If we approve the new Constitution as presented in the other thread, we will need to approve a new Elections and Referendums Law to go along with it. The main function of my amended version here is to make the rules for Fiovan elections much more flexible, in the same way that Kingdom elections are, i.e. the SoS has some discretion to set their own rules; and also make it easier to delegate any and all of our elections to the Chancery. It also includes a provision for "write-in" candidates, to make our elections run by the same rules as Senäts elections.

Part One

TITLE I: Responsible Officials
1.   The Secretary of State shall be responsible for carrying out the provisions of this Act.
2.   The Secretary of State may appoint other officials to assist him or her in his duties.
3.   The Secretary of State shall be authorized to prepare rules for the upcoming election governing the procedure by which s/he will comply with this Law and the Constitution, and submit such rules to the Praisideu and the General Assembly for review and certification. The Secretary of State shall also make such rules publicly available, and until such a time as the rules are certified, conspicuously note that the rules are subject to certification by the Praisideu and the General Assembly.
         3.1.   The Secretary of State may declare, as part of this setting of rules, that they will delegate any or all of their functions under this act to the National Chancery. Any functions thus delegated shall be held in accordance with the election rules set by the National Chancery.
         3.2.   Should the Secretary of State fail to submit rules to the Praisideu and the General Assembly at least one month prior to Balloting Day, the Praisideu and General Assembly may accept a late submission of rules at their discretion; or else, the rules governing the previous Fiovan election shall be reviewed and certified.
         3.3.   The Praisideu and the General Assembly shall review the proposed rules for compliance and amend them as necessary prior to certification.
         3.4.   Either the Praisideu or the General Assembly shall certify rules for the election no later than two weeks prior to Balloting Day. Should the Praisideu and the General Assembly fail to certify any rules by this deadline, then the rules shall govern the election absent the certification, except where such rules are in conflict with election law.

TITLE II: Voting Procedure
1.   This section shall apply equally to all elections and referendums held under the Constitution and Laws of Fiova, and to elections for Senator from Fiova where those are to be held by the Provincial Chancery.
2.   Subject to the provisions of this Act, the Secretary of State shall for each vote establish a voting system which enables all citizens willing and eligible to vote to do so. The Secretary shall not be liable for citizens being unable to vote due to unforeseeable circumstances.
        2.1.   This system may involve online voting, paper ballots, or any other method of recording votes consistent with this Act and with the Constitution. If the election is to be conducted electronically, the Secretary of State will also devise and publish a non-electronic method of voting if there are citizens who lack such access.
        2.2.   Every method of voting used shall be anonymous, whereby each voter's identity is recorded as having voted, but it is not possible to connect any voter with any particular vote.
3.   The voting period for all elections shall be at least the same length as that for Kingdom elections, beginning once the ballot paper has been made available to all electors. The Secretary of State may, if in the circumstances it seems expedient to the creation of fairer elections, extend the deadline for voting.
4.   The ballot paper shall be designed as provided elsewhere in this Act. It may also contain other impartial information, including instructions on how to cast a valid vote. The Secretary of State shall not publish any information that can reasonably be seen to create an advantage for any party to the vote.
5.   The Secretary of State shall maintain a list of electors, with their contact details attached, and shall communicate the ballot paper and voting instructions to the electors in a personalised manner, such as by email, postal mail, telephone call or text message once the ballot paper is available, as well as providing this information to the Chancery and otherwise making it publicly available to all citizens. The Secretary of State shall issue two reminders in a personalised manner as above with the same information to voters, the first no later than seven days before the deadline for voting, and the second no later than three days before the deadline for voting.
6.   All vote totals and count details, except those which might undermine the secrecy of the ballot, shall be published by the Secretary of State after the election is completed, to ensure the transparency of the system. No details of votes or counts shall be published before the election is completed.
7.   All people who are or become citizens of Fiôvâ during the voting period, and are of at least fourteen years of age, are eligible to vote in any election covered by this Code.

TITLE III: Procedures for Elections
1.   The Secretary of State shall call for nominations for Senator or for the Praisidíeu whenever an election for this position becomes due under the Constitution, or Organic Law in the case of the position of Senator.
2.
         2.1.   A nomination as described above shall include:
the candidate's full name;
their party affiliation (if any); and
a statement, no longer than fifty words, of the candidate's aims and objectives (optional).
         2.2.   The above-mentioned nominations shall be communicated to the Secretary of State, no more than seven days after the opening of nominations. The Secretary of State may, if in the circumstances it seems expedient to the creation of fairer elections, extend the deadline for nomination.
         2.3.   Upon the receipt of the nomination, if the nomination is in order, the Secretary of State shall confirm to the candidate that their nomination has been accepted.
3.   If the Secretary of State has decided not to allow write-in candidates for the election, then:
         3.1.   Upon the day following the close of nominations for the election of the Senator, if no nominations have been received, then the election shall be void and the Secretary shall then immediately restart the election process; if again no nominations have been received, then Fiôvâ's Senäts' seat should be declared vacant.
         3.2.   Upon the day following the close of nominations for the election of the Praisidíeu, if no nominations have been received, then the election shall be void and the Secretary shall then restart the election process at a time of his/her choosing. If the number of nominations received is less than or equal to the number of seats in the Praisidíeu, the Secretary shall declare all nominated candidates elected, and the remaining seat or seats to be vacant.
4.   If none of the circumstances in section 3 above pertain, then the Secretary of State shall publish the names of all candidates standing, as well as their fifty word statements. Seven days following that (or a shorter period if approved as part of the election rules under Title I of this Act), s/he shall make the ballot paper available to all electors as outlined below.
         4.1.   A political party may endorse a candidate, whether or not the candidate his or herself states his party affiliation, by publicly acknowledging it upon their publication by the Secretary.
         4.2.   If the Secretary of State wishes to declare themselves a candidate for the election, then they shall either -
               4.2.1    appoint one or more Deputies as provided in Title I.2, and shall delegate all their functions under this Act for the remainder of that election to such Deputies; or:
               4.2.2    make a report to the Praisideu and the General Assembly explaining why it is in the best interests of Fiova for them to be a candidate, and explain the steps that they will take to maintain confidence in the fairness of the election.
                    4.2.2.1    The Praisideu or the General Assembly shall be entitled to reject this report and thereby disqualify the Secretary of State from being a candidate, and/or receiving any "write-in" votes, at any time before balloting day.

