Codex of Adammic Law

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OFFICE OF STATE
CODEX OF ADAMMIC LAW

Third edition
2020

The Codex of Adammic Law is a compilation of all presently active primary legislation in Adammia, taking the form of the Supreme Directive, Imperial Decrees, and Acts of Parliament (formerly Acts of Council). This document is intended as a guide which seeks to reflect, as accurately as possible, the active legislation as amended by subsequent legislation, organised by topic. The Office of State makes no guarantee that this document would entirely match the state of all amended legislation as interpreted by a court of law.

Copyright © 2020 Office of State

CHAPTER I – SOVEREIGNTY

1. Fundamental law

  • a) In accordance with Article 5 of the Supreme Directive of the 16th of April 2013, the Supreme Directive shall take effect as the fundamental law of the Empire of Adammia and replace the previous Directive if more than 50% of Adammic voters choose so in a fair referendum. The aforementioned referendum took place on the 30th of June 2013 and resulted in 100% support out of a 57% voter turnout, hence proclaiming the present Supreme Directive.
  • b) I, Adam Belcher, the son of Kevin Belcher, who is the son of Kenneth Belcher, who is the son of Frederick Belcher, who was the son of John Belcher, who was the son of John Belcher, who was the son of William Belcher, who was the son of Richard Belcher who was the son of George Belcher of Pontefract, by my self-given right as Founder and Emperor of the Empire of Adammia, declare that the fundamental law of the Empire of Adammia shall consist of the Supreme Directive of June 2013, alongside the first sentence of the Supreme Directive of April 2013 which established the state; the remainder of the Supreme Directive of April 2013 shall be considered null and void.
  • c) This Supreme Directive is declared to be impossible to amend or suspend, except if the will of the Founder is invoked in accordance with Article VI Section 4 of this Supreme Directive, or if a proposed amendment or suspension is both approved by the Parliament, and supported by at least half of full citizens voting in a free and fair referendum.
  • d) Any of the constituent parts of the Parliament may order a referendum for the purposes of the above Section 2 to be held without the agreement of the other constituent parts, but no amendment or suspension shall come into effect until it has the agreement of all the constituent parts and has passed the referendum.

2. Extent of sovereignty

  • a) The state acknowledges and respects the law of the macronations that surround and claim sovereignty over the Empire's territory. While its governing bodies may make laws that contradict the laws of those macronations, the macronational laws should still be upheld. Only if the macronation in question recognised the state would this not apply.
  • b) The governing body of the Empire of Adammia is prohibited from interfering with the rights given by macronational legal ownership of land to landowners within the territory it claims.
  • c) With the exception of the above sections, the Empire of Adammia claims the status of a sovereign state with territory, citizens and functioning government, with all the rights and responsibilities that go along with that status.

3. Miscellaneous provisions of state

  • a) The full name of the state is the Empire of Adammia. Its shortened form is Adammia.
  • b) The official language of the state is English. All legislation and other state documents shall be written in English.
  • c) The official government system of the state is an Executive Constitutional Monarchy. The government runs a Parliamentary System.
  • d) The official demonym of the state is Adammic.
  • e) The official foundation date of the state is the 13th of April 2013.

4. Dissolution and successor states

  • a) The state of the Empire of Adammia may not be dissolved whilst the Supreme Directive is in force.
  • b) If there are no citizens of the Empire of Adammia, but there are honourary citizens remaining, the Empire shall be considered dormant. During this time, any honourary citizen may declare themselves a full citizen, thus becoming Monarch and restarting the Empire. However, should there be no full or honourary citizens remaining, the Empire shall be considered defunct, though any future revival of the Empire thereafter can be legally considered the successor state to the Empire.

5. National symbols

  • a) A state symbol can be changed at any time by the Monarch, with the exception of the flag and main anthem, which can only be changed by public referendum and Imperial consent.
  • b) The National Flag is a green circle upon a dark cyan background. This can be hand drawn on paper, printed on paper or sewn onto fabric, and symbolises the nation itself. It should be, but is not compulsory, flown or hung in Adammic territory to secure the claim to land.
  • c) The National Anthem of Adammia shall be the main theme from the film Chariots of Fire, therein referred to as simply Chariots of Fire; this music, along with the flag, represents the nation, and as such should be played at major events or ceremonies where the Empire is involved.
    • i. The Second Anthem, the anthem of the Emperor, his office and personal affairs, is Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by J.S. Bach.
    • ii. A third anthem is permitted but is currently undefined, and will be rarely used.
  • d) The official Coat of Arms of Adammia shall be the design created by Emmanuel Tsompanoglou in March 2014, for which the full blazon is: "Party per pale Vert two swords palewise crossed Argent with hilts Gules, and Azure the side sinister of a nine leafed twig Vert; for a Crest, the Holy Roman Imperial Crown modified with sides Or; for Supporters, two meerkats rampant; Motto "IMPERIVM ADAMMIAE" below the shield and motto "Quaerentibus sapientiam et honorem" below the first motto." It shall be affixed to all relevant documents.
  • e) The National Sport of Adammia shall be Esports.
  • f) The National Animal of Adammia is the Meerkat.
  • g) The Motto of Adammia is "Quaerentibus sapientiam et honorem".
  • h) The Patron Saint of Adammia shall be Gabe “Gaben” Newell, director of the ValveCorporation.
  • i) There shall be a Civil Ensign of Adammia, which shall consist of a red background with the National Flag of Adammia in the top-left corner, and this may be flown from the stern of civilian vessels that are registered in Adammia, and may also be used as the basis of flags for territorial divisions and subdivisions.

CHAPTER II – TERRITORY

1. Sovereign territory

  • a) The Empire of Adammia claims sovereignty (to the extent set out in the article above) over land given to it in Treaties of Annexation, Imperial Decrees and Acts of Parliament. This land is collectively referred to as the Empire's territory.
  • b) A Treaty of Annexation is a document annexing land to the Empire of Adammia, that has been signed in full knowledge and free will by the necessary signatories, which are: the Monarch of the Empire of Adammia, and the owner of the land under macronational law, though with an exception for annexing single rooms, whereby the de-facto inhabitant of the room may act as the necessary signatory.

2. Territorial divisions

  • a) The Empire of Adammia's territory is made up of the Country, its Colonies, and any miscellaneous Territories.
  • b) The Country of Adammia includes all territorial divisions from which a representative could theoretically reach the meeting place of the Ruling Council with relative ease. The Monarch has the power to decide whether or not a territorial division meets this criteria.
  • c) The Colonies of Adammia are territorial divisions beyond the range of the Country of Adammia which have been granted their own governments with a degree of autonomy.
  • d) Provinces are those territorial divisions of the Country of Adammia which are inhabited. Provinces should form a single contiguous area of land, though this is not necessary.
  • e) Territories are territorial divisions which are not Provinces or Colonies. Territories may or may not be a part of the Country of Adammia.
  • f) Provinces, Colonies and Territories may be grouped together into Regions. Regions correspond to a particular geographic area.
  • g) All territorial divisions can be further divided into subdivisions. Subdivisions of Provinces or Colonies can also be Territories. This should be the case with subdivisions which are not under the direct control of the government of the Province or Colony.

3. Jurisdiction

  • a) All of the Empire's territory is subject to the laws contained within this Supreme Directive.
  • b) By default, laws created by Imperial Decrees and Acts of Parliament will hold effect over all the Provinces of the Empire, except for the subdivisions of Provinces that are Territories, and will not hold effect over Colonies or Territories. Deviations from this default extent of jurisdiction are permissible such that laws may be applied over any combination of individual territorial divisions, where explicitly specified by the particular Decree or Act.
  • c) Imperial Decrees and Acts of Parliament, unless otherwise specified, shall be considered to apply to all full citizens of the Empire, living in provinces, colonies, territories or abroad, except:
    • i. Where the law in question has an obvious geographic component; or
    • ii. Where all the parties involved live in a colony where the law in question does not apply.

4. Capital city

  • a) The city of Imperial City is founded within the County of Tytannia. Its exact location and size is to be determined by the Local Council of Greater Tytannia.
  • b) The location referred to unofficially as 1 East Road, Sapientia is named as White Gold Palace.
  • c) Imperial City is named the official capital city of the Empire of Adammia.

5. Lower subdivisions

  • a) All Provinces of the Empire of Adammia shall be divided into one or more Counties.
  • b) All Provinces of the Empire shall also be divided into one or more municipalities. A municipality must be classified as a City, a Town, or a Barony.
    • i. In order for a municipality to be classified as a City, it must contain two or more permanent structures.
    • ii. In order for a municipality to be classified as a Town, it must contain one or more permanent structures.
  • c) Municipalities should generally be smaller than Counties, but they may occupy space in multiple Counties.
  • d) Local councils have the power to create Counties and Municipalities within their jurisdiction, but they may be overridden by Act of Parliament or Imperial Decree. Local councils may also choose to devolve power to Municipalities if they see fit. Power may not be devolved to Counties as they are to be completely ceremonial subdivisions.

CHAPTER III – CITIZENSHIP

1. Types of citizenship

  • a) A citizen of the Empire of Adammia can be a full citizen or an honourary citizen.

2. Full citizens

  • a) A resident of any land claimed by the Empire of Adammia who acknowledges the sovereignty of the Empire over said land should be made a full citizen of the Empire, subject to other conditions imposed by legislation. Other individuals may be made full citizens if they have contributed to the Empire in a meaningful way.
  • b) A full citizen is expected to follow and is subject to the laws set out by the governing body of the Empire of Adammia.
  • c) Only full citizens are counted in the population of the Empire.

3. Honourary citizens

  • a) A person who lives abroad but has good relations with the Empire can be granted honourary citizenship by the Head of State.
  • b) Honourary citizenship has no specific rights or responsibilities.

4. Rights of Citizens

  • a) No governing body can force a job or role upon a citizen.
  • b) All citizens are born equal and shall be treated as such by the law and governing bodies.
  • c) All citizens have the right to life and capital punishment is prohibited.
  • d) All citizens have the right to freedom of expression and speech.
  • e) No citizen shall be imprisoned or physically restricted against their will unless they have forfeited this right by committing a crime.
  • f) All citizens have the right to practice any religion or belief freely, as long as this does not present any risk to the rights of other humans or national security or stability. The state is secular and shall treat all religions, or lack thereof, as equal.
  • g) All citizens have the right to have control over their own bodies. No other human may make changes to their body without their permission. If it is medically necessary for something to be done by a government-backed institute, a parent or guardian may give permission on their behalf if they are under-age. Such practices as FGM are prohibited.
  • h) All citizens, once reaching a certain age, have the right to practice any sexual activities they so wish in the privacy of their own homes so long as there is no risk of serious injury or death, and all parties involved give their explicit content.
  • i) All citizens have the right to own property and property may not be taken from them unless it is for good reason.
  • j) All citizens have the right to an Internet connection, as long as they can pay for it.
  • k) No citizen may be discriminated against on the grounds of their gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or faith.
  • l) Every citizen has the right to their own opinion.

5. Citizenship requirements and registration

  • a) Only human individuals may be granted citizenship in the Empire of Adammia by the bodies that have that power under the Supreme Directive.
  • b) In order for citizenship to be granted to an individual, the Ministry of Citizenship and Information must have, at a minimum, the following information: either
    • i. The full name and date of birth of the individual, in which case the citizen will be known by their full name; or
    • ii. The first name and date of birth of the individual, and the general location (towns, villages, cities, administrative divisions or regions) where the individual resides, in which case the citizen will be known by “[first name] of [location]”.
  • c) The Ministry of Citizenship and Information is to maintain an active database of all Adammic citizens containing the information described in subsection b) and optional additional information, such as contact details, if it so desires.
  • d) If a full Adammic citizen residing in Adammic territory gives birth to an individual who will also reside in Adammic territory, the full citizen must, as soon as possible, inform the Ministry of Citizenship and Information of this birth, providing, at a minimum, the details required by subsection b), and the Ministry of Citizenship and Information shall grant this individual full Adammic citizenship.
  • e) If any Adammic citizen is found to have died, other Adammic citizens who know of the citizen's death must, as soon as possible, inform the Ministry of Citizenship and Information, and the Ministry of Citizenship and Information shall revoke the deceased individual's citizenship and wipe their entry from the main database, though it may retain the relevant information elsewhere.

6. Expiry and termination of citizenship

  • a) 10 years after an individual becomes an honourary citizen of Adammia (following either being a full citizen or a non-citizen), if this honourary citizenship has been continuous and if the honourary citizen has not contacted the Ministry of Citizenship and Information to renew their citizenship in that time, the honourary citizenship of the individual will expire and the Ministry of Citizenship and Information shall revoke their citizenship and wipe their entry from the main database, though it may retain the relevant information elsewhere.
  • b) The Ministry of Citizenship and Information shall downgrade a citizen from full citizenship to honourary citizenship if the full citizen has not at any point in the past year either
    • i. Lived within Adammic territory; or
    • ii. Been officially employed, according to the records of the National Employment Agency; or
    • iii. Voted in any election or referendum organised by the Office of State.
  • c) A full citizen, not living within Adammic territory, or an honourary citizen may at any point contact the Ministry of Citizenship and Information to request that their citizenship be revoked. The Ministry of Citizenship and Information must comply with this request and wipe the citizen's entry from the main database, though it may retain the relevant information elsewhere.

7. Gender rights

  • a) At any time, a full or honourary citizen of Adammia may notify the Ministry of Citizenship and Information that they wish to change:
  • i. Any part of, or the whole of, their name; and/or
    • ii. Their recorded gender.
  • b) Upon receipt of a notification under subsection a), the Ministry of Citizenship and Information is required, in a timely manner, to:
    • i. Update the main citizen database accordingly;
    • ii. Acknowledge to the citizen in question that their request has been processed.
  • c) The Ministry of Citizenship and Information shall record the gender of citizens as either:
    • i. Male (M)
    • ii. Female (F)
    • iii. Non-binary (X)
  • d) With respect to subsection c), non-binary shall mean all gender identities that are not male or female.
  • e) Where a full or honourary citizen does not have any other imperial, noble, chivalric or military style, they shall be addressed by the style of:
    • i. Mr., if male;
    • ii. Mrs., if female and married;
    • iii. Miss., if female and unmarried;
    • iv. Ms., if female at the request of the citizen in question;
    • v. Mx., if non-binary or otherwise at the request of the citizen in question.
  • f) All parts of the Imperial Government, the Imperial Parliament, the Monarchy and the Courts are required to address citizens according to the pronouns and styles that they prefer, as recorded by the Ministry of Citizenship and Information.
    • i. A party may not be held liable for violation of subsection f) if they could not reasonably know that the citizen in question had changed their gender identity.
    • ii. Where a citizen's gender is not known by a party, gender-neutral pronouns should be used.

8. Protection of records

  • a) The Ministry of Citizenship and Information's main citizen database shall be classified at a Restricted level.
  • b) The Ministry of Citizenship and Information shall not share information about any citizen or former citizen with any organisation without that citizen or former citizen's permission, except for some purpose required under Adammic or macronational law.

9. Order of precedence

  • a) The order of precedence for individuals in Adammia shall be as follows:
    • i. The Monarch
    • ii. The spouse of the Monarch
    • iii. The Crown Prince / Princess
    • iv. Princes and Princesses, in order of the line of succession
    • v. The parents of the Monarch, by age
    • vi. The Prince Consort / Princess Consort (unmarried)
    • vii. The Lord Chancellor
    • viii. Archdukes and Archduchesses, in order of the date they took up the title
    • ix. The Prime Minister
    • x. The Deputy Prime Minister
    • xi. The Grand Admiral of the Adammic Navy
    • xii. The Field Marshal of the Adammic Army
    • xiii. The Air Chief Marshal of the Adammic Air Force
    • xiv.The Grand Master of the Ordo Vladius
    • xv. Dukes and Duchesses, in order of the date they took up the title
    • xvi.Generals, Admirals and Air Marshals, in order of the date they took up the rank
    • xvii. Colonial governors, in order of the date they took up the office
    • xviii. Government ministers, in order of the date they took up the office
    • xix. Governors of Territories, in order of the date they took up the office
    • xx. Counts and Countesses, in order of the date they took up the title
    • xxi. Barons and Baronesses, in order the date they took up the title
    • xxii. Knight / Dame Commanders of the Order of the Meerkat, in order of their date of induction
    • xxiii. Knight / Dame Commanders of the Order of Adammia, in order of their date of induction
    • xxiv. Colonels, Vice-Admirals and Commodores, in order of the date they took up the rank
    • xxv. Knights / Dames of the Ordo Vladius, in order of their date of induction
    • xxvi. Knights / Dames of the Order of the Meerkat, in order of their date of induction
    • xxvii. Knights / Dames of the Order of Adammia, in order of their date of induction
    • xxviii. Majors, Rear-Admirals and Wing Commanders, in order of the date they took up the rank
    • xxix. Members of the Order of the Meerkat, in order of their date of induction
    • xxx. Full citizens, by date of birth
    • xxxi. Honourary citizens, by date of birth

CHAPTER IV – FOUNDER'S RIGHTS

1.

As the Founder of the Empire of Adammia, Adam Belcher, author of the Supreme Directive, retains certain rights, even if he loses the position of Head of State.

2.

The title of Founder is irremovable and the rights that come with it shall be terminated with his death.

3.

The Founder holds the ability to choose a new Monarch at any point, even after his own abdication (if this happens).

4.

The Founder also holds the right to determine the fundamental law of the Empire, as exercised with the creation of this Supreme Directive, but only if the Founder is still Head of State. Following his death, this right can only be exercised by the will of the People (through public referendum).

CHAPTER V – MONARCHY

1. The Monarch's Status

  • a) The Empire of Adammia is ruled over by the Monarch, who holds the position of Head of State. The Monarch is the highest in precedence of all citizens of Adammia, and is the highest authority over all matters legislative, executive and judicial, within the constraints of this Supreme Directive.
  • b) The Monarch is known as Emperor if male, and Empress if female.
  • c) The Monarch holds the title of His/Her Imperial Majesty Emperor/Empress Forename Ordinal of Adammia, where Ordinal is the number, in Roman numerals, of Monarchs that have ruled Adammia and the states that preceded it (these being the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of England, and the Roman Empire during the existence of the Province of Britannia) under that forename (Example: His Imperial Majesty Emperor Adam I of Adammia).
  • d) The Monarch holds the secondary title of Imperator(male)/Imperatrix(female) Adammiae Numeral, where Numeral is the number, in Roman numerals, of Monarchs that have ruled Adammia in total (Example: Imperator Adammiae I).
  • e) The Monarch must never hold the position of Prime Minister under any circumstances.

2. Legislative Powers of the Monarch

  • a) The Monarch may at their leisure promulgate Imperial Decrees, which may enact any legislation which is lawful under this Supreme Directive, for any purpose.
  • b) Imperial Decrees, unless otherwise specified therein, shall take immediate effect upon receiving the Monarch's signature.
  • c) As soon as is reasonably possible after the promulgation of an Imperial Decree, the Monarch shall present the Decree to both the Ruling Council and the House of Citizens. Either the Ruling Council or the House of Citizens may then, by simple majority vote, decide to overturn the Decree in question; in such case, the Decree shall immediately cease to be in effect, and all of its actions shall be undone.

3. Executive Powers of the Monarch

  • a) The Monarch has the right to issue titles to any citizen or non-citizen.
  • b) The Monarch has the right to exempt individuals from rulings of any government bodies.
  • c) The Monarch has the right to grant or remove full or honourary citizenship to any person.
  • d) The Monarch shall be the head of a body known as the Office of the Emperor when the Monarch is male, and the Office of the Empress when the Monarch is female. This Office shall be responsible for assisting the Monarch with their duties, under this Supreme Directive or otherwise. The Monarch may appoint citizens to this Office as Advisors, including a Chief Advisor.

