Does your nation have a constitution?

[The Sovereign Republic of the Commons]

Does your nation have some kind of ruling document that was signed at the founding of your country?

I'll answer my own OP.
I do. It took me forever to write, but it was worth it.

Click below and check it out!

[Barrera]

The Constitution of Barrera has existed ever since the state came into being in 1755. However, it took another 199 years before the Constitution was codified into a single document.

[Imperium Sidhicum]

The Sidh equivalent of a constitution is known as Statutes of the Imperium, colloquially known simply as the Statutes.

The Statutes define what the Imperium and it's government system is, define what constitutes a Sidh and the eligibility to become one, and also specify the "privileges" (Sidh legal equivalent of rights) that a Sidh shall have protected by law.

Unlike typical constitutions, the Statutes are more of guidelines than inflexible laws, and can be bent considerably by the monarch, should the situation warrant it. However, while the monarch does have the authority to overrule the Statutes when doing so is clearly in the best interests of the Imperium, any such decision is never made lightly, given how such infringements tend to be wildly unpopular and thus counterproductive to the Sidh ideals of unity and stability, offsetting any other positive gains that might come from them. Hence, the monarch's emergency powers to bend the Statutes (which themselves are provisioned for in the Statutes) are invoked very rarely, in times of dire emergency.

---

The Statutes have undergone two major amendments and a number of lesser editions since their conception over 600 years ago.

The Renunciation of Humanity was announced in 2245, shortly before the Battle of Hades Gates. Having witnessed the unspeakable atrocities and carnage visited upon her kind by humans and the Skargh, the Empress amended the Statutes to renounce any Sidh connection to humanity, effectively declaring Sidhae to be independent species.

The original edition of the Statutes as composed by the Emperor was considerably more tolerant of humans and friendly alien species, extending basic legal protection and rights to them as well. The original edition also granted considerably more personal freedom to Sidh citizens. Sidhae of the Emperor's day still largely saw themselves as humans - enhanced, evolved and superior, but humans nonetheless, and believed themselves to be the stewards and protectors of the rest of humanity, obliged to guide it to greatness with personal example. This goal was also explicitly stated in the original Statutes. The Renunciation omitted this from the Statutes, renouncing any ties with the human species and fundamentally changed the Sidh establishment to antagonism towards humans and aliens. Humans and other sapients were no longer regarded as equals and potential partners, but as dangerous rivals - to be exploited where possible and destroyed where not. The Renunciation also curtailed Sidh own personal freedoms by military necessity, particularly restricting freedom of expression - forms of expression deemed unpatriotic, demoralizing or otherwise subversive would now become crimes against the state.

The Great Reform, implemented 22 years after the Renunciation, amended the articles pertaining to the Imperial government system, aiming to centralize power in the hands of the monarch. Traditionally, the Clans would govern the Imperial space as autonomous entities, a matter of practicality adopted in the early days of interstellar colonization. The Clans would colonize and govern worlds, and raise their own armies and fleets to fight in the Emperor's name. However, since such decentralization had led to the Clans growing excessively powerful, a trend which culminated in the Sidh Civil war, the Empress was determined to prevent that from repeating. Her Great Reform curtailed the autonomy and privileges of the Clans greatly, reducing them to largely symbolic status as fraternities of citizens with civil administration powers only. Where before the Age of War, each Clan would have it's own legions and fleets fighting under the Imperial banner, the reformed military would outfit new legions and naval crews from Sidhae of mixed affiliations, preventing any single Clan from dominating in any military unit. This reform would not have been possible in the heyday of Clan-dominated Old Imperium, but following the Age of War, the Clan military and economic power was so decimated as to leave the Empress with her personal domain and the Imperial Guard unquestionably dominant, thus making such reforms possible without much resistance.

[Jaguito]

The Republic of Jaguito does have a constitution, although it isn't particularly respected by the Nation's Leadership.

