SUMMARY OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE ALLIED STATES OF IOSMEIN One line for each of the 217 articles, grouped by title. The summary has no legal force. The Constitution governs where the two differ. TITLE I: FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES (articles 1 to 22) 1 The Republic A federal, democratic socialist republic of five states, with two official names of equal force. 2 Sovereignty Power belongs to the people, and seizing it outside these procedures is a crime with no time limit. 3 Supremacy of the Constitution The Constitution outranks every other rule, and only the conflicting part of an act fails. 4 Legality and publicity of the law Public power needs a legal basis, and an act that has not been published imposes no obligation. 5 Political pluralism Parties are free, and no party may hold a leading role in the State or in the economy. 6 Social ownership Land, water, forests, energy and the principal means of production are held in social ownership. 7 Territory The territory cannot be ceded or leased, the capital is Talmeru, and the Valmeza crossing stays open. 8 The states Five states, each with an assembly, a government and courts, and boundaries changed only by referendum. 9 Competences of the Republic The competences the Republic holds, and the rule that unassigned competences belong to it. 10 Competences of the states What the states decide for themselves, and the rule that a state borrows only from the Republic. 11 Federal supervision How the Republic acts when a state fails to apply federal law, and the limits on that action. 12 Equality of the states The states are equal, and federal spending is distributed to equalise provision between them. 13 Language Iosmen is official throughout, and a state language is official beside it within that state. 14 Citizenship One citizenship, no deprivation of it, and Bloc residents treated on the footing of residents. 15 Belief No established religion, freedom of belief, and public money for a religious building only as heritage. 16 Public integrity Public office is exercised for its purpose alone, declarations are published, and corruption carries no time limit. 17 Publicity Sittings, contracts and accounts are published, and an unpublished contract binds no public body. 18 The Democratic Socialist Bloc Founding member of the Bloc, on conditions, with Bloc acts taking effect only on enactment here. 19 Foreign relations No military alliance, no unpublished treaty annex, and no submission to arbitration against a company. 20 External borrowing Borrowing outside the Bloc needs a two-thirds law and a referendum, and a breach creates no debt. 21 Ecological limits Resource use is capped in physical units, and exhausting a resource beyond recovery is prohibited. 22 Symbols The flag, the arms, the seal and the anthem are described by an organic law. TITLE II: RIGHTS, LIBERTIES AND DUTIES (articles 23 to 74) 23 Persons protected Who holds these rights, whom they bind, and what a person keeps while deprived of liberty. 24 Equality Equality before the law, a list of prohibited grounds, and the conditions for advancement measures. 25 Enforcement of the rights Civil rights work in court on their own, and social rights work to the extent of resources available. 26 Limitation of rights A right is limited only by law, only so far as the purpose requires, and its essential content stays intact. 27 Remedy Every infringed right has a remedy, free where means are short, and delay is itself compensable. 28 Liability of public bodies Public bodies answer for damage, recover from officers who acted with intent, and compensate wrongful conviction. 29 Other instruments These rights are read with the ratified instruments, and the wider protection prevails. 30 Life The right to life, the death penalty abolished, and no removal to a state that would impose it. 31 Integrity of the person Physical and mental integrity, an absolute bar on torture, consent to treatment, and no forced labour. 32 Liberty and security Deprivation of liberty only by law, reasons given at once, a judge within forty-eight hours. 33 Review of detention A detained person, or another acting for them, may seek review within seventy-two hours, without a fee. 34 Fair hearing A public hearing before an independent court, equal access to the file, and reasons in the judgment. 35 Limits of the criminal law No offence without a prior law, no double punishment, and evidence from a breach of rights is inadmissible. 36 Rights of the defence Notice of the accusation, a lawyer, confidential communication, and equal treatment of witnesses. 37 Private and family life Private and family life, equal partners, equal children, and separation only by a court. 38 The home The home is inviolable, entry needs a warrant, and entry without one is reviewed within a day. 39 Correspondence and communications Communications are secret, interception needs a judge, and blanket collection is prohibited. 40 Personal data Data are collected for a stated purpose, seen and corrected on request, and decisions are taken by a person. 41 Prohibition of political policing No file on a person for their opinions, the Directorate abolished, and its archives opened. 42 Movement and residence Free movement and residence in any state, free exit and return, and no expulsion of a citizen. 43 Conscience and belief Belief is held, changed and practised freely, is recorded by no organ, and its sincerity is not examined. 