Sarzonia
17-05-2005, 16:59
President Mike Sarzo realised when he agreed to accept the office of Duke of Portshire as conferred by the now-former regent of the Grand Duchy of Hamptonshire, Reginald Leopold I, that his new Ducal title would require him to spend much more time in Hamptonshire and away from the day-to-day operations in Woodstock, the Sarzonian Capital. He also knew that, even though he gave Senior Vice President for Internal Affairs Nicole Lewis tremendous leeway, she would constitutionally be handcuffed by limitations to her authority.
He trusted Nicole to run the country as well has he could, although she occasionally let her temper get the best of her at times when Sarzo could remain diplomatic. He also knew that most of the arrangements that were the result of handshake deals made with Parliament and the Supreme Judicial Court didn't have the force of Constitutional law and that future administrations would be handcuffed unless the powers of the office were defined more explicitly.
With Parliament in recess, Sarzo and Lewis discussed adding a new Article to the Constitution that would grant Lewis increased authority to act in Sarzo's stead in his increasingly frequent absences from the country. While it would represent a sea change from a Constitutional point of view, in reality the new Article would do little more than codify what had been going on all along. The other thing the Article would do is also establish Lewis's position with a new, more powerful title: Lieutenant President.
Article XIX
Section I
Effective at the beginning of the fiscal year following the Ratification of this Article, the office of Senior Vice President for Internal Affairs shall henceforth be known as the office of Lieutenant President.
Section II
The Lieutenant President shall serve as Presiding Officer of the Cabinet during official Absences by the President and during non-urgent Situations, as defined by Parliament in acts approved as a result of the Ratification of this Article. Unless otherwise specified by the President, the Lieutenant President shall have the full Authority to sign Legislation, represent the office of the President, or perform other actions except for declarations of War. The Lieutenant President shall serve as acting Head of State during such times following the Death, Removal From Office, or Resignation of the President.
Section III
This Article shall become Inoperative within seven Years should it not be Ratified by the People by Majority Vote.
On a standard ballot form, the options are as follows:
1. I Approve this amendment in full.
2. I Oppose this amendment in full.
3. I Approve the title change ONLY.
4. I Oppose the title change ONLY.
He trusted Nicole to run the country as well has he could, although she occasionally let her temper get the best of her at times when Sarzo could remain diplomatic. He also knew that most of the arrangements that were the result of handshake deals made with Parliament and the Supreme Judicial Court didn't have the force of Constitutional law and that future administrations would be handcuffed unless the powers of the office were defined more explicitly.
With Parliament in recess, Sarzo and Lewis discussed adding a new Article to the Constitution that would grant Lewis increased authority to act in Sarzo's stead in his increasingly frequent absences from the country. While it would represent a sea change from a Constitutional point of view, in reality the new Article would do little more than codify what had been going on all along. The other thing the Article would do is also establish Lewis's position with a new, more powerful title: Lieutenant President.
Article XIX
Section I
Effective at the beginning of the fiscal year following the Ratification of this Article, the office of Senior Vice President for Internal Affairs shall henceforth be known as the office of Lieutenant President.
Section II
The Lieutenant President shall serve as Presiding Officer of the Cabinet during official Absences by the President and during non-urgent Situations, as defined by Parliament in acts approved as a result of the Ratification of this Article. Unless otherwise specified by the President, the Lieutenant President shall have the full Authority to sign Legislation, represent the office of the President, or perform other actions except for declarations of War. The Lieutenant President shall serve as acting Head of State during such times following the Death, Removal From Office, or Resignation of the President.
Section III
This Article shall become Inoperative within seven Years should it not be Ratified by the People by Majority Vote.
On a standard ballot form, the options are as follows:
1. I Approve this amendment in full.
2. I Oppose this amendment in full.
3. I Approve the title change ONLY.
4. I Oppose the title change ONLY.