Constitution of Sanama (1707)

CONSTITUTION OF THE SANAMAN UNION OF PEOPLE'S REPUBLICS

Article 1.

All public power emanates from the people.

Sanaman democracy is built upon the free exchange of ideas and a general and equal right to vote. Democracy is realised through a representative and parliamentary government system and through regional and local self-government.

Public power is exercised in accordance with the constitution and laws.

Article 2.

The legislative power of the Union is vested in the Lhusan Nasyonal, consisting of the House of People's Delegates, the House of Councillors and the House of People's Republics.

Article 3.

The House of People's Delegates shall be composed of members elected every four years by the people.

A candidate for delegate must have attained at least eighteen years of age and been a citizen of the Union for at least five years.

Delegates shall be apportioned among the people's republics according to their share of the national population. Apportionment shall be made every ten years. The number of delegates shall not exceed one for every one hundred thousand and not a total number of nine hundred.

When a vacancy arises in the representation from any people's republic, a special election shall be scheduled.

The House of People's Delegates shall choose its own Speaker and other officers.

Article 4.

The House of Councillors shall consist of one hundred and twenty-one councillors elected by non-governmental organisations as follows:

Thirty-three councillors elected by and from unions and labour organisations;

Twenty-seven councillors elected by and from organisations in the voluntary and social works sector;

Twenty-three councillors elected by and from the agricultural and fisheries sector;

Twenty-one councillors elected by and from cultural and educational institutions including universities; and

Seventeen councillors elected by and from industrial and commercial institutions.

Candidates for election as councillors shall possess documented expert knowledge in their field.

A candidate for delegate must have attained at least eighteen years of age and been a citizen of the Union for at least five years.

The House of Councillors shall choose its own chairperson and other officers.

Article 5.

The Council of People's Republics shall consist of seventy-three members of the people's republic and Semisa City governments, which appoint and recall them. Other members of those governments may serve as alternates. The delegation shall reflect the partisan composition of the executive. The Mayor of Semisa City shall be the delegate from the city.

Six members shall be delegated from Niyi and Fatehpur Sikri, five members from Pixa Teta, Panetira, Sanilla Ate, Indipendensa, Semisa, Soli, Sanilla Senter and Kortilhera, four members from Harekina and Amarra Esa, three members from the Laq Republic, Free Republic of Ailan Feq, the Free Island of Estarisa and Sipula, and one member from Semisa City.

Each people's republic may appoint as many members as it has votes. The votes of each people's republic may be cast only as a unit and only by members present or their alternates.

The Council of People's Republics shall choose its own president and other officers.

Article 6.

The three houses of the Lhusan Nasyonal shall meet in joint session to elect the President of the Union, to receive messages from the President of the Union, and to resolve conflicts between the houses in accordance with this constitution.

The Speaker of the House of People's Delegates shall act as chairperson of joint sessions.

The members of the Council of State shall have the right, and on demand the duty, to participate in meetings of any of the houses and of their committees. They shall have the right to be heard at any time.

Article 7.

The manner of electing people's delegates and councillors shall be prescribed by a Lhusan Nasyonal Act.

The Lhusan Nasyonal shall assemble at least once in every year. The length and number of sessions shall be prescribed by a Lhusan Nasyonal Act.

Article 8.

Each house shall be the judge of the elections and qualifications of its own members. A majority of each house shall constitute a quorum to do business, but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may compel the attendance of absent members.

Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behaviour, and, with the concurrence of two thirds of its entire membership, expel a member.

Each house shall keep minutes of its proceedings and publish the same, excepting parts that require secrecy.

Article 9.

The members of the House of People's Delegates and the House of Councillors shall receive compensation for their services, to be fixed by a Lhusan Nasyonal Act. They shall in all cases, except treason and felony, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective houses, and in going to and returning from the same, and for any speech or debate in any house.

No member of the House of Councillors and Council of People's Republics shall be appointed to any executive office in the administration of the Union.

Article 10.

All bills shall originate in the House of People's Delegates. The right to introduce bills belong to all members of the House of People's Delegates and each of its committees, at least ten members of the House of Councillors, each delegation in the Council of People's Republics, and the President of the Council of State.

Regular bills shall require the concurrence of the House of People's Delegates and at least one of the other houses to be deemed to have passed the Lhusan Nasyonal. Constitutional bills shall require the concurrence of all three houses to be deemed to have passed the Lhusan Nasyonal.

Each bill introduced in the House of People's Delegates shall be given a first reading, and be assigned to a committee. The committee shall deliberate on the bill, and present a report to the House. At the second reading, any delegate shall have the right to propose amendments. The bill and its amendments shall return to the committee for its deliberation. It shall present a final committee report on the bill and all proposed amendments, along with its recommendations. At the third reading, the House shall, after considering the recommendations of the committee, vote on all amendments to the bill and finally the entire bill. If the bill passes, it shall be submitted to the House of Councillors and the Council of People's Republics. If the bill fails, it shall not be again introduced during the same session of the House.

When the House of Councillors and the Council of People's Republics receive a bill from the House of People's Delegates, it shall receive a first reading, and be assigned to a committee. The committee shall deliberate on the bill, and present a report to the respective House. At the second reading, the respective House shall vote on the bill. If the bill passes, it shall move to a third reading. If the bill does not pass, it shall be deemed to have been rejected by the respective House. If both the House of Councillors and the Council of People's Republics reject a bill at the second reading, they shall inform the House of People's Delegates that the bill has failed. At the third reading, any member of the respective House shall have the right to propose amendments. The bill and its amendments shall return to the respective committee for its deliberation. It shall present a final committee report on the bill and all proposed amendments, along with its recommendations. At the fourth reading, the respective House shall, after considering the recommendations of the committee, vote on all amendments to the bill and finally the entire bill. If the bill passes, it shall be submitted to the House of People's Delegates.