Constitution of Belacostă

CONSTITUTION OF THE SOVEREIGN PROVINCE OF BENITO

We, the people of Benito, do hereby endorse this constitution for the government of our great Province and do therefore ordain it to be the rule and guide of our government and the guardian of our rights.

The State

Art. 1. The Sovereign Province of Benito is an autonomous and self-governing member of the federal Talossan nation and pledges eternal allegiance to His Royal Majesty, and the Regipäts Talossan.

Art. 2. The name of the state is la Provinçù Soveran da Benito. In English, it is the Sovereign Province of Benito.

Art. 3. The sacred and irremovable territory of the Sovereign Province of Benito shall consist of the cantons of Garibaldi and Mazzini.

Art. 4. The capital of the Province is Garibaldi.

Art. 5. The sole historic and national language of the entire Talossan people, and therefore of the Benitian Province, is the Talossan language (el glheþ Talossan). The Benitian government shall also recognise English as a useful working second language, and may adopt tertiary working languages by law.

Art. 6. The Provincial flag shall be registered with the College of Arms with the blazon, Per fess vert and gules an inescutcheon per tierce vert, argent, and gules fimbriated or in chief a royal crown proper.

The Provincial Chancellery

Art 7. Legislative power in the Sovereign Province of Benito is invested in a Provincial Chancellery. The Provincial Chancellery shall consist of 11 seats filled by representatives of political parties granted legislative seats in the general election.

Art 8. The Provincial Chancellery shall have power to pass any bill into law by a simple majority vote of its members. Voting sessions shall open at the first hour of the first day of each month except during national General Elections. At the dissolution of the Cosa, the Provincial Chancellery will also be dissolved. Seats in the Provincial Chancellery will be redistributed according to the ballots cast in the General Election by citizens of the Province.

Art 9. Members of the Provincial Chancellery shall be known as Chancellors and must participate in each open session of the Chancellery. Failing to vote or abstain in 3 consecutive legislative sessions shall make a Chancellor eligible for removal.

Art 10. A Chancellor may be removed from their seat in the Provincial Chancellery following conviction by the Cort pü Inalt, Dismissal from the Talossan Military, death, incapacitation or failing to vote or abstain in 3 consecutive legislative sessions. Removal shall not be automatic. Following one or more of these incidents, any member of the Provincial Chancellery may present a Writ of Impeachment at the next legislative session which shall clearly state for which of the aforementioned reasons a Chancellor should be removed. The Writ shall be authorized upon receiving a 3/5 majority vote and then presented to the applicable party leader by the Maestro. Political Parties will have until the next session or 30 calendar days, whichever is greater, to fill vacant seats. Any seats left vacant after such time will be turned over to the Viceré for distribution.

The Maestro

Art 11. The Maestro shall be the majority leader in the Provincial Chancellery. He shall have the power to issue proclamations which have the force of law. These proclamations may be appealed or amended as regular laws.

Art 12. A new Maestro may be chosen at any time by a resolution approved by a majority of the Provincial Chancellery, but a resolution electing a new Maestro or continuing the current Maestro in office must be approved by the Provincial Chancellery at least once in every term of the national Cosa. The first order of business of each newly assembled Provincial Chancellery will be to elect a new Maestro from among its members.

Il Viceré

Art 13. The Viceré, or Viceroy is the representative of the King of Talossa, and as such, shall have veto power over all laws of the Chancellery. The Viceré is appointed by the King pursuant to Organic Law. While the King may freely appoint a Viceré, it is the preference of the citizens of the Province of Benito that the Viceré be a citizen of the Province for at least one year prior to appointment.

Art. 14. A veto by the Viceré may be overridden by a 3/5 majority vote of the Provincial Chancellery.

El Representanteu Noval ("The Senator")

Art 15. Benito’s delegate to the Senäts shall be known within the Province as el Representanteu Noval and styled “Senator.” The Representanteu Noval shall be selected pursuant to Organic Law.

Arvitieir Prima ("Chief Umpire")

Art 16. The Arviteir Prima (in English, Chief Umpire) shall serve as the nonpartisan presiding official of the Legislative Chancellery. The rulings and judgments of the Arviteir Prima in this role may be appealed to a vote of the members of the Chancellery.
Art 17. The Arviteir Prima is in charge of making sure new Maestros are elected when the position is open.
Art 18. The position of Arviteir Prima does not entitle the holder to a vote in the Chancellery, not even to break ties.
Art 19. The Arviteir Prima shall provide advisory opinions to the Maestro and Chancellery upon request, and shall represent the province in national and provincial courts unless the Maestro appoints another representative.
Art 20. The Arvitier Prima is appointed by the Maestro, and shall serve until the Maestro appoints another to the job.

Distribution of Power

Art 21. So that no conflict of interest may occur, or that no one individual may take over the province in a hostile attempt, no-one may hold more than one of the offices of Maestro, Viceré, or Noval Representanteu simultaneously. The Viceré also may not hold seats in the Provincial Chancellery.

Justice

Art 22. The Cort pü Inalt shall have original jurisdiction to try all cases arising under Benitian law.

Art 23. The Province of Benito reserves the right to form a justice system to meet its needs pursuant to Organic Law.

Amendments

Art 24. This Constitution may be altered by a resolution of the Provincial Chancellery, which must be approved by a referendum of the people attaining the favour of three-fifths of those who vote and promulgated by the Viceré.