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#Post#: 240--------------------------------------------------
GATO Charter
By: Kubla Khan Date: February 19, 2012, 2:34 am
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Charter of the Global Alliance and Treaty Organization
Strength in Unity, Honour in Justice. Cyber Nations' First
Alliance.
Preamble
We, the members of the Global Alliance and Treaty Organization,
hereby create this document to ensure the protection of the
rights and freedoms of the sovereign nations of our
Organization, a formal Brown Team alliance that embraces and
supports world peace. We join together in the spirit of
friendship in order to provide for the common defense, promote
the general welfare, and sustain the bonds of justice which
unite us all.
Article I. General Membership and Assembly
Application to the Global Alliance and Treaty Organization shall
be determined by the Minister of Domestic Affairs. The Assembly
Chairman and Minister of Defense may reject any application
prior to Minister of Domestic Affairs approval. Upon approval of
an application by the Minister of Domestic Affairs the approved
applicant begins a Ninety-Six (96) hour probationary status,
during which the Assembly Chairman, Minister of Domestic
Affairs, or the Minister of Defense may veto the applicant's
approval and remove the applicant's membership status.
During the Ninety-Six (96) hour probationary status the approved
applicant is provided all protections and provisions offered to
members of Global Alliance and Treaty Organization.
All members of the Global Alliance and Treaty Organization are
members of the General Assembly and bound by this Charter. GATO
membership is exclusive. Members may not simultaneously belong
to other alliances, except upon individual approval by Congress.
The General Assembly reserves the right to vote upon all Charter
amendments, upon all votes of no confidence, and in all
elections.
Any member of the General Assembly may call for a vote upon one
of the aforementioned, except elections, at any time after
forty-eight (48) hours of debate has been conducted. Votes shall
be held via polls which must be open to the General Assembly for
exactly forty-eight (48) hours.
Charter amendments shall be passed by a two-thirds (2/3)
majority and officials shall be removed from office by a
two-thirds (2/3) majority in a vote of no confidence
All rights, powers, and liberties not delegated to the
government or to the Congress shall be reserved for the General
Assembly.
Article II. Elections
The General Assembly shall elect the Congress, Assembly
Chairman, Minister of Defense, Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Minister of Domestic Affairs, Minister of Finance, and three
High Court Justices.
Only members of The Global Alliance and Treaty Organization
General Assembly may hold elected positions in The Global
Alliance And Treaty Organization.
The Global Alliance and Treaty Organization shall hold elections
for the Assembly Chairman and Ministers every two calendar
months for the next two calendar months.
The Global Alliance and Treaty Organization shall hold elections
for the Congress at the end of every calendar month for the next
calendar month.
The electoral process shall consist of nominations, debate, and
voting. Nominations will open five days prior to the end of the
term and shall go for forty-eight (48) hours. Upon the opening
of nominations, debate time shall begin and continue until the
end of voting. Forty-eight (48) hours prior to the end of the
term, polling will begin and shall last for a period of
forty-eight (48) hours.
No nation may be elected to the position of Assembly Chairman
for more than three (3) consecutive terms.
The current Congress, Assembly Chairman, Ministers, and High
Court Justices shall not hold other officially appointed deputy
positions or elected government positions within the Global
Alliance and Treaty Organization save for the Brown Team Senate.
A deputy position is defined as being the highest ranking
appointed position in a ministry.
No member of the Global Alliance and Treaty Organization may run
for election in more than one position per election.
In the event of a vacancy in any elected office other than the
Assembly Chairman, the Assembly Chairman shall immediately
appoint a successor to that office other than himself. In the
event of a vacancy in the office of the Assembly Chairman, the
Minister of Foreign Affairs shall immediately appoint a
successor to that office, and may appoint himself. The successor
shall take office immediately upon appointment and will serve
the remainder of the previous holder's term or until a failed
confirmation vote. Congress shall hold a confirmation vote by
its normal procedures as soon as possible. If Congress fails to
vote for or against confirmation within 48 hours of appointment,
the appointment shall be confirmed.
An elected office is considered vacant if the official resigns
from his position or the alliance, or is otherwise removed from
that position or the alliance, or is absent without notice for
three or more consecutive days, or absent with notice for seven
or more consecutive days.
At the end of the voting period, the candidate, or candidates in
the case of the court or congress, with the highest vote count
in each election shall be declared the winner(s) and shall take
office at the beginning of the next term
In the event of a tie vote in any election, all candidates tied
shall participate in a 24 hour run off election. If any run off
election ends in a tie, the current Assembly Chairman shall pick
the winner.
