The Holy Constitution of One-Islam-Article 73-Regional Council



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	Regional objects
	Article 73-Council
73.1	General
	1. Legislative power
	All regional legislative Powers shall be vested in a Council (Regional Council), which shall consist of one house– a Council, composed of Imam and the Regional Board of Directors.
	The Imam shall be elected representatives chosen amongst the permanent and temporary Imam of the region. Each Councillor shall have the power of one vote.
	Councilors shall be appointed for a term of four (4) years corresponding to the fixed terms of the Regional Executive.
	2. Regional Council sessions
	Excepting a regional council election year, every year there shall be four sessions of fixed days corresponding to equal divisions of the year whereby members of the Regional Council are summonsed to attend.
	Each of these sessions shall be named for the season to which they correspond, namely Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring Session. A day within a session when members of the Regional Council are summonsed to sit in session shall be called a Regional Council Sitting Session Day.
	A day within a session when members of the Regional Council are not summonsed to sit in the Regional Council shall be called a Non-Sitting Session Day.
	3. Regional Council Election Year
	During a year in which a Regional Election is to be called, the Regional Council shall not sit for the Spring session. Instead the last session of Regional Council before it is dissolved shall be the Winter session.
	4. Life of Regional Council
	A Regional Council shall exist for a fixed period of four (4) years before being dissolved ahead of Regional Elections for a new Regional Council.
	5. Dissolution of Regional Council
	A Regional Council shall be dissolved every four (4) years following that last day of the Winter Session of the Regional Council.
	The instrument of dissolution shall be three writs issued by the Ayatollah:
	(1) To the leader of the Council ordering the chamber to be sealed until a new Regional Council is elected.
	(2) To the Regional Board of Directors ordering the regional government to institute caretaker provisions which forbids the appointment of any new positions, the announcement of any new projects or the commissioning of any new expenditure.
	(3) To the National director of the National Election Commission requiring the commencement of Election provisions for the conduct of Regional Election to elect a new Executive Government and Regional Council.
	6. Date of Regional Election
	All regional elections shall occur at the same time according to a date fixed by the Supreme Council. The date shall also coincide with the date for elections of Ayatollah.
	The date of a regional election shall always occur within the Northern Hemisphere Spring months, allowing 40 days prior to the date of the election for the official campaign period.
	A region shall not be included in regional elections if it has less than three local Assembles and/or less than five registered Imam .
	7. Formation of new Regional Council
	The formation of a new Regional Council shall occur within 14 days after the Regional Election day following the count and verification of all votes.
	The total number of Council positions vacant for a Regional Council shall never exceed 36. Where there is equal or less registered Imams standing as candidates prior to the election, the available Council positions for the life of that Council shall be the total number of Imams less two. Therefore, there will always be less Council positions than candidates.
	The instrument of formation of a new Regional Council shall be three declarations from the Director of the National Election Commission:
	(1) To each successful candidate for election to Council confirming their validity as the rightful representative of their constituency;
	(2) To the successful candidate for election as Ayatollah confirming their validity as the rightful executive to form government;
	(3) To the caretaker Ayatollah that the election result has been verified and that writs to summons successful candidates to be sworn into Regional Council and form the new Regional Executive must now be issued.
	Upon receipt of the declaration, the caretaker Ayatollah shall be required to issue writs within seven (7) days for the summonsing to Regional Council of successful candidates to form the new Regional Council and Executive.
	8. Quorum
	The minimum number of members (quorum) required to be present within the chamber of a House of Parliament to permit the full exercise of its powers shall be one third the total number of members of that house.
	The Council shall not be permitted to undertake procedures that require a quorum if the total number of members in that House is not equal or greater to the quorum.
	9. Voting
	Voting in Regional Council shall be by open vote expressed as either Yes or No to the proposition before the chamber.
	Voting shall always require a quorum and shall follow the standard procedures listed in this Constitution.
	Total votes shall be tallied as either Yes, or No to the proposition expressed by the Bill. A higher total number of Yes votes to No votes shall deem the Bill or proposition has been passed. A higher total number of No votes to Yes votes shall deem the Bill or proposition has been defeated.
	The record, attendance and vote of all members of Regional Council shall be recorded on the public record.
73.2	Regional Council
	1. Construction of Regional Council
	A Regional Council shall be composed of Imam directly chosen by the members of One-Islam of the entire Region with the total number of such members fixed at a maximum of 36 with each member of the Regional Council having one vote.
	A Regional Councillor must be a certified temporary or permanent Imam of that Region to be eligible to be a candidate and must have resided in that region for at least twelve (12) months prior to the date of the election.
	2. Power of Regional Council
	Vested by the Constitution, a Council shall have the power to create new bills and amend existing laws into bills for review.
	The Council shall also have the power to create new budgets for expenditure and financial management of the Region as well as to review the appointments of any person by the regional executive to a permanent position prescribed by this Constitution.
	A Regional Council also has vested by this Constitution the power to commission a Regional Impeachment for the forced removal of any elected official from the Ayatollah to any position within any branch of government in the region.
	3. Office of Speaker of Regional Council (Regional Council Speaker)
	Responsibility for good conduct and control of the Council and the scheduling of business within the chamber shall be vested in the Office of Speaker of Regional Council (District Speaker).
