Ruthenian Constitution

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THE CONSTITUTION OF THE KINGDOM OF RUTHENIA

Royal District, February 6, 2015

We, Oscar I, by the Grace of God and the will of the people King of Ruthenia,

do hereby decree and promulgate the constitution of the Kingdom of Ruthenia,which reads as follows:

INTRODUCTION

1. The Ruthenian State is one and indivisible.

2. The Ruthenian State shall consist of the States of Ruthenia and Libertia.

3. The English language is the common language of the state, and its use is compulsoryin the army, in the navy and in all state and public institutions. The use of local(regional) languages and dialects in state and public institutions are determined byspecial legislation.

CHAPTER I

The Essence of the Royal Power

4. The King of the Ruthenians possesses Supreme Sovereign Power.

5. The person of the King is inviolable.

6. The same Supreme Sovereign Power belongs to the Sovereign Queen whensuccession to the Throne, in the order thereunto established, reaches a female person;

but her consort is not regarded as Sovereign; he enjoys the same honors and privilegesas the spouses of kings, except for the title.

7. The Sovereign King exercises legislative power in conjunction with the GeneralAssembly and the Council of State.

8. The initiative in all legislative matters belongs to the Sovereign King. Only upon Hisinitiative may the Fundamental Laws be subject to revision by (in) the General

Assembly and the Council of State.



9. The Sovereign King ratifies laws and without His ratification (approval) no laws cango into effect.

10. Total administrative power belongs to the Sovereign King throughout the entireRuthenian State. At the highest level of administration His authority is direct; at

subordinate levels of administration He entrusts a certain degree of power, inconformity with the law, to the proper agencies or officials, who act in His name and inaccordance with His orders.

11. As supreme administrator, the Sovereign King, in conformity with the laws, issuesdecrees for the organization and functioning of various departments of stateadministration as well as directives essential for the execution of the laws.

12. The Sovereign King is in charge of all external relations of the RuthenianGovernment with foreign powers. He determines the direction of the RuthenianGovernment's foreign policy.

13. The Sovereign King declares war, concludes peace, and negotiates treaties withforeign states.

14. The Sovereign King is the Supreme Commander of the Ruthenian army, navy andair force. He is Commander-in-Chief of all armed forces of the Ruthenian Government.He determines the organization of the armed forces and issues decrees and ordersconcerning: the displacement of troops, the mobilization of troops, their training, the

performance of duties of the various ranks of armed forces personnel and, in general,everything connected to the organization of the armed forces and defense of theRuthenian Government. As the Supreme Commander the Sovereign King sets forthlimitations on the rights to reside and acquire property (real estate) in zones thatcomprise military installations and maintenance areas for the army and navy.

15. The Sovereign King declares areas to be under martial law or in a state ofemergency.

16. The Sovereign King has the right to coin money and to determine its physicalappearance.

17. The Sovereign King appoints and dismisses the Chancellor of Ruthenia, the

president of General Assembly, Ministers, as well as other officials, unless the procedure of appointing and dismissing the latter, has been determined by law.

18. As supreme administrator the Sovereign King determines the scope of activities forall state officials in accordance with the needs of the State.

19. The Sovereign King grants titles, medals and other state distinctions, as well as property rights. He also determines the conditions and procedures for granting titles,medals and distinctions.

20. The Sovereign King directly issues decrees and instructions on matters of property

that belong to Him personally, as well as on so-called State properties that always belong to the ruling King. The latter cannot be bequeathed or divided and are subject to



a different form of alienation. Those, as well as the other properties are not subject totaxation or levy.

21. As Head of the Royal House, the Sovereign King, in accordance with the Statute onthe Royal Family, has the right to administer princely properties. He also determines the

organization and the administrative procedures of institutions and establishmentsmanaged by the Minister of the Royal Household.

22. Judicial power is implemented through legally constituted courts in the name of theSovereign King. Their decisions are carried out in the name of His Royal Majesty.

23. The Sovereign King has the right to pardon the accused, to mitigate sentences and togenerally forgive transgressors; to terminate court actions and to release from trial and

punishment. Exercising royal mercy, He has the right to commute official penalties andto grant clemency in exceptional cases that are not subject to general laws, providedsuch actions do not infringe upon civil rights or the legally protected interests of others.

