The Constitution of the Divine Republic of Kresimiria is the foundational legal document of the nation. Enacted on May 27, 1921, it was drafted by the six members of the Revolutionary People’s Council following their victory in the Kresimirian Unification War.
The document establishes a unique political system that combines elements of a theocracy with a democratic republic. It is noted for its internal contradictions, featuring both highly authoritarian state controls and some of the most socially progressive individual rights codified in the region.
History and Enactment
The constitution was proclaimed as part of the establishment of the Divine Republic, formalizing the new state’s existence. The text is divided into five main sections, outlining the nature of the Republic, the structure of government, the distribution of power, the legislative process, and the rights and duties of citizens.
Though intended to be a permanent framework, the constitution has been formally amended on several occasions to adapt to political and social crises. Any amendment requires 12 senators (previously 14, amended in 1933) in a special session attended by all members of the Assembly and the Chancellor.
Key Structural Provisions
The Republic (Articles 1-2)
This section establishes Kresimiria as a state based on the divine values of Kresimirianism and its sacred texts, the Books of Kresimir. It names Sinj as the capital and grants a “special status of Divinity” to five other historically significant cities.
The Government (Articles 3-10)
This section details the structure of the state’s main political bodies:
- The Assembly: A unicameral legislature of 20 Senators, with two elected from each of the ten districts for ten-year terms.
- The Chancellory: A head of state, the Divine Chancellor, who is appointed for life by the Assembly.
- The Electoral System: Outlines the ranked-choice voting method and, most notably, contains the Faith Restriction Clause (Article 5), which limits suffrage to adherents of Kresimirianism.
Distribution of Power (Articles 11-24)
This section establishes the executive and judicial branches:
- Federal Councils: A cabinet-like system of administrative departments (e.g., Defence, Divinity, Health) headed by Councillors appointed by the Chancellor.
- Judiciary: A four-tiered judicial system headed by the Superior Tribunal, the Republic’s highest court and final interpreter of the constitution.
Rights and Duties of Citizens (Articles 31-43)
Part V of the constitution is its most discussed and paradoxical section, containing a mixture of progressive individual liberties and strict authoritarian duties.
Progressive Social Rights
- Article 31 (Abortion): Grants citizens the “absolute right to terminate a pregnancy at any point… until the child is born,” one of the most liberal abortion laws in the world at the time of its writing.
- Article 32 (Discrimination): Forbids discrimination based on “sex as born, identity, or expression.”
- Article 33 (Marriage): Guarantees the right to marriage regardless of “orientation, number of participants, or sexes or presentation of the participants,” legally recognizing same-sex and polyamorous unions.
Authoritarian State Controls
- Article 34 (Religion): Mandates that all citizens must adhere to Kresimirianism.
- Articles 39-42 (Speech, Labor, Assembly): Strictly prohibits unauthorized publications, labor strikes, and public gatherings, with severe penalties for violations. Citizens are constitutionally required to report “subversive content” to the authorities.
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Article 37 (Conscription): Establishes mandatory military conscription with no right to conscientious objection.
- Modern Application: Following the 2015 Digital Sovereignty Act, the physical “Divinity Certificate” described in Article 5 has been largely replaced by a digital ID embedded within the mandatory KresiX National App. Possession of a functional KresiX device with a valid digital ID is now the de facto method for exercising citizenship rights, including voting.
Major Amendments
The constitution has been formally amended on several key occasions:
- 1922 (Political Parties Act): Proposed by Filip Novak, this was the first amendment. It struck down Article 6, Clause 1, which had banned political parties. The change was made before the first election to accommodate the reality of emerging political blocs.
- 1924 (Electoral Succession Act): An emergency amendment passed in the wake of the assassination of Senator Ivana Simuna. It temporarily suspended and permanently altered Article 8, which had proven unworkable, allowing a special election to be held directly.
- 1933 (Amendment Procedure Act): Proposed by the RPP government, this amendment lowered the threshold required to amend the Constitution from a two-thirds majority (14 Senators) to a three-fifths majority (12 Senators). It effectively removed the ability of the liberal opposition of the 1932 Assembly to block constitutional changes, leading to the 1933 National Security Act later that year.
- 1933 (National Security Act): Proposed by the RPP government and supported by the Sons of Kresimir, this amendment expanded Article 35, giving the Council for Internal Affairs broad powers to restrict freedom of movement for citizens deemed a threat to national security or religious unity.
- 1942 (Chancellor’s Authority Act): A major shift in the balance of power, this amendment to Article 26 granted the Divine Chancellor veto power over any legislation passed with fewer than a four-fifths majority.
- 1961 (Treaty of Brod Moravice): The most significant amendment concerning citizen rights. As a core provision of the Treaty of Brod Moravice, this act amended Article 5 to waive the faith-based voting requirement for all citizens residing in District X (Moraviskameja).
- 1988 (State Enterprise Act): Proposed by Blue Dawn leader Ljubo Sanjakorin’s government, this amendment clarified and expanded the powers of the Council for Development, formalizing the creation of state-owned enterprises and strengthening the government’s role in the industrial economy.