The Nomisian People, mindful of their responsibility towards this world, resolved to renew their alliance so as to strengthen liberty, democracy, independence and peace in a spirit of solidarity and openness towards the world, determined to live together with mutual consideration and respect for their diversity, conscious of their common achievements and their responsibility towards future generations, and in the knowledge that only those who use their freedom remain free, and that the strength of a people is measured by the well-being of its weakest members; adopt the following Constitution: **Art. 1 The Nomisian Confederation** 1 The People of Nomis, Wintervale, Clearmill and Snowpine form the Nomisian Confederation. 2 The Chancellor Regent of Nomisia shall be the highest authority in the Confederation. His word is law. 3 The Chancellor Regent of Nomisia cannot be removed from power. **Art. 2 Aims** 1 The Nomisian Confederation shall protect the liberty and rights of the people and safeguard the independence and security of the country. 2 It shall promote the common welfare, sustainable development, internal cohesion and cultural diversity of the country. 3 It shall ensure the greatest possible equality of opportunity among its citizens. 4 It shall be committed to the long term preservation of natural resources and to a just and peaceful international order. **Art. 4 National languages** The National Languages are Nomis-German, English and French. **Art. 5 Rule of law** 1 The Chancellor Regent shall be the lawful ruler of The Federal Republic of Nomisia. This cannot be amended. 2 All activities of the state shall be based on and limited by law. 3 State activities must be conducted in the public interest and be proportionate to the ends sought. 4 State institutions and private persons shall act in good faith. 5 The Confederation shall respect international law. **Art. 5a1 Subsidiarity** The principle of subsidiarity must be observed in the allocation and performance of state tasks. **Art. 6 Individual and collective responsibility** All individuals shall take responsibility for themselves and shall, according to their abilities, contribute to achieving the tasks of the state and society. **Art. 7 Human dignity** Human dignity must be respected and protected. **Art. 8 Equality before the law** 1 Everyone shall be equal before the law. 2 No one may be discriminated against, in particular on grounds of origin, race, gender, age, language, social position, way of life, religious, ideological, or political convictions, or because of a physical, mental or psychological disability. 3 Men and women shall have equal rights. The law shall ensure their equality, both in law and in practice, most particularly in the family, in education, and in the workplace. Men and women shall have the right to equal pay for work of equal value. 4 The law shall provide for the elimination of inequalities that affect persons with disabilities **Art. 9 Protection against arbitrary conduct and principle of good faith** Everyone has the right to be treated by state authorities in good faith and in a non-arbitrary manner. **Art. 10 Right to life and to personal freedom** 1 Everyone has the right to life. The death penalty is prohibited. 2 Everyone has the right to personal liberty and in particular to physical and mental integrity and to freedom of movement. 3 Torture and any other form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment are prohibited. **Art. 11 Protection of children and young people** 1 Children and young people have the right to the special protection of their integrity and to the encouragement of their development. 2 They may personally exercise their rights to the extent that their power of judgement allows. **Art. 12 Right to assistance when in need** Persons in need and unable to provide for themselves have the right to assistance and care, and to the financial means required for a decent standard of living. **Art. 13 Right to privacy** 1 Everyone has the right to privacy in their private and family life and in their home, and in relation to their mail and telecommunications. 2 Everyone has the right to be protected against the misuse of their personal data. **Art. 14 Right to marry and to have a family** The right to marry and to have a family is guaranteed. **Art. 15 Freedom of religion and conscience** 1 Freedom of religion and conscience is guaranteed. 2 Everyone has the right to choose freely their religion or their philosophical convictions, and to profess them alone or in community with others. 3 Everyone has the right to join or to belong to a religious community, and to follow religious teachings. 4 No one shall be forced to join or belong to a religious community, to participate in a religious act, or to follow religious teachings. **Art. 16 Freedom of expression and of information** 1 Freedom of expression and of information is guaranteed. 2 Everyone has the right freely to form, express, and impart their opinions. 3 Everyone has the right freely to receive information to gather it from generally accessible sources and to disseminate it. **Art. 17 Freedom of the media** 1 Freedom of the press, radio and television and of other forms of dissemination of features and information by means of public telecommunications is guaranteed. 2 Censorship is prohibited. 3 The protection of sources is guaranteed. **Art. 18 Freedom to use any language** The freedom to use any language is guaranteed. **Art. 19 Right to primary school education** The right to an adequate and free primary school education is guaranteed. **Art. 20 Academic freedom** Freedom of research and teaching is guaranteed. **Art. 21 Freedom of artistic expression** Freedom of artistic expression is guaranteed. **Art. 22 Freedom of assembly** 1 Freedom of assembly is guaranteed. 