24. Decrees and commands that are issued directly or indirectly by the Sovereign King,as supreme administrator, are sealed by the Chancellor of Ruthenia or by an appropriateminister or by a department head, and are promulgated by the Council of State.

CHAPTER II

On the order of succession to the Throne

25. The Royal Throne of Ruthenia is hereditary within the Royal House presentlyreigning.

26. Both sexes have the right of succession to the Throne; but this right belongs by preference to the principle of primogeniture.

27. Accordingly, succession to the Throne belongs in the first place to the eldest son ordaughter of the reigning King.

28. Children born of a marriage between a person of the Royal Family and a person notof corresponding dignity have no right of succession to the Throne.

29. As the rules on the order of succession, enunciated above, take effect, a person who

has a right to succeed is free to abdicate this right in those circumstances in which anabdication does not create any difficulty in the following succession to the Throne.

30. Such an abdication, when it has been made public and becomes law, is henceforthconsidered irrevocable.

31. An King or Queen succeeding to the Throne undertakes, at accession andanointment, to solemnly observe the aforesaid laws on succession to the Throne.



CHAPTER III

On the attainment of Majori ty of the King, on Regency and Guardianship

32. Sovereigns of both sexes and the Heir to the Royal Throne reach their majority atthe age of eighteen.

33. When an King younger than this age ascends to the Throne, a Regency and aGuardianship are instituted to function until this majority is attained.

34. The Regency and the Guardianship are instituted jointly in one person or separately,in which case one person is entrusted with the Regency and the other with theGuardianship.

35. The appointment of Regent and Guardian, either jointly in one person or separatelyin two persons, depends on the will and discretion of the reigning King who shouldmake this choice, for greater security, in the event of His demise.

36. If no such appointment was made during the lifetime of the King, upon His demise,the Regency of the State and the Guardianship of the King who is under age, belong tothe father and mother; but the step-father and step-mother are excluded.

37. When there is no father or mother, then the Regency and Guardianship belong to thenearest in succession to the Throne among the underage King’s relatives, of both sexes

who have reached majority.

38. Lawful reasons barring tenure of the Regency and Guardianship are the following:1) insanity, even if temporary; 2) the remarriage of widowed persons during tenure ofthe Regency and Guardianship.

39. A Regent of the State must have a Regency Council; there can be neither a Regentwithout a Council nor a Council without a Regent.

40. The Council consists of three persons of the first two classes selected by the Regent,who will also appoint others as changes arise.

41. Dynasts of the Royal Family selected by the Regent, may attend sessions of thisCouncil but not before reaching their majority and are not included in the number of the

three persons constituting the Council.42. The Regency Council deals with all matters without exception, which are subject tothe decisions of the King Himself and with all matters that are submitted to Him and toHis Council; but the Council is not concerned with the Guardianship.

43. The Regent has the decisive vote.

44. The appointment of the Council and the selection of the members thereof are provided for in case of the absence of other directives from the deceased Sovereign, towhom the circumstances and the persons should have been known.



CHAPTER IV

On Accession to the Throne and Oath of Al legiance

45. Upon the demise of an King, His Heir accedes to the Throne by virtue of the law ofsuccession itself, which confers this right upon Him. The accession of the King to the

Throne is reckoned from the day of the demise of His Predecessor.

46. In the Decree on the accession to the Throne, the Rightful Heir to the Throne is alsoannounced, if the person to whom lawful succession belongs, exists.

47. Allegiance to the newly acceded King and to His Rightful Heir, even if the Heir isnot named in the Decree, is confirmed by a nationwide oath.

48. Everyone pledges an oath according to his faith and law.

Explanatory Note 1

Upon printing the oath of allegiance according to established form, the Governing General Assembly sends it out in the required number of copies to everyone in general, both to militaryand to civil authorities. Every person pledges the oath before his superior wherever it isconvenient; those held in custody, but not yet convicted and deprived of rights, pledge the oathbefore the authorities of their place of confinement. Everyone who has taken the oath ofallegiance, if he is able to write, signs the document by which he has pledged. Subsequently, all

authorities and departments deliver these documents to the Governing General Assembly.

