Edge of Europe - A Belgian Interactive AAR

[Harpsichord]

Taking into account Savarin's recommendation, I have revised the number of Deputies to 250. I wish my original proposal to be stricken from the books, and this placed in its stead.

Spoiler

Chapter # – Parliamentary Selection

Deputy Selection

Article 1
Belgium shall be divided into the electoral regions of Flanders, Wallonia and Picardie.

Article 2
The number of constituencies for each region shall be determined proportionally by population and constituencies shall encompass roughly the same population as each other. Constituencies shall be reapportioned in a manner prescribed by law every ten years after a census has been taken.

Article 3
A special census shall be held in 1920 to determine the initial apportionment of The Chamber of Deputies, and a census shall be held every ten years thereafter.

Article 4
Deputies are popularly elected by all Belgian citizens with the age of 21 years or higher upon the day of election in each constituency. Voting results are calculated using the D'Hondt method.

Article 5
Elections for the Chamber of Deputies shall occur five years after the most recent one.

Senatorial Selection

Article 6
The Senate shall be elected by the regional assemblies (the form of which shall be outlined in law).

Article 7
Each regional assembly shall elect ten senators to represent them and their region; voting shall be carried out using British Proportional Representation ((STV)).

Article 8
Elections for the Senate shall occur seven years after the most recent one.

Chapter ## - The Chamber of Deputies

Article 1
The Chamber of Deputies consists of 250 members.

Article 2
Deputies must be Belgian citizens at least 25 years of age and may not hold a judicial or military position. Deputies may not hold any other legislative position.

Article 3
New deputies may be rejected on the grounds of having a criminal record. Judgements concerning whether or not a deputy should be rejected or not must be proportionate.

Article 4
Sitting members may be removed upon being convicted for a felony. However, judgements must be done in the same spirit as the one given in above in Article 3, Sentence 2.

Article 5
Any Deputy found senile or insane by a court appointed doctor shall be removed from his position as Deputy

Article 6
Any Deputy removed from his position on the grounds of senility or insanity is barred from attempting to attain a political, civil or otherwise public position in Belgium.

Article 7
Deputies are entitled to speak freely within the Chamber and may not be prosecuted for any words uttered therein. However, deputies must remain respectful and courteous. This protection also extends to acts committed while travelling to and from the Chamber as well as statements in official documents.

Article 8
Citizens of Belgium that are not deputies may address the Chamber of Deputies pending a simple majority vote.

Article 9
Regardless of what is stated in article 7 above, senior members of the Government may freely address the Chamber of Deputies.

Article 10
All debate must be translated and recorded in all official languages.

Article 11
The Chamber of Deputies may present a motion of no confidence against the Government. Should it pass, the Government shall be dissolved and a new election started.

Chapter ### - The Senate

Article 1
For the Senate, articles 2-7 as well as article 10 of chapter X shall be applied as if they concerned it. However, in the case of article 2 in chapter 7 the age limit shall be 30 years.

Article 2
The Senate consists of the number of members as outlined in Chapter #, Article 7.

 

[Jack LEagle]

Two days ago, we, as a convention, decided that Belgium should be a unitary Republic. So where do these regional assemblies come from? Seems to me that Belgium (including the area once referred to as Picardie) should be divided into 200 (or 240 or 250, the exact number doesn't matter to me) constituencies of roughly equal population and geographical compactness, to become the Chamber of Deputies. If we must have a Senate, draw larger but fewer constituencies, and directly elect the Senators.

Pieter Hendrickx

 

[Harpsichord]

Two days ago, we, as a convention, decided that Belgium should be a unitary Republic. So where do these regional assemblies come from? Seems to me that Belgium (including the area once referred to as Picardie) should be divided into 200 (or 240 or 250, the exact number doesn't matter to me) constituencies of roughly equal population and geographical compactness, to become the Chamber of Deputies. If we must have a Senate, draw larger but fewer constituencies, and directly elect the Senators.

Pieter Hendrickx

I did not realise that a unitary republic could only have one level of government.

 

[Scrapknight]

I did not realise that a unitary republic could only have one level of government.

Indeed, the previous government was a unitary state but still had regional levels of governance. Even before the establishment of the Assemblies, there were organs of local governance that we installed. Belgium is not a federal state because it has regional governments than France is a federal state because it has its Departments.

 

[LatinKaiser]

I did not realise that a unitary republic could only have one level of government.

Well, tyranny is always somewhat unexpected.

 

[Dyranum]

((Hey, is it possible to enlarge the franchise to universal proportional suffrage? I really want to amend Harp's proposal to remove the D'Hondt Method...))