	The Speaker of a Regional Council shall be an independent role, free from political party preferences. The candidate shall be elected by new Council themselves on the first day of sitting of the new parliament after a Regional Election .
	5. Regional Council session length
	The total length of a Regional Council session shall be determined by the Regional Speaker and shall not be permitted to exceed 20 Sitting Session Days.
	6. Regional Council attendance
	The Regional Speaker shall be responsible for the issuing of summons to individual Council members for their attendance to Regional Council.
	Excepting special leave granted by the Regional Speaker due to matters of local security, health or extended personal matters, all members of the Council shall be required to attend the Sitting Session Days as listed in the summons.
	Failure of a member of a Regional Council to attend six (6) or more Session Sitting Days within one Session shall be deemed a failure to discharge the duties of their office and the District Speaker shall be responsible for immediately initiating an Regional Council Expulsion Motion.
	7. Regional Council vacancy
	Any vacancy during the life of a Regional Council due to the death, resignation, expulsion or other reason of an elected Council Member shall be filled by direct appointment by the Ayatollah for the remaining life of the Council.
	Such a person themselves must be an Imam, but not subject to the limitations of residency of candidates for a normal election. If an Ayatollah leaves a Council position vacant for sixty (60) days without nomination, the National Executive have the right to directly appoint a Imam to the vacancy.
73.3	Formation of a Temporary Regional Council
	A temporary Regional Council is formed when approval is given to an application to form an Regional Council by two (2) or more certified temporary or permanent Imams and a minimum of sixteen (16) living members:
	(i) That each member on the application is a current and valid certified temporary or permanent Imam of One-Islam;
	(ii) That each member on the application currently resides in the geographic area belonging to the proposed Regional Council;
	(iii) That no Regional Council currently exists for this region;
	(iv) That none of the applicants have previously applied for the formation of a Regional Council;
	Approval of such an application shall be the responsibility of the National Senate. If no National Senate exists, it shall be the responsibility of the temporary administrator.
	A temporary Regional Council shall have the right to participate in national elections but not supreme elections.
	Upon approval of granting the creation of a temporary Regional Council, the temporary Council must within ninety (90) days:
	(i) Elect a temporary Ayatollah from amongst the Imams as prime representative.
	(ii) Elect and appoint a temporary regional board to support the Ayatollah.
	(iii) Register with the appropriate regional government agencies for status as a non-profit charity including a copy of this constitution, appropriate fees and member lists, board members and all other required documentation.
	(iv) Open a bank account with at least two signatories and provide this bank account to the national executive. If no national executive exists, it shall be forwarded to the temporary administrator.
	(v) Provide a copy of the registration papers of non-profit charity status
	If any of these items are failed to be actioned within ninety (90) days, by this Constitution the National Senate, or temporary administrator has the right to revoke the approval of the temporary regional council
73.4	Formation of a permanent Regional Council
	Within two hundred and seventy (270) Days since the formation of a temporary Regional Council, permanancy shall be granted to a temporary Regional Council providing the following conditions are met:
	(i) That the number of Assemblies for the region now constitutes at least two (2) and that total membership of the Region is at least seventy-two (72) living members;
	(ii) That the Regional Council has held elections and elected a Board;
	(iii) That no action contravening this Constitution has occurred with the original applicants that would warrant an Internal investigation or their expulsion.
73.5	Permanent Regional Council Facilities
	Once an Regional Council is permanent, its primary goal is to first establish a suitable permanent, exclusive and central regional assembly to facilitate community gatherings and official ceremonies.
	The second goal of the Permanent Regional Council is to establish suitable permanent facilities for the provision of essential regional social services including and not restricted to: health, education, information and social services.
73.6	Selection and location of Permanent Regional Council Facilities
	The location of permanent Regional Council facilities should ideally represent the closest practical geographical location to the residences of living Regional Council Members that represent at least sixty (60) percent or more of total local Members.
	If two or more areas hold equal proportions of members, then a ballot shall be drawn to select the most suitable location.
	A review of permanent Regional Council facilities is permissable every fifteen (15) years, or earlier if required by primary function to maintain such facilities.
73.7	Disbandment of a temporary Regional Council
	If by two hundred and seventy (270) Days since the formation of a temporary Regional Council one or more of the conditions for permanancy are not met, the appropriate permanent National Senate shall have the right to disband the temporary Regional Council and revoke its status. If no permanent National Senate yet exists, the Supreme Council shall have such right. If no permanent Supreme Council exists, it shall be the responsibility of the temporary administrator.
	Unpon a disbandment, the persons originally making the application for a temporary Regional Council are not permitted to directly re-apply for a new Regional Council, nor hold office for a period of not less than two (2) years.
73.8	Wind-up of a permanent Regional Council
	The wind-up of a permanent Regional Council is when an order is granted by the Supreme Council and/or Executive for a permanent Regional Council to be wound up, its assets seized, its membership re-allocated or suspended and the Regional Council itself deregistered.
	Such an order is an order of last resort and must be subject to a supreme vote based only on one or more of the criteria being in existence:
	(i) That the total active membership of the Regional Council has been less than 72 for twelve months or more; or
	(ii) That the entire Executive has been expelled from One Islam and that the majority of remaining members represent members of their former network.
	(iii) That the Regional Council is bankrupt and unable to continue to pay its financial obligations with no prospect of independent financial income in the future to meet its ongoing obligations.


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