I did a near rewrite of the entire decree. Besides making into something that's better organized and easier to understand, I've made the following changes to the substance of the decree:
1) I have changed the name of the Cabinet from Riksråd to Riksraad, to match the formatting that was selected by Citizens when they chose a new name for the upcoming legislature.
2) The decree now includes a section about Alders, who will be elected directly to the Riksraad and replace the Citizens' Council at the end of the upcoming elections.
3) Jarls no longer need to explicitly approve Thane candidates. The new text allows myself or the Jarl over the position to reject a candidate with reason, and if the candidate is not rejected then they are implicitely approved.
4) Removed the section about the first Thane elections, because it is no longer relevant to current law.
ModificaitonsSpoiler
Cabinet Makeup, Structure, and Duties
1) The Cabinet of Wintreath shall be named the Riksråd Riksraad, which shall be headed by the Monarch and consist of Citizens who have been delegated authorities by the Monarch.
2) The Riksråd shall be composed of ministries as defined in this document, led by Jarls who shall have the authority and responsibility to advance the portfolio of their respective ministries. Thanes shall assist the Jarls in advancing a defined portion of the ministry portfolio.
a) Members of the Riksråd shall simultaneously hold no more than either one Jarl position and one Thane position or two Thane positions unless they were appointed to additional positions in order to fill vacancies.
b) Members of the Riksråd shall maintain an account on the main Wintreath Discord server which is linked to their Wintreath website account.
2) The Riksraad shall include the following ministries:
a) The Ministry of Culture shall assist the Citizens of the region in the development, maintenance, and advancement of discussions, games, and activities that are outside the purview of other ministries.
b) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall promote Wintreath and Wintrean interests by creating and fostering partnerships and communications with other communities.
c) The Ministry of Regional Affairs shall be responsible for maintaining and improving the NationStates region page and RMB community.
3) Jarls shall serve at the will and pleasure of the Monarch, who shall appoint and dismiss them as needed.
3) Each ministry shall be led by a Jarl, who shall have the authority and responsibility to advance the portfolio of their respective ministries. Jarls shall serve at the will and pleasure of the Monarch, who shall appoint and dismiss them as needed.
4) Jarls may create new Thane positions within their ministries with the approval of the Monarch, and shall maintain a list of current Thane positions that shall include at a minimum a description of the position's responsibilities and groups that may participate in the election of the position.
4) With the consent of the Monarch, Jarls may delegate clearly-defined portions of their portfolio to subordinate positions, which shall be held by Thanes. Jarls shall maintain a current list of Thane positions that include a list of duties and responsibilities for each position.
a) Thanes shall be chosen during elections that begin on the first day of December, March, June, and September. Prior to the start of the election, candidates for Thane shall stand for election in the designated nomination topic and post a campaign topic addressing any questions listed for candidates in the nomination topic. Candidates who fail to do this shall be dropped from the election and not placed on the ballot.
b) The Monarch or supervising Jarl may reject a candidacy for a Thane position by posting their decision along with the reasoning behind it in the candidate's campaign topic prior to the beginning of the election.
c) Once elected, Thanes shall serve at the will and pleasure of their Jarl and the Monarch. If dismissed from the Riksraad, the person who dismissed them shall notify the community of the reasons behind their dismissal.
d) Supervising Jarls may appoint members to fill vacant Thane positions for the remainder of a term.
e) The duties and responsibilities of the legal delegate of the Wintreath NationStates region shall be vested in a Thane positions within the Ministry of Regional Affairs.
5) Thanes shall be chosen during elections that begin on the first day of December, March, June, and September.
a) To participate in Thane elections, candidates must be vetted and approved by the the Jarl of the ministry that the position is within on the basis of activity and contribution to the region within the area the candidate wishes to run in. They must also be vetted and approved by the Monarch on the basis of fit within the Cabinet.
b) In the event that a candidate is elected to more positions than allowed under Section 2a, the candidate shall accept the positions they prefer up to the limits allowed. The remaining positions shall go to the person with the next most votes unless there are no other candidates, in which case the position shall be considered vacant.
c) Once elected, Thanes shall serve at the will and pleasure of their Jarl and the Monarch. If dismissed from the Riksråd, the person who dismissed them shall notify the community of the reasons behind their dismissal.
d) In the event of a vacancy between elections, the Jarl of the ministry the position is within may appoint a Thane with the approval of the Monarch to serve the remainder of the term.
e) An initial special election shall occur two weeks after publication of this decree to determine Thanes until the March 2018 election. For the purposes of this election "last term" shall refer to the months of September, October, November, and December 2017.
5) Citizens shall elect three Alders to the Riksraad, who shall represent Citizens directly to the Riksraad.
a) Alders shall be chosen during elections that begin on the first day of December, March, June, and September. Prior to the start of the election, candidates for Alder shall stand for election in the designated nomination topic and post a campaign topic addressing any questions listed for candidates in the nomination topic. Candidates who fail to do this shall be dropped from the election and not placed on the ballot.
b) In the event of a vacancy, candidates who lost the last regular election for Alder shall have the opportunity to fill it in order of the candidate with the most votes to the candidate with the least votes. In the event that there are no remaining candidates, the vacancy shall be filled by special election unless there are fewer than 14 days left until the next regular election, in which case it shall remain vacant.
