[Withdrawn] Amendments to the Scroll of Ma'at

[Cormac]

Scroll of Ma'at Preamble

We, the citizens of the Osiris Fraternal Order, have convened to establish this Scroll of Ma'at as a covenant between us and as the official constitution of the Osiris Fraternal Order, in order to ensure the peace, order, and good governance of our regional community. It is our hope and our commitment that the government hereby established will foster an active and engaged community built upon a foundation of mutual respect, cooperation, and friendship between us and between all residents of Osiris.

I. Citizenship in Osiris

Establishing basic procedure for admission to citizenship

(1) Any resident of Osiris is eligible to apply for citizenship via the regional forum according to procedure and requirements established by the Pharaoh, subject to further regulation by law.

(2) The Pharaoh is responsible for approving or rejecting citizenship applications within seven days of filing. Procedure for approval or rejection of citizenship applications neglected by the Pharaoh and for appealing rejection of citizenship applications may be established by law.

(3) Citizens admitted to citizenship during a vote in the Council of Scribes or during an election period, or within seven days prior to the opening of a vote in the Council of Scribes or the opening of nominations in an election period, will not be permitted to vote in that vote or election.

Establishing basic procedure for revocation of citizenship

(4) The Chief Vizier, designated Vizier(s), or deputies will revoke the citizenship of any citizen whose nation in Osiris voluntarily relocates or ceases to exist, subject to further regulation by law.

(5) Additional requirements for maintenance of citizenship may be established by law. Revocation of citizenship for failure to meet such requirements must be equally applied.

(6) The Pharaoh may, with the approval of the Council of Guardians, impose suspension or revocation of citizenship or other penalties to preserve the security and stability of Osiris.

Establishing basic rights of citizenship

(7) Citizens have the right to free thought and free expression. No citizen will be prevented from freely expressing their opinion in regard to any aspect of regional policy and decisionmaking.

(8) Citizens have the right to vote in the Council of Scribes and in all elections, in accordance with this constitution and provided they maintain citizenship for the duration of voting.

(9) Citizens have the right to stand for election to any elected office, provided they meet qualifications established by law.

(10) The free exercise of these rights may be limited by terms of service, applicable NationStates rules, and laws that reasonably serve to protect the region, its community, or its government.

II. Pharaoh of Osiris

Establishing the office and powers of the Pharaoh

(1) The Pharaoh will be the head of state and World Assembly (WA) Delegate of Osiris. The Pharaoh will serve until abdication or removal from office, or will automatically be removed from office upon their WA nation in Osiris resigning from the WA, being expelled from the WA, or ceasing to exist.

(2) The Pharaoh may otherwise be removed from office by a three-quarters vote of the Council of Scribes and the concurrence of two-thirds of the Council of Guardians. The Pharaoh may only be removed from office in this manner for dereliction of duty, abuse of authority, or violation of the law.

(3) The Pharaoh will be responsible for maintaining regional security, determining game-side regional settings, appointing and dismissing game-side Regional Officers, and ensuring order on the Regional Message Board, subject to further regulation by law.

(4) The Pharaoh will be the commander-in-chief of the Sekhmet Legion of Osiris, the raider military force of Osiris, and will be responsible for all regional intelligence, counterintelligence, and security operations, subject to further regulation by law.

(5) The Pharaoh will be responsible for prosecution of crimes against Osiris, subject to further regulation by law. The Pharaoh may, with the approval of the Council of Scribes, pardon or commute the sentence of anyone convicted of any crime by the Council of Priests.

Establishing the legislative role of the Pharaoh

(6) The Chief Scribe or their deputy will promptly present the Pharaoh with all legislation passed by the Council of Scribes, including repeals, unless otherwise provided for by this constitution. The Pharaoh may assent to such legislation or withhold assent. If the Pharaoh assents to legislation, it will be enacted into law. If the Pharaoh neither grants nor withholds assent within seven days of receiving the legislation, the legislation will automatically be enacted into law.

(7) Amendment to or repeal of this constitution must in all cases receive the explicit assent of the Pharaoh, and under no circumstances will amendment to or repeal of this constitution be subject to any time limit or any other process provided by this constitution for enacting legislation into law without the assent of the Pharaoh.

