In a world full of kingdoms and empires run by autocrats whose word is law, the King of Vanaco, FirstLeak, is giving some of his power back to his people. The massive Vanacan constitution has a whopping 19 articles. Article 3, the Bill of Rights, contains 12 sections of rights that Vanaco citizens are guaranteed, ranging from the right to expression, to property rights, to the right to a fair trial and the newly ratified right to counsel. The constitution establishes 4 branches of government: the legislative, executive, judiciary, and monarchy.

The legislative branch includes a House of Representatives to create laws and a Senate to pass laws. The congress (House of Representatives and Senate) has the power to not only enact legislation but also to manage the nation’s finances (such as setting taxes and allocating national funds), create and abolish government departments, and declare war on other nations. Representatives serve 45-day terms, with elections taking place every 45 days. During elections, anyone in the nation is able to run, but only the 5 most popular candidates are elected—with the most popular becoming the speaker of the house. The Senate consists of 6 people and uses a mid-term election cycle, meaning that while senators serve 90-day terms, elections for half of the Senate happen every 45 days. Interestingly, senators don’t represent specific towns or territories but rather three population demographics: small population towns (1-20 residents), medium population towns (21-49 residents), and large population towns (50+), with each demographic having two senators. Senators choose a senate majority leader from among themselves.

The constitution also lays out the powers of the president, who’ll serve as the head of the government. The president is elected by the citizens of Vanaco and serves a 90-day term. The president has the power to command military operations as the commander-in-chief, issue executive orders, nominate candidates for department secretaries and Supreme Court justices, conduct diplomacy with other nations, veto legislation (although this can be overruled by Congress), and declare emergencies. Despite the power the president holds over the government, he cannot override the crown.

While King FirstLeak explains that the new constitution is inspired by the IRL American constitution, he as king still fits into the new system and retains significant power. Article V of the constitution gives the monarchy power to remove any government official from office, dissolve any government department, and veto amendments to the constitution. His most notable power is to issue “crown orders," which allow the king to enact any policy or to direct government action without congressional approval. While the king’s crown orders cannot supersede the constitution, he still holds immense power within the nation despite the new legal systems. During his interview, FirstLeak reminded me that "this isn't a full democracy. We consider [ourselves] a sovereign constitutional monarchy, and that is what our nation is.” Section 7 establishes an expectation that the monarchy is to use his power with restraint; however, there are no actual limitations against many of his powers.

The judiciary branch establishes three levels of courts: town courts, federal courts, and the Supreme Court. Town court judges are appointed by the mayor and have jurisdiction over their town’s affairs and preside over cases against town residents and lawsuits between town residents. Federal court judges are nominated by the president and approved by Congress and have the power to resolve disputes between residents of different towns, preside over cases of violations of federal law, and make decisions on appealed cases from town court, among other things. The Supreme Court justice (there is only one) is nominated by the president and approved by Congress and has the power of the federal court, as well as the power to resolve constitutional disputes, disputes between towns, and appeals from federal court, and presides during impeachment trials against the president.

While at the time of the interview, the judiciary branch had only existed on paper, King FirstLeak reports that his government has moved quickly to pass multiple pieces of legislation to lay the groundwork needed for a functional legal system and is ready to appoint a town judge but still needs a Supreme Court justice, a federal court judge, and an attorney general; he also needs to establish BAR exams and train attorneys to represent citizens on trial.

So what will Vanaco criminal trials look like? FirstLeak explains that the trial process starts with the mayors, who, under the new laws, have been made to serve as deputies. The deputy mayors enforce the law within their town and can put those who break the law on trial. From there, the accused then has 72 hours to appear before a judge; during this time, they can hire an attorney to represent them in court. If the accused is found guilty, the town judge can then enact fines or even imprison them.

During my interview with FirstLeak, I posed a potential limitation in the trial system: how would his nation be able to actually force convicted criminals to accept their sentencing? After all, it’s not like you can steal money from a player’s balance or easily send them to jail. FirstLeak admitted that this was a conundrum that he had also come across but answered that due to trials being held at the local town level, mayors will be the ones bringing charges against the criminals, so if they refuse to accept their sentencing, the mayor would simply kick them from the town. He further explained that in the near future, Vanaco citizens will invest in expensive real estate and that if they refuse to accept their sentencing, they could have their property seized. With real estate pricing estimated to cost upwards of $10,000 at the minimum and $100,000 at the high-end, the fines or imprisonment would be worth it in order to keep ownership of such property. 

“But surely there are exceptions to who is allowed to be put on trial?” I asked. Given the scenario of an insider who was actively sabotaging a siege, surely he would get the boot rather than be given a lengthy trial; yet FirstLeak assured me that he’s adamant in his belief that everyone deserves a trial, although he stated that a trial doesn’t prevent him from taking immediate action to stop criminals from actively committing more crimes, such as removing their soldier in this instance.

The newly enacted Criminal Code Act gives us an insight into the kinds of punishments that convicted criminals could receive. The act establishes a list of offenses and their punishments. The act is quite large, containing 13 sections of crimes, each section including multiple offenses and their corresponding punishments, as well as punishments for repeat offenders. The act creates the Civil Unit, shortened to CU, which acts as a legal currency to measure fine amounts and represents $100 in CCNet money, although its value can legally be changed via crown order at any time. Minor infractions such as public nuisance and trespassing carry fines of only 5 CU ($500) and 10 CU ($1,000), respectively, while more serious crimes, such as mass murder and treason, carry fines of up to 500 CU ($50,000) and 1,000 CU ($100,000), respectively. Some more serious crimes, such as the aforementioned treason charge, also carry prison time of 60 minutes, plot eviction, permanent disqualification from government office, and stripping of all government privileges and honors. Those who harm other players may also be required to pay restitution to the victim. The Criminal Code Act also lays out the inherent rights of Vanaco citizens when it comes to trials, such as the presumption of innocence (innocent until proven guilty), the burden of proof being solely on the prosecution, prohibition of citizens being found guilty of laws that did not exist at the time, double jeopardy (citizens being put on trial more than once for the same offense), and the right to due process.

With democracies being so common IRL, why is it so rare on CCNet? King FirstLeak shared that he believed that many other nation leaders are fearful of more democratic systems of government due to the concern that the people would drive the nation into the ground and found himself agreeing against absolute democracies for that reason but concedes that democratic governments like his tend to create better atmospheres for the nation as a whole. The end goal for FirstLeak, however, is not to have the most democratic form of government, but rather a more balanced government that gives the most power it can give back to the people without sacrificing stability—which is a fair compromise considering the differences between CCNet and IRL nations. FirstLeak further explained that he wants a stable government as well as a free populace that would outlast him: “The reason I give so much power to my people is because I intend on leaving at some point. I want the system that I'm setting up for the nation to be anti-fragile.”

Even though the new legal systems are still in their infancy, King FirstLeak reports that the citizens of Vanaco are excited for the coming changes and believes that it’ll become a focal point for player activity within the nation. He envisions Vanaco citizens filling the roles of attorneys and having fun in court, and that big cases, such as Supreme Court cases, could serve as a form of entertainment for the nation. Perhaps if Vanaco’s new government is successful, they may inspire other nations to implement similar systems of government.

Sources: FirstLeak, the Constitution of Vanaco: https://www.notion.so/vanaco/Constitution-of-Vanaco-2becf49cd83c80b285e0dba38345e875 & the Criminal Code Act: https://www.vanacomc.com/laws/co-005