Imperial Federation

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Constitution of the Imperial Federation ​

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This is the page containing a full version of the IF Constitution. If your pull request that contain change to this that is not relevant to an passed amendment by the Senate of the Imperial Federation, your pull request will be rejected.

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PREFACE ​

The Imperial Federation shall strive to bring peace and prosperity to the world while still allowing citizens to retain autonomy in their States. Protection from external threats, along with organizing large scale efforts of defense, infrastructure, and factories to give us common goals to work towards.

We, the citizens of the Imperial Federation, in pursuit of justice, liberty, and prosperity, establish this Constitution to guide our Federation with wisdom and strength. Committed to sovereignty, order, and cooperation, we uphold the freedoms of our people, the autonomy of our States, and the unity of our Federation under the Sovereign.

The Imperial Federation shall be a sovereign, semi-democratic, federal constitutional monarchy—a union of self-governing States and territories bound together by the Imperial Government and the Sovereign in a shared commitment to order, liberty, and prosperity. Each State serves as a pillar of the Federation, entrusted with self-rule while upholding the principles of justice, security, and cooperation with both one another and the Imperial Government. As a constitutional federation, the Imperial Federation is upheld by the Sovereign, who provides stability and legitimacy; the Imperial Government, which ensures effective administration; the States, which exercise autonomy within the framework of unity; the Senate, which represents the States and holds ultimate legislative authority; and the Judiciary, which safeguards legal and constitutional compliance.

Section 1: The Sovereign ​

  1. The Sovereign as an individual holds the titles Emperor of Deluvia and King of the Imperial Federation.
  2. Emperor and King Jalhf I is the constitutional Sovereign of the Imperial Federation.
  3. All citizens of the Imperial Federation bear true allegiance to The Sovereign.
  4. The Sovereign is the primary owner and controller of all core imperial namelayers and the discord of the Imperial Federation.
    1. The Sovereign reserves the right to hand primary ownership of individual namelayers to trusted Imperial citizens at their discretion in the event of lack of space to hold the namelayer.
    2. The Sovereign reserves the right to administrate and moderate the discord, and also to delegate admin and mod roles.
  5. The Sovereign is the Commander-in-Chief of the military.
    1. The Sovereign reserves the right to appoint and remove people from the military.
    2. The Sovereign may perform military actions outside of war, including pearl-on-sight orders and bounty hunting permits.
    3. Within this role, the Sovereign may choose to consult, and delegate authority to, other Imperial governmental officials and/or Imperial bodies.
    4. The Imperial government and the Sovereign have primary responsibility and authority over the defence and protection of the entire Empire, her lands, and her citizens. States do, however, have the right to defend their own territory in line with local and Imperial law.
  6. The Sovereign shall serve as the primary representative and diplomat of the Imperial Federation and her interests on the international stage.
    1. The Sovereign may make discretionary decisions regarding foreign policy which do not conflict with published policy of the Chancellor or Senate.
  7. These decisions must be communicated to the government and may be overturned by a majority vote of the Senate.
  8. The Sovereign reserves the right to suspend the Imperial Government with a three-fourths (¾) Senate vote and assent from at least two-thirds (⅔) of non-Sovereigns Judges.
  9. The Sovereign may, for a set amount of time, serve as acting Chancellor with full legitimacy of its office. This requires a two-thirds (⅔) vote of the Senate and assent from at least one non-Sovereign appointed Judge.
  10. The Sovereign may nominate an heir if two-thirds (⅔) of the Senate votes for it, who may take over in case of resignation or incapacitation.
  11. The Sovereign reserves the right to overturn the Chancellor’s veto on a bill within 72 hours after the Chancellor’s veto decision.
  12. The Sovereign reserves the right to access the Imperial Treasury and shall act as a check on the Chancellors expenditures and monetary policy.