Establishing the office of the Heir Apparent

(8) The Pharaoh may, with the approval of the Council of Scribes and the Council of Guardians, select an Heir Apparent to hold the second most endorsements in the region, up to a limit determined by the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh may vacate the office of the Heir Apparent.

(9) The Heir Apparent will serve until resignation, succession to the office of Pharaoh, or removal from office, or will automatically be removed from office upon their WA nation in Osiris resigning from the WA, being expelled from the WA, or ceasing to exist.

(10) The Heir Apparent may otherwise be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the Council of Scribes and the concurrence of an absolute majority of the Council of Guardians. The Heir Apparent may only be removed from office in this manner for dereliction of duty, abuse of authority, or violation of the law.

(11) The Heir Apparent will automatically succeed to the office of Pharaoh upon the Pharaoh's abdication or removal from office. In the absence of the Pharaoh, the Heir Apparent will serve as Acting Pharaoh if available to do so, subject to further regulation by law.

(12) The Pharaoh may delegate the exercise and fulfillment of the powers and responsibilities of the office of Pharaoh to the Heir Apparent, but may only temporarily permit the Heir Apparent to take the WA Delegacy of Osiris, subject to further regulation by law.

(13) The Heir Apparent will be styled as His or Her Royal Highness, the Crown Prince or Crown Princess of Osiris, or by alternate pronouns and titles more appropriate to their gender identity as determined by the Pharaoh and the Heir Apparent.

Establishing the royalty and peerage of Osiris

(14) The Pharaoh may establish royalty and peerage of Osiris and may regulate their membership and conduct. The Pharaoh may grant such titles and styles of address to royals and peers, and may revoke titles and styles of address, as the Pharaoh deems appropriate.

(15) Elevation to royalty or peerage will be an honor conferred exclusively upon citizens or esteemed former citizens of Osiris by the Pharaoh to reward their dedication to Osiris, and will not confer any political or governmental benefit or role.

III. Council of Scribes

Establishing the composition and basic procedure of the Council of Scribes

(1) The Council of Scribes will be the legislature of Osiris, comprised of all citizens of Osiris.

(2) The Pharaoh, the Heir Apparent, and Priests will have no vote in the Council of Scribes, and the Acting Pharaoh will have no vote in the Council of Scribes for the duration of their service as Acting Pharaoh.

(3) The outcome of any vote of the Council of Scribes will be determined by tallying the counts for and against. Abstentions will not be taken into account to determine the outcome of any vote.

(4) Unless otherwise provided by this constitution, all votes of the Council of Scribes will be determined by absolute majority vote, which is defined as 50%+1.

Establishing the legislative powers of the Council of Scribes

(5) The Council of Scribes may further provide for its procedural rules by law. In the absence of such law, or under circumstances not adequately covered by such law, the Chief Scribe may determine provisional procedure.

(6) The Council of Scribes has broad legislative power and may enact, amend, or repeal any law or resolution. Resolutions may be binding or non-binding in their effect. Resolutions that are non-binding in their effect will not be subject to the assent of the Pharaoh.

(7) The Council of Scribes may ratify and amend treaties upon the request of the Chief Vizier or designated Vizier(s), and may repeal treaties on its own initiative, by two-thirds vote.

(8) The Council of Scribes may ratify declarations of war that are jointly submitted by the Pharaoh and the Chief Vizier with the prior approval of the Council of Guardians, and may repeal declarations of war on its own initiative, by two-thirds vote.

(9) The Council of Scribes may remove any official of Osiris from office by two-thirds vote, unless removal of a specific official has been otherwise provided for by this constitution. Removal of an official from office will not constitute legislation and will not be subject to the assent of the Pharaoh.

(10) The Council of Scribes may amend or repeal this constitution, the Scroll of Ma'at, by two-thirds vote. Repeal of this constitution will trigger an immediate constitutional convention and will empower the Pharaoh to form an interim government for the duration of the convention.

(11) Amendment to or repeal of this constitution excepted, the Council of Scribes may enact legislation into law by two-thirds vote if the Pharaoh has withheld assent from such legislation.

Establishing the office of the Chief Scribe

(12) The Chief Scribe will be the presiding officer of the Council of Scribes, and will preside over the Council of Scribes according to its procedural rules.

(13) The Chief Scribe will be elected by the Council of Scribes to a three month term, or whenever the office is vacant. In the event that the office of Chief Scribe is vacant, the Pharaoh will appoint an Acting Chief Scribe until a new Chief Scribe is elected.