44 Expression Expression is free, censorship is prohibited, and insulting an office is an offence in no law. 45 Information and the media The media are free, ownership is public, and a journalist protects a source unless a court orders otherwise. 46 Research, teaching and creation Research, teaching and creation are free, and publicly funded results enter the knowledge commons. 47 Assembly and demonstration Peaceful assembly without authorisation, dispersal only for violence, and identifiable officers. 48 Association Associations form freely, gain personality by registration, and are dissolved only by a court. 49 The vote Universal, equal, direct and secret voting from eighteen, with local voting for settled residents. 50 Eligibility and public office Every citizen may stand, offices are filled by competition, and conviction for corruption bars a person. 51 Referendum and popular initiative Referendums on demand, initiatives debated within ninety days, and no vote to reduce these rights. 52 Petition and complaint Petitions answered within thirty days, complaints kept confidential, and reprisal made an offence. 53 Asylum Asylum for the persecuted, no return to danger, and no funding of foreign bodies to stop movement. 54 Citizens abroad Consular protection abroad, the vote retained, and extradition of a citizen tightly conditioned. 55 Residents who are not citizens Residents who are not citizens hold these rights, and collective expulsion is prohibited. 56 Work The right to work, full employment pursued through the plan, and dismissal reviewable by a court. 57 Conditions of work Safe conditions, limited hours, paid leave, refusal of dangerous work, and unannounced inspection. 58 Remuneration Pay according to the work done, equal pay for equal work, and a published ratio inside each enterprise. 59 Trade unions and the strike Unions form freely, an agreement covers every worker in its scope, the strike is guaranteed, the lock-out is not. 60 Participation in the enterprise The workers elect a council that takes part in managing the enterprise and is heard before closure. 61 Work on one's own account Work on one's own account is a right, registered on declaration, and past activity is regularised without penalty. 62 Social security One public social security system, its funds held apart, and benefits withdrawn only on appealable reasons. 63 Health Health care free at the point of use, equal between the states, and payment to staff made an offence. 64 Housing A dwelling of adequate standard, allocated from a public list, and eviction only where another is available. 65 Education Education free at every level, in the languages of Article 13, with maintenance grants for higher study. 66 Children and young persons The interest of the child prevails, the child is heard, and violence against children is prohibited. 67 The family and maternity The family is protected in whatever form, parental leave is paid, and dismissal during it is prohibited. 68 Older persons and persons with disability Pensions, care and participation for older persons, and independence, equipment and access for disabled persons. 69 Culture and knowledge Cultural life is open to all, public knowledge is held in common, and state languages are supported. 70 The environment An environment that does not damage health, standing to sue without a personal interest, and the polluter pays. 71 Guaranteed provision The listed goods and services are free at the point of use, and the list may be cut only on published evidence. 72 Duties of the person Observe the Constitution, contribute according to means, and protect what is held in common. 73 Defence and civic service Participation in defence, with civic service for those whose belief prevents bearing arms. 74 Public funds Whoever administers public funds accounts for them and files the declaration, office or not. TITLE III: THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL ORDER (articles 75 to 115) 75 Objectives The economy serves provision, employment, equal development between the states and the environment. 76 Forms of ownership Four forms of property, no fifth created by law, and cooperative property kept undivided. 77 Administration of social ownership Social property is held in usufruct for a stated purpose, and cannot be sold or mortgaged. 78 Land Land is granted for use on long terms, and the sale, lease for gain or mortgage of a grant is void. 79 Natural resources The subsoil, waters, forests and energy sources are worked by public enterprises, with no concessions. 80 Cooperatives Cooperatives govern themselves, one vote to each member, and their assets pass on to another cooperative. 81 Own-account activity Own-account work is open outside the reserved sectors, with a uniform ceiling on employees. 82 Excluded markets No market in the means of production, land, dwellings, health care, schooling or public knowledge. 83 Guaranteed provision The law lists what is guaranteed free, and the plan allocates for that list before anything else. 84 The plan A four-year plan, revised yearly, expressed in money and in physical units where ceilings apply. 85 Preparation The draft plan is published six months ahead with the proposals it accepted and refused. 86 Adoption The Assembly adopts the plan, and neither chamber may adopt one that underfunds the guaranteed list. 87 Content The plan states resources, allocations, investments, responsible organs, deadlines and a reserve. 