As a member of the Cosă in good standing, I have the statutory right to ask questions and receive answers from the incumbent Government. To wit, I would like to ask the Seneschal, the Distain, or another appropriate Minister about rogue, contemptuous, or inciteful acts of provinces or their agents.

Does the Government agree or disagree with the following statement? "Provincial agents who act directly in contravention of the Organic Law ought to be tried in criminal court for such acts."

Does the Government agree or disagree with the following statement? "It is necessary for the rule of law, and for the public safety of Talossa, that those who act in contravention of the Organic Law must be suffer tangible punishment."

Does the Government agree or disagree with the following statement? "Any citizen of Talossa who affirmatively, actively, concertedly, overtly, or undoubtedly incites, causes, or is concerned in secession, rebellion, insurrection, war, treason, sedition, or similar acts must be prosecuted forthwith by the Ministry of Justice."

Does the Government agree or disagree with the following statement? "Any law, constitutional proviso, decree, order, or other part or manner of the law, which is fundamentally or constructively inOrganic, must be disparaged publicly by the Minister of Justice."

Would the Government pursue a declaratory judgement from the Corts of Talossa, in order to strike and invalidate any law, constitutional proviso, decree, order, or other part or manner of the law, which is fundamentally or constructively inOrganic, if the Government became aware of such a law, proviso, et cetera?

As a member of the Cosă in good standing, I have the statutory right to ask questions and receive answers from the incumbent Government. To wit, I would like to ask the Seneschal, the Distain, or another appropriate Minister about the Government's program, or in any case some statutory provision in El Lexhatx, with respect to fraud by immigrants into Talossa.

Does the Government agree or disagree with the following statement? "A citizen of Talossa who lies about his or her identity, especially with the knowing and willful purpose to deceive other citizens of such identity, has committed felonious fraud."

Does the Government agree or disagree with the following statement? "An immigrant who wishes to naturalize as a citizen of Talossa ought to produce bona fida, indisputable, verifiable, and in-good-faith identification of his or her identity, to exclude any and all pseudonyms, such as stage names or pen names."

Does the Government agree or disagree with the following statement? "Any citizen of Talossa, who is found to have deceived the Ministry of Immigration about his or her identity during the immigration process, or who is found to have deceived the Government in any manner about his or her identity during or after the immigration process, has committed felonious fraud and, therefore, ought to lose his or her citizenship of Talossa."

(To clarify: I am not referring to Talossa-ized names post-immigration. I am not referring to such names as "Açafat del Val" or the like. I am referring squarely to the concept that Talossa wants to avoid any and all repeats of the ESB Affair.)

As a member of the Cosă in good standing, I have the statutory right to ask questions and receive answers from the incumbent Government. To wit, I would like to ask the Seneschal, the Distain, or another appropriate Minister about the "delete" function on Wittenberg.

Is there a due process in place, so that Talossan citizens do not have to fear random, capricious, or otherwise inexplicable disappearance of their public discourse on Wittenberg?

If so, where can it be found?

If not, will the Government institute (or at least advocate for) such a prescribed due process?

As a member of the Cosă in good standing, I have the statutory right to ask questions and receive answers from the incumbent Government. To wit, I would like to ask the Distain about the below-pasted statement:

Quote from: Baron Alexandreu Davinescu on March 30, 2023, 09:59:11 AMThere's been some discussion about best practices for writing a bill, and that makes sense.  We should try to have a rough consensus.  On the last Witt, I had a guide which was used for a long time.  But a posted list of suggested guidelines might be better than the pamphlet we previously used.

