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The Charter of the Southern Progress Party

 

I - Foundation

 

(1) This article (Article I) is to be considered the foundation of the Southern Progress Party, upon which the entirety of the Charter rests.
a) Once ratified, Article I may not be added to or amended without the unanimous agreement of the party membership.
b) Any expansion of the ideas and activities of the Southern Progress Party must occur through the Charter and any amendments made to it, without contradicting the contents of Article I.

(2) The Purpose of the Southern Progress Party is to be an alternative political party which reaches out to players in the South Pacific at all levels with the goal of progressive change, expanded democracy and continuous regional improvement.

(3) The Aims of the Southern Progress Party are:
a) To welcome new players wherever they are found;
b) To encourage the involvement of older players from both the forums and the in-game community with the possibility of progressive change;
c) To utilise the party’s collective talents and the mentoring of newer players by more experienced ones to build player skills in politics and legislation;
d) To use those skills regularly with bold legislation and political action, to encourage healthy, civil debate over regional issues.

(4) The Southern Progress Party believes that:
a) No region is perfect and that even the best regions need continuous improvement, both for its own sake and as a source of activity for its residents;
b) For democracy to work, politicians must always be looking at new ways to expand and engage the electorate;
c) As a feeder region, the South Pacific has a responsibility to provide opportunities for players of all kinds to gain experience in those areas that interest them;
d) Our members are united in their desire to see the South Pacific grow ever more welcoming and engaging, not by a gameplay, nor a political ideology. The South Pacific contains many players of all ideologies and none and they should all be granted the same opportunities and respect.
e) Civility, compassion and kindness are the hallmarks of any truly progressive movement and that all our interaction and debate within the party and with those outside of it must reflect this.

(5) The Southern Progress Party will conduct its business via the following means:
a) The Forums of the South Pacific;
b) The Southern Progress Party Discord server;
c) The NationStates website and forums.

(6) No member should be penalised for preferring to use any one of the means mentioned in section 5 of this article over or instead of any or all others.

 

II - Voting

 

(1) All members of the Southern Progress Party are entitled to an equal voice in any poll and may vote once and only once per ballot.

(2) Voting must occur via one of the means mentioned in Article I, section 5.

(3) All members must be informed of a poll before it occurs via their preferred means of contact.

(4) All polls must occur over a minimum time period of 48 hours unless all members have completed their ballot within a shorter period.

(5) All binary polls will be decided by a simple majority of completed ballots with the exception of polls on amendments to Article I, which must be unanimous to pass.

(6) All multiple option polls and elections will be decided by range voting. Voters will give each option or candidate a score out of ten. Scores will then be added up and the option or candidate with the highest score will be elected.

 

III - Membership

 

(1) To be eligible for membership in the Southern Progress Party, a player must:
    a) Have at least one nation permanently resident in the South Pacific
    b) Not hold membership of another political party in the South Pacific

(2) All eligible applicants to membership of the Southern Progress Party will have their application subject to a poll of the party lasting 48 hours.

(3) To maintain membership, all members must continue to meet the eligibility criteria listed in section 1 and have participated in at least one poll in any month during which polling of the membership has taken place.

(4) If a member believes they will not be able to meet maintenance requirements owing to real life commitments, they must request a Leave of Absence from the Central Committee, stating the full length of the period required and the reason for the request.

(5) At the start of every month the Central Committee will review the party membership and should any existing member not meet the maintenance requirements and not have been granted a Leave of Absence, their membership will lapse. In the case of membership defaulting owing to failing to meet the basic membership eligibility requirements listed in section 1, members will be given 48 hours notice by the Central Committee. If they are able to rectify their eligibility during this period, their membership will be restored without the requirement to reapply.

(6) Any member may resign their membership at any time and for any reason.

(7) All former members must be treated the same as new applicants should they wish to reapply to join the party.

 

IV - Leadership

 

(1) Once the party membership exceeds ten members, of whom at least three are legislators within the South Pacific, it shall elect for itself a Central Committee to run its day to day business.

(2) The CC shall consist of the following members:
a) A General Secretary, who will chair all meetings of the CC and serve as the visible leadership of the party;
b) Four Commissaries, respectively of Regional Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Military Affairs and Gameside Affairs, who will advise the party of developments in their respective spheres and help develop party policies.

(3) The CC shall be elected for a term of four months, with elections starting on the first days of March, July and November, administered by the General Secretary and observed by at least one volunteering party member who is not also a member of the CC.

(4) CC elections will occur as follows:
a) There will be a period of four days during which members may nominate candidates and/or declare their candidacy for one of the five CC roles. Members are also encouraged to campaign and debate during this period.
b) Following the nomination period, there will be a poll lasting two days.
c) Campaigning and debate may occur at any point during the six-day election.
d) All polls will be decided using range voting.

(5) To preserve the impartiality of the General Secretary during elections, they may only hold office for a single term and may not be elected again to any role until at least one full term has passed in the interim.

(6) Commissaries may be elected to up to two consecutive terms in any particular role and may not be elected again to that role until at least one full term has passed in the interim.

(7) In the event of the conditions of section 1 being met or of vacancies occurring during the first half of a term a special election will be held following the procedures as outlined in section 4 and administered by the General Secretary, a Commissary should the General Secretary role be vacant or any member of the party chosen by a poll decided using range voting. Whoever administers a special election may not run for office at the same time.

Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond!

Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi.

Salma 145:8

translate

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
Psalm 145: 8