Section 2: The Chancellor ​

  1. The Chancellor will serve as the Head of Government of the Imperial Federation.
    1. Within this role, the Chancellor will determine the foreign and domestic policies of the Imperial Federation.
    2. The Chancellor oversees and controls Imperial planning, Imperial resources and their allocation, the execution of the Senate’s agenda, and Imperial governance.
      1. The Chancellor reserves the right to grant and/or deny access of the Imperial treasury to Citizens at their discretion.
    3. The Chancellor shall serve as the secondary representative and diplomat of the Empire and her interests on the international stage.
  2. The Vice Chancellor serves as the Chancellor's second in command.
    1. The Vice Chancellor of the Imperial Federation is the elected running-mate of the Chancellor in Imperial Elections.
    2. The Vice-Chancellor serves for the duration of the Chancellor’s term.
    3. In case the Vice Chancellor position is vacated during a term, the Chancellor shall nominate a new Vice Chancellor. Approval of the nominee requires a majority (½) senate vote.
    4. The Vice Chancellor of the Imperial Federation has the right, for the remainder of an ongoing term, to assume the position of Chancellor, and all its associated powers, if the Sovereign and a majority of the Senate deem it necessary.
  3. The Chancellor and Vice Chancellor must:
    1. Act in the best interest of the Imperial Federation.
    2. Not put personal gains or interests over the interests of the Imperial Federation.
    3. Not spend Imperial resources in a way that unfairly favours or gives advantage to any state over another.
  4. The Chancellor and Vice Chancellor will not infringe on the rights of the states or the citizenry.
  5. The Chancellor or Vice Chancellor may be removed:
    1. By their own resignation.
    2. By a two-thirds (⅔) vote of the Senate and assent of the Sovereign.
    3. By a popular referendum of at least two-thirds (⅔) and assent of the Sovereign.
  6. The Chancellor and Vice Chancellor have the right to propose bills to the senate, but have no voting rights on any bills proposed in the senate.
  7. The Chancellor reserves the right to veto any Senate bill within 24 hours of its passage of the bill.
    1. This can be overturned by a two-thirds (⅔) Senate vote that itself can not be vetoed. The Chancellor can not repeatedly veto bills where the Senate has previously overruled a veto.
  8. To be eligible for the position, the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor must:
    1. Have been a primary citizen of the Imperial Federation for at least one month.
    2. Not be a member of the Imperial Senate or Judiciary.
    3. Hold no government or leadership positions in any foreign state or entity, unless approved by the Sovereign and Judiciary.
    4. Have never been convicted of treason against the Imperial Federation, unless the sentence has been commuted or pardoned by the Imperial Senate or the Imperial Judiciary.
    5. Not be banned from the server.
  9. The Chancellery office is located in the Capital District.
  10. The Chancellor may perform military actions outside of war, including pearl-on-sight orders and bounty hunting permits.