[Themiclesia]

For most of the history of Themiclesia, we didn't have a recognized constitution that defines the relations of the various states with a central government. The sheer antiquity of Themiclesia is largely responsible for the impossibility of the formation of such a document to the satisfaction of even a minority of powers. From the neolithic era, Themiclesia retains tribal overtones -- states have individual aristocracies composed of the ruler and his close family, and members thereof are routinely recruited for major positions within the actual governance of the state. States in Themiclesia are sovereign entities, naturally exercising the right to self-government through legislation and implementation thereof, without legal interference from another authority. As far as states are concerned, Themiclesia is effectively over 500 separate entities. Amidst this diversity, however, there are recognized principles that forge the nation out of this disunion.

Crucial to the recognition of Themiclesia is a set of unwritten principles pertaining to interstate relations that, while never explicitly stated, is nonetheless obeyed without question by all states. The areas governed by this set of principles are war, treaties, and marriages between noble houses. As sovereign entities, states are able to declare and engage war upon and with each other, but, to prevent total anarchy and annihilation, states have agreed in the distant past that all wars are to be limited in area, duration, disputes, and resource. Accordingly, wars invariable consist of a single battle unless otherwise stated, lasting for the duration of that battle. Wars are also declared explicitly for the settlement of a stated cause, such as a territorial dispute that has been mediated but cannot be settled that way. The war would be declared and joined, and the result of the battle determines the way the dispute is resolved. In terms of resource, each state agrees to a determined limit of men and ordnance to be committed to the battle(s). Moreover, all battles are to be supervised by two independent third-parties, first serving as a judge of the result and the other to serve as witness to the authenticity of the battle record. The character of the war is seen as arbitrary but not destructive; the object of the war is not destruction in and of itself of the enemy, but to fulfill the terms of the initial declaration of war. In the initial declaration, it is not uncommon to find stipulations and limitations that state soldiers are to be unarmed or armed to a certain limit. Equally common is the statement of the definite victor, that is to say, a victor is recognized once a specific task has been accomplished in opposition to the enemy, such as the capture of a specific mountaintop or fortification. Once such has been achieved, the dispute is mediated, the two states depart the field of battle as friends, and relations return to normal. In terms of real politik, war is considered an element of diplomacy, used parallel to other means of resolving differences in a definite and permanent manner.

[WiP]

[United Russian Soviet States]

We have a constitution.

[The Northern Kingdoms]

It does. (OOC: May explain later)

[Imperial New Vegas]

Nope.

[Neo Rome Republic]

Yes, we do: http://www.nationstates.net/nation=neo_ ... /id=401528

[Novus Niciae]

We don't have a formal constitution, but we have thousands of years worth of laws and legal precedents that serve the same function.

And civil rights in the republic have been formally codified into The Nician declaration of the rights of sentient beings.

[Gig em Aggies]

We did have a constitution but once the Chief Justice and the council of judges took over the constitution was abolished.

[Wizlandia]

Constitution of Wizlandia

[Stormwrath]

Yes?

[Fin Dovah Junaar]

Yes

[Brellach]

There is no constitution in the Holy Queendom, though two documents come close in terms of their function.

The most significant legal document in Brellach is The Compact, a document signed in 1056 A.D. by the First Divine Queen, Sumi I, and the majority of the tribal leaders of the day. The Compact lays out the rights and responsibilities of city-dwelling Brellachi and the tribes in relation to each other. This extensive document contains myriad points, but the key points:

• The tribes shall recognise and venerate the Divine Queen as the Avatar of the Divine Glory (their goddess).
• The tribes shall recognise the formation of the Holy Queendom of Brellach, and agree to be her citizens per the terms of The Compact.
• The tribes shall respect the boundaries of any Queen-sanctioned settlements ('Her People's Spaces) they come across in their travels.
• In the event that Brellach is threatened from foreign forces, the tribes shall rally to her defence under the Divine Queen's banner.
• The tribes, in the regions beyond Her People's Spaces, shall have free reign, provided they adhere to Her Divine Glory's law.
• Neither the Divine Queen, or any organ or any government body she creates, shall interfere in the lives or ways-of-live of the tribes in any way, whether deliberate or accidental.
• The Divine Queen shall undertake to protect the tribes from interference - or external threats to their survival - no matter the source.

The Compact is credited with establishing the Holy Queendom as a sovereign, unitary nation, as well as forging a peace that has lasted since it was signed.

