THE CONSTITUTION OF THE KINGDOM OF DEVONIA
ARTICLE I: PRELIMINARY
1.All references within this Charter to the “King” or “His Majesty” and any and all other references by which the Sovereign is referred to in the masculine shall also be construed to refer to a regnant Queen (“Her Majesty”) in the event of a female occupant of the Throne.
2.All references within this charter to the “King in Council” or to “His Majesty in Council” shall be construed to refer to the Sovereign acting with the advice of the Upper Council unless otherwise indicated.
3.This Constitution, and all laws made by the Parliament of Devonia under it, shall be binding upon all courts, judges, and people of every part of the Kingdom of Devonia; and the laws of the Kingdom of Devonia shall be in force on all ships sailing from any of His Majesty’s realms, territories or dominions, whose first port of clearance and whose port of destination are in the Kingdom of Devonia.
ARTICLE II: THE SOVEREIGN
1.The Sovereign is Head of State of the Kingdom and rules by the Acclamation of the People. Therefore, all government power is created from him.
2.The Sovereign may not be subject to any action in any Devonia court.
3.The Sovereign is not responsible, but his Ministers are.
4.All ambassadors, consuls and other diplomatic representatives of foreign powers shall be accredited to the Sovereign. Their credentials shall be received by the Sovereign or his representative, and all Devonia representatives to foreign nations shall be accredited by the Sovereign.
5.The Sovereign is the Count of Honour. Honours are bestowed by the Sovereign or his representative.
6.The laws of succession to the throne shall correspond to the system of primogeniture.
7.At any time during his reign and for any reason, the Sovereign may appoint a Regent to fulfill his duties, and the Regency will last as long as he pleases.
ARTICLE III: EXECUTIVE POWER
1.The Executive Government and Authority of and over Devonia is hereby declared to continue and be vested in the Sovereign and his deputies.
2.There shall be a Council to aid and advise the Sovereign in his Government of Devonia, styled the Upper Council.
3.The Sovereign shall be the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
4.The Sovereign may appoint whomever he wishes to serve on the Upper Council at his pleasure, provided the number of Councilors does not exceed five at any given time. Members of the Upper Council serve at the pleasure of the Sovereign.
5.The Sovereign may appoint the Minister of the Interior, Minister of the Exterior, and Minister of the Treasury, as well as any other Ministers, as he sees fit.
ARTICLE IV: LEGISLATVE POWER
1.There shall be one Parliament for Devonia, consisting of the Sovereign, the Upper Council which shall be the upper house, and the Lower Council which shall be the lower house.
2.The Parliament of Devonia shall be annually convened by summons of the Sovereign. The parliament shall meet atleast once every three months.
3.Any and all bills which are passed by one house must be confirmed by the other in order to be sent to the King for Royal Assent.
4.When a Bill passed by both Houses of Parliament is presented to the Sovereign for Royal Assent, he may declare, according to his discretion, that he assents or that he withholds assent. If Royal Assent is denied, the bill shall go back to the council that it originated from and shall be altered as to become a law.
5.If the Sovereign makes no statement assenting or denying assent to a bill, it shall be considered passed without Royal Assent after twenty days.
6.A Bill which shall pass in both Houses of Parliament and which shall be granted the Royal Assent shall become an Act of Parliament and shall become the binding law of the land.
7.Motions arising in the Upper Council as the upper house of Parliament shall be determined by a majority of votes, and each Upper Councilor shall have one vote. When the votes are tied the motion shall pass in the negative.
8.The Lower Council shall be composed of any number of persons elected amongst the populace. Members of the Lower Council shall be elected for a term of two and one half months.
9.The Lower Council may choose, from among its members, a Chairman of the Council, and shall also be free to establish its own rules of procedure subject to this constitution and the law.
10.The Chairman of the Lower Council shall cease to be Chairman upon the termination of his office as a Lower Councilor. The Chairmans term shall endure for five months.
11.The presence of the Sovereign, one Upper Councilor, and one Lower Councilor shall be deemed sufficient to constitute a Parliament.
ARTICLE V: COURTS OF THE JUDICATURE
1.The Supreme Court shall be the supreme judicial authority of and over the Kingdom of Devonia and shall be the highest and final court of appeals.
2.The presidency of the Supreme Court shall be vested in the Lord Chief Justice of Devonia who shall be appointed by the King and ratified by the Upper Council.
3.The Supreme Court shall be composed of the Lord Chief Justice and up to eight Associate Justices.
4.The Associate Justices of the Supreme Court shall be appointed by the Monarch and ratified by the Lower Council.
5.The Supreme Court shall have the power to annul any law enacted by Parliament if a simple majority of the Justices are of the opinion that it is unconstitutional.
ARTICLE VI: AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION This Constitution may be amended only by an Act of Parliament if there is a three fourth votes in the affirmative.
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