Greetings! Over the past few weeks, a tremendous amount of discussion concerning the role of the Emperor has culminated in the passing of a constitutional amendment defining duties and responsibilities of the Emperor in a way that affirms the Empire's divine and imperial authority while also bringing the position in line with the realities of a changed political structure and culture. Good job all!
However, an issue has come to light -
the very minute after the amendment was passed, unfortunately - which seems to have been met with a communal consensus as a way to make this law simpler, clearer, and more sensible. This concerns the nominations process for Emperor elections by which Counts and/or Dukes must nominate candidates from the Council of the Crowned.
The original language restricting nominations to Counts/Dukes was borne out of a desire to a) grant unique duties to lesser nobles to make up for them not being able to contend for emperor and b) allow for a symbolically-pleasing sense that the Emperor is truly beholden to teh community. However, further reflection upon this idea -
again, after the bill was passed, apologies all - has yielded several potential problems or at least needless complications:
- Requiring nominations from others instead of being able to declare yourself leaves the Emperor position
potentially vulnerable to quasi-blocs of voting and special interests.
- Requiring nominations from others instead of being able to declare yourself may leave it unclear as to who
actually wants to stand for Emperor.
- Requiring nominations was originally conceived as a measure against the same individuals standing for Emperor - with our limited Council pool and the openness of this community this is unlikely to be a true issue. Compensating for a potentially non-existent problem by introducing nominations makes the whole process needlessly complicated for no real reason.
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The current - just ratified - relevant sections of the Indoles Carta are as follows:The Indoles CartaII. Elections and TitlesElection of the Emperor/EmpressOnly Crowned Kings and Queens, sitting members of the Council of the Crowned, may fill the elected position of Emperor of the Mercurian Empire. Upon the death or abdication of the current Emperor, an Empire-wide election for the position must be scheduled no later than one (1) week after the Emperor’s leave of office.
In the period immediately prior to the election, the Counts and Dukes of the Mercurian Empire may nominate current sitting members of the Council of the Crowned for the position of Emperor. Sitting members of the Council of the Crowned at the time of the Emperor’s leave of office may not nominate themselves or other sitting members of the Council of the Crowned.
Beginning the scheduled date of the election, a one-week period of voting shall take place, open to all nobles (Counts, Dukes, and Kings/Queens) of the Empire, for the election of the Emperor. Each noble is entitled to a single vote of equal value. After the one-week period has elapsed, all votes will be tallied. The candidate with the greatest total number of votes shall be recognized as the next Emperor, to serve until death or voluntary abdication. In a case where the two leading candidates receive an equal number of votes, a second run-off election shall immediately be held upon the conclusion of all votes being tallied, subject to the same procedures as the initial election, between the two leading candidates, repeating if necessary until a candidate emerges with a greater total number of votes to be designated the next Emperor.
Act of Definitions: Noble Titles and Legal HoldingsEmperor/EmpressThe Emperor or Empress of the Mercurian Empire is the representative of the divinity of the Council of the Crowned, elected from within the ranks of the Council and equal in rights and abilities to each of the sitting members of the latter. In this role, the Emperor/Empress holds the responsibility of performing tasks on behalf of the Council of the Crowned, including but not limited to the crowning of newly ascended Kings/Queens to the Council and the delivering of announcements on behalf of the Council.
The Emperor or Empress also holds the responsibility of acting as sociocultural ambassador for the Empire, representing the diversity and community of the Empire and fostering community ties and development. In this role, the Emperor/Empress holds the responsibility of representing the community in specific instances, including but not limited to officiating cultural events such as the Imperial Games, introducing communal initiatives and lore events, and travelling the Empire to foster development and cooperation.
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The proposed amendment to this language - changes are highlighted in red - is as follows:The Indoles CartaII. Elections and TitlesElection of the Emperor/EmpressOnly Crowned Kings and Queens, sitting members of the Council of the Crowned, may fill the elected position of Emperor of the Mercurian Empire. Upon the death or abdication of the current Emperor, an Empire-wide election for the position must be scheduled no later than one (1) week after the Emperor’s leave of office.
In the period immediately prior to the election,
active sitting members of the Council of the Crowned may declare themselves in the Offices of the Emperor to be standing for election to the position of Emperor. Beginning the scheduled date of the election, a one-week period of voting shall take place, open to all nobles (Counts, Dukes, and Kings/Queens) of the Empire, for the election of the Emperor. Each noble is entitled to a single vote of equal value. After the one-week period has elapsed, all votes will be tallied. The candidate with the greatest total number of votes shall be recognized as the next Emperor, to serve until death or voluntary abdication. In a case where the two leading candidates receive an equal number of votes, a second run-off election shall immediately be held upon the conclusion of all votes being tallied, subject to the same procedures as the initial election, between the two leading candidates, repeating if necessary until a candidate emerges with a greater total number of votes to be designated the next Emperor.
Act of Definitions: Noble Titles and Legal HoldingsEmperor/EmpressThe Emperor or Empress of the Mercurian Empire is the representative of the divinity of the Council of the Crowned, elected from within the ranks of the Council and equal in rights and abilities to each of the sitting members of the latter. In this role, the Emperor/Empress holds the responsibility of performing tasks on behalf of the Council of the Crowned, including but not limited to the crowning of newly ascended Kings/Queens to the Council and the delivering of announcements on behalf of the Council.
The Emperor or Empress also holds the responsibility of acting as sociocultural ambassador for the Empire, representing the diversity and community of the Empire and fostering community ties and development. In this role, the Emperor/Empress holds the ceremonial responsibility of representing the community in specific instances, including but not limited to officiating cultural events such as the Imperial Games, introducing communal initiatives and lore events, and travelling the Empire to foster development and cooperation.
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NOTE: As this is in part a constitutional amendment, this bill must receive both a 66% majority from active sitting Members of the Council of the Crowned and a 50% majority from active sitting members of the House of Dukes. For the Council bill, go
here.