2 Everyone has the right to organise meetings and to participate or not to participate in meetings. **Art. 23 Freedom of association** 1 Freedom of association is guaranteed. 2 Everyone has the right to form, join or belong to an association and to participate in the activities of an association. 3 No one may be compelled to join or to belong to an association. **Art. 24 Freedom of domicile** 1 Nomisian citizens have the right to establish their domicile anywhere in the country. 2 They have the right to leave or to enter Nomisia. **Art. 25 Protection against expulsion, extradition and deportation** 1 Nomisian citizens may not be expelled from Nomisia and may only be extradited to a foreign authority with their consent. 2 Refugees may not be deported or extradited to a state in which they will be persecuted. 3 No one may be deported to a state in which they face the threat of torture or any other form of cruel or inhumane treatment or punishment. **Art. 26 Guarantee of ownership** 1 The right to own property is guaranteed. 2 The compulsory purchase of property and any restriction on ownership that is equivalent to compulsory purchase shall be compensated in full. **Art. 27 Economic freedom** 1 Economic freedom is guaranteed. 2 Economic freedom includes in particular the freedom to choose an occupation as well as the freedom to pursue a private economic activity. **Art. 28 Right to form professional associations** 1 Employees, employers and their organisations have the right to join together in order to protect their interests, to form associations and to join or not to join such associations. 2 Disputes must wherever possible be resolved through negotiation or mediation. 3 Strikes and lock outs shall be permitted if they relate to employment relations and if they do not contravene any requirements to preserve peaceful employment relations or to conduct conciliation proceedings. 4 The law may prohibit certain categories of person from taking strike action. **Art. 29 General procedural guarantees** 1 Everyone has the right to equal and fair treatment in judicial and administrative proceedings and to have their case decided within a reasonable time. 2 Each party to a case has the right to be heard. 3 Anyone who does not have sufficient means has the right to free legal advice and assistance unless their case appears to have no prospect of success. If it is necessary in order to safeguard their rights, they also have the right to free legal representation in court. **Art. 29a1 Guarantee of access to the courts** In a legal dispute, everyone has the right to have their case determined by a judicial authority. The Confederation may by law preclude the determination by the courts of certain exceptional categories of case. **Art. 30 Judicial proceedings** 1 Anyone whose case falls to be judicially decided has the right to have their case heard by a legally constituted, competent, independent and impartial court. Ad hoc courts are prohibited. 2 Unless otherwise provided by law, anyone against whom civil proceedings have been raised has the right to have their case decided by a court within the jurisdiction in which they reside. 3 Unless the law provides otherwise, court hearings and the delivery of judgments shall be in public. **Art. 31 Deprivation of liberty** 1 No one may be deprived of their liberty other than in the circumstances and in the manner provided for by the law. 2 Anyone deprived of their liberty has the right to be notified without delay and in a language they can understand of the reasons for their detention and of their rights. They must be given the opportunity to exercise their rights, in particular, the right to have their next-of-kin informed. 3 Anyone in pre-trial detention has the right to be brought before a court without delay. The court shall decide whether the person must remain in detention or be released. Anyone in pre-trial detention has the right to have their case decided within a reasonable time. 4 Anyone who has been deprived of their liberty by a body other than a court has the right to have recourse to a court at any time. The court shall decide as quickly as possible on the legality of their detention. **Art. 32 Criminal proceedings** 1 Everyone is presumed innocent until they have been found guilty by a legally enforceable judgment. 2 Every accused person has the right to be notified as quickly and comprehensively as possible of the charge brought against them. They must be given the opportunity to assert their rights to a proper defence. 3 Every convicted person has the right to have their conviction reviewed by a higher court, with the exception of cases in which the Federal Supreme Court sits at first instance. **Art. 33 Right of petition** 1 Everyone has the right, without prejudice, to petition the authorities. 2 The authorities must acknowledge receipt of such petitions. **Art. 34 Political rights** 1 Political rights are guaranteed. 2 The guarantee of political rights protects the freedom of the citizen to form an opinion and to give genuine expression to his or her will. **Art. 35 Upholding of fundamental rights** 1 Fundamental rights must be upheld throughout the legal system. 2 Whoever acts on behalf of the state is bound by fundamental rights and is under a duty to contribute to their implementation. 3 The authorities shall ensure that fundamental rights, where appropriate, apply to relationships among private persons. **Art. 36 Restrictions on fundamental rights** 1 Restrictions on fundamental rights must have a legal basis. Significant restrictions must have their basis in a federal act. The foregoing does not apply in cases of serious and immediate danger where no other course of action is possible. 