Explanatory Note 2 In general, all subjects of every rank and calling, having reached twelve years of age, must

pledge the oath of allegiance.

Chapter V

On the Coronation and Anointment

49. Upon accession to the Throne, the date for this solemn ritual is set at the discretionof the King and is given nationwide publicity in advance.

50. If the King so deigns, His August Spouse joins Him in partaking of these rites. Butif the coronation of the King precedes His entry into matrimony, the coronation of HisSpouse may occurs afterwards, solely with His specific assent.

Explanatory Note Before the conclusion of this ceremony, according to custom practiced by ancient Christian Monarchs, the King recites before His loyal subjects the Creed of the Catholic Faith, and then

upon being vested in porphyry, upon placing the crown on His head and upon receiving the scepter and the orb, on bent knees He calls upon the King of Kings in the prescribed prayer: to guide, enlighten and make Him fit for the great service, as King and Judge of Ruthenia, thatthere may be with Him the Wisdom which belongs to the Divine Throne, that His heart may bein God’s hand, to accomplish all that is to the profit of the people committed to His charge andto the glory of God, so that on the day of Judgment He may give account of His stewardshipwithout blame.



Chapter VI

On the Ti tle of H is Royal Majesty and the State Coat of Arms

51. The full title of His Royal Majesty is the following: “By the Grace (and aid) of God,

We NN, King of the Ruthenians, Grand Duke of Escandia and Grand Duke of Grevenia

and Caledonia, Count of Götzö, Lord of Alto da Solidão, Hereditary Prince of ÁguaBranca and Other Domains, Prince of St. Stephen, Duke of St. Peter and St. Paul, and soforth, and so forth, and so forth.”

52. In certain cases, determined by law, the title of His Royal Majesty appears in anabridged form: “By the Grace (and aid) of God, We NN, King of Ruthenia, Count ofGötzö, and so forth, and so forth, and so forth.” In other cases, also determined by law,

the following brief version of the title of His Royal Majesty is used: “By the Grace of

God, We NN, King of Ruthenia.”

53. The Ruthenian State Coat of Arms is a black double-headed eagle on a gold shield,

crowned by two royal crowns, above which there is a third, bigger crown, of similarappearance, with two undulating ends of ribbon of the Order of the Ruthenian Eagle.The State eagle is holding a gold scepter and a gold orb. On the breast of the eagle is theRuthenian Tricolor Coat of Arms: three bars in orange, black and white color.

Chapter VII

On the Faith

54. The primary and predominant Faith in the Kingdom of Ruthenia is the CatholicApostolic Roman.

55. The King who occupies the Throne of Ruthenia cannot profess any Faith other thanthe Catholic Apostolic Roman.

56. All individuals and religious confessions may exercise public and freely theirreligion.

57. All individuals cannot invoke religious belief or philosophical or politicalconviction to exempt himself from a legal obligation required of all and refuses tocomply with an alternative obligation established by law.

Chapter VIIIOn the Righ ts and Obligations of Ru thenian Subjects

58. Conditions for acquiring the rights of Ruthenian citizenship, as well as the lossthereof, are determined by law.

59. The defense of the Throne and of the Fatherland is a sacred obligation of everyRuthenian subject. The male population, irrespective of social status, is subject tomilitary service in accordance with lawful decrees.

60. Ruthenian subjects are obliged to pay legally instituted taxes and dues, and also to

perform other duties in accordance with lawful decrees.



61. No one can be subject to prosecution for a criminal act, except by proceduresdetermined by law.

62. No one can be arrested, except in circumstances determined by law.

63. No one can be tried and punished except for criminal acts, governed by criminallaws in force during the perpetration of these acts, provided newly enacted laws do notexclude the perpetrated acts from the list of crimes.

64. The dwelling of every individual is inviolable. Conducting searches and seizureswithout the consent of the owner is permissible only in circumstances and by

procedures defined by law.