(14) The Chief Scribe may make alterations to legislation prior to bringing it to vote for compliance with basic spelling and grammatical standards of American English, and any legislative formatting standards that may be established by law.

(15) The Chief Scribe may appoint deputies to assist in presiding over the Council of Scribes, and may delegate such powers of the Chief Scribe and other legislative tasks to such deputies as determined appropriate by the Chief Scribe.

IV. Council of Viziers

Establishing the composition and responsibilities of the Council of Viziers

(1) The Council of Viziers will be responsible for managing the executive government of Osiris in the name of the Pharaoh.

(2) The Council of Viziers will be comprised of the Pharaoh or their designated representative, the Chief Vizier, and a minimum of two additional Viziers. The structure, powers, and responsibilities of the Council of Viziers may be further regulated by law.

Establishing the office of the Chief Vizier

(3) The Chief Vizier will head the government of Osiris and preside over the Council of Viziers in the name of the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh may remove the Chief Vizier from office.

(4) The Chief Vizier will be elected by the Council of Scribes to a three month term, or whenever the office is vacant. In the event that the office of Chief Vizier is vacant, the Pharaoh may act as head of government or may appoint an Acting Chief Vizier until a new Chief Vizier is elected.

(5) The Chief Vizier will appoint Viziers and may appoint additional deputies and advisors to the Council of Viziers. Such appointments must receive the assent of the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh or the Chief Vizier may remove Viziers, deputies, and advisors.

V. Council of Guardians

Establishing the composition and responsibilities of the Council of Guardians

(1) The Council of Guardians will be the security council of Osiris, tasked with enforcing regional security in cooperation with the Pharaoh and the Heir Apparent. The Pharaoh or their designated representative may attend all meetings of the Council of Guardians.

(2) The Council of Guardians will be comprised of Guardians appointed by the Pharaoh and approved by the Council of Scribes. Guardians will be subject to re-approval by the Council of Scribes every six months, in the months of April and October.

(3) Guardians will maintain WA nations in Osiris and will be expected to maintain high endorsement counts, subject to further regulation by law, and up to a limit determined by the Pharaoh. This limit will be no lower than three-fifths of the Pharaoh's endorsement count.

(4) A Guardian will automatically be removed from office upon their WA nation in Osiris resigning from the WA, being expelled from the WA, ceasing to exist, or failing to maintain a minimum endorsement count if provided for by law.

(5) In the event that the office of Pharaoh is vacated and the office of Heir Apparent is vacant, the first available Guardian in the line of succession will succeed to the office of Pharaoh. The line of succession may be determined by the Pharaoh, subject to further regulation by law.

(6) In the absence of the Pharaoh, and if the Heir Apparent is unavailable or the office of Heir Apparent is vacant, the first available Guardian in the line of succession will serve as Acting Pharaoh, subject to further regulation by law.

(7) In the event that the office of Heir Apparent is vacant or the Heir Apparent is unavailable, the Pharaoh may delegate the exercise and fulfillment of the powers and responsibilities of the office of Pharaoh to the first available Guardian in the line of succession, but may only temporarily permit the Guardian to take the WA Delegacy of Osiris, subject to further regulation by law.

Establishing the basic procedure of the Council of Guardians

(8) Unless otherwise provided by this constitution, all votes of the Council of Guardians will be determined by absolute majority vote, which is defined as 50%+1.

(9) The Council of Guardians may further provide for its procedural rules. In the absence of such rules, or under circumstances not adequately covered by such rules, the Chief Guardian may determine provisional procedure. Such rules will be subordinate to regional law.

Establishing the office of the Chief Guardian

(10) The Council of Guardians will elect a Chief Guardian from among their number to preside over the Council of Guardians according to its procedural rules and to act as its chief point of communication. The Council of Guardians may elect a new Chief Guardian at any time.

VI. Council of Priests

Establishing the composition of the Council of Priests

(1) The Council of Priests is the judiciary of Osiris, comprised of three Priests, one each appointed by the Pharaoh, the Chief Vizier, and the Chief Scribe, with the approval of the Council of Scribes.

(2) The Chief Vizier or the Chief Scribe may appoint a new Priest to replace a Priest previously appointed by their office at the start of a new term. The Pharaoh may appoint a new Priest three months after a previous appointment by their office, every three months thereafter, or at the start of a new term.

