Regional Legislature

This topic is dedicated to the discussion of a regional legislative body.

Before we begin on this, I would like everyone to look in the Secretary of Recruitment topic and read the plan I proposed recently. If the IWU votes to join the defense organization, that plan will be a critical component. So, please, read over it and post your thoughts, and we'll hold a vote on it if necessary.

Now, moving on to this topic..

We first need to decide if we want a regional legislature or not. So, before any discussion, let's vote Yes or No for a legislature.

I vote Yes. One is necessary to a truly functional government.

Yes, but my good ol' direct democracy spirit makes me want to post some choice words about how we're going to do it later on.

Yes.

Since nobody else has voted, we'll agree that we do indeed need a legislature.

Here's my quick agenda on what we'll need to cover:
--The name of the legislature
--Number of members of the legislature
--Authorities of the legislature (its jobs)
--Vote percentages for each authority
--Election systems (how we would carry out elections)
--Term length of the legislature

I would ordinarily suggest that we do them one by one; however, it is clear that this discussion needs to finish its job soon. As a result, each of us can simply post an answer to each of the components of the agenda; then we can debate them together as needed.

1. Let's call it the Regional Convocation. 
2. I suggest a 5:1 citizen-to-congressperson ratio.
3. A chairperson to collect the votes, and a speaker of the convocation.
4. Each vote is worth one.
5. Every five months, a referendum is held. Each nation nominates another one (not themselves) to become a member. If the number of nominees doesn't meet the ratio, then the Consuls will appoint the rest. 
6. Five months. If they commit treason in some manner, then they are booted out, and the Consuls will appoint a replacement.

Name: I like the IWURC, but we should change the meaning of it. Instead of the IWU Regional Council, I think it should be the IWU Regional Convention.

Number of members: I think the original 13% rounded to the nearest odd number was wise.

Authorities: The IWURC should be able to pass new laws, amend the new constitution when we have one, and override a veto by the Consuls. Other duties can be added if necessary.

Vote Percentages: I suggest 65% for passing a new law, 75% to amend the constitution, and 85% to override a veto.

Election system: For the election, there will be a one-week nomination period and a 3-day voting period. For nominations, any nation may nominate three others at maximum. If a nominee accepts their nomination on the RMB, he/she will become a candidate. If too few candidates have been acquired by the fourth day of the nomination week, nations will be allowed to volunteer for candidacy. If too few candidates are acquired by the end of the week, the members of the previous IWURC will automatically become candidates. During the voting period, everyone will vote for the candidates they do NOT want to be elected (because we won't have many over the number we need; it will be much quicker to choose the bad ones than select all the good ones).  However many more candidates there are more than the number of seats in the IWURC, each person will select that many candidates to vote out (for example, if we need 13 and there are 15 candidates, I would vote for the 2 candidates I want the least). Once elections are completed, the Consuls will select the chairman of the IWURC. The chairman will be the vote collector for the IWURC, and will be permitted to vote himself/herself.

Term Length: I suggest 4 months.

Shoot, I misread almost everything.
Here's the modified version:
1. Let's call it the Regional Convocation. 
2. I suggest a 5:1 citizen-to-congressperson ratio.
3. Everything in GROSS's one.
4. 50% for everything.
5. Every five months, a referendum is held. Each nation nominates another one (not themselves) to become a member. If the number of nominees doesn't meet the ratio, then the Consuls will appoint the rest. 
6. Five months. If they commit treason in some manner, then they are booted out, and the Consuls will appoint a replacement.

I like everything about GROSS's plan, but I suggest a classier name. How about League of Representatives?

I agree with Solaray. The League of Representatives sounds pretty good.

"League" is an unusual name for a Congress, but I can agree with it.

If there is anything further we need to discuss, please post it. Also, PLEASE post thoughts on my last post in the Secretary of Recruitment topic in the discussion. It's important. We'll provide 1 day (24 hours) for anyone to post additional government ideas in the topic labeled "Additional Government Ideas." If nothing is added, we'll consider the new government plan completed.

My only concern is the number of representatives: How many of our nations are puppets?
One representative for every five WA nations seems a better figure.
It is not necessarily to ensure only WA nations have representation, merely to keep the numbers down. If we have twenty elected representatives - that's pretty much everyone who is active at the moment.

Are these representatives to be able to hold any other positions?

@Pharthan: I agree with you here. At any time, the vast majority of the population is largely inactive, so this plan may be better. I support it entirely.

In regards to your question about the representatives ability to hold other offices, I would say that would probably not work. Members of the U.S. Congress cannot be both a congressman and a supreme court judge, for example, because that would be a conflict of interest. Same thing would apply here.

@Pharthan: Well, technically, we finished the discussion. But...

13% would only require us to muster 13 people as of now. Surely we have enough real nations to meet that. This region isn't so puppet-riddled it can't handle a regional legislature. Our WA count is only just above 30 right now; giving one representative for every 5 WA members would leave us with 6 representatives. That isn't a legislature, it's an executive council. It's only one more person than the Consuls--barely different. A legislature is designed to be close to truly democratic--a tiny council wouldn't achieve that.

Also, please go and join in the interregional government discussion--if nobody contributes, I'll be making the entire IWU plan myself.