65. Every Ruthenian subject has the right freely to select his place of dwelling and profession, to acquire and dispose of property, and to travel abroad without anyhindrance. Specific laws place limitations on these rights.

66. Private property is inviolable. Forcible expropriation of immovable property, whenit is required for State or public use is permissible only upon just and propercompensation.

67. Ruthenian subjects have the right to organize meetings for purposes that are notcontrary to law, that are peaceful and unarmed. The law defines the conditions underwhich meetings take place, the procedures for concluding them, as well as thelimitations on venues.

68. Within the limits established by law everyone can express his thoughts verbally orin writing, and can also promulgate them through publications or other means.

69. Ruthenian subjects have the right to organize associations and unions for purposesnot contrary to laws. The conditions for organizing associations and unions, the mannerof their activities, the terms and rules for acquiring legal status, as well as the procedurefor terminating associations and unions, are defined by law.

70. Ruthenian subjects enjoy religious freedom. The conditions for making use of thisfreedom are defined by law.

71. Foreigners residing in Ruthenia enjoy the rights of Ruthenian subjects withinlimitations established by law.

72. Specific laws define exceptions to the rules expounded in this chapter regardinglocalities under martial law or under exceptional circumstances.

Chapter IX

On Laws

73. The government of the Kingdom of Ruthenia is established upon a firm foundationof laws that have been properly enacted.



74. Laws are equally applicable, without exception, to all Ruthenian subjects andforeigners residing within the Ruthenian State.

75. No new law can be enacted without the ratification of the Council of State and theGeneral Assembly, and cannot go into effect without being approved by the Sovereign

King.

76. If extraordinary circumstances necessitate the introduction of a measure whichrequires legislative action when the Council of State is in recess, the General Assemblysubmits the measure directly to the Sovereign King. Such a measure, however, cannotintroduce changes into the Fundamental State Laws, or the Institutions of the Council ofState and General Assembly, or in the Regulations on elections to the Council or theAssembly. The force of such a measure will cease if the responsible minister ordepartment head fails to introduce appropriate legislation in the General Assemblyduring the first two months of its session upon reconvening, or if the General Assemblyor Council of State refuse to enact it into law.

77. Laws specifically enacted for certain localities or segments of the population are notrepealed by a new, general law unless precisely such a repeal is specified.

78. Every law becomes effective only in the future, except in those cases when the lawitself specifies that it is in force retroactively or when it exists only to confirm andclarify the meaning of a previous law.

79. The General Assembly is the general depository of laws. Therefore, all laws must besubmitted in the original or in duly certified copies to the Governing Chancellor.

80. To inform the general public, laws are promulgated by the Governing GeneralAssembly according to established procedures and do not take effect before their

promulgation.

81. Legislative decrees are not subject to promulgation if they were not enactedaccording to the procedures set in these Fundamental Laws.

82. Upon promulgation, the law becomes effective from the time specified by the lawitself, if such a period of time is not specified -- from the day on which the Council ofState publication containing the printed law is received locally. The law being published

may itself indicate that by means of telegraph or courier it be transmitted for execution before its publication.

83. A law cannot be repealed otherwise than by the force of another law. Therefore,until an active law is effectively repealed by a new law, it retains its full force.

84. No one can plead ignorance of a law once it has been duly promulgated.

85. Regulations concerning regimental, engineering and quartermaster corps, as well as provisions and orders to institutions and authorized personnel in the departments of theArmed Forces are submitted directly to the Sovereign King upon review by the General

Staff, as long as these regulations, provisions and orders, in fact pertain only to theabove-mentioned establishments, and do not concern matters of general laws and do not



call for new expenditures from the treasury or if they do call for new expenditures, theseare covered by expected surpluses in the financial budgets of the Defence Ministry. Incase a new expenditure cannot be covered by the expected surplus, the submission ofsuch regulations, provisions and orders for the King’s approval are permitted only after

petitioning, in the prescribed manner, for the necessary allocation.

86. Regulations concerning military are issued according to procedures established inthe Codes of Military Regulations.

Chapter X

On the Council of State and General Assembly and their modus operandi

87. The Council of State and the General Assembly are convened annually by decree ofthe Sovereign King.

88. Duration of the annual session of the Council of State and the General Assembly

and the lengths of recess during the year are determined by decrees of the SovereignKing.