5.   The ballot paper for an election shall be prepared so that:
         5.1.   the names of the candidates shall appear on the ballot paper in a random order;
         5.2.   the voters may indicate their preferences for between one and all of the candidates, in order of preference, with "1" being the first preference, "2" being the second preference and so on, for as many preferences as they desire;
         5.3.   at the discretion of the Secretary of State, the ballot paper shall also include ONE of the following options, to either:
               5.3.1   "write in" the name of any citizen of Fiova, and express a preference for them as if they were a candidate; or
               5.3.2   vote "PRESENT" instead of expressing a preference for any candidate.
6.   
         6.1.   PRESENT votes shall not be counted towards any candidate, and shall not be used in determining the quota.
         6.2.   If more than half of the ballots are PRESENT, then the election shall be void.
         6.3.   A ballot paper on which no "1" preference appears shall also be counted as a PRESENT vote.
7.   At the close of the voting period, the Secretary of State shall either count the votes as stipulated in Title V of this act. Unless the election is void, the Secretary shall then declare the names of the successful candidates, who shall take office immediately upon such declaration.
         7.1.   If the election of the Senator is void, then Fiôvâ's Senäts seat shall be declared vacant.
         7.1.   If the election of the Praisideu is void, the Secretary shall then restart the election process at a time of his/her choosing.

TITLE IV: Referendums
1.   When a matter is submitted to the citizens of the Province by secret ballot as provided by law, the Secretary of State shall announce a referendum specifying the matter to be submitted to the electors. Seven days after this, s/he shall make the ballot paper available to all electors.
2.   Subject to s.2 of Section 2 of this Act, the ballot paper shall present the question to be decided, followed by three options of equal prominence, labelled "për", "contrâ" and "austenéu".
3.   The Secretary of State shall officially announce the result of the referendum as soon as possible after the close of the voting period. If more 'për' votes have been received than 'contrâ' votes, then the referendum shall be deemed to have passed; otherwise, it shall be deemed to have failed.

WHEREAS why do we even have a Council of Governors as all it does is elect a leader then fall silent;

AND WHEREAS there is nothing to stop informal interprovincial consultations as and when necessary

THEREFORE be it enacted by the Ziu of Talossa that El Lexhatx D.9 is deleted in its entirety.

If we hurry we can get this passed in time for the Coså election and elect a Praisideu!
===
Article I — [Name and territory]
1.1
The name of the Province is la Provinçù Liveradâ da Fiôvâ, or in English, the Free Province of Fiôvâ.
1.2
The territory of the Province consists of two cantons in south-western Talossa, with the Manaweg as their western and southern border, named (from north to south) el Cantôn Cüféir (Cooper Canton) and Las Înaltàns Maxhéstici (LIM, Majestic Heights). Precise borders shall be those set by the Ziu.
1.3
The capital of the Province is the Mitchell Building in LIM Canton.

Article II — [Symbols]
2.1
The flag of the Province shall be as below:
    Fi flag.png
2.2
The motto of the Province shall be Desfisetz qualsëcosâ denâ (Dare Something Worthy).

Article III — [The General Assembly]
3.1
The supreme authority in in Fiôvâ is the General Assembly of all citizens. The Assembly shall be chaired by a Túischac'h elected by the Assembly.
3.2.
All debates and votes of the General Assembly are public except in the case of national or provincial security, or involving sensitive personal information.
3.3.
Unless otherwise stated in this Constitution, the General Assembly may set its own rules for making decisions, including a quorum for any decisions.

Article IV — [Provincial Executive 1]
4.1
Executive power in Fiôvâ is exercised by a Standing Committee, or Praisidíeu in the national language.
4.2
The Praisidíeu shall consist of 3 members, elected at large by all citizens, by secret ballot and by principles of proportional representation.  Precise details shall be included in law. The Praisideu shall choose a Chair who shall be given the honorable title of Capitán.
4.3
Elections for the Praisidieu shall occur simultaneously with every national Cosă election, or earlier in case of a Vote of Confidence  or the Secretary of State declaring the Praisideu to be vacant. In these latter cases, the Secretary of State may choose a date for an earlier election, or failing that one may be set by resolution of the General Assembly.