2 Restrictions on fundamental rights must be justified in the public interest or for the protection of the fundamental rights of others. 3 Any restrictions on fundamental rights must be proportionate. 4 The essence of fundamental rights is sacrosanct. **Art. 37 Citizenship** 1 Anyone who is a citizen of a City or commune in Nomisia, is a Nomisian citizen. 2 No one shall be given preferential treatment or suffer prejudice because of their citizenship. The foregoing does not apply to regulations on political rights in citizens’ communes and corporations or to participation in the assets thereof, unless cantonal legislation provides otherwise. **Art. 38 Acquisition and deprivation of citizenship** 1 The Confederation shall regulate the acquisition and deprivation of citizenship by birth, marriage or adoption. It shall also regulate the deprivation of Swiss citizenship on other grounds, together with the reinstatement of citizenship. 2 It shall legislate on the minimum requirements for the naturalisation of foreign nationals and grant naturalisation permits. 3 It shall enact simplified regulations on the naturalisation of stateless children. **Art. 39 Exercise of political rights** 1 The Confederation shall regulate the exercise of political rights in federal matters. 2 Political rights are exercised in the commune in which a citizen resides, although the Confederation may provide for exceptions. 3 No one may exercise their political rights contemporaneously in more than one commune. **Art. 40 The Nomisian abroad** 1 The Confederation shall encourage relations among the Nomisian abroad and their relations with Nomisia. It may support organisations that pursue this objective. 2 It shall legislate on the rights and obligations of the Nomisian abroad, in particular in relation to the exercise of political rights in the Confederation, the fulfilment of the obligation to perform military or alternative service, welfare support and social security. **Art. 41** 1 The Confederation shall, as a complement to personal responsibility and private initiative, endeavour to ensure that: a. everyone has access to social security; b. everyone has access to the health care that they require; c. families are protected and encouraged as communities of adults and children; d. everyone who is fit to work can earn their living by working under fair conditions; e. anyone seeking accommodation for themselves and their family can find suitable accommodation on reasonable terms; f. children and young people as well as persons of employable age can obtain an education and undergo basic and advanced training in accordance with their abilities; g. children and young people are encouraged to develop into independent and socially responsible people and are supported in their social, cultural and political integration. 2 The Confederation shall endeavour to ensure that everyone is protected against the economic consequences of old-age, invalidity, illness, accident, unemployment, maternity, being orphaned and being widowed. 3 They shall endeavour to achieve these social objectives within the scope of their constitutional powers and the resources available to them. 4 No direct right to state benefits may be established on the basis of these social objectives. **Art. 42 Duties of the Confederation** 1 The Confederation shall fulfil the duties that are assigned to it by Federal Constitution. **Art. 43a1 Principles for the allocation and fulfilment of state tasks** 1 The Confederation shall only undertake tasks that the Cities are unable to perform or which require uniform regulation by the Confederation. 2 The collective body that benefits from a public service shall bear the costs thereof. 3 The collective body that bears the costs of a public service may decide on the nature of that service. 4 Universally provided services must made be available to everyone in a comparable manner. 5 State tasks must be fulfilled economically and in accordance with demand. **Art. 44 Principles** 1 The Confederation and the Cities shall support each other in the fulfilment of their duties and shall generally cooperate with each other. 2 They owe each other a duty of consideration and support. They shall provide each other with administrative assistance and mutual judicial assistance. 3 Disputes between Cities or between Cities and the Confederation shall wherever possible be resolved by negotiation or mediation. **Art. 45 Participation in federal decision-making** 1 In the cases specified by the Federal Constitution, the Cities shall participate in the federal decision making process, and in particular in the legislative process. 2 The Confederation shall inform the Cities of its intentions fully and in good time. It shall consult the Cities where their interests are affected. **Art. 46 Implementation of federal law** 1 The Cities shall implement federal law in accordance with the Federal Constitution and federal legislation. 2 The Confederation and the Cities may together agree that the Cities should achieve specific goals in the implementation of federal law and may to this end conduct programmes that receive financial support from the Confederation. 3 The Confederation shall allow the Cities all possible discretion to organise their own affairs and shall take account of cantonal particularities. **Art. 47 Autonomy of the Cities** 1 The Confederation shall respect the autonomy of the Cities. 2 It shall leave the Cities sufficient tasks of their own and respect their organisational autonomy. It shall leave the Cities with sufficient sources of finance and contribute towards ensuring that they have the financial resources required to fulfil their tasks. **Art. 48 Intercity agreements** 1 The Cities may enter into agreements with each other and establish common organisations and institutions. In particular, they may jointly undertake tasks of regional importance together. 