(3) If a new appointment is not made within fourteen days of the replacement dates provided above, the incumbent Priest will be subject to re-approval by the Council of Scribes. If the Priest is not re-approved, the office responsible for the appointment will make a new appointment.

Establishing the responsibilities of the Council of Priests

(4) The Council of Priests is responsible, subject to further regulation by law, for hearing criminal charges, determining guilt or lack of guilt, and imposing penalties upon guilty parties.

(5) The Council of Priests is responsible, subject to further regulation by law, for evaluating and determining the validity of any interpretive challenges to regional law based on contradiction of this constitution or other laws, and to actions by regional officials based on contradiction of this constitution or regional law.

(6) Except as otherwise provided by this constitution, the Council of Priests is the final and authoritative arbiter of regional justice and interpretation of regional law.

Establishing the basic procedure of the Council of Priests

(7) A single Priest may be selected by the Council of Priests to preside over a criminal hearing or interpretive challenge as Chief Priest for that hearing or challenge. All criminal verdicts, sentencing, and interpretive decisions will be decided by two-thirds vote.

(8) The Council of Priests may further provide for its procedural rules. Additional procedure for the Council of Priests may also be established by law. Procedural rules established by the Council of Priests will be subordinate to regional law.

VII. Government Officials

Establishing basic protections against governmental conflicts of interest

(1) The Pharaoh, the Heir Apparent, the Chief Scribe, the Chief Vizier, and Priests are classified as senior government officials. Senior government officials may not serve in more than one senior government office at a time.

(2) Viziers, Guardians, and executive or legislative deputies are classified as junior government officials and may simultaneously serve in any other office.

(3) Additional protections against governmental conflict of interest may be established by law.

Establishing basic requirements for government office

(4) Any elected or appointed government office may only be filled by citizens. Only citizens may vote for elected government officials.

(5) To be eligible for senior government office, a citizen must have maintained a WA nation in Osiris endorsing the Pharaoh or active participation in the Sekhmet Legion for two months or longer, or have held citizenship for a cumulative total of six months or more.

VIII. Regional Forum

Establishing the official regional forum of Osiris

(1) The official forum of the Osiris Fraternal Order and the sole regional forum authorized for official use in Osiris, which must be linked to in the game-side World Factbook Entry at all times, is located at the following URL: https://osiris.valthost.com/index.php

(2) Should the official regional forum cease to exist or otherwise become permanently unavailable, forum administration is authorized to immediately establish a replacement regional forum.

(3) Except as authorized by the above provision, the official regional forum may not be replaced without amendment to this constitution.

Establishing the responsibilities of forum administration

(4) Forum administration will facilitate the technical needs of the forum community of the Osiris Fraternal Order.

(5) No provision of this constitution nor any law or policy will be construed to limit or interfere with the responsibility and authority of forum administration to safeguard the out-of-character security of the regional forum or its community.

(6) Forum administration will have final authority on forum permissions, and may deny or revoke forum permissions based on risk to the security of the forum or its users, or violation of forum terms of service. Such denial of forum permissions will not be subject to appeal.

IX. Legal Supremacy and Continuity

Establishing the legal supremacy of the Scroll of Ma'at

(1) This Scroll of Ma'at is the official constitution and supreme law of Osiris. No law, policy, or action by officials of Osiris may contradict this constitution.

Establishing legal continuity with prior constitutions and governments

(2) The Osiris Fraternal Order governed by this constitution retains legal continuity with the Osiris Fraternal Order governed by the State Code of Osiris, for the sole purpose of recognizing and honoring all treaties in force pursuant to that Code, except those explicitly nullified by the Transitional Government of the Osiris Fraternal Order after dissolution of that Code.

(3) Law enacted by the Council of Scribes under the authority of the Transitional Government of the Osiris Fraternal Order, and with the assent of the Pharaoh, will remain in force under this constitution unless repealed, provided such law does not contradict this constitution.

(4) Citizens recognized as such by the Transitional Government of the Osiris Fraternal Order at the time of this constitution's ratification are automatically enrolled as citizens under this constitution.

[Cormac]

Okay, I'm presenting these amendments to the Scroll of Ma'at for consideration by the Council of Scribes.

