Constitution of the Empire of Septempontia

Ratified by the King of Triparia, the Prince of Grønbjerg, and the Electress of Kalmont

Last amended 8 January 2017

Preamble of 11 April 2010

Shawn by the constitutions of the Commonwealth and the acclamation of the People Emperor of Septempontia, King of Triparia, Duke of Westgate, etc. Having reclaimed by ancient right and the goodwill of our Peers the throne of Triparia, and resolved to establish good government and an enduring constitution for the empire of the Septempontian people, in consultation with our right trustworthy and well-beloved cousin Alan, Prince of Grønbjerg, we do promulgate and ordain this instrument as the Fundamental Law of the Empire.

Preamble of 8 January 2017

His Majesty the King of Triparia, His Royal Highness the Prince of Grønbjerg, and Her Grace the Electress of Kalmont, with the concurrence of Her Highness the Tanist of Triparia, expressing our shared vision for the future of Septempontia and its Lands, united in recognition of our shared history, principles, cultures, and goals, and hopeful for the future of our Empire, do hereby adopt and enact this constitution, as revised, for the benefit of our Peoples and our Lands for posterity.

Article 1. The Emperor.

  1. The head of State and of Government of Septempontia shall be the monarch of Triparia, who shall have the title Emperor of Septempontia.
  2. The Emperor shall appoint the Imperial Chancellor and lesser executive officers of the Empire, require them to take the oath of allegiance, and dismiss them when necessary.
  3. The Emperor may pardon offenses against Imperial law, and commute sentences for the violations thereof.
  4. The Emperor shall be Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Forces.
  5. The Emperor, as fount of honor, shall bestow peerages, knighthoods, awards, and other honors to reward the meritorious service and achievements of citizens and foreigners alike.
  6. The Emperor shall proclaim national observances, such as days of celebration or mourning.
  7. The order of succession to the Throne of Triparia shall be governed by the constitution of the Kingdom.
  8. Any change to the constitution of Triparia altering the manner in which succession to the Throne is determined shall require the approval of a supermajority of the Landsrið.

Article 2. The Landsrið (Federal Council).

  1. The Landsrið shall consist of a delegation from each State, chosen from among the residents thereof, and any non-voting delegations established by Imperial law to provide representation for the Provinces.  The Landsrið shall establish its own rules of order, in accordance with this Constitution and other laws.
  2. The Head of each State, or a deputy appointed by the Head of State, shall be its Representative in the Lansdrið, and the Representative shall cast all of the State’s votes.
  3. Each State may by law provide for a different choice of its Representative, and may also send up to three additional delegates to the Landsrið.
  4. Since the Landsrið may communicate and conduct business through electronic means, a quorum of the Landsrið shall be equal to its entire voting membership.
  5. A supermajority of the Landsrið shall consist of a two-thirds vote of the Landsrið with the assent of the Emperor, or a three-fourths vote in the Landsrið without the Emperor’s assent, having considered the Emperor’s objections.
  6. For questions not admitting inaction, such as which candidate shall be chosen for office, or which interpretation is to be chosen for a law, ties in the Landsrið shall be decided by the State which holds the most votes, ties among those to be decided by the State established for the longest time.
  7. Whenever the Landsrið conducts business in closed session, no record of the debate is published, nor what the individual votes cast were, but only the final decision on each matter.
  8. Meetings of the Landsrið shall be presided over by the Emperor, or the Chancellor in the Emperor’s absence, or a chairperson of their own choosing.

Article 3. The Lands.