Currently, my suggested list would include these principles:

• A bill should include an italicized list of reasons for its passage and any necessary context, presented as a list of statements and with each such statement beginning with "WHEREAS"
• A bill should present its proposed changes clearly.  Each proposed change should begin with a bolded word: "THEREFORE" for the first change, and "FURTHERMORE" for each change after that.
• The bill should say exactly what the Ziu would be doing if the bill was passed.  Typically this entails amending el Lexhatx or the Organic Law, and so the specific location of the change should be stated.
• If existing law is being altered, the current text should be included with the bill, for easy comparison with the proposed changes.
• The Ziu may only make changes which fall within its ennumerated powers, found at Org.VII.3.
• Laws may mandate specific actions, bestow specific powers, or authorize optional actions.
• It is permissible, but generally discouraged, to add recommendations or advice in the law.  This should be done only when deemed necessary for effective implementation of other provisions.
• The use of the quoting function can be helpful to set out blocks of text in a readable way.

An example bill might look like this:

WHEREAS the sandwich is the ideal food, and

WHEREAS it is agreed by all that we need to endorse it,

THEREFORE the whatever section of el Lexhatx is modified to include this additional provision:

Upon which Organic or statutory authority does the Distain rely in order to recommend anything to members of the Ziu?

Addendum to the above: If there is no such Organic or statutory authority, then upon which self-appointed moral high horse does the Distain sit in order to recommend anything to the members of the Ziu?

(I note to the benefit of the Distain and the public that there is NOTHING in El Lexhatx or the Organic Law which precludes leading questions. That is to say, as I understand the law, the Distain is required to answer my questions as posed, which is not necessarily the same thing as accepting its premise.)

To continue: Upon which precedent or standing law does the Distain rely, in order to suggest that the Ziu (a) lacks parliamentary supremacy as the legislative branch and (b) must therefore discourage "recommendations or advice in the law"?

Does the Distain believe that the Ziu ought to be bound by his recommendations in any way, shape, manner, or form?

Does the Distain believe that any bill, resolution, or other object of legislation, which ignores his recommendations, is thereby poor, lacking, unbecoming, or otherwise unsuitable?

Does the Distain believe that the Talossan Government is "for the people", and if so, does he believe furthermore that any agent of the Government ought ever to be in the business of telling legislators what to do or not to do?

Final question: Does the Distain even know the formal, technical, or artisan term for what he calls "a list of statements ... beginning with 'WHEREAS'"?

A joyous April to my fellow Talossans!

As a member of the Cosă in good standing, I have the statutory right to ask questions and receive answers from the incumbent Government. To wit, I would like to ask the Seneschal about the below-pasted "Talossa Talks" intiative:

Quote from: Breneir Tzaracomprada on April 04, 2023, 12:29:27 PM

PRÜMĂ MINISTRÀ

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
4 April 2023

As Talossans we persevere to ensure a sense of trust and decorum here on Wittenberg. But the question I keep coming back to is whether we really know one another. For those who answer in the negative I want to help change that. As a part of a Seneschal's Initiative (funded only by the Seneschal himself) I am personally making available $120USD for Talossans who want to have a chat over a cup of coffee, tea, beer, or other beverage.

To participate all you need to do is report back on your chat via Wittenberg (which Talossan did you chat with? In person or online? Anything interesting in your chat worthy of sharing?). Within two weeks of notification, I will then send, electronically, each of you $6 USD for a cup of a beverage of your choice. And if you tape your chat and share then I will double it...$12 USD for you both!

Let's have fun getting to know one another!

Breneir
Seneschal

Would the Seneschal agree or disagree with the following statement? "The deletion of citizens' posts on Wittenberg, without due process, is not an act of trust or decorum."

Would the Seneschal agree or disagree with the following statement? "An open government uses funds from publicly raised revenue – i.e., the Treasury – and condemns any citizen who attempts to induce behavior in others by bribery."

Also, I am planning to meet a few citizens over a few beers, in order to discuss the time that a Breneir Tzaracomprada – who I believe is indeed the Seneschal at this time – deleted my posts from Wittenberg, refused to apologize for it, and scapegoated anyone but himself for his abuse of power. Will the Seneschal reimburse me and the other participants the promised $6, if we provide proof of this conversation?