4. Abdication

  • a) The position of Monarch is held for life unless the Monarch chooses to abdicate.
  • b) In order to abdicate, the Monarch must present a signed document declaring their wish to abdicate to both the Ruling Council and a citizen outside the Ruling Council.

5. Succession and the Imperial Family

  • a) Upon the death or abdication of the Monarch, the Heir shall be invited by the Chancellor to become the new Monarch. Should the Heir accept the invitation, they shall immediately become Monarch. If the Chancellor is unavailable or there is no Chancellor presently appointed, the Prime Minister or their Deputy may carry out this function.
  • b) The Heir shall be:
    • i. The Monarch's eldest child;
    • ii. If they have no children, their eldest sibling;
    • iii. If they have no children or siblings, their eldest uncle or aunt, first on their father's side, then on their mother's side; and so on, in this manner, for greatuncles and great-aunts, and so forth;
    • iv. If none of the aforementioned relatives exist, a person nominated by the Monarch, who should be as closely related to the House of Belcher and/or the House of Hall as possible;
    • v. If, under the above clause iv), the Monarch is incapable of nominating an Heir, the Ruling Council shall select an Heir, according to the aforementioned criteria.
  • c) If the person who should have been Heir has died, or if the Heir rejects the throne following the death or abdication of the Monarch, then the Heir shall be whoever would have been Heir had that person been Monarch; in this manner, the Monarch's grand-children, nephews, nieces, cousins et cetera may be the Heir.
  • d) A former Monarch may not be an Heir for the purposes of actual succession, but the above section c) shall still apply to them, in the cases of both death or abdication.
  • e) The Heir shall hold the title of Crown Prince of Adammia and the style of His Imperial Highness if male, or the title of Crown Princess of Adammia and the style of Her Imperial Highness if female.
  • f) All descendants of the current Monarch, and all siblings of the current and any previous Monarchs, shall hold the title of Prince and the style of His Imperial Highness if male, or the title of Princess and the style of Her Imperial Highness if female.
  • g) The parents, if still alive, of the Monarch shall hold the title of Emperor/Empress Mother/Father, and shall hold the style of His/Her Imperial Highness.
  • h) The spouse of the Monarch, married under any religion or institution, macronationally or micronationally, shall be known accordingly:
    • i. If the Emperor marries a female, she will become known as an Empress and shall hold the style of Her Imperial Highness. They will be classified as an Empress Consort.
    • ii. If a sovereign Empress marries, their spouse shall be known as a Prince/Princess Consort and shall hold the style of His/Her Imperial Highness.
    • iii. If any Monarch marries a male, he will be known as a Prince Consort and shall hold the style of His Imperial Highness.
  • i) The Monarch may decree that their current romantic partner, unmarried, is their Prince/Princess Consort who shall hold the style His/Her Illustrious Highness.
  • j) For organisational purposes, the Imperial Family will be considered a part of the Office of the Emperor, and will be managed as such; the Imperial Family shall consist of the Monarch, their siblings, offspring, spouse and parents, and at the present time is composed of the Imperial branch of the House of Belcher and the Imperial branch of the House of Hall.

6. Regency

  • a) If the Monarch finds themselves unable to effectively rule the Empire for any period of time longer than a week, they may declare a Regency and appoint a Regent out of the members of the Ruling Council.
  • b) If the Ruling Council deems the Monarch unable to effectively rule the Empire for any period of time longer than a week, they may vote to begin a Regency and appoint a Regent out of the members of the Council. The Monarch may override this decision unless the vote passed with more than 80% support.
  • c) If the Monarch is below the age of 14, a Regency is automatically in place. The Monarch may choose their own Regent in this scenario, but if they cannot provide an answer, the Ruling Council should choose for them.
  • d) In a Regency, the appointed Regent takes the full powers of the Monarch. They shall not, however, assume any titles or styles associated with the Monarchy, and the Line of Succession will stay with the actual Monarch.
  • e) While the Regent holds power, they shall hold the style of His/Her Lordship/Ladyship, spoken as Your Lordship/Ladyship or My Lord/Lady. They shall hold the title of Lord/Lady Regent.
  • f) The first choices of the position of the Regent should be: The Heir, the Prime Minister and the Lord Chancellor. If the Prime Minister is chosen, they must temporarily leave office as the Prime Minister, and their Deputy PM should fill their place.

7. Emergency situations

  • a) In the event that the Ruling Council is suspended, the Monarch is dead, and the Line of Succession is empty, the the Empire shall automatically be considered in a State of Emergency.
  • b) Without the Ruling Council available to name a new Line of Succession, the Office ofState shall organise a Monarchical Election in which each province shall elect a candidate, and the nation shall then elect a new Monarch out of the total candidates.
    • i. If there is no Lord Chancellor to organise this election, then one shall be appointed by the highest official according to the hierarchy outlined in the section on States of Emergencies, with the extension of the members of the Order of Adammia, in order of their rank.
    • ii. If not a single official can be found to organise the election, the citizens shall randomly choose an acting Lord Chancellor to organise the election.
  • c) If the Empire only has a single citizen, and that citizen is not Monarch, then they shall immediately become Monarch.

8. Orders of chivalry

  • a) The Order of Adammia offers membership to those who have given honourable services to the Empire, granting them the style of Sir / Madam / The Honourable and the title of Knight / Dame / Honourable Member. A further rank in the Order, Knight / Dame / Most Honourable Commander, can be bestowed with examples of exceptional service, granting them the style of Sir / Madam / The Most Honourable.
    • i. The head of the Order of Adammia is the Monarch and is known as the Sovereign of the Order of Adammia.
    • ii. A knighthood in the Order of Adammia can be bestowed only by the Emperor, by either his own discretion or through recommendation by any noble (Duke or Archduke).
    • iii. A knighthood can be bestowed upon any full or honourary citizen, or a foreigner.
    • iv. Knights of the Order of Adammia shall hold the post-nominals KOA; Dames, DOA. Knight/Dame Commanders shall hold the post-nominals COA.
  • b) In accordance with consent given by Patrick Vladek, Head of the Ordo Vladius at 20:09 on the 10th June 2013, the organisation known as the Ordo Vladius enters a mutual alliance with the Empire of Adammia. Its members take the same styles and titles of Knights in the Order of Adammia. They are charged with acting as foreign ambassadors of the Empire.
    • i. The Ordo continues to be led by Sir Vladek, who is known as the Grand Master of the Ordo Vladius, and can leave the alliance at any time.
    • ii. Knights of the Ordo Vladius shall hold the post-nominals KOV; Dames, DOV.
  • c) The Order of the Meerkat is established.
    • i. The Monarch shall assume the title and position of Sovereign of the Order of the Meerkat, and shall have full authority over the membership of the Order.
    • ii. The order of precedence of chivalric orders within Adammia shall be, from lowest to highest, the Order of Adammia, then the Order of the Meerkat, then the Ordo Vladius.
    • iii. The grades of membership within the Order of the Meerkat shall be, from lowest to highest ranking, Member of the Order of the Meerkat, Knight (if male) / Dame (if female) / Honourable Member (if non-binary) of the Order of the Meerkat, and Knight (if male) / Dame (if female) / Most Honourable (if non-binary) Commander of the Order of the Meerkat.
    • iv. Knights/Dames/Honourable Members and Knight/Dame/Most Honourable Commanders of the Order of the Meerkat shall be armigers, but Members of the Order of the Meerkat shall not.
    • v. Post-nominal letters granted to members of the Order of the Meerkat shall be as follows:
      • 1. Member: MM
      • 2. Knight: KM
      • 3. Dame: DM
      • 4. Knight Commander: KCM
      • 5. Dame Commander: DCM

9. Heraldry

  • a) The Office of the Emperor shall have full authority over heraldry within all territories of the Empire of Adammia.
  • b) Only the following individuals are entitled to a personal coat of arms recognised by the Office of the Emperor as valid within Adammia:
    • i. the members of the Imperial Family;
    • ii. the members of the Order of Adammia;
    • iii. the previously specified ranks of the Order of the Meerkat;
    • iv. the members of the Ordo Vladius.
  • c) If any individual who is not entitled to a personal coat of arms displays or otherwise attempts to use a personal coat of arms, that individual shall have committed the crime of Impersonation of an Armiger, and thus shall be liable for a fine payable to His Majesty's Imperial Treasury of no greater than £15.
  • d) The Office of the Emperor must approve any personal coats of arms which a member of the Order of Adammia wishes to use, and must keep records of all coats of arms of the Imperial Family and the Order of Adammia.
  • e) If a member of the Order of Adammia does not have their coat of arms approved by the Office of the Emperor then they too will have committed the crime of Impersonation of an Armiger and will be liable to be penalised as detailed above.
  • f) All of the territorial subdivisions of the Empire may also have their own coat of arms, which themselves must also be approved and recorded by the Office of the Emperor; the landed noble of the subdivision has the responsibility of proposing its coat of arms to the Office of the Emperor for approval.
  • g) No government department, government agency, company, political party or sports association may use its own coat of arms, though government departments and agencies may use elements from the national Coat of Arms of Adammia in their logos.

10. Social media

  • a) The official Adammic state Twitter account is owned by the Emperor, and is run by the Office of the Emperor in co-operation with the government ministries. The account should be integrated with the Adammic Express and Adammic Online Broadcasting. The account can be used to post official press releases by the Office of the Emperor, or anything else that the Emperor sees fit to post.

11. Imperial Standard

  • a) There is hereby adopted an official Imperial Standard of Adammia, which shall be a flag of quarters;
    • i. in the first and fourth quarters shall be the design of the Coat of Arms of Adammia, in lesser form;
    • ii. in the second quarter shall be the arms of Belcher of Pontefract; and
    • iii. in the third quarter shall be the arms of Hall of Wakefield.
  • b) The Imperial Standard shall represent Our Imperial Majesty, and the Office of the Emperor, and it shall be used in that official capacity by Our heirs and successors for all time to come.
  • c) It may only be raised atop a building in which the Monarch is present or from a vessel which the Monarch is aboard.

CHAPTER VI – LEGISLATURE

1. Powers and constituent parts

  • a) The Parliament is the primary legislature of the Empire of Adammia.
  • b) The full name of the Parliament is the Imperial Parliament of Adammia.
  • c) The Parliament consists of:
    • i. The Monarch, who in this capacity may be referred to as the Emperor-in-Parliament if male, or the Empress-in-Parliament if female.
    • ii. The Ruling Council, which is the upper house of the Parliament.
    • iii. The House of Citizens, which is the lower house of the Parliament.
  • d) The Parliament has the power to create and alter whatever primary legislation it sees fit in order to promote the security and general welfare of the Empire, provided it is lawful under this Supreme Directive. Such legislation may take the form of Imperial Decrees issued by the Monarch and approved by the other constituent parts of the Parliament, or of Acts of Parliament.
  • e) The Parliament has the power to direct the Imperial Government, and any Imperial Government serves only at the pleasure of the Parliament.
  • f) The Parliament may take any executive action it considers necessary, including, but not limited to, the granting or revocation of full or honourary citizenship to any person, the the granting or revocation of titles to any person, et cetera, provided such actions are lawful under this Supreme Directive.
  • g) In general, the powers of the Parliament may only be exercised by agreement of all three of its constituent parts, unless otherwise specified.
  • h) The Imperial Parliament shall not pass any ex post facto law which retroactively creates violations of law in the past, though it may pass ex post facto laws of amnesty.
  • i) The Imperial Parliament shall not pass any law which cannot be repealed by the Imperial Parliament in the future.

2. Ruling Council

  • a) The composition of the Ruling Council shall be:
    • i. The Duke or Duchess of each Province.
    • ii. An elected Councilor from each Province.
    • iii. An elected Delegate of the Colonies.
  • b) The Monarch is the Chair of the Ruling Council. The Chancellor shall be a Vice-Chair of the Ruling Council. The Monarch may appoint up to two more members of the Ruling Council to serve as Vice-Chairs.
  • c) The Ruling Council may meet as often as it considers necessary, but it must meet at least two times per year.
  • d) In order for a meeting of the Ruling Council to take place, at least three of its members must be present, including its Chair or one of its Vice-Chairs.
  • e) Meetings of the Ruling Council are started and ended by its Chair or one of its Vice-Chairs.
  • f) Acts of Parliament may further regulate the meeting procedures of the Ruling Council. The Ruling Council may also adopt and alter its own Standing Orders for the purposes of regulating its meetings.
  • g) All decisions of the Ruling Council, unless otherwise specified in legislation, are taken by a simple majority vote of the members who are present. If a vote is tied, the Chancellor has a casting vote.
  • h) In the event that the Ruling Council reaches less than three members, and is thus unable to meet, the Council shall be considered suspended and the Monarch shall assume full authority over the nation.

3. Nobility

  • a) Each division of land in the country of Adammia has an allocated noble or “landed noble”.
  • b) The noble for a Region is an Archduke or Archduchess. They hold the style of His/Her Grace, and the title of Archduke/Archduchess of Region. An Archduke or Archduchess can only be appointed by the Monarch with the approval of the Ruling Council via vote.
  • c) The noble for a Province is a Duke or Duchess. They hold the style of His/Her Grace, and the title of Duke/Duchess of Province. A Duke or Duchess can be appointed by the Archduke/Archduchess of the Region the Province is part of, with the approval of the Monarch and the Ruling Council, or can be appointed by the Monarch and the Ruling Council directly by the same means by which an Archduke is appointed.
  • d) Nobles of sub-divisions of Provinces may be appointed by the Duke/Duchess of that Province.
  • e)The landed noble of a County shall hold the style of Lord and the title of Count of (County) if male, the style of Lady and the title of Countess of (County) if female, or the style of The Noble and the title of Countex of (County) if non-binary.
  • f) The landed noble of a City shall hold the style of Lord and the title of Lord Mayor of (City) if male, the style of Lady and the title of Lady Mayor of (City) if female, or the style of The Noble and the title of Noble Mayor of (City) if non-binary.
  • g) The landed noble of a Town or a Barony shall hold the style of Lord and the title of Baron of (Town/Barony) if male, the style of Lady and the title of Baroness of (Town/Barony) if female, or the style of The Noble and the title of Baronex of (Town/Barony) if non-binary.
  • h) Nobles hold their positions for life unless they are removed from power by the Monarch or the Ruling Council or a noble directly above them in the hierarchy of nobility. Their position is hereditary.
  • i) The full style and title of Dukes, Duchesses, Archdukes and Archduchesses shall be of the following format: His/Her Grace, Lord/Lady Full Name, nth Title, where n is the number of nobles who have held the title in question; other nobles shall have the same full style and title, but without the His/Her Grace. The shortened style and title of nobles shall be Lord/Lady Surname, Title. Nobles with military ranks above the rank of Major in the Adammic Army, Rear-Admiral in the Adammic Navy, and Wing Commander in the Adammic Air Force may use their rank in conjunction with their full or shortened style, with the rank immediately following Lord/Lady. Nobles who are also Knights or Dames may use the style of Sir or Madam in conjunction with their full style, immediately preceeding their name, but not in conjunction with their shortened style. In all circumstances, members of the Imperial Family should only use their imperial styles, and not use any noble styles.

4. Election of Councilors and the Delegate of the Colonies

  • a) The Councilor for a Province serves for a term of a minimum of one month and a maximum of two years. At any point in this period, the Monarch may call a Local Election to elect the Councilor for the Province. A Local Election shall also be called by the Monarch in the event of the death or resignation of the Councilor.
  • b) All residents of a Province who are full citizens and who are above the age of twelve have the right to vote in Local Elections and to stand as candidates in Local Elections in that Province.
  • c) A Local Election shall take place on a date specified by the Monarch, which shall be at least two weeks after it is called. During the time period between the calling of the Local Election and the date of the Election itself, any eligible citizens may nominate themselves as candidates in the Election.
  • d) If, on the day of a Local Election, there are no nominated candidates, the landed noble for the Province in question shall assume the position of Councilor for that Province, and no poll shall take place.
  • e) If, on the day of a Local Election, there is only one nominated candidate, that candidate shall automatically assume the position of Councilor for that Province, and no poll shall take place.
  • f) If, on the day of a Local Election, there are multiple nominated candidates, a poll shall take place, according to the following procedure:
    • i. Each voter shall mark their ballot by ranking their preferred candidates, with “1” signifying their first preference, “2” signifying their second preference, and so forth. Voters may rank as many of the candidates as they wish. Voters may use an “X” to indicate their first preference, but only if they do not give any further preferences.
    • ii. At the first count, all the candidates shall be ordered by their number of first preferences.
    • iii. At each count, if a candidate has more than 50% of the votes, that candidate wins the election.
    • iv. At each count, if no candidate has more than 50% of the votes, the candidate with the fewest number of votes is eliminated. The votes for that candidate will then be re-distributed amongst the other candidates, according to the preferences on the ballot paper which correspond to the number of the next count. When redistributing ballots, if there are no preferences indicated corresponding to the next count, the ballot in question shall be discarded. At the next count, the remaining candidates will be ordered by their new number of votes.
    • v. If, at any stage, two candidates are tied, this will be resolved by tossing a coin.
  • g) The counting of ballots in Local Elections, and the announcement of the results of Local Elections, shall be done by the Chancellor, or a representative of the Chancellor appointed by them.
  • h) The Delegate of the Colonies shall be elected in the same manner as Councilors, except that the electorate for such Elections shall be all the full citizens over the age of twelve who are residents of Colonies of the Empire, and any full citizen of the Empire over the age of twelve may stand as candidates in such Elections, provided they are reasonably able to attend Ruling Council meetings.
  • i) Any full citizen of the Empire of Adammia who is undertaking higher education within a macronation may have a holiday address and a term-time address; such an arrangement shall be referred to as dual residency. Such a citizen may, for the purposes of local elections, if their addresses are located within two separate provinces, be considered a resident of both provinces, and thus may stand as a Local Election candidate in either province; however, they may not stand as a Local Election candidate in both provinces simultaneously. Any citizen with dual residency must designate one of their addresses as a primary address; they will then only be counted towards the population of the territorial division containing their primary address, and they may only vote in a Local Election for a given province if their primary address is located within that province.

5. The House of Citizens

  • a) The composition of the House of Citizens shall be a number of Members of Parliament, which shall be one-quarter of the total number of full citizens, or one hundred, whichever is lowest. The number of seats in the House of Citizens shall be updated according to this formula every time a General Election is called.
  • b) The Speaker of the House of Citizens shall be the House's Chair. The Speaker shall be elected by the members of the House of Citizens. The Speaker may appoint two Deputy Speakers to act as Vice-Chairs.
  • c) The House of Citizens may meet as often as it deems necessary, but it must meet at least twice per year.
  • d) In order for a meeting of the House of Citizens to take place, at least three of its members must be present, including its Speaker or one of its Deputy Speakers.
  • e) Meetings of the House of Citizens are started and ended by its Speaker or one of its Deputy Speakers.
  • f) Acts of Parliament may further regulate the meeting procedures of the House of Citizens. The House of Citizens may also adopt and alter its own Standing Orders for the purposes of regulating its meetings.
  • g) All decisions of the House of Citizens, unless otherwise specified in legislation, are taken by a simple majority vote of the members who are present. If a vote is tied, the Speaker has a casting vote.