88 Ceilings in physical units Physical ceilings for energy, water, timber, fish, listed minerals and emissions, published quarterly. 89 Categories planned in money What is planned in money, and the standing duty to examine extending physical planning further. 90 The Federal Planning Office The Planning Office prepares and monitors the plan, publishes contested findings, and takes no instruction. 91 Revision The plan is revised by law, and no revision may cut the guaranteed list. 92 Publication of the accounts Quarterly accounts of the plan, an annual audit, and the naming of misapplied allocations. 93 The public enterprise A public enterprise is created by law, keeps its own accounts and is entered in a public register. 94 Self-management The workers elect a council which runs the enterprise, meets in public and can be recalled. 95 The director The council selects the director by competition, directs the director and may dismiss the director. 96 Enterprises of federal importance For listed enterprises the ministry appoints from the council's ranking and must publish its reasons. 97 Accounts Quarterly accounts in money and physical units, and no allocation until they are published. 98 Support Support is published with amounts, terms and names, and a ceiling on it is left to a law not yet passed. 99 Reorganisation and dissolution An enterprise that cannot meet its obligations is reorganised or dissolved after its council is heard. 100 Investment Investment comes from the plan, retained funds and credit, and stays within the physical ceilings. 101 Prices Some prices are fixed by the plan and published with their costs, the rest form freely. 102 Enterprises of foreign origin A foreign enterprise operates only under a licence stating the technique transferred and the forum. 103 The federal budget The budget is adopted before the year begins, holds every receipt, and defaults to monthly twelfths. 104 Budgets of the states State budgets fit within the federal allocations and are checked before adoption. 105 Taxation Taxes only by law, progressive on income, and an exemption for a named person is void. 106 Currency The vela is issued by the Bank alone, and obligations in a foreign currency are void. 107 The Bank of the Republic The Bank issues the currency, holds public accounts, and reports to the Assembly every quarter. 108 Internal debt Internal borrowing needs a law, is published monthly, and external borrowing stays under Article 20. 109 The Court of Accounts The Court of Accounts audits every public body, publishes in full, and refers offences to prosecution. 110 Public contracts Public contracts follow a published procedure, and one concluded outside it is void. 111 The external account One external account, published monthly, and no foreign bank account without published authorisation. 112 Exchange within the Bloc Bloc exchange is settled in goods and knowledge, and no unit of settlement circulates at home. 113 Exchange with other states Trade outside the Bloc runs through licensed public enterprises, and no weapon is exported. 114 Technique and knowledge Incoming technique enters the knowledge commons, and no exclusive right over knowledge is accepted. 115 Solidarity Solidarity is given without conditions and received on the same terms, with both published. TITLE IV: THE FEDERAL ASSEMBLY (articles 116 to 145) 116 The Federal Assembly Two chambers, seated at Talmeru, which legislate, adopt the plan and supervise the Government. 117 The Popular Chamber One hundred and fifty members, four years, proportional representation with no threshold. 118 The Chamber of the States Thirty members, six from each state, elected on the same day and bound by no instruction. 119 Conduct of elections An elected Electoral Commission runs the poll, and party finance is capped, published and audited. 120 Term Four-year terms, elections within sixty days, and extension only during an emergency or attack. 121 Eligibility and incompatibility Who may stand, which offices are incompatible, and the two-year bar on contracts after the mandate. 122 The mandate A member votes according to their own judgment and cannot be recalled by a party. 123 Immunity No liability for votes or opinions, and otherwise a member is prosecuted like any other person. 124 Interests of members Members declare their assets and any interest in a vote, and non-declaration costs the seat. 125 Loss of the mandate The grounds on which a seat is lost and how it passes to the next candidate on the list. 126 Sessions An eleven-month ordinary session, extraordinary sittings on demand, and published rules of procedure. 127 The presidency of a chamber Each chamber elects and may dismiss its President, who directs its proceedings. 128 Committees Committees sit in public, and the accounts and integrity committees are chaired from outside the Government. 129 Committees of inquiry A quarter of either chamber can open an inquiry that summons persons and compels documents. 130 Quorum and majorities A majority present, votes recorded by name and published, and a secret ballot only for elections. 131 Initiative Who may introduce a bill, and the statement of cost and effect that must accompany it. 132 Ordinary procedure Three readings in the Popular Chamber, then thirty days in the Chamber of the States. 133 Matters requiring both chambers The matters on which both chambers must agree, including the plan, treaties and revision. 134 Conciliation A conciliation committee of eight proposes a common text, and failure makes the bill lapse. 