Civitas Gaya
Laws & Regulations

Law on Councils

v0.1.0 Published 18 Mar 2026
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Article 1 – Purpose and Scope

  1. This Law specifies the structure, composition, competences and procedures of Councils in Civitas Gaya, as foreseen in the Constitution, in particular the provisions on institutions, participatory processes and separation of powers.
  2. It applies to all councils established under the authority of Civitas Gaya, including:
    • local or unit‑level councils,
    • confederal or global councils,
    • specialised councils created by law.
  3. This Law shall be interpreted in light of the principles that:
    • the Citizenry is the ultimate source of authority,
    • councils have a primarily preparatory and coordinative role in legislative matters,
    • and all institutions remain subject to democratic oversight, transparency and accountability.

Article 2 – Types and Levels of Councils

  1. Councils may be established at different levels, including but not limited to:
    • Unit Councils for specific territorial or functional units (e.g. communes, thematic communities),
    • a Confederal Council at the level of Civitas Gaya as a whole,
    • Specialised Councils for particular domains (e.g. budget, culture, technology), as provided by law.
  2. The creation, modification and dissolution of councils shall be regulated by law or by decisions of the Citizenry in accordance with the Constitution.
  3. Each council shall have a clearly defined mandate, scope and level, which must be publicly documented and easily accessible to citizens.

Article 3 – Composition and Eligibility

  1. Councils are composed of recallable delegates elected or selected from among Citizens.
  2. Eligibility to serve on a council requires that a person:
    • holds citizenship of Civitas Gaya,
    • is not suspended from political rights,
    • meets any additional, non‑discriminatory criteria defined for the specific council (such as minimum engagement or experience), provided these criteria do not undermine egalitarian principles.
  3. Laws or council statutes may establish rules on diversity and inclusion aims, provided they respect the fundamental rights of all citizens.
  4. Persons whose conduct has gravely violated the Constitution or this Law may be temporarily or permanently excluded from council service, following due process.

Article 4 – Election, Selection and Term of Office

  1. Members of councils shall be elected or selected according to procedures defined by law and, where appropriate, by each council’s own statute, consistent with the Constitution.
  2. Procedures may include:
    • direct elections by the Citizenry of the relevant unit or the whole polity,
    • sortition (random selection) among eligible volunteers,
    • mixed systems combining election and sortition.
  3. All methods must ensure:
    • transparency,
    • fairness and equal opportunity to stand,
    • and effective mechanisms to prevent capture by permanent elites.
  4. Terms of office shall be limited in time and subject to rotation, as further specified by law. Re‑election or re‑selection may be limited by cooling‑off periods.
  5. Members are recallable: the Citizenry of the relevant constituency may initiate and decide upon recall procedures, under conditions set out in the Anti‑Concentration of Power framework and implementing rules.

Article 5 – Mandate and Functions of Councils

  1. Councils serve primarily as preparatory and coordinative bodies for democratic decision‑making by the Citizenry. They do not hold general and final legislative authority over binding norms.
  2. In particular, councils may:
    • curate, merge and refine proposals and initiatives submitted by citizens,
    • assess the coherence, feasibility and legality of proposals in light of the Constitution and existing laws,
    • formulate alternative or compromise texts for consideration by the Citizenry,
    • schedule, structure and moderate deliberation processes,
    • oversee the implementation of decisions within their mandate, subject to review by the Citizenry and oversight bodies.
  3. Councils may exercise adjudicative or quasi‑judicial functions in specific areas defined by law, such as:
    • resolving disputes arising within their domain,
    • reviewing contested administrative actions,
    • deciding appeals from moderation decisions, where so mandated.
  4. When councils exercise adjudicative functions, they must respect due process, impartiality and the right to appeal before a higher or specialised body, such as the Constitutional Council where appropriate.
  5. Councils may issue internal regulations and guidelines to organise their work, provided these are consistent with the Constitution and this Law and are published for citizen scrutiny.

Article 6 – Relationship to the Citizenry and Legislative Decisions

  1. The Citizenry remains the final legislative authority. Councils:
    • may propose and refine legislative drafts,
    • may recommend adoption, amendment or rejection of proposals,
    • but cannot, by themselves, enact or permanently change general and binding norms except where explicitly authorised by the Constitution and confirmed by the Citizenry.
  2. Major acts, including constitutional amendments, ordinary laws and core policy frameworks, require validation by a vote of the Citizenry, under procedures defined elsewhere.
  3. Councils shall facilitate citizen‑initiated review and referendum mechanisms by:
    • providing clear records of their decisions,
    • responding to citizen petitions for review,
    • and forwarding matters to popular vote when thresholds are met.