Final question: Is the Seneschal prepared to defend his initiative in court when he fails to reimburse the $6, despite his contractual offer and my acceptance of the terms?

This is, despite the title, not about our esteemed Secretary of State (that is a genuine compliment), but about Brenier. Please see the below.

Quote from: Breneir Tzaracomprada on March 18, 2022, 02:19:46 PM
Hi folks,

This is not a debating chamber. This is the office of the sitting Florencian senator.

Please take continued debate into another thread.

He just deleted an entire string of comments that were critical of him personally, and I find that to be incredibly abusive, not least because it violates my Talossan rights against censorship by the government. A proper form of remedy would have been moving the comments, or locking the thread, or any number of other decisions, other than summarily deleting them.

More to the point, he just chilled my political speech while acting (1) as a Witt moderator and (2) a publicly elected official.

Besides bringing this to public attention, if the comments are not reinstated elsewhere, I will be filing for emergency relief in the Corts. There is an ongoing election, and I am entitled as a matter of Organic right to be heard – however unfavorable to Brenier my comments may be – whenever I may have something political to say against the leader of a major political party.

I made a promise to AD that I'd post this somewhere else, so here I am...

Quote from: Açafat del Val on March 18, 2022, 10:18:10 AM
I have an idea!

   
• Remove the monarchy entirely, and replace it with an elected head of state, not unlike Ireland, Italy, or India? Note that the election may be indirect  ;)
• I see that the FreeDems abandoned this position in favor of compromise. I wonder what the @PdR thinks...

But maybe you meant some promises that are less contentious?

   
• Rewrite the OrgLaw and El Lexhatx, which are both in a terribly sorry state (if we cared about the rule of law, that is).
• Remove the monarchy.
• Make the Ziu unicameral and living.
• Remove the monarchy.
• Expand Witt formally onto Discord, encourage transparent political participation, and discourage private forums.
• 
        
  • (Even though game theory says that violently bitter, toxic, and aggressive partisanship in Talossa is inevitable, I would like to think that we could benefit from some coordination towards a better outcome.)
  • (Honestly, does Talossa as a whole benefit when parties connive and conspire in closed forums? As a matter of law there is nothing to be done about it, because citizens have a general right to free association, but perhaps the Government could use its pulpit to change minds.)
• Remove the monarchy.
• Have a heraldry bonanza! Make some new flags. Make some coats of arms. Add some pizzazz to the website.
• Remove the monarchy.
• Liberalize the law, so that it is more informal and more accessible, and so that greater numbers of citizens may be effective pro se litigants in front of lay judges.
• Remove the monarchy.
• Abolish provinces completely, or make them ceremonial, not unlike English counties.
• Remove the monarchy.
• Revamp the database, so that it is more accessible not only to its users but also its administrators (just ask the @Chancery).
• Remove the monarchy.

How's that for a place to begin brainstorming?  8)

I don't mean to diminish any accomplishments of the incumbent Government – led, no less, by the party to which I am a member – but I was hoping to ask the Justice Ministry specifically, or the Government more generally: What is being done actively or recently, if anything, to reform the bar of Talossa and/or our legal system altogether?

The law should be accessible, but isn't; judges should be more active, but aren't; and if someone wanted to seek justice under Talossan law at this very moment, they wouldn't even know how.

Capriciously verbose thread titles notwithstanding...

The program of the incumbent Government includes, in part:

Quote
Setting up two Ziu committees with equal Govt/Opposition representation to produce reports, including proposed legislation if appropriate, on:

Reform of the Cosă/Ziu.
These might include: the Cosă's size, electoral system and ways of assigning seats; the possibility of a unicameral Ziu; moving responsibility for the Clark from the Chancery to the Mençéi and the Tuíschac'h.

Law reform.
This might include: removing Wisconsin law from el Lexhatx in favour of an indigenous equivalent; moving to an inquisitorial rather than adversarial Cort system; moving to a civil law rather than a common law system.