 

[Harpsichord]

((Hey, is it possible to enlarge the franchise to universal proportional suffrage? I really want to amend Harp's proposal to remove the D'Hondt Method...))

((So straight up PR? I'm happy to if it's a popular opinion.))

 

[99KingHigh]

The Conservatives, having been delayed by illness of leadership and spring-time holidays, storm the Convention and prepare to propose their own sequence of proposals.

 

[Jako473]

I hereby propose the following amendment to the following articles of the d'Ursel Plan.

I accept such changes and provisions to the D'Ursel Plan. I am glad to see we have come to an agreement, however, in Article 13 of the Head of State chapter, you falsely mentioned Monarch instead of President. I would ask that you amend this.

 

[Maxwell500]

I present my own amended version of the d'Ursel Plan,

Section #: The President of the Republic and the National Ministry

Article 1.

The President of the Republic shall be elected by the whole Belgian people.

Every Belgian who has completed his thirty-fifth year is eligible. Detailed regulations shall be prescribed by a national law.

Article 2.

The President of the Republic shall take the following oath on assuming office:

I swear that I will devote my energy to the good of the Belgian people, that I will advance the people's interests, will protect the people from injury, will maintain the constitution and the laws, will fulfill my duties conscientiously, and will exercise justice toward all.

The addition of a religious oath is permissible.

Article 3.

The term of office of the President shall be five years. Reelection is permissible.

Before the expiration of his/her term the President of the Republic may be removed from office by popular vote on resolution of the Parliament. The resolution of the Parliament requires a two-thirds majority vote. By such resolution the President is suspended from further exercise of his/her functions. If the popular vote fails to remove the President such vote shall be regarded as a new election of the President and dissolution of the Parliament shall follow.

The President of the Republic may not be subjected to criminal prosecution without the consent of the Parliament.

Article 4.

The President of the Republic may not at the same time be a member of the Parliament.

Article 5.

The President of the Republic represents the Republic in international relations. In the name of the Republic he/she makes alliances and other treaties with foreign powers. He/she accredits and receives diplomatic representatives.

Declaration of war and conclusion of peace shall be made by national law.

Alliances and treaties with foreign states which relate to subjects of national legislation require the consent of the Parliament.

Article 6.

The President of the Republic shall appoint and remove national officials and military officers of the Republic, except as otherwise provided by law. He/she may permit other authorities to exercise the powers of appointment and removal.

Article 7.

The President of the Republic shall have supreme command over the entire military forces of the Republic.

Article 8.

If a region fails to carry out the duties imposed upon it by the national constitution or national laws, the President of the Republic may compel performance with the aid of armed force.

If public safety and order be seriously disturbed or threatened within the Republic of Belgium, the President of the Republic may take the necessary measures to restore public safety and order; if necessary, with the aid of armed force. For this purpose he/she may temporarily suspend in whole or in part the fundamental rights.

The President of the Republic must immediately communicate to the Parliament all measures taken by virtue of Paragraph 1 or Paragraph 2 of this Article. On demand of the Parliament these measures must be abrogated.

If there be danger in delay, the regional ministry may, for its own territory, take such temporary measures as are indicated in Paragraph 2. On demand by the President of the Republic or by the Parliament such measures shall be abrogated.

Detailed regulations shall be prescribed by a national law.

Article 9.

The President of the Republic shall exercise the pardoning power for the Republic. For national amnesties a national law is necessary.

Article 10.

All orders and decrees of the President of the Republic, including those concerning the armed force, require for their validity the counter-signature of the Prime Minister or of the competent national minister. Responsibility is accepted by the act of counter-signature.

Article 11.

In case of disability the President of the Republic shall be represented first of all by the Prime Minister. If the disability will presumably continue for a longer time, the matter of a substitute shall be determined by national law.

In case of a premature vacancy in the presidency, the same course shall be followed until a new election has been held.

Article 12.

The National Ministry shall consist of the Prime Minister and the national ministers.

Article 13.

The Prime Minister and, upon his/her recommendation, the national ministers shall be appointed and removed by the President of the Republic.

Article 14.

The Prime Minister and national ministers must have the confidence of the Parliament for the exercise of their offices. Any one of them must resign if the Parliament withdraws its confidence by express resolution.

Article 15.

The Prime Minister shall preside over the National Ministry, and shall conduct its business according to rules of procedure which shall be determined by the National Ministry and approved by the President of the Republic.

Article 16.

The Prime Minister shall lay down the general course of policy and shall be responsible therefor to the Parliament. In accordance with this general policy each national minister shall independently conduct the branch of administration intrusted to him, and shall be under personal responsibility to the Parliament.

