Protocols of State

The Protocols of State (: Protocolos de Estado) is an addendum to the Treaty of Terelle, signed October 18, 1964, and serves as an important component of the Fundamental Law of Ventora, the body of in Ventora. The treaty ended the War of the Three Capitals which was a war of succession following the demise of the entire royal family as a result of a train derailment in 1961. The Protocols provide for significant changes to portions of the Precepts Concerning the Nation, the most sweeping predecessor constitutional document concerning state structure, power, and authority.

First, the Protocols provide for the layering of a form of government over the monarchy which is presumed to continue despite no clear succession to the throne. Second, the Protocols establish an elected regency to serve as in the stead of the monarch. Third, as, the Protocols establish a Governor General appointed by the regent with approval of the Grand Council of State, the upper house of Ventora's parliament, the Congress of State.

Chapter 1: Continuity as Commonwealth
Chapter 1 is the part of the Protocols that establishes the commonwealth form of governance and layers it over the existing monarchy. The chapter changes the official name of the country from the Kingdom of Ventora to the Kingdom and Commonwealth of Ventora (Reino y Mancomunidad de Ventora).

Chapter 2: Regent of Ventora
Although several monarchs had a regent acting in their behalf during various periods of the history of the kingdom, chapter 2 of the Protocols establishes the features, roles, and responsibilities of the elected office of the Regent of Ventora in light of the likelihood the country will not have another legitimate monarch ascend to the throne.

Candidates for regent must be a titled noble (duke/duchess, count/countess, or baron/baroness) at least aged 25. The regent is elected by the Grand Council of State, the upper house of parliament. The regent's term is five years and there is no limit on the number of terms that may be served.

Because the regent serves in the stead of a reigning monarch, many of the responsibilities are ceremonial. Nonetheless, the Protocols delineate several having considerable significance in matters of state. As head-of-state, the regent:
 * Appoints the governor general with approval of the Grand Council of State
 * Signifies assent to legislative bills by affixing the official signature and seal or rejects them
 * Accepts the fealty of members of the armed forces or withholds such acceptance, and may dismiss them with cause and concurrence of the Grand Council of State
 * Assents to the appointments of by the governor general or blocks such appointments, and may request their removal with cause
 * Receives visiting heads-of-state
 * Accredits Ventora's ambassadors, high commissioners, legates, and like-ranking diplomatic officials
 * Receives the credentials of foreign diplomatic officials of ambassadorial, high commissioner, legate, and like levels
 * Binds Ventora to international treaties and obligations by affixing the official signature and seal following ratification by the Grand Council of State
 * Confers and cancels honors of Ventora
 * Grants pardons and amnesties by personal discretion in any matters except involving treason or espionage

Chapter 3: Governor General of Ventora
The Governor General of Ventora is the for the country. He or she is appointed by the regent with the approval of the Grand Council of State. Candidates must be a citizen who has fulfilled national service obligations, has no convictions for capital crimes,

While the governor general serves at the pleasure of the regent and may resign at will, dismissal by the regent is subject to simple majority concurrence of the People's Assembly.

As chief executive, the governor general is "arbitrator and moderator of the organs of governance." The governor general appoints the commissioners, who are the heads of the primary departments of state, with simple majority approval of the Grand Council and the assent of the regent. Each commission has responsibility and competence for its specific areas of governance.

Chapter 4: Other matters of implementation
With the intent of stabilizing governance, the Protocols fixed the People's Assembly at 780 delegates. They are elected from geographically contiguous districts apportioned generally equally among the total population under the three-tier franchise system. Chapter 4 also set the term of office for the first elected regent to run until December 31, 1969 regardless of whether the term was longer or shorter than five years.

Criticisms
As a separate document, the Protocols of State neither replaced nor explicitly amended the Precepts Concerning the Nation. This means numerous articles in the Precepts have been superseded or invalidated despite appearing unchanged in the document. The lack of clarity occasionally results a need for judicial review and interpretation of effects on the Precepts by the Protocols.

There is no provision for amending the Protocols. Although there has been no effort to do so to date, constitutional scholars generally agree an amendment could be advanced in the same manner as an organic law. Organic laws require two-thirds votes in both houses of parliament, as well as approval of the governor general and assent by the regent.