The United Lunar Federation

roy_mustang · Site Admin Joined: 06 May 2007 Posts: 18

Official Charter of the United Lunar Federation

Preamble
We, the members of the United Lunar Federation (ULF), come together as a group of friends in a spirit of cooperation, good-will, and unity to draft this Charter of our alliance. Through this living document we establish colonial rights, a formal government, provide for the general welfare of the alliance, assist nations in domestic growth, establish an alliance wide defense, and together reap the blessings of the strength that flows from our common unity.

Article I: Admission & Membership

Section 1: Admission
To gain admission into ULF, each colony must state, on these offsite forums, the following:

1. Colony Name
2. Colony Founder
3. Username
4. Strength
5. Previous Alliances(if any)
6. War Status
7. Time Zone(for military purposes)
8. Recruiter

Section 2: Membership
A: Membership shall be granted to applying colonies by a member upon approval of the Director of Internal Affairs or an authorized subordinate.

B: Membership in other alliances is not allowed.

C: All ULF members agree to be bound by this Charter. Any member found in violation of any of these clauses may be subject to disciplinary action by the Cabinet.

Article II: The Cabinet & Alliance Officials

Section 1: Government Structure
ULF seeks to provide member nations many different opportunities to get involved. The Executive Branch can be divided into two sections - elected officials and appointed officials. The elected official portion of the Executive Branch consists of the Director of Foreign Affairs, Director of Defense, and Prime Minister. The appointed official portion of the Executive Branch is the Director of Internal Affairs, and Education. The final official of the Executive Branch, the President is the founder of our alliance and should be considered the senior official in alliance matters.

Section 2: President/Founder
The position of President is permanently held by roy_mustang, founder of the alliance. He serves for life or until resignation, in which case he may designate his replacement.

The Office of President is an unelected position. The President acts as the chief executive of the alliance and the primary official, responsible for appointing cabinet members and setting policy. Makes any executive decisions not otherwise specified in the Charter.

Section 3: The Prime Minister
The Prime Minister of the United Lunar Federation is elected to office. The primary duties of the Prime Minister are to serve as the senior officer of the alliance in the absence of the President and to assist in the administration of the various departments of the Federation government.

Section 4: The Cabinet
Director of Defense: the commanding military officer of the Federation and is charged with overseeing the Department of Defense. The Director of Defense is allowed one Deputy Director of Defense for each military division of the Federation. The Deputy Director of Defense is an appointed position that is not required to be confirmed by the Senate before taking office.

The Director of Foreign Affairs is the chief public relations officer of the Federation and is charged with overseeing all foreign relations and treaty signing operations. The Director of Foreign Affairs is allowed one Deputy Director of Foreign Affairs for each diplomatic division of the Federation. The Deputy Director of Foreign Affairs is an appointed position that is not required to be confirmed by the Senate before taking office.

The Director of Internal Affairs is charged with overseeing the internal operations of the Federation. This includes all internal elections and votes as well as the aid and growth systems.
The DoIA is also charged with developing, maintaining, and executing the cadet training program of the Federation, as well as maintaining the Academy of the Federation. The DoIA oversees all recruitment and retention operations of the Federation. The Director of Internal Affairs is allowed three Deputy Directors of Internal Affairs for the entire Department of Internal Affairs.

The Chief Officer is appointed by the Prime Minister, and is the Federation's equivalent of a High Magistrate, and will be the judge in trials regarding inacceptable actions by an alliance member.

Section 5: Order of Succession
In the event of a Federation emergency the order of succession of the day to day running of the federation is as follows:

1. President;
2. Prime Minister;
3. Director of Foreign Affairs;
4. Chief Officer

Cabinet members may appoint a substitute for their role in case they expect to be temporarily absent. For unexpected absences, or those extending beyond the length of term, the President may appoint a substitute.

Section 6: The Senate
The Senate will consist all members of the rank Agent and above. The Senate represents the voice of the people to the President. This is done through an advisory process via direct representation of the people to the President, the General Assembly and through voting on simple matters.

A. The Prime Minister is responsible for organizing and administrating the Senate Discussion and Voting Hall forums. All members are equal and proxy votes are not allowed.

B: A ULF member may submit to the appropriate minister any suggestion they may have. That suggestion may become a new policy or it may be handed over to the President. Depending on the complexity the President may either affirm it or send it out to the Senate for a vote. A simple majority by participating members is all that is required to pass minor proposals.

On most occasions a time of discussion will be given to the full membership before a Senate vote. The only exceptions would be emergency issues and highly sensitive matters where the question of spies receiving information would harm the Federation.

C: The Senate represents the Federation in times when a trial or internal situation arises where there is need for a judicial system. The Chief Officer acts as the judge. The Prime Minister as the prosecutor. The accused ULF member may ask anyone they would like to be their counsel.

D: In the 72 hours after the announcement of a veto by the President, a motion to overturn that veto may be proposed, by any full ULF member. Such a motion seconded by a ½ quorum will be brought to a Trustee vote. A super-majority is required to overturn any Presidential veto. If such a motion fails to override a veto, said veto may not be challenged again.

Article III: Elections

A: Until such time as the President deems appropriate and the alliance expands to the point where democratic elections are viable and possible, the initial elected positions will be done by appointment. When elections begin it will be as follows:

B: Prime Minister and Director of Foreign Affairs positions are permanent until either should step aside. At that point the president will arrange for elections to take effect on the first day of every even month, according to the following schedule: 2 days open for nominations, 3 days for campaigning and 2 days for voting. Each stage of the elections process begins and ends at update.

C: During the nomination period, ULF members may nominate themselves for one office. If a ULF member is unable to nominate themselves during the nomination period, they may do so before nominations begin by PMing the President, who will in turn share the nomination with the floor once nominating begins. Once a member receives 3 nominations (a nominated and 2 seconds) they are nominated and on the ballot. Only one person can be nominated per person.

D: ULF members may cast one vote for each Office. The nation gaining the highest amount of votes for each Office is elected.

E: In the event of a tie for Prime Minister, a run-off election for the office in question will begin at the next update following the close of voting. Only the candidates with the most votes for the office(s) in a tie will participate. Voting for the run-off election shall last 48 hours. In the event of another tie, the President shall appoint one of the candidates to the position.

F: The President shall certify and post election results within 24 hours of the end of voting. Election winners enter office upon certification the 1st day of the new month at update.

Article IV: War & Nuclear Weapons

Section 1: War
A: ULF seeks peace between its members and other colonies of the moon. Signatories are prohibited from conducting unprovoked attacks against any member of an alliance without a full declaration of war.

B: Should a member nation be the victim of an attack, all ULF members pledge to use Diplomatic, Informational, Military, and Economic measure to rally their full support in defense of the attacked colony, aiding reconstruction and war efforts to the best of their abilities.

Section 2: Nuclear Weapons
A: Nuclear research, posing a critical advantage in colonial development, is embraced by the organization.

B: Development of nuclear weapons should be strictly for defensive purposes. Nuclear colonies should notify the DoD that they went nuclear so ULF can keep track of which of our members have nuclear firepower.

Approval for nuclear attack must be approved by the DoD. Any nation ignoring this article may be dismissed from the Federation immediately. In the event of an offensive nuclear launch without cause or approval ULF will not, except under extreme circumstances, come to the aid of the offending nation. The nation will be considered a nuclear rogue and be treated accordingly.
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All-Powerful President