Article V — [Provincial Executive 2: Praisideu and General Assembly]
5.1
On any issue where the Praisideu and the General Assembly differ, the will of the General Assembly will prevail.
5.2
The Praisideu shall, as part of their functions described elsewhere in this Constitution, submit legislative proposals to the General Assembly as and when necessary or useful.

Article VI — [Provincial Executive 3: Government]
6.1
The Praisideu may delegate any executive powers to Provincial Ministers. The Ministers are nominated by the Praisideu and confirmed by the Cunstavál. The Ministers are collectively and individually responsible to and may be dismissed by the Praisideu or the General Assembly. The Praisideu and Ministers are collectively known as "the Government".

Article VII — [Legislation and Law]
7.1
Provincial Law consists of (in order of precedence) the Organic Law of the Kingdom of Talossa, the laws of the Federal Ziu (except in matters reserved to the provinces), this Constitution, the Laws passed by the General Assembly, decisions of the Landsdoom, and Executive Orders. Executive Orders are issued by the Cunstavál in the name of the Government and must be co-signed by the Capitán upon the advice and consent of the Praisideu before becoming law. They may be overturned by the General Assembly.
7.2.
The Cunstavál shall promulgate all Amendments to this Constitution passed by a 2/3 majority in the General Assembly, and all other laws passed by a simple majority.

Article VIII — [The Landsdoom]
8.1
Judicial power, including jurisdiction over any dispute relevant to this Constitution, is exercised by a Landsdoom, consisting of one or more adjudicators nominated by the Cunstavál and approved by the General Assembly, as and when necessary. Decisions of the Landsdoom may be appealed to Kingdom Corts.

Article IX — [Secretary of State]
9.1
Elections and maintenance of provincial governmental and electoral archives are conducted by a Secretary of State, elected by the General Assembly.
9.2
The Secretary of State may only be a candidate for the Praisideu if there would otherwise be only two or fewer declared candidates.

Article X — [General Provisions for Officers]
10.1
Any officer empowered by this Constitution may nominate a Deputy to fulfil their functions in case of absence, or to act as a provisional replacement in cases of resignation or dismissal.
10.1.1. Any officer empowered by this Constitution shall be considered absent if they fail to confirm their presence to the General Assembly within seven (7) days of being called upon to do so.
10.2.
All officers empowered by this Constitution may be removed by the General Assembly by means of a Vote of Confidence, which shall require a simple majority to succeed. The Praisideu may be subject to a Vote of Confidence only collectively, not as individuals
10.3
An officer empowered by this Constitution, including members of the Praisideu, shall have vacated their office if they resign, lose their Talossan citizenship, are removed by a Vote of Confidence by the General Assembly, or are absent within the meaning of 10.1.1. above for 30 days or more.
10.3.1.
If a vacancy arises in the Praisideu the remaining members may co-opt any citizen to the vacant role in the Praisideu, subject to ratification of their choice by the General Assembly. If two or more vacancies arise in this way simultaneously, the Secretary of State shall declare the Praisideu to be vacant.
10.3.2.
In a vacancy arises in other any office created under this Constitution, the Praisideu may appoint an Acting holder of that office, who shall function until confirmed or replaced by the Assembly.

So the Second National Survey said that the broad masses were most interested in (a) Talossan-language learning materials; (b) Talossan language texts (original and translated).

So this is a thread for you to register your interest if:

(a) you are actually interested in learning to speak, write and understand our national language;
(b) you have suggestions over what you would like to see written in, or translated into, that language.

A simple "like" will be taken as an expression of interest, but please make further comments.

In a historic decision, the Ziu has voted by the requisite majorities in both Houses to support The Talossa Shall Choose Its King Amendment (55RZ21), also known as the Historic Compromise. This Compromise enshrines the Talossan monarchy, with the provision that the King shall be required to renew his right to the Throne before a National Convocation every 7 years.

In the opinion of the Government, and the outgoing Leader of the Opposition, this compromise is the only way forward from the results of the Ranked Choice Referendum, which show an near-deadlock between pro-Republic and pro-Status Quo forces in this country, which have been trapped in a sterile permanent argument (occasionally erupting into nasty flamewars) since Reunision.

We hope the Regent will allow this Organic Law change to go to the people for their approval in referendum. However, it would be within the Regent's rights to impose his veto, which would require it to seek a new mandate from the 56th Cosă and Senäts. The Regent may gamble that the upcoming election will produce 67 Coså seats (or 4 Senators) opposed to the Compromise, leaving us with the status quo.

This gamble would I think, be a losing one. In such anevent, the Free Democrats and the New Peculiar Way would squarely centre support for the Compromise in their election propaganda; and it seems that the incoming leadership of the LCC, to their credit, also agree that this is the best way forward.

It is possible, of course, that a "NO SURRENDER" ultra-Monarchist party might arise to oppose the compromise, with support of the Regent and certain other prominent and voluble Talossan figures. (As might an ultra-Republican anti-compromise party, though I think the latter would appeal to a tiny minority.)

But if I were a betting woman, I would guess that in that situation - and given the results of the recent Ranked Choice referendum - the 56th Cosă would return a big reformist/Republican majority, with conservative and monarchist forces dispersed, demoralised, and electorally decimated. In such a situation, Republican/reformist forces might be in the position of Darth Vader in Cloud City, to "alter the deal". Conservatives might consider that not worth the risk.

