Rules of Procedure for the World Constituent Assembly
(Deliberated and adopted under the authority of Article 18, Item 5, of the Constitution for the Federation of Earth, by the Sixth Session of the Provisional World Parliament, meeting in Bangkok, Thailand in March 2003)
1. Purposes of the Fifth Session of the World Constituent Assembly, shall be as defined in the Call to the Fifth Session of the World Constituent Assembly, subject to the Call being made by either the provisional World Parliament, in accordance with Article 18, Item 5 of the Constitution for the Federation of Earth, or by the Standing Steering Committee for the World Constituent Assembly that the provisional World Parliament shall designate. Purposes shall not supercede these Rules of Procedure.
2. The provisional World Parliament shall elect five chairpersons, a secretary and a treasurer to serve as the Standing Executive Cabinet of the provisional World Parliament. These seven members of the Standing Executive Cabinet of the provisional World Parliament shall comprise the initial Steering Committee for the administration of the World Constituent Assembly (as the organizing agent for the World Constituent Assembly), together with seven members elected by in Plenary Session on the 2nd day of the World Constituent Assembly. All members of the Steering Committee must be accredited delegates to the World Constituent Assembly, which includes the requirement of prior personal ratification of the Constitution for the Federation of Earth in its 1991 edition. The Steering Committee shall elect its own Chairperson and Secretary. Until the World Constituent Assembly has its own permanent financing, the Standing Executive Cabinet of the provisional World Parliament (organizing agent) of the World Constituent Assembly shall supervise any staff personnel for the Assembly, both paid and volunteer. The Steering Committee shall invite suggestions for proposed amendments. If there is a significant request, the Steering Committee shall recommend to the provisional World Parliament to call the World Constituent Assembly.
3. The Steering Committee shall nominate accredited delegates to serve official roles for the World Constituent Assembly, including Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary. These delegates must be confirmed by simple majority vote of the World Constituent Assembly. If simple majority confirmation is not forthcoming, the Steering Committee may make new nominations based upon nominations made from the floor of the World Constituent Assembly, subject to simple majority confirmation of the Assembly. The World Constituent Assembly shall hold elections no later than the third day of the particular full session of the World Constituent Assembly. Until the officers are determined, the original nominees of the Steering Committee shall serve. The term of office for World Constituent Assembly officers shall be for only one full session, with re-election permitted for any subsequent sessions. One hundred (100) accredited delegates, paid and present, constitute a quorum to convene the World Constituent Assembly.
4. The business of the World Constituent Assembly shall be limited to consideration, deliberation and action on constructive amendment to the Constitution for the Federation of Earth. Sole consideration shall be for amendments which conserve the basic non-military, federal and parliamentary attributes of the provisional World Government and World Government, and which strengthen the overall program for non-military, federal, democratic world government. Likewise, only proposals that conserve all of the seven major branches of the World Government shall be considered: the tri-cameral World Parliament, the World Judiciary, the World Executive, the Enforcement System, the World Ombudsmus, the Integrative Complex and the World Administration. The Steering Committee and the Chair of the World Constituent Assembly shall give special consideration to strengthening of the Bill of Rights of the Constitution for the Federation of Earth, to strengthening of the World Parliament by increasing its accountability, and to the clarification of the relationship of the World Government to the United Nations Organization and related agencies, which are to undergo transfer, reconstitution and integration by the World Government in conformance with the Constitution for the Federation of Earth. The Steering Committee and the Chair shall also give special consideration to amendment proposals to improve the implementation and ratification process.
5. The Chair of the World Constituent Assembly shall rule as out of order any speeches or discussions during sessions of the World Constituent Assembly not clearly relevant to the business defined under #4 above, except for short greetings or presentations by Honorary Sponsors or by honorary invitees.