6) The Monarch may also appoint advisory members who shall hold no duties and responsibilities beyond advising the Monarch and Cabinet in a specific area.
6) The Monarch may appoint advisory members who shall hold no duties and responsibilities beyond those listed in Section 7.
7) In addition to the position-specific duties determined by the Monarch and Jarls, all members of the Riskråd shall be responsible for participating in Cabinet discussions, informing the rest of the Cabinet of topics and issues within their portfolio that may require discussion by the entire Cabinet, and engaging with Citizens and members of the community in general.
7) Members of the Riksraad shall:
a) Hold no more than either one Jarl and one Thane position or two Thane positions at any one time
b) Maintain an account on the main Wintreath Discord server which is linked to their Wintreath website account
c) Participate in discussions in the designated Riksraad forums and Discord channels
Cabinet Ministries
8 ) The Ministry of Culture shall assist the Citizens of the region in the development, maintenance, and advancement of discussions, games, and activities that are outside the purview of other ministries.
9) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall promote Wintreath and Wintrean interest by creating and fostering partnerships and communications with other communities.
10) The Ministry of Regional Affairs shall be responsible for maintaining and improving the NationStates region page and RMB community.
a) The Thane of World Assembly Affairs shall be the legal World Assembly Delegate under the Ministry of Regional Affairs.
Modification of this Decree
11 8) The Monarch may modify this decree at any time, and shall notify the regional community of doing so by creating a new post in the topic in which the decree was published detailing the modifications made.
Spoiler
1) The Cabinet of Wintreath shall be named the Riksraad, which shall be headed by the Monarch and consist of Citizens who have been delegated authorities by the Monarch.
2) The Riksraad shall include the following ministries:
a) The Ministry of Culture shall assist the Citizens of the region in the development, maintenance, and advancement of discussions, games, and activities that are outside the purview of other ministries.
b) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall promote Wintreath and Wintrean interests by creating and fostering partnerships and communications with other communities.
c) The Ministry of Regional Affairs shall be responsible for maintaining and improving the NationStates region page and RMB community.
3) Each ministry shall be led by a Jarl, who shall have the authority and responsibility to advance the portfolio of their respective ministries. Jarls shall serve at the will and pleasure of the Monarch, who shall appoint and dismiss them as needed.
4) With the consent of the Monarch, Jarls may delegate clearly-defined portions of their portfolio to subordinate positions, which shall be held by Thanes. Jarls shall maintain a current list of Thane positions that include a list of duties and responsibilities for each position.
a) Thanes shall be chosen during elections that begin on the first day of December, March, June, and September. Prior to the start of the election, candidates for Thane shall stand for election in the designated nomination topic and post a campaign topic addressing any questions listed for candidates in the nomination topic. Candidates who fail to do this shall be dropped from the election and not placed on the ballot.
b) The Monarch or supervising Jarl may reject a candidacy for a Thane position by posting their decision along with the reasoning behind it in the candidate's campaign topic prior to the beginning of the election.
c) Once elected, Thanes shall serve at the will and pleasure of their Jarl and the Monarch. If dismissed from the Riksraad, the person who dismissed them shall notify the community of the reasons behind their dismissal.
d) Supervising Jarls may appoint members to fill vacant Thane positions for the remainder of a term.
e) The duties and responsibilities of the legal delegate of the Wintreath NationStates region shall be vested in a Thane position within the Ministry of Regional Affairs.
5) Citizens shall elect three Alders to the Riksraad, who shall represent Citizens directly to the Riksraad.
a) Alders shall be chosen during elections that begin on the first day of December, March, June, and September. Prior to the start of the election, candidates for Alder shall stand for election in the designated nomination topic and post a campaign topic addressing any questions listed for candidates in the nomination topic. Candidates who fail to do this shall be dropped from the election and not placed on the ballot.
b) In the event of a vacancy, candidates who lost the last regular election for Alder shall have the opportunity to fill it in order of the candidate with the most votes to the candidate with the least votes. In the event that there are no remaining candidates, the vacancy shall be filled by special election unless there are fewer than 14 days left until the next regular election, in which case it shall remain vacant.
6) The Monarch may appoint advisory members who shall hold no duties and responsibilities beyond those listed in Section 7.
7) Members of the Riksraad shall:
a) Hold no more than either one Jarl and one Thane position or two Thane positions at any one time
b) Maintain an account on the main Wintreath Discord server which is linked to their Wintreath website account
c) Participate in discussions in the designated Riksraad forums and Discord channels
8) The Monarch may modify this decree at any time, and shall notify the regional community of doing so by creating a new post in the topic in which the decree was published detailing the modifications made.