The question the Regent has to answer, then is: what is better for Talossa? To "die on the hill" of defending a life-term for the monarch? Or to bring about a historic social peace, over which the broad majority of Talossans can bond and begin to build trust and patriotic camaraderie? Can Sir Alexandreu Davinescù step up and fulfil the historic task that Senator G. Valcádac'h has been harping on for years - can he complete Reunision?

He can do so by simply not vetoing 55RZ21, allowing it to go to a referendum. The constitutional issue - or at least *that* constitutional issue - can thus be put to bed for a Talossan generation. I urge him to be a hero and do so; but I also note that the Free Democrats are prepared for the alternative.

Creating an overdue Wiki page for the last election

In response to the news that new citizen @NRB lived in Alexandria VA:

Quote from: Miestră Schivă, UrN on September 24, 2020, 03:29:46 PM
You're that close to DC? I'm so sorry, you're going to have to be on the frontlines when the Trump autogolpe happens. Stay strong; the whole world will be counting on you. There are plenty of insane dictators in the world today, but most of them don't have nukes.

Ha ha, did I call the autogolpe right or did I what? It would be interested to hear what NRB did in Jan 6.

1) move Capitán and Praesidium elections so they're simultaneous with Cosa elections
2) abolish the General Assembly (and our tradition of Direct Democracy) and give all legislative power to the Praesidium
3) ???

Not that I want to do either of this, but it's embarassing that the province which is cultural heir to the Republic of the National Schism era is currently a dead-loss :(

As an intellectual exercise I decided to see how hard it would actually be to bring in a unicameral MMP Ziu. Here is a draft amendment which would replace Articles III-V of the current OrgLaw with minimal changes; it mandates "one member one seat", but the precise number of seats and the counting method are left to law. Note that we retain the term "Senator" for MZs elected as individuals by IRV from each province, for ease of amendment.

NB: This would not be sufficient, as the rest of the OrgLaw would also have to be search-and-replaced to replace "Cosa/Senäts" with Ziu. (Not difficult but tedious.) Also, the whole thing would also have to get a 2/3 majority in each Chamber as under OrgLaw XII.1.

QuoteArticle III: The Ziu

Section 1. The Ziu is the national legislative council of Talossa. It shall be composed of:
- one Senator elected from each province;
- a number of Party Seats, equal to or greater than the number of Senators minus one, to be apportioned among political parties, as determined by law.

Section 1.1. The Ziu may administer itself as it sees fit, within the limits set by this Organic Law.

Qualifications for Membership

Section 2. Except as otherwise provided in this Organic Law, any Talossan eligible to vote may be elected or appointed as a Senator, but only for his or her own province; and any Talossan eligible to vote may be elected to a Party Seat.

Section 3. No person may simultaneously hold more than one seat in the Ziu.

Section 4. Neither a reigning King, nor his Consort, nor a Regent during his regency shall under any circumstances be eligible to be elected or appointed to a place in the Ziu.  But if a member of the Ziu is appointed Regent, and does not wish to resign his or her seats, a temporary replacement shall be appointed who shall occupy the Regent's seats until he or she is no longer Regent or his or her term of occupation of those seats expires. The method of appointing the temporary holder of the Regent's seats shall be specified in law.

Section 5.1. The Secretary of State may request from all successfully elected Senators a registration fee, to be set by law, to cover the cost of the election and to be paid before they assume their seat. This fee shall be uniform for all successful candidates.
Section 5.2. Only registered political parties may obtain Party Seats. Parties which win votes but are not registered may not assume their Party Seats until they register. The process to register a party shall be defined by law, but shall include providing a list of candidates ranked in numerical order. The Secretary of State may request from all parties which win seats a registration fee, to be set by law, to cover the cost of the election. This fee shall be uniform for all parties.

Section 6.1 A Member of the Ziu vacates their seat if, not being disqualified from voting by law, they do not vote on two consecutive Clarks; or if they resign from office, lose their citizenship or die.
Section 6.2 No Member of the Ziu shall ever be required to vacate his place during his term of service, due to a change in the qualifications of Member of the Ziu.
Section 6.3. Members of the Ziu may be removed from office by the Uppermost Cort, for criminal activity or for mis-, mal-, or non-feasance.
Section 6.4 The Ziu may impeach any of its members and thereby remove them from the Chamber with a two-thirds majority vote.
Section 6.4.1. If a Senator is impeached, a vote must be held within a fortnight within the home province for the duration of a fortnight with the issue of expulsion by a simple majority of participating voters. If the province votes in the affirmative for expulsion, the Senator will lose his seat immediately at the close of the polls and a new Senator selected as provided below. If the province votes down expulsion, the impeachment charges will be dropped. Following a failed expulsion, the accused Senator may not again be tried for the same offence, pursuant to the Seventh Covenant of the Covenant of Rights and Freedoms. The former Senator is not barred from running for office in future elections as long as the former Senator maintains citizenship.

Filling Vacancies

Section 7. If a Senator's seat becomes vacant before the end of the term, the executive of the province shall appoint a Senator to sit until the next General Election or the next provincial election in that province, whichever is sooner, at which time the people of the province shall elect a Senator to serve the remainder of the term. If the provincial executive fails to appoint a Senator within a fortnight of the vacancy, the King or his Cunstavál shall appoint the Senator.