Accordingly, I am opening the roll and asking if there are any "volunteers". Specifically, do the @Seneschal and @Leader of the Opposition have anyone which they would like to include or see included in this endeavor?

Thank you kindly.

Quote from: Ian Plätschisch on September 23, 2020, 01:09:38 PM

Quote from: Açafat del Val on September 23, 2020, 12:46:29 PM
Another opportunity for humility has been wasted. Where an olive branch or some constructive sentences would have sufficed, you chose antagonistic and agitative rhetoric.

That rhetoric has no place in a court of law.

What did you expect? That he would grovel before you to win back your favor, which would clearly be futile anyway?

If the coalition no longer finds the nominee to be suitable, then there is not much I can do. All I have to say is that you cannot throw out barbs and then be shocked and appalled when you get stung back.

Speaking for myself, and not on behalf of the Government or the province of Florencia: I have always expected that a judicial nominee should comport themself in a manner befitting the office. A professional adult should not look like this when rejected for a job:

Many months ago this year, when the Government of Talossa signaled its interest to fill a vacancy on the Uppermost Cort and support the nomination thereto of S:reu Alexandreu Davinescu, it was the opinion at the time that the gentleman was capable, befitting, and deserving of the office.

During the intervening time, however, the Government has been witness to a discomforting number of displays of inappropriate, unbecoming, and unprofessional behavior of the nominee. To name only a few: Several articles on the Talossa Wiki were vandalized, where good-faith efforts would have sufficed. Impugnation, defamation by implication, baiting, and gaslighting have become pervasive tactics used among colleagues and fellow citizens. Where good intentions may have been attributed, or an opportunity presented for constructive feedback, instead malice or incompetence were assumed and destructive words deployed.

Following the formation of the contemporary Cabinet, new members of the Government have expressed that they opposed nomination from its beginning. Moreover, the aforesaid displays have caused substantial belief among other members that the nominee, if appointed to the office, would fail to serve honorably, prudently, or purposefully.

Indeed, some of the behavior witnessed has persuaded the Government as a whole that the nominee may fall prone to lesser instincts and, worse, may have never wanted the office in the first place, except to the extent of ego and pride rather than duty or service. While no crime was ever committed, it is true, too, that no judge of Talossa should act or speak as has been seen.

Therefore, as the incumbent Attorney-General and a member of the Government, I do regret to inform the public of our decision to withdraw all and any support for the nomination aforementioned: and, if it should continue through the legislative process of the Ziu, then it will continue without the endorsements of the Government, the Free Democrats of Talossa, or the New Peculiar Way.

/s/
Açafat del Val
23 Sep 2020/XLI

To all who may see this, Azul!

In pursuance to the powers vested in me as the incumbent Avocat-Xheneral by Sections C.2 and C.3.2 of El Lexhátx, having been thoroughly and definitively satisfied of his knowledge of Talossan law and jurisprudence, and of his good character and abilities, I do hereby recommend, endorse, and nominate to the King for appointment as the Scribe of Abbavilla the honourable Dr. Txec Róibeard dal Nordselvă, Esq., O.SPM, SMM.

In testimony whereof,
on this day the seventeenth of September,
in the year of our Lord the two thousand twentieth,
and of the independence of the Kingdom of Talossa the forty-first,
I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed my official seal.

Could someone add my Wiki account 'adv' (short for Açafat del Val) to the 'citizen' group, so that I may make edits and such?

Thanks!

BE IT RESOLVED by the King, Cosa and Senäts in Ziu assembled that Alexandreu Davinescu be appointed to the Cort Pü Inalt, in accordance with Organic Law XVI.4.

Azul, everyone!

The company that I work for is based in the Milwaukee area, and I was up there this past week for some corporate meetings.