6. General Elections

  • a) A General Election of Members of the House of Citizens may be called by the Monarch at any time between one month and two years after the previous General Election. The General Election shall take place on a date specified by the Monarch at least three weeks after the Monarch calls the election.
  • b) During the period between the calling of a General Election and the date of the Election, political parties may nominate numbered lists of candidates, and individuals may nominate themselves as independent candidates. All candidates must be full citizens of the Empire and must be over the age of twelve.
  • c) If there are fewer nominated candidates than there are seats in the House of Citizens, or the same number thereof, on the day of the General Election, all of the nominated candidates shall immediately become Members of Parliament.
  • d) If there are more nominated candidates than there are seats in the House of Citizens on the day of the General Election, a poll shall take place, in which all full citizens of the Empire over the age of nine may vote. Voting shall take place according procedure:
    • i. Voters may rank as many or as few of the nominated parties and independent candidates as they wish, with a “1” indicating their highest preference, a “2” their second-highest preference, and so forth. Voters wishing only to indicate a first preference may write an “X” instead of a “1”.
    • ii. For each valid ballot, each party or independent candidate shall receive a score of 1 divided by R, where R is the rank the voter has given to that party or independent candidate. The total score for each party and independent candidate shall be added up across all ballots.
    • iii. A series of quotients shall then be tabulated for each party and independent candidate. For each candidate on a party list, their quotient shall be V divided by P, where V is the total score for that party, and P is the candidate's position on their party list. The quotient for independent candidates shall simply be their total score.
    • iv. The number of candidates needed to fill all of the seats in the House of Citizens who receive the highest quotients shall be elected as Members of Parliament.
    • v. If two candidates have the same quotient and there is only one seat left to be filled, the winner will be decided by a coin toss.
  • e) The counting of ballots in General Elections, and the announcement of the results of General Elections, shall be done by the Chancellor, or a representative of the Chancellor appointed by them.
  • f) If a Member of Parliament who was elected on a party list dies or resigns, the party whose list they were elected under may appoint a successor to that seat.
  • g) If a Member of Parliament who was elected as an independent candidate dies or resigns, the seat shall be vacant until the next General Election.

7. Acts of Parliament

  • a) Any member of the Ruling Council or the House of Citizens may propose an Act of Parliament to their respective house.
  • b) An Act of Parliament is of equal legislative power to an Imperial Decree and each may override the other.
  • c) In order for an Act of Parliament to be passed by a house, it must be approved by a majority vote in which at least half of all the members of that house have voted.
  • d) Once an Act of Parliament has been passed by the house in which it originated, it must then be passed by the other house.
  • e) Once an Act of Parliament has been passed by both houses, it shall then be sent to the Monarch, who must give Imperial Consent in order for the Act to pass into law. Unless otherwise specified, an Act of Parliament becomes law immediately after it is signed by the Monarch.

8. Meeting procedures of the Ruling Council

  • a) The course of discussion during meetings of the Ruling Council is guided by the Agenda, a list of items.
  • b) The Agenda is compiled by the Chair or Vice-Chair (referred to herein as the Chair) who will be leading the meeting prior to starting the meeting, incorporating their own items and items which have been requested to be included by other members of the Council. Requests for items on the Agenda must be obeyed.
  • c) The Agenda shall consist of the following types of items:
    • i. Welcome / Agenda reading, which is automatically part of the Agenda, and is always the first item;
    • ii. Acts of Parliament (which may include Amendments), which refers to proposed Acts of Parliament. The Motion to Introduce an Act is abolished, and the only means of tabling an Act shall be by adding it to the Agenda;
      • 1. Amendments to a proposed Act of Council on the Agenda may be tabled on the Agenda, and shall be considered sub-items for the Act of Council item in question. During discussion of an Act of Council item, general discussion for the Act will take place, followed by discussion of any amendments and motions to pass those amendments, before more general discussion and the motion to pass the Act;
    • iii. Appointments and other motions, which refers to discussion of non-procedural motions relating to powers conferred upon the Ruling Council by the Supreme Directive, Imperial Decrees and other Acts of Parliament;
    • iv. Consideration of Imperial Decrees;
    • v. Miscellaneous debates;
    • vi. Any other business, including Cabinet, which is automatically part of the Agenda, and is always the last item. The Chair shall begin caucus during this item. This item shall allow any business which members wish to raise which was not covered in the meeting to be dealt with, and shall include a meeting of the Cabinet. During the Cabinet phase of this item, members who are not part of the Cabinet may, at the request of the Prime Minister, be required to temporarily leave the meeting.
  • d) All points on the Agenda other than the Welcome / Agenda reading and the Any Other Business, including Cabinet, must be tabled by a member of the Council, with the exception of Consideration of Imperial Decrees, which shall automatically be considered tabled by the Office of the Emperor whenever an Imperial Decree has been issued since the previous meeting.
  • e) If a meeting of the Council is adjourned and any items on the Agenda have not been concluded, they shall automatically be added to the Agenda of the next meeting. An item shall be considered to have not been concluded if it was never reached on the Agenda, or if the item was an Act of Council or an amendment to such an Act, a Motion to Advance the Agenda was passed instead of a Motion to Pass an Act / Amendment or an Objection to Consideration.
  • f) All members of the Ruling Council are expected to follow parliamentary procedure, outlined in this article, when Council is in order. Members who break the rules shall be warned by the Chair no more than twice. Continued rule-breaking after this shall result in the member being fined up to £5, which shall be directed to HM Imperial Treasury. Yet more rule-breaking shall result in the member being suspended from the meeting by the Chair.
  • g) Only one person may speak in Council at once, this being the member who currently has the floor, known as the speaker. The only exceptions are as follows: The Chair may interrupt the speaker, and any member may interrupt the speaker to make one of two points: A Point of Personal Privilege or a Point of Order.
    • i. When the floor is open, any member may address Council by either raising their hand or by rising from their seat. When the Chair recognises the member who wishes to speak by stating so, that member is granted the floor.
    • ii. When a member has the floor, they may speak about the current topic, or make a Point or a Motion. Points are handled by the Chair, and Motions are voted on by the Council. After a Point has been resolved by the Chair or after a Motion has been proposed, the speaker loses the floor and it becomes open again.
    • iii. If no Point or Motion is made, when the speaker has finished they must yield the floor to the Chair.
    • iv. If a member is asked a direct question by the Chair, it shall be considered that they have been given the floor by the Chair.
  • h) All Council members shall treat other members with respect, and shall not refer to other members in an offensive manner. Members who do not follow this may be asked to withdraw their statements by the Chair, in addition to the usual penalties for being out of order.
  • i) Within the Council, members shall be referred to as follows: Dukes and Duchesses of provinces shall be referred to as “His/Her Grace the Duke/Duchess of [Province]”; Councilors shall be referred to as “The Honourable Councilor for [Province]”; and Delegates shall be referred to as “The Honourable Delegate of the Colonies/of Abroad Citizens”. The Chair shall be referred to as “His/Her Majesty”, “His/Her Imperial Majesty” or “Sire/Ma'am” if it is the Monarch; the Vice-Chairs, if chairing the Council, shall be referred to by their respective highest-ranking styles.
  • j) Points take precedence over Motions. The Points which can be made by a member are as follows, in descending order of priority:
    • i. A Point of Personal Privilege is a request to leave the current meeting of Council. The Chair should always grant it.
    • ii. A Point of Order can be made if a member believes that a rule is not being followed.
    • iii. A Point of Information is a question of a factual nature. The Chair may freely consult government officials in order to resolve a Point of Information.
    • iv. A Point of Parliamentary Enquiry is a question to ask how an aspect of parliamentary procedure works, which is covered in this section.
  • k) Certain motions are eligible for debate whereas others are not. If a Motion is to be debated, speakers shall be allowed to discuss the Motion prior to it being voted on. The Motions which can be put forward are as follows, in descending order of priority:
    • i. A Motion to Adjourn, if passed, shall cause the current meeting of Council to end. It is debatable.
    • ii. A Motion to Advance the Agenda, if passed, shall cause the Council to move on to the next item on the Agenda, regardless of the status of the current item. It is not debatable.
    • iii. A Motion to Return to a Previous Item, if passed, shall cause the Council to return to an item which was previously abandoned. If the item is a legislative item where the legislation involved has already been voted on, this Motion is not in order. It is not debatable.
    • iv. A Motion to Begin Caucus, if passed, shall begin a caucus for a set period of time. During this time, parliamentary order is suspended and informal discussion may be carried out. Members may leave their seats and freely walk around during caucus. Caucus may be used as a temporary break from the Council's proceedings. It is not debatable. The Chair may unilaterally begin a caucus without a vote.
    • v. An Objection to Consideration, if passed, shall cause any legislation currently being debated to be abandoned. An Objection to Consideration may be moved by any member, is debatable, and if passed also concludes an Act of Council item. If passed when an amendment is being debated, it will conclude the sub-item for that amendment instead.
    • vi. A Motion to Introduce an Amendment may be moved by any member, is not debatable, and may only be moved when an Act of Parliament is being debated. If passed, it has the effect of modifying the agenda to add a new amendment subitem within the Act of Parliament item in question, which will be considered to have been tabled by the member who moved the motion. It will no longer be possible to introduce amendments to Acts of Parliament which have already been passed, although any such amendments passed prior to this Act shall still hold effect.
    • vii. A Motion to Pass an Act, if passed, grants the authority designated under the Supreme Directive to consider an Act of Parliament accepted by the Council by vote, and thus put it forward for Imperial Consent, and shall conclude an Act of Parliament item on the Agenda. It may only be used on an Act currently on the floor. It is not debatable. It may only be moved by the Chair (or by the member who tabled the Act at the Chair's request).
    • viii. A Motion to Pass an Amendment, if passed, shall amend the Act currently on the floor according the content to the Amendment, if there is one. It may only be moved by the Chair (or by the member who tabled the amendment at the Chair's request) and is not debatable. If passed, it shall conclude an amendment sub-item on the Agenda, and shall apply the amendment to the proposed Act of Council for which the amendment was tabled.
    • ix. Motions which come under items for Appointments and other motions may only be moved by the Chair (or by the member who tabled the motion at the Chair's request) during the item which relates to that motion. All such motions will be non-debatable, as debate will have taken place before the motion is formally moved.
    • x. A Motion to Suspend a Member, if passed, shall force the specified member of the Council to leave the current meeting. It is debatable.
    • xi. A Motion to Add/Remove an Item from the Agenda, if passed, will modify the agenda accordingly. It is debatable.
  • l) Procedural motions are defined as all motions created by the above subsection with the exception of the Motion to Pass an Act, the Motion to Pass an Amendment, the Objection to Consideration, any motions falling under Appointments and other motions, and the Motion to Suspend a Member. Non-procedural motions are any motions which are not procedural.
  • m) Votes on all motions within the Council are collected as follows: After the speaker or the Chair makes the motion by declaring it to the Council, the Chair shall ask, “All in favour?”, and those in support shall raise their hands. The Chair shall then ask, “All opposed?”, and those opposed shall raise their hands. Alternatively, those in favour may say “Aye”, and those in favour may say “Nay”.
  • n) A motion passes when those voting in support make up more than 50% of those who voted in total, unless stated otherwise.
  • o) Votes for Motions to Pass an Act, Motions to Overturn an Imperial Decree, Motions to Begin a Regency, Motions to Impeach the Chancellor, Motions to Begin a State of Emergency and Motions to Declare War also require a minimum turnout of more than 50% of the total members of the Ruling Council in order to pass. If this turnout is not met, the Chair may collect additional votes from members at any point before the next meeting.
  • p) The Chair may open meetings of the Council with the following address, or some deviation thereof: “As [title] of the Empire of Adammia, I, [name], do hereby call this, the [nth] meeting of the Ruling Council into effect, on today the [date].”
  • b) After officially opening a meeting, the Chair shall call the Council to order. The Chair shall then read the Agenda.
  • q) After reading the Agenda, the floor will be opened to motions to add or remove items from the Agenda. No other discussion may be held at this point.
  • r) Once any revisions to the Agenda have been made, the Chair shall open the first point on the Agenda. The Council should work through each point on the Agenda, though it may skip forward or move backwards, and may vote to adjourn early. If every point on the Agenda has been discussed and closed, the Chair may unilaterally adjourn the meeting.
  • s) Citizens of Adammia may observe meetings of the Ruling Council. Observers may be given the floor to speak on an issue and make points, but they cannot vote or make motions.
  • t) The Office of State shall be required to publish records of all Ruling Council meetings, including the Agenda (including the names of those who tabled items), summaries of all Motions and Points made, summaries of debates, and the names of those who voted in favour and against non-procedural motions.
  • u) The official chambers of the Ruling Council are hereby declared to be inside the White Gold Palace.

9. Electoral law

  • a) After the Monarch has called a local or general election, but before the election takes place, eligible individuals who wish to stand as a candidate in the election must complete a nomination form and return it to the Office of State. This nomination form must require the candidate to give their full name, micronational address, political party affiliation (including Independent) and signature.
  • b) The Office of State must make these forms readily available as soon as possible after the election has been called.
  • c) Once a nomination form has been deemed valid by the Office of State, the individual who submitted the form becomes a candidate in the election.
  • d) A candidate may revoke their candidacy at any time before the election by contacting the Office of State.
  • e) The Office of State may organise referendums and elections that last longer than 1 day, up to a maximum of 1 week.
  • f) It is an offence of personation to pretend to be another person, living, dead or fictitious, for the purposes of voting in an election.
  • g) It is an offence to vote more than once in any given election.
  • h) It is an offence of bribery to offer any voter in an election any kind of asset in order to influence them to vote for any candidate, or to not vote, in that election.
  • i) It is an offence to knowingly provide false information on a candidate nomination form.
  • j) If a court finds a person guilty of committing any of the offences described in this section:
    • i. The court may order that person to pay a fine of up to £30 to His Majesty's Imperial Treasury;
    • ii. If the court believes that the offence made a significant impact on the election result, the court may also order that the result of the election related to the offence is null and void, and the Office of State should re-run the election as soon as possible.
  • k) All persons involved in counting ballots to determine the result of an election should be approved by the Office of State.
  • l) When the result of an election has determined, the Chancellor shall sign a declaration of the election result. The winner of the election takes up the office to which the election relates only when this declaration has been signed.

CHAPTER VII – EXECUTIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE

1. Office of State

  • a) The Office of State is a political entity responsible for ensuring that democracy and the Supreme Directive are upheld properly.
  • b) It is the responsibility of the Office of State to:
    • i. Organise all elections and referendums. The Office of State must ensure that all votes in elections and referendums are kept anonymous.
    • ii. Keep records of all Ruling Council meetings, House of Citizens meetings, and of all the legislation passed by the state.
    • iii. Maintain the Monarchy and the Line of Succession. It should keep the Line of Succession fully updated.
  • c) The head of the Office of State is the Lord/Lady Chancellor of the State of Adammia.
  • d) The Chancellor is chosen out of the members of the Ruling Council by the Monarch. The Council must then vote to approve the Chancellor.
  • e) The Chancellor serves for life, unless they resign, or if the Parliament decides to impeach them having tried them for showing political bias in the dispensing of their functions as Chancellor.
  • f) The Office of State shall maintain a document known as the Codex of Adammic Law, which shall include an interpretation of all micronational law active in the Empire of Adammia, for the purposes of providing a common understanding of the Adammic legal system.

2. Role of the Imperial Government

  • a) The Imperial Government is the executive of the Empire of Adammia.
  • b) The Imperial Government may alternatively be known as His Majesty's Imperial Government if the Monarch is male, or Her Majesty's Imperial Government if the Monarch is female.
  • c) It is the responsibility of the Imperial Government to enact the laws and instructions set by the Parliament, and to maintain the security of the Empire on a day-to-day basis, to administer the assets of the state, and to represent the Empire to outside bodies.
  • d) Within the constraints of this Supreme Directive and the legislation which is applied to it by the Parliament, the Imperial Government may take whatever executive action it deems necessary to fulfil its roles, though it may not levy taxes, undertake expenditure, enter the Empire into treaties, or declare a state of war without the consent of the Parliament.
  • e) The Imperial Government is led by the Prime Minister, who is the Empire's Head of Government.
    • i. The Prime Minister shall hold the post-nominals of PM.
  • f) The Prime Minister must be a member of the House of Citizens.
  • g) The Prime Minister is nominated by the House of Citizens following each General Election or following the death or resignation of a Prime Minister. The Prime Minister may only serve with the confidence of the House of Citizens, as expressed by majority vote. The member nominated by the House of Citizens shall then be appointed as Prime Minister by the Monarch.
  • h) The Prime Minister may delegate the authority of the Imperial Government to any number of ministers, including a Deputy Prime Minister, who may exercise the powers of the Prime Minister if the Prime Minister is not available, and who may assume the position of Acting Prime Minister if the Prime Minister dies or resigns. The Deputy Prime Minister must accordingly be a member of the House of Citizens.
    • i. The Deputy Prime Minister shall hold the post-nominals of Deputy PM.
  • i) If the House of Citizens has not confirmed a Prime Minister by two months following a General Election or the death or resignation of a Prime Minister, the Monarch shall call a General Election.
  • j) The Imperial Government shall be held accountable to the Parliament; its ministers, including the Prime Minister, should maintain regular contact with the Monarch and should from time to time make themselves available before the House of Citizens and the Ruling Council to answer questions.

3. Structure of the Imperial Government

  • a) All government departments, with the exception of the Cabinet Office, shall be known as Ministries. The head of a ministry shall be known as "Minister of (ministry name)".
  • b) The Prime Minister, Deputy PM, the Ministers of the government departments and the PM's Director of Communications are hereby collectively known as the Cabinet.
  • c) The Cabinet may hold meetings to determine the course and policy of the National Government.
  • d) The Prime Minister is hereby given the executive right to determine the location of the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office is where meetings of the Cabinet should take place. However, in special circumstances, the Cabinet may meet elsewhere.
  • e) Each meeting of the Cabinet shall have an Agenda which must be approved and signed by the Prime Minister. Meetings of the Cabinet can be chaired by either the Prime Minister, or the Cabinet Secretary with the Prime Minister's approval.
  • f) The Prime Minister is given the executive right to determine the location of the Office of the Prime Minister.
  • g) The Deputy Prime Minister is given the executive right to determine the location of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
  • h) The Minister of any Ministry is given the executive right to determine the location of that Ministry.
  • i) All offices prescribed in subsections d), f), g) and h) above may be changed no more than 4 times per year.
  • j) The Imperial Institute of Geography is to recognise the locations determined by officials of the government in its maps.
  • k) The Office of State and all permanent (i.e. non-Ministerial) staff employed by government departments shall collectively be known as the Imperial Civil Service, alternatively His Majesty's Imperial Civil Service if the Monarch is male or Her Majesty's Imperial Civil Service if the Monarch is female.
    • i. The Lord/Lady Chancellor shall be considered the head of the Imperial Civil Service.
    • ii. Thus, the Imperial Government can be considered to be comprised of the Cabinet and the Imperial Civil Service. Though this would make the Office of State a part of the Imperial Government, the Office of State is not to be answerable to the Prime Minister or any government department, instead being answerable only to the Ruling Council and the Monarch.
    • iii. All members of the Imperial Civil Service may be referred to as civil servants. Civil servants, except for those belonging to the Office of State, are expected to enact the policies of the ministers above them, doing so with complete impartiality.
  • l) A government agency is an executive organisation under the direct control of a Ministry of the Imperial Government, responsible for carrying out a certain aspect of that Ministry's work.
    • i. A government agency can be created by legislation, and shall exist whilst that legislation is in effect. A government agency can also be created by the Office of the Prime Minister, and can then be disestablished by the Office of the Prime Minister at a later date.
    • ii. Every agency will have a head appointed by the Minister of the Ministry it is assigned to. The head may have any relevant job title necessary for that agency.
    • iii. The head of any government agency may be removed from office by the minister of the department to which the agency belongs. The minister must then appoint a new head for that agency.
  • m) A government-owned company is an entity owned by the Imperial Government (through the Office of the Prime Minister) or a Ministry of the Government, that exists to provide some form of commercial service on behalf of the government.
    • i. Government-owned companies are independent from the Imperial Government.
    • ii. A government-owned company can be created by legislation, and shall exist whilst that legislation is in effect. A government-owned company can also be created by the Office of the Prime Minister, and can then be disestablished by the Office of the Prime Minister at a later date, or sold (partially or completely).
    • iii. A government-owned company's head, which shall have a job title relevant to the role of the company, is appointed by the Prime Minister if it is owned by the Imperial Government, or by the Minister of a Ministry with the approval of the Prime Minister if it is owned by that Ministry.

