# Edge Protocol
*This protocol, its nodes, and its congress are not the final form of Agency, but rather its point of departure.*

The essential bodies of the Edge Protocol are the Congress, the Central Node (C.N.), and edge-nodes.

## Edge-Nodes
1) **@agents** can organize and coordinate their activity in edge-nodes. *Complete freedom of discussion, unity of action*. Edges implement the decisions and orientation of the network’s Congress and Central Node and construct the network.
2) In this sense, **edges** express the totality of the network through the application of the decisions and orientation of the **Congress**, the decisions of the **Central Node**, through the initiatives they take to translate this orientation and these decisions. They express it by the fact that they take positions in the Congress, by the documents and resolutions presented, and by the fact that they directly or indirectly designate the **@congress-delegates** to the **Congress**.
5) Edges have the power to sanction. These must be submitted to the Central Node.

## Congress
1) The **Congress** defines the orientation of the Edge Network through the adoption of resolutions.
2) The **Central Node** is dissolved at the opening of the **Congress**.
3) The Congress decides its agenda and organizes its work at its own discretion. The outgoing **Central Node** submits proposals for the agenda to the **Congress**.
4) The Congress elects the **Central Node** of the Edge Network. It decides on the modalities of this election, on the conditions required for **@agents** to be candidates, and the number of **@agents** in the C.N.
5) The Congress is composed of **@congress-delegates** who have the right to vote, elected directly or indirectly by **edge-nodes**. Outgoing **@central-node** agents who are not **@congress-delegates** participate in the Congress in an advisory capacity, as well as the **@auditing** agents of the **Auditing Node**.
- **@congress-delegates** are elected on the basis of documents and resolutions presented to the Congress and voted on in **edges**.
7) **@congress-delegates** can not have a permanent mandate. Outside the congress itself, delegates are only responsible for their mandate as delegate to the body that elected them.
8) Congress is held the 1st of every other month 1-2pm EST on Agency Discord (in congress-stage).
9) Congress is convened by the Central Node, proposes an agenda, and declares the discussion open for the purpose of the Congress on the basis of the texts it submits for discussion.
10) During the discussion period in preparation for the Congress, the **Internal Bulletin (I.B)** of the Edge Network will publish all documents or resolutions issued by **@agents** or **edges** of the network.

## Central Node
1) The **Central Node** is a delegation of the **Congress** and has within the framework of the decisions of the Congress, all its powers.
2) Between two congresses the Central Node, with respect to this protocol, takes all the decisions it deems necessary to acomplish tasks, for which it will report to the next **Congress**. These decisions are the concrete translation of the orientation of the congress and have the force of law for the whole network.
3) The Central Node takes precedence over all other bodies of the network. In case of conflict, the position of the Central Node is always decisive.
4) The Central Node organizes its own work. It may create, for the needs the network's functioning, bodies which it deems necessary for the application of the policy which it defines. These bodies are placed directly under its control. The C.N. controls all the external and internal publications of the network and will designate their editorial-nodes under the responsibility of one of its agents, as well as the participation of any **@agent** in any publication.
5) The Central Node may delegate its powers, between two of its sessions, to one and only one body, which it will designate from among its **@agents**.
6) The Central Node is responsible for organizing and promoting discussion in the network.
7) The Central Node has the power of sanction, including exclusion.

## Internal Bulletin
1) The C.N. is in charge of editing an internal bulletin intended to ensure the conditions of a total expression to all the **@agents** at the scale of the whole network.
2) The C.N., edges, and **@agents** can express themselves in the Internal Bulletin.

## Right of Tendency and Faction
1) The Edge Protocol recognizes the right of tendency, i.e. the right of **@agents** to group together on the basis of an orientation openly defended within the Edge Network.
2) A tendency can only be formed on the basis of a document presented at a congress or sent to the Central Node and published in the internal bulletin: Edge Protocol formally condemns cliques.
3) The right of tendency is expressed by the possibility of expression of one or more minority tendencies in the internal meetings of the network and by their proportional representation in the Central Node.
- In case more than two tendencies are expressed in the network, the tendency having the relative majority will be represented by an absolute majority in the Central Node.
4) Discussion and struggle within the network may lead to the formation of factions when **@agents** of a tendency consider that the differences affect the very principles of the program.
- A faction differs from the tendency in that it tends to establish a discipline within it, for example, a general voting discipline.
- The recognition of the right of faction is legitimized by the ultimate attempt to preserve the unity of the network through a complete clarification of the divergences without being able to oppose the development of the discussion of organizational measures. In any case, the faction must be publicly proclaimed in the network on the basis of resolutions.
- The right of faction may not put into question the decisions of the Congress and the Central Node.

## Auditing Node
1) The Congress elects an Auditing Node.
2) There is an incompatibility between membership in the Auditing Node and membership in the Central Node.
3) The Auditing Node is the guarantor of the implementation of this protocol by all nodes, including the Central Node. It is elected by the Congress and reports on its activities to the next Congress.
4) Any **@agent** may appeal to the Auditing Node, either to ask it to intervene in a case of non-application of this protocol by an **@agent** or node, or to appeal against a sanction.
5) In regards to the case with which it is involved, the Auditing Node will report on the materiality of the facts and on the observance of this protocol.
6) The Auditing Node is not a court of law. It has unlimited investigative powers and all agents must attend its convocations, but it has no power of decision.
7) The Auditing Node will submit its findings to the Central Node. In no event will the findings of the Node suspend the imposition of a sanction or call into question any decision of the Central Node.
8) In the event that the findings of the Auditing Node conflict with those of the Central Node, the matter will be decided by the Congress on the basis of two reports, one from the Auditing Node and one from the Central Node, which will be made known to the network.
9) The Auditing Node will participate in the meetings of the Central Node in an advisory capacity.

## Revision of the Statutes
This operating protocol can only be revised by a Congress.