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We're approaching the end of my term, and as I have agreed to serve as Vice President to the only candidate to announce his intention to replace me, Ullok, it is safe to say that the end of this term will see an end to rule by jamesw.

This is no bad thing - as the Founder and original PP of the party I am always here to pick up the slack should we lack members who can, or will, lead us. Do not take the end of jamesw as me being some sort of tired and near death quitter - I will still be here, helping any and all who ask or need me. However, any month where I am PP, is a month where new ideas, fresh faces and if nothing else, a fresh take on the role or direction of ESO as a party is missed. Do not confuse this to mean that we should always elect new players to the game: we should instead focus on encouraging anyone, regardless of age, to give it a go. All that is required is some ideas, the ability to put the work in, and of course, ESO Membership! (the game only lets you elect a fellow party member.

Thus, it should be clear that in the upcoming Party President elections, you have a choice to vote, but I would ask that you judge candidates the same way we judge Presidential candidates: looking at their plans, their experience, their personality and then make your judgement.



Onwards from replacing me, lets get down to some of the work I've been up to in my quiet-time. As you've seen in the ESO feed, I have been busy with Masters and Real Life situations, however here I am, with a tentative proposal for your discussion. Alas, it is too late in the term for this to be completed as I had hoped, before our new Party President is sworn in and elected, however, I'd like to be in a position for the discussion to have taken place, and leave only the voting period (which I will run myself, should the new PP wish to focus his time elsewhere) to complete. Thus, please see below. In italics is the existing wording of the constitution, any text removed will be struck-through and additions will be underlined. Please note that not all of the constitution is being changed - but the parts which have been under discussion and review will have the reasons behind this explained.

We will then have a debate as a party (both on the forums and via the mass PM system that we have used and trialled this month). After this debate (and in the next Party President's term) we will then conclude the process with a vote: do we adopt these changes or not?! Please note, if it hasn't already been made clear to you, any member of the party can propose a constitutional change. The only qualifying criteria is that it must have the support of a majority of the party to be adopted.



Sections not being changed (viewable on the Wiki page, here are: Section 1 (mission statement), 2 (independence), 5 (impeachment of the party president), 8 (charity). The rest of the sections (3, 4, 6, 7 and 9). I will now outline the original wording of each section, the proposed change(s), and reasons given for them.


Section 3 - The members
All members will be judged as equal, regardless of their stature, history or ambitions. IRC and forum activity will not be used to discriminate between members. Active membership will be determined as the number of respondents to the latest in-game party census stating that they wish to be counted as active members. These censuses will be conducted on the 20th day of each month. The total number of respondents by the end of a 72 hour period following the issue of the census will form the number to be used in the calculation of all voting figures.Active membership will be determined by the number of respondents within 72 hours when in game group messages are setup. Responses can either be via the message, or the matching forum thread (one thread is setup for each message group - if someone should reply both on the forum and in game, only one will count)

The thinking behind this change is, that the census hasn't been run for a long time. As well as that, to have a separate message when we will have group messages up and running, seems to add work for the Party HQ that is unnecessary and time-consuming.

Section 4 - The Party Structure
Each month the party will elect a party president in line with the game mechanics. There will be no “preferred” candidates, and those seeking (re)election will have to gain the support of the party on their own merits. Upon election, A party president will be expected to appoint a Vice Party President A Spokesman, A Councillor and a Secretary General. who will cover the role in any instances of inactivity, or take over should an impeachment occur. The Vice Party President will also be available for additional tasks if the Party President asks them.
The role of Councillor will be to oversee the party's congressional candidates. The Councillor will be expected to offer guidance and support to those without experience, ensure all party representatives engage in good practice. They will also be expected to ensure Congress Members give updates on their progress, for publication by the Party Spokesman.

The role of Spokesman will be to be the mouthpiece of the party. The Spokesman will be expected to publish official articles of the party: announcements of policy, enacting platforms (for instance, Eat Some Omelette), and content relating to members: for instance interviews with Congress Members, ex Party Presidents, or general UK citizens, etc). Recruitment Articles should also be published or at least publicised, by the Spokesman.

The role of Vice Party President will be to assist the Party President with content, platforms and other proposals to engage current members of the party. These will include but not be limited to, group messages based on specific parts of the game, (for instance, economics, etc). Real life based discussions (for instance, football, formula 1, etc).

The role of Secretary General will be to asisst the Party President with content, platforms and other proposals to engage new members of the party. That is, welcome them to the party, and bring them up to speed with what the parties is, what we do, and how we do it. Most importantly, The Secretary General will do this in a method which fully encapsulates the values and approach of ESO.

