Constitution of Renasia

The Constitution of the Republic of Renasia is the foundation document for the Republic of Renasia. It outlines the base constructs, duties, workings and authority vested into powers of the nation. It was written 21 December 2009.

Preamble
In the past, the predecessor's to our great nation have fallen, and both due to the same rot. Inactivity and a lack of citizen base. We require a new base, and a new, more binding structure to hold us to our goals, to begin to attract a new citizen base and to build a new, more richly cultured nation. In this document we lay down the foundations of this new nation. This document must be the rock on which we build Renasia, and it must remain solid for Renasia for to remain on decent footing.

Article 0
This constitution is the basic law of the land. The state is bound by these laws. These laws take precedent over all others and all effort should be made to avoid contradiction with these laws when new ones are passed.

Article I
Renasia is an independent, secular, sovereign nation. It seeks to embody all that is good about the human spirit, and human mind. As such, it is a nation that seeks to be heavily connected with its populous, and to try and maintain equality of opportunity.

Article II
Renasia is a direct democratic, calliduesceptruist nation. As such it's power is evenly spread as much as possible and the majority of it rests in the masses. This means that the largest organ of governance and hence the majority of the responsibility for the nations conduct lies in the nations citizens themselves. Despite this, other organs do exist and any citizen may join them and ascend their ranks.

Article III
Renasia is founded on the need to form a society which, while following the lead set by its predecessors, must be more lenient and more open to outside views. It must be a society geared towards acceptance and to people outside the small pool of those who would have been interested previously. As a direct democracy, all opinion must be respected and listened to, and to create a society that can repeatedly and consistently listen, understand and accept multiple diverse opinions is an important part of this. However, no idea should be respected to the point that it becomes dogmatic or sacred. "Disrespect for ideas, good. Disrespect for people, bad"

Article IV
The power of our country must stem from our unity and cohesion. This is not to express the need for the abandoning of the individual in favour of the collective, but the ability to stand beside those different from you and recognize them as allies and friends. We must act as a unit, for power in this world comes, more than from money, or political influence, from the collective action of the individual. Without this, we are not a nation, and so it must be kept safe. As such, attempts to split our society into sects and to separate us from each other, turn us against ourselves, is deemed unconstitutional.

Article V
As a true and direct democracy, there will be no supreme political unit in Renasia. To try to establish a party will be seen to be a violation of Article IV. Each person is their own party, with their own views, and to pretend otherwise it to create a barrier that doesn't exist. The instrument of political action, the Forus, is hence wielded by the people directly.

Article VI
In a continuation of our need for unity, all citizens, regardless of race, age, gender, religion or opinions held, must be treated equal. Equal treatment is enshrined, as such, in this constitution and so to treat anyone unfairly on grounds of any of the above mentioned factors is deemed to be unconstitutional.

Article VII
All citizens will have the right to be tried by a fair, free and open court system. Any form of evidence is presentable. All punishments must be made to abide with Calliduesceptruistic ideals of justice, in keeping with the five aims of punishment. These five aims are as follows; If it is demonstrable that any punishment exacted upon someone who is found to be guilty of any crime, the punishment must immediately be overturned and the trial re-held with a new judge.
 * Protection: The public require shielding from those who would wish to do them harm or commit wrongs against them.
 * Retribution: The need to exact punishment in recompense for the crimes committed.
 * Deterrence: Punishment is to be used to prevent people from committing crimes they might otherwise, is a world with punishment, commit.
 * Reform:     Punishment is a method to help people to look at where there problems lie, and to tackle causes of their behaviour
 * Vindication: Punishment should be a way to reinforce the idea that laws are made to be obeyed and taken seriously.

Article VIII
The state, and hence the people, reserve the right to enforce any and all economic intervention schemes to in accordance with Calliduesceptruist ideals. That is, to tax progressively more as any company grows larger, assuming it is not to the point where company growth is stifled. It reserves the right to also take any form of intervention it sees fit if it is in order to make life easier on the general population.