6. Proposals for constitutional amendments are not be limited to those mentioned in the Call to the World Constituent Assembly. However, the Assembly, by simple majority vote, may require deliberative priorities. Any accredited delegate may submit an amendment proposal, which must receive simple majority vote for consideration, as defined by the Constitution for the Federation of Earth, Article XVIII Section 1.a., or by petitions signed by a total of 200,000 persons eligible to vote in world elections from a total or at least 20 World Electoral and Administrative Districts where the Earth Constitution has received final ratification, as defined by the Constitution for the Federation of Earth, Article XVIII. Section 1.b.
7. Persons may submit proposals for constitutional amendment by writing to the organizing agent, to be received at least 90 days in advance of the Assembly, so that the preliminary agenda may be adapted and printed for the Assembly. However, in any case, all proposals of over thirty-five words in length must be submitted in written form by the end of the first day of the World Constituent Assembly, with individual copies to each member of the Steering Committee and to each accredited delegate in attendance, at the expense of the delegate making the submission. Delegates making proposals have the sole responsibility for printing arrangements, not the Steering Committee for the Assembly, nor the organizing agent. Written proposals must also meet the qualifications of item 3 and 7 of the Rules of Procedure for the World Constituent Assembly, pertaining to the reservation of the non-military, federal, and tri-cameral parliamentary structure of the World Government, and reserving the sovereignty of the people of Earth through the Constitution for the Federation of Earth.
8. At the time that the Agenda designates, proposals may be introduced. Seconded proposals shall be given one reading in the Session. After reading, the delegate submitting a proposed amendment may have up to three minutes to present attributed merits of the proposal before the vote on deliberation. After this eulogy, questions for clarification are in order, but no judgmental statements. Answers to questions for clarification shall be limited to seven minutes total time per proposed amendment, which shall be monitored electronically by the Secretary of the Assembly, giving the presenter one-minute’s notice to conclude each response for clarification. Any debate on the merits of any proposal shall not take place until after the Assembly has decided whether to accept the proposal for deliberation by its simple majority vote. Reading of individual amendments are limited to a reading time of ten minutes.
9. Any deliberative priorities on proposed amendments shall be voted upon after the conclusion of the initial readings of the written proposals for amendment, and after the adoption for deliberation of written proposals for possible amendment. After any simple majority decision to require deliberative priorities, these shall be established by a signed rating sheet ballot (universal ballot), which shall include all written proposals which have been accepted for deliberation by the Assembly. After the ballot but before beginning deliberations, the Steering Committee shall publish a spreadsheet for the Assembly, to audit the rating sheet results (Abstentions in the rating sheet shall be permitted, but duplicate ratings in the sheet from any one delegate shall be discarded for the respective ratings in question).
10. Any measure to amend the Constitution for the Federation of Earth must be consistent with the principle of non-military, federal, democratic world government. Amendments to establish a military, to abolish the Parliament, or any of its three Houses, or to reduce the legislative power, other than proposals which thereby clearly increase overall legislative accountability, are out of order and shall not be deliberated. Likewise, any proposal to eliminate any of the seven major branches of the World Government are out of order. These may be screened out by the Steering Committee after written submission, to preclude their coming to the Assembly floor.
11. Any amendment shall require the simple two thirds majority of delegates actually attending the Assembly, unless 25 national governments have given preliminary or final ratification to the Constitution for the Federation of Earth by the time that the 5th Session of the World Constituent Assembly convenes, in which case, an absolute two-thirds majority of delegates shall be required for passing an amendment.
12. No world legislation under the Constitution for the Federation of Earth may be debated at sessions of the World Constituent Assembly. At any session of the World Constituent Assembly, during recess, proposed legislation or legislative amendments may be caucused, without comment on the floor of the Assembly. The Steering Committee may then refer any legislative proposals to any respective Standing Parliamentary Commission of the Parliament. Legislative proposals may only be officially deliberated and voted upon at a session of the provisional World Parliament or World Parliament.
