Chrismonte's constitution
Changes and amendments to the original constitution will be written in colour, indicating the date of amendment.
Red: constitutional revision of October 2024
Preamble: We, the citizens of Chrismonte, united in our commitment to freedom, justice, and inclusivity, do hereby adopt and enact this Constitution to establish a semi-physical republic as a safe haven for all who seek freedom, both in the virtual and physical realms.
Article I: Name and Territory
Section 1: The official name of this nation shall be The Republic of Chrismonte, hereafter referred to as Chrismonte.
Section 2: Chrismonte's territory shall encompass both the online realm and designated physical spaces accessible to its citizens.
Article II: National symbols
Section 1: The Chrismontean national flag consists of three horizontal stripes: from top to bottom, respectively light azure, white and gold. The figure of a red eagle carrying a dark blue sceptre is placed in the middle.
Section 2: The national flower of Chrismonte is the sunflower.
Section 3: The national anthem of Chrismonte shall be decided later. It must convey pride, but also the values of freedom, compassion and progress.
Section 4: The official languages of the Republic of Chrismonte are English and French.
Section 5: The motto of the Republic of Chrismonte is: Libertas et Iustitias in Unitate, or “Freedom and Justice in Unity”. It reflects the ideals of our nation.
Article III: Form of Government
Section 1: Chrismonte shall be a Presidential Republic.
Section 2: The powers of the government shall be distributed between the elected President, a Council of Elders, and the active participation of citizens, as explained hereafter.
Article IV: Bill of Rights
Section 1: The Republic of Chrismonte upholds human rights and will always consider them as essential, fundamental and sacrosanct.
Section 2: All citizens of Chrismonte shall enjoy fundamental rights and freedoms in both virtual and physical realms, including but not limited to freedom of opinion, expression, assembly, religion and privacy.
Section 3: No citizen shall be subjected to unwarranted surveillance or interference, whether in the online or physical spaces.
Section 4: The right to a fair trial and due process shall be upheld for all citizens, regardless of their presence in the virtual or physical realm.
Article V: Executive Powers
Section 1: The executive authority of Chrismonte shall be vested in the President.
Section 2: The President shall hold executive powers, including the enforcement of laws, conduct of diplomatic affairs, and management of physical and virtual infrastructure.
Section 2b: The President may choose, if he/she wishes, to name one or several Ministers, who will each be in charge of a specific domain/field. The President decides on the number and fields of the Ministries for his/her term.
Section 3: The President shall be elected every six months through a democratic process outlined in subsequent legislation.
Section 4: No citizen can be President for more than three consecutive terms.
Section 5: If the President is incapable of finishing his/her term, a snap election shall be called to elect a temporary president for the rest of the term.
Section 5b: The Council of Elders may, by a three-quarters majority vote, call a referendum to remove the President. If the “yes” wins by more than 50% of the votes cast and at least 25% of the number of citizens, the President will have to resign and a new presidential election will take place.
Article VI: Council of Elders
Section 1: The Council of Elders shall consist of four members, who each serve a term of six months.
Section 2: Half of the Council of Elders shall be elected by citizens at the same time as the President, during parliamentary elections.
Section 3: The other half of the Council of Elders shall be elected by the citizens halfway through the presidential term, by a democratic process outlined in subsequent legislation.
Section 4: If a member of the Council is incapable of finishing his/her term, he/she shall designate a successor.
Section 5: If after three weeks, the Council has been incapable of taking a decision on a law, the bill shall be submitted to the people by referendum.
Article VII: Legislative Process
Section 1: Legislative authority shall be vested in the Council of Elders.
Section 2: The Council of Elders shall pass laws to govern Chrismonte.
Section 3: A law shall only pass if three members out of four vote for it, thus creating a need for debate and discussion amongst the members of the Council.
Section 4: The Council of Elders act by debating about laws and other matters, and then conducting a vote by show of hands.
Article VIII: Judicial Process
Section 1: The Council of Elders also wields the judicial power.
Section 2: If a situation between two Chrismontean citizens needs judging, the Council of Elders shall be summoned to take a decision. The decision needs a three-quarter majority vote to pass.
Section 3: The Council of Elders also has the power to judge international matters concerning Chrismonte.
