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2 Alexander I, c. 08.III.11
This Act hereby establishes the position and office of Ombudsman of the Consortium.
This Act further affirms the independence the Ombudsman enjoys from the Command Staff, who may not order or coerce the elected person unless explicitly permitted by the Sovereign's Own authority. The Ombudsman is elected by the Hapan people and is accountable to the Hapan people.
Chapter I: Establishment
Chapter II: Duties
Chapter III: Elections
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The Office of Ombudsman of the Hapan People is hereby established.
a. The Office of Ombudsman is independent from any division or department in Hapes.
b. The Ombudsman is subordinate only to the Sovereign and may not be dismissed by anyone but the Sovereign, or according to Chapter III, Section 1(b) of this Act.
c. The salary of the Ombudsman shall be fixed by the Ministry of Finance and payable in addition to her usual monthly wage.
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1. The duty of the Ombudsman shall be to act as a medium between the Hapan people and the upper echelons of the King's Government and Military High Command.
2. The Ombudsman shall hear out all inquiries, complaints, problems, suggestions or otherwise issued by a Hapan subject.
a. The Ombudsman shall not take into consideration the rank or status of the Hapan in question.
b. The Ombudsman shall respond to the Hapan in an objective format within her capabilities and knowledge.
c. The Ombudsman shall relay any questions or complaints to the respective Minister or High Commander to whose portfolio the question/complaint relates. The Minister or High Commander shall then reply to the Ombudsman with the necessary information needed to forward to the Hapan in question.
3. The Ombudsman shall make sure that all divisions and departments of the Consortium are geared to the interests of discipline, justice and fairness.
a. If a Hapan feels that her superior officer is abusing her authority, ill-treating her or her fellow officers or has committed a felony, then she may issue a complaint to the Ombudsman.
b. The Hapan in question may contact the Ombudsman without facing any repercussions for not going through the normal Chain of Command for that complaint.
c. The Hapan must reveal her identity to the Ombudsman unless she specifically requests to remain anonymous. The Ombudsman must respect this request and shall not divulge the author of the complaint to anyone but His Majesty upon request.
d. The Ombudsman must investigate this complaint discretely without perturbing the normal activities of the department and file a report which she shall submit in her Office forum, with the situation and recommended actions to be taken to rectify it.
4. The Ombudsman shall be responsible for the maintenance of Hapan morale. Some recommendations for meeting this responsibility include:
a. Humorous posts in the Lounge;
b. Maintaining a column in the Hapan Star;
c. Starting and moderating roleplaying scenarios.
5. The Ombudsman (in cooperation with the Office of Hapan Recruitment) shall welcome, be a point of contact for, and mentor new Hapan citizens, either personally or by establishing a system of mentorship.
6. The Ombudsman shall conduct any surveys, or similar activities, that are requested by the Royal Council.
7. The Ombudsman shall be created an Ops in the Hapes IRC chat room.
8. The Ombudsman shall be responsible for setting up and hosting Hapes-wide chat conferences.
a. The style and manner of these conferences are generally at the discretion of the Ombudsman.
b. Such conferences must occur once every month.
c. At least one conference every half-term (3 months) must take place primarily on IRC.
9. The Ombudsman is vested with the power of an attorney, and may partake in a trial at the request of a defendant to represent her in trial.
10. The Ombudsman shall be responsible to make sure the Hapes Lounge remains a medium of free discussion. However, she shall make sure that it is also free of obscenities and degenerate remarks.
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1. The Ombudsman shall hold office for six months, starting from the day she wins the election.
a. There is no limit to the number of terms a person may hold the Ombudsmanship for. An Ombudsman finishing a six-month term, however, may not run for Ombudsmanship in the election directly subsequent to that term.
b. After three months of a term have passed, the Royal Council shall decide by vote whether the Ombudsman will remain in office for the final three months.
i. If the Royal Council votes for retention, then the Ombudsman shall serve out the remaining three months of her mandate.
ii. If the Royal Council votes for dismissal, the Ombudsman shall be removed from her post and new elections will be held immediately, according to the voting provisions below.
c. If no candidates are found for the election of a new Ombudsman, the incumbent may choose to retain the role. This is the only circumstance under which an Ombudsman may serve consecutive terms.
2. Any ex officio or sworn Hapan citizen, who is not a Tarii or a member of the Royal Council or High Command, and who is not barred from running for office by Section 1 of this Chapter, above, may run for Ombudsmanship.
a. The Ombudsmanship shall be considered a part-time position and therefore the applicants need not renounce their other positions upon assuming office.
3. Ten days prior to the end of the incumbent Ombudsman's term, an election campaign shall be called and all eligible aspiring Hapans may run for office.
a. They must first send a letter to the Minister of the Interior signaling their intention to run. The Minister shall not refuse the request unless by direct orders from the King.
b. The aspiring candidates shall then head to the Roleplaying Forum where they shall create a thread with a clear campaign title (e.g. "John Doe's Campaign 2011"). They shall post all their campaign speeches, posters, images, interviews, etc. in this thread. Any campaign material posted outside this thread shall be subject to deletion and the candidate warned.
4. Candidates may encourage other Hapans to vote for them, however they may not force, blackmail, bribe or otherwise resort to abusive or unfair measures to muster support.
a. No officer may order their subordinates to vote for her or a specific candidate. This includes promising promotions or special benefits to anyone who does vote for this candidate.
b. No candidate may make unrealistic promises that are outside the authority of an Ombudsman in order to gain votes.
c. No candidate may abuse any authority or privilege vested in him by virtue of his other positions to unfairly aid him in his campaign bid.
d. No Minister or High Commander may influence the campaign by either encouraging voting for a specific candidate or speak ill of another candidate's abilities for Ombudsmanship.
5. After seven days have passed since the launch of the campaign period, the voting period shall begin and a ballot shall be set up in the Hapan News forum. The voting period shall last for no more than seven days.
a. Every Hapan may vote for a candidate once.
b. Every Hapan has the right to privacy, and may not be compelled to divulge his/her voting choice to anyone. A superior officer may not order his subordinate to reveal his voting choice.
c. When the voting period starts, the Minister of the Interior shall no longer accept any more candidacy requests. However, current candidates may continue campaigning as usual.
6. After the seven-day voting period comes to a close, the Minister of the Interior shall count the votes and proclaim a winner. The candidate who garners the most votes shall immediately assume office as Ombudsman for the term defined in Section 1 of this Chapter.
7. An Ombudsman who abuses the authority and privilege of the Office to further her own personal agenda to the detriment of her fellow Hapans, to commit a felony, or to otherwise fulfill an act unbecoming of a dignified Hapan Ombudsman, shall see this position stripped from her by the King.
a. If such a case occurs, then new elections shall commence as per Section 3 of this Chapter.
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