Article 17.

National ministers shall submit to the National Ministry for consideration and decision all legislative proposals and all matters for which the constitution or the laws require such submission, as well as differences of opinion on questions which concern the sphere of action of more than one national minister.

Article 18.

The National Ministry shall reach its decisions by majority vote. In case of a tie the vote of the presiding officer shall decide.

Article 19.

The Parliament shall have power to bring before the Constitutional Court impeachment proceedings against the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, and the national ministers, for a wrongful violation of the constitution or a national law. The bill of impeachment must be signed by at least eighty members of the Parliament and requires the approval of the majority necessary for constitutional amendments. Detailed regulations for the Constitutional Court shall be prescribed by a national law.

Article 20.

The President of the Republic has the ability to issue a veto of any bills issued from the Parliament if he deems them harmful to the Republic. If the bill is passed a second time in parliament then he has the ability to either delay it for two years or alternatively put it up for referendum, whereby if it fails in the case of the latter it may not be proposed for ten years.

Sincerely,
Goût Sucré du Vin*

*My temporary character for the convention as Mme. Savarin is merely observing.

 

[Dyranum]

I accept such changes and provisions to the D'Ursel Plan. I am glad to see we have come to an agreement, however, in Article 13 of the Head of State chapter, you falsely mentioned Monarch instead of President. I would ask that you amend this.

((Whoooops! Seems like I messed up when copypasta-ing that article. It's fixed now. I also fixed a mistake in the numbering of the articles in the second half which I turned into its own chapter.))

 

[Harpsichord]

This is my second and hopefully final revision, taking into account both the increased number of deputies and a revision to the electoral method for selecting Deputies, from the flawed D'Hondt method to STV, which shall provide a result proportional to the voters while enabling independent candidates to stand.

Spoiler

Chapter # – Parliamentary Selection

Deputy Selection

Article 1
Belgium shall be divided into the electoral regions of Flanders, Wallonia and Picardie.

Article 2
The number of constituencies for each region shall be determined proportionally by population and constituencies shall encompass roughly the same population as each other. Constituencies shall be reapportioned in a manner prescribed by law every ten years after a census has been taken.

Article 3
A special census shall be held in 1920 to determine the initial apportionment of The Chamber of Deputies, and a census shall be held every ten years thereafter.

Article 4
Deputies are popularly elected by all Belgian citizens with the age of 21 years or higher upon the day of election in each constituency. Voting shall be carried out using British Proportional Representation ((STV)).

Article 5
Elections for the Chamber of Deputies shall occur five years after the most recent one.

Senatorial Selection

Article 6
The Senate shall be elected by the regional assemblies (the form of which shall be outlined in law).

Article 7
Each regional assembly shall elect ten senators to represent them and their region; voting shall be carried out using British Proportional Representation ((STV)).

Article 8
Elections for the Senate shall occur seven years after the most recent one.

Chapter ## - The Chamber of Deputies

Article 1
The Chamber of Deputies consists of 250 members.

Article 2
Deputies must be Belgian citizens at least 25 years of age and may not hold a judicial or military position. Deputies may not hold any other legislative position.

Article 3
New deputies may be rejected on the grounds of having a criminal record. Judgements concerning whether or not a deputy should be rejected or not must be proportionate.

Article 4
Sitting members may be removed upon being convicted for a felony. However, judgements must be done in the same spirit as the one given in above in Article 3, Sentence 2.

Article 5
Any Deputy found senile or insane by a court appointed doctor shall be removed from his position as Deputy

Article 6
Any Deputy removed from his position on the grounds of senility or insanity is barred from attempting to attain a political, civil or otherwise public position in Belgium.

Article 7
Deputies are entitled to speak freely within the Chamber and may not be prosecuted for any words uttered therein. However, deputies must remain respectful and courteous. This protection also extends to acts committed while travelling to and from the Chamber as well as statements in official documents.

Article 8
Citizens of Belgium that are not deputies may address the Chamber of Deputies pending a simple majority vote.

Article 9
Regardless of what is stated in article 7 above, senior members of the Government may freely address the Chamber of Deputies.

Article 10
All debate must be translated and recorded in all official languages.

Article 11
The Chamber of Deputies may present a motion of no confidence against the Government. Should it pass, the Government shall be dissolved and a new election started.

Chapter ### - The Senate

Article 1
For the Senate, articles 2-7 as well as article 10 of chapter X shall be applied as if they concerned it. However, in the case of article 2 in chapter 7 the age limit shall be 30 years.