Section 4: If a citizen of Chrismonte has to be judged for breaking Chrismontean law, a jury of three citizens drawn at random may be summoned if the defendant wishes it, otherwise they shall be judged by the Council.
Article IX: Citizen Participation
Section 1: Citizens of Chrismonte, both in the virtual and physical realms, shall have the right to vote in referendums and presidential elections.
Section 2: Citizens may suggest laws through a democratic process outlined in subsequent legislation.
Section 3: Citizens may call for the removal of the president, which will happen if a four-fifths majority of the citizens are for the motion.
Article X: Citizenship
Section 1: Citizenship in Chrismonte shall be open to all who seek freedom and request it, participating in both online and physical spaces.
Section 1b: Acquiring citizenship is free and accessible to all, on condition of agreeing to respect Chrismontean laws and of giving valid motivations for acquiring this citizenship.
Section 1c: Citizens must be at least thirteen years old.
Section 2: Citizens may contribute an area of land, be it bedroom, house, flat or outside territory as part of Chrismontean territory, under Chrismontean jurisdiction, thus gaining the status of territorial citizens.
Section 2b: Citizens may also abstain from contributing land, thus gaining the status of state citizens.
Section 3: There shall be no differences between territorial citizens and state citizens.
Section 4: Chrismonte allows dual citizenship, as well as triple-citizenship and more.
Section 5: Chrismontean citizenship can be renounced at any moment by contacting the government services.
Article XI: Citizen responsibilities
Section 1: The citizens of Chrismonte have the primary responsibilities of respecting Chrismontean law and conveying a good image of the state wherever they are.
Section 2: The citizens of Chrismonte should participate as much as possible in political life.
Section 3: If a citizen of Chrismonte is drawn at random to be part of a jury, they must fulfil this obligation.
Section 4: Citizens of Chrismonte should respect each other.
Article XII: Electoral process
Section 1: Elections are open to all citizens of Chrismonte, whether territorial or state citizens.
Section 2: Elections shall happen through an online questionnaire service, as defined by subsequent legislation.
Section 3: Chrismonte allows the creation of political parties, which serve the purpose of uniting citizens around specific values and ideas. They may campaign freely, but must respect the ideas of national sovereignty and liberal democracy.
Section 3b: Candidates to presidential or legislative elections present themselves as part of a political party, or as standing alone. Parties do not present lists of candidates.
Section 4: Results shall be announced publicly by the Chrismontean government. For transparency, a screenshot of the questionnaire results must be provided.
Article XIII: Emergency powers
Section 1: If a situation arises in which the national security of Chrismonte is in peril, the Council of Elders can choose to give full powers to a citizen considered capable of leading the country.
Section 2: These emergency powers are only valid for three weeks.
Section 2b: After three weeks, if the situation is not resolved, the emergency powers may be prolonged for another three weeks by referendum.
Section 2c: The same individual can not be given emergency powers more than two times.
Section 2d: The Council of Elders is responsible for ensuring democratic continuity during this exceptional period, and ensuring that the situation does not evolve into tyranny.
Article XIV: Purpose as a Safe Haven
Section 1: The primary purpose of Chrismonte is to serve as a semi-physical safe haven for all who seek freedom and refuge from oppression.
Section 2: Chrismonte shall strive to uphold the principles of liberty, equality, and justice for its citizens and those seeking asylum.
Section 3: Chrismonte accepts all cultures.
Article XV: Foreign relations
Section 1: Chrismonte should seek first to establish good diplomatic relations with other micronations.
Section 2: Diplomatic relations with other nations (of the UN for example) should not be rejected.
Article XVI: Amendment Process
Section 1: This Constitution may be amended by a four-fifths majority vote of the citizens through the process of a referendum submitted by the Council of Elders or by one tenth of the citizens.
Article XVII: Temporary committee
Section 1: A temporary committee, constituted of the founders of the republic, shall hold power until the political system is ready to function.
Section 2: As soon as the Republic of Chrismonte is ready to function autonomously, the temporary committee shall be dissolved by the first president.
Article XVIII: Ratification This Constitution shall be effective upon ratification by the founders of the Republic as well as by a neutral witness.
In witness whereof, we, the founders of Chrismonte, do hereby adopt and enact this constitution for Chrismonte, our semi-physical republic, and safe haven for freedom.