  1. The territory of the Empire consists of the territories of its constituent States and Provinces,  which are known collectively are the Lands of the Empire.
  2. The Lands of Septempontia, in alphabetical order, are Brudersport, Grønbjerg, Kalmont, Niava, Ostberg, Progenbund, Rosemarcos, Sylvester, and Triparia.
  3. A State is a Land which has a voting Representative in the Landsrið, and is empowered to make its own laws, subject to this Constitution and Imperial law.
  4. The number of votes each State holds in the Landsrið shall vary according to the State’s rank, so that a kingdom shall have twenty votes, a principality shall have fifteen votes, an electorate, duchy, or march shall have ten votes, and any other State shall have five votes.
  5. A new State may be established by a law, specifying the following matters, and requiring a supermajority of the Landsrið:
    1. The name, rank, and territory of the State.
    2. The initial constitution of the new State, providing for the office of Head of State.
    3. A list of citizens who shall be the initial residents of the State, with their affirmations that they each consent to the change of their residency.
  6. Every office specified in the proposed constitution must have a mechanism for filling it with no incumbent, or else its initial incumbent must be specified in the resolution establishing the State.
  7. Any change to a State’s constitution, unless made according to provisions in that constitution itself, shall be by law, requiring a supermajority of the Landsrið.
  8. Any change to a State’s territory or number of Landsrið votes must be by law, requiring a supermajority of the Landsrið.  No territory shall be removed from a State without the consent of that State’s Head of State, and Head of Government if any.
  9. If Triparia has no residents, then there is no Emperor, and Imperial succession will provide Triparia with at least one resident. But if at any time, any other State has no residents, that State ceases to be a State and becomes a Province.
  10. If ever a State other than Triparia, due to an unforeseen constitutional crisis, has its constitution rendered inoperative, or has no Head of State and no means of legally filling that vacancy, then the Landsrið shall consult with the remaining residents of the State to amend the State's constitution, and if necessary, to fill vacant offices, the Landsrið meeting in closed session to choose officers from among eligible residents of the State.
  11. Those Lands of the Empire which are not States are Provinces, and are administered according to Imperial law.

Article 4. Law.

  1. This Constitution is the supreme law of the Empire. When other laws are in conflict, Imperial law shall take precedence over State constitutions and laws. When laws of the same type are in conflict, the one most recently enacted and published shall take precedence.
  2. Imperial law is enacted by a majority of the Landsrið with the assent of the Emperor, or a two-thirds vote in the Landsrið without the Emperor’s assent, having considered the Emperor’s objections.
  3. No change in Imperial law shall take effect until at least three full days have passed following its publication, unless the safety or welfare of the People or territory of the Empire shall be endangered by the delay.
  4. The following matters are under the supervision of the Empire and not the several States, except as Imperial law may delegate specific questions to the States.
    1. Regulation of public documents, weights and measures, and of currency.
    2. Regulation of roads and railways, and of those waters which are common to several States, or which form part of the Empire’s borders.
    3. Regulation of the postal service, and of such press outlets or Internet sites the Empire may establish.
    4. The consular representation and diplomatic missions of the Empire.
    5. General legislation applicable to the whole domain of civil law, criminal law, and legal procedure.
    6. The Imperial Forces.

Article 5. Citizenship and Residency.

  1. Every citizen of Septempontia is legally a resident of exactly one Land at any one time.
  2. A person seeking Septempontian citizenship must be sponsored by a State Representative in the Landsrið. If a majority of the Landsrið, in closed session, approves, the person immediately becomes a citizen.
  3. A newly naturalized citizen immediately becomes a legal resident of the State whose Representative sponsored them for citizenship. If more than one Representative sponsored them, the new citizen shall choose among the States of their sponsors, and inform the Landsrið of their choice, which shall be of immediate effect.
  4. A citizen wishing to become a resident of one of the Provinces may petition the Landsrið, which may by simple majority grant such a change.
  5. A citizen who is not a resident of a given State may change residency to that State with the permission of its Head of State, unless the State’s laws provide a different procedure for becoming a resident. Upon receiving a citizen as a new resident, State officials must notify the appropriate officials of the Empire and of the citizen’s former State, if any.
  6. The Emperor must be a resident of Triparia and may not change residency to any other Land, nor have it changed involuntarily. If a person becomes Emperor who is not at the time a resident of Triparia, they immediately become a resident of Triparia, all other provisions to the contrary notwithstanding.
  7. No State shall deprive an Imperial citizen of residency therein, once it has been lawfully obtained. If the officials of a State seek to remove a citizen, other than the Emperor, from residency in their State, the Head of State may petition the Landsrið, which may then unilaterally change that citizen's residency to another Land by majority vote.
  8. In cases where a citizen’s behavior has made them unacceptable as a fellow-citizen, but no specific law has been broken, the Landsrið may, in closed session, deprive them of citizenship by a supermajority, unless they are the Head of a State, in which case they may be deprived of citizenship by the unanimous vote of all other States in the Landsrið.
  9. The laws of a State may refer, for convenience, to citizenship of that State. Such language shall always be interpreted to mean legal residency in that State by Imperial citizens, respectively.