4. Cabinet Office

  • a) The Cabinet Office is a department of the Imperial Government. The Cabinet Office is responsible for providing administrative services to the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Cabinet. It is also responsible for co-ordinating any collaborative efforts between multiple government departments, and for any areas of government business not covered by other departments.
  • b) The Cabinet Office shall be led by the Prime Minister, considered appointed by themselves. The Prime Minister shall not hold the title of Minister of the Cabinet Office.
  • c) The highest-ranking civil servant at the Cabinet Office is to be an official known as the Cabinet Secretary. The Cabinet Secretary is appointed by the Prime Minister and must be approved by the Lord/Lady Chancellor. The Cabinet Secretary shall be considered the second-highest-ranking member of the Imperial Civil Service.
  • d) The Cabinet Secretary may be removed from office by the Lord/Lady Chancellor or by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister must then appoint a new Cabinet Secretary.

5. Public finance

  • a) The Ministry of Finance is the governmental department responsible for overseeing government spending in all other Ministries, for managing taxation and managing economic policies. The Ministry of Finance assumes control over the His Majesty's Imperial Treasury.
  • b) His Majesty's Imperial Treasury is an agency of the Ministry of Finance which stores the Imperial Government's wealth in Great British Pounds.
    • i. It is illegal to remove money from the Treasury without the consent of the Minister of Finance or the Monarch.
  • c) The official currency of the Empire of Adammia is the Great British Pound Sterling (£).
  • d) The Empire of Adammia uses the Gregorian Calendar.
  • e) The fiscal year in the Empire of Adammia begins on the 1st of October and ends on the 30th of September. This is divided into quarters, with the First Quarter lasting from the 1st of January to the 31st of March, the Second Quarter lasting from the 1st of April to the 30th of June, the Third Quarter lasting from the 1st of July to the 30th of September, and the Fourth Quarter lasting from the 1st of October to the 31st of December.
  • f) All measures to raise income and to appropriate expenditure to and from His Majesty’s Imperial Treasury must be approved within an annual Budget, by an Emergency Appropriation, or by an Act of Parliament or Imperial Decree.
  • g) A Budget is an Act of Parliament which appropriates expenditure from His Majesty’s Imperial Treasury for a given fiscal year. A Budget may be passed no more than one year before the fiscal year it applies to begins. A Budget must be tabled by the Ministry of Finance. A Budget may also amend the rate at which company profits are taxed.
  • h) An Emergency Appropriation is a decision approved by the Cabinet and the Office of the Emperor/Empress to appropriate spending from His Majesty’s Imperial Treasury for a period no greater than one month. The Ruling Council or the House of Citizens may cancel any Emergency Appropriation by means of a standard motion.
  • i) If one month of the current fiscal year has passed and no Budget has been passed for that fiscal year and no Emergency Appropriation is in effect, a government shutdown shall begin. During this period, the Imperial Government will temporarily shut down its non-essential functions so as to maximise the period of time it can continue to operate without appropriated funding.
  • j) If six months of the current fiscal year has passed and no Budget has been passed for that fiscal year and no Emergency Appropriation is in effect, the Office of the Emperor will be required to call early local and general elections for a date as soon as possible.
  • k) His Majesty's Imperial Treasury shall allocate a portion, no less than 5%, of its monetary reserves as emergency funds. These funds may be used during and following a State of Emergency in order to repair the damage caused by the crisis.
  • l) The Imperial Bank of Adammia is established.
    • i. The Director of the Imperial Bank shall be the Monarch.
    • ii. The Monarch shall be expected to provide the Imperial Bank with capital from their own private assets. No other legal person may provide the Imperial Bank with capital.
    • iii. As part of preparing annual Budgets, the Ministry of Finance and the Monarch shall negotiate a grant to be paid from the Imperial Bank to His Majesty's Treasury, known as the Sovereign Grant. Conditions may be applied as to what this grant shall be spent on.
    • iv. Sovereign grants may also be negotiated as part of Emergency Appropriations.
    • v. As part of preparing annual Budgets and/or Emergency Appropriations, the Ministry of Finance and the Monarch may also negotiate loans from the Imperial Bank to His Majesty's Imperial Treasury.
    • vi. Sovereign Grants and loans must be approved as part of a Budget, an Emergency Appropriation or otherwise by legislation.
    • vii. The Imperial Bank may also offer loans to private companies.
    • viii. The Imperial Bank shall not offer loans to political parties.
    • ix. Both the Imperial Bank and the legal persons whom they agree to loan to are required by law to comply with the terms of the loans that they agree to.
    • x. The Imperial Bank shall be registered as a private limited company on the Companies Register.
    • xi. The Monarch may not sell any part of their ownership of the Imperial Bank.
  • m) The Imperial Companies Agency is a government agency of the Ministry of Finance.
  • n) The Imperial Land Registry is an agency of the Ministry of Finance. This agency shall be responsible for keeping records of land ownership, both macronational and that delegated therein micronationally, by whatever terms of lease may exist under Adammic law.
  • o) The National Employment Agency is established under the Ministry of Finance. This agency shall be responsible for handling employment records.

6. Defence

  • a) A state of war can only be declared by the Ruling Council through a special motion, or by the Monarch through a direct declaration; each of these are subject to a veto by the opposite legislative body, and the decision to declare war shall fall to the Prime Minister in this case.
  • b) A state of war can exist against other states, those both recognised as sovereign and those not recognised, or other militant organisations.
  • c) If any entity as described in subsection b) declares war on the Empire, the declaration will be considered unrecognised until it is reciprocated in accordance with subsection a). Military confrontation taking place outside of a recognised war may still be classified as an insurgency, or otherwise.
  • d) While any armed threat to the Empire may be met with force, a state of war is required before a territory held by an organisation as described in subsection b) can be invaded and occupied by Adammic military forces.
  • e) The Ministry of Defence is responsible for both the internal and external integrity of the Empire. As such, they are responsible for implementing measures to protect the Empire from crime, civil unrest and foreign threats.
  • f) General defence policy is set by the Ministry of Defence, but can be overridden by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister must consent to any offensive campaigns, unless the Empire is in a state of war or a state of emergency.
  • g) The Ministry of Defence shall provide the Military with personnel, equipment and installations as needed in order to complete its objectives.
  • h) The Ministry of Defence may mandate the existence of certain components and structures within the agencies it controls; in the absence of these mandates, the agencies may freely develop their own structures.
  • i) The Military of Adammia is an agency of the Ministry of Defence. The Military is charged with protecting and defending the borders of the Empire, and asserting control over its claims.
  • j) The Grand Marshal of the Military of Adammia is the commander-in-chief of the Military and is the source of all military authority. The Monarch holds the position of Grand Marshal ex-officio. It is the responsibility of the Grand Marshal to implement the defence policy set by the Minister of Defence.
  • k) The Military subdivisions are organised as follows:
    • i. The Adammic Army, intended for ground operations, shall be led by the Field Marshal;
    • ii. The Adammic Navy, intended for maritime operations, shall be led by the Grand Admiral; the position of Grand Admiral of the Navy shall be held by the Monarch ex-officio;
    • iii. The Adammic Air Force, intended for aerial operations, shall be led by the Air Chief Marshal.
  • l) The headquarters of the Military of Adammia is known as the High Command.
    • i. High Command may have both a physical and an Internet component.
    • ii. The Grand Marshal and the Minister of Defence shall be members of, and shall have the power to appoint members of the military and civil servants to, the High Command.
    • iii. High Command shall serve as the interface between the Ministry of Defence and the Military, and shall be responsible for the Military's high-level strategic operational planning. The Prime Minister shall be a member of the High Command only during a state of war or a State of Emergency.
  • m) The Grand Marshal has the authority to grant commissions to members of the three service branches, which may appoint them to the officer ranks of:
    • i. Field Marshal, General, Colonel, Major, Captain and Lieutenant in the Army;
    • ii. Admiral, Vice Admiral, Rear Admiral, Captain, Commander and Lieutenant in the Navy;
    • iii. Air Chief Marshal, Air Marshal, Commodore, Wing Commander, Squadron Leader and Lieutenant in the Air Force.
  • n) Commissions may or may not be issued on the advice of the Ministry of Defence or the advice of the heads of the service branches.
  • o) The Grand Marshal shall, through the issuing of Military Directives, delegate authority over certain sections of personnel to a commissioned officer of an appropriate rank, making them the commanding officer of a unit, and shall in this manner create a hierarchy of units and sub-units; they may or may not allow commanding officers to further delegate their own authority to other commissioned officers under their command of an appropriate inferior rank; and all of this may or may not be on the advice of the Ministry of Defence or on the advice of the heads of the service branches.
  • p) Commanding officers may also appoint enlisted personnel under their command as non-commissioned officers, which shall be the ranks of Sergeant in the Army, Petty Officer in the Navy, and Sergeant in the Air Force, and delegate authority over a subunit to a non-commissioned officer under their command.
  • q) Commanding officers may also appoint enlisted personnel under their command to the ranks of:
    • i. Corporal and Private in the Army;
    • ii. Able Seaman in the Navy;
    • iii. Corporal and Airman in the Air Force.
  • r) The Minister of Defence shall control the mobilisation status of every unit in the Military, such that any unit may be considered either mobilised or demobilised. To mobilise a unit is to ask its members to present themselves to be on duty. In this manner, the Minister of Defence shall make personnel available to the Military for active operations.
    • i. The Grand Marshal may also ask a unit to present itself for duty as a temporary mobilisation, but this shall only be used for emergency defensive operations, or for training.
  • s) The commanding officer of a unit may issue orders to the personnel under their command, and is expected to follow the orders of their superior commanding officer.
    • i. It is expected that a commanding officer should only issue orders to their own most immediate inferior officers, except in emergency situations, or where there are no officers under their command;
    • ii. Conversely any member of the military is expected to pass recommendations and complaints only to their most immediate commanding officer; and in this manner a robust chain of command shall be maintained.
    • iii. Orders which shall be issued may be either standing orders, which shall be permanent passive orders whilst a unit is demobilised, or active orders, when a unit is mobilised.
    • iv. It is expected, but not required, that members of the military should comply with their standing orders, whereas they must comply with active orders when they have presented themselves to be on duty, unless the orders are illegal.
    • v. Officers must not issue any order which requires a subordinate to carry out an illegal task, and all members of the military must not carry out any order which they know to be illegal.
  • t) For the purposes of military law, an enemy is defined as being any entity with which the Empire in in a state of war and/or any entity deemed to have committed an act of war against Adammia.
  • u) The following are offences under military law:
    • i. It shall be an offence of Treason for a member of the military to:
      • 1. Communicate with an enemy without authorisation;
      • 2. Give an enemy useful information, or to publicly disclose useful information without authorisation;
      • 3. Provide an enemy with supplies;
      • 4. Harbour or protect an enemy;
      • 5. Serve in enemy forces or to participate in enemy propaganda.
    • ii. It shall be an offence of Obstructing Operations for a member of the military put at risk the success of an operation, whether through intent or recklessness, or to refuse an active order whilst on active duty without a lawful excuse.
    • iii. It shall be an offence of Looting for a member of the military to take military property from any location left exposed as a result of operations or from any person injured or captured during operations with the intent of keeping said property for oneself rather than handing it over to their commanding officer, or to take any civilian property in the aforementioned circumstances.
    • iv. It shall be an offence of Mutiny for a member of the military to attempt to overthrow one's commanding officer, or to conspire to do so.
    • v. It shall be an offence of Misconduct towards a Superior Officer for a member of the military to use violence against, to threaten or be disrespectful towards any officer of a superior rank whilst on active duty.
    • vi. It shall be an offence of Ill Discipline for a member of the military to fight another member of the military or any person who is not an enemy of the Adammic state without lawful reason, to impersonate any superior officer, to tamper with or suppress any order or document without lawful reason, to wear the insignia of a rank to which they are not entitled, or generally to deliberately behave in any manner which is likely to disturb discipline or the chain of command whilst on active duty.
    • vii. It is an offence of Ill-treating Subordinates for any officer to bully, humiliate, degrade or be unnecessarily harsh towards any subordinate member of the military whilst on active duty.
    • viii. It is an offence of Damage to Property for any member of the military to deliberately behave in such a manner that causes the damage, loss or destruction of any government or military property, or the property of another member of the military.
    • ix. It is an offence of Excessive Force for any member of the military to use violent force as part of operations which is likely to kill or seriously injure an enemy, unless one has a reasonable belief that the said enemy poses a direct and immediate threat to one's own life.
  • v) Any commissioned officer may, on finding that anyone under their command has committed an offence as specified in this Decree, summarily dismiss the person from the military; this action may be appealed by the person to the Court Martial, which shall be a court ran in accordance with the Courts, Judiciaries and Juries Act 2018 and the Court Procedures Act 2018, with a Judge appointed by the Monarch, and of which all decisions may be appealed to the Grand Court of Adammia.
    • i. A commissioned officer may, on finding that anyone under their command has committed an offence as specified in this Decree, if they believe that the offence was particularly serious, refer the case directly to the Court Martial.
    • ii. The Judge of the Court Martial, in addition to the power to dismiss a person from the military, shall also be able to hand down any of the sentences allowed for criminal courts under the Courts, Judiciaries and Juries Act 2018.
  • w) The Ministry of Defence is responsible for any classified information regarding the activities of the Adammic government.
    • i. Classified information may be restricted, secret or top secret.
      • 1. Restricted information is only accessible to anyone working within an organisation using the information.
      • 2. Secret or top secret information is on a need-to-know basis and is only accessible to select individuals.
      • 3. Access to top secret information is controlled strictly by the Minister of Defence and the Prime Minister.
    • ii. Accidentally revealing classified information is a crime punishable by a fine of up to £10. Intentionally revealing restricted information is a crime punishable by a fine of up to £25, and intentionally revealing secret or top secret information is an act of treason, punishable by the revocation of all Adammic offices and citizenship.
    • iii. The Prime Minister and the Monarch both possess the right to unlimited access to classified information simply by ordering that they be given access. The Ruling Council and the House of Citizens also possess this right when they vote in favour of an appropriate motion. Through the equivalent means, the aforementioned bodies may also order information to be classified or declassified.

7. Military symbols

  • a) There are adopted three flags, one for each of the branches of the Military of Adammia.
    • i. The War Flag of Adammia shall be the official flag of the Adammic Army, and it shall consist of a green background, with the National Flag of Adammia in the top-left corner, and an emblem, which shall be the official emblem of the Adammic Army, consisting of the Imperial Crown in front of two crossed swords, as they appear on the Coat of Arms of Adammia. This flag shall be flown from Adammic Army bases and shall be used as the basis for official regimental colours in the Adammic Army.
    • ii. There shall be a Naval Ensign of Adammia, which shall be the official flag of the Adammic Navy, and it shall consist of a cyan background, with the National Flag of Adammia in the top-left corner. This ensign shall be flown from the stern of all vessels of the Adammic Navy, and at the ports and docks of the Navy and its Admiralty offices. The National Flag of Adammia may be flown as a jack from the bow of vessels of the Adammic Navy.
    • iii. There shall be a Adammic Air Force Ensign, which shall be the official flag of the Adammic Air Force, and it shall consist of a sky blue background, with the National Flag of Adammia in the top-left corner, and the Adammic Air Force Roundel designed by Michael Onff to the right.

8. Law enforcement

  • a) The Adammic Police Force is an agency of the Ministry of Defence.
  • b) The responsibilities of the Adammic Police Force shall be:
    • i. To investigate crime on behalf of the Attorney General;
    • ii. To take reasonable measures to prevent crime from taking place; and
    • iii. To enforce the decisions of the courts.
  • c)The Adammic Police Force shall consist of:
    • i. The Chief Constable, who shall be the Director of the government agency;
    • ii. A constable for each province; and
    • iii. Any support staff hired by the Chief Constable or any other constable.
  • d) Only constables, including the Chief Constable, shall be empowered to perform the functions given to officers of the Adammic Police Force according to law.
  • e) A constable has jurisdiction only over the province for which they were appointed.
  • f) In the course of investigating crime, the Adammic Police Force may request access to documents or material held by a person, but only with a warrant issued by the High Court or the Grand Court upon application by the Adammic Police Force for such a warrant.
  • g) A warrant under subsection c) shall not be granted by the court if the search:
    • i. Would violate macronational privilege;
    • ii. Would violate the General Data Protection Regulation Compliance Act 2018;
    • iii. Does not appear to the court to be likely to provide evidence useful for investigating crime; or
    • iv. Is otherwise unlawful.
  • h) An officer of the Adammic Police Force who seizes documents or material as evidence without a lawful warrant under subsection c) commits a criminal offence of Theft.
  • i) An officer of the Adammic Police Force who searches private property for evidence without a lawful warrant under subsection c) commits a criminal offence of Trespassing.
  • j) Officers of the Adammic Police Force are empowered to use minimal force to prevent crimes from being committed.
  • k) It is a criminal offence of Excessive Force for an officer of the Adammic Police Force to use force under subsection g) if:
    • i. The people subject to force did not intend to commit a crime, and the officer should reasonably have known this; or
    • ii. The force used was disproportionate to what would reasonably be needed to prevent the crime from taking place.
  • l) If an officer of the Adammic Police Force believes that a crime under macronational law has recently been committed, is being committed, or is about to be committed, the officer should alert the relevant macronational emergency services, particularly if the crime is violent;
    • i. Except if it has been otherwise specified that the particular crime under macronational law should not be reported.
  • m) An officer of the Adammic Police Force may use minimal force to restrain an individual who is putting themselves or others at risk of physical harm, or who is at risk of causing damage to property.
  • n) It is a criminal offence of Excessive Force for an officer of the Adammic Police Force to use force under subsection j) if:
    • i. The people subject to force were clearly not at risk of causing harm or damage, and the officer should reasonably have known this; or
    • ii. The force used was disproportionate to what would reasonably needed to prevent harm or damage from taking place.
  • o) Officers of the Adammic Police Force are expected to use reasonable judgement as to whether to invoke subsection i) or subsection j), or both, depending on the level of risk to themselves, the subject, and any nearby third parties.

