Federalisation Article
| Article 4, Section 1 of the Constitution of the Arstotzkan Union | |
|---|---|
 | |
| National Assembly of the Arstotzkan Union | |
| Enacted by | National Government of the Arstotzkan Union |
| Date enacted | 15 October 2020 |
| Related legislation | |
| Constitution of the Arstotzkan Union | |
| Status: Current legislation | |
The Federalisation Article previously known as Article 20 of the Constitution of the Arstotzkan Union is a Article the Constitution of the Arstotzkan Union, namely Article 4, Section 1. The Federalisation Article is seen as one of the most important articles in Arstotzkan law as it establishes a federal system and a proper federal government in the Constitution.
The Federalisation Article was the final thing passed by the National Government of the Arstotzkan Union. Article 20 officially dissolved the National Government and created the Arstotzkan Union Federal Government on 15 October 2020 with it becoming the Arstotzkan Federal Government on 16 October 2020.
History
For most of the history of the Arstotzkan Union, federalism was a very much opposed ideal. President, later First President Ethan Brinkman opposed federalism as it would make the Arstotzkan Union similar to the United States in it form of government, however with the growth of territories, especially following the creation of 7 more territories on 14 September 2020, the National Government began pushing for more better forms of government with the new territories and the fact that more territories would be free to join the union in the future.
At the beginning of October 2020 it was decided that the Arstotzkan Union would transition to a federal state, rather than remain as a centralised nation. On 14 October 2020 it was announced that the Brinkman - Gedye Administration would begin the largest amount of government reforms in history, known as the Federalisation of the Arstotzkan Union.
Article 20 was not the only piece of legislation that was passed that aided in the Federalisation of the Arstotzkan Union, it was joined by the Land and Territories Act 2020 which had been in drafting since 5 October 2020. Article 20 was considered more important and the symbol of the beginning of the Federalisation reforms as it was passed and made a part of the Constitution on the same day as the Land and Territories Act.
Text
When it was passed in 2020, Article 20 stated:
"State Federalism shall be in place of this government by this Constitution to allow for the governing of Arstotzka, and the abroad territories and bases"
However over time the Article was changed and amended as the nation changed. Things that were changed were things like, the name Arstotzka was dropped and changed to Arstotzkan Union Proper in 2022 and in 2023 it was removed as a whole as the state was dissolved.
The term "bases" was also dropped in 2021 when bases became known as territories and bases were only property inside a territory rather than being a separate entity.
By 2023 following all the revision and the 2022 National Constitutional Convention, Article 20, which is now known as Article 4, Section 1, states:
"State Federalism shall be in place of this government by this Constitution to allow for the governing of the territories of the Arstotzkan Union."