Delveran Constitution

The Delveran Constitution was the supreme law of the Grand Republic of Delvera. Comprising six articles, the constitution delineates the frame of the confederal government and the organization of the Grand Republic’s territory. Its first three articles establish the separation of powers at the national level between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, which comprise the Consulate and Council of Governors, the Chamber of Deputies, and the High Court respectively. Articles IV and V describe the structure, rights, and responsibilities of the Provinces and other regions of Delvera, while the sixth article outlines the procedures whereby the constitution is to be ratified and amended. The constitution is a companion document to the Delveran Writ of Rights, which outlines basic rights of Delveran citizens and limits on the confederal government’s power. Since the constitution was ratified in 2015, it has been amended twice in order to address contemporary issues of government efficiency and territorial organization. David Sarkozy, the framer of the Delveran Constitution, drew inspiration from the United States Constitution, the NottaLottan Proclamation of Government, and several Lavrasian Commonwealth Resolutions. The document is actually the second codification of the Delveran Constitution, replacing the first, which had been lost after being written and ratified in 2013.

NottaLottan Proclamation of Government
The NottaLottan Proclamation of Government was created in early 2011, and acted as a constitution for NottaLotta Acres and later the NottaLottan Empire. Authored by Dylan Callahan, it established the Departments of State and the Interior, as well as the NottaLottan Joint Chiefs of Staff, which can be compared with the Consular Cabinet. Unfortunately, the Proclamation was lost when the NottaLottan blog was taken offline by the host site.

Commonwealth Resolutions
The Commonwealth Resolutions were authored by Lord Governor David Sarkozy during the Commonwealth Era (July 2011 - May 2013). Those that directly influenced the Delveran Constitution are enumerated below. I. The first Resolution, passed on March 27, 2012, established the position of Secretary of the Commonwealth, which had some similarities to the contemporary Vice Consul. III. The third Resolution, ratified on August 5, 2012, established the Commonwealth Militia, a direct predecessor to the Delveran Provincial Militias. IV. The fourth Resolution, passed on August 28, 2012, created the Ministry of Commerce, as well as a currency and provisions for wages and taxation. V. The fifth Resolution, ratified on September 22, 2012, established a High Court that was directly analogous to the body of the same name in modern Delvera.

First Constitution
The first Delveran Constitution was written and ratified in mid-2013 to govern the new Grand Republic. It was very similar to the current constitution, though likely not identical. Through a series of computer hard drive wipes, the document was lost sometime in late 2013 or 2014. The first constitution, like the second, was framed by David Sarkozy, who attests to their similarity.

Preamble
The preamble to the Delveran Constitution is an introductory statement of the document’s fundamental principles and purposes. It cites the “clear and present need and desire” of Delveran citizens as the document’s primary reason for existence and lists “common welfare, justice, and security among the Provinces” as its overall goals. Finally, it establishes the equity of the signatories as “free men and women” and uses this as a position on which to build the foundation of the government it establishes.

Article I
Article I describes the Executive Branch of the confederal government. Section 1 describes the office of First Consul. The First Consul is the head of state and shares the powers of head of government with the Vice Consul, whose office is described in part in Section 2. Section 4 describes the four Executive Departments: State, the Interior, Commerce, and Justice. Together, these three sections outline the Consulate. Section 3 describes the Council of Governors, which functions as an advisory council to the First Consul, and to a lesser extent as a limited upper legislature.

Article II
Article II describes the Legislative Branch of the confederal government. Section 1 describes the Chamber of Deputies, the unicameral legislature of the Grand Republic. Section 2 further describes the powers of the Vice Consul, who serves as President of the Chamber.

Article III
Article III describes the Judicial Branch of the confederal government. Section 1 describes the High Court, the highest legal authority in the Grand Republic. Section 2 describes the office of Supreme Justice, the head of the High Court.

Article IV
Article IV outlines the requirements for a Province, the process by which a new Province is admitted, and the rights and responsibilities entrusted to the Provinces.

Article V
Article V describes the other regions of the Grand Republic: Territories, Dependencies, Military Districts, and the Protectorate. It outlines the requirements and processes for these regions to be admitted, the rights and responsibilities entrusted to these regions, and the specific details of the relationships these regions have with the confederal government.

Article VI
Article VI describes the processes by which the constitution is to be ratified and amended.

Closing endorsement
The constitution was signed online on June 16, 2015 by representatives of Lavrasia, Avannia, and Colo, the Delveran Provinces at the time.

Amendments
The constitution was amended in a session of the Chamber of Deputies on July 11, 2016. Clauses were added to Article I, Section 3 and Article 3, Section 2 in order to create a procedure for deciding the results of a tie in a national popular election. This was done to resolve to the ongoing tie in the 2016 Consular Election. The constitution was again amended on September 12, 2016. Article 1, Section 2, Clause 2 concerning the election of the Vice Consul was changed to reflect the precedent of giving the position to the runner up of the First Consular race. Article V, Section 4 was added, describing Military Districts and the requirements and process for their entry into the Grand Republic, as well as the rights and responsibilities entrusted to them. The latter finally resolved the legal controversy initiated by the creation of the District of Neosho in December 2015.