89. The Council of State consists of members appointed by the Sovereign King.

90. The General Assembly consists of members elected by the population of theKingdom of Ruthenia for a one-year term according to the statutes on election to theGeneral Assembly.

91. The same person cannot serve simultaneously as a member of the Council of Stateand as a member of the General Assembly.

92. The members of the Council of State may be replaced by a new member by a decreeof the Sovereign King.

93. Before the one-year term of office expires, the General Assembly can be dissolved by decree of the Sovereign King. The same decree sets new elections and the time for itto convene.

94. The Council of State and the General Assembly possess equal rights in legislativematters.

95. The Council of State and the General Assembly are authorized to initiate legislative proposals according to the procedures they have established in order to enact new lawsand to repeal and modify existing laws, with the exception of the Fundamental StateLaws that are subject to revision solely upon the initiative of the Sovereign King.

96. The Council of State and the General Assembly are authorized to interpellate,according to procedures they have established, ministers and chief administrators ofvarious departments under the legal jurisdiction of the Council of State, concerningactions taken by them or subordinate persons and agencies, which seem to be unlawful.



97. The Statutes of the Council of State and the General Assembly indicate whichmatters are under the auspices of the Council and Assembly and may be open fordiscussion according to procedures that they have established.

98. Legislative proposals that are considered and approved in the General Assembly, are

submitted to the Council of State. Legislative proposals that are initiated in the Councilare considered by the Council, and upon approval, are submitted to the King.

99. Legislative proposals that have not been adopted in either the Council of State or theGeneral Assembly are considered rejected.

100. Legislative proposals initiated in the State Council of State or the GeneralAssembly, but not approved by the Sovereign King, cannot be resubmitted forlegislative consideration during the same session. Legislative proposals initiated in theCouncil of State or the General Assembly and rejected by one of these institutions, can

be resubmitted for legislative consideration during the same session, provided the

Sovereign King so decrees.

101. Legislative proposals brought before, and approved by the General Assembly andthen by the Council of State, and likewise, legislative proposals initiated in, andapproved by the Council of State, as well as by the General Assembly, are thensubmitted to the Sovereign King by the Chancellor of Ruthenia.

102. When the State Budget is under consideration, appropriations for the payment ofgovernment debts or other obligations taken up by the Ruthenian Government, are notsubject to exclusion or reduction.

103. Allocation of funds covering the expenses of the Royal Household and of thoseinstitutions under its jurisdiction, are not subject to consideration by the Council or theAssembly if the sums do not exceed the amounts allotted in the State Budget of 2015.Modifications to the allocated funds, which are dependent on regulations found in theStatutes of the Royal Family and which correspond to the changes within the Statutes,are equally not subject to consideration.

104. If the State Budget is not approved before the accounting period, the budget thathad been duly approved the previous year will remain in force, with only such changesthat meet the requirements of legislation enacted after the budget's approval. Before the

promulgation of a new State Budget, on the decision of the Council, necessary funds aregradually made available to Ministries and Departments, not exceeding however, intheir totality during any month, one-twelfth of all budgetary expenditures.

105. Additional over-budget funds for war-time needs and for special preparations preceding a war become available to all departments by supreme command incircumstances defined by law.

106. Government loans to cover budget and over-budget expenditures are permittedthrough the same procedures as established for approval of the State Budget's revenuesand expenses. Government loans for covering expenses in cases and according to limits

described in Article 104, as well as those loans for covering expenses that are requiredon the basis of Article 105, are permitted by the Sovereign King, as the supreme



administrator. The time and conditions for acquiring government loans are determinedat the supreme level of administration.

Chapter XI

The Chancell or of the Kingdom

107. The Chancellor of the Kingdom, to be appointed by the Sovereign King, shall preside the Council of State, and supervise the conduct of its business.

Chapter XII

The Foreign Affairs

108. The conduct of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom is the concern of the SovereignKing and appointed Foreign Ministers.

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Ruthenian Constitution