Article 6. Charter of Rights.

  1. Every citizen is entitled to the rights and freedoms herein enumerated, and all are equal before the law, without distinction of race, sex, gender identity, gender preference, religion, or birth.
  2. The use of gendered pronouns in this Constitution and any other law or instrument under the Empire is due to the lack of an epicene singular in the English language, and shall not be construed to limit the applicability of laws, or the availability of rights, to members of the gender in which the particular law is phrased.
  3. Every citizen shall enjoy the freedom to express themselves and their opinions, in speech, writing, art, or any other medium, without fear of interference or punishment; neither shall any public or private entity be required to provide anyone with a platform for their expression.
  4. There shall be no legal establishment of religion, and no religious test shall constitute qualification for or against any public office or trust in the Empire. Every citizen shall enjoy freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and belief, and the freedom to manifest these in worship, observance, practice, and demonstration, whether public or private, without fear of interference or punishment.
  5. Every citizen has the right to assemble peaceably with others in public places, as well as in private with the consent of the lawful owner or tenant, and to associate with whomever they will.
  6. No Imperial or State law shall consider the location or locations in which the citizen maintains a physical domicile as a requirement for legal residency.  No Imperial law of lesser precedence than this Constitution shall consider in which Land a citizen has legal residency, though State laws are permitted to do so. No State shall impose unreasonable requirements for lawfully maintaining residency therein.
  7. Every citizen, having attained the age of sixteen years, has the right to vote in any elections or referenda held under Imperial or State law, and is eligible to hold offices of public trust, except during a lawfully imposed sentence for crimes which shall prescribe ineligibility to vote, or to hold offices of public trust, as part of the penalty.
  8. Every citizen, being accused of a crime, shall be presumed innocent until and unless lawfully convicted, and has the right to the assistance of legal counsel and to a lawful, public, and impartial trial, without undue delay.
  9. No citizen shall be compelled to give evidence against themselves. The accused shall have the right to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation, the right to confront the witnesses against them, and subpoena power to compel the attendance of witnesses for their defense.
  10. No citizen shall be tried or punished for an action which was not illegal at the time of its commission, the sole exception being the power of the Landsrið to deprive a citizen of residency; nor sentenced to a punishment more severe than that which was provided by law at the time the offense was committed. No citizen shall be tried or punished a second time for the same offense.
  11. No person has the right to violate the physical safety of other persons, or the sanctity of their lawfully held property or domicile, through the pretended exercise of any of these rights.

Article 7. General Provisions.

  1. This Constitution may be amended by law, requiring a supermajority of the Landsrið.
  2. Disputes between the States, or disputes relating to constitutional matters in a State which lacks legal provision for the resolution of such issues, shall be settled by the Landsrið, conducting business in closed session if appropriate.
  3. When the interpretation of a law is unclear, or when the resolution of conflicts between two laws is unclear, the final authority to interpret the laws and resolve such conflicts lies with the Landsrið.
  4. New laws and all other matters requiring publication must be published in an official journal, website, or other medium, which must be approved by the Landsrið and made available to all citizens at minimal cost.