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Constitution & Constitutional Changes

Every country in Lawmaker has a constitution that defines how power is distributed across its institutions. The constitution assigns specific powers — such as declaring war, appointing judges, or setting monetary policy — to legislatures, cabinet positions, or independent bureaucrats.

Players can propose constitutional changes to redistribute these powers, fundamentally reshaping how their country's government works.

Viewing the Constitution

Visit your country's constitution page to see all 18 constitutional powers and where each one is currently assigned:

  • Legislature — power is held by a specific elected body (e.g. Parliament, Senate)
  • Cabinet Position — power is held by whoever occupies that role (e.g. Prime Minister, Defence Minister)
  • Professional Non-Partisan Bureaucrats — power is held by an independent civil service, outside political control

Country Differences

Each country starts with a different constitutional arrangement. Some concentrate power in the executive, others distribute it across legislatures and bureaucrats. Check your country's constitution to understand its starting point.

Constitutional Powers

The 18 powers defined in the constitution are:

Power Description
Declare War Formally declare war on foreign nations
Commander of the Army Supreme command over ground forces
Commander of the Navy Supreme command over naval forces
Commander of the Air Force Supreme command over air forces
Head of Police Authority over domestic law enforcement
Head of Domestic Intelligence Authority over domestic intelligence and counter-espionage
Head of Foreign Intelligence Authority over foreign intelligence and overseas espionage
Declare Martial Law Impose military rule in times of emergency
Decide Foreign Policy Set and direct the nation's foreign policy agenda
Ratify Foreign Treaties Formally approve international treaties
Designate Extremist Organisations Officially designate organisations as extremist or terrorist
Appoint Judges Appoint judges to the nation's courts
Regulate Businesses Set and enforce business regulations and standards
Regulate Banks Regulate banking institutions and financial markets
Regulate Political Parties Regulate party formation, funding, and conduct
Regulate the Environment Set environmental standards and protections
Set Monetary Policy Control interest rates, money supply, and monetary policy
Set Fiscal Policy Control government spending, taxation, and budget

Proposing Constitutional Changes

Any party can propose a constitutional change to move one or more powers from their current holder to a different one.

Creating a Proposal

  1. Navigate to your country's constitutional changes page
  2. Click to create a new change
  3. Give it a title and summary explaining your reasoning
  4. Select which powers to move and where they should go
  5. Save as a draft, then open it for voting

Requirements

  • Cost: 60 Political Power (deducted when you open the change for voting)
  • Each change must include at least one power move
  • Only one constitutional change can be open for voting per country at a time
  • The proposing party automatically votes Yes in all required legislatures

Cooldown Period

After a constitutional change passes, there is a cooldown period (typically 2 years) during which no further changes can be proposed. This prevents constant constitutional upheaval.

High Stakes

At 60 PP, constitutional changes are the most expensive action in the game. Make sure you have the votes lined up before opening one.

Voting on Constitutional Changes

Constitutional changes require a supermajority to pass — a higher threshold than ordinary legislation.

Approval Process

graph TD
    A[Party Proposes Change] --> B[60 PP Deducted]
    B --> C[60-Day Voting Period]
    C --> D[Votes Tallied Per Legislature]
    D --> E{All Legislatures Meet Threshold?}
    E -->|Yes| F[Change Passes - Powers Reassigned]
    E -->|No| G[Change Fails - Status Quo Remains]
  1. The change opens for a 60-day voting period
  2. All parties vote Yes, No, or Abstain (votes apply across all required legislatures)
  3. Votes are weighted by seat count, just like normal legislation
  4. Each required legislature must independently meet its approval threshold (typically 66.6% of all seats)
  5. If all legislatures meet the threshold, the change passes
  6. If any legislature fails to meet the threshold, the change fails

Key Differences from Normal Legislation

Normal Proposals Constitutional Changes
Cost 30 PP 60 PP
Threshold Simple majority (>50%) Supermajority (typically 66.6%)
Legislatures Usually one May require approval from multiple chambers
Cooldown None Typically 2 years after a successful change

Early Resolution

A constitutional change can be resolved before the 60-day period ends:

  • Early pass — if all legislatures already meet the supermajority threshold
  • Early fail — if it becomes mathematically impossible for any legislature to reach the threshold (too many No votes)

Withdrawing a Change

The proposing party can withdraw a constitutional change at any time, whether it is still in draft or already open for voting. However, the 60 PP is not refunded once the change has been opened.

Amendments

In addition to redistributing powers, parties can propose amendments — custom articles that become part of the constitution. Amendments are plain-text declarations with no direct gameplay effect, but they represent the will of the people.

Examples of Amendments

  • "The national bird shall be the Bald Eagle."
  • "Freedom of speech is an inalienable right of every citizen."
  • "The capital city shall forever remain in its current location."

Proposing an Amendment

  1. Navigate to your country's constitution page
  2. Click "Propose Amendment"
  3. Enter a title, the amendment text, and a rationale explaining why it should be adopted
  4. Save as a draft, then open it for voting

Amendments follow the same voting process as constitutional power changes:

  • Cost: 60 Political Power
  • Threshold: Supermajority (same as other constitutional changes)
  • Voting period: 60 days
  • Cooldown: Same cooldown applies — a passed amendment prevents further constitutional changes for the cooldown period

Repealing an Amendment

If an amendment has been passed and is part of the constitution, any party can propose to repeal it. To do so:

  1. View the constitution and find the amendment you want to repeal
  2. Click "Propose Repeal" next to the amendment
  3. Enter a title and rationale for the repeal
  4. The repeal goes through the same voting process as any constitutional change

If the repeal passes, the amendment is removed from the constitution.

Amendments in the Constitution

Passed amendments appear in a dedicated "Amendments" section at the end of the constitution, numbered with Roman numerals just like other constitutional articles.

Strategy

When to Propose

Constitutional changes are most likely to succeed when:

  • Your party or coalition controls a supermajority of seats
  • There is broad cross-party consensus on the change
  • You can afford to spend 60 PP and potentially wait out the cooldown

Common Moves

  • Centralise executive power — Move powers from legislatures or bureaucrats to cabinet positions your coalition controls
  • Decentralise power — Move powers from the executive to legislatures for more democratic oversight
  • Depoliticise sensitive areas — Move powers to professional bureaucrats to remove them from partisan control
  • Weaken rivals — Strip powers from cabinet positions held by opposition parties
  • Signal values — Propose amendments that reflect your party's ideology to rally supporters
  • Force a position — Propose an amendment to force rival parties to publicly vote for or against a popular idea

Build Support First

Unlike normal proposals that need a simple majority, constitutional changes need a supermajority. Use the messaging system to negotiate with other parties and secure enough votes before spending 60 PP.

Common Mistakes

  • Proposing without the votes — 60 PP wasted on a doomed change
  • Ignoring the cooldown — If a change just passed, you'll need to wait before proposing another
  • Forgetting bicameral requirements — In countries with two chambers, both must approve independently

Next Steps