UIP CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION!

Day 952, 14:19 • Published in USA USA • by WmQ374


Hello UIP,

After many hours of tireless work, J03 Freyer and I have released our draft of the NEW UIP Constitution.

While we put a lot of effort into it, we know it's still not finished and not yet perfected...

That's why we need all of you to get on the Forum, read it over, and then add your two cents! All opinions are encouraged! I look forward to hearing all your thoughts and for those of you who do not have access to the private area of the forum, I posted a copy of the constitution below!

Best,
Tepwnzor

Article I - Definitions

Not Finished

Article II - Party Ideology

UNITED - It is through unity that we find strength as a party. We are united in a desire to put the good of the country before the good of our party. We are also united in our belief in the importance of equal opportunity and free speech. We believe that debate and an open competition of ideas is critical in helping to determine the direction of both our party and country. We uphold the importance of friendliness, helpfulness, and charity, believing that people are more important than politicking. Our goal is to move the nation forward together in the best possible way, and to define that way through intelligent debate.

INDEPENDENTS - Our party recognizes the foundational importance of individualism and free thought. Our party makes no member requirements based on political ideologies. We reject the notion of a "hive mentality" and stand as a party for those who don't wish to be part of a mindless conglomerate. We recognize the value of every party member, and are committed to supporting candidates and leadership solely on the basis of individual merit.

PARTY - We are committed to having a good time! We strive to create a positive atmosphere where all people, both members and non-members alike, feel valued and welcomed. Our goal is to not simply be a party, but a community that will help keep everyone motivated and entertained. We pledge to work hard to in trying to be genuinely helpful to our party members, our fellow citizens, our nation, and our world.

While our party name is an oxymoron, the United Independents always have the individuals work as a party to better the nation while still having a good time. (grammar?)

Article III - Party Forum Structure

Section I - The Party Board

The UIP forum shall provide a Party Board which shall act as the primary discussion area for all party related business. The contents of the Party Board shall only be open to UIP Community members and no forum visitors or members of other parties shall have access to this board. All internal Party Elections and Polls must be conducted on the Party Board.

Section II - Party Departments

Each department is entitled to their own office on the UIP Forums. The contents of each Department Office shall only be open to UIP members and no forum visitors or members of other parties shall have access to this board. Each Secretary shall have complete moderating authority over their office, and at their discretion, grant the Chief of their department moderation powers.

Section III - Executive Board

The UIP Forum shall provide an Executive board which shall act as the primary discussion area for all Executive Branch related business. The contents of the Executive Board shall only be open to Executive Branch members.

Section IV - Legislative Board

The UIP Forum shall provide a Legislative Board which shall act as the primary discussion area for all Legislative Branch related business. The contents of the Legislative Board shall only be open to Legislative Branch members.

Article IV - The Executive Branch

The Executive Branch shall consist of the Party President, the Vice Party President, and the Chief of Staff. A UIP Community member may not serve with the Executive Branch and another branch of government at the same time

Part I - The Party President

Section I - Election

The Party President shall be elected by the procedures described in Article VII; Section I. The minimum term of the Party President shall be for one month. If the Party President elected in eRepublik does not match the results of the UIP Party President Primary, the winner of the Party President Primary shall be the Acting Party President for the remainder of their term. All official and unofficial UIP records should reflect their status as Acting Party President for that period of time. The Acting Party President shall be vested with all the powers granted to the Party President herein.

Section II - Powers

1. The Party President shall have the power to appoint the Vice Party President and nominate the Chief of Staff.

2. The Party President shall have the power to nominate all Secretary and Chief Officers in the Cabinet.

3. The Party President shall have the power to propose votes to the UIP Legislature but shall not have the power to participate in any Legislative votes.

4. The Party President shall be the primary UIP representative in all inter-party relations and external deliberations. The President may appoint party members to act in inter-party or other external meetings in his stead.

5. The power to veto all Legislative votes shall be vested in the Party President. Any vote of the Legislature which is vetoed may be overridden with a subsequent two-thirds vote of the Legislature or a majority vote of the UIP Membership.

6. The power of the Chief Executive of the UIP shall be vested in the Party President. The Party President shall have the power to remove insubordinate members of the cabinet.