135 Organic laws Which matters need an organic law, and the review of such a law before promulgation. 136 Promulgation and publication The President promulgates within fifteen days, may return a law once, and silence passes the pen on. 137 Review before promulgation Referral to the Constitutional Court before promulgation, decided in thirty days. 138 Limits of delegation No delegation over rights, the plan, taxation or the electoral system, and none beyond twelve months. 139 The plan and the budget The plan and budget arrive by October, are examined in public, and cannot be cut below the guaranteed list. 140 Treaties Treaties are published thirty days before ratification, and a conflicting one waits for revision. 141 Elections by the Assembly The offices the Assembly elects, the public hearings before the vote, and the fallback after three ballots. 142 Questions and interpellation Written questions answered in thirty days, weekly oral questions, and the President twice a year. 143 Supervision of the administration Either chamber can compel documents and attendance, and the oversight reports are debated in public. 144 Initiative of the electors An electors' proposal reaches the agenda in thirty days and may go to referendum if it is rejected. 145 Publicity of proceedings Sittings are public and transcribed, and a register records who lobbies whom and about what. TITLE V: THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC (articles 146 to 161) 146 The office The head of State, exercising the powers this Constitution confers and holding no party office. 147 Election Directly elected in two rounds, on the same rules of finance and publication as other elections. 148 Term Six years, one term only, and no candidacy after two years in the office. 149 Eligibility and incompatibility Thirty-five years of age, ten years resident, and no other office or paid activity. 150 Entry into office The oath before both chambers, and the assets declaration verified within ninety days. 151 The Federal Government The President appoints the Prime Minister and ministers, presides over the Government and signs its decisions. 152 Foreign relations The President directs foreign relations, concludes treaties and reports to the Assembly twice a year. 153 Defence Command of the armed forces, movement within the territory, and no action abroad outside Title X. 154 Acts of the President Decrees cite their legal basis, some need countersignature, and none has the force of law. 155 Promulgation, referral and referendum Promulgation and referral, and a referendum only if both chambers approve the question. 156 Pardon Pardons are reasoned and published, and none is granted for corruption or for torture. 157 Publicity of the office The President's official diary, budget and staff appointments are published. 158 Suspension and removal by referendum Both chambers may suspend the President, and a referendum within thirty days decides removal. 159 Removal for an offence of integrity A finding of corruption confirmed by the Constitutional Court removes the President without any vote. 160 Liability No liability for opinions expressed in office, and no deferral of prosecution for anything else. 161 Vacancy How the office falls vacant, who acts in the interim, and what that person may not do. TITLE VI: THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT (articles 162 to 174) 162 The Federal Government The Government administers the Republic and answers to the Popular Chamber, with ministries fixed by law. 163 Formation The programme is presented within fifteen days, and three refusals of confidence bring dissolution. 164 The Prime Minister The Prime Minister directs the Government, proposes ministers with published reasons, and answers weekly. 165 The ministers A minister runs one ministry, holds no other paid activity, and gives up any parliamentary seat. 166 Sittings of the Government The Government meets weekly, records each vote, publishes within seven days, and excludes interested members. 167 Acts of the Government Regulations cite the law they execute, and one contrary to a law or the plan is void. 168 Censure A motion of censure must name the successor, and carrying it appoints that person. 169 Resignation and continuity When a Government resigns, and what a resigned Government may no longer do. 170 Liability of members of the Government Ministers are prosecuted like any other person, and an instruction called unlawful must be confirmed in writing. 171 The public administration The administration gives reasons, answers within thirty days, and silence counts as a refusal. 172 The civil service Appointment by open competition, dismissal only on defined grounds, and no clear-out on a change of Government. 173 The states and the administration Federal law is executed through federal or state services, with no instruction in an individual case. 174 The Ombudsman The Ombudsman examines complaints free of charge and publishes both recommendation and reply. TITLE VII: LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT (articles 175 to 182) 175 Principle and units Local affairs are run by elected communes and districts, each with its own property and budget. 176 Competence General competence in local matters, and a task transferred without resources imposes no obligation. 177 The commune council and the mayor The commune council is elected proportionally and elects the mayor, who can be replaced by a named successor. 