9. Constable elections

  • a) The appointment of constables shall be done as follows:
    • i. The Chief Constable may propose to the local council of a province one or more candidates for the position of constable of that province.
    • ii. The local council will then vote on the candidates, as well as a none-of-the-above option, according to the instant-runoff voting method used in local elections.
    • iii. The candidate who receives the most support from the local council shall become the constable and serve for a term of one year.
    • iv. If a local council fails to vote on its constable candidates within two months of their proposal by the Chief Constable, the Chief Constable may appoint their preferred candidate as the province's constable.
    • v. If a local council votes for the none-of-the-above option, the matter shall be referred to the House of Citizens, which may propose its own candidates for the local council's consideration.
  • b) A local council may vote to remove their constable at any time.
  • c) An appointment under subsection a) shall take place:
    • i. When the term of a constable has expired;
    • ii. When a constable has been removed by their local council, fired by the Chief Constable for misconduct, removed by a court order or otherwise lawfully removed; or
    • iii. When a constable has resigned or died.

10. States of Emergency

  • a) At any time, the Monarch or the Prime Minister may declare that the Empire is in a State of Emergency. A State of Emergency may also be ended by them, or by a joint resolution of the Ruling Council and the House of Citizens.
  • b) A State of Emergency must only be declared when any of the provinces of the Empire are under threat from either a serious natural disaster or a man-made crisis such as a foreign invasion, widespread rioting or a civil uprising.
  • c) During a State of Emergency, it is the sole purpose of all branches the the government – the Monarchy, the Office of State, the Ruling Council, Imperial Government and Grand Court, to preserve the integrity of the state and its inhabitants. All legislation except for the Supreme Directive may be overlooked in order to meet this objective.
  • d) During a State of Emergency, the following individuals and institutions have supreme authority over the Empire in the following hierarchy, with each only assuming any authority when those higher than it are incapacitated or otherwise unreachable:
    • i. The Monarch
    • ii. The Prime Minister
    • iii. The Lord Chancellor
    • iv. The Line of Succession, in order of line to the throne, followed by the Monarch's Consort, and the Monarch's parents
    • v. The collective body of the Ruling Council, acting by vote
    • vi. The Deputy Prime Minister
    • vii. The remaining Ministers, in the precedence of the order in which their Ministry was established
    • viii. The Archduke / Archduchess, over their Region only
    • ix. The Duke / Duchess, over their Province only
    • x. Other nobles, over their respective areas only

11. Citizenship and Information

  • a) The Ministry of Citizenship and Information is responsible for overseeing the keeping of records for all citizens, births, deaths, marriages, migration, and anything else relating to citizenship.
  • b) The Ministry of Citizenship and Information is responsible for keeping records of history, geography, and politics within the Empire of Adammia, and is responsible for providing this information where it is needed. This Ministry shall be responsible for the Empire of Adammia website at empireofadammia.org.uk and for the Empire's pages on MicroWiki at micronations.wiki. This Ministry shall also be responsible for education in the Empire.
  • c)The Imperial Institute of History is an agency of the Ministry of Citizenship and Information. It shall maintain all records on the history of Adammia and the people and land that are part of it.
    • i. The Imperial Institute of History is instructed to define:
      • 1. The time period from the 13th of April 2013 to the 28th of October 2017 as the First Era of Adammic history;
      • 2. The time period lasting from the 28th of October 2017 to the 5th of September 2020 as the Second Era of Adammic history;
      • 3. The time period lasting indefinitely from the 5th of September 2020 as the Third Era of Adammic history.
    • ii. The Imperial Institute of History shall maintain a list of items which are considered artefacts and therefore require protection, which shall be known as the Historical Items List. This list shall be divided into the categories of Grade A objects, Grade B objects, and Grade C objects.
      • 1. Grade A objects shall be reserved for only the most treasured national artefacts.
      • 2. Grade B objects shall be those that are considered moderately important, or important on a local level.
      • 3. Grade C objects shall be the least important that the IIH wishes to protect.
    • iii. Protected objects must be owned by the state, an organisation or an individual of Adammia. They should be kept within the Empire's territory when possible.
  • d) The Imperial Institute of Geography is an agency of the Ministry of Citizenship and Information. It shall maintain all records of the geography of Adammia, maintain and produce its official maps, and keep official records of all its place-names.
    • i. The procedure for creating an official place-name is as follows:
      • 1. The Local Council of the territory containing the place being named must agree to create the place-name.
      • 2. The Local Council then informs the Ministry of Citizenship and Information, which, after checking that the place-name is appropriate and denying it if it is not deemed so, forwards it to the Imperial Institute of Geography to add it to their records and maps.
      • 3. The Monarch may also assign place-names but only if the place does not currently have a name.
  • e) The Imperial Archive is a Government Agency under the control of the Ministry of Citizenship and Information.
    • i. The purpose of the Imperial Archive is to store records, documents and artefacts that are important to the Empire of Adammia.
    • ii. It shall have the responsibility of storing copies of all Adammic legislation and all treaties signed between the Empire and other entities. However, the original signed versions of all legislation must be stored by the Office of State.
    • iii. The original signed versions of treaties may be held by the Imperial Archive but this is not required.
    • iv. The contents of the Imperial Archive should generally be accessible to the Adammic public, and can be presented through either physical or digital means. However, the Imperial Archive may wish to operate a Restricted Section through liaison with the Ministry of Defence in accordance with Ministry of Defence policy on classified material.
  • f) The Imperial Statistics Office is a Government Agency under the control of the Ministry of Citizenship and Information .
    • i. The purpose of the Imperial Statistics Office is to keep records of a range of statistics regarding the Empire of Adammia, including but not limited to: births, deaths, migration (all three of which are supplied by the Ministry of Citizenship and Information), and economic data (which is supplied by the Ministry of Finance).
    • ii. The statistics published by the Imperial Statistics Office should be accessible to the Adammic public by digital means and optionally by physical means.

12. Foreign affairs

  • a) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the governmental department is responsible for overseeing the Empire's diplomatic relations with other micronations, and if necessary macronations. It shall appoint ambassadors and look after embassies.

13. National development

  • a) The Ministry of National Development is responsible for:
    • i. The propagation of culture in the Empire;
    • ii. The advancement of scientific and technological research and development;
    • iii. Ensuring that the state limits its impact on the environment where possible, and protecting notable natural areas in the Empire;
    • iv. Transport and communications in the Empire.
  • b) The 13th of April of every year henceforth from the passing of this Act shall be known as Foundation Day.
    • i. Foundation Day is a National Holiday. No compulsory work shall take place on this day. The Ruling Council, through this Act, endorses the holding of celebrations on Foundation Day in recognition of it being the anniversary of the Empire's founding.
    • ii. Official celebrations may be organised by the Ministry of National Development on behalf of the Imperial Government. The Ministry of National Development may for this purpose form a committee, which shall be comprised of any individuals who may have a role in the organisation of the Foundation Day celebrations. To this end, this committee shall act as a liaison between the Ministry of National Development and any other government departments, institutes, local governments or otherwise that may be involved.
  • c) Other national holidays:
    • i. Christmas Day is hereby declared a national holiday. Citizens will be exempt from work on this day unless it is absolutely necessary. It will be celebrated every 25th of December.
    • ii. New Year's Day is hereby declared a national holiday across the Empire. New Year's Day shall take place on the 1st of January of each year. There shall be no obligation to carry out non-essential work on this day.
    • iii. The Emperor's Birthday (the Empress's Birthday when the Monarch is female) is hereby declared a national holiday across the Empire. The Emperor's / Empress's Birthday shall take place on the date of the reigning Monarch's birth each year. There shall be no obligation to carry out non-essential work on this day.
    • iv. Democracy Day is hereby declared a national holiday across the Empire. Democracy Day shall take place on the 30th of June each year. There shall be no obligation to carry out non-essential work on this day.
    • v. New Year's Eve is hereby declared a national holiday across the Empire. New Year's Eve shall take place on the 31st of December of each year. There shall be no obligation to carry out non-essential work on this day.
    • vi. The Winter Solstice shall be a national holiday celebrated annually on the 21st of December.
    • vii. The Summer Solstice shall be a national holiday celebrated annually on the 21st of June.
    • viii. The 31st of October of every year shall be a public holiday known as Hallowe'en. There shall be no obligation to carry out non-essential work on this day.
    • ix. The first day of April of every year shall be celebrated as a public holiday known as April Fools' Day.
  • d) The Ministry of National Development is the government department responsible for sport.
    • i. The Ministry of National Development is to oversee a system of sport associations. A sport association is responsible for regulating and organising any one particular sport. A sport association may be created by the Ministry of National Development or by another party, with the approval of the Ministry of National Development.
    • ii. A sport association registers all official participants of that sport in the Empire, within teams or otherwise. Only participants recognised by the sport association may represent the Empire of Adammia in international sport events.
    • iii. A sport association may belong to an intermicronational sport federation, and take part in events organised by the federation, representing the Empire of Adammia.
    • iv. A sport association may allow sport events involving foreign competitors, if it so wishes.
    • v. The Adammic Esports Association is mandated to exist. The said Association will have full authority over its internal affairs.
  • e) A national park is defined to be an area of Adammic territory declared by legislation to be protected by the Ministry of National Development.
    • i. Areas of national parks located within a Territory of Adammia shall be administered by the Ministry of National Development.
    • ii. Areas of national parks located within a Province of Adammia shall continue to be owned by their regular owners, however, the Ministry of National Development may prohibit the construction of any structures on this land.
    • iii. Areas of national parks located within a Colony of Adammia must first be approved by the governor and/or government of the Colony in question. The Ministry of National Development may regulate construction of structures on this land, but can be overruled by the governor and/or government of the Colony.
    • iv. A national park is established which encompasses the entirety of the Jagstonian Plains except for the AAF Jagstonia airbase. This national park shall be known as the Jagstonian Plains National Park, and shall have the alternative name of the Winifred Hall Memorial National Park.
  • f) The Adammic Imperial Space Agency (AISA) is a government agency of the Ministry of National Development. It is charged with operating a space program in the name of the Empire of Adammia.
    • i. The Minister of National Development and the Director-Administrator of AISA shall collectively determine the policy and missions of the Agency.
  • g) The Adammic Weather Office is a government agency of the Ministry of National Development. The office shall monitor weather affecting Adammic territories and citizens. It shall report on weather to the state media and issue alerts and warnings where necessary.
  • h) The Transport Network Agency is an agency of the Ministry of National Development. This agency shall be responsible for the creation of transport routes in the Empire, and the keeping of records of such; and for maintaining these transport routes, and regulating their usage.
  • i) The National Communications Agency is an agency of the Ministry of National Development. This agency shall be responsible for licensing all officially sanctioned Internet-based communications channels, these being based on YouTube.com, Twitch.tv or otherwise, that wish to broadcast to the Empire of Adammia, and the regulation of these channels.
    • i. It should be noted that it is not illegal for unlicensed broadcasters to operate from within Adammic territory. Television, radio, internet broadband and telecommunications shall continue to be governed by the responsible agencies of the Government of the United Kingdom.
    • ii. The National Communications Agency shall regulate Adammic internal post services, but shall not regulate the services provided to the Adammic provinces by Royal Mail.
    • iii. The National Communications Agency shall classify all communications channels which broadcast material depicting human biological interpersonal activities which could directly lead to conception with a rating of XXX.
  • j) The National Gallery is an agency of the Ministry of National Development.
  • k) The Adammic Express is a government-owned company owned by the Ministry of National Development, its head being known as the Editor. It is the official Adammic state newspaper. It shall release articles about events in Adammia or Adammia's role abroad in the intermicronational community. The newspaper should aim to release one article per week, though this is not compulsory. The newspaper is an official means for the governing body to inform the populace about issues, such as upcoming referendums.
  • l) Adammic Online Broadcasting is a government-owned company owned by the Ministry of National Development, its head being known as the Director-General. It is the official Adammic state broadcasting channel. The channel may upload broadcasts from around the Empire, news segments, and other entertainment. The channel is an official means for the governing body to inform the populace about issues, such as upcoming referendums.
  • m) Imperial Mail is a government-owned company of the Ministry of National Development. Imperial Mail shall provide postal service on behalf of the Imperial Government.
    • i. The head of Imperial Mail shall be known as the Postmaster General.
    • ii. Imperial Mail shall provide internal postal service within the Empire of Adammia's provinces, and shall deliver mail sent to the Empire of Adammia from abroad where micronational postage details are used. Mail delivered to the Empire from abroad that does not reference the Empire of Adammia, instead using addresses recognised by the United Kingdom, shall be delivered by Royal Mail. Imperial Mail will also not be responsible for sending mail abroad to the United Kingdom or elsewhere, though it may do so if it wishes.
    • iii. Imperial Mail shall use micronational addresses only, along with an Adammic postcode system that will be operated by the National Communications Agency.
    • iv. Any spare profits not being directly used by Imperial Mail shall be sent directly to His Majesty's Imperial Treasury.
  • n) The Ministry of National Development shall henceforth be charged with the responsibility of liaising between the Imperial Government and the local councils of the Provinces, providing support to the local councils, and representing local councils within the Cabinet.
  • o) It is hereby declared that a climate emergency exists globally, and within Adammia, and the Imperial Government is compelled to take action to respond to this crisis.
    • i) At any time that any component of His Majesty's Imperial Government purchases paper, the paper must be:
      • 1. Certified as sustainable by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC); or
      • 2. Recycled.

14. Memes

  • a) The Ministry of Memes shall be the government department responsible for memetic Internet content in the Empire.

CHAPTER VIII – JUDICIARY

1. Constitutional role

  • a) Any dispute which arises regarding the interpretation of an Act of Parliament or an Imperial Decree, regarding a breach of such legislation, or regarding legal matters in general, may be resolved in either the Grand Court or a lower-level court.
  • b) Legislation may dictate the system of courts and the means by which they operate. However, the Grand Court must always be the highest court of appeal for all matters not relating to the Supreme Directive.
  • c) Decisions made by the courts are considered legally binding unless they are successfully appealed at a higher court. The Imperial Government must assist the courts in the implementation of court decisions, particularly the sentencing of criminals.
  • d) The Judge of the Grand Court is the Monarch. The Chancellor may act as a backup judge if the Monarch is unavailable.
  • e) In cases where interpretation of the Supreme Directive is required or where the Supreme Directive may have been violated, the case may be heard by the Office of State, where the Chancellor is to act as Judge.

2. Court system

  • a) Criminal Courts
    • i. The Criminal Courts shall be responsible for presiding over all breaches of Imperial Law that constitute Criminal Offences.
    • ii. Any action specified in legislation as an “offence” shall be considered a criminal offence, unless otherwise specified.
  • b) Civil Courts
    • i. The Civil Courts shall be responsible for presiding over all breaches of the Imperial Law that are not specifically designated as criminal offences and do not constitute violations of the Supreme Directive.
  • c) Imperial Law
    • i. Imperial Law is the system of Law that the Empire of Adammia operates under, containing three streams of law: Criminal, Civil and Constitutional. All Law in Adammia shall fall into one of these classifications.
  • d) To be brought into Court under a Criminal, Civil or Constitutional matter, both the injured and defending party must be Legal Persons to be capable of bringing a matter to the Court.
  • e) Legal Person
    • i. A legal person is: any individual human being; any registered company, political party, sports association or other such organisation appropriately registered with the Imperial Government; any institution of the Monarchy, Imperial Parliament or Imperial Government of Adammia; or any local provincial council or colonial government.
  • f) In all judicial cases, the burden of proof is on the party initiating the case.
  • g) In criminal cases, the standard of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt.
  • h) In civil cases, the standard of proof is on the balance of probabilities.
  • i) All parties involved in a case have the right to access all evidence involved in the case by discovery, which must be facilitated by the court.
  • j) Cases shall be named according to the formula [Plaintiff] versus [Defendant], abbreviated as [Plaintiff] v. [Defendant].
    • i. Where the plaintiff is the Monarch or the Attorney General, the plaintiff shall be known as Imperator, abbreviated as I, and spoken as “the Crown”.
  • k) A person may not be prosecuted for a crime for which they were previously found not guilty, except if:
    • i. The verdict or some other aspect of the original case was unlawful;
    • ii. New compelling evidence comes to light that could reasonably change the verdict, such as a credible admission of guilt;
    • iii. The legal action is an appeal to the original case, rather than a separate new case.
  • l) A person may not be prosecuted for a crime for which they were previously found guilty under any circumstances.

3. Overriding objectives

  • a) The overriding objectives of all courts shall be:
    • i. Establishing the truth;
    • ii. Issuing remedies that consider:
      • 1. The circumstances and severity of the conduct in question;
      • 2. The circumstances of the parties; and
      • 3. The severity of the consequences for the defendant and others affected;
    • iii. Dealing with all parties fairly;
    • iv. Recognising the rights of the defendant;
    • v. In criminal cases, recognising the rights of victims and witnesses, which includes:
      • 1. Reasonable protection from the accused;
      • 2. Reasonable, accurate and timely notice of any court proceeding involving the crime;
      • 3. Not being excluded from any such court proceeding involving the crime, unless the court determines that testimony by the victim or witness would be materially altered if they heard another testimony at that proceeding;
      • 4. Being treated with fairness and with respect for the victim's dignity and privacy; and
    • vi. Dealing with proceedings efficiently and expeditiously.
  • b) In the absence of existing legislation and precedents on a particular issue, courts should undertake proceedings and issue orders, verdicts and remedies in accordance with these overriding objectives.
  • c) Any order, verdict or remedy issued by a court is unlawful if it contravenes these overriding objectives.

4. Grand Court

  • a) The Grand Court is presided over by the Monarch themselves, or any substitute judge(s) that they see fit (See Section X for the appointment of judges).
  • b) The Grand Court is the third and final tier of Court whose decision may not be appealed and whose precedent is binding over all other Courts.
  • c) The Grand Court may adjudicate on both Criminal and Civil litigation.
  • d) The Grand Court shall be abbreviated to GC in legal reference documents, with the prefix of Crl for Criminal cases, and Cvl for Civil cases.
  • e) For the purposes of this Act, the Grand Court is a Court of Appeal.

5. Appellate courts

  • a) Two Appellate Courts shall be created: A Criminal Appellate Court and a Civil Appellate Court (These may also be referred to as Courts of Appeal).
  • b) These Courts may be presided over by any judge, so long as that judge did not preside over the case being appealed.
  • c) The Criminal Appellate Court shall be responsible for adjudicating over appeals made in the High Court (i.e. Criminal Matters), and may make the following decisions:
    • i. Accept the appeal, deny the appeal, order a retrial by the same or a different judge or refer to the Grand Court.
  • d) The Civil Appellate Court shall be responsible for adjudicating over appeals made in the Crown Court (i.e. Civil Matters), and may make the following decisions:
  • i. Accept the appeal, deny the appeal, order a retrial by the same or a different judge or refer to the Grand Court.
  • e) Both the Criminal and Civil Appellate Courts have precedent binding over the High Court and Crown Court.
  • f) The Criminal Appellate Court shall be abbreviated as CrlAC, and the Civil Appellate Court shall be abbreviated as CvlAC in legal reference documents.

6. First instance courts

  • a) The High Court shall be responsible for adjudicating Criminal cases.
  • b) The High Court shall be presided over by any judge.
  • c) The High Court may find the accused guilty, innocent, or in extreme situations refer the matter to the Grand Court.
  • d) The High Court must consult a jury as defined in Section 8 before it hands down its decision.
  • e) The High Court shall be abbreviated as HC in legal reference documents.
  • f) The Crown Court shall be responsible for adjudicating Criminal cases.
  • g) The Crown Court shall be presided over by any judge.
  • h) The Crown Court may find the accused guilty, innocent, or in extreme situations refer the matter to the Grand Court.
  • i) The Crown Court shall be abbreviated as CC in legal reference documents.

