This is it. The rebirth of The Byzantine Empire!

[Vanessa]

The Charter of the Byzantine Empire

Section I: Government

Sub-Section A: Structure

The government of the Byzantine Empire is divided into two sections: the Council and the Ministry.

Article 1: The Council

The Council is composed of three members. The Council deals with all matters within the alliance, including (but not limited to): war, diplomacy, finances, laws, treaties, and proposals. The Council will work closely with the Ministry in all major decisions. These positions will be held permanently unless a 4/5 majority to remove a Council member is reached by both the public and the Ministry (in separate votes). A Councilor can only be removed with just cause, which must be presented in a movement by any member to the Council. In the event of the removal of a Councilor, immediate elections will be held to determine a replacement. Any member (including those already holding a title) can run for this position. No member of the Council can assume dictatorial powers at any time, and cannot act or issue direct orders without a 2/3 majority within the Council as well as the majority approval of the Ministry. A Councilor can act alone only in a state of emergency or in the prolonged absence of the other Councilors. Should this clause be abused, a movement can and will be made to remove the Councilor.

Article 2: The Ministry

The Ministry is composed of three members. This body is to be elected by the general public. The Ministry has the ability to propose and pass laws. The Ministry deals with all major matters within the alliance, and will work closely with the Council in the aforementioned situations. A member of the Ministry may be removed at any time if a 2/3 majority is reached by the Council or all other members of the Ministry vote for a member’s removal. No Minister can act or issue direct orders alone at any time, and must present ideas to both the Council and the Ministry for approval in order to prevent rash or irrational actions.

Sub-Section B: Ministry Positions

Each elected minister will be responsible for handling one aspect of the Empire. All ministers will work closely with the Council and the other ministers, but in no circumstance is one minister to take over the job of another.

Foreign Minister: will be responsible for overseeing Byzantine affairs with the rest of the cyberverse, including appointing and managing diplomats to other alliances.

Domestic Minister: Will be responsible for maintaining the internal affairs of the Empire, including recruiting, trade circles, the alliance bank, and Empire management.

Defense Minister: Will be responsible for coordinating the military of the Empire, and will manage all war affairs, including Declarations of War, reparations, and rogues.

Sub-Section C: Appointed Positions

Additional positions will be available in the Empire for members who wish to take an active role in the alliance. Any member may apply for any position at any time, and the application will be considered through the joint efforts of the Council and the Ministry. The Domestic Minister will be responsible for maintaining a list of members which each position.

Diplomat: Will act as a Byzantine Empire representative to an alliance specified at the time of his or her appointment. A member may be a diplomat to more than one alliance at a time.

Recruiter: Will send messages to unaligned nations to inform them of the Byzantine Empire and invite them to join.

Tech Dealer: Will be added to a list to be maintained by the Domestic Minister, and will be called upon when available to sell tech or middleman tech deals between members.

Sub-Section D: Elections

The Byzantine Empire is a republic, in which officials are elected by the majority rule of the general public. Ministry elections are to be held every other month. Any member may run for a position during the specified election period. A member of the Council or Ministry may also hold an appointed position as diplomat, recruiter, or tech dealer.

Sub-Section E: Proposals

Any member may make a proposal to the alliance at any time. These proposals can range from program ideas to treaties. To make a proposal, the member must post a detailed description of the program, as well as how and why it should be implemented. The bill will then be brought before the Ministry. Should a 2/3 majority in favor of the bill be reached, the bill will go to the Council. If a 2/3 majority in favor of the bill is reached in the Council, the bill will pass. Should a majority not be reached in the Ministry, the bill can still pass with a 3/3 majority of the Council or a 2/3 majority of the Council and a 2/3 majority of the public vote. Should a majority be reached in the Ministry but not in the Council, the bill can still pass with a 3/3 majority of the Ministry and a 4/5 majority of the public. Should a bill need to go to public vote (in the event a majority is not reached in both the Council and the Ministry), government members cannot vote, leaving the decision to the general public alone. Voting will take place as quickly and efficiently, and the Ministry and Council will vote at the same time if possible.

Section II: Military

Sub-Section A: Organization

All members of the Byzantine Empire are drafted into the military upon entry. Squadrons are formed based on nation strength, with a new squadron every 1,000. In times of war or potential war, a temporary commander of each squadron will be appointed by the Council and Defense Minister. Members will change squadrons varying on strength, and will immediately be assigned to a squadron upon induction. Members will be notified of their squadron change by the Defense Minister or other official upon reaching the appropriate strength level.

Sub-Section B: Declaration of War

A Declaration of War upon an alliance must be approved by a majority vote in both the Council and the Ministry. A movement for a Declaration of War on one nation must be presented by a member to the Ministry and Council for approval. A member will lose the support of the Byzantine Empire in the event of unauthorized Declarations of War (including tech raiding). Therefore, all reparations and war matters will be made without the assistance and affiliation of the Byzantine Empire. Otherwise, the Byzantine Empire seeks to be a peaceful alliance, and therefore all efforts at diplomacy will be made before a Declaration of War is given on an alliance.

Sub-Section C: Rogues

Any member who attacks an aligned member without an authorized Declaration of War will be classified as a rogue. The Byzantine Empire will not tolerate rogues, and will allow the attacked alliance to deal with the rogue. This includes reparation payments and ZI. All efforts must be made to prevent any member from going rogue. In the event a rogue nation attacks a member of the Byzantine Empire, the Ministry or Council must be notified. A diplomat will promptly be sent to the attacking alliance by the Ministry or Council to resolve the situation as peacefully as possible. Any diplomat from another alliance to the Byzantine Empire will be given a secure conference room in the forums, with which he or she can speak with authorized personnel (the Council, the Ministry, the attacking nation, and any other bodies).

Section III: Membership

Sub-Section A: Induction

All members of the Byzantine Empire will list “The Byzantine Empire†under their alliance affiliation, and therefore can be a member of one alliance at a time. Any nation may apply to membership to the Byzantine Empire by giving the following information on the forums:

Nation name:

Nation ruler:

Team:

Resources:

Previous Alliances:

Recruiter/how you found us:

Sub-Section B: Ejection

A member can be ejected with a majority decision by the Council and the Ministry. Reasons for ejection include: going rogue, failure to abide by this charter, etc. All ejected members will be banned from the forums after receiving an explanation for their ban, and forced to change their alliance affiliation. Failure to comply will result in ZI.

The tl;dr Charter of the Byzantine Empire

3 appointed Councilors, 3 elected Ministers

Ministry elections held every other month, anyone can run

Apply for an official position if you want to become more active

Any member can make a proposition, which will be brought before the Ministry and Council for voting

You are in a military group according to strength, in groups of 1,000

If you declare war on someone without asking, you won't get any help

Apply for membership and you will be masked

If you need anything, ask a Councilor, Minister, or appropriate Official

The Golden Rule of the BE: Don' be an asshat.

Abide by this rule and you shouldn't have any problems

This is it folks. We're back. And we're better then ever.

You can find our beautiful new boards here.

Edited October 21, 2007 by Vanessa

[Da Emperor]

We're back in business

ps:The dead are walking, fear us

[Maxen von Bismarck]

Drinks for all, all on the house.

[Vanessa]

Spread the word, TBE is baaaack.

[Acromega]

Great news!