Section 3: The Senate ​

  1. The Senate shall have authority over the States on matters of:
    1. Foreign affairs and diplomacy
    2. Imperial criminal and legal codes
      1. The senate shall create and legislate a legal code outlining Imperial law. Practical maintenance of the legal code shall be done by the Sovereign and/or their delegate.
    3. Military, defense, and defensive infrastructure
    4. Imperial civilian infrastructure
    5. Mediation of disputes between States
    6. Large-scale interstate projects
    7. Currency creation and enforcement
    8. Regulation of international and interstate commerce
    9. Citizenship
    10. The Constitution
  2. The Senate may delegate its authority to individuals or other bodies.
  3. The Senate has administrative and legislative authority over all land in the Imperial Federation not part of any state.
  4. The Senate shall set rules of its own conduct.
  5. The Senate will approve decisions of laws by a majority vote of Senators unless otherwise stated in this document.
    1. Unless deemed exceptionally urgent, bills should be allowed 24 hours for discussion before being put to vote.
    2. If a vote has not been passed or failed by the 24-hour mark, the vote will automatically be failed.
    3. Senate votes shall be public to all citizens, unless dealing with a matter pressing to national security.
    4. Senators may abstain from voting. Abstentions disqualify the Senator from the vote, lowering the total amount of votes needed to pass or fail.
  6. The Senate reserves the right to overturn any decision made by the Chancellor and/or Vice Chancellor by a two-thirds (⅔) vote, and it has supremacy over the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor to enact decisions if a two-thirds (⅔) majority of votes support it.
  7. Senators must:
    1. Be a citizen of the Imperial Federation.
    2. Be a primary citizen of the state they represent.
    3. Act in the best interest of the Imperial Federation.
    4. Avoid using their position or powers for personal gain.
    5. Not leak any sensitive information obtained by being a Senator.
    6. Apply Imperial law equally in all states.
    7. Have no government positions in non-allied states outside of the Empire, unless granted an exception by the Sovereign or Judiciary.
    8. Keep their citizenry reasonably informed of general Senate activities and non-sensitive discussions.
  8. Senators may be removed from office and punished by the Imperial Judiciary if deemed to not be executing their duties in good faith.
  9. New states may be created by the Senate with assent of the Sovereign.
    1. The Senate may grant presently held, non-state, Imperial land to a group of citizens wishing to create a new state by majority vote.
    2. An independent group or nation may be admitted as a state to the Federation by two-thirds (⅔) majority Senate vote.
    3. External territorial changes require a two-thirds (⅔) majority Senate vote.
  10. The Senate shall meet in the Capital District.
  11. The Senate may grant and/or deny permission to bounty hunters to pursue pearls in the Empire. The Senate may overrule pearl orders and bounty hunting permits issued by other Imperial offices.
  12. States with at least three active citizens have the right to send a Senator to the Imperial Senate.
    1. For each additional 3 active primary citizens plus 1 for every current Senator, the State may send another Senator to the Imperial Senate.
    2. When the combined primary population of IF territories with non-state status and not holding any other special legal status reaches 3 or more, a territorial senator shall be elected by popular vote of the citizens of those eligible territories to represent the whole of non-state IF territories in the Imperial Senate.
    3. States can choose whichever method they wish to determine who they send to the Imperial Senate.
    4. States are required to re-select their senators within 72 hours of the end of Imperial elections.
  13. The Senate may declare war by a two-thirds (⅔) vote, and assent from the Sovereign and Chancellor.
  14. Any amendments to the constitution require the support of two-thirds (⅔) of all members of the Imperial Senate, in addition to assent of the Chancellor and Sovereign.