Section 8. In the case of a Party Seat which had been assigned to an MZ becoming vacant between elections, the King shall appoint the next eligible unsuccessful candidate(s) on the list of that MZ's Party from the previous election to that Seat or Seats. If there is no eligible unsuccessful candidate remaining, the King shall appoint as a replacement whichever person shall be so designated by that party's leader. If there is no functioning party leader, or if the party leader refuses to designate a replacement, the King shall appoint the replacement according to his own best judgement.

Conduct of the Ziu

Section 9. A 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, subject to the provisions elsewhere in this Organic Law. 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.

Section 10. The Ziu shall, after every general election, choose one of its members to be the President of the Ziu to be called the Mençéi, or in English the Lord President; and as often as the office of Mençéi becomes vacant the Ziu shall again choose a member to be the Mençéi. The Mençéi shall cease to hold office if he ceases to be a senator. The Mençéi may be removed from office by a vote of the Ziu, or he may resign his office or seat by writing addressed to the King, or by public declaration.

Section 11. The Seneschal may insert between any two Clarks, or after the final Clark, a "month of recess" in which no Clark is published. No more than one "month of recess" may be declared during any one term of office.

Section 12. The Seneschal may appeal to the King to issue a Writ of Dissolution to dissolve the Ziu before its term has expired and call new elections. If the appeal is presented accompanied by the explicit support of members of the Cosa representing a majority of seats therein, the King shall dissolve the Ziu effective immediately or, should there be a Clark in progress, upon the completion of the Clark. If the appeal lacks such an explicit expression of support from a majority of the Ziu, the King shall not act on the appeal for a period of three days following its receipt, and shall then accede to the appeal but only if the Crown has not been presented during that time with a petition, supported by members of the Ziu representing more than half the seats therein, praying that the Cosa be not dissolved. A Writ, once issued, takes effect only at the end of the month in which it was issued, and may be rescinded before it has taken effect. \

Section 13. The Ziu may set and hold Living Zius (live parliamentary meetings) to coincide with a Clark as described by law, so long as all Members of the Ziu have ample opportunity to submit their votes remotely.

Article IV: Elections

Section 1 The Ziu shall be elected by universal popular vote by all adult citizens after each dissolution.

Section 2 All elections to the Ziu are to be conducted during a period beginning from the fifteenth day of the calendar month following the dissolution of the prior Ziu until 11:59 p.m. on the fourteenth day of the subsequent month. All ballots must be cast by 7:30 p.m. on the first day of the subsequent month. The first day of this period is called "Balloting Day", the first day of the subsequent month is called the "Election Deadline", and the final day of the period is called the "Certification Deadline."

Section 3. Every citizen shall have two votes, to choose:
a) a candidate for Senator from their province, ranking as many candidates as they choose to in numerical order of preference (the "Senator Vote');
b) a numerically-ranked list of candidates provided by a political party (a "Party Vote").
Section 3.1. Where a Provincial Government so requests, they may conduct the election of the Senator for that province, communicating the results thereof to the Chancery before the Certification Deadline. In the event that an election for Senator conducted by a Provincial Government appears likely to fail to proceed, the Chancery may request a Cort injunction allowing the Chancery to assume control of the Senator election in that Province.

Section 4. The Secretary of State shall, along with an Electoral Commission, certify each election to the Ziu, including any additional ballot items, pursuant to rules, regulations, and deadlines as prescribed by the Ziu; notwithstanding that any such certification must be made following the Election Deadline and prior to the Certification Deadline, unless an order be issued by a court of competent jurisdiction to stay the Certification Deadline.

Section 5. During the election period as defined in this article, the Secretary of State shall in every particular conduct the election according to the election laws in such a manner which affords to every citizen the opportunity to cast a vote for the party and the Senator of his choice, affords every citizen the opportunity the choice to vote either publicly or privately, and does not discriminate against any party or individual in the collection or tallying of votes. The Secretary of State shall make public the exact procedures by which he will comply with election law, subject to certification by an Electoral Commission as prescribed by law.

Section 6. When the Election Deadline has passed, a tally of votes is publicly announced. Any votes cast after the Election Deadline, are null and void. Furthermore, if a voter returns more than one vote at any time during the election period, the first one cast is counted and the others are ignored.

Section 7.1. In case of a tie between two or more candidates for Senator from a province, the executive officer of the province as of the Election Deadline shall break the tie.
Section 7.2. Based on the final results of the General Election, the Secretary of State shall calculate the apportionment of seats among the parties. Each party shall receive a number of Party Seats to make its total number of seats (including Senators) as equal as possible to its percentage of the Party Vote. The Secretary of State shall employ whatever mathematical formulae and calculations in the apportionment of Party seats as are set by law, or, in the absence of such law, as will best reflect the intentions of this Organic Law. The Uppermost Cort shall be the final judge in case of mathematical disputes.
Section 7.2.1 The Secretary of State shall award one Party Seat in turn to the highest-ranking candidates on each party's list, excluding any who were elected as Senators, up to the total number of their Party Seat entitlement as determined above. A Party which receives more seats than it has candidates on its list may expand its list to add additional, lower-ranked candidates, up until the tenth day of the First Clark. Any Party Seats unallocated to candidates after that date shall remain vacant for the term of that Ziu.