178 The district council The district council is elected the same way, and the mayors of its communes are heard. 179 Publicity and participation Local sittings and papers are published, a tenth of residents can force a referendum, and residents vote on investment. 180 Local finance and property Local finance comes by published formula, cannot be withheld, and local property cannot be sold. 181 Supervision The state supervises lawfulness alone, through the courts, and only a court may dissolve a council. 182 Cooperation and boundaries Units may act jointly, including with a unit across the frontier in another Bloc state. TITLE VIII: THE COURTS (articles 183 to 193) 183 Judicial power The courts judge in the name of the people, take no instruction, and extraordinary courts are prohibited. 184 Status of judges Judges serve to retirement, are moved or removed only by the Judicial Council, and declare their assets. 185 The Judicial Council Fifteen members, nine of them judges elected by judges, sitting in public and publishing reasons. 186 Appointment, promotion and discipline Appointment and promotion by published competition, and discipline in public with the judge named. 187 Organisation of the courts State courts in first and second instance, with the Supreme Court above them on federal law. 188 Access and conduct of proceedings Cases assigned by lot, judgments published, and each court publishing its delays and reversals. 189 The prosecution The prosecution is independent, its head elected by two thirds, and discontinuance is reasoned and reviewable. 190 The Anti-Corruption Prosecution A separate corruption prosecution with its own budget, assignment by lot, and no immunity in its way. 191 The Constitutional Court Nine judges from three sources, nine years, renewed by thirds, and removable only by the Court itself. 192 Jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court What the Court decides, who may bring a case, and when a provision found unconstitutional falls. 193 Procedure of the Constitutional Court The Court sits in public, hears a person without a lawyer or fee, and binds every organ and every court. TITLE IX: INDEPENDENT BODIES (articles 194 to 198) 194 Common provisions What the independent bodies have in common: their own budgets, no instructions, and full publication. 195 The Public Integrity Office The Office verifies declarations, removes office holders for conflicts, and states unexplained wealth. 196 The Director of the Office The Director is elected from candidates the Judicial Council presents, with a Bloc deputy during the settlement. 197 The register of assets A public register of assets, searchable without registration, kept for ten years after office. 198 Procedure and safeguards The person is heard before a finding, may appeal to the Supreme Court, and the reporter stays anonymous. TITLE X: DEFENCE, PUBLIC ORDER AND EMERGENCY (articles 199 to 205) 199 The armed forces A standing professional force and the state militias, subordinate to the civil power. 200 The territorial militia Each state trains a militia, employed for defence and rescue and barred from acting against an assembly or a strike. 201 Limits No alliance, no foreign base, no surveillance of the population, and no defence in a superior's order. 202 Action beyond the frontier Rescue and relief by majority law, and any other action abroad by two-thirds law and referendum. 203 Public order Civilian police, identifiable officers, recorded use of force, and independent investigation of complaints. 204 State of emergency The President declares an emergency, both chambers confirm it in seven days, and core rights stand. 205 Armed attack On an armed attack the chambers meet within a day and review the measures every thirty days. TITLE XI: REVISION OF THE CONSTITUTION (articles 206 to 208) 206 Initiative and procedure Revision needs two thirds of each chamber and a referendum, checked by the Court for its limits. 207 Limits of revision The republican and federal form, the Title II rights and social ownership are beyond revision. 208 Publication of the revised text A revision is consolidated and published, and the wording it displaced is kept in the Annex. TITLE XII: THE RESCUE SETTLEMENT (articles 209 to 214) 209 Purpose and duration Why this Title exists, when it began, and how it ends when the obligations are discharged. 210 The obligations of 2008 to 2016 The 2008 to 2016 debts are scheduled and published, and unauthorised ones create no debt. 211 The joint committee The joint committee supervises and publishes, and may not legislate, annul, remove or instruct a court. 212 Supervision of budgets and borrowing State budgets are checked and public borrowing is authorised centrally while the settlement runs. 213 Planning and integrity during the settlement The federal plan prevails over state plans, and the Integrity Office reaches state and local office holders. 214 Effect on the states The Title limits state competences temporarily, and they return on the day it is declared spent. TITLE XIII: FINAL AND TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS (articles 215 to 217) 215 Entry into force and repeal Entry into force, what was repealed, and the eighteen months allowed for outstanding organic laws. 216 Continuity of organs and of law Organs carry on the work of those they replaced, and earlier decisions stay valid. 217 Transition from the institutions of 1961 How the 1961 institutions gave way to the present ones, and what became of their archives.