13. All delegates to the World Constituent Assembly must register on approved registration forms, which include a pledge of support for the World Constituent Assembly, the provisional World Parliament, and World Legislation enacted to date by the provisional World Parliament, as well as pledge support to the principle of non-military federal, democratic world government. Delegates must pay the designated registration fees to the organizing agent for the World Constituent Assembly, unless the Steering Committee waives this as may be provided in the Call to the World Constituent Assembly.
14. All observers at the World Constituent Assembly must register on observer registration forms, which shall include a pledge not to obstruct the work of the Assembly, and must pay registration fees for observers. Observers shall have neither vote nor voice on the floor of the Assembly.
15. The Steering Committee shall use registration fees only to finance the World Constituent Assembly and its related work, such as following reports. Before the next to the last day of the World Constituent Assembly, the Treasurer shall make a report of income and expenses. The Steering Committee shall publish the budget of the World Constituent Assembly by the next to last day of the particular full session of the World Constituent Assembly. If any expenses remain unpaid due to insufficient funds, the treasurer shall take a collection. The World Constituent Assembly may not adjourn until all legitimate expense bills have been paid.
16. The Steering Committee, by a two-thirds majority vote, may expel any participant from the World Constituent Assembly, whether a delegate or an observer, if found to be acting in a manner obstructive to the purposes of the World Constituent Assembly. A simple two thirds majority vote of the World Constituent Assembly may also expel any participant found to be acting in an obstructive manner.
17. The organizing agent, as well as those members of the Steering Committee who are retained by the organizing agent at the conclusion of each full session of the World Constituent Assembly, shall comprise the Continuation Steering Committee, to serve between sessions of the World Constituent Assembly. However, the World Parliament can reconstitute the Continuation Steering Committee upon the commencement of the First Operative Stage of World Government under the Constitution for the Federation of Earth.
18. During sessions of the World Constituent Assembly, the Steering Committee shall meet daily to take care of any necessary business, and may make changes to the Agenda of the World Constituent Assembly, if found necessary. Such meetings of the Steering Committee shall require a quorum of seven members after the third day of the Assembly.
19. The Steering Committee shall publish a daily report of World Constituent Assembly proceedings. The Steering Committee shall publish a list of all World Constituent Assembly participants by the third day of the Assembly. The Steering Committee shall publish a final list of participants with home addresses upon the end of the World Constituent Assembly.
20. Except where otherwise specified, simple majority vote of those present and qualified to vote shall decide all questions of the Steering Committee, of other Commissions or Committees of the World Constituent Assembly, and of meetings of the Assembly itself.
21. Proxy voting is prohibited and each delegate shall have only one vote. One hundred (100) accredited delegates, paid and present, constitute a quorum to convene the World Constituent Assembly.
Thereafter, quorum for each day’s session shall require the attendance of at least 60% of the registered accredited delegates who have shown up for the particular full session.
22. Procedural matters, including these Rules of Procedure (after original adoption by the provisional World Parliament), shall not be debated in the sessions of the World Constituent Assembly. During the sessions of the Assembly, the rulings of the Speaker are final on procedural conduct of the Assembly. Delegates may refer any questions concerning Rules of Procedure or the Agenda to the Steering Committee for decision. After original adoption by the Parliament, the Rules of Procedure can be amended during sessions of the provisional World Parliament only by a two thirds absolute majority vote of the Parliament in Plenary Session.
23. Robert’s Rules of Order and Erskine May Code shall supplement these Rules of Procedure, but not supersede at any point of possible variance. Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the standard guide for meetings of the World Constituent Assembly, of the Steering Committee and of the Continuation Steering Committee on points not covered therein.
24. If any Founding Ratification Convention including representation from national governments determines that adjustment must be made to the Constitution for the Federation of Earth, the Founding Ratification Convention shall conform to these Rules of Procedure for the World Constituent Assembly.
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Adopted March 2003, Bangkok, Thailand, Sixth Session of the Provisional World Parliament
Attested: Eugenia Almand, JD, Secretary Provisional World Parliament