Section 8. If a voter initially forgets to vote for a Senator, the voter may, until the Election Deadline, still cast a vote for a Senator.

I think this would enable us to have to consider each bill separately in each Chamber, increasing the amount of scrutiny:

QuoteX1. The Clark shall comprise two sections; one, including bills to be considered by the Senäts; the other, including bills to be considered by the Cosă as well as the Vote of Confidence. No bill shall be voted on in both sections in the same month, except to override a Royal veto.

X2. A bill shall be considered first in the chamber where its primary sponsor sits. If the bill is approved by one Chamber, and the bill does not have a secondary sponsor from the other chamber, the Chair of that chamber shall Clark it for that chamber upon its sponsor's request.

Also amend the existing H.11 thus:

QuoteThe same bill can not be submitted to the same chamber on the Clark more than once in the same Cosa, unless:
- the original bill was vetoed
- the original bill had been retired or voted down by its main sponsor during the voting period
- the bill has been substantially amended, as judged by the Secretary of State.
- the original bill has been passed by the other chamber in identical form on an intervening Clark; in which case it may not be submitted a third time except as provided in the three cases above.

This can be combined with the other Legislating Fix, OR either of them can be adopted separately. They'd both be good reforms, it's just what people prefer.

There's another, bigger question of "depowering the Senäts" so the Cosă can push its will through in certain circumstances, but that opens the door to Wholesale OrgLaw Reform, and I won't worry about that until after the election.

The effective changes in this proposal are:

1) to require a bill to get the affirmative support of half of both chambers of the Ziu, as expressed in the Hopper, to proceed to Committee.
2) the Committee phase to be compulsory but last a maximum of 30 days.
3) make it easier to set up different committees with specialist areas of interests (eg. an Organic Law committee, a Finance committee, etc.)

At the very worst, this would draw out and lengthen the legislative process, unless legislators became more active. Some might consider this a good thing, as opposed to two or three activist MZs to write every Clark by themselves and just get pushed through on the Clark by apathetic hand-raisers. I expect even the conservatives will think that a good thing as long as progressives have the legislative majority! To sweeten the deal, I would also be happy to give up OrgLaw VII.6, which enables the Seneschál to "skip" the Hopper.

To replace El Lexhatx H.6-7 and H.11-13. Questions? Comments?

Quote6. No bill may be published in a Clark unless it has passed the Hopper, as provided in this section.

6.1.  All citizens of Talossa are entitled to participate fully in discussions and debates in the Hopper, within the bounds of law and of the decisions of the administering and presiding authorities of the Hopper. Any citizen may submit a draft of legislation to the Hopper, though these shall not be considered to be "legislative proposals" until sponsored by one or more individuals authorised to submit legislative proposals under Organic Law VII.5.

6.2. After a legislative proposal has spent at least 10 days in the Hopper, its proposer may request that it "move to committee". A bill shall be considered to have "moved to committee" after at least half of the Senators and half of the Cosă seats express their support in the Hopper for it doing so.

6.3. A Legislative Advisory Committee of Talossa (in Talossan, el Comità da Redacziun Legislatïu; and hereinafter, "the CRL") shall review or revise all legislative items from the Hopper once they have moved to committee; and may recommend acceptance or rejection, or suggest amendments in their best judgment.
6.3.1 The CRL shall conduct all its deliberations openly in the Hopper.
6.3.2 The CRL shall consist of the incumbent Mençéi, Túischac'h, and Avocat-Xheneral.
6.3.3. The CRL may create further committees to which their functions may be delegated, as concerns any bill or category of bills. Such a committee must have at least 3 members, including at least 1 MC and at least 1 Senator.

6.4. After the CRL has given its recommendation, or if it gives no recommendation within 30 days of the bill having passed to committee, the sponsor of the bill may ask for it to be Clarked, with or without amendments.
6.4.1 The same bill can not be submitted to the Clark more than once in the same Cosa, unless the original bill was vetoed, the original bill had been retired or voted down by its main sponsor during the voting period, or the bill has been substantially amended, as judged by the Secretary of State.
6.4.2. Bills must be submitted to the Secretary of State more than 24 hours before the publication of the Clark. Bills received less than 24 hours before publication of the Clark shall be published in the next Clark or postponed for one Clark, at the Secretary of State's discretion.

6.5. The Secretary of State is empowered to refuse to put a certain bill on a Clark if said bill;
6.5.1. appears to him to be obviously on its face inorganic, or to have such grave errors as would make it ineffective and/or require further legislation or a Prime Dictate to make it effective.
6.5.2. does not specify exactly the Law(s) or Article(s) which it seeks to amend, change, or repeal, if the bill seeks to amend, change, or repeal any Article of the Organic Law or any Law
6.5.3. is not clearly typed or word-processed; and/or
6.5.4. is so substantially different from its form as a legislative proposal when "passed to committee" that it constitutes a significantly different proposal.
6.5.5. Any such decision shall be subject to judicial review.

6.6. All bills submitted for the Clark shall be in one of the national languages.

6.7. The Secretary of State shall remove legislative proposals from "The Hopper" at the request of the author.
6.7.1 If a legislative proposal has remained in the "The Hopper" for more than 59 days, it shall be considered to have been removed, though any person entitled to do so may subsequently re-publish it.