Article 2
The Senate consists of the number of members as outlined in Chapter #, Article 7.

 

[Dyranum]

I would like to first of all, present an optional amendment to my amendment. It occurred to me that the d'Ursel Plan with my amendment does not in itself allow for minority governments (though it could be interpreted that way), hence this small document:

Amendment to the les Régles amendment to the d'Ursel Plan

In Chapter ## – The Government

Article [to be inserted between articles 2 and 3]
In the event that the Parliament does not confirm the President's appointment by majority vote, then a new Prime Minister must be appointed. This new Prime Minister must have the support of the largest or second-largest group (coalition or party) in the Parliament. In the event that such a candidate does not exist, or the new Prime Minister is not confirmed by the Parliament, then the first appointee shall be allowed to form a Government.

I would also like to propose an amendment to Peeter's latest revision.

Amendment to Peeter's Parliamentary Selection

Chapter # – Parliamentary Selection

Deputy Election

Article 4
Deputies are popularly elected by all Belgian citizens with the age of 21 years or higher upon the day of election in each constituency. Voting results shall be calculated proportionally.

I would also like to take the opportunity to second Peeter's latest revision. It is a proposal which should be voted on. ((if such revisions which change a proposal (as opposed to revisions which just fix editorial errors) need seconds))

—Suive Opiniâtrement les Régles

 

[Harpsichord]

I second the "Amendment to the les Régles amendment to the d'Ursel Plan".

 

[Belgiumruler]

I second the Goût Sucré du Vin President of the Republic and the National Ministry.

- Kristina van den Berg

 

[ThunderHawk3]

((Roundup.))

Items awaiting voting:
[post=17684239]Presidential Limits Amendment[/post] ((Is not actually an amendment, more like an addendum))
[post=17682401]Régles Legislative Proposal[/post]
[post=17682401]Régles Constitution Proposal, Part 1[/post] ((Understood to exclude the small text))
[post=17682592]Vanderhoof Elections Proposal[/post]
[post=17682592]Vanderhoof Presidential Proposal[/post]
[post=17682592]Vanderhoof Appointed Senate Proposal[/post]
[post=17682592]Vanderhoof Elected Senate Proposal[/post]
[post=17682592]Vanderhoof Legislative Process Proposal[/post]
[post=17685053]D'Ursel Plan[/post]
[post=17687264]Régles Amendment to the D'Ursel Plan[/post]
[post=17690104]Du Vin Amendment to the D'Ursel Plan[/post]
[post=17690472]Peeters Proposal, 2nd Revision[/post]
[post=17690577]Amendment to the Régles Amendment to the D'Ursel Plan[/post]

Items Lacking a Second:
[post=17690577]Amendment to Peeter's Parliamentary Selection[/post]

 

[Andre Massena]

I support the Du Vin plan and Regles amendments and urge my fellow socialists to back these measures.

My main concern with the Peeters Proposals is the role of the Senate on which I have previously expressed my opinion.

On a further note, I believe we should ban food inside these halls. Some of my fellow deputies are making a mess and leaving crumbs on the floor. I suggest you eat outside if you must.

-Amedee Dupointe

 

[Harpsichord]

I support the Du Vin plan and Regles amendments and urge my fellow socialists to back these measures.

My main concern with the Peeters Proposals is the role of the Senate on which I have previously expressed my opinion.

-Amedee Dupointe

Your entirely groundless opinion, yes.

 

[99KingHigh]

Finding that:
the populace of the Belgian people were never consulted through direct democratic means,
And,
the parties elected are in no way a reflection of Republican sentiment,
thus concludes,
that the present the convention has taken strides so far beyond the desires of the populace that we can conclude our nation is hostage to Radicalism.
Our deputies henceforth propose, despite the stacked odds against us:

The Restoration Act
1. that the present convention will be terminated Statimque
2. that the old constitution will be restored in all of its terms, articles, and chapters
3. that His Majesty, the King of Belgium, will resume his reign
4. that elections will be held immediately upon these restorations

 

[LatinKaiser]

Finding that:
the populace of the Belgian people were never consulted through direct democratic means,
And,
the parties elected are in no way a reflection of Republican sentiment,
thus concludes,
that the present the convention has taken strides so far beyond the desires of the populace that we can conclude our nation is hostage to Radicalism.
Our deputies henceforth propose, despite the stacked odds against us:

​

Van Winkle, who has until now been looking rather downtrodden, now laughs loudly. Looking around at the silent delegates, his face becomes serious.

Oh wait, you are serious?

Van Winkle continues laughing.