The most immediately noticeable change is to formatting. I have added paragraph breaks between every clause to make the Scroll of Ma'at more readable, and I have gone with italicized subtitles, which I believe makes the document flow better and contributes to readability.

There are also numerous substantive changes to be discussed. Most such changes are clarifying in nature, or intended to flesh things out. There is no substantive change to our institutions -- all of them would still exist, and do pretty much the same things they are doing now. Some things that are respected as custom (such as the Pharaoh's still significant role in the executive) are established by law to prevent future conflict. There are very few significant changes to how we already do things, and I trust those will be self-evident in the list below.

Changes in Article I

• Requirements for admission to citizenship, and procedure for neglected citizenship applications or citizenship appeals, may be established by law, instead of included in the Scroll of Ma'at, to allow us to more easily tweak these requirements. (Article I, Sections 1-2)
• Citizens will be prohibited from voting in elections and votes in the Council of Scribes if they are admitted to citizenship during an election or vote, or if they are admitted to citizenship within seven days of a legislative vote or opening of nominations in an election. (Article I, Section 3)
• Oversight over the Pharaoh's power to suspend or revoke citizenship for security reasons is returned to the Council of Guardians, rather than the Council of Priests, as the Council of Priests is not a security institution. (Article I, Section 6)
• A right to free thought and expression for citizens is established. It would still be subject to the same restrictions as all other rights, found in Article I, Section 10. (Article I, Section 7)

Changes in Article II

• Procedure for removing the Pharaoh from office is established. It would require a 3/4 vote of the Council of Scribes, a 2/3 vote of the Council of Guardians, and the Pharaoh may only be removed from office for dereliction of duty, abuse of authority, or violation of the law. (Article II, Section 2)
• The Pharaoh is made responsible for overall regional security, not just game-side regional security as is currently the case. (Article II, Section 3)
• The Pharaoh is made the commander-in-chief of the Sekhmet Legion and made responsible for intelligence operations. (Article II, Section 4)
• The Pharaoh is made responsible for prosecution of crimes against Osiris. (Article II, Section 5)
• The Pharaoh's absolute veto over amendments to the Scroll of Ma'at is restored. It cannot be overridden. (Article II, Section 7)
• The title of the Pharaoh's successor is reverted to Heir Apparent (more on that in a minute).
• Procedure for removing the Heir Apparent from office is established. 2/3 vote of the Council of Scribes, absolute majority vote of the Council of Guardians, subject to the same restrictions as removing the Pharaoh from office (dereliction of duty, etc). (Article II, Section 10)
• The Heir Apparent will still be styled His or Her Royal Highness the Crown Prince or Crown Princess of Osiris, but the Pharaoh and the Heir Apparent may decide together to use alternate pronouns and titles more appropriate to the Heir Apparent's gender identity. (Article II, Section 13)

Changes in Article III

• The Council of Scribes is explicitly given the power to pass non-binding resolutions. (Article III, Section 6)
• The Council of Scribes is explicitly given the power to amend treaties, at the request of the executive. (Article III, Section 7)
• The procedure for declaring war would change. Declarations of war would have to be jointly submitted to the Council of Scribes by the Pharaoh and the Chief Vizier, following approval by the Council of Guardians, instead of our current process which includes all the same institutions but in a different order. I can go into more detail regarding my reasoning behind this change if needed. (Article III, Section 8)
• The Council of Scribes is explicitly given the power to repeal, rather than simply amend, the Scroll of Ma'at. Repeal would trigger an immediate constitutional convention and would empower the Pharaoh to form an interim government. (Article III, Section 10)
• The Pharaoh is empowered to appoint an Acting Chief Scribe whenever the office is vacant, until a new Chief Scribe is elected, to ensure orderly continuity of government in the event of a vacancy. (Article III, Section 13)
• The Chief Scribe is empowered to make grammatical and spelling changes to legislation prior to bringing it to vote, as well as to adjust for any formatting requirements which may be established by law. (Article III, Section 14)
• The Chief Scribe is explicitly empowered to appoint deputies. This is absent in the current constitution. (Article III, Section 15)

Changes in Article IV

• The Pharaoh is empowered to remove the Chief Vizier from office. (Article IV, Section 3)
• The Pharaoh is empowered to serve as acting head of government or to appoint an Acting Chief Vizier is the office is vacant, for the same reason as allowing the Pharaoh to appoint an Acting Chief Scribe. (Article IV, Section 4)
• The Pharaoh and the Chief Vizier are explicitly empowered to remove Viziers and executive deputies from office. This is absent in the current constitution. (Article IV, Section 5)