Part II - The Vice Party President (VPP)

Section I - Appointment & Approval

The Vice Party President shall be appointed and approved by the Party President.

Section II - Powers

1. The Vice Party President shall have the power to propose votes to the UIP Legislature, and in the event of a tie on a Legislative vote, shall have the power to vote to break that tie.

2. In the event that the Legislature deems the President unfit or incapable of leading, Article VI, the Vice Party President shall automatically assume the position of Acting Party President.

3. In the event that the Party President informs the party that he cannot fulfill his/her duties for a limited period of time (vacation, work, etc.), the Vice Party President may become Acting Party President until the Party President is active again with no approval from the Legislature.

4. At the request of the Party President, the Vice Party President may act as the primary UIP representative in inter-party issues and external deliberations.

Part III - Chief of Staff (CoS)

Section I - Appointment & Approval

The Chief of Staff shall be nominated by the Party President and appointed by the Cabinet with a two-thirds vote.

Section II - Powers

1. The Chief of Staff shall have the power to propose votes to the UIP Legislature.

2. The Chief of Staff shall have complete moderation powers over the UIP Members Area of the Forum.

3. The Chief of Staff shall have the power to enforce the Party President's orders with the UIP Cabinet.

Part IV - The Cabinet

Section I - Appointment & Approval

The UIP Cabinet shall be appointed by the Party President and subsequently approved by the Legislature.

Section II - Powers

1. The Cabinet shall have the power to enact a vote of no confidence against the Party President, the Vice Party President, the Chief of Staff, or the Legislature with a majority vote.

Section III - Structure of the Cabinet

1. The Cabinet shall consist of the Secretaries who will lead each department. Each Department is required to have one Secretary.

2. Each Secretary is entitled to Chief Officers who will act as assistants in their department's operations but will not be formal members of the Cabinet.

3. Chief Officers may participate in Cabinet meetings but may not vote in them.

4. The Full Cabinet includes the following positions:
Secretary of Elections
Secretary of Members
Secretary of Recruitment
Secretary of Publications
Secretary of Communications
Secretary of Education
Secretary of Technology
Secretary of Business
Secretary of Fun
Secretary of the Independence Investigative Service
Commander of the UIP Militia

5. Any changes to the UIP structure must be carried out through an amendment to the constitution.

Article V - The Legislative Branch

Section I - Election

The Legislature shall be elected by the procedures described in Article VII; Section II. The minimum term of an individual legislature shall be for one month. A UIP Community member may not serve with the Judicial Branch and another branch of government at the same time. In the event that a Legislature is not able to fulfill their duties for the remainder of their term, their seat shall remain empty until the next election. The number of Legislative seats shall be determined based on 2% of the in-game party membership (i.e.: 600 in-game members would equal 12 Legislative Representatives).

Section II - Powers

1. The Legislature shall have the sole authority to approve any and all financial transactions carried out by any entity of the Executive Branch. Such transactions include, allocation of funds for party programs, investments, allocation of funds for party advertising, etc. Proposals for use of party funds may be brought forward by any UIP member and require a majority vote of the Legislature for approval. Failure to gain approval of the Legislature on financial transactions shall constitute grounds for expulsion from UIP leadership.

2. The power to approve all Secretaries and Chief Officers of the Cabinet shall be vested with the Legislature. The Legislature may approve all Secretaries and Chief Officers together or individually. Approval requires a majority vote of the Legislature.

3. The Legislature shall have the power to appoint and approve the primary forum Admin and Moderator with a two-thirds vote. If the Legislature deems that the Administrator is in dereliction of their duties, the Legislature may impeach them with a two-thirds vote.

4. The Legislature shall have the power to propose to remove the Party President. Proposals to remove the Party President from leadership positions must pass with a two-thirds vote. If successful, the UIP Community must also vote with a three-fourths vote to finally remove said leadership member.

5. The Legislature shall have the power to propose and vote on resolutions which do not carry the weight of law but can be used to voice the suggestions and opinions of the Legislative Branch.

