About the Global Ratification and Elections Network Campaign

GLOBAL RATIFICATION & ELECTIONS NETWORK CAMPAIGN

In the course of history, particularly during the past several hundred years, the technique of a Constituent Assembly has been developed and used under various circumstances as a means to devise the constitutions for democratic governments, either to create new governments where none existed before or to replace old or crumbling governments under both peaceful and revolutionary situations.

Sometimes such assemblies have been appointed by existing governments. At other times, under the most favorable circumstances, such assemblies have been elected by vote of established electorates. But at other times such assemblies have been composed and convened under circumstances where only a limited number of people of the country or areas involved actually took part in the selection of delegates. Only a small minority of any electorate might actually participate during the time when a new democratic government is emerging under conditions of revolution from tyranny or of political turmoil or urgent crises; or in the absence of any organized political system which was willing or able to supervise a vote of the total potential electorate for such an assembly or newly emerging democratic government.

It is under the later kind of circumstances that the move has gone forward during the years since World War II for the organization of a World Constituent Assembly to devise the constitution for a democratic form of federal world government. No previous world government or competent world authority has existed to organize or supervise elections to such a World Constituent Assembly. No universally approved electoral lists exist for the conduct of such elections. Existing national governments heretofore have proved unwilling or uninterested or hostile or otherwise unable to assist in either the appointment or election of working delegates to such a World Constituent Assembly, despite numerous appeals -- although these appeals are continuing.

Under the existing circumstances of global anarchy, of political turmoil in many parts of the world, of the suppression or non-functioning of democratic electoral procedures in many parts of the world, as well as of the unprecedented urgencies of many growing world-wide crises requiring extra-ordinary measures if humanity is to survive, action has been organized by the World Constitution and Parliament Association -- as well as by other organizations and groups since 1945 -- to attempt to convene World Constituent Assemblies for the purposes of preparing a constitution for democratic federal world government, and of securing the acceptance and ratification of such a world constitution.

Under these circumstances, the World Constitution and Parliament Association does not claim to have organized a World Constituent Assembly composed of delegates fully representative of and elected by the full potential electorate for such an assembly or for the subsequent world parliament which may emerge. The only claim made is that the delegates and volunteer participants in the four sessions of the World Constituent Assembly are composed of and are representative of those people and elements of society scattered around the globe who are ready, willing and able to move constructively under crises circumstances to devise a Constitution for Democratic Federal World Government, and to launch the first efforts to obtain widespread consideration and ratification and the beginnings of implementation of such a World Constitution.

Under these circumstances, we believe there have been convened four sessions of a World Constituent Assembly -- the first in August-September, 1968, at Interlaken, Switzerland, and Wolfach, Germany; the second in June, 1977, at Innsbruck, Austria; the third in 1978-79 at Colombo, Sri Lanka; and the fourth Assembly in Troia, Portugal, in May 1991.

Finally, these sessions of a World Constituent Assembly are fully consonant with the respected theory that democratic government arises from the initiative and consent of the people who will be the citizens under that government, that people at all times have the democratic right and prerogative to discharge or change any governments which do not adequately serve their welfare, and to initiate new governments when urgently required to their safety or welfare. No superior authority exists at any time to this basic right of people to initiate such action; and in particular, no authority superior to action by people exists for the organization and functioning of a World Constituent Assembly or a democratic World Parliament.

Therefore, let us go forward with a GLOBAL RATIFICATION and ELECTIONS CAMPAIGN, appealing to people and governments to ratify the Constitution for the Federation of Earth which has been produced by these four sessions of the World Constituent Assembly.

We call upon the people of Earth to ratify the Constitution for the Federation of Earth, by direct Referendum and by Initiative Petition followed by election of delegates to the House of Peoples.

We call upon the Universities, Colleges and Churches, Scientific Academies and Institutes to ratify the Constitution for the Federation of Earth and nominate delegates with a world view as candidates for election to the Hose of Counsellors.

We call upon the national governments and legislatures of the world to ratify the Constitution for the Federation of Earth and elect delegates to the House of Nations.

Let us move forward with courage and humility in the spirit in which these sessions of the World Constituent Assembly have been conceived, knowing that we are fully justified by the circumstances of world crises, the conditions of world-wide political turmoil and de facto global anarchy, and the recognized right and authority of people to act in the creation of democratic forms of government to serve their safety and welfare, as provided by the Constitution for the Federation of Earth. Although time may reveal the need for some amendments to this Constitution, it has been prepared by a broad global representation of qualified people and it is ready for ratification and implementation now. So let us build on this solid base which has been prepared over the last 25 years and unite our energies in achieving ratification and implementation.

(A major portion of this statement, under title of RATIONALE FOR WORLD CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY, was adopted at the Third session of the World Constituent Assembly meeting at Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 29 December 1978, to 6 January, 1979.)

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How to proceed if national ratification referendum fails

The Earth Constitution
Article 17 - Ratification and Implementation
Sec. A - Ratification of the World Constitution
This World Constitution shall be submitted to the nations and people of Earth for ratification by the following procedures:
1. The World Constitution shall be transmitted to the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization and to each national government on Earth, with the request that the World Constitution be submitted to the national legislature of each nation for preliminary ratification and to the people of each nation for final ratification by popular referendum.
2. Preliminary ratification by a national legislature shall be accomplished by simple majority vote of the national legislature.
3. Final ratification by the people shall be accomplished by a simple majority of votes cast in a popular referendum, provided that a minimum of twenty-five percent of eligible voters of age eighteen years and over have cast ballots within the nation or country or within World Electoral and Administrative Districts.
4. In the case of a nation without a national legislature, the head of the national government shall be requested to give preliminary ratification and to submit the World Constitution for final ratification by popular referendum.
5. In the event that a national government, after six months, fails to submit the World Constitution for ratification as requested, then the global agency assuming responsibility for the worldwide ratification campaign may proceed to conduct a direct referendum for ratification of the World Constitution by the people. Direct referendums may be organized on the basis of entire nations or countries, or on the basis of existing defined communities within nations.
6. In the event of a direct ratification referendum, final ratification shall be accomplished by a majority of the votes cast whether for an entire nation or for a World Electoral and Administrative District, provided that ballots are cast by a minimum of twenty-five percent of eligible voters of the area who are over eighteen years of age.
7. For ratification by existing communities within a nation, the procedure shall be to request local communities, cities, counties, states, provinces, cantons, prefectures, tribal jurisdictions, or other defined political units within a nation to ratify the World Constitution, and to submit the World Constitution for a referendum vote by the citizens of the community or political unit. Ratification may be accomplished by proceeding in this way until all eligible voters of age eighteen and above within the nation or World Electoral and Administrative District have had the opportunity to vote, provided that ballots are cast by a minimum of twenty-five percent of those eligible to vote.
8. Prior to the Full Operative Stage of World Government, as defined under Section E of Article XVII, the universities, colleges and scientific academies and institutes in any country may ratify the World Constitution, thus qualifying them for participation in the nomination of Members of the World Parliament to the House of Counsellors.

Peter Graves-Goodman, VP - WCPA more than 9 years ago