I made a point to visit the capitol building of Florencia last Thursday (picture below), and to tour the rest of Talossa. The Landmark Building is looking as strong as over, and I am happy furthermore to report - if anyone was worried at all - that Talossa is in great health despite the ongoing pandemic! Lots of activity, lots of beautiful flora and fauna, great weather, and many very kind cestours (although it was hard to socialize much with the masks on our faces).

Talossa is a beautiful country. We have a lot to be proud of. I for one am looking forward to the years that lie before us.

(And Florencia may well be the best province, if I do say so myself! ;) )

Could you pretty, pretty please change the forum code so that...

8)

... does not result in a smiley face? As follows: 8)

Sometimes I'd like to write a list of numbers without a smiley face ;)

Quote(1)
(2)
(3)
...
(8)
(9)

May I congratulate S:reu Alexandreu Davinescu on the unique honor of being nominated to the Uppermost Cort. To be considered worthy of a functionally lifetime appointment to the highest judicial body of our nation is by itself humbling. I would like to acknowledge and compliment his contributions to the nation of Talossa over the many years, and I wish him well on his nomination.

As Deputy Mençei, I would like to see continue the importance and prestige of the Senate through the political process. As such, I believe, it is incumbent on this body to carry on the very novel but still monumentally crucial tradition of scrutiny of judicial nominees,  no less in the form of a public hearing.

This hearing by the Senate will be conducted in a similar - albeit slightly modified - manner as the previous one done just some months ago in January. For example, we will be using a Special Committee rather than a Committee of the Whole. I have enumerated below the actual rules, and I intend that the hearing will commence in earnest not later than Friday, May 22nd.

I invite cordially that fellow Members of this House make their communications here in this Committee exclusively in place of any other medium, if not to each other then at least to me.

Any other Citizen of Talossa may speak here without qualification, provided that they first seek and receive confirmation of that privilege from myself or the Mençei. For this purpose, a PM is preferred.

---

---

Rules of this Special Committee:

1. The Members of the Committee shall be exclusively the duly elected and seated Members of the Senate of the Kingdom of Talossa. None else shall have equal privileges.

2. The business of the Committee shall not preclude the Senate from conducting its normal business.

3. The Mençei shall be the Chairman of the Committee, and the Deputy Mençei the Deputy Chairman, who shall have plenary and conclusive powers upon and during all its business.

4. The sole purpose of the Committee is to realize a public hearing of the nomination of S:reu Alexandreu Davinescu to the Uppermost Cort of the Kingdom of Talossa, and its powers shall extend not beyond the scope or the bona fide interests thereof.

5. The sole goal of the hearing of the Committee is to scrutinize the qualifications of the nominee and ascertain his ability or fitness to service as a Puisne Justice of the Uppermost Cort. The Committee shall report its findings on those matters to both the entire Senate and the public of Talossa at large.

6. The Committee may elect in its ultimate report whether to endorse for or to endorse against the nomination, but it shall be not requisite or binding. The Committee shall be adjourned sine die upon the deliverance of its report to the Mençei or Deputy Mençei.

7. A Quorum shall be unnecessary, but the power to make finals decisions with respect to the Committee or its business shall be reserved to the Chairman and Deputy Chairman.

8. The Chairman or Deputy Chairman shall publish and maintain a schedule for the hearing, which shall control the sequence, time, and privileges of speeches. The schedule shall be impermanent and respond accordingly to ongoing circumstances.

9. Any Member of the Committee or non-Member who may wish to speak during the hearing shall make a request for it at least two (2) days in advance to the Chairman or Deputy Chairman, who shall approve, modify, or deny the request publicly.

10. Members of the Committee shall have precedence in all manners over non-Members with regard to the sequence, time, and privileges of their speeches. Each Member shall have no less than one equal opportunity to speak with regard to other Members.

11. Speeches shall be germane, and shall be inquisitive of and directed to the nominee. Questions shall be asked of the nominee and answers provided by him, and the dialogue between the nominee and the speaker shall remain courteous.