6.8. Notwithstanding the rules about a bill's eligibility to be Clarked, if no bill was submitted to the Clark at the moment of publication, the Secretary of State shall be allowed to add to the Clark a simple bill asking for Quorum where Cosa Members and Senators can vote to confirm their presence for the Clark.

6.9. The Secretary of State is under no obligation to create a permanent record of legislative proposals in "The Hopper."

What if... we made a rule that every bill in the Hopper at the end of the month will get Clarked unless its sponsor(s) ask for it not to be? If everything in here could possibly be up for a vote in the next month, maybe people would take bills more seriously, and not just assume that if it's not being talked about it's on the trash bin.

El Lexhatx F.40.2 reads, in part:

QuoteOnce per Cosa, and during the final Clark of a Cosa, the Sovereign shall conduct an Investitures Ceremony where the recipients of these awards shall be announced. The Sovereign shall formally present award insignia to those recipients on behalf of the body conferring the award.

The Government, after consultation with the Regent and with the Leader of the Opposition, therefore announces that we are recommending the following citizens for national honours, to be presented by the Regent at an Investitures Ceremony to be held during the last Clark, i.e. next month.

1. Knight of the Order of the Flag: @Gödafrïeu Valcádac'h

The Order of the Flag is reserved by the Crown for recognition of outstanding contributions in patriotic acts, and (with Crossed Sabers) for outstanding military merit to the nation through leadership, development and long service in the Talossan Armed Forces. The Order of the Flag has one grade, that of Knight or Dame, and admitted members to the order are entitled to add the honorific 'UrB' to their name. (El Lexhatx 40.1.2.2)

The Government recommends that Senator G. Valcádac'h be admitted to this august order in recognition of:

• His superlative efforts in collating and making available Talossa's Royal Archives, while preserving the personal privacy of other citizens, which have gained to this date neither the formal support nor the accolades he deserves.
• His extremely long service as a Talossan citizen, spanning two decades, two stints as Seneschál of the Kingdom, one as Seneschál of the Republic during the National Schism, and his continued patriotic endeavours.

2. Seneschál's Medal for Merit: @Eðo Grischün

Senator Grischün is awarded this medal for his outstanding work updating and expanding talossa.com, the National Webspace, and the launch of our own national social network, talossa.net.

3. The Talossan Meritorious Service Cross: @Cresti da Nouacastra

This award "is specifically intended to recognize those individuals who through meritorious acts performed outside Talossa which bring benefit and honour to the Kingdom of Talossa and the Crown." (Lex. F.40.1.2.4). Cxhn. Nouacastra, in the course of his service in the National Guard of the United States of America, was part of the forces defending the democratic elections of our Big Neighbour in the face of a violent reactionary uprising in Washington DC on January 6, 2021/XLII. This is an act of internationalism that we should all be proud of.

---

To reiterate: while the Seneschál's Medal and the Meritorious Service Cross are in the gift of the Government, the Knighthood "UrB" is in the gift of the King (or Regent) upon recommendation of the Government. So I suppose we'll wait for the Regent's confirmation.

Miestra A. Schiva, Seneschál

What support would there be for the following amendments?

1) From Section 5, paragraph 2:

QuoteThe 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 nominated by each political party which shall have earned representation in the Cosâ at the most recent general election.

(Rationale: a party might want to nominate someone else than their "recognized leader" as Seneschal, why not)

2) First sentence of Section 6:

QuoteThe second Clark of every Ziu may entertain business as normal, but especially shall occur after a month of recess following the first Clark.

Why do we need a compulsory month of recess? If an incoming Seneschál needs a while to get their Cabinet together, they can ask the King/Regent for a month of recess under OrgLaw IV.9. Having each Cosa last 8 months, during two of which the Ziu can't consider legislation, seems to drag on people's patience.

WHEREAS the 31st Cosa chose to deal with the lack of Talossan law against "murder, rape, robbery" and other serious crimes against the person by incorporating the laws of the State of Wisconsin into Talossan law, where indigenous Talossan law does not contradict them;

AND WHEREAS the 35th Cosa amended this to specify only certain sections of the Wisconsin Statutes, which currently comprise sections A.1-4 of El Lexhatx;

AND WHEREAS this means that a thorough knowledge of Talossan law necessarily requires a knowledge of Wisconsin law;

AND WHEREAS Wisconsin law has never in fact been used to punish infamous crimes committed by Talossan citizens, such as statutory rape;

AND WHEREAS the practice of Talossan law and jurisprudence should be open to all Talossans, not just those who are already professional lawyers;

AND WHEREAS the only way Wisconsin law has been used in Talossa is by trained practitioners of United States law introducing Wisconsin precedent into their Talossan legal briefs, giving those trained in United States law an unfair advantage over those who are only trained in Talossan law;

AND WHEREAS we should find a different way to achieve the original intent of the measure, which was to make infamous crimes against the person a crime under Talossan law;

AND WHEREAS the basic principles of what is moral, right and good under Talossan law are already contained in our Covenant of Rights and Freedoms;

AND WHEREAS previous versions of the Organic Law specified "generally accepted principles of Anglo-American law" as a foundation for Talossan law, but this has been removed;

AND WHEREAS it is wise to re-establish some legislative basis for Talossan juridical practice;


BE IT ENACTED by the Ziu that sections A.1-4 of El Lexhatx are replaced in their entirety by the following:

Quote1. The basis of all Talossan law and jurisprudence are the principles contained in the Covenant of Rights and Freedoms.