2 The Confederation may participate in such organisations or institutions within the scope of its powers. 3 Agreements between Cities must not be contrary to the law, to the interests of the Confederation or to the rights of other Cities. The Confederation must be notified of such agreements. 4 The Cities may by intercity agreement authorise intercity bodies to issue legislative provisions that implement an intercity agreement, provided the agreement: a. has been approved under the same procedure that applies to other legislation; b. determines the basic content of the provisions. 5 The Cities shall comply with intercity law. **Art. 49 Precedence of and compliance with federal law** 1 Federal law shall take precedence over any conflicting provision of city law. 2 The Confederation shall ensure that the Cities comply with federal law. **Art. 50 Foreign relations** 1 Foreign relations are the responsibility of the Confederation. 2 The Confederation shall ensure that the independence of Nomisia and its welfare is safeguarded; it shall in particular assist in the alleviation of need and poverty in the world and promote respect for human rights and democracy, the peaceful co-existence of peoples as well as the conservation of natural resources. 3 It shall respect the powers of the Cities and protect their interests. 4. No foreign military shall be allowed into Nomisian territory; this will protect our neutral stance. 5. The Confederation may supply impartial Nomisian Giards to any nation. These guards are for internal protection only, and cannot be utilised as agents of warfare. These guards will be a paid asset, and will be supplied by either monetary or trade agreement. **Art. 51 Security** 1 The Confederation and the Cities shall within the scope of their powers ensure the security of the country and the protection of the population. 2 They shall coordinate their efforts in the area of internal security. **Art. 52 Armed forces** 1 Nomisia shall have armed forces. In principle, the armed forces shall be organised as a militia. 2 The armed forces shall serve to prevent war and to maintain peace; they shall defend the country and its population. They shall support the civilian authorities in safeguarding the country against serious threats to internal security and in dealing with exceptional situations. Further duties may be provided for by law. 3 The deployment of the armed forces shall be the responsibility of the Confederation. **Art. 53 Military service and alternative service** 1 Every Swiss man is required to do military service. Alternative civilian service shall be provided for by law. 2 Military service shall be voluntary for Nomisian women. 3 Any Nomisian man who does not do military or alternative service shall be liable to pay a tax. This tax shall be levied by the Confederation and assessed and collected by the Cities. 4 The Confederation shall legislate for fair compensation for loss of income. 5 Persons who suffer damage to their health or lose their lives while doing military or alternative civilian service shall be entitled to appropriate support from the Confederation, whether for themselves or for their next of kin. **Art. 54 Armed forces organisation, training and equipment** 1 Armed forces legislation, together with the organisation, training and equipment of the armed forces, shall be the responsibility of the Confederation. 2 The Confederation may, in return for appropriate compensation, take over the running of city military installations. **Art. 55 Civil defence** 1 The legislation on the civil defence of persons and property against the effects of armed conflicts shall be the responsibility of the Confederation. 2 The Confederation shall legislate on the deployment of civil defence units in the event of disasters and emergencies. 3 It may declare civil defence service to be compulsory for men. For women, such service shall be voluntary. 4 The Confederation shall legislate on fair compensation for loss of income. 5 Persons who suffer damage to their health or lose their lives while doing civil defence service shall be entitled to appropriate support from the Confederation, whether for themselves or for their next of kin. **Art. 56 Languages** 1 The official languages of the Confederation shall be Nomis-German, English and French. 2 The Cities shall decide on their official languages. In order to preserve harmony between linguistic communities, the Cities shall respect the traditional territorial distribution of languages and take account of indigenous linguistic minorities. 3 The Confederation and the Cities shall encourage understanding and exchange between the linguistic communities. 4 The Confederation shall support the plurilingual Cities in the fulfilment of their special duties. **Art. 57 Church and state** 1 There shall be no relationship between any church and the State. 2 The Confederation and the Cities may within the scope of their powers take measures to preserve public peace between the members of different religious communities. 3 The construction of minarets is prohibited. **Art. 58 Sustainable development** The Confederation and the Cities shall endeavour to achieve a balanced and sustainable relationship between nature and its capacity to renew itself and the demands placed on it by the population. **Art. 59 Protection of the environment** 1 The Confederation shall legislate on the protection of the population and its natural environment against damage or nuisance. 