The second document of importance is known as The Divine Contract of Rule. Written by the Priesthood (some time during the early 1050s A.D.), and believed by the Brellachi to be the direct words of Her Divine Glory as spoken through First Divine Queen Sumi, the Divine Contract stipulates not only the powers afforded to the Queen, but the restrictions placed upon her life. All Divine Queens since Sumi have rigidly adhered to the terms of the Divine Contract - having been made to memorise its contents during their upbringing - which, among other things, requires them to live natural, selfless lives devoid of clothing, property, or other selfish or materialistic trappings; requires them to remain 'pure' and live 'devout, pious' lives, in direct connection with "Her Divine Glory's Creation" (the natural world) as much as possible; and requires them to treat their citizens in a 'holy' (usually interpreted to mean compassionate, given how their goddess is portrayed) manner. In exchange, they become venerated as the Avatar of Her Divine Glory, and are free to shape Brellach and command her citizens with nigh-unquestionable authority.

A myth exists which suggests that Brellach could one day be corrupted by an "Avatar Lost to the Dark" - a corrupted Queen - and thus the Priesthood, as well as being in charge of selecting and raising future Queens, must also watch over them to ensure they abide by the terms of the Divine Contract. The Priesthood can theoretically be summoned to 'correct' a wavering Queen by Her Court, should there be considerable evidence to demonstrate such, although no formal procedure exists for actually 'dethroning' a Divine Queen, and it has never been necessary in practice.

The exact text of the Divine Contract of Rule is known only to the Priesthood and the Divine Queens themselves, however, and the original is kept securely in the main Sheoth Church of Her Divine Glory, under the watchful guard of both the Priesthood and Her Protectors.

These documents, combined, are as close to a constitution as can be found in the Holy Queendom.

[Archonium]

Yes. And it's bloody long. Well, no wonder, most of its writers are academia who have written 1000+ paged college textbooks.

[Parhe]

Does your nation have some kind of ruling document that was signed at the founding of your country?

I'll answer my own OP.
I do. It took me forever to write, but it was worth it.

Click below and check it out!

Nice constitution. IC the nation has one but I never got around to writing one. I started but then I had to make major changes to my nation.

[Eaischpnaeieacgkque Bhcieaghpodsttditf]

yes we do.

[Olwe]

Yes. Violating any portion of it (for example, denying someone their constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech) is considered treason and therefore punishable by death.

[Fatatatutti]

We have a constitution which outlines how government is constituted. The Bill of rights is an entirely separate document. The Constitution is currently missing; it is believed to have fallen behind a filing cabinet in one of our Ministries, probably in a mini-mall beside a Bunsmaster bakery. And Fatatatutians are a naturally "nice" people who don't need to refer to the Bill of Rights on a daily basis.

[Meridiani Planum]

Does your nation have some kind of ruling document that was signed at the founding of your country?

Signed? No. But there certainly is a Constitution.

But more than that, there is a ten volume treatise that provides a philosophical and scientific explanation of the Constitution that clarifies why it was created as it was, and why it is justified. Not many nations can say that.

[Tolmakia]

Tolmakia has a constitution. In its history, it actually had around 3 constitutions: the old 1965 western republican constitution; the newer 1975 united republican constitution; and the modern 1990 constitution.

The constitution dictates most aspects of the structure of the republican government. The bill of rights of the people is included as a component of the constitution.

[Ventalia]

The Kingdom of Ventalia has a constitution which is partially unwritten. Many written documents form a nebulous "constitution" as do unwritten common-law precedents.

[Penguin Union Nation]

Well, the original is mostly a bunch of general guidelines that the Founder scribbled onto a fast food wrapper during a milkshake-induced sugar high. At some point a more thorough stack of guidelines were drawn up to update those by our lawyers.

[Wintanceastre]

Wintanceastre does have a constitution, despite the common misconception. The Wintanceastrean Constitution, however, is not codified into a single document like many nations. The Constitution is the sum of laws and principles that make up the body politic of the Wintanceastrean Kingdom, and much of the Wintanceastrean constitution is embodied in written documents, within statutes, court judgments, works of authority and treaties. The constitution has other unwritten sources, including parliamentary constitutional conventions.