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This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- settler_s_council [2025/06/24 04:00] – [Overview] admin
+++ settler_s_council [2025/12/28 14:27] (current) – [Overview] admin
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 === Races | Culture | Buildings & Institutions ===
-====== THE SETTLER`S COUNCIL ======
+====== THE SETTLER’S COUNCIL ======
+{{ :settlers_council_scenic_2d.png?direct&400|}}
 ===== Overview =====
-The Settler`s Council was the highest legalislative institution of the [[free_state_of_settlers|Free State of Settlers]] in the [[the_humans|exohuman]] [[beta_age|Beta Age]], which existed from 03 October 2625 until the forced surrender of the [[volunteer_army_of_man|Volunteer Army of Man]] in the [[great_war|Great War]] against the Alliance of [[the_natives_tribes_of_voi_700_d|Native Tribes]] and the subsequent signing of the [[peace_treaty|Peace Treaty]] at April 16 in the year 2631.
+The Settler’s Council was the highest legislative and judicial institution of the [[free_state_of_settlers|Free State of Settlers]] in the [[beta_age|Beta Age]] (03 Oct 2625–16 Apr 2631). It drafted laws by referendum, served as a court of last appeal for [[criminal_code_of_the_free_state_of_settlers|Criminal]] and [[civil_code_of_the_free_state_of_settlers|Civil Code]] violations, and directed the [[guarding_troopers|Guarding Troopers]] to enforce its rulings. The Council’s headquarters was located in [[new_kourou|New Kourou]].
-The Settler`s Council had its [[Settler's Council Building|Headquarters]] in [[new_kourou|New Kourou]].
+===== Democratic Formation =====
-===== The democratic formation of the Settler`s Council =====
+  * **Composition:** Five elected councillors, serving two-year terms.
+  * **Eligibility:** Any adult citizen could stand for election.
+  * **First Election:** December 2625.
-  * The Settler`s Council consisted of five so-called Councilors and was elected every two years by direct vote.
+Councillors were chosen by direct popular vote; proposals for new laws originated from citizen ballots posted at the headquarters mailbox and ratified by household referenda.
-  * Theoretically, it was open to every citizen to stand for election as a councilor.
-  * The first elections were held in December 2625.
-===== Tasks and duties of the Settler`s Council =====
-The system was basically based on the government system that the European Space Agency had developed for the passengers on the [[last_frontier|Last Frontier]] multigeneration spacecraft - and to which all first-generation passengers committed via signature before departure.
+===== Powers & Duties =====
-The supreme task of the Settler`s Council was to transform the will of the majority of the population into laws and to have them approved again by the people in the form of a referendum.
+  * **Legislation:** Transformed prioritized citizen proposals into bills; passed laws by majority and published them for enforcement.
+  * **Judicial Authority:** Acted as the supreme court — hearing appeals from local Guarding Trooper stations, conducting trials for major offences, and issuing final sentences (exile, penal labor, restitution, or, in extreme cases, execution).
+  * **Enforcement:** Instructed Guarding Troopers to carry out arrests, confiscations, and punishments; maintained a central Register of Judgments.
+  * **Referenda Oversight:** Organized and tallied quarterly referenda on new proposals; ensured all laws reflected the settlers’ will.
-In addition, the council had to ensure that the laws, once passed by the majority, were adhered to. For this purpose, Accordingly, the council was also a court of law and it had the executive powers to enforce the law.
+===== Operational Procedures: Quarterly Legislative & Judicial Sessions =====
-===== Operation of the Settler`s Council in the implementation of new laws and bills.  =====
+To bridge the distances between scattered settlements and ensure both lawmaking and major legal disputes were handled transparently, the Settler’s Council and all five [[contact_person|Contact Persons]] followed a strict quarterly cycle. These sessions served not only to enact new legislation but also to adjudicate appeals from across the Free State of Settlers.
-On the spaceship, the council's mode of operation was strongly influenced by the digitization of the human community. Everything was networked via a cloud and had the necessary devices to participate in the so-called "Space Ship Wide Net". Accordingly, voting was conducted digitally and new laws or resolutions were communicated digitally.
+==== 1. Preparation & Agenda Setting ====
-However, due to the crash landing of the Last Frontier on VOI 700 D and the resulting reduced ability of the population to access a cloud, this mode of operation could not continue.  However, it was used as a model for the introduction of an analog solution. Accordingly, key features of the starship's direct and digital democracy were also found in Beta Age society.