2 It shall ensure that such damage or nuisance is avoided. The costs of avoiding or eliminating such damage or nuisance shall be borne by those responsible for causing it. 3 The Cities shall be responsible for the implementation of the relevant federal regulations, except where the law reserves this duty for the Confederation. **Art. 60 Road transport** 1 The Confederation shall legislate on road transport. 2 It shall exercise supervisory control over roads of national importance; it may decide which transit roads must remain open to traffic. 3 Public roads may be used free of charge. The Federal Assembly may authorise exceptions. **Art. 61 National roads** 1 The Confederation shall ensure the construction of a network of motorways and shall guarantee that they remain useable. 2 The Confederation shall construct, operate and maintain the national roads. It shall bear the costs thereof. It may assign this task wholly or partly to public or private bodies or combined public-private bodies. **Art. 62 Railways and other modes of transport** The legislation on rail transport, cableways, shipping, aviation and space travel shall be the responsibility of the Confederation. **Art. 63 Radio and television** 1 The Confederation shall be responsible for legislation on radio and television as well as on other forms of public broadcasting of features and information. 2 Radio and television shall contribute to education and cultural development, to the free shaping of opinion and to entertainment. They shall take account of the particularities of the country and the needs of the Cities. They shall present events accurately and allow a diversity of opinions to be expressed appropriately. 3 The independence of radio and television as well as their autonomy in deciding on programming shall be guaranteed. 4 Account must be taken of the role and duties of other media, in particular the press. 5 Complaints about programmes may be submitted to an independent complaints authority. **Art. 64 Principles of the economic system** 1 The Confederation and the Cities shall abide by the principle of economic freedom. 2 They shall safeguard the interests of the Nomisian economy as a whole and, together with the private sector, shall contribute to the welfare and economic security of the population. 3 They shall endeavour to create favourable general conditions for the private sector in accordance with their responsibilities. 4 Any divergence from the principle of economic freedom, and in particular measures designed to restrain competition, shall be permitted only if they are provided for in the Federal Constitution or based on cantonal monopoly rights. **Art. 65 Banks and insurance companies** 1 The Confederation shall legislate on the banking and stock exchange system; in doing so, it shall take account of the special function and role of the cantonal banks. 2 It may legislate on financial services in other fields. 3 It shall legislate on private insurance. **Art. 66 Monetary policy** 1 The Confederation shall be responsible for money and currency; the Confederation has the exclusive right to issue coins and banknotes. 2 The Nomisian National Bank, as an independent central bank, shall pursue a monetary policy that serves the overall interests of the country; it shall be administered with the cooperation and under the supervision of the Confederation. 3 The Nomisian National Bank shall create sufficient currency reserves from its revenues; part of these reserves shall be held in gold. 4 A minimum of two thirds of the net profits made by the Nimisian National Bank shall be allocated to the Cities. **Art. 67 Economic policy** 1 The Confederation shall take measures to achieve balanced economic development, and in particular to prevent and combat unemployment and inflation. 2 It shall take account of economic development in individual regions of the country. It shall cooperate with the Cities and the business community. 3 In the field of money and banking, in foreign economic affairs and in the field of public finance, the Confederation may if necessary depart from the principle of economic freedom. 4 The Confederation, the Cities and the communes shall take account of the economic situation in their revenue and expenditure policies. 5 To stabilise the economic situation, the Confederation may temporarily levy surcharges or grant rebates on federal taxes and duties. The accumulated funds must be held in reserve; following their release, direct taxes shall be individually refunded, and indirect taxes used to grant rebates or to create jobs. 6 The Confederation may oblige businesses to accumulate reserves for the creation of jobs; it shall for this purpose grant tax concessions and may require the Cities to do the same. Following the release of the reserves, businesses shall be free to decide how the funds are applied within the scope of the uses permitted by law. **Art. 68 Foreign economic policy** 1 The Confederation shall safeguard the interests of the Nimisian economy abroad. 2 In special cases, it may take measures to protect the domestic economy. In doing so, it may if necessary depart from the principle of economic freedom. **Art. 69 National economic supply** 1 The Confederation shall ensure that the country is supplied with essential goods and services in the event of the threat of politico-military strife or war, or of severe shortages that the economy cannot by itself counteract. It shall take precautionary measures to address these matters. 2 In exercising its powers under this Article, it may if necessary depart from the principle of economic freedom. **Art. 70 Weapons and war material** 1 The Confederation shall legislate against misuse of weapons and their accessories and ammunition. 2 It shall legislate on the manufacture, procurement and sale of war material as well as the import, export and transit of such material. **Commencement Date: 1 January 2000**