7. Judges

  • a) Judges are figures who make the final decision in any Court, after hearing the arguments and evidence of both parties.
  • b) The appointment of judges shall be made by agreement of the Monarch and both chambers of Parliament. The removal of a person as a judge may be done by the same measure.
  • c) The Monarch may make use of any appropriate (i.e. non-illegal discriminatory) criteria such as relative expertise and experience when appointing a judge.
  • d) Multiple judges may be assigned to a case if its character is deemed worthy of a larger panel.
  • e) Judges in the Appellate Courts may not preside over a case which they have handed down a judgement in the Court of First Instance.
  • f) Once given a case, the judge must be given or given instruction as to how to find the relevant legal information to the case. If such information has not been seen, then the Court may not sit until such information is known to the judge.
  • g) The Monarch may reassign a judge from the case if they are not making reasonable effort to avail themselves of the relevant legal knowledge.
  • h) If a judge has shown themselves to be incapable of performing their job correctly, then they may be removed from the position by the Monarch or by an order of the Court should they be found guilty of corruption.
  • i) Judges are capable of handing down the following remedies and sentences:
    • i. Injunction – When an injunction is given, the act(s) in question must cease, effective at the time provided by the judge for a duration provided by the judge. This is capable of being handed down in all Courts.
    • ii. Compensation – Where damage has been sustained, the offending party must provide monetary recompense of an amount deemed proportional to the harm suffered by the judge. This is capable of being handed down in Criminal and Civil Courts.
    • iii. Exile – Where the conduct is deemed to be sufficiently against the laws and values of the Empire, a citizen or honorary citizen may be exiled. This is capable of being handed down in a Criminal Court. This banishment may be temporary, or it may be permanent. This punishment is an exception to Section 7 (d) and the party will remain a citizen or honorary citizen until the Appeal process has been resolved. This punishment is subject to additional review by the Monarch.
    • iv. Demotion – Where the conduct has been of such a character as to demonstrate that the offending party is not capable of honestly performing their role, then that role may be stripped of them, along with the relevant titles. This may be handed down in Criminal and Civil Courts.
    • v. Voidance – The effects of the government act in question are reversed and the parties restored to their previous states as best as possible. Voidance does not provide compensation. This may be handed down in all Courts.
    • vi. Fine – Where there is no appropriate punishment, then a fine may be exacted from someone who has committed a wrong which is to be added to the Imperial Treasury at a rate deemed reasonable by the judge, proportional to the severity of the act. This may be handed down in a Criminal or Civil Court.
  • j) Judges are capable of handing down the following verdicts:
    • i. Guilty – This is a criminal verdict. This acknowledges that the Defendant has committed the Crime(s) that they have been charged with and thus subject to a Sentence, and the Plaintiff may be entitled to a Remedy.
    • ii. Not Guilty – This is a criminal verdict. This acknowledges that the Defendant has not committed the Crime(s) that they have been charged with and is thus not subject to any Sentence, nor the Plaintiff entitled to any Remedy.
    • iii. Guilty of Lesser – This is a criminal verdict. This acknowledges that the Defendant has committed a Crime that is of a lesser character than the Crime the Prosecution charged them of. This verdict may only be delivered where a Jury finds the same.
    • iv. Liable – This is a Civil and Constitutional Verdict. This acknowledges that the Respondent is responsible for the Civil or Constitutional Offence that they have been charged with by the Claimant and thus subject to a sentence, and the Plaintiff may be entitled to a Remedy.
    • v. Not Liable – This is a Civil and Constitutional Verdict. This acknowledges that the Respondent is not responsible for the Civil or Constitutional Offence that they have been charged with by the Claimant and is not subject to any Sentence, nor is the Plaintiff entitled to a Remedy.”
  • k) For the purposes of Section 5 of the Courts, Judiciaries and Juries Act 2018, the Grand Court shall be considered a criminal court when it is hearing criminal cases, and a civil court when it is hearing civil cases.

8. Appeals

  • a) Appeals may be permitted for both Civil and Criminal cases.
  • b) Appeals must be founded on one of the following bases:
    • i. The judge has incorrectly applied Imperial Law, thus their decision must be reviewed by a Court of Appeal.
    • ii. The judge has not applied Imperial Law, thus their decision is not legitimately founded and must be reviewed by a Court of Appeal.
    • iii. The judge has not followed Court procedure properly, meaning that the integrity of the Court was compromised. The decision must be reviewed by a Court of Appeal to ensure that a fair trial was given.
    • iv. In the High Court, where a judge derogates from the recommendation of the jury. The Court of Appeal will decide whether such derogation is justifiable on the basis of Imperial law.
  • c) Where an appeal is requested, it must be decided by the judge to preside over the case in the Appellate Court whether the appeal can be heard (i.e. that it is founded on one of the above bases). The judge must respond in a timely manner to the request for an appeal.
  • d) If the request for an appeal is accepted, then the Court of First Instance’s decision stands until such a time that it has been struck out by an Appellate Court.
  • e) If the request for an appeal is denied, then the judge’s decision shall be carried out as instructed by the judge.

9. Juries

  • a) Where a jury trial is required, the relevant Court shall randomly select a number of full citizens to serve as jurors.
  • b) Citizens may not be compelled to serve as jurors, but should make good effort to attend the trial to which they have been summoned.
  • c) The Court shall randomly select another citizen to replace a juror who:
    • i. Cannot perform jury duty;
    • ii. Declines to perform jury duty; or
    • iii. Poses a risk of prejudicing a trial due to having a personal interest in the outcome of the trial.

10. Attorney General

  • a) The Attorney General is the personal legal counsel to the Office of the Emperor and the Imperial Government.
  • b) The Attorney General shall represent the government as the prosecution in Criminal cases.
  • c) The Attorney General shall represent the government as either the claimant or respondent in Civil cases.
  • d) The Attorney General shall represent the government as the defence in Constitutional cases.
  • e) The Attorney General may not serve as a judge.
  • f) The Attorney General may offer his opinion to governmental bodies as to the legality of their actions.
  • g) The Attorney General may be appointed by the Monarch at the time and for the duration of their choosing.
  • h) The Attorney General may be any citizen (but not honorary citizen) that the Monarch believes to be capable of performing the role.

11. Court Offences

  • a) Perjury shall be defined as when one makes a deliberate lie or misrepresentation under oath during a judicial proceeding.
  • b) This is applied to any witness or interpreter who so is consulted by the Court to provide information.
  • c) Contempt of Court shall be defined as:
    • i. Behaving in an improper or disrespectful manner during a judicial proceeding;
    • ii. Refusing to abide by the judgement of the Court;
    • iii. Refusing to attend the court when summoned;
      • 1. Except where the person has a legitimate reason not to attend the court, such as macronational privilege.
      • 2. Whether a reason is legitimate is to be decided by the court.
    • iv. Making any statement that, in relation to an active case, creates a real risk of prejudicing the court's impartiality;
      • 1. Except if, at the time of publication, having taken all reasonable care, they do not know and have no reason to suspect that the relevant case is active.
    • v. Violating any lawful order of the court, or obstructing the execution of a court order.
  • d) This is applied to any party other than the presiding judge(s) on the case, whether it be the defending or prosecuting party, their representatives, witnesses, interpreters or simple observers of the trial.
  • e) During an e-trial, any act which disrupts the integrity of the trial may result in a charge of contempt of court. This includes the unsolicited posting of images, the communication of inflammatory or irrelevant matters, or any other such act that lies outside of Court procedure that the judge deems severe enough to demonstrate contempt.
  • f) Corruption in Court shall be defined as where a judge has taken a bribe, or otherwise has acted dishonestly in their handing down of a judgement. The standard punishment for corruption applies.
  • g) These are Criminal offences and thus are subject to the sentences and remedies available for criminal matters.

12. Criminal, Civil and Constitutional Law

  • a) Criminal Law contains offences that cause harm recognised by legislation to be more severe than a merely Civil harm and thus may require a harsher sentence.
  • b) Criminal Law also encompasses the relevant sentences and remedies defined in Section 5 i).
  • c) Only an individual Legal Person is capable of being charged under Criminal Law. Legal Persons that are governmental institutions or organisations cannot face Criminal conviction.
  • d) Civil Law contains offences that cause harm to a Legal Person that is not so severe as to require a higher level of punishment, and are not Criminal or Constitutional offences.
  • e) Civil Law also encompasses the relevant sentences and remedies defined in Section 5 i).
  • f) Constitutional Law contains offences that are committed by the government against a Legal Person.
  • g) Such offences can be found in Article XI subsection 5 of the Supreme Directive.
  • h) Constitutional Law also encompasses the relevant sentences and remedies defined in Section 5 i).

13. General procedure

  • a) Proceedings in all courts shall be initiated by the filing of a petition with the Monarch by the prosecutor or plaintiff, which shall identify:
    • i. The prosecutor or plaintiff;
    • ii. The defendant;
    • iii. The nature of the petition, which for a criminal case shall be a petition for indictment, and for a civil case shall be a petition for relief; and
    • iv. Other particulars specified in the procedures for criminal or civil cases;
  • b) Upon receipt of such a petition, the Monarch shall either:
    • i. Assign the case to the appropriate first instance court, or an appeal court if the petition is for an appeal, and assign a judge to hear the case;
    • ii. Assign the case to the Grand Court, where the Monarch may elect to hear the case themselves, or assign it to another judge;
    • iii. Reject the petition, if and only if it does not comply with the above subsection b).
  • c) Petitions for appeals may also be made by the defendant, and shall also include statements of:
    • i. The verdict or order being appealed; and
    • ii. The grounds for the appeal under Section 6 of the Courts, Judiciaries and Juries Act 2018.
  • d) The Monarch should not assign a case to a judge who has a personal interest in the outcome of the case, including themselves in the Grand Court.
  • e) At any time, a court may order a retrial, under a different Judge, if it determines that asubstantive right of a party to the case was significantly prejudiced. Under such circumstances, the Monarch shall assign a different Judge to the case.

14. Service

  • a) All documents filed in a case must be served unless otherwise ordered by the court.
  • b) A document is properly served if:
    • i. It is served to all parties involved in the case (unless otherwise specified by the court);
    • ii. It is served either:
      • 1. By means communicated by a party to the court as preferable to them; or
      • 2. By any other means suitable by which it is likely the party will receive it;
    • iii. It is stated that the party must acknowledge service of the document; and
    • iv. No other document, statement or material is provided with the document that might prejudice a substantive or procedural right of the party.
  • c) On receipt of any document by proper service, a party must notify the court that they have received the document.
  • d) A party's failure to notify the court in accordance with subsection c) does not prejudice proper service.

15. Orders and verdicts

  • a) For the purposes of court procedure, an order is an instruction issued by the court toimplement a procedural power prescribed to it in law, except for:
    • i. The verdict; and
    • ii. Any remedies or sentences.
  • b) An order does not impose any obligation on an individual party if that party was not served or otherwise notified of the order.
  • c) A court may definitely or indefinitely stay any case or the execution of any order:
    • i. On the motion of a party to the case; or
    • ii. Of its own accord.
  • d) A superior court may stay any case or the execution of any order of a lower-level court in response to an appeal; this constitutes judicial review.
  • e) For the purposes of court procedure, a motion is a request by a party involved in a case for the court to issue a particular order.
  • f) A court may dismiss a case without handing down a judgement if, and only if:
    • i. Both parties agree to dismiss the case; or
    • ii. The court determines that the case is frivolous, or cannot be resolved to an acceptable legal standard, due to contempt of court arising on either side, or otherwise.
  • g) A court may hand down a default verdict against a party if, and only if:
    • i. The party has failed to plead or defend; or
    • ii. The party consistently fails to comply with the court procedures as set out in law.
  • h) The above subsection notwithstanding, a court must not hand down a default verdict if:
    • i. The charge or claim is frivolous; or
    • ii. It would otherwise be in the interest of upholding the overriding objectives not to hand down a default verdict.
  • i) A party may move to set aside a default verdict within seven days of the verdict being handed down.
  • j) It is lawful for a court to hear a case ex parte, provided that, as soon as possible, the excluded party:
    • i. Receives access to all details relating to the case; and
    • ii. Has the opportunity to appeal any order made as part of the case.

16. Court Procedures – Criminal

  • a) A petition for indictment shall, besides the requirements set out in Section 7, include a list of counts, each of which refers to a separate commission of a criminal offence by the defendant. For each count, there shall be:
    • i. A description of the conduct constituting the commission of the offence; and
    • ii. An identification of the legislation that creates the offence.
  • b) Once a petition for indictment has been assigned to an appropriate court, the court must issue an indictment to the defendant which summons them to a trial as set out below, unless it determines that the case is frivolous.
  • c) Once the appropriate process outlined above has been completed and the Court officially summoned, Court proceedings shall occur in the manner specified below.
  • d) Firstly, the Judge shall confirm that the Plaintiff, Attorney General, Defendant, the Defendant’s Representative, Jurors, Witnesses and the Scribe are present.
  • e) The Judge shall prompt the defendant to plead on each count.
    • i. For the counts on which the defendant pleads guilty, the court shall:
      • 1. Verify that there is a factual basis for the plea of guilty;
      • 2. Having done so, the Judge shall hand down a verdict of guilty, and the rest of the procedure shall be disregarded.
      • 3. The Judge may still hand down a verdict of not guilty in response to a guilty plea if, and only if, there is no factual basis for the plea, for example, if it appears that the defendant was coerced into pleading guilty.
    • ii. For the counts on which the defendant pleads not guilty, the case shall proceed in accordance with the rest of this section.
    • iii. For counts where the defendant refuses to plead, the court shall assume that they plead not guilty.
    • iv. In the interest of clarity, the previous clause takes precedence over Section 15 Subsection g), and invokes Subsection h) of the said Section, only where there is a need to establish a matter of truth as part of the overriding objectives under Section 3.
  • f) The Judge will then invite the Attorney General to present the prosecution’s case against the Defendant, who will explain the charges levelled against the Defendant and present the relevant evidence. The Prosecution’s Witnesses shall not be allowed yet to speak The Attorney General (Henceforth referred to as the ‘Prosecution’) shall be given reasonable time to do so.
  • g) Once the Prosecution has finished giving its testimony, the Judge will invite the Defendant or their Representative (Henceforth referred to as the ‘Defence) to present their challenge to the charges put forward by the Prosecution and give relevant evidence. The Defence’s Witnesses shall not be allowed yet to speak. The Defence shall be given reasonable time to do so.
  • h) When the Defence has concluded their presentation, the Judge will announce that the cross-examination phase has begun.
  • i) The Prosecution shall begin the cross-examination phase, presenting their witnesses. The witness must give their initial statement uninterrupted. When their initial statement has been concluded, the Prosecution may ask for further information. The Defence may question the witnesses, as well as challenge the Prosecution on any points of Law and Evidence presented. Once the Defence and Prosecution are satisfied, the Prosecution’s cross-examination phase concludes.
  • j) The Defence’s cross-examination phase will begin once the Prosecution’s phase has concluded. The Defence shall present their witnesses who must give their intial statements uninterrupted. When their initial statement has been concluded, the Defence may ask for further information. The Prosecution may question the witness, as well as challenge the Defence on any points of Law and Evidence presented. Once the Prosecution and Defence are satisfied, the Defence’s cross-examination phase concludes.
  • k) The Judge will then halt courtroom proceedings to allow a reasonable time for the Jury to consider the evidence laid before them. Once a reasonable time has elapsed, the Judge will invite the Jury to give their verdict.
  • l) Once the Jury’s verdict has been given, the Judge must hand down a ruling as defined in Section 7.
  • m) In the event that the Judge’s ruling derogates from that of the Jury, then Section 8 b) iv takes effect.
  • n) Within one week of the trial, the Judge must present an explanation of their reasoning for public information purposes as well as record-keeping purposes.
  • o) Though any person may bring a criminal case, the Attorney General may at any time during the case move to assume the position of the prosecution.
    • i. If a private prosecutor moves to dismiss a case, whilst the Attorney General moves to assume the prosecution, the court must not dismiss the case and must allow the Attorney General to take up the prosecution.
    • ii. If the defendant in a criminal case is the Attorney General or a body of government represented by the Attorney General, such a motion must not be granted by the court.

17. Court Procedures – Civil

  • a) A petition for relief shall, besides the requirements set out in Section 13, include:
    • i. A statement of the claim, showing that the plaintiff is entitled to relief; and
    • ii. A demand for the relief sought, which may include relief in the alternative, or different types of relief, but which must in all cases take the form of remedies available to civil courts according to law.
  • b) The plaintiff is entitled to have the merits of a petition for relief considered by the court if:
    • i. Concrete and particularised injury has been or will imminently be suffered by:
      • 1. The plaintiff; or
      • 2. The general public;
    • ii. The injury arose from the actions, or lack thereof, of the defendant; and
    • iii. The granting of the relief will redress the injury.
  • c) The court may dismiss any case where the petition for relief does not comply with subsection b).
  • d) Where the court accepts that a petition for relief complies with subsection b), the defendant shall be summoned to answer to the claim.
  • e) A defendant's answer to a claim must state which of the allegations contained in the petition for relief the defendant:
    • i. Admits;
    • ii. Denies;
    • iii. Is unable to admit or deny, but needs the plaintiff to prove.
  • f) The court may immediately hand down a verdict of liable on any allegation the defendant admits if the court determines the claim is meritorious.
  • g) A defendant who fails to address an allegation shall be taken to admit that allegation.
  • h) Once the appropriate process outlined above has been completed and the Court officially summoned, Court proceedings shall occur in the manner specified below.
  • i) Firstly, the Judge shall confirm that the Claimant, the Claimant’s Representative, Respondent, the Respondent’s Representative, Witnesses and the Scribe are present.
  • j) The Judge will then invite the Claimant or their Representative (Henceforth referred to as the ‘Claimant’) to present their case against the Respondent, who will explain the charges levelled against the Respondent and present the relevant evidence. The Claimant’s Witnesses shall not be allowed yet to speak. The Claimant shall be given reasonable time to do so.
  • k) Once the Claimant has finished giving their testimony, the Judge will invite the Respondent or their Representative (Henceforth referred to as the ’Respondent’) to present their challenge to the charges put forward by the Claimant and give relevant evidence. The Respondent’s Witnesses shall not be allowed yet to speak. The Defence shall be given reasonable time to do so.
  • l) When the Defence has concluded their presentation, the Judge will announce that the cross-examination phase has begun.
  • m) The Claimant shall begin the cross-examination phase, presenting their witnesses. The witness must give their initial statement uninterrupted. When their initial statement has been concluded, the Claimant may ask for further information. The Respondent may question the witnesses, as well as challenge the Claimant on any points of Law and Evidence presented. Once the Respondent and Claimant are satisfied, the Claimant’s cross-examination phase concludes.
  • n) The Respondent’s cross-examination phase will begin once the Claimant’s phase has concluded. The Respondent shall present their witnesses who must give their initial statements uninterrupted. When their initial statement has been concluded, the Respondent may ask for further information. The Claimant may question the witness, as well as challenge the Respondent on any points of Law and Evidence presented. Once the Claimant and Respondent are satisfied, the Defence’s cross-examination phase concludes.
  • o) The Judge will then halt courtroom proceedings to allow themselves a reasonable time to come to a decision on the liability of the Respondent. Once a reasonable time has elapsed, the Judge will hand down their verdict as defined in Section 7.
  • p) Within one week of the trial, the Judge must present an explanation of their reasoning for public information purposes as well as record-keeping purposes.