+  * **Local Proposal Collection:** In the two weeks preceding each session, Contact Persons gathered and tabulated the outcome of their settlement’s referendum on locally prioritized issues (up to three topics per settlement).
+  * **Council Drafting:** Simultaneously, Councilors prepared any new draft laws or amendments they wished to advance to the settlements for ratification.
-Thus, it was also maintained in the Beta Age that the Settlers Council was only allowed to work on the instructions of the population and only became active as a legislator if it received so-called "prioritized proposals" from the citizens for this purpose.
+==== 2. Quarterly Assembly in New Kourou ====
-The initial solicitation of proposals for new legislation was done through a mailbox attached to the Council's headquarters in New Kourou. Citizens could submit suggestions here during the first six weeks of a quarter. After a formal review by the Council, the proposals were then sent to all households for prioritization. They now had until the end of the tenth week of a quarter to choose whether a proposal was important to them or not.
+Held at the Settler’s Council Building, these meetings followed a four-part agenda:
-All proposals that received a majority of the returned votes cast were developed into bills in the Settler`s Council.
+  * **Submission of Local Proposals:** Each Contact Person formally presented their settlement’s top three referendum results, explaining local needs and urging Council discussion.
+  * **Presentation of Council Proposals:** Councilors introduced any new bills or code amendments. After debate, each draft was tabled for local ratification.
+  * **Judicial Appeals Hearing:** Major criminal or civil appeals escalated from local Guarding Trooper stations were argued before the full Council, with the Contact Person of the appellant’s settlement present as liaison.
+  * **Final Deliberation & Scheduling:** The Council voted to adopt local proposals that had already passed local referenda, recorded judicial rulings, and scheduled all Council-originated drafts for immediate local referenda.
-===== Members of the Settler`s Council  =====
+==== 3. Local Referenda & Validation ====
-**2625 till 2627:** Jermaine Forster, Tayada Charoensuk, Hèctor Tènoch Morales, Teimuraz Levanishvili, Robert Deuville
+After the assembly adjourned:
-**2627 until 2629:** Jermaine Forster, Tayada Charoensuk, Hèctor Tènoch Morales, Eiko Bakken, Robert Deuville
+  * **Citizen Balloting:** Contact Persons organized a two-week, settlement-wide vote on each Council-originated bill. Voting stations were overseen by Guarding Troopers to guarantee fairness.
+  * **Certification & Reporting:** Once ballots were counted, results were certified by the local Station Commander and sent back to the Council ahead of the next quarterly session.
+==== 4. Enactment, Publication & Enforcement ====
+  * **Law Adoption:** Any proposal—local or Council-originated—that secured a simple majority in its referenda was formally ratified at the subsequent quarterly meeting and entered into the official Statute Roll.
+  * **Publication:** New laws and court rulings were posted at each Community Center and dispatched by courier to every settlement.
+  * **Enforcement Directives:** The Council issued orders to the Guarding Troopers network for implementation of both new statutes and judicial sentences.
+==== 5. Ongoing Oversight ====
+Between sessions, Contact Persons and Station Commanders maintained regular communication with the Council’s Clerk, submitting interim reports on enforcement challenges, public feedback, and urgent petitions that might require special consideration before the next formal cycle.
+This robust, participatory framework ensured that every law—and every major legal dispute—reflected both local sentiment and colony-wide consensus, binding the Free State’s widely dispersed communities into a cohesive, self-governing polity.
+===== Members of the Settler`s Council  =====
-**2629 bis 2631:** Jermaine Forster, Tayada Charoensuk, Kazuko Tanaka, Eiko Bakken, Teniel lozano
+  * **2625 till 2627:** Jermaine Forster, Tayada Charoensuk, Hèctor Tènoch Morales, Teimuraz Levanishvili, Robert Deuville
+  * **2627 until 2629:** Jermaine Forster, Tayada Charoensuk, Hèctor Tènoch Morales, Eiko Bakken, Robert Deuville
+  * **2629 bis 2631:** Jermaine Forster, Tayada Charoensuk, Kazuko Tanaka, Eiko Bakken, Teniel lozano
 ===== Tactical Advice for Dungeon Masters =====