12. A Member of the Committee may invite guests to use up some or all of a scheduled speech, but sufficient notice thereof shall be given in advance to the Chairman or Deputy Chairman. Guest speakers shall respect this privilege, which may be denied by the Chairman or Deputy Chairman in whichever manner they find proper.

13. The Committee shall begin its business immediately, but the first scheduled speech of the hearing shall occur not sooner than Friday, May 22nd, 2020/XLI.

14. The first speech of the hearing shall be reserved to the nominee himself, unless he reject this privilege knowingly and willfully, so that he may make his own introduction. The Chairman or Deputy Chairman may invite that the nominee make the final speech.

15. The Committee shall finish its business and submit its report to the Senate and the public of Talossa at least before if not sooner than Monday, June 15th, 2020/XLI.

To all who may see this, Azul!

In pursuance to the powers vested in me as the incumbent Avocat-Xheneral by Section G.13 of El Lexhátx, having been thoroughly and definitively satisfied of their knowledge of Talossan law and jurisprudence, and of their good character, I do hereby recommend, endorse, and nominate to the King for appointment as Justices of the Peace the honourable Miestrâ Schiva, UrN, and our esteemed friend Magniloqueu Épiqeu Ac'hlerglünä da Lhiun.

In testimony whereof,
on this day the thirtieth of April,
in the year of our Lord the two thousand twenty,
and of the independence of the Kingdom of Talossa the forty-first,
I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed my official seal.

WHEREAS, the current Government agreed to submit various Organic Law reforms to the current Ziu, including a provision for the Seneschál to be nominated by the Cosâ prior to appointment by the King;

WHEREAS, the Seneschál should be elected by the people of Talossa, and not appointed by the King;

WHEREAS, this is a cumbersome endeavor and requires sweeping reforms throughout the OrgLaw and other laws; and,

WHEREAS, this bill is hopefully the best compromise between all parties,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED by the King, Cosâ and Senäts of Talossa in Ziu assembled that:

(1) All references to a "Prime Minister" in the Organic Law and any other laws in effect shall be made to refer instead to the Seneschál, to wit:

(a) Section 4 of Article IV of the Organic Law is so amended as follows:

QuoteExcept as otherwise provided in this Organic Law, only eligible and registered voters of Talossa may be elected or appointed to the Senäts, and only so to the province in which they reside individually. No Senator, even though elected or appointed to the Senäts, may actually vote his seat until he has been a citizen for one year, or served for six months as Seneschál or Secretary of State, or received an order of knighthood from the King. No person may simultaneously hold more than one seat in the Senäts.

(b) Section 4 of Article IX of the Organic Law is so amended as follows:

QuoteThe Seneschál shall have the right at his discretion to withdraw any legislative proposal from the Hopper and instruct the Secretary of State to treat it as a properly submitted bill. Prime Dictates are exempt from all provisions relating unto legislative proposals.

(c) The Scribery of Talossa is instructed and shall have an express duty to replace in El Lexhatx with "Seneschál" any and all references to a "Prime Minister", or therein with "Distáin" any and all references to a "Deputy Prime Minister", as according to fair reason and context.

(2) The phrase "to appoint the Seneschál after elections" is stricken completely from Section 2 of Article III of the Organic Law.

(3) Section 2 of Article XIII of the Organic Law, which concerns warrants of prorogation, is repealed in whole.

(4) The entirety of Article XI of the Organic Law, which concerns the Seneschál, is replaced in whole with the following:

Quote

Section 1
The head of the Government is the Prime Minister, who shall be known otherwise as the Seneschál. Any Talossan, except for the King of Talossa, shall be eligible to be the Seneschál.

Section 2
The Seneschál shall be elected directly by the Cosâ, and his term shall expire upon the installation of his successor. He shall maintain the confidence of a majority of the Cosâ alone in order to hold the office.

