First Constitution of Ryzan

## **Constitution of the Tsardom of Ryzan**

This Constitution is written at the will of the people for the people’s benefit to establish elected governance, ensure a peaceful transition and balance of power, and provide for the defense of the Nation. It is divided into seven Commandments, each detailing how one area of the government must operate and citizens’ common rights.

#### **Commandment One**

The President shall be the head of government of the Tsardom and the leader of the Executive Branch. They have the power to appoint and impeach Directors in their Cabinet at any point during their term, oversee and give orders regarding all foreign diplomacy, declare war on foreign political entities with the express permission of the Senate, declare a State of Emergency, issue Presidential Announcements, sign alliances, non-aggression pacts, and all other deals with foreign political entities, and sign and veto legislation that has passed the Senate. The orders of the President are superior to all, and disregarding constitutional orders will be considered treason. The term of a President begins on the fifth of the month they are elected, and lasts through the fourth of the next month. Presidents may serve up to four terms, but may not serve more than two consecutively.

The Vice President shall be the assistant head of state of the Tsardom. They may assume the powers of the President when the President is on official leave with the President’s permission. The orders of the Vice President are superior to all but the President’s.

#### **Commandment Two**

The High Senator shall be the leader of the Legislative Branch.

The Senate has the collective power to vote “Aye” or “Nay” on legislation presented to it by the President, Vice President, or any serving Senator, present legislation that has received a majority “Aye” vote to the President to either veto or pass into law, override presidential vetoes on legislation that has received a 66% or more “Aye” vote, write, vote on, and implement new Constitutional Commandments, and vote to edit existing Constitutional Commandments. Voting on bills in the Senate lasts until all Senators have voted or 24 hours has passed, at which point voting will be closed and all Senators who failed to cast their vote will be counted as abstentions.

Each Freehold will be allowed two Senators as a base and one additional Senator for each city within the Freehold with an active population of ten or greater. Freeholds, however, shall not be allowed to elect more than four Senators.

Whichever political party has the most Senators in the Senate shall nominate their most deserving member for the position of High Senator. High Senators have no additional powers, only with the responsibility of announcing to the public when legislation is passed, signed, voted down, and vetoed. They also have the responsibility of officially overriding presidential vetoes.

The Duma is a purely advisory body in which all full citizens of the Tsardom of Ryzan may vote in.

#### **Commandment Three**

The Judicial Branch shall be split into two Courts - the High Court and the Lower Court - and will be led by the Director of Justice.

The High Court is made up of five members: the reigning Monarch, the Chairman of Democratic Affairs, the High Senator, the Director of Justice, and one upstanding citizen nominated by the aforementioned four. The purpose of the High Court is to preside over all court cases involving international citizens as either the plaintiff or defendant and all court cases requiring an official interpretation of the Constitution.

The Lower Court is to preside over all court cases involving Ryzani people and nomads in violation of the Code of Laws. A Judge nominated by the Director of Justice will run the court session and decide the punishment of anybody found guilty. A Jury, with a minimum of three members and a maximum of seven members, picked at random by the Director of Justice from all citizens who voted in the previous presidential or senatorial elections, shall decide if anybody is guilty or not guilty of what they are accused of.

All persons partaking in court proceedings shall say the following oath: “I solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that I shall tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, under pains and penalties of perjury.”

#### **Commandment Four**

On all matters not discussed and within the boundaries outlined in this Constitution, Freeholds retain the right of self-determination. However, moral boundaries should be taken into account on these matters, and the final verdict on what is ‘moral’ or permitted under this Constitution shall be decided by the High Court.

Freeholds may not pass laws that hinder the ability of free travel or a free market without the express permission of the Senate.

#### **Commandment Five**

The Royal Branch shall be led by the reigning Monarch, who shall take the title of Tsar or Tsarina, which is superior to all other noble titles and is the head of state. The reigning monarch shall have the power to conduct diplomacy on behalf of the Tsardom, assign all diplomats and ambassadors, accept or decline diplomats from other nations, accept or deny requests for membership or citizenship, and award the title of Knight to the most honorable, brave, righteous, loyal Ryzani citizens or allies.

#### **Commandment Six**

On the first of the month, each Freehold must either nominate or elect one of their citizens to run in the general election. Once they are chosen, they should be reported to the Chairman of Democratic Affairs to be added to the Presidential ballot. Candidates will be given the 2nd of the month solely to campaign and select a Vice President, and voting will begin on the 3rd. This is when the official ballots will be sent out to all Freehold leaders, who can choose to present the form to their Freehold or not. Voting will close at 21:00 CST on the fourth of the month. Votes will be tallied and shared in a nationwide news network for all to see. On the 5th of the month, the new President and Vice President will be inaugurated, thus granting them the full powers and duties that come with holding the office. Should a candidate fail to choose a Vice President before the start of the elections, the candidate with the second most votes will become Vice President.

When a President resigns or gets impeached, if it is before the 20th day of their term, an emergency election will take place over the usual 5-day period, with the Vice President becoming Acting President until the inauguration of the next. If a President resigns/gets impeached within the last 10 to 11 days of their term, their Vice President will become Acting President for the remainder of their term and elections will be held using the normal procedure.

The line of succession for Acting President is Vice President, then the Director of Justice, then the Director of Defense, then the Director of Culture, then the Director of Public Works, and finally the Chairman of Democratic Affairs.

Senate elections are to be held in each Freehold on the 1st and 15th of every month. All candidates must announce their candidacy by the day prior to the elections at the latest. Freeholds may choose their method of voting for Senators as long as it maintains free and fair elections that all full citizens of their respective Freehold may vote in.

A candidate may not run for or hold more than one office or position simultaneously. Nor may they bribe voters in any way.

#### **Commandment Seven**

The title of Citizen may be granted to any member of the nation by the reigning Monarch,  President, Vice President, or Secretary of State. By accepting the title, they automatically gain the Rights, Privileges, and Obligations of Citizenship and are subject to the Code of Laws of the Ryzani Tsardom.

All Citizens shall have Rights, which are unable to be taken away, removed, or hindered by the government. Citizens shall henceforth have the right to vote in public elections, the right to a fair and free trial by judge and jury, the right to bear blades on property not owned by the government, the right to participate in a political party, the right to freedom of religion (that doesn’t involve the death or harming of members), the right to freedom of speech, the right to assemble peacefully, and the right to freedom of the press.

All Citizens shall be granted Privileges, which can be taken away, removed, or hindered by the government only if the Citizen has been found guilty of violating the Code of Law of the Ryzani Tsardom. All Citizens shall have the privilege of freedom of domestic economic activity, the privilege to run for elected office, the privilege to live in any municipality under the jurisdiction of the Tsardom, the privilege to travel abroad, and the privilege to do all jobs.

All citizens shall have Responsibilities, which they are obligated to complete, respect, and uphold. Citizens shall have the responsibility to support and follow the Commandments of the Constitution, the responsibility to participate in the democratic process, the responsibility to obey the Code of Law of the Ryzani Tsardom, the responsibility to respect the rights, privileges, beliefs, and opinions of all members, the responsibility to pay all taxes of the correct amount in a timely manner, and the responsibility to defend the Tsardom when called upon to do so.

###### The Constitution of the Tsardom of Ryzan is hereby signed and approved in unanimous consent by the following:

Darrow Carpzov Aasimar-Eckbert

Ignati II Korol

Aveleksei Tossovich

Ibris Alyanis Tossova McSpiegel

Evengii Aasimar

Anstolis Lykeris

Nikolai Zefirov

Slout Korol

Mocoslav Kovalsky

Vetrys Zukolav