Making Meaning Align

---

---

Making Meaning Align
Reviewing the CA Ordinances
Written by Gordio

---

---

​

---

---

---

---

Laws and ordinances are two of the most important elements in Europeia. Laws and ordinances are proposed by Senators or Citizens' Assembly (CA) members, and passed by their respective bodies. For laws to be effective, they must be well-written, credible, and not conflict with other laws or ordinances. For Europeia, this task falls to the legislative institutions, the Senate and Citizens' Assembly, and usually progresses without issue. A recent case where Europeian law has fallen short of the necessary clarity is in the case of the recent election for Chair of the Citizens' Assembly.

Elections in Europeia are full of excitement for both the candidates and the voting public. The candidates eagerly campaign and voters carefully decide on their preferred candidate and cast their ballot. The recent election for Citizens' Assembly Chair resulted in no candidate garnering 50 percent of the vote, which means a run-off election will be held. Unfortunately, there was a tie for second place, and this is where the lack of clarity in the CA ordinance has resulted in confusion throughout the CA on what is the appropriate next step to take.

After the tie for second place, the current CA Chair, Kuramia, petitioned the Senate to break the tie pursuant to a CA ordinance. The Senate, reviewing the internal self-governance of the CA, declined the request to intervene and remanded the issue back to the Assembly for further deliberation and ultimate conclusion. Further review of CA ordinances revealed that the CA may consent to the Senate breaking the tie, and voted as an assembly to resend the issue to the higher legislative body, where the issue currently rests awaiting Senate action.

The resulting administrative deadlock has demonstrated conflict of laws and ordinances, and between the CA and the Senate. Provided by the laws and or ordinances of both institutions, the CA needs the senate to break a tie. However, the Senate cannot act because it would affect the internal self-governance of the CA.

This deadlock clearly needs to be remedied, and the CA is in the process of doing so. "It's happened before that our Ordinances have become entangled and stopped an election process momentarily," said current CA Chair Kuramia. "I believe we really need to take the time to go over all of them, much as the Senate is going over the Intelligence and Senate Protocol Acts, and do a review that will fix them and align them with Europeian Law."

I strongly agree with Kuramia's stance on the need to review the CA's existing ordinances. In order for the CA, and Europeia, to function smoothly, laws and ordinances must not conflict, but should rather work in concert with each other. It may take time and effort, but when it's done, standstills as currently seen in this situation between the CA and the Senate will not happen again.

 

[hyanygo]

This is a pointless vote by the Senate. The breaking of the tie will just introduce another round of voting with the lowest candidate omitted. This vote just does not matter.

 

[Trinnien]

The unfortunate truth of the matter is that it's ultimately the Senate's job to fix the CA as many of the limitations on the CA are enshrined in the Citizens' Assembly Act which only the Senate can amend. Sure, the CA can dictate its own internal procedures but the minute something is wrong and needs outside help, it becomes this huge legal fustercluck because the CA in most cases can only make requests for intervention. Add that many of the changes (like how Mousebumples was named as an emergency Election administrator a few terms ago) are again due to limitations put in place on the CA. The Senate in comparison does not fall into these same issues. If, for example, the Senate is tied when deciding on its Speaker, the President gets a vote. There's no legal issue when that happens, and it's a rare case, but it's a fail safe. The CA is very limited in its fail safes as the rest of the Government of Europeia distances themselves as much as possible.

Ultimately, I think we as a region need to take a close look at the CA, and if we stopped treating it as our bastard step-child, maybe we can get it structurally organized and functional in a way that really benefits both its members and the region. It's been three and half years since the CA Act was first passed, and it's had 7 amendments since. Maybe a more holistic approach is warranted. And admittedly, taking a holistic approach to a great number of things affecting our region may be a rather intelligent move in some cases.

 

[Deepest House]

There are some people who would never have the CA be more than a playground, when I think it can probably serve a real purpose. Fighting that uphill battle will be the biggest obstacle, I think.