Article 7 – Procedures, Transparency and Records

  1. Councils shall operate under transparent procedures. As a rule:
    • meetings and deliberations should be open to observation by citizens, either directly or through published minutes or recordings,
    • agendas, draft texts and key documents shall be published in advance where practicable.
  2. Councils must keep accurate records of:
    • attendance,
    • proposals considered,
    • arguments and concerns raised,
    • votes and decisions taken,
    • and any dissenting opinions where council members choose to record them.
  3. All significant council actions shall be logged in the official audit trail, in a manner that allows citizens to trace:
    • who proposed what,
    • when and how decisions were taken,
    • and how these relate to subsequent popular votes or other institutional acts.
  4. Limited exceptions to full transparency may be provided by law for the protection of privacy, security or vulnerable persons, provided that:
    • the scope of secrecy is narrow and clearly justified,
    • some form of confidential record remains available for authorised oversight bodies.

Article 8 – Imperative Mandates and Accountability

  1. Where councils are based on constituencies or functional mandates, they may be bound by imperative mandates defined by their electors or by prior decisions of the Citizenry, to the extent allowed by the Constitution.
  2. Council members are accountable to their constituency and may be:
    • subject to recall votes,
    • required to regularly report on their activities and votes,
    • questioned in public sessions or digital assemblies.
  3. Councils shall adopt codes of conduct setting expectations on behaviour, integrity, conflicts of interest and responsiveness to citizens.

Article 9 – Incompatibilities and Conflicts of Interest

  1. The following general principles apply to avoid conflicts of interest:
    • no person shall hold simultaneously multiple offices that, taken together, would allow them to dominate agenda‑setting, implementation and oversight in the same domain,
    • office‑holders shall abstain from decisions where they have a direct, substantial personal interest.
  2. Detailed rules on incompatibilities between specific offices, paid roles and council positions shall be set out in subordinate regulations.
  3. Council members shall not act as guarantors in citizenship attestation or similar web‑of‑trust mechanisms for the conferral of citizenship, in order to preserve their impartiality in admission and oversight procedures.
  4. Any breach of incompatibility rules or serious conflict of interest may constitute grounds for removal from office and, in grave cases, for further sanctions under relevant laws.

Article 10 – Recall and Removal of Council Members

  1. Council members may be recalled by the Citizenry of their constituency through procedures defined by law, which shall:
    • specify thresholds for initiating recall,
    • guarantee fair hearing and the possibility of defence,
    • and require a clear decision by vote.
  2. Councils themselves may, by a qualified majority and with transparent reasons, propose the removal of a member for:
    • persistent non‑participation or obstruction,
    • serious violations of codes of conduct,
    • confirmed conflicts of interest or abuse of office.
  3. Final decisions on removal shall be taken by a body or process that ensures impartiality and accountability, which may include:
    • the relevant council plus confirmation by the Citizenry,
    • or a higher or specialised body such as the Constitutional Council, as defined by law.

Article 11 – Interaction with the Constitutional Council and Other Bodies

  1. Councils shall respect the authority of the Constitutional Council or equivalent constitutional oversight body, which may:
    • review council decisions for conformity with the Constitution,
    • annul acts that violate fundamental rights or core structures,
    • interpret constitutional provisions on request.
  2. Councils shall cooperate with other institutions, such as moderation bodies, budget committees or administrative units, in a manner consistent with separation of powers and checks and balances.
  3. Where disputes arise between councils or between a council and another institution over competence or procedure, a resolution mechanism shall be provided by law, potentially involving the Constitutional Council.

Article 12 – Transitional Provisions

  1. Until the full council system is established, provisional or pilot councils may be created to:
    • test procedures,
    • handle a limited set of tasks,
    • and prepare recommendations for the definitive council architecture.
  2. During this transitional phase, certain functions assigned to councils by this Law may temporarily be exercised by designated administrators or ad‑hoc bodies, provided that:
    • they operate transparently,
    • they remain accountable to the Citizenry,
    • and their acts can be reviewed and, where appropriate, reversed by later councils or referendums.
  3. Existing decision‑making structures at the time this Law enters into force shall be aligned with its provisions within a reasonable period, following an open and participatory process.

Article 13 – Final Provisions

  1. In the event of conflict between this Law and the Constitution of Civitas Gaya, the Constitution prevails.
  2. This Law may be amended by the procedures applicable to ordinary laws, subject to any higher safeguards that the Constitution prescribes for institutional design and democratic participation.
  3. This Version v0.1.0 enters into force upon its adoption by the competent bodies of Civitas Gaya.