The role of the Party President is to oversee the rest of the in game roles, as well as a group of dedicated ESO volunteers. Not only will the Party President lead the party, they will also be responsible for leading the group that works together to further ESO that month. The PP will be responsible for ensuring all members have a chance to volunteer, and once they do so, ensuring everyone has a set role or area to help with. The Party President is also responsible for ensuring all parts of the party are operating in a way which is consistent with both the ESO constitution, and the traditional approach of openness, honesty, and free from overly partisan manipulation.

This change is mainly about reflecting changes in the game: the introduction of 'party roles' has meant that it is no longer the Party President which has a role to play in the governing and activity of the Party: other users can (and should) be given the chance to help. This change will ensure the workload is split and the roles can be accessible (if you dont know what to do, how can you do it?) to all.

Section 6 - Elections
6.1 - Congress Elections
Party presidents will be responsible for opening applications for congressional elections to both party members, and any members of non top 5 parties. Party members will be given first refusal; with non-members being allocated seats after each party member has been placed.The Party President can decide the order of Congressional Candidates based on his own criteria, but this must be in-keeping with the wider ESO approach as outlined in this Constitution. Applications will begin when the Party President wishes to do so, but the final lists are to be published and effectively communicated to the party by the 23nd of each month.
The Party President must ensure that there is adequate representation of each cross section of ESO.

6.2 - Presidential Elections
Presidential elections will begin with the party allowing its own members to put themselves forward on the 26th of each month, or earlier if the Party President wishes so. Should no party members come forward, the party president is also responsible for compiling a list of the other party’s candidates, if and when other parties have selected them. A discussion period will take place from the time the list is published and communicated to all members, but must be concluded before the end of the calendar month. The first poll will be held on the 1st of the month at the latest. For a candidate to win the poll they must receive 51% of the vote or more to produce a majority. Should no candidate satisfy these conditions, the party president is duty bound to create a second poll, with the top two candidates from the first poll. To win this poll, a candidate must receive 51% majority or more of all votes cast. Should no candidate satisfy this, no candidate will receive ESO party backing. The setting of the official candidate for the party, or for the official support for another candidate, must be concluded at least 12 hours before the in-game deadline of 00:00 Erepublik time, on the 3rd of the month.

6.3 - Party President Elections
Candidates should communicate their plans and goals for the term in advance of election day. To ensure that candidates get as much help as possible, the current Party President should also oversee the recruitment process for the Party Officials (in game roles) for the following month, towards the end of the term. The incoming Party President can choose to remove anyone they feel should be replaced.

This change is once more, about reflecting changes in the game mechanics. The method of electing congress has change😛 it is no longer about electing people per region: there is a national list. Thus, even if we are the smallest party, as long as we are in 5th position we're guaranteed some spaces. Thus, we should not bind ourselves towards accepting other party members running: we are not big enough to be able to run both our own members and other party's. Ensuring this is at the discretion of party members and the party officials is the only thing we can do.

Section 7 - The Legion
The ESO Legion ('Legion') is a military unit founded by ESO members in late 2011. Despite being affiliated with the party, they are run as independent entities, and as such, there is no requirement to join Legion as an ESO member or vice versa.there are no longer any connections between The Legion and ESO, apart from the fact it was founded and run in its early days, by ESO members. ESO members are also amongst the majority of those who donate their time and money to fund and run the unit to this day. Should The Legion at any point request donations or further help, Party Officials must ensure that every ESO member is informed about the need, and given information on how they can (if they chose to) help The Legion.

This change is yet another update; ESO and The Legion are no longer connected. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't help The Legion, should they ask for it (hence the last sentence!)

Section 9 - Section 9 ~ Amendments to the Constitution
An amendment can be proposed if sponsored by 10% of the active population or by the Party President. If an amendment is proposed, the Party President is compelled to contact every member with information on the changes and where it can be accessed to vote. The vote shall run for 72 hours and must obtain at least 15 unique votes, an amendment is considered passed if it receives 51% of the votes or more.

The Party President officials retain a veto over amendments to all sections except the fifth , provided there is universal agreement amongst them. They are and is required to stipulate their reasoning in full. A vetoed amendment may be reintroduced after 48 hours and must be sponsored by 15% of the active member base.

As the PP is no longer the sole 'official' of the party, it made sense that we should only allow the veto of a constitutional change should all of those charged with leading us agree to it.

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I appreciate any and all feedback on these proposals. I will give it a few days for this article to be digested. We will then begin our final group PM of my term, this time with an associated Forum Thread (which will be linked in the PM) for each discussion group. Further information on the process will be provided at the time.

Regards, for the next to last time as Party President,
jamesw