Article III. Government
The Assembly Chairman is the head of state and government. He
shall preside over the General Assembly, supervise Ministry
activity, represent the Global Alliance and Treaty Organization
domestically and abroad, and serve in the best interests of the
organization as the chief government representative of the
people.
The Ministry of Defense shall perform all necessary functions to
ensure the security and defense of the Global Alliance and
Treaty Organization.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall represent the diplomatic
hand of the Global Alliance and Treaty Organization. The
Ministry shall negotiate treaties and agreements, establish
embassies, work towards cease-fires, secure peace and
assistance, and perform all necessary functions to maintain
appropriate foreign policy.
The Ministry of Domestic Affairs shall oversee all internal
affairs and institutions of the Global Alliance and Treaty
Organization. The Ministry shall supervise trade, the acceptance
or denial of new applicants, media productions, membership
assistance, and perform all necessary functions to maintain
appropriate internal policy.
The Ministry of Finance shall maintain the financial assets of
the Global Alliance and Treaty Organization. The Ministry shall
administer aid and loans and perform all necessary functions to
maintain appropriate financial status.
Article IV. Congress
The Congress shall be the legislature of the Alliance.
Congressional elections shall follow normal election procedure,
but each member of the General Assembly will only be given four
votes in the Congressional election poll to distribute among the
candidates as they please.
The size of congress shall be apportioned by two members for
every one hundred alliance members after four hundred members,
though there shall be no less than seven (7).
The Congress shall elect a Speaker from one of the Congressmen
to oversee and direct the internal functioning of the Congress.
The Congress reserves the right to vote upon all legislation;
upon all documented treaties between the Global Alliance and
Treaty Organization and any outside entity, including but not
limited to non-aggression pacts, mutual defense pacts, and
mutual aggression and defense pacts; and upon the cancellation
of any of the above as necessary.
Votes, as well as all debates (except when a public debate is
harmful to the alliance and better kept secret), shall be held
publicly and each member’s vote must be made public. Any act
passed by Congress must be publicly registered before it can be
enforced.
Congress votes shall pass its bills by a majority of its
Members.
Article V. Vetoes
The Assembly Chairman may veto any act passed by the Congress
within three (3) days of its passage. The Congress may override
a veto by a three-fourths (3/4) majority vote within (3) days of
its veto.
Article VI. Votes of No Confidence
Any member of the General Assembly may call a vote of no
confidence on any elected official or any member appointed to
fill an elected position. Should a General Assembly member call
a vote of no confidence, he should present all evidence of wrong
doing of the official in question.
The Assembly Chairman shall create a special forty-eight (48)
hour polling session within twenty-four (24) hours of the
General Assembly member’s request for a vote of no confidence.
Article VII. Brown Team Senate
The Assembly Chairman shall appoint up to three Brown Team
Senate-eligible alliance members to the Brown Team Senate. Brown
Team Senators will serve at the pleasure of the Assembly
Chairman and may be removed and/or replaced by him at anytime
for any reason. Upon in-game senate resets, member nations of
the Global Alliance and Treaty Organization shall cast in-game
votes, as instructed by the Assembly Chairman, to put in place
the appointed Senators.
The Brown Team Senate is the only color senate for which the
members of the Global Alliance and Treaty Organization may run,
unless direct approval is given by the Congress.
Article VIII. War
Section I. Alliance-wide War
The Global Alliance and Treaty Organization will not commit
unprovoked acts of aggression and shall only commit to war in
response to acts of aggression, real or threatened, or the
financial facilitation thereof, against the Global Alliance and
Treaty Organization, or her allies.
In the event of such acts of violence, the Assembly Chairman, or
in his absence, the Minister of Defense, shall move for a
declaration of war by presenting all necessary reasoning and
recorded events to the Congress for review. Upon appropriate
review, the Congress shall vote in an emergency, twenty-four
(24) hour poll to determine whether or not a declaration of war
is appropriate. A declaration of war will be presented if the
poll receives a simple majority in favor.
The General Assembly may override any declaration of war via
referenda. Upon protest of the Congressional declaration of war,
a twenty-four (24) hour debate period shall begin followed by a
twenty-four (24) hour vote. A two-thirds (2/3) majority is
required to override a declaration of war by the Congress.
The Congress will declare peace via a similar twenty-four (24)
hour poll.
Section II. All other military action
* The Ministry of Defense may order military action against any
nation or alliance that commits acts of violence or the
financial facilitation of violence against members of the Global
Alliance, her allies, or other nations not specifically allied
with the Global Alliance. The Assembly Chairman may order the
cessation of any military action conducted under this
subsection.