Section 4: States and Subdivisions ​

  1. States are the foundation of the Imperial Federation, exercising self-governance while upholding unity and stability. They retain autonomy over internal affairs but remain bound by the Constitution and the collective interests of the Federation.
  2. Imperial Districts are lands of the Empire zoned off to be run directly by the Imperial Government.
    1. The Capital District of New Callisto is an Imperial District.
    2. Military Zones and Exclusion Zones are Imperial Districts where the area has been designated for military use and is not considered public. All Federal military infrastructure shall be considered as Military Zones.
    3. National parks are pieces of land designated as collectively owned for conservation purposes because of unparalleled natural, historic, or cultural significance.
  3. Territories are lands of the Empire that are settled but lack statehood, where the Senate has delegated administrative authority over a set area to an individual.
  4. Federal Lands are lands of the Empire that are not settled, where the Senate retains administrative authority.
  5. Dominions are nations that have a unique relationship with the Imperial Federation tying it to the Empire.
  1. States are the largest order of self-governing subdivision of the Imperial Federation. The state, its Constitution, laws, and jurisdiction, extend no further than its borders.
  2. States are required to:
    1. Create a state Constitution, which shall be regarded as the single source of truth for state affairs. State Constitutions must outline:
      1. The government structure and decision making process of the state.
      2. The method of selection of Imperial senators.
      3. The method of selection of the State Leader.
      4. The process for obtaining state citizenship and/or residency.
      5. A method to amend the state constitution.
    2. Promptly send senators to the Imperial Senate based on the state’s selection method.
    3. Designate a State Leader, who may have as many or as few powers as the state constitution outlines.
      1. The state leader reserves the right to execute any constitutional state powers on behalf of their state which are not explicitly outlined elsewhere by the state constitution.
    4. Publicly post state constitutions, laws, and law enforcement methods to be viewable by all Imperial citizens.
    5. Comply with their own state constitutions.
    6. Have at least three active state citizens.
  3. A state Constitution or any of its provisions may be nullified or overturned by:
    1. A popular state referendum of at least three-fourths (3⁄4) popular vote of the States citizenry.
    2. The Judiciary, if it deems the State Constitution or parts of it to be in non-compliance with the Imperial Constitution or law.
    3. Other mechanisms, provided the existing State Constitution outlines a process for doing so.
  4. States may:
    1. Form their own governments, so long as it does not conflict with this document.
    2. Create any laws on internal matters that do not violate anything else stated in this document or the Imperial legal code.
    3. Administer, manage, and police their own territory.
    4. Form their own militias, who shall operate as an arm of, and be subordinate to, the Imperial military.
    5. Appeal to the Imperial Senate for assistance in governing the State.
    6. All powers not explicitly given to the Imperial government in this document are left to the states.
  5. States may not:
    1. Create laws that violate the Constitution.
    2. Create laws that violate federal laws in areas where federal law is explicitly supreme as stated in the constitution.
    3. Make war or participate in conflict with foreign nations or within the Imperial Federation.
    4. Form military ties with foreign nations or organisations.
    5. Conduct diplomacy unless sanctioned by the senate.
    6. Name themselves as Empires, or official positions in state as Emperor, or any derivative thereof.
    7. Secede from the Empire without the permission of two-thirds (⅔) of all Senators and the Sovereign.
      1. Secessionist governments that declare independence without due processes shall be considered legally dissolved within the Empire. States that secede legally shall be recognized.
    8. Bar passage of Imperial citizens throughout their public territory with the exception of criminals.
      1. Private citizens may bar individuals from their property.
      2. States may, within reason, bar non-imperial citizens from their borders.
    9. Harbor or aid criminals or official POS targets.
    10. Hinder the Imperial Government and Imperial Senate in the execution of constitutionally designated responsibilities and authority within their borders. The Imperial Government has the authority to carry out its duties within a state but it must do so in cooperation, and with respect for, the state's wishes and opinions to ensure that its actions are conducted in a manner that acknowledges and considers the state's interests.
  6. The territory of states shall comply by the following rules:
    1. A state shall not have territory that is not a part of the Federation.
    2. All expansions of state borders also expand the borders of the Imperial Federation.
    3. Border alterations between states require approval of all involved states and assent from the Sovereign, Chancellor, or Senate.
    4. Border alterations between a state and non-state federal land require Senate approval by a majority vote and approval from any involved states.
  7. States can be removed from the Imperial Federation by a two-thirds (⅔) Senate vote along with assent from the Sovereign.
  8. States are required to have reasonably active in-game leadership who is/are able to assist new players, oversee the selection of senators, and coordinate development with citizens and the Imperial government.
    1. Should a state’s active population drop below three during a reapportionment cycle, the state shall lose its senators, and state leadership shall be given a notice to restore activity as soon as possible.
    2. Should a state’s active population drop below three for two reapportionment cycles, the state shall be considered dissolved, unless the Senate grants a temporary exemption.
  9. Should an intrastate or interstate dispute arise that cannot be resolved between the parties in dispute:
    1. The Sovereign shall serve as the primary mediator of interstate and intrastate disputes.
    2. The Chancellor shall serve as the secondary mediator, assisting and intervening in the mediation process as necessary.
    3. The Senate shall have the final authority to pass legislation with a two-thirds (⅔) majority vote in resolving interstate and intrastate disputes.
  10. State governments are encouraged to share access to large, non private, state snitch networks with the Imperial government for the security of the Federation.
  11. States must share access to snitches if ordered to by the Imperial Judiciary in relation to an ongoing investigation or court case.
  12. The Imperial government shall not favor or discriminate against any state over another for political reasons. Federal aid shall not be given or withheld from certain states due to ideological preferences.