2. Where Talossan statute law is silent, Talossan courts shall make decisions in accordance with Talossan juridical precedent. Judges may also use precedent from other legal systems with which they are familiar to guide their decisions, though such precedent shall not be binding.

3. Behaviour by any Talossan citizen which is repugnant to the principles contained in the Covenant of Rights and Freedoms is an offence, and Courts may apply any punishment authorised by Organic and statute law to those convicted of such behaviour, in strict proportion to the severity of the offence and the presence or absence of any mitigating circumstances.

4. For repugnant behaviour as described above which takes place outside Talossa, conviction by a credible judicial authority in another jurisdiction shall count as prima facie evidence.

Pursuant to section 4 of 55RZ12, and consequent upon the success of Option One, "an elected head of State" in the Ranked Choice Referendum, a majority of the Cabinet hereby offers the following proposal as the starting-point for debate. We hasten to emphasise that this proposal is designed to assuage the fears and doubts of Talossan monarchists as much as possible, while retaining the elective principle.

The proposal is to replace the current Organic Law II.3, namely

QuoteThe King of Talossa is King John I, until his demise, abdication, or removal from the throne. Should the King at any time renounce or lose his citizenship, that renunciation or loss shall be deemed to imply his abdication of the Throne. Upon the demise, abdication, or removal from the Throne of the King, the Uppermost Cort shall be a Council of Regency.

with the following:

Quote

• The King of Talossa shall be chosen by a National Conclave of all members of the Ziu, all members of the Cort Pü Inalt, and the heads of government of all provinces. Every member of the Conclave shall have one vote.
• The Conclave shall be chaired by the Senior Judge of the CpI, or in their absence the next available CpI judge in order of seniority, unless it decides differently. The Conclave shall assemble upon the 6th anniversary of a King acceding to the Throne, or at any time that there is no King.
• The candidate chosen by the conclave shall be approved by the nation in referendum, and then receive the title of "Heir Presumptive".
• Upon the demise, abdication, or removal from the Throne of the King, the Heir Presumptive shall swear an oath promising to protect and uphold the Organic Law of Talossa and the rights of all its citizens, and thereupon become King of Talossa. If there is no Heir Presumptive, the Uppermost Cort shall be a Council of Regency until an Heir Presumptive is chosen.
• Unless the King of Talossa is chosen as their own Heir Presumptive, they shall be deemed to have abdicated upon having served in that role for 7 years.

We aim to put this, or some other proposal to similar effect, to a vote during this Cosa.

• Put his picture on a Talossan stamp
• A grove of memorial trees
• The first entry in a Talossan Online Hall of Remembrance

Any other ideas?

Estimadăs és estimäts cüncitaxhiens:

The 55th Coså budget set a target of ℓ325 ($US487.50) in voluntary fundraising to fund our programme.

I am announcing today the PATRIOT POINTS programme to encourage broad participation in the fundraising scheme. Every citizen gets one Patriot Point for every $1 of "voluntary taxation" (donations) (click the CONTRIBUTE graphic on the front page of our national website) or stamp/coins sales, as confirmed by the Burgermeister of Internal Revenue.

Whoever has the most PATRIOT POINTS on 15th April* this year will receive the Seneschál's Medal for Merit in the regularly-scheduled Investitures Ceremony (El Lexhatx F.40.2). Second prize is a fancy certificate. Third prize is you're fired a slightly less fancy certificate.

Please bear in mind that this Voluntary Taxation Programme is proof of concept. If Talossans respond to it well, we can consider removing other forms of taxation - for example, the fees to run in Cosa/Senäts elections. I'm not personally a fan of pay-to-play democracy, but we can consider abolishing them if Talossans show that they are responsible enough to fund State activities voluntarily.

Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favour.


* or 15th May if we have a month of recess

Whereas @the Government's original choice for Interior Minister had to resign before the new Ziu even met, and whereas the Distáin has been covering the portfolio since then, and the Distáin is severely overworked, and whereas a bigger Cabinet with more voices and more capability for doing jobs is always better:

therefore I am happy to recommend to the Regent, under Organic Law VI.3, that @Adam Grigoriu be named Minister of the Interior. Note that this will mean cxhn. Grigoriu having to give up his two Permanent Secretary roles, but I'm sure we can cover for those.

Quote from: Miestră Schivă, UrN on May 10, 2020, 11:22:36 PM
New Zealand will be coming out of lockdown starting on Thursday. We have had around 20 deaths in total; there are 100 remaining cases, mainly in nursing homes. We seem to have broken the back of this monster, and hopefully our national wealth will not suffer.

Meanwhile, Australia, the UK and the US are suffering because the growth of conspiracy theory in those countries means that the social discipline required to enforce public health measures are lacking. That's what happens when you let your population get dumbed down.

Turns out that, due to efficient and scientifically-backed action from our Government which was supported by the broad mass of the population, we not only beat COVID-19 back with only 25 deaths in total, but we actually had modest, but positive, economic growth for 2020. Only Taiwan of the developed nations can say the same.