Section 3
The Seneschál has duties of the State. He may advise the King to dissolve the Cosâ and to appoint and remove members of the Cabinet, and such advice to the King may not be refused. The Seneschal may issues speeches to the nation in writing, declare war pending the approval of the Cosâ, write treaties pending the approval of the Cosâ, expedite the Ziu's consideration of legislation, and issue Prime Dictates.

Section 4
Prime Dictates (PD's) are public declarations which affect government policy and have the force of law. They take effect upon their countersignature by the King and function as laws for all purposes, with such exceptions and subject to such conditions as the Ziu may enact by statute. If a Prime Dictate is vetoed by the King, the Cosâ may introduce the text of the PD as a regular bill and, if it receives two thirds of the vote, it becomes law over the King's objection. A PD may never be used to amend the Organic Law. PD's shall be published at the earliest possible opportunity in the Clark.

Section 5
The election of a Seneschál shall be the sole and exclusive business of the first Clark of every newly seated Ziu, but neither a member of the Senäts nor the King may vote on the matter. The Senäts may undertake during such Clark any of their business for which the consent of the Cosâ or the King be not requisite.

The method of election of a Seneschál shall be Ranked Choice Voting. Each member of the Cosâ shall have as many votes in the election as the seats which he hold in the Cosâ, but shall cast his votes as one bloc and have no divided conscience. The candidates for each such election shall be only the recognized and commonly known leader of each political party which shall have earned representation in the Cosâ at the most recent general election.

No member of the Cosâ may abstain in the election of a Seneschál, and shall rank on his ballot at least two distinct preferences, which itself shall be made public.

Whichever candidate shall have earned a majority of the votes in his election, as according to the method of Ranked Choice Voting, shall be appointed subsequently and forthwith by the King to serve as Seneschál, and the results of the election shall be published at large in the Clark.

Section 6
The Seneschál shall be sworn by the historic Oath of Office in the Talossan language, if possible in the presence of a copy of the historic book, The Loom of Language. He shall raise his right hand and take the Oath verbally in the presence of the King or a member of the Uppermost Cort, either in person or over the phone. In place of reciting the entire Oath he may simply affirm by the word 'üc' his intention to abide by its terms. The historic Oath of Office is as follows:

"Eu afirm, solenâmînt, që eu, [nôminâ], cün fidálità, rompliarhéu l'ôifisch da Sieu Maxhestà së Seneschál del Regipäts Talossán, és zefençarhéu, àl miglhôr da v'aválità, la sigürità del Estat Talossán. Så viva el Regeu!" (Translation: I do solemnly affirm that I, [name], will faithfully execute the office of His Majesty's First Minister of the Kingdom of Talossa, and will to the best of my ability defend the integrity of the Talossan State. Long live the King!)

Section 7
The second Clark of every Ziu may entertain business as normal, but especially shall occur after a month of recess following the first Clark. The Seneschál shall have the express duty during the said month of recess to form a government and prepare their legislative agenda, and shall announce publicly both the roster and the agenda at least before, if not sooner than, the last day on which a member of the Ziu may submit a measure to the second Clark.

Section 8
No election for the Seneschál shall occur, except during the first Clark of a newly seated Ziu.

(5) Section 8 of Article XII of the Organic Law is so amended as follows:

QuoteThe Seneschál shall appoint a member of the Government to be the Deputy Prime Minister, who shall be known otherwise as the Distáin. The Distáin shall act in place of the Seneschál in case of absence or disability of the latter, and shall become the Seneschál in case of death, removal or resignation. The Ziu may establish by law the procedures and standards in order to determine the absence or disability of the Seneschál, as well as the manner or conditions by which the Distáin shall be appointed.

(6) A new section is appended and accordingly numbered to Article XII of the Organic Law concerning the Government (Cabinet), to wit:

Quote
Section 9
Whenever the Government should lose the confidence of the Cosâ by a formal vote, the same Government shall remain in offce as caretakers until a new Seneschál shall be duly installed.

