The Second Constitutional Convention of Europeia:
A Review
Written by Istillian
Mos Maiorum, a Latin term meaning "the way of the elders" or "the custom of the ancestors," refers to the traditional code of conduct and values that governed Roman society. It encompassed the unwritten rules, social norms, and cultural practices that guided the behaviour of individuals within the Roman community. Europeian society prides itself on its challenging political atmosphere and structure, our rules and regulations - but by the very nature of being a political community it is cyclical in its frustrations with the status quo. Just as a third Constitutional Convention has been announced, the Europeian Broadcasting Corporation will now take a moment to reflect on the customs, the Mos Maiorium, and the events that led to the second Constitutional Convention of Europeia.
On May 18, 2018 Senate Speaker Writinglegend of the 65th Senate of Europeia convened Europeia’s second official Constitutional Convention, receiving full support from all members of the Senate. The Constitutional Convention discussion area was created soon thereafter, with registrations open on June 13, 2018. Membership was able to be sought at any stage of the Convention.
During this convention, the most discussed thread was regarding the overall principles of Europeia's government, with the biggest argument summarised by HEM stating that, “What we know [beyond] any doubt is that our current system isn't working. The Citizens' Assembly is dead, perhaps mortally ruined by the shift to automatically including all citizens instead of having applications. The Senate has been inactive and politically irrelevant for years. You point out that these institutions worked in the past, so maybe they could work again.” Further argued by Prim that, “Reforms have been overwhelmingly supported by the citizens as the method for moving forward, that is how the Senate has been tasked to proceed and proceed we shall.”
Following this initial discussion period by members on the role of the Convention, on June 25, 2018, Sopo suggested the idea of splitting the Executive, and the first rough draft of this idea was explained:
This idea of splitting the Executive gained quite a lot of support, and after a lengthy discussion phase, the proposal was passed by members of the Convention on August 31, 2018. On September 16, 2018 then-Senator HEM proposed on the Senate floor the beginning of what was dubbed The Concord of the Second Europeian Republic. This proposal was inspired by HEM’s speech “Looking for Diocletian” in which he described five pillars of what the Republic of Europeia should have:
On November 13, 2018, members of the Constitutional Convention were given until November 18 to propose an outline of their reform proposal, including details on any changes from the status quo, and how the three branches would operate. The two most popular proposals were The Lazarus Project, and the Simplified Unicameral proposal.
The Lazarus Project's main outline was to split the executive between Foreign and Domestic affairs, whereby ministerial positions would still be nominated. The proposal included a People's Assembly as the main legislative body with universal membership upon application. The Senate would be structured as a self-electing Senate minor house with a 90-day term, which would not be able to table legislation passed to it, and a Judiciary comprised of a three Justice system whereby the appeals court function moved to Judicial review by a Justice which did not preside on appealed cases.
In contrast the Simplified Unicameral proposal drafted by Prim suggested the introduction of a dual executive system, splitting responsibilities between a Prime Minister focusing on Domestic Affairs with 60-day terms, and a President, overseeing Foreign Affairs with a 90-day term. This suggestion was also comprised of a People's Assembly, an open unicameral legislature, holding power to pass legislation, confirm nominations, and the ability to recall officials, governed by a Speaker. The judicial system would be led by a Chief Justice, with two Associate Justices, all handling trials collectively, while appeals would be reviewed by a neutral Arbiter appointed by the Chief Justice.
The most popular proposal was The Lazarus Project, which ended up garnering 57.7 percent of the convention members' votes to proceed forward with. However, the Lazarus Project then faced numerous concerns, both in the discussion threads in the Constitutional Convention, and publicised in media. On December 28, 2018, Deepest House wrote of the Lazarus Project and the idea of the Executive Split that: "The proposal to split the executive, consolidate positions, and rename it all amounts to a shell game – a sleight of hand in which we move pieces around to distract and confuse, and at the end we have to guess and hope we’ve made the right decision going forward. It provides no new resources for the government and creates additional administrative burdens without the promise of proportional benefit. It is change for change’s sake."
While The Lazarus Project was ultimately tabled, its inspiration allowed then Senator Kari to bring to the Senate floor the Executive Split Amendment on January 3, 2019. Senators of the 68th Senate of Europeia spearheaded a campaign solely focused on passing the Executive Split bill, which while it still garnered heavy public criticism, was given more support due to its simplicity and regional consensus. The Executive Split officially passed the approval of the Senate on February 3, 2019. On this same date, the Senate Speaker, HEM, passed the bill to the Oval Office, where it received President Sopo's signature on February 4, 2019.
With the passing of the Executive Split, and more than a years worth of discussions on government reform, on February 9, 2019 Constitution Chair United Vietussia opened up the thread to close the Constitutional Convention, and the Second Constitutional Convention of Europeia was officially closed by a 23-5 vote on February 11, 2019.
Reflecting on the Second Constitutional Convention of Europeia shows how immensely pivotal this time in the community's history was. As we look forward to the third Constitutional Convention, this article hopes to have paid tribute to the progress that citizens made to reform during the past convention, and to see how citizen input defined and changed Europeia for the better.