18. Hosting of Court Sessions

  • a) The Court may gather in any physical location within the territory of the Empire of Adammia.
  • b) Alternatively, the Court may be held in an ‘e-trial’ on an agreed Internet website and service. The Monarch and Judge must consult on whether to hold a physical or e-trial, and on which service the e-trial is to be held.
  • c) Additionally, only the persons who are involved in the trial are permitted to attend it. No public visitations are permitted.

19. Witnesses

  • a) In Criminal, Civil and Constitutional Trials witnesses may be called forth during the Cross-Examination phases.
  • b) All witnesses must be made known to the Judge before they can be called in.
  • c) The Judge may strike out any unfair questioning performed by the parties and the question (and any answer given) struck from the Scribe’s records.
  • d) Unfair questioning includes inquiries into information relevant to the case at hand, or inquiries that are framed so as to discredit or embarrass the witness.
  • e) Witness identities may not be declared in public case reports, however their identities may be noted for official Court record-keeping purposes.

20. Court Scribe and Records

  • a) The Court Scribe notes down the events and arguments presented in the Court, as well as the verdict.
  • b) The appointment of the Court Scribe shall be conducted by the Monarch after citizens have expressed interest in such a role. The Monarch may select themselves as the Court Scribe.
  • c) The Court Scribe may make use of any appropriate (i.e. non-illegal discriminatory) criteria such as relative expertise and experience when appointing a Court Scribe.
  • d) The Scribe’s report shall have two versions:
    • i. A detailed, confidential report on the events of the trial which contains all relevant details and events of the trial. The report must be true to fact.
    • ii. An anonymised version of the report which is for public consumption to be released via the Adammic Express. This may be abridged for ease of reading, but the events must be true to fact.
  • e) A Scribe whose report is found to be false may be charged with Perjury.
  • f) Where a person distributes the confidential Court report they may be charged with leaking under Act 22 Section 4 c).

21. Definitions

  • a) Claimant – This is the party in a Civil case bringing the action.
  • b) Respondent – This is the party in a Civil case who the action is being brought against.
  • c) Plaintiff – This is the party in a Criminal case who brings the action
  • d) Defendant – This is the party in a Criminal case who the charge is being brought against.
  • e) The term Respondent shall be considered synonymous with Defendant for all types of cases, and the same shall be the case for the term Claimant with respect to the term Plaintiff.

22. Judicial Review

  • a) Any executive action of His Majesty's Imperial Government may be reviewed by an appropriate court, and subject to injunction and/or voidance if it is found to be unlawful.
  • b) Any local law or executive action of a provincial local council may be reviewed by an appropriate court, and subject to injunction and/or voidance if it is found to be unlawful; voidance in this case may repeal all or part of local law where it is found to contravene an Imperial Decree, Act of Parliament or the Supreme Directive.
  • c) A law or executive action of a colonial government may be reviewed by an appropriate court, and subject to injunction and/or voidance if it found to have violated an Imperial Decree or Act of Parliament that specifically applies to that colony, or the Supreme Directive.
  • d) Judicial review of lower courts by superior courts shall be handled by the appeals system.
  • e) An Action of the Monarchy may be reviewed only by the Court of Chancery, and subject to injunction and/or voidance if it is found to have violated the Supreme Directive.
  • f) An Imperial Decree or Act of Parliament may be reviewed only by the Court of Chancery, and subject to voidance if it is found to contravene the Supreme Directive; voidance in this case shall overturn all or part of the Imperial Decree or Act of Parliament in question.
  • g) For the purposes of subsections a), f) and g), the relevant bodies shall be represented by the Attorney General.
  • h) Judicial review shall take the form of criminal or civil action initiated in the standard way.

23. Legal representation

  • a) A party to a case must submit notice to the court of who they intend to appoint as their legal representative, or whether they wish to represent themselves.
  • b) A party must have a legal representative who is not themselves if they are a corporate body (i.e. not an individual).
  • c) A party may at any time change their appointed representative by similar notice.
  • d) Any communication between a legal representative and a client, made for the purpose of securing legal advice, is privileged and is not admissible evidence in a court, unless:
    • i. The communications between the client and the representative are made in the presence of a third party;
    • ii. The client expresses to their representative an intent to commit a crime in the future;
    • iii. The client seeks the advice of the representative so as to aid the commital of a crime; or
    • iv. The client waives this subsection.

CHAPTER IX – LOCAL GOVERNMENT

1. Local Councils

  • a) Each Province shall have a Local Council, which shall comprise of all of the full citizens over the age of twelve who live in that Province.
  • b) Local Councils have general legislative and executive competency over their Province, but must comply with all primary legislation set by the Parliament, and should not interfere with the work of the Imperial Government.
  • c) The Councilor and the landed noble of a Province should, from time to time, make themselves available to the Local Council of their Province to answer questions.

2. Secession

  • a) The Local Council of a province may submit a request for secession to the Monarchy or the Ruling Council. It is then the responsibility of the Office of State to organise a local referendum within the province. If the referendum shows that there is more than 50% support of the population for secession, then the province shall no longer be considered Adammic territory, and the Local Government shall assume full sovereignty over the province.
  • b) Alternatively, Acts of Parliament or Imperial Decrees may grant a province independence or cede it to another state.
  • c) These two methods are the only legal means by which a province may leave the Empire of Adammia.

3. Colonial governance

  • a) A Colony may freely determine its means of governance, except for when the means of governance is set out in the Treaty of Annexation that annexed the Colony, or some other Adammic legislation that holds power over the Colony. However, there must be some form of government in place, led by an official referred to herein as the Colonial Governor. The government of a Colony may devolve legislative, executive and judiciary powers as it sees fit.
  • b) The defence of the Colonies is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence, and Colonies are prohibited from creating any armed force without the permission of the Monarch outside of the Military of Adammia. The foreign representation of the Colonies is the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, though the Colonies are permitted to appoint their own ambassadors, construct embassies etc. through collaboration and consensus with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  • c) The citizenship of the Colonies is synchronised with that of the whole Empire, and an individual may not hold citizenship of a Colony, full or honourary, without that citizenship transferring across to the rest of the Empire. The government of a Colony is to grant full citizenship to the residents of its lands, and inform the Ministry of Citizenship and Information of these; however, they may not grant full citizenship to non-residents without the permission of the Ministry of Citizenship and Information. They may grant honourary citizenship to non-residents, but again the Ministry of Citizenship and Information must be informed.
  • d) The governments of the Colonies may manage their own economies, and the GDP of colonial economies does not count towards the Adammic GDP. Companies registered within a Colony may also freely register with the Imperial Companies Agency, but do not have to submit their financial data to the Companies Agency.
  • e) The governments of the Colonies may grant titles to their residents; they may also, with the Monarch's permission, grant titles to non-resident citizens, and to foreigners. All titles granted by the Colonial governments are to be recognised throughout the entire Empire, but are subject to immediate removal by the Office of the Emperor.
  • f) While a Colony may handle its own infrastructure, the nature of its transport routes should be shared with the Ministry of National Development and categorised with the transport routes of the rest of the Empire by the Transport Network Agency. The same also applies to the communications channels that it licenses in regards to the National Communications Agency.
  • g) The Monarch endorses and encourages any collaboration between the governments of the Colonies and the governing bodies of the Empire as a whole.

CHAPTER X – FOREIGN AFFAIRS

1. Diplomatic recognition

  • a) Diplomatic recognition may only be granted by the Monarch in their capacity as Head of State; though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should handle any negotiations, select candidate entities for recognition and advise the Monarch on the process, it ultimately falls to the Monarch to grant recognition. This can be done one of three ways:
    • i. Firstly, by declaring through an Imperial Decree the recognition of another state or government;
    • ii. Secondly, by giving consent to an Act of Parliament that declares recognition of another state or government;
    • iii. Thirdly, by signing a treaty with the state or government being recognised when a Treaty of Bilateral/Mutual Recognition is involved.
    • iv. At any point, the Monarch may use any of the above methods to also withdraw recognition of a state or government.
  • b) Recognition of a micronation shall override recognition of a macronation; in this, the Empire shall recognise that the macronation involved has sovereignty over all the land it claims with the exception of recognised micronations within it.
  • c) If the Empire recieves notice that a state it has recognised has dissolved by the legitimate government of that state, the Empire's recognition of that state is then completely withdrawn.
  • d) The Empire of Adammia hereby recognises the following states as sovereign:
    • i. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;
    • ii. Antigua and Barbuda;
    • iii. Commonwealth of Australia;
    • iv. Commonwealth of the Bahamas;
    • v. Barbados;
    • vi. Belize;
    • vii. Canada;
    • viii. Grenada;
    • ix. Jamaica;
    • x. New Zealand;
    • xi. Independent State of Papua New Guinea;
    • xii. Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis;
    • xiii. Saint Lucia;
    • xiv.Saint Vincent and the Grenadines;
    • xv. Solomon Islands;
    • xvi.Tuvalu;
    • xvii. Kingdom of Spain;
    • xviii. Hellenic Republic;
    • xix. Principality of Sealand;
    • xx. Republic of Molossia;
    • xxi. State of Sandus;
    • xxii. Kingdom of Florenia;
    • xxiii. Tsardom of Nolland;
    • xxiv. Empire of Austenasia;
    • xxv. Kingdom of Juclandia;
    • xxvi. Union of Mercia and Lurk;
    • xxvii. Kingdom of Wyvern;
    • xxviii. Federal Republic of Sirocco;
    • xxix. Kingdom of Überstadt;
    • xxx. Democratic Environmental Society of Senya;
    • xxxi. Republic of Chile;
    • xxxii. Republic of the Marshall Islands;
    • xxxiii. Principality of Monaco;
    • xxxiv. Romania;
    • xxxv. Republic of Singapore;
    • xxxvi. Republic of South Africa;
    • xxxvii. Republic of Kosovo;
    • xxxviii. Republic of Korea;
    • xxxix. Ukraine;
    • xl. United States of America;
    • xli. Reylan Imperial Triumvirate;
    • xlii. Grand Duchy of Natal;
    • xliii. French Republic;
    • xliv. Kingdom of the Netherlands;
    • xlv.Kingdom of Denmark;
    • xlvi. Kingdom of Norway;
    • xlvii. Kingdom of Sweden;
    • xlviii. Republic of Finland;
    • xlix. Iceland;
    • l. Federal Republic of Germany;
    • li. Abeldane Empire and Commonwealth;
    • lii. Italian Republic;
    • liii. Republic of Austria;
    • liv. Empire of Japan;
    • liv. Empire of Japan;
    • lv. Kingdom of Wazakhstan;
    • lvi. Republic of Malta;
    • lvii. Sovereign Military Order of Malta;
    • lviii. Kingdom of Talossa;
    • lix. Herbatrean Federation;
    • lx. The Kingdom of Belgium;
    • lxi. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg;
    • lxii. The Portuguese Republic;
    • lxiii. The Swiss Confederation;
    • lxiv. The Principality of Liechtenstein;
    • lxv. The Principality of Seborga;
    • lxvi. The Royal Republic of Ladonia;
    • lxvii. The Kingdom of Jupiter;
    • lxviii. The Empire of Iustus;
    • lxix. The Principality of Posaf;
    • lxx. The Commonwealth of Essexia;
    • lxxi. Gymnasium State;
    • lxxii. The Commonwealth of Uskor.
    • lxxiii. Republic of North Macedonia;
    • lxxiv. Montenegro;
    • lxxv. Republic of Albania;
    • lxxvi. Federative Republic of Brazil;
    • lxxvii. Bosnia and Herzegovina;
    • lxxviii. Republic of Bulgaria;
    • lxxix. Republic of Poland;
    • lxxx. Republic of Indonesia;
    • lxxxi. Slovak Republic;
    • lxxxii. Republic of Cyprus;
    • lxxxiii. Republic of Croatia;
    • lxxxiv. Czech Republic;
    • lxxxv. Republic of Estonia;
    • lxxxvi. Georgia;
    • lxxxvii. Republic of Moldova;
    • lxxxviii. Republic of Ireland;
    • lxxxix. Republic of Lithuania;
    • xc. Republic of Latvia;
    • xci. Republic of India;
    • xcii. Republic of Slovenia;
    • xciii. Directive of Misberia;
    • xciv. Kingdom of Hrafnarfjall;
    • xcv. Commonwealth of New Virginia;
    • xcvi. Republic of Ashukovo;
    • xcvii. Uber-Essian Union;
    • xcviii. Kingdom of Lytera;
    • xcix. Serene Beaconite Republic;
    • c. Empire of Aenopia;
    • ci. Kingdom of Ikonia;
    • cii. Principality of New Eiffel;
    • ciii. Union of Millania and New Granada;
    • civ. Empire of Paravia;
    • cv. Technocratic Republic of Theodia;
    • cvi. Kingdom of Wegmat.

2. International treaties

  • a) It is henceforth declared that only the Monarch may sign an international treaty in their capacity as Head of State. In order for the state to provide official ratification, a motion must be presented to the Ruling Council. If this motion gains a majority vote in the Council, the Monarch must re-affirm the ratification by providing Imperial Consent. Neither stages of the ratification process necessitate an Act of Council or an Imperial Decree. However, an instrument of ratification may be presented if necessary, bearing the votes of the Ruling Council and the signature of the Monarch granting Imperial Consent.

3. Terror organisations

  • a) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall determine the list of classified terror organisations, and may add or remove organisations from this list as it sees fit.
  • b) The Imperial Government shall be required to publish travel warnings on the Adammic national website and elsewhere regarding areas where groups classified as terror organisations are active.

4. Affiliation with the European Union

  • a) The Empire of Adammia, in its entirety, shall continue to be considered part of the European Union.
  • b) It is recognised that the Empire of Adammia has been an independent sovereign state since before the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020, and indeed since before the 2016 United Kingdom referendum on European Union membership, which We note was largely based around misinformation.
  • c) It is therefore declared that the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 has no effect over the Empire of Adammia.
  • d) It is declared that it is an affront to Adammic sovereignty for the United Kingdom to attempt to force Adammia out of the European Union against its wishes.
  • e) The Imperial Government is commanded to:
    • i. Treat all Adammic provinces, colonies and territories as territory which is part of the European Union;
    • ii. To treat all Adammic citizens as being citizens of the European Union;
    • iii. To display the flag of the European Union alongside the flag of Adammia on all border signs; and
    • iv. For the purposes of Article III of the Supreme Directive, the European Union shall be considered to be of higher precedence than the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the purposes of macronational privilege.
  • f) It is declared that the Empire of Adammia shall maintain an honourary association with the European Union, until such a time that any member state of the European Union may recognise Adammia as sovereign, at such time the Imperial Government will be commanded to to begin the process of applying for the Empire of Adammia to become a full member state of the European Union.

CHAPTER XI – POLITICAL PARTIES

1. Registration

  • a) A political party can be founded by any full citizen of the Empire by registering it with the Political Party Register managed by the Office of State.
  • b) The Office of State shall discourage but not prohibit the founding of political parties that have identical political goals to an already existing party.
  • c) The founder of a political party shall become its first President.

2. Membership

  • a) Any full or honourary citizen can join a political party.

3. President

  • a) A party must have a President in place at all times. If a party does not have a President for a continuous period of over two months, it will be struck from the Political Party Register.
  • b) The President of a political party need not act as a political leader, but must carry out the following functions:
    • i. Maintain a register of all members of the political party. Only full or honourary citizens can be official members of a political party.
    • ii. Report to the Office of State the number of members of their party within the month of October each year.
      • 1. If the president of a party does not meet this requirement, the Office of State may remove that president from office, and ban that individual from being the president of any political party, temporarily or permanently.
      • 2. A party president who is found to have intentionally lied about the number of members of their party to the Office of State shall have committed an offence of political fraud. A court which finds a person guilty of this offence may order the offender to pay a fine of up to £30 to His Majesty's Imperial Treasury, and should permanently ban the offender from acting as the president of any political party and ban them from standing in any local or national election.
    • iii. Should the party wish to rename or dissolve itself, inform the Office of State of these wishes. The Office of State should amend the Political Party register accordingly, but also keep records of dissolved parties and names previously used by parties.

4. Elections

  • a) A party can pick out of its members from each Province its own candidate in Local Elections.
  • b) In Local Elections, party members shall be recognised with the name of their party next to their name. Candidates who are not in a political party shall instead have “Independent” next to their name.

CHAPTER XII – COMPANY LAW

1. Registration

  • a) Any individual or group may register a company with the Companies Register, a list maintained by the Imperial Companies Agency.
  • b) Government-owned companies shall be registered on the Companies Register.
  • c) Every company must have an office, which is an address to which all official post for that company will be sent.
  • d) Every company must have at least one Director, who may also be its Chief Executive Officer.
  • e) A company must be listed as a private limited company (Ltd.) or a public limited company (PLC).

2. Taxation

  • a) All profits made by a company are taxed at a rate set by the Ministry of Finance. This rate may be no higher than 25%. Taxes are paid into the Treasury annually in the month of October. This tax shall not apply to government-owned companies.
  • b) The amount of company tax payable shall be at a rate proportional to the company's realised profits, as stated in its annual report. Unrealised profits, such as appreciation in the value of non-cash assets, shall not be taxed, until those assets are sold.
  • c) An annual report must be sent by every company to the Imperial Companies Agency in the month of October, containing information on its revenue, expenses and overall profit.

3. Imperial Warrant of Appointment

  • a) Any company, private, public, government-owned or otherwise, which has supplied goods or services to the Monarch or to the Imperial Family may be granted an Imperial Warrant of Appointment.
  • b) The Imperial Warrant of Appointment is issued by the Monarch, and can also be revoked at any time in the same way.
  • c) An Imperial Warrant of Appointment can either be to the Monarch or to the Imperial Family.
  • d) It permits the appointed company to advertise with the statement “By appointment to (H.I.M. the Emperor/Empress of Adammia)/(the Imperial Family of Adammia), (Description of company in relation to goods/services they supply), (Name of Company), (Location of Company Headquarters),” along with the Adammic Coat of Arms.
  • e) A company is granted the Imperial Warrant of Appointment by the Monarch when it is listed by the Office of the Emperor/Empress as such.
  • f) Any company which falsely claims to have an Imperial Warrant of Appointment despite never having had one is committing an act of fraud and may be fined up to £30.
  • g) Companies which formerly held the Imperial Warrant of Appointment must change any advertising relating to their Warrant to state that it was formerly held, or remove it entirely, within one year of the revocation of their Warrant, or they too will be committing an act of fraud and may be fined up to £15.

CHAPTER XIII – CRIMINAL CODE

1. Protected items

  • a) It shall be considered a criminal offence to destroy a protected item, or to cause it to leave the ownership of the criteria above; the penalties shall be fines, for Grade A objects, up to £40; for Grade B objects, up to £15; for Grade C objects, up to £5.
  • b) Damaging a protected item shall also be a criminal offence, and shall incur up to half of the fine listed above for each respective category.
  • c) Furthermore, it is declared that any possessions of the Monarch shall be protected, and destroying any of these possessions, causing them to permanently leave the Monarch's ownership, or badly damaging them shall incur a fine of up to £40; the same shall apply to possessions of the Imperial Family, with a fine of up to £15.