Section 5: Federal Elections ​

  1. Imperial elections for the positions of Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, Territorial Senator, and Citizen’s Judge of the Imperial Federation shall be held every 6 weeks.
  2. Elections will be overseen by the Sovereign and optionally a neutral assistant appointed by the Sovereign. A candidate may request additional oversight for any reason in the form of a randomly selected body of 3 citizens of the Imperial Federation known as the ‘Electoral Commission’.
    1. Each panel member of the Electoral Commission shall have the ability to see anonymized votes and a full list of voters.
    2. Political candidates will be barred from being part of the Electoral Commission in an election where they are standing.
    3. Citizens may volunteer to be on the Electoral Commission for a 24 hour period following announcement of the forming of the commission. The Electoral Commission will be chosen randomly from this group of volunteers.
    4. Voting in Imperial elections shall be conducted anonymously. Access to individual ballots shall be limited to the Sovereign and the High Electoral Councillor or their designated deputy for purposes of oversight and verification.
    5. No citizen shall be obliged to disclose their vote. Voluntary disclosure shall not be restricted, but no one may compel or demand such disclosure. Electoral data may be released according to legislated processes, subject to appropriate protections of personal anonymity.
    6. Voting shall be free and unconstrained. No person, group, or organisation shall coerce, intimidate, or otherwise compel a citizen to vote in a particular manner. The purchase or sale of votes, or any exchange of goods, services, or favours in return for electoral influence, shall constitute a criminal offense.
  3. All active citizens have the right to vote. The Senate shall outline a reasonable definition of activity in the legal code.
  4. Nominations will open the Monday before the end of a Chancellor term and last until the start of the campaign. During this period any eligible citizen may announce their candidacy in a designated location.
  5. Voting will open the following Friday and last for 48 hours.
  6. Citizens will vote using the Single Transferable Vote proportional electoral systems.
  7. Referendums
    1. Should a referendum to repeal an act of the Chancellor get ⅔ of the votes from all active Citizens signatures within a week of the bill being signed, the act must be repealed.
    2. Should a referendum to sign a bill get ⅔ votes from all active Citizens, the Chancellor and Imperial Senate must work to implement its intention as a law so long as it does not conflict with this document.
    3. Should a referendum calling for the removal of the Chancellor get ⅔ votes from all active Citizens, then the sitting Chancellor will be removed and new elections will be held according to normal procedure.
    4. Citizens of Imperial territories may vote to recall the Territorial Senator and hold a new election by majority vote.
  8. In order to stand for election for any elected position, candidates must meet the requirements listed in that section’s eligibility requirements.
    1. The Judiciary shall be charged with ruling on a candidate's compliance with eligibility requirements in the case of dispute.

