Chapter IV
Armed Forces
ARTICLE 75 The State takes for itself the monopoly of the legitimate use of coercive force.
ARTICLE 76 The defense of the country against foreign or domestic agents is carried out by the Imperial Army of Karnia-Ruthenia, linked solely to the central government.
§ 1º Supplementary law will establish the general norms to be adopted in the organization, preparation and employment of the Armed Forces.
§ 2º There will be no habeas ius in respect of military disciplinary punishments.
§ 3º The members of the Armed Forces are denominated military, applying to them, besides those that will be fixed by law, the following dispositions:
I – the patents, with prerogatives, rights and duties inherent to them, are conferred by the Emperor and fully assured to the active officials, reserve or retired, being to them exclusive the titles and military posts and, together with the other members, the use of uniforms of the Armed Forces;
II – an officer shall only lose his post and rank if he is judged unworthy of or incompatible with the dignity of officership by decision of a permanent court, in times of peace, or of a special court, in times of war;
III – an officer sentenced by means of an unappealable judgment to loss of political rights for more than two months shall be submitted to trial as provided in the preceding item;
IV – the law shall provide for admission to the Armed Forces, age limits, tenure, and other conditions for a military to be retired, the rights, duties, prerogatives and other circumstances which are specific to the military, the special characteristics of their activities being taken into account, including those carried out by virtue of international agreements and of war.
ARTICLE 77 The Imperial Army of Karnia-Ruthenia has as its Commander-in-Chief the Emperor, who receives the title of Field Marshal, and as Deputy Commander-in-Chief the Colonel General, chosen by the Imperial General Headquarters.
ARTICLE 78 Military enlistment is optional for all Karno-Ruthenian from the age of fifteen.
ARTICLE 79 The administration of the Imperial Army of Karnia-Ruthenia is carried out by the Imperial General Headquarters and the Ministry of War, without prejudice of the Imperial Diet to vote laws on the subject.
Chapter V
Imperial Diet
ARTICLE 80 The Imperial Diet is the political body with the highest authority in government, responsible for administering legislative power, and is divided into an upper chamber, the House of Peers, and a lower chamber, House of Representatives.
ARTICLE 81 The Imperial Diet is governed by its Internal Regiment, which shall be voted by its own members in the first Ordinary Session after the promulgation of this Constitution.
ARTICLE 82 The Imperial Diet is presided by the Palatine of the House of Peers.
ARTICLE 83 The legislative year will begin with the State Opening of Parliament, held every first of August, and will end every thirtieth of June.
§ 1º The State Opening of Parliament is summoned by imperial decree.
§ 2º The solemn ceremony is held through the Speech from the Throne, addressed in the House of Peers, which will announce the goals of the legislative year.
ARTICLE 84 The competences of the Imperial Diet are:
I – to authorize the declaration of war and the celebration of peace, if approved by 2/3 of its members;
II – to override State of Exception declaration, if approved by 2/3 of its members;
III – to authorize the ratification of international treaties;
IV – to authorize the resignation of the Emperor and recognize the Crown Prince;
V – to authorize the marriage of the Emperor and the Crown Prince;
VI – to supervise the activities of the Cabinet;
VII – to give effect to motion of no confidence;
VIII – to enact constitutional amendments.
ARTICLE 85 The upper chamber consists of:
I – the Crown Prince;
II – the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal;
III – a noble of each constituent state, according to the demarcations provided for in article 58.
§ 1º The vacancies delimited in item III shall be filled by appointment by imperial decree, and its members shall have a title of hierarchy greater than or equal to Margrave, unblemished reputation and not occupy any seat in the lower chamber.
§ 2º The term of office of the members of the upper chamber is lifelong, and may be terminated only by renunciation, criminal conviction or dismissal by imperial decree.
§ 3º The Crown Prince becomes member of the upper chamber only after his majority.
§ 4º The Crown Prince and the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal are not allowed to resign their posts in the upper chamber, unless they renounce their own title.
ARTICLE 86 The House of Peers is governed by its Internal Regiment, which shall be voted by its own members in the first Ordinary Session after the promulgation of this Constitution.
ARTICLE 87 The internal administration of the upper chamber is carried by a presiding board headed by the Palatine of the House of Peers.
SINGLE PARAGRAPH The Palatine of the House of Peers shall be the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal.
ARTICLE 88 The competences of the House of Peers are:
I - to give efficiency to the Speech from the Throne by voting the Act of Government Goals and Objectives, which should delimit the scope of the Cabinet's actions for the legislative year;
II - to approve and reform the bills by relative majority, and constitutional amendments voted in the House of Representatives, in accordance with article 114.
ARTICLE 89 The lower chamber consists of representatives deputies elected by direct election and plurality voting from each one of the constituencies of the Empire.
§ 1º The deputy exercises his legislative functions for a term of two years, and loses his political office only by resignation or criminal conviction.
§ 2º The constituencies are determined by ordinary law and should not be numerically lower than the number of seats occupied in the House of Peers.
ARTICLE 90 The House of Representatives is governed by its Internal Regiment, which shall be voted by its own members in the first Ordinary Session after the promulgation of this Constitution.
ARTICLE 91 The internal administration of the lower chamber is carried by a presiding board headed by the President of the Representatives.
SINGLE PARAGRAPH The President of the Representatives shall be elected by relative majority in the first Ordinary Session after the promulgation of this Constitution, with a term of one year.
ARTICLE 92 The competence of the House of Representatives are:
I – to propose bills;
II – to propose constitutional amendments;
III – to vote bills;
IV – to vote constitutional amendments;
V – to elect by relative majority the Imperial Chancellor.
ARTICLE 93 According to the articles 88 and 92, the legislative process begins in the House of Representatives with the proposal and approval of the bill, and proceed to approval or reform by the House of Peers.
SINGLE PARAGRAPH Even if the bill is amended in the upper chamber, it will proceed for imperial assent.
ARTICLE 94 No member of the parliaments shall at any time suffer legal prosecution on account of his vote, or on account of utterances made while in the performance of his functions, or be held responsible outside the parliaments for his actions in it.
ARTICLE 95 Without the consent of the parliaments, none of its members shall be tried or punished during Ordinary or Extraordinary Sessions for any offences committed, except when arrested in the act of committing the offence, or in the course of the following day.