Changes in Article V

• Guardians will be subjected to re-approval by the Council of Scribes every six months, in the months of April and October. Note: This does not mean the Pharaoh would re-nominate them every six months, but rather that existing Guardians would automatically face re-approval votes. This ensures that the Council of Guardians remains independent of the Pharaoh but ensures greater citizen oversight. (Article V, Section 1)
• The office of Chief Guardian is established to give the Council of Guardians a presiding officer and a liaison to communicate with other branches of government. The Chief Guardian would be elected internally by the Council of Guardians. (Article V, Section 10)

Changes in Article VI

• Priests would be subject to approval by the Council of Scribes. (Article VI, Section 1)
• The process for appointing Priests is tweaked to allow the Pharaoh to appoint a new Priest three months after one has been appointed by their office, every three months thereafter, or whenever there is a new Pharaoh. (Article VI, Section 2)
• Incumbent Priests, if not replaced during their designated time frame, will be subject to re-approval by the Council of Scribes. If they are not re-approved, the office responsible for that appointment will have to make a new appointment. (Article VI, Section 3)

Changes in Article VII

• To be eligible for senior government office (Pharaoh, Heir Apparent, Chief Vizier, Chief Scribe, Priest), a citizen must have maintained a WA nation in Osiris endorsing the Pharaoh or active participation in the Sekhmet Legion for two months or longer, or alternatively must have held citizenship for a cumulative total of six months or more. (Article VII, Section 5)

Changes in Article VIII

• No substantive changes.

Changes in Article IX

• No substantive changes.

[Sygian]

Reading over this, and I'm sure I will have some further questions along the line, but I am currently doing homework...

Procedure for removing the Pharaoh from office is established. It would require a 3/4 vote of the Council of Scribes, a 2/3 vote of the Council of Guardians, and the Pharaoh may only be removed from office for dereliction of duty, abuse of authority, or violation of the law. (Article II, Section 2)

Why? I'm not providing my personal opinion just yet, but I'd like to know your reasoning behind this. Without this, it looks like this amendment to the Scroll just reverts the large constitutional amendment that passed a while back... but this has surprised me. Why would we want the option to remove the Pharaoh?

To be eligible for senior government office (Pharaoh, Heir Apparent, Chief Vizier, Chief Scribe, Priest), a citizen must have maintained a WA nation in Osiris endorsing the Pharaoh or active participation in the Sekhmet Legion for two months or longer, or alternatively must have held citizenship for a cumulative total of six months or more. (Article VII, Section 5)

I see your reasoning here, I suppose. Though I don't think it's particularly a good idea to have the citizenship requirement to be six months or more. Perhaps we could lower it to two - three months? Just a thought.

[Wymondham]

To be eligible for senior government office (Pharaoh, Heir Apparent, Chief Vizier, Chief Scribe, Priest), a citizen must have maintained a WA nation in Osiris endorsing the Pharaoh or active participation in the Sekhmet Legion for two months or longer, or alternatively must have held citizenship for a cumulative total of six months or more. (Article VII, Section 5)

I disagree strongly with this part as it discourages new citizens for running for senior government offices however maybe reducing it to 2 or 3 months would be better?
Also as a side note I feel this removes much of the progress we made recently when we shook up the constitution and I feel doing so again so recently will lead to mcuh confusion.

[Cormac]

Reading over this, and I'm sure I will have some further questions along the line, but I am currently doing homework...

Procedure for removing the Pharaoh from office is established. It would require a 3/4 vote of the Council of Scribes, a 2/3 vote of the Council of Guardians, and the Pharaoh may only be removed from office for dereliction of duty, abuse of authority, or violation of the law. (Article II, Section 2)

Why? I'm not providing my personal opinion just yet, but I'd like to know your reasoning behind this. Without this, it looks like this amendment to the Scroll just reverts the large constitutional amendment that passed a while back... but this has surprised me. Why would we want the option to remove the Pharaoh?