* The Minister of Defense may order military action against
nations that have not committed acts of violence or the
financial facilitation of violence only with consent of the
Assembly Chairman.
* Military action may only be ordered against member nations to
fulfill lawfully-imposed court sentences, in direct response to
unauthorized attacks on GATO or her allies, or to prevent the
loss of assets of the Global Alliance.
Article IX. High Court
The High Court shall judge all civil and criminal cases and
shall consist of three elected individuals serving in an
independent, adjudicating role. The judicial power of the
alliance is vested under this one High Court.
All defendants are innocent until proven guilty; have the right
to a speedy, public, and fair trail; shall not be twice put in
jeopardy for the same crime; and have the right to choose
individuals to represent their case at their own discretion.
The High Court will convene after a grievance and substantial
evidence has been presented by one member against another. The
High Court may reject to hear any case upon unanimous decision.
Such a rejection shall not prohibit similar charges being
brought in the future against the accused. The High Court will
hear testimony and review evidence at its discretion, and
thereafter deliberate in private.
The High Court will determine whether the accused is guilty or
not guilty. If found guilty, the High Court will determine
appropriate punishment. If found not guilty, the accused will be
free to go. All High Court decisions and rulings must be made
public.
Sentenced members of the alliance have the right to an appeal.
This appeal must be presented before the High Court and a
two-thirds (2/3) majority of High Court Justices must approve a
retrial. Substantial evidence of the Court's wrongful ruling
must be presented. The appeal process will work in concordance
to the rules laid out above. Court sentencing may only reiterate
a previous punishment or overrule it. No new sentencing may be
laid. No more appeals may be given to the same case after one
has already been given.
High Court Justices will be elected every two months. Elections
will occur on every even-numbered month. All three Justice
positions will be up for election during these times. Each
member of the alliance may vote for up to three (3) candidates
in each High Court election. With these exceptions, High Court
elections will work in accordance with the election procedure
laid out above.
If a High Court Justice is put on trial, for any reason, he/she
will be temporarly relieved of his duties. If found not guilty
the justice will resume his duties; if found guilty he will be
removed of his post for the remainder of the term.
In case of a High Court Justice being removed temporarily from
office, regular vacancy procedures will be followed. If the
Justice is thereafter removed, the temporary Justice shall fill
the remainder of the removed Justice's term.
The High Court may issue advisory opinions regarding the
interpretation of this Charter, Treaties, and laws of the
alliance. Such advisory opinions shall have the same force and
effect as any other decision of the High Court.
Article X. Membership Expulsion and Suspension
The Assembly Chairman may immediately expel without trial any
Global Alliance and Treaty Organization member if the member
launches nuclear weapons without authorization except if said
launches are in direct response to nuclear attacks on alliance
members, in which case the target is limited to the nation who
first used nuclear weapons against alliance members. The
Assembly Chairman must notify the High Court in such a scenario.
A two-thirds (2/3) majority of High Court Justices is required
to overturn the expulsion, in which case the Assembly Chairman
may still bring the member to trial.
The Assembly Chairman may suspend the membership and limit the
access of any Global Alliance and Treaty Organization member if
substantial evidence of treason or sedition can be presented
against that member. The Assembly Chairman must notify the High
Court in such a scenario. The High Court will proceed
immediately to trial.
Any nation having been immediately expelled without trial may
petition the High Court, in person or through an appointed
nation, to review the events justifying the expulsion of said
member. After conducting such a review, a two-thirds (2/3)
majority of High Court Justices shall be required to reinstate
an expelled nation, in which case the Assembly Chairman may
still bring the member to trial.
The High Court may expel a member found guilty of some crime as
punishment as it sees fit.
No nation ever expelled from the Alliance may apply for
membership in the alliance until or unless the High Court
allows.
Any nation previously expelled for any reason, may, within two
(2) weeks of expulsion or two (2) weeks of the effective date of
this Amendment, whichever is later, bring an appeal to the High
Court. The High Court will convene as in a trial and hear
evidence and render a decision whether to permit the nation to
re-apply to the alliance. A nation permitted to re-apply to the
alliance may still be refused membership by other means.
At the request of Congress, and with good cause, the High Court
may hear a delayed appeal or re-appeal of an expulsion.
Conclusion
Done in convention by and with the consent of the General
Assembly of the Global Alliance Treaty Organization on the
nineteenth of February in the year two thousand and seven.
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