Second Constitution of Vinland

The Second Constitution of the Republic of Vinland is the supreme law of the country and was proclaimed on February 10th 2024 by Alaixaiy Braus.

The Constitution

Section I: the Citizens

1. All individuals resting within the boundaries of the Republic of Vinland are equal in rights and dignity before the law and the State, regardless of their sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious beliefs or any other parts of their identity.

1. One’s freedom stops only where another’s freedom starts.

The free expression of one’s freedom shall know no limits unless they threaten public order, or other individuals.

1. No individual shall be arbitrarily arrested and detained outside of the conditions established by the law.

When the law summons one to comply with its enforcement, the individuals are expected to comply without delay nor restriction. By resisting law enforcement the individual becomes guilty.

1. No individual within the Republic of Vinland’s boundaries is above the law of the Republic, and no law is above the Constitution.

Laws are redacted for the future and thus individuals cannot be prosecuted for actions prior to a law’s promulgation.

Citizens of the Republic of Vinland shall always have the possibility to modify the laws through the process of the Constitution as no one shall submit to unjust laws of the past.

1. All citizens of the Republic of Vinland aged sixteen years old or older shall participate in the democratic life of the Republic of Vinland, either by casting their vote or by running for any Office for those aged eighteen years old or older.

1. All individuals within the Republic of Vinland shall dispose of their own body the way they desire as long as it does not threaten public safety.

Abortion is a fundamental right and thus shall always be available in safe conditions to perform for any individual requesting it.

1. All individuals within the Republic of Vinland have the freedom to peacefully assemble and express their opinion through their freedom of speech.

Individuals’ freedom shall know no limits as long as it does not threaten public safety nor is used to stigmatize one or several individuals because of their identity and/or political and religious beliefs.

1. All individuals shall be allowed to freely exercise their freedom of worship as long as its expression does not threaten public safety.

1. The citizens shall be allowed to express their opinions on some matters through a referendum which can be summoned by the President.

In such a case, the result of the referendum is the only one that should be taken into account for it is the direct expression of the citizens’ will.

Section II: the Congress

1. The Constitution is the Supreme law of the Republic of Vinland, and thus all laws shall abide by its rules.

1. The people of the Republic of Vinland shall be represented through the Congress of Vinland.

The Congress of the Republic of Vinland is composed of two to fifteen members depending on the number of inhabitants and citizens of the Republic.

Representatives are elected for a renewable three year term, the way the seats are attributed is up to the discretion of the State, and shall be determined accordingly to the situation by the President.

The system of attribution of the Representatives’ seats must be clearly defined by the State prior to the start of the elections.

When entering Office, each member of the new legislature must swear an oath to always defend the Constitution’s integrity and to serve the best interests of the nation and its people.

1. The President holds a right of veto on all laws passed by the Congress.

The President is responsible for appointing the Speaker of the Congress, however, in the event where the speaker is not able to fulfill their duty, the President shall handle the position as well and find a replacement as soon as possible for a new speaker.

1. Out of the extraordinary conditions described in the Article 2, Section II of the present Constitution, the President has the right to submit laws to the Parliament, and shall address the Representative once a year to present the plans for the General policies of the Government.

1. All laws submitted to the Parliament shall be debated and approved by the majority of the Congress.

All Representatives have the right to propose amendments to the debated laws.

No law can be approved until all amendments have been debated and voted. Each amendment must be voted by the Representatives to be either included or rejected by the law project.

Once voted by the Congress, the law must be proclaimed by the President.

1. In the event of an emergency situation, the Congress has the ability to grant emergency powers to the President for two months.

In the event of a foreign attack against the Vinlandic territory, the President is automatically receiving the emergency power until the end of the war.

1. During a State of War, no elections shall not be held until the complete end of the conflict, however, they shall resume as soon as the war is over.

1. At the request of the citizens, or at their own initiative, the Congress can decide to set up an inquiry commission to investigate matters they believe to be of public interests.

The conduct of the inquiry commission is at the sole discretion of the Representatives in charge, however, their procedures are bound by the Vinlandic laws and ethical principles.

The final report from an inquiry commission requested by the citizens shall be made public within the seven days following the achievement of the said report.

1. International treaties with a potential impact on any aspect of the Vinlandic sovereignty must be ratified and approved by, at least, two-thirds of the Congress.

Section III: the Attorney General

1. The Attorney General of the Republic of Vinland is the Supreme Head of the Vinland judicial system.

They are appointed for six years by the Congress; if a Representative is appointed to Office, they shall be able to pursue their functions in both Offices, or delegate their functions as Representative to someone they trust.

1. Upon a decision of the Congress, the Attorney General can be removed from Office prior to the end of their mandate.

In such circumstances, an Attorney General voted out of Office by the Congress cannot be appointed again as Attorney General, unless a bill passed by the Congress authorizes it.

1. The Attorney General is in charge of ensuring that the judiciary system is fair for all individuals and is functioning correctly.

1. In the event where an individual believes that they have been victim of an abusive treatment by the Vinlandic judiciary system, or that their rights have been disrespected, they can appeal to the Attorney General’s judgment.

1. If the Attorney General believes a judge to be unable to continue the fair fulfilling of his duties, he can solemnly request to the Congress to vote on a motion removing the judge from office.

1. To ensure the correct functioning of the judiciary system, the Attorney General has a right to access all documents linked to a law procedure if deemed necessary. However they cannot access documents of procedures in which they may have a conflict of interests, or if the documents were classified upon decision of the President.

The Attorney General is, just like any other judges, not allowed to take part in a law procedure in which they might have an interest in influencing the outcome, except if no other solution is available.

1. In the event where no Attorney General can be designate, the Congress shall endorse their role until an Attorney can be designated.

Section IV: the State & the President

1. The Republic of Vinland is a secular, democratic State.

The State is the guardian of those principles, and thus shall ensure their application and never exercise discrimination against the Vinlandic citizens, except those based on public utility.

1. The President is the leader of the State, and appoints their successor by a Presidential decree for an undetermined period of time.

The President holds a power of veto on all laws passed by the Congress.

In the event where the President is unable to continue to exercise their functions, nor to designate their successor, the new President shall be elected directly by the citizens of the Republic of Vinland.

1. The President is allowed to proclaim laws through Presidential decrees.

Decrees proclaimed by the President under a legislature must be approved by the said legislature within the next two months following the proclamation. If the decree is not approved by the Congress within this time frame, or is rejected prior to the deadline, it shall not apply any longer. If the decree is voted by the Congress, it will enter into law according to the terms in which the text was voted by the Congress.

1. In the event where a decree is proclaimed while the Congress is unable to function correctly, the decree will automatically apply until the election of a new legislature. Once elected, the Congress shall vote the text according to the dispositions of the Article 3, Section IV of the present Constitution.

1. The Republic of Vinland is a pacific State, and thus shall not maintain a permanent standing army in times of peace, nor should it ever attack first any nation.

However, if the national territory is under attack, the State shall answer the threat and neutralize it by any means.

1. The President is in charge of the Foreign Relations of the Republic of Vinland, however, they can require someone else to represent them or sign the treaties on their behalf if deemed necessary.

In addition to the provisions of the Article 8, Section II of the present Constitution, the President has the right to submit a treaty to the people’s vote through a referendum, in which case only the result of the referendum will be taken into account for the said treaty.

1. Any support toward any far-right ideologies such fascism, or nazism, as well as the endorsement of ideologies such as racism or anti-semitism is strictly forbidden within the Republic of Vinland.