Constitution of the Kingdom of Æfira

1.  The Kingdom of Æfira shall be a sovereign parliamentary monarchy.

2.  The Sovereign shall be the head of state and the embodiment of the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Æfira and shall combine in his person the source of the legislative, judicial and governmental power of the Kingdom. The Sovereign shall be elected by the people of the Kingdom of Æfira and shall serve for life.

3.  It shall be the duty of the Sovereign to uphold this Constitution and the laws of the Kingdom, to defend the Kingdom and the people, to guard and preserve the rights of the people, and to keep the King’s peace.

4.  The principles of parliamentary supremacy, constitutional monarchy, representative democracy and the rule of law shall be fundamental and inviolable.

5.  The Sovereign shall be responsible for the execution and maintenance of the laws of the Kingdom. He shall be advised and aided in this duty by His Majesty’s Privy Council and by such ministers and officers as he shall think fit to appoint. The members of His Majesty’s Privy Counsel and the ministers and officers aforementioned shall hold office during the pleasure of the Sovereign.

6.  The Sovereign shall have the power to promulgate, by and with the advice of His Majesty’s Privy Council, Orders-in-Council for the carrying out of his governmental duties.

7.  The Sovereign shall have the power to indict and prosecute any person for any criminal offense.

8.  The Sovereign shall have the command in chief of the naval and military forces of the Kingdom. The naval and military forces shall only be used for the defense of the Kingdom and the people, or at the request of the Parliament.

9.  The Sovereign may delegate to any person, officer or body such of his powers and functions as he shall think fit, but such delegation shall not restrict the exercise by the Sovereign of any power or function.

1.  The legislative power of the Kingdom of Æfira shall be vested in the Parliament of the said Kingdom, which shall consist of the Sovereign, a House of Lords and a House of Commons. The Parliament shall have the power to enact any legislation on any matter, subject only to such restrictions as are laid out in this Constitution.

2.  A Bill approved by each House of the Parliament and to which the Sovereign has granted his Royal Assent shall be an Act of Parliament, and shall be of full legal force and effect from the date of the granting of the Royal Assent.

3.  A Bill approved by each House of the Parliament, by unanimous consent of all the members of each House excepting those present and declining to vote, shall be an Act of Parliament, although it shall not have received the Sovereign’s Royal Assent, and shall be of full legal force and effect from the date of its approval in the second House.

4.  The Sovereign shall have the power to summon, convoke, prorogue and dissolve the Parliament as he shall think fit, but the Parliament shall not remain prorogued or dissolved for a period of more than one year.

5.  All Princes and Peers of the Realm, and the Lord High Chancellor of Æfira, shall be members of the House of Lords.

6.  The Lord High Chancellor of Æfira shall be the Lord Speaker of the House of Lords, and in his absence the members shall select from among their number a Lord Speaker.

7.  Questions arising in the House of Lords shall be determined by a majority of votes, and each member, including the Lord Speaker, shall have one vote.

8.  The House of Commons shall be composed of members elected by the citizens of the Kingdom of Æfira, being neither the Sovereign nor members of the House of Lords, by means of the single transferable vote system.

9.  The members of the House of Commons shall select from among their number a Speaker, and in his absence the members shall select from among their number a Deputy Speaker.

10.  Questions arising in the House of Commons shall be determined by a majority of votes, and each member, including the Speaker or Deputy Speaker, shall have one vote.

11.  No person who is not a citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira, or who has been convicted of a criminal offense and is under sentence, or subject to be sentenced, or who holds office as a judge or justice, shall be a member of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Æfira.

12.  Any question regarding the qualification of a member of either House of the Parliament shall be determined by the House in which the question arises.

13.  Each House of the Parliament shall make rules and orders to govern its proceedings, and select such officers as it shall deem necessary.

14.  The House of Commons shall have the power to impeach and prosecute any person for any criminal offense. Any person so impeached shall stand trial in the House of Lords.

15.  The Parliament may delegate to any person, officer or body such legislative powers as it shall think fit, but such delegation shall not restrict the exercise by the Parliament of any legislative power.

1.  The judicial power of the Kingdom of Æfira shall be vested in a High Court of Justice, and in such other courts as the Parliament may create. The High Court of Justice shall consist of a Lord Chief Justice and not fewer than two other Lords Justices.

2.  Judges and justices shall be appointed by the Sovereign, and shall be removed from office by the Sovereign on the request either of the Parliament or of the judge or justice concerned.