Section 6: Imperial Judiciary ​

  1. The Imperial Judiciary of the Imperial Federation shall consist of an odd number of judges set by the Senate under the following conditions:
    1. The chief justice will be the Royal Judge, chosen by the Sovereign of the Federation.
    2. One or more judges will be chosen by majority vote in the Senate.
    3. One or more judges will be elected by the citizenry every election cycle.
    4. The number of judges appointed by the Senate must be equal to the number of judges elected by the citizenry.
  2. The Imperial Judiciary shall have criminal jurisdiction over:
    1. Crimes committed in multiple States by the same person.
    2. Crimes of espionage or treason committed against the Imperial Federation.
    3. Crimes committed in areas under federal jurisdiction.
    4. Violations of the Constitution.
  3. The Judiciary shall have original jurisdiction over legal disputes between:
    1. Individuals from different states.
    2. An individual and a state they are not from.
    3. An individual and the Imperial government.
    4. A state and the Imperial government.
    5. State citizens and their own state government, if the legal dispute alleges:
      1. Violation of its own state constitution.
      2. Infringement on the citizen’s constitutional rights.
      3. Passage of an unconstitutional law.
  4. All other crimes shall be tried in the States they occur according to State laws.
    1. States reserve the sole right to try crimes not under imperial jurisdiction.
    2. States may defer this right and ask the imperial Judiciary to try crimes not under imperial jurisdiction that occur within their borders.
    3. States have a responsibility to ensure the application of federal law within their borders, whether that be by trying federal crimes themselves or deferring that right to the Federal Judiciary.
  5. The judicial process and details of case proceedings shall be decided on by the Senate with advice from the Judiciary.
  6. Defendants may appeal their case to the Imperial Judiciary if they believe they have had an unjust trial. The Judiciary reserves the right to deny an appeal for any reason.
  7. Judges may be removed by a senate resolution through a two-thirds (⅔) Senate vote.
    1. If the Royal Judge is removed via senate resolution, the Sovereign must reappoint a new Royal Judge immediately.
    2. If any other judge is removed by senate resolution, the senate may appoint an interim judge to serve until the next judicial election
  8. Judges appointed by the senate cannot preside over cases involving members of the senate.
  9. The Royal Judge, appointed by the Sovereign, cannot preside over the cases involving the Sovereign as a party in the case.
  10. Cases before the imperial judiciary may not be based on hypothetical, theoretical, or future disputes, and the judiciary may not issue advisory opinions.
  11. Judges may be members of political parties, but must not factor or base their actions as Judges on their personal politics or party politics.
  12. The Judiciary is the final interpreter of the Constitution and any constitutional disputes.

Section 7: Imperial Citizenry ​

  1. An Imperial Citizen is an individual who has been officially granted Imperial Citizenship by legal means, thereby acquiring the full rights established by the Constitution.
    1. Imperial Citizens may be citizens of multiple states, but for the purposes of determining Senators, citizens must declare a primary residence, or they will not count for these purposes.
    2. Imperial Citizens may be citizens of foreign nations, to no penalty, so long as they continue to remain active within the Empire. In addition, the Imperial Federation takes offense to their citizens being penalized in any way in foreign lands for being citizens of the Empire.
    3. Imperial Citizenship is a prerequisite for all forms of local citizenship within the Empire; no individual may hold state or local citizenship without first possessing Imperial Citizenship.
  2. An Imperial Resident is any individual who has a legal domicile within the Empire but has not been granted Imperial Citizenship.

There are certain rights that we hold sacred to our very being.

Citizens of the Imperial Federation shall in all circumstances receive and maintain the rights, duties, and privileges contained herein, only withheld or suspended if convicted of an egregious crime by an impartial process or violation of server or discord rules.

Everyone has the right to be protected from discrimination or harassment regardless of their citizenship status, conviction of a crime, or violation of server or discord rules.

The Imperial Government should produce evidence of compelling interest held to strict scrutiny whenever implementing or limiting these rights.

  1. The right to be free from arbitrary hunting and pearling.
  2. The right to property that is acquired, developed, and maintained according to the imperial, state, or local law.
    1. The right to not be subject to eminent domain without compensation.
  3. The right to free speech on game related matters so long as it does not violate server rules or discord rules.
  4. The right to a fair, prompt, and public trial by the Judiciary, to be fully informed of any accusations against them prior to proceedings, to confront evidence against them, and to present evidence in their favor.
  5. The right of movement through the public lands of the Empire.
  6. The right to trade with other individuals.
  7. The right to petition state, imperial, and territorial governments for the redress of grievances, to vote in imperial elections, to run for and hold public office.
  8. The right to be promptly informed of laws, rules, and regulations and related government business as they go into effect. With no ex post facto laws, rules, regulations or bills of attainder being created.
  9. The right to equal protection and due process under the law, and to maintain citizenship and full citizenship rights within constitutional bounds.
  10. The right to be protected from discrimination or harassment based on age, gender, sexuality, race, or any other characteristics that have no impact on in-game performance.

These basic rights apply equally throughout Imperial Federation States, Districts, and Territories. and cannot be infringed upon by either Federal or State governments.

Released under the MIT License.

Copyright © 2022-present The Government of the Imperial Federation