Article VI - The UIP Community

Section I - Forum Membership

1. Membership on the UIP Forums and the workings of the party beyond the standard game are based upon membership to the United Independents Party in the game. As such, under normal circumstances, a player must belong to the United Independents Party in game to have member level access on the forums. All party members on the UIP Forum are granted full rights as a member of the UIP Community as enumerated herein.

2. Members of the United Independents Party may leave the country on military or paramilitary operations and retain membership. The member must also not accept any positions within a foreign government as this represents a clear conflict of interest.

3. Members of the United Independents Party may be excluded from the forums if they are found to have violated the party's code of conduct. This is at the discretion of party leadership and will be decided by a two thirds vote of the upper cabinet. Any member of the UIP may request that the cabinet exclude or ban a member but the upper cabinet is the only body with the right to vote in these cases.

Section II - Rights of the UIP Community

1. Every UIP Community member shall have the right to post on any part of the UIP Forum allowed by their access level as long as they adhere to the Party Code of Conduct.

2. Every UIP Community member shall have the right to propose any type of vote to be taken up by the Legislature.

3. Every UIP Community member shall have the right to self-nominate or nominate another individual for any position in the UIP Government including the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch as long as they meet all necessary election deadlines for nominations.

4. Every UIP Community member shall have the right to vote in every election conducted on the UIP Forum.

5. Every UIP Community member shall have the right to form a referendum to impeach any member of the Executive or Legislative Branches. A referendum requires a petition signed by 5% of the in-game party membership. After the petition is completed and presented to the Secretary of Elections, a forum impeachment vote must be conducted on the Party Board which requires a three-fourths vote to pass.

Article VII - Election Procedures

All UIP elections shall be conducted on the UIP Forums (http://uip.eusforum.com/index.php) within the UIP Party Board.

Section I - The Party President Election

1. The PP Primary shall be held on the 12th of each month. The election shall be conducted by poll on the Party Board of the UIP Forum. The poll shall be open for a period of 24 hours.

2. All UIP Community members shall be eligible to run in the PP Primary as long as they declare their intent to run by 11:59PM (Pacific Time) on the 10th of each month.

3. On the 11th of each month, the Secretary of Elections must send a forum wide message out to every UIP Community member informing them of the date of the PP Primary (the 12th) and a list of all of the candidates running and a link to their platform.

4. The winner of the PP Primary shall be determined by the candidate who receives a plurality of the vote in the primary. A candidate does not need to receive a majority.

Section II - Legislature Election

1. The Legislative Election shall be held on the 22nd of each month. The election shall be conducted by poll on the Party Board of the UIP Forum. The poll shall be open for a period of 24 hours.

2. All UIP Community members shall be eligible to run as a Legislative Candidate as long as they declare their intent to run by 11:59PM (Pacific Time) on the 20th of each month.

3. On the 21st of each month, the Secretary of Elections must send a forum wide message out to every UIP Community member informing them of the date of the Legislative Election (the 22nd) and a list of all of the candidates running and a link to their platform.

4. The number of Legislative seats available shall be determined by 2% of the total in-game UIP membership. All Legislative Candidates shall be placed on the same ballot. UIP Community members will be allowed to vote for as many candidates as there will be seats in forthcoming Legislature or 2% of the total in-game UIP membership.

5. The winners of the Legislative Election shall be determined by the number of candidates equal to 2% of the total in-game UIP membership who receive a plurality of the vote. For example: if there are 600 members in the UIP in-game, the 12 candidates who receive a plurality of the votes shall be the Legislative Representatives for the next term.

Section III - The Secretary of Elections

1. The Secretary of Elections shall be responsible for impartially and fairly conducting all internal UIP election business as described herein.

2. The Secretary of Elections shall be responsible for organizing all polls conducted on the Party Board of the UIP Forum. If the Secretary of Election is not available, a Chief Officer of the Elections Department may take over the Secretary's responsibilities.

Article VIII - Voting Procedures

All official votes must be conducted on the Party Board of the UIP Forum in the form of a poll which must remain open for a period of 24 hours.

Article IX - Amendments

1. Any amendments to the Constitution of the United Independents Party must be first approved by a two-thirds majority of the Legislative Branch and subsequently approved by a three-fourths majority of the UIP Community.

2. If ratified by the Legislature and UIP Community, all amendments must be immediately incorporated into the language of the constitution.