Article XI
The state retains the ability to seize, in the form of a compulsory purchase, as company assuming that the state leaves room for competition in the market it is purchasing in. To this end, the state may only own 25% of anyone marketplace, a marketplace being defined as the ability to manufacture product to meet a demand in a set product or product range.

Article X
The environment under the jurisdiction of the Renasian state is to be considered the property of the people, and is to be protected, but also to be used in order that the populous might harness its potential to improve the state and so generate capita for it, assuming that any action taken on the land does not compromise its integrity.

Article XI
The state has a responsibility to develop a cultural identity for the nation. It has a duty to provide stimulus to culture, and anyone seeking to develop a strong cultural facet, if it is deemed positive and desired, should receive support from the state.

Article XII
The Renasian state commits itself to liberating those in unelected and unapproved, and so politically speaking illegitimate, regimes. It commits itself to helping those under regimes which, while previously elected, have drastically deviated from their mandates and lost the support of the public. It commits itself to liberating people who are conquered.

Article XIII
Other than in cases as given above, Renasia respects the rights of legitimate sovereign nations to govern themselves. It will allow all such nations self governance and will not intervene in internal affairs. This doesn't bar any official the right to pass comment or judgment, and only bars the nation from taking action against or intervening in any internal affairs without given permission from those with the authority to pass such requests.

Article XIV
The flag is a tricolour of the horizontal variety, from top to bottom, it runs green, white, gold, with the crest of the renaissance Republic of Florence centered in red in the white stripe. It will remain so unless it is changed, and this change requires alteration to the constitution.

Article XV
The national colours of Renasia are red, gold, green and white. These are the official colours, and while unofficial social paradigms may come and go in respect to national colours, but in terms of official colours, red, green, gold and white remain unless changed by constitutional reform.

Article XVI
The national motto is "Peto verum in totus res" which means, "Seek truth in all you do". Which other, quasiofficial motto may be added and used, changing the official motto is also a form of constitutional reform or amendment and must be treated accordingly.

Article XVII
The official demonym applying to those who are citizens of Renasia, or to anything which is part of or originating from Renasia is Renasian.

Article XVIII
For this constitution, a citizen is define as one who has a majority Renasian lineage, was born in Renasia, or one who undergoes the correct naturalization procedures.

Article XIX
An adult is defined as anyone over the age of 16 years. A minor is anyone who fails to meet the previous criteria.

Article XX
Citizenship is defined as being in the state of being a citizen, and having all the rights and duties of a citizen.

Article XXI
Every citizen has the fundamental right to basic nutrition and hydration. That is, every citizen has the right to sufficient water and food to make sure they can continue to function normally, without risk from dehydration of malnutrition.

Article XXII
Every citizen has the fundamental right to shelter, to prevent them from hypothermia and exposure.

Article XXIII
Every minor citizen has the right to financial upkeep while they are in education

Article XXIV
Every citizen has the right to act as their own morals dictate given they then accept the consequences should their action fall foul of the law.

Article XXV
Every citizen has the right to voice their opinion on any matter, and has freedom to speak their mind on any given issue. However, certain expressions, if proven to be false and continued to be disseminated, may fall foul of the law.

Article XXVI
Every human, whether a citizen of Renasia or otherwise, has the right to life. This is inalienable and anyone found to have deprived another of this right may be sentenced indefinitely.

Article XXVII
Every human has the right to freedom of mind and body, which may only be taken from them as punishment in the mechanizations of the justice system.

Article XXVIII
Every human has the right to emergency healthcare while in Renasia. This right is inalienable.

Article XXIX
Every human has the right to basic sanitation while within the limits of Renasia. This right is inalienable.

Article XXX
Every human has the right to purchase property and do with it as they see fit, assuming that this action falls within the boundaries of the law

Article XXXI
Citizens have the right to object to active participation in any conflict that they have not previous backed

Article XXXII
Citizens are free to criticize the state as they wish, and are encouraged to think critically about the direction the state is headed in, and the actions it is taking.

Article XXXIII
Any citizen may petition the state for funding for projects. Funding will be granted if possible, but only if the Forus agree that the project has significant cultural or scientific merit

To be finished