If the Pharaoh coups, and we can't remove the Pharaoh from office, the Pharaoh would continue to lead this government and there would be nothing we could do about it. Legally, we would not be able to organize a counter-coup. That really isn't an acceptable state of affairs. I do understand why folks don't want removal of the Pharaoh from office to be a possibility, but the process I've laid out -- 3/4 of the Council of Scribes, 2/3 of the Council of Guardians, and only under specific circumstances -- is a very arduous process. We're not going to see flippant proposals to remove the Pharaoh, and nothing underhanded is going to pass by those margins.

We simply must have some way to remove the Pharaoh from office, for any number of scenarios. A Pharaoh who hasn't logged in for weeks is a threat to regional security, not to mention regional activity. A Pharaoh who has couped or is otherwise egregiously breaking the law must also be dealt with. There is currently no way in our law to deal with that, and we've been comfortable with that because we trust our Pharaohs. I trust Syberis more than I probably even trusted myself as Pharaoh, so this isn't about him, but rather it's about ensuring that if we have a Pharaoh we can't trust at some later date, ensuring that we are able to deal with that Pharaoh if he goes rogue, or even just if a Pharaoh disappears. We have no way of doing that now.

To be eligible for senior government office (Pharaoh, Heir Apparent, Chief Vizier, Chief Scribe, Priest), a citizen must have maintained a WA nation in Osiris endorsing the Pharaoh or active participation in the Sekhmet Legion for two months or longer, or alternatively must have held citizenship for a cumulative total of six months or more. (Article VII, Section 5)

I see your reasoning here, I suppose. Though I don't think it's particularly a good idea to have the citizenship requirement to be six months or more. Perhaps we could lower it to two - three months? Just a thought.

To be eligible for senior government office (Pharaoh, Heir Apparent, Chief Vizier, Chief Scribe, Priest), a citizen must have maintained a WA nation in Osiris endorsing the Pharaoh or active participation in the Sekhmet Legion for two months or longer, or alternatively must have held citizenship for a cumulative total of six months or more. (Article VII, Section 5)

I disagree strongly with this part as it discourages new citizens for running for senior government offices however maybe reducing it to 2 or 3 months would be better?

New citizens shouldn't be running for or appointed to senior government office. They should be getting experience as Viziers, deputies, etc. first. We shouldn't have someone who just joined the region two weeks ago as Pharaoh, Heir Apparent, Chief Vizier, Chief Scribe, or a Priest; if they're new to NationStates or returning after a very long time, they're not going to understand much of anything, and if they're experienced in NationStates but new to Osiris, they're not going to understand our culture.

It's important to understand this restriction only applies to our highest offices. It would not apply to Viziers or executive/legislative deputies. Those are the offices a new citizen should hold first to gain some experience in Osiris, in any case.

Also as a side note I feel this removes much of the progress we made recently when we shook up the constitution and I feel doing so again so recently will lead to mcuh confusion.

Most of the changes made during that round of amendments are retained. Much of this just fleshes out those changes and closes loopholes created by them, though there are a few new and needed amendments, such as a mechanism for removing the Pharaoh from office.

[Sygian]

Ah okay, I gotchu now. Thanks for answering my inquiries.

[Kylia Quilor]

[quote[Citizens will be prohibited from voting in elections and votes in the Council of Scribes if they are admitted to citizenship during an election or vote, or if they are admitted to citizenship within seven days of a legislative vote or opening of nominations in an election. (Article I, Section 3)[/quote]

Seven days seems too long for a legislative vote. I'd prefer the three days suggested in the other thread, for legislative votes.

The Pharaoh's absolute veto over amendments to the Scroll of Ma'at is restored. It cannot be overridden. (Article II, Section 7)

Monarchist as I am, Im hesitant to give them an *absolute* veto. I'd prefer always overrideable, but a compromise could be an absolute veto over sections relating to their power?

The Council of Scribes is explicitly given the power to repeal, rather than simply amend, the Scroll of Ma'at. Repeal would trigger an immediate constitutional convention and would empower the Pharaoh to form an interim government. (Article III, Section 10)

So the Pharaoh's absolute veto wouldn't apply to this? I suppose I can see the merits here.

The Pharaoh is empowered to remove the Chief Vizier from office. (Article IV, Section 3)

If the Chief Vizier is removed, do we launch elections or go down a Vizier line of succession? I am in support of this, however.

