Zenkoku Nippō

[Zabuza825]

National Legislature adopts new constitution!
by Haruto Kirishima

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The National Legislature of Akitsu has unanimously voted to adopt a new constitution for Akitsu, doing away with the old constitution that was in place since 1510 CE. The old constitution was widely criticized for containing provisions that unnecessarily weakened Akitsu and made the country more vulnerable to threats from foreign countries. The Restoration Party and Patriotic Party made it their first priority to rectify the errors in the old constitution, in order to strengthen the country and cause economic recovery.

The new constitution keeps the portions of the old constitution that was not in dispute intact. Things such as the structure of the National Legislature and the structure of the Judiciary were left completely untouched (though the method that judges are appointed was slightly modified). The position of Head of Government was renamed from Prime Minister to Soto (総統), in recognition of the new government, and though the overall structure of the executive remains the same the powers of the executive was expanded. The Sōtō is also appointed by the legislature rather than directly elected.

The main changes appear in two areas of the constitution, as well as in one new addition to the constitution. The first is the area where it outlines the individual rights of people. A provision was added to this section, allowing for limits to be placed on these rights "within the bounds of law" in order to "preserve the public order".

The second major change appears in the First Amendment to the Constitution of Akitsu. This is widely called the "anti-WMD amendment" within Akitsu, as it prohibited all people and organizations in Akitsu (including the government and governmental agencies of Akitsu) from developing any kind of weapon of mass destruction. The section prohibiting the Akitian government and government agencies from developing WMD's was removed, and a provision explicitly exempting the Akitian government from this section was added.

The final major change is the addition of what many called the "Peace Preservation Article". It prohibits individuals and organizations from calling on the overthrow of the Akitian government, and it also criminalizes any promotion of altering the national polity (国体, kokutai) of Akitsu. Though the article states that the exact sentence should be determined by the National Legislature, it ensures that the sentence would be "no less than one year imprisonment".

The adoption of this new constitution by the government is expected to assist in the recovery of Akitsu from the damage done by the policies that exposed Akitsu to it's enemies, though exactly how long it will take for Akitsu to fully recover remains to be seen.