(7) Section 1 of Article XIII of the Organic Law is so amended as follows:

QuoteA newly elected Ziu shall convene on the first day of the month after its general election, to coincide with the publication of the first Clark. Its term shall be equal to seven Clarks, or roughly eight calendar months. During its last month the King shall issue a Writ of Dissolution ending its term. Whenever the Cosâ may be dissolved, all its members shall resign, but any Members holding positions in the Government may remain in those positions until the outcome of the election be resolved.

[8] Those provisions of this Act which affect the Organic Law shall be put to a referendum of the people of Talossa together, to be answered therein as one single Organic amendment; but, furthermore, those provisions of this Act which do not affect the Organic Law shall take effect immediately upon the enactment hereof, severable and separate from those provisions and not answerable by a referendum.

(9) Those phrases, clauses, paragraphs, sections, or other manners of any law or any source of law which contravene the provisions of this Act shall be severed and nullified upon the effectuation hereof, whether by enactment or referendum, but only to the extent of and not beyond such contravention.

WHEREAS, it seems unseemly that the Túischac'h, the presiding officer of the Cosa, should be nominated by the King or by the Government instead of elected by the Cosa;

WHEREAS, a previous bill did not address all manners or causes of the election of the Túischac'h; and,

WHEREAS, the Cosa deserves at all times a present, incumbent, active, and loyal Túischac'h,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED by the King, Cosa and Senäts of Talossa in Ziu assembled that the text of the twentieth section of Title H of El Lexhatx (H.20), which reads at the time of the authorship of this bill...

QuoteThe King shall appoint a Member of the Cosa to serve as Speaker of the Cosa (Talossan: el Túischac'h) for the upcoming term, on the advice of the Seneschal after consultation with the leaders of all parties represented in the Cosa. The Speaker shall preside, direct and maintain order during Living Cosas and in the Hopper, in an unbiased fashion. Otherwise, his function will be to advise Members of the Cosa of appropriate decorum. He is considered the honourable President of the Cosâ and shall be awarded all due veneration when serving as such. In the absence of the Túischac'h from the Hopper, the Mençéi shall perform these duties.

...shall, at the time of effecutation of this Act, be stricken entirely and replaced with the following:

QuoteThe Cosa shall be served actively and loyally by a Speaker of the Cosa (Talossan: el Túischac'h) who shall be one of their members, be elected directly by them, and serve then for the remainder of the term of that Cosa.

1. The Speaker shall preside, direct, and maintain order during Living Cosas and in the Hopper without bias or favor, and otherwise may advise Members of the Cosa of appropriate decorum.

2. The election of a Speaker shall be so done as follows:

2.1. After the results of a General Election of the Ziu shall have been certified as according to law, or during any bona fide absence or vacancy in the office of the Speaker, but in any case until the next following dissolution of the Cosa, a Member or Member-elect of one Cosa shall have individual power to publish publicly a petition nominating an eligible person for the office of the Speaker.

2.2. Nomination petitions for the office of the Speaker may be signed only publicly and only by other Members or Members-elect of the same Cosa. Each signature shall be equal to one vote in favor of the nomination.

2.3. Whenever one nomination petition shall have earned such number of affirmative votes as shall equal a majority of the actual members of the Cosa, without regard to the number of seats which they may hold, then the candidate so nominated shall be declared by the Secretary of State to be the Speaker and all other outstanding nomination petitions shall be moot and nullified.

2.4. No Member or Member-elect of the Cosa shall have signed more than one nomination petition simultaneously for the same cause; but, if a Member or Member-elect wish to support a different petition, then he or she shall retract publicly the earlier signature before signing another.

3. The Speaker shall be considered the honourable president of the Cosa, and shall be awarded all due veneration during such tenure.

4. While the office of the Speaker may be vacant or actually unattended, and until the Cosa shall have elected a new Speaker for the remainder of the term, the Mençéi of the Senate shall perform the duties of the Speaker.

Uréu q'estadra så: Açafat del Val, Senator for Florencia.