Sixth Amendment to the Supreme Directive

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Sixth Amendment

to the

Supreme Directive of the Empire of Adammia

In accordance with Article II, Section 2 of the Supreme Directive, entrenched as the fundamental law of the Empire of Adammia since the 30th of June 2013, the changes to the Supreme Directive outlined in this Amendment shall take effect upon the Supreme Directive if this Amendment gains the support of at least 50% of the voters in a fair public referendum open to all full citizens of the Empire of Adammia.

Explanatory notes

This amendment seeks to:

  • Create a new lower house of Parliament, known as the House of Citizens, which is elected by party-list proportional representation using a modified D'Hondt method, and which will meet online.
  • Preserve the Ruling Council in its current form as the upper house of Parliament, but abolish the defunct role of Delegate of Abroad Citizens.
  • Replace the old local provincial governments with direct democracy, in the form of local councils which include every resident of a province.
  • Improve and clarify the Imperial succession law.
  • Make the Imperial Government fully accountable to Parliament by making the means of appointment of the Prime Minister being whoever has the confidence of the House of Citizens; instead of directly electing the Prime Minister in a National Election, the people will elect members of the House of Citizens in a general election, who will in turn select the *Prime Minister.
  • Make general clarifications and improvements throughout the document.


  • 1. In Article II Section 2, delete all after “Article VI Section 4 of this Supreme Directive”, and replace with, “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.”
  • 2. Insert Article II Section 3: “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.”
  • 3. Replace all references to “Acts of Council” with “Acts of Parliament”.
  • 4. At the end of Article VII Section 1 Subsection a), add, “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.”
  • 5. Replace Article VII Section 2 with: “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.”
  • 6. Rename Article VII Section 3 to “Executive Powers of the Monarch”.
  • 7. Replace Article VII Section 3 Subsection d) with: “ 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.”
  • 8. Replace Article VII Section 5 with: “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 great-uncles 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.”
  • 9. Replace Article VIII with: “Article VIII – The Imperial Parliament
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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) 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.”
  • 10. Insert Article IX and renumber the following articles accordingly: “Article IX – Office of State
    • 1. The Office of State is a political entity responsible for ensuring that democracy and the Supreme Directive are upheld properly.
    • 2. It is the responsibility of the Office of State to:
      • a) Organise all elections and referendums. The Office of State must ensure that all votes in elections and referendums are kept anonymous.
      • b) Keep records of all Ruling Council meetings, House of Citizens meetings, and of all the legislation passed by the state.
      • c) Maintain the Monarchy and the Line of Succession. It should keep the Line of Succession fully updated.
    • 3. The head of the Office of State is the Lord/Lady Chancellor of the State of Adammia.
    • 4. The Chancellor is chosen out of the members of the Ruling Council by the Monarch. The Council must then vote to approve the Chancellor.
    • 5. 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.”
  • 11. Replace Article X with: “Article X – Imperial Government
    • 1. The Imperial Government is the executive of the Empire of Adammia.
    • 2. 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.
    • 3. 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.
    • 4. The Imperial Government is led by the Prime Minister, who is the Empire's Head of Government.
    • 5. The Prime Minister must be a member of the House of Citizens.
    • 6. 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.
    • 7. 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.
    • 8. 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.
    • 9. 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.”
  • 12. Replace Article XI with “Article XI – Local Government
    • 1. 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.
    • 2. 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.
    • 3. 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.”
  • 13. In Article XIII, insert Section 12: “Every citizen has the right to, where they are eligible under this Supreme Directive, vote, to stand as candidates, to register political parties and to maintain membership of political parties, and in general terms to participate freely in the political process of the Empire.”

Referendum held 27th April 2019
Turnout: 27 of 47 eligible voters (57.5%)
FOR: 22 (81.5%)
AGAINST: 4 (14.8%)
and hence proclaimed.

Signed,

His Imperial Majesty Adam the First, Emperor of Adammia, Duke of Deira, Earl of Carew, Count of Penmine and Spildcastle, Founder of Adammia, Lord Chancellor of the State of Adammia, Grand Marshal, Field Marshal, Grand Admiral, Air Chief Marshal, Sovereign of the Order of Adammia and of the Order of the Meerkat, Imperial Knight of the Austenasian Order, Knight of the Ordo Fidelium, Member of the Most Excellent Order of the Wildebeest ---
ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE:

Adamus Primus Imperator

1st July 2019 00:12

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