2. GDPR compliance

  • a) The Ministry of Citizenship and Information must ensure that all of its personal records of Adammic citizens are securely held, such that only employees of the Imperial Government, the Office of the Emperor and the Office of State may see these records.
    • i. If any employee of the Imperial Government causes any data relating to personal records of Adammic citizens to be accessible by any person or organisation outside of the Imperial Government, the Office of the Emperor, and the Office of State, then that employee has committed an offence of criminal negligence. A court which finds an employee guilty of this offence in this manner may order that the offender pay a fine of up to £10 to His Majesty's Imperial Treasury and may order the Imperial Government to fire the offender from their job.
    • ii. If any employee of the Imperial Government causes any data relating to personal records of Adammic citizens to be accessible by any person or organisation outside of the Imperial Government, the Office of the Emperor, and the Office of state, so that it can be used to commit a crime, then that employee has committed an offence of corruption. A court which finds an employee guilty of this offence in this manner may order that the offender pay a fine of up to £40 to His Majesty's Imperial Treasury, may order the Imperial Government to fire the offender from their job, may order titles and honours to be stripped from the offender, and may order for the offender's citizenship to be revoked.
  • b) It is defined that the Imperial Government holds data on citizens of Adammia for the purposes of:
    • i. implementing Adammic law;
    • ii. compiling statistics, which do not identify any individual citizens based on that data.
  • c) All persons who apply for Adammic citizenship, as part of their application, must confirm that they consent for the data they provide to be stored for the duration of their citizenship and for that data to be used in accordance with the above section b), in order for their application to be accepted.
    • i. Citizenship applications made by persons under the age of 13 must not be accepted, unless their parent or guardian has consented in accordance with subsection (a) on their behalf.
  • d) All full and honourary citizens have the right to ask the Ministry of Citizenship and Information what data is held on them by the Imperial Government and what it is being used for. The Ministry of Citizenship and Information must reply truthfully within a reasonable time frame.
  • e) All full and honourary citizens have the right to request that any data held on them by the Imperial Government be rectified by the Ministry of Citizenship and Information. The Ministry of Citizenship and Information must comply with this request within a reasonable time frame.
  • f) All full and honourary citizens have the right to request that any data held on them by the Imperial Government be deleted. The Ministry of Citizenship and Information must comply with this request within a reasonable time frame, but may require that the citizenship of the citizen in question be downgraded or rescinded if the data being deleted would be required for the purposes of implementing Adammic law were that citizen to continue their citizenship.
  • g) All corporate legal entities shall have the responsibility of implementing the General Data Protection Regulation.
    • i. For the purposes of this section, a “corporate legal entity” is any legal entity within Adammia that is not an individual citizen and is not part of the Imperial Government, the Office of State, and the Office of the Emperor; this can include all privately-owned companies, local and colonial governments, political parties, sports associations et cetera.
    • ii. Any corporate legal entity found by a court to have failed to comply with this section may be ordered by the court to pay a fine of up to £40 to His Majesty's Imperial Treasury, as well as damages to any Adammic citizens negatively affected by this failure.
    • iii. Any corporate legal entity found by a court to have deliberately failed to comply with this section for the purposes of committing a crime may be ordered by the court to pay a fine of up to £60 to His Majesty's Imperial Treasury, as well as damages to any Adammic citizens negatively affected by this failure.
    • iv. If any individual employee of a corporate legal entity causes data held on Adammic citizens by that entity to be made accessible by persons or organisations outside of that entity, without the permission of the citizens on whom the data is held, then that employee has committed an offence of criminal negligence. A court which finds an employee guilty of this offence in this manner may order that the offender pay a fine of up to £10 to His Majesty's Imperial Treasury and may order the offender's employer to fire the offender from their job.
    • v. If any individual employee of a corporate legal entity causes data held on Adammic citizens by that entity to be made accessible by persons or organisations outside of that entity, for the purposes of committing a crime, then that employee has committed an offence of data smuggling. A court which finds an employee guilty of this offence in this manner may order that the offender pay a fine of up to £40 to His Majesty's Imperial Treasury, may order the offender's employer to fire the offender from their job, and may order titles and honours to be stripped from the offender.
  • h) For the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation, the Ministry of Citizenship and Information shall be considered the supervisory authority for all corporate legal entities in Adammia. In the event of a data breach, the corporate legal entity responsible must report the breach to the Ministry of Citizenship and Information, and all citizens affected by the breach, within 72 hours; else, it will not be considered compliant with the above subsection g).

3. Rebellion

  • a) An attempt by a province to secede from the Empire is illegal and shall be treated as a rebellion.
  • b) Any citizen who materially supports a rebellion shall have committed an offence of treason. A court that finds a person guilty of this crime may order that the offender pay a fine of up to £40 to His Majesty's Imperial Treasury, may order titles and honours to be stripped from the offender, and may order for the offender's citizenship to be revoked.
  • c) A rebellion which poses a serious threat to the Empire's integrity should result in a State of Emergency being declared in order to break up the rebellion.

4. Inchoate crimes

  • a) A person who assists in the commission of a criminal offence commits an offence of Accessory to the criminal offence.
  • b) A person who attempts to commit a criminal offence commits an offence of Attempting the criminal offence.
  • c) A person who coerces another person into committing a criminal offence commits an offence of Coercion.
  • d) A person who conspires to commit a criminal offence commits an offence of Conspiracy to commit the criminal offence.
  • e) A person who encourages another person to commit a criminal offence commits an offence of Incitement to commit the criminal offence.
  • f) A person who solicits another person to commit a criminal offence commits an offence of Solicitation to commit the criminal offence.

5. Contempt of Parliament

  • a) A person commits a criminal offence of Contempt of Parliament if they:
    • i. Deliberately impede the proceedings of either chamber of the Imperial Parliament;
    • ii. Deliberately lie before a chamber of the Imperial Parliament, with the intent of misleading Parliament; or
    • iii. Refuse to comply with a lawful executive order approved by all three constituent parts of the Imperial Parliament.

6. Climate Emergency

  • a) Adammic legal persons shall be prohibited from owning shares in, lending money to, or doing business with companies which:
    • i. Are directly involved in deforestation, specifically but not limited to the Amazon Rainforest;
    • ii. Are directly involved in coal mining, or oil and natural gas extraction.
  • b) For the purposes of the previous subsection a), a legal person shall be any individual, registered company, political party, or component of His Majesty's Imperial Government.
  • c) It is an exemption to the above subsection a) that an Adammic legal person may own shares in an index fund or an exchange-traded fund (ETF) which may or may not include as a component shares in an otherwise problematic company, provided that such a fund is structured based on nationality (exempli gratia, membership of the Standard & Poor 500), level of market capitalisation or any other metric not specifically related to membership of the non-renewable energy sector. Index funds and ETFs which specifically relate to the non-renewable energy sector may not be traded.
  • d) Any legal person which happens to own shares in a company in violation of the above subsection a), or which owns index fund shares or ETFs which are known to include shares of such a violating company by virtue of being part of the relevant sector, shall be required to sell, at market value, the relevant shares immediately following the enactment of this Act.
  • e) Non-compliance with subsections a)-d) shall be a criminal offence, and a court finding a legal person guilty of such an offence may issue the offender a fine of up to £20 payable to His Majesty's Imperial Treasury. The court may also order the seizure of the offending assets by the Treasury and their subsequent immediate sale at market value.
  • f) It shall be an offence to deliberately import palm oil into the Empire of Adammia,
    • i. Except where it can be proven that the palm oil is produced sustainably in a way which does not contribute to deforestation.
  • g) Non-compliance with this subsection f) shall be a criminal offence, and a court finding a legal person guilty of such an offence may issue the offender a fine of up to £10 payable to His Majesty's Imperial Treasury.

7. Miscellaneous

  • a) It is illegal to bring a giraffe over any north facing border between Adammia and the UK.
  • b) All citizens of the Empire must be born in the Virgo Supercluster.
  • c) All golf buggies in Adammia must be driven backwards.
  • d) It is illegal to possess more than 10 grams of antimatter.
  • e) It is illegal to eat an Ethernet cable.
  • f) It is illegal to play the manuals on any organ with a thermometer.
  • g) It is illegal to play the electronic game known as Flappy Bird in the Empire ofAdammia.

CHAPTER XIV – CIVIL CODE

1. Standards

  • a) The metric system (the International System of Units) is the official measuring system of the Empire of Adammia. The government is to use the metric system at all times, and all businesses are expected to either use metric or to provide a conversion from another measuring system.

2. Defamation

  • a) It is a civil offence of Defamation for any Legal Person to make a false statement of fact about any living individual which is presented to any person other than the person who is affected.
  • b) In order for a civil court to pass the verdict that a Defendant is liable for Defamation, the Plaintiff must prove that the statement made was false and was presented as factual.
  • c) Defamation shall be divided into the following types:
    • i. Libel per quod, which is a printed or electronic statement, whereby the Plaintiff must also prove that they have been damaged by the defamatory statement;
    • ii. Libel per se, which is a printed or electronic statement which is inherently defamatory irrespective of whether or not the Plaintiff can prove that they have been damaged, which shall only occur in any of the following circumstances:
      • 1. The Defendant wrongly alleged that the Plaintiff had committed a crime;
      • 2. The defamatory statement was injurious to the Plaintiff's ability to carry out their profession, business or trade;
      • 3. The Defendant wrongly alleged that the Plaintiff had or has a contagious disease;
      • 4. The Defendant wrongly alleged that the Plaintiff had carried out any kind of sexual act.
    • iii. Slander per quod, which shall be a spoken statement, but otherwise the same as libel per quod;
    • iv. Slander per se, which shall be a spoken statement, but otherwise the same as libel per se.
  • d) The defences against Defamation, which, if proven in a civil court by the Defendant, shall result in the court passing the verdict that the Defendant is not liable for Defamation, are as follows:
    • i. That the statement made was true;
    • ii. That the statement made was entirely of opinion rather than of fact, which shall be the case if it is not possible for a court of law to determine the truthfulness of the statement;
    • iii. That the Defendant had reasonable belief that the statement was true and that it was made in good faith;
    • iv. That the statement made was merely vulgar and was not intended to be taken literally or believed;
    • v. That the Plaintiff consented to the statement being made;
    • vi. That the statement was made only to the Plaintiff and to no other person;
    • vii. That, in cases of libel per quod or slander per quod, the Plaintiff suffered no actual damages, that is to say, that all third parties to whom the statement was made did not believe the statement or did not care about the statement.

3. Marriage

  • a) The marriage between citizens of any sex, sexuality or identity is lawful provided that the marriage:
    • i. Occurs between two individuals;
    • ii. Who are citizens or honorary citizens;
    • iii. Who are over the age of 18;
    • iv. Who consent to being so joined in marriage.
  • b) For such a marriage to be successful, an application must be made to the Ministry of Citizenship and Information with a signature from the Engaged Parties. Upon receiving this application, the Minister of Citizenship and Information (henceforth, ‘the Minister’) will:
    • i. Take reasonable measures to ensure that the individuals being married fulfil the requires set out in the above section a);
    • ii. Once this is completed, will within a reasonable time frame inform the engaged parties that their application has been successful;
    • iii. The Minister will then give the engaged parties the options of either:
      • 1. Serving a Marriage Certificate to confirm that their Union is lawful and recognised, effective upon receipt of the Certificate; or
      • 2. Allowing a Marriage Ceremony where the Marriage Certificate will be presented to the parties in person where the Union will be lawful and recognised upon completion of this ceremony.
    • iv. Once a Marriage Certificate has been successfully served and the Union lawfully recognised, the Marriage shall be entered on to the Imperial Marriage Registry.
    • v. If the measures set out in the above section a) are not met the Minister must reject the application for Marriage and the Engaged Parties must submit a new application for marriage;
    • vi. The Minister may at their discretion reject an application for a Marriage Ceremony on the grounds of;
      • 1. Being logistically unfeasible; and
      • 2. Placing unreasonable burdens on the officiating parties.
  • c) Marriages shall confer upon individuals the right to share in their partners’ landed titles, but shall provide no political nor particular economic benefit.
  • d) There shall be an official Imperial Marriage Registry, the responsibility for the creation and maintenance of which shall fall under the Ministry of Citizenship and Information and the Office of the Emperor, and shall contain:
    • i. Records of all Marriages of citizens and honorary citizens;
    • ii. A copy of the application submitted by Engaging Parties;
    • iii. A copy of each Marriage Certificate.
  • e) For a Marriage Certificate to be lawful, it must:
    • i. Contain the names of the Engaged Parties; and
    • ii. Be signed by the Engaged Parties; and
    • iii. Be signed by the Minister of Citizenship and Information; and
    • iv. May be signed by the Monarch at their discretion.
    • v. Copies of the Marriage Certificate must be made available to the Engaged Parties.
  • f) To be considered lawful, a Marriage Ceremony:
    • i. Must be officiated by either the Minister of Citizenship and Information or the Monarch;
    • ii. Must include the presentation of a printed copy of the Marriage Certificate, where it shall be signed by the Engaged Parties;
    • iii. Must be conducted within the Empire of Adammia’s territory.
  • g) for the purposes of this article, the following terms shall take the meanings of:
    • i. 'Engaged Parties’ shall mean the two individuals who are applying to be married.
    • ii. 'Union’ shall take the same meaning as ‘Marriage’.

4. Land ownership

  • a) For the purposes of this section, “estate” means any distinct singular area of land within the Empire which is registered with the Imperial Land Registry.
  • b) All land (including areas of water) within the provinces of the Empire of Adammia shall be considered to have a macronational and micronational owner.
    • i. The macronational owner of land within the provinces is determined by the legal mechanisms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The macronational owner of any estate of land within the Empire shall enjoy all of the rights conveyed to that estate by macronational authorities.
    • ii. Macronational land ownership makes the owner the highest authority over the land in question.
  • c) Records of all micronational and macronational land ownership are to be kept by the Imperial Land Registry. Micronational land ownership legally belongs to the owner recorded by the Imperial Land Registry.
  • d) In order for micronational land ownership to change, the previous owner and the prospective new owner must both sign a deed which specifies the exact area of land which is being transferred. A copy of this deed must be sent to the Imperial Land Registry, which must update its records immediately upon receiving the said deed, at which point the transfer will become official.
    • i. Land ownership records and deeds which specify an individual citizen as a landowner may also, optionally, specify the noble House to which they belong.
  • e) Areas of land which can have specific micronational owners include single rooms and areas of buildings, regardless of of whether the said areas overlap when viewed from above.
  • f) Entities which can own micronational land are full citizens of the Empire, registered companies, government departments and agencies, the Office of the Emperor, the Office of State, the Ruling Council, local governments, political parties, and sports associations. No other entity may have micronational land ownership anywhere within the provinces.
  • g) The micronational owner of any estate of land within the Empire, except where overruled by their equivalent macronational owner, shall enjoy the following rights over that estate:
    • i. Right of way, the right to traverse, enter and leave the estate at will;
    • ii. The right to store personal property on the estate;
    • iii. The right to erect temporary structures on the estate;
    • iv. The right to conduct any other activities on the estate which do not permanently alter the landscape or any permanent structures on the estate, cause disruption for the owners of other estates, or otherwise contravene the law.
  • h) The micronational owner of any estate may erect permanent structures on that estate or alter its landscape, if and only if they have received the written permission of the local government of the territorial division in which that estate is located. In granting this permission, the local government must ascertain that the proposed development will not contravene macronational land planning laws.
  • i) The micronational owner of any estate may share some or all of the rights associated with the estate with any legal entity, over any part of the estate, for any length of time.
  • j) The micronational owner of any estate who uses their estate in any way which contravenes the above subsection g), except where permitted by subsection h), shall have committed an offence of improper use of land. A court which finds any legal entity guilty of this offence may order that the offender pay a fine of no greater than £30 to His Majesty's Imperial Treasury, as well as damages to other legal entities who have been negatively affected by the offence.
  • k) Any legal entity which carries out any activity on an estate that they do not own micronationally or macronationally, which has not been permitted by the micronational owner in accordance with subsection i), shall have committed an offence of trespassing. A court which finds any legal entity guilty of this offence may order that the offender pay a fine of no greater than £30 to His Majesty's Imperial Treasury, as well as damages to the micronational landowner.
  • l) The micronational owner of any estate may lease all or part of the estate to any legal entity, referred to herein as a leesee, which shall convey some or all of the rights associated with that estate, as well as the right to share some or all of those rights in accordance with section i).
    • i. These rights may only be conferred as such by means of the signing of a lease by both the owner and the leesee, which states the conferred rights and their extent, and which will last for a certain amount of time.
    • ii. The owner is obligated to report all leases that last for more than one year that they have granted from their estate to the Imperial Land Registry within one month of the lease being signed, and any owner who does not comply shall have committed an offence of improper use of land, as in subsection j).
    • iii. In the event that the leesee dies during the term of the lease, the lease will immediately become null and void.
  • m) In the event of the death of the micronational owner of an estate, ownership of the estate shall be transferred:
    • i. Firstly, in the event that the deceased landowner has a will, the estate will be divided amongst named legal entities in accordance with the will, in which case new deeds for the land will be signed by both the new owner(s) and the executor of the will.
    • ii. Secondly, if there is no will, the estate will be granted in whole to the deceased landowner's next-of-kin, in which case the new deed for the land will be signed by the next-of-kin only.
    • iii. Thirdly, if there is no will or next-of-kin, the estate will be granted in whole to His Majesty's Imperial Government, in which case the new deed for the land will be signed by the Minister of Finance only.
  • n) Micronational estates of land may be owned by the Imperial Government, in which case the rights for the land are automatically granted to all government departments and agencies.
  • o) Land where all citizens have been granted right of way shall be referred to as common land.
  • p) Persons who have been declared persona non grata by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall not be granted right of way to any land within the Empire, and if found on Adammic territory shall be immediately arrested and deported to the nearest macronation.
  • q) All land owned micronationally by members of the Imperial Family or the Office of the Emperor is known collectively as the Imperial Estate.
  • r) All land within Territories located within the Country of Adammia shall be denoted by the Imperial Land Registry as having a macronational owner only, as determined by the legal mechanisms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and an entity which administers that land, which must be either a government department, a government agency or the Office of the Emperor.
    • i. The entity administering such land must permit any individual, including those who are not citizens of Adammia, to access that land.
    • ii. Such land which is administered by the Office of the Emperor shall also be part of the Imperial Estate.
  • s) Land ownership laws for Colonies, as well as Territories located beyond the Country of Adammia, may be determined by the governments responsible for those subdivisions freely of this Act of Council.
    • i. Any land granted to any member of the Imperial Family or the Office of the Emperor under such land ownership laws shall also be part of the Imperial Estate.

5. Employment

  • a) All full citizens of the Empire above the age of 8 must keep the National Employment Agency updated with their employment status, both micronational and macronational, and their employer if applicable. This can be: employed by a government body, employed by a company, self-employed, unemployed, student, volunteer or retired.
  • b) Individuals who are micronationally unemployed who either earn more than £10 in a fiscal year by operating in the name of the Empire, or who earn more than £50 in a fiscal year by utilising any of the Empire's resources, must become listed as selfemployed.
  • c) Self-employed individuals who earn more than £10 in a quarter by operating in the name of the Empire or who earn more than £50 in a quarter by utilising any of the Empire's resources are taxed at a rate set by the Ministry of Finance. This rate may be no higher than 20% of their net income. Taxes are paid into the Treasury for each quarter, and must be paid by one month after the end of that quarter.
  • d) Any paid work being carried out in Adammia must be registered with the National Employment Agency. Non-paid work may be optionally registered. Registration of employment may be submitted by either the employee or the employer, and cancelled by either the employee or the employer. Failure to register a paid employment, failure to cancel a registered employment which has terminated, or lying about employment status in any way to the National Employment Agency is a crime punishable by a fine of up to £10 for either the employer or employee, depending on who the Grand Court finds responsible, payable to the Treasury.
  • e) Employment may be carried out for any kind of company, government body or otherwise officially-recognised organisation which exists within the Empire; anything else is not valid.