducting the body’s business, of chastising members for ill behavior, and of enforcing all rules within that body. The Headman shall be subject to election at the petition of one-third of all members for replacement, and after every new Assembly election. If no Headman be elected, the Count may elect the Viscount to act as Headman until the Assembly shall elect one proper.

Section 7. The Count may appoint, or put to election, nations to an executive and deliberative body, for a term of four months, which shall be called the “Council of States,” or “State Council,” and whose members shall be called “State Councilors” or simply “Councilors.” The Council of States shall advise the Count on matters of importance and difficulty, which he may call them to consider. The Council of States may modify any law proposal which the Assembly passes by a majority of less than three-fifths, if requested by the Count, and pass it to that body by a majority vote, which the Assembly shall reconsider and put to vote.

Section 8. When the Count selects Ministers, he shall do so from the Council of States. Ministers shall retain their positions and votes on the Council. The Count may dismiss a Minister at-will. The Council of States may be dismissed entirely after two months of a term and thereafter seek a new Council. The Count may not dismiss any individual Councilor without the consent of a quorum majority of the Assembly, or the consent of the Regent. Councilors shall enjoy immunity from civil suit for speech during debate or otherwise conducted in the business of the Council of States.

Section 9. The Assembly may pass a petition to the Regent in order to amend a Supreme Act of the Crown, by a four-fifths majority vote, or by a three-fourths majority vote of one-half of the body. The consent of a majority of the Council of States shall be required to approve any duly passed petition of the Assembly to alter any Supreme Act.

Section 10. The Regent may appoint two Consuls at-will to the County of Beastopia, who shall serve as coequals of the Count at the Regent’s pleasure, shall report directly to the Regent, and shall enjoy the Regent’s immunity for so long as they hold office. The First Consul shall enjoy the title of “Marshal of Arms” and shall be the Chief Military Officer of the region; the Second Consul shall enjoy the title of “Marshal of Justice” and shall be the Chief Judicial Officer of the region.
The Marshal of Arms shall have direct administrative control over military matters pertaining to the County of Beastopia, and shall execute all lawful, intelligible orders of the Regent, in peacetime or wartime. The Marshal of Justice shall hear all cases pertaining to the County of Beastopia where no lesser court has been established by law to receive them, and shall have administrative authority over all magistrates of such courts.
The Count shall enjoy the royal privilege of recommending nations as Consul. The Count and the Viscount, if either appointed First or Second Consul, shall enjoy the titles and powers of the Consulship simultaneously as well as their own, without diminishment, nor enlargement, nor truncation, nor extension, nor replacement of their County offices. No nation may hold both Consulships simultaneously whatsoever. When no Consul is appointed, the Regent naturally reassumes all powers of each.

Section 11. The County of Beastopia shall enjoy the power to make laws for its own governance, including all laws necessary and proper to implement, support, and abide by all Supreme Acts of the Crown. The County of Beastopia shall enjoy the power to establish county courts and appoint county magistrates for the sake of judging county laws, for which royal courts shall act as appellate to county jurisdiction. Royal jurisdiction, including violations of Supreme Acts, shall be the exclusive province of royal magistrates, such as the Marshal of Justice.
The County of Beastopia shall endeavor to maintain accurate registries for regional citizenship and membership. Foreign dignitaries shall be those nations in the region who are not Beastopian citizens, but serve as representatives or leaders of a foreign power. Foreign dignitaries shall be counted separately from citizens when conducting and adjusting censuses.

Section 12. Elections shall not be delayed without deliberate consideration or lawful obligation, excepting in times of declared crisis. No party shall ever be denied in-common privileges without due process. No party shall ever be repudiated, banned, or disbanded by the government, except on the grounds of advocating, planning, or attempting a crime of treason, perfidy, fraud, or violation of NationStates Terms of Service.