To be eligible for senior government office (Pharaoh, Heir Apparent, Chief Vizier, Chief Scribe, Priest), a citizen must have maintained a WA nation in Osiris endorsing the Pharaoh or active participation in the Sekhmet Legion for two months or longer, or alternatively must have held citizenship for a cumulative total of six months or more. (Article VII, Section 5)

Seems difficult to keep track of, in some cases, but I can see the merits here. As long as the menu of offices stays at this - unless I somehow become Pharaoh or Heir or something someday (somewhere betwene very very (x100) unlikely and never), I'm never going to be able to keep my WA in any one place for long, for example - I think this makes sense.

I think I'm more or less fine with the rest, though.

As to the discussion:

but rather it's about ensuring that if we have a Pharaoh we can't trust at some later date, ensuring that we are able to deal with that Pharaoh if he goes rogue, or even just if a Pharaoh disappears. We have no way of doing that now.

Agreed. When structuring your government, always leave room for the chance your leaders will be venal, corrupt tyrants.

I'm not against reducing the citizenship length down to 3 months, or maybe take it to just four? I'm fine with six, but room for comrpomise is good

[Cormac]

Citizens will be prohibited from voting in elections and votes in the Council of Scribes if they are admitted to citizenship during an election or vote, or if they are admitted to citizenship within seven days of a legislative vote or opening of nominations in an election. (Article I, Section 3)

Seven days seems too long for a legislative vote. I'd prefer the three days suggested in the other thread, for legislative votes.

I wanted to try to keep the requirement for elections and the requirement for legislative voting uniform, to avoid confusion, and I don't think three days is long enough in the case of elections. I'll give some thought to having two different requirements with seven days for elections and three days for legislative voting. I would be interested to hear what others think about that too.

The Pharaoh's absolute veto over amendments to the Scroll of Ma'at is restored. It cannot be overridden. (Article II, Section 7)

Monarchist as I am, Im hesitant to give them an *absolute* veto. I'd prefer always overrideable, but a compromise could be an absolute veto over sections relating to their power?

Well, my concern is not simply protecting the Pharaoh's power, but also protecting the community from itself. I would like for the Pharaoh to be able to prevent a popular but stupid constitutional amendment, regardless of whether it affects the Pharaoh's power. I'll give some thought to that compromise though. Like with the above, I'd love to hear from others on this as well.

The Council of Scribes is explicitly given the power to repeal, rather than simply amend, the Scroll of Ma'at. Repeal would trigger an immediate constitutional convention and would empower the Pharaoh to form an interim government. (Article III, Section 10)

So the Pharaoh's absolute veto wouldn't apply to this? I suppose I can see the merits here.

No, it would still apply. The Pharaoh can veto amendment or repeal of the Scroll of Ma'at, and it would be absolute, as currently written in this draft.

The Pharaoh is empowered to remove the Chief Vizier from office. (Article IV, Section 3)

If the Chief Vizier is removed, do we launch elections or go down a Vizier line of succession? I am in support of this, however.

There would be immediate elections. The Chief Vizier is elected to a three month term, or whenever the office is vacant.

I'm not against reducing the citizenship length down to 3 months, or maybe take it to just four? I'm fine with six, but room for comrpomise is good

I would be willing to compromise on the length of the citizenship requirement, as long as we have something to prevent someone from just waltzing in and being elected Chief Vizier based on their popularity elsewhere. That is primarily what this provision is intended to guard against, though secondarily, I think it's important to guard against brand new players advancing to high office too quickly because they're unlikely to be prepared. Three months citizenship, one month WA or Legion participation, seems like it could be a reasonable compromise, because three months is also the length of our terms. How do others feel about requiring one month of WA in Osiris or participation in the Legion, or three months citizenship, to be eligible for senior government offices?

[Kylia Quilor]

No, it would still apply. The Pharaoh can veto amendment or repeal of the Scroll of Ma'at, and it would be absolute, as currently written in this draft.

Well then there's no real point to thise clause then. I would figure, in the world of the absolute veto, the complete repeal of the Scrolls would essentially be a nuclear option of sorts.

I think the two months WA/Sekhmet make sense and aren't too long. That's why I figured 4 months citizenship made sense. Its less obligation, so more time makes sense.

[JayDee]

I also agree with reducing the time from 6 months to 2-3 months.

I do have one question though. What about citizens who left but rejoined later? Are they held to the same restrictions regarding this amendment?