3.  The High Court of Justice shall have original jurisdiction in all matters in which the Sovereign is a party, other than in the role of criminal prosecutor; in all matters arising under any treaty; in all matters affecting representatives of foreign nations; in all matters in which a writ of mandamus or prohibition or quo warranto is sought; and in all other matters in which the Parliament shall confer original jurisdiction upon the High Court.

4.  The High Court of Justice shall have jurisdiction to hear and judge appeals from all judgments, orders and sentences of any other court of law, and the judgment of the High Court in all such cases shall be final and conclusive.

5.  The High Court of Justice shall have jurisdiction to determine whether any Act of Parliament is consistent with this Constitution, and the judgment of the High Court in all such cases shall be final and conclusive.

1.  No tax, impost, duty or excise shall be levied, nor shall money be drawn from His Majesty’s Treasury, except in accordance with an Act of Parliament.

2.  Every law enacted prior to the adoption of this Constitution shall continue to be of full legal force and effect, except insofar as it is inconsistent with this Constitution.

3.  Every person holding public office prior to the adoption of this Constitution shall continue in that office, unless such continuance would be inconsistent with this Constitution.

4.  The members of the Parliament and of His Majesty’s Privy Council, and the ministers, officers, judges and justices appointed by the Sovereign, shall, upon their entry into office, swear or affirm their allegiance to the Sovereign.

5.  The territorial extent and jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Æfira, and the boundaries thereof, shall not be altered except in accordance with an Act of Parliament, and no territory shall be incorporated into the Kingdom without the consent of a majority of the residents thereof.

6.  Unless and until the Parliament shall direct otherwise, the seat of the Parliament and government shall be the City of Riverdale.

7.  No amendment to this Constitution, or to the Act of Parliament which brought it into force, nor any Act of Parliament which is inconsistent with this Constitution, shall be enacted, except with the approval of two thirds of the members of each House of the Parliament excepting those present and declining to vote and with the Royal Assent, or with the approval of all the members of each House excepting those present and declining to vote but without the Royal Assent.

8.  This Constitution, and the Acts of Parliament made in accordance with the Constitution, shall be binding on the people, courts and judges of the Kingdom of Æfira.

1.  Every citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira is entitled to certain fundamental rights, regardless of gender, race, age, national or ethnic origin, economic or social status, occupation, religion, belief or opinion, language, mental or physical disability, or any other distinction. No citizen shall be restricted in the exercise of his or her fundamental rights, except insofar as such restriction is necessary to secure the fundamental rights of others, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws.

2.  Every citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

3.  Every citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira has the right to participate in the governance of the Kingdom, either directly or through his or her elected representatives.

4.  Every citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief. The Parliament shall make no law preferring or establishing any religion.

5.  Every citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira has the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

6.  Every citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira has the right to assemble peaceably and to petition for a redress of grievances.

7.  Every citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira has the right to freedom of association.

8.  Every citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira has the right to own property.

9.  Every citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira has the right to enter, remain in and leave the Kingdom, to move freely throughout the Kingdom, and to live and work anywhere in the Kingdom.

10.  Every citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira has the right to be secure in his or her person and property against unreasonable search or seizure.

11.  No citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira shall be deprived of life or liberty or property, nor denied the right to participate in the governance of the Kingdom, without due process of law.

12.  No citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira shall be arbitrarily arrested or detained, nor subjected to death or torture or cruel or degrading treatment, nor held in slavery or involuntary servitude.

13.  No citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira shall be compelled to render military service, whether in time of war or of peace.

14.  Every citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira arrested or detained has the right to be informed promptly of the reasons therefor, and to have the benefit of the writ of habeas corpus.

15.  Every citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira charged with a criminal offense has the right to a fair and public trial by an independent and impartial jury, to be informed of the nature of the accusation, and to be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law.

16.  No citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira shall be twice put in jeopardy for the same offense, nor be compelled to testify against him- or herself, nor be found guilty on account of any act or omission which did not, at the time of its commission, constitute a criminal offense, nor be subjected on account of any act or omission to a heavier penalty than was applicable at the time of its commission.

17.  Every citizen of the Kingdom of Æfira whose rights are infringed or violated has the right to apply to a court of law to obtain remedy for such infringement or violation.