Council of Elders

I hereby announce that the Council of Elders has been summoned. The Agenda shall be as follows:

Agenda for the first meeting of the Council of Elders

1. Opening speech by King George Henry I of Bir Tawil, in which he shall expound his vision for the kingdom, account for his Royal Decrees and commission the Council of Elders to organize the legal foundations of the state.

2. Opening speeches by the members of the Council of Elders, in order of their ID number, in which they shall put forward whichever thoughts they find pertinent to the foundation of the kingdom.

3. Discussion on the role, procedures and power of the Council of Elders.

4. Ceremonial handover of shared power to the Council of Elders.

King George Henry I of Bir Tawil

Royal Decree #6: On the Monarchy

As the Monarchy is the founding institution of the Kingdom of Bir Tawil, its well-being and stability require appropriate laws. I hereby enact the following articles:

Article 1: The Monarch is the head of state of the Kingdom of Bir Tawil. Other roles shall be established by the legally established authorities of Bir Tawil. The Monarch may, if he so chooses and as a common citizen, exercise additional roles as well, in accordance with the appropriate legislation.

Article 2: The office of Monarch may be held by either a man or woman of the royal family.

Article 3: The Monarch will remain in office until the time of his death or until he or she should decide to abdicate.

Article 4: The Monarch shall name a successor from within the royal family, according to whom he or she deems fittest for the role. This successor shall be known as the Crown Prince or Crown Princess.

Article 5: Mechanisms shall be put in place to enable the legally constituted authorities to voice their opinion on the propriety of the Monarch's choice of successor. Should the legally constituted authorities deem it fit, additional mechanisms may be enacted to overturn the monarch's choice in extreme circumstances.

Article 6: The Monarch may, at his or her choice, appoint a Regent to fulfill any and all of his or her roles, except that of head of state. Mechanisms will be enacted to make the Regent accountable to the legally constituted authorities, who may impeach him and require the Monarch to appoint another one.

Article 7: Should no member of the Royal Family desire to succeed the Monarch, the legally constituted authorities shall appoint a committee, in whichever way they deem appropriate, to select a new Monarch among Bir Tawil nationals and establish a new dynasty.

May it be known and recorded,

King George Henry I of Bir Tawil

Royal Decree #5: On the validity of Royal Decrees

As the newly-founded Kingdom of Bir Tawil requires some kind of provisional legal framework for its stability, I hereby enact the following measures:

Article 1: The King will temporarily exert absolute power in the Kingdom of Bir Tawil, only until the Council of Elders is convened.

Article 2: Once the Council of Elders is convened, decrees #2 onwards shall be subjected to ratification or modification, following the procedures agreed upon by said entity.

May it be known and recorded,

King George Henry I of Bir Tawil

Royal Decree #4: Renumbering of Decrees

As the Kingdom of Bir Tawil will have an increasing number of laws, measures and decrees, I have considered that these will have to be numbered, in order to keep them in order.

Sole article: Previous decrees are retroactively renumbered in the following manner:

Royal Decree #1 ("Foundation of the Kingdom of Bir Tawil")

Royal Decree #2 ("Flag of the Kingdom")

Royal Decree #3 ("Call for Citizens")

May it be known and recorded

King George Henry I of Bir Tawil

Where is this Bir Tawil place anyway?

The Kingdom of Bir Tawil is located in the continent of Africa and is bordered by the Arab Republic of Egypt to the north and the Republic of the Sudan to the south. Its foundation as an independent kingdom is not based on any usurpation or secessionist principle, as both neighboring countries explicitly state that they hold no sovereignty over its territory.

For a more detailed explanation on the lack of state presence in the formerly stateless Bir Tawil, you may follow this link.

Call for citizens

As all countries require citizens in order to prosper, the Kingdom of Bir Tawil opens its arms to all those who strive to live in pursuit of happiness and the well-being of humankind at large. Any and all people of good nature and pure intentions who wish to apply for citizenship are to send an electronic mail message to birtawil@live.com. Once a sufficient number of citizenship applications are approved, a Council of Elders shall be assembled, which will in turn establish the general principles upon which a democratically-elected Constitutional Congress shall draft a Constitution.

His Royal Majesty,

King George Henry I of Bir Tawil

Update: The application for citizenship may be downloaded here. Once it is filled out (no actual signature necessary) it must be sent back to the email address specified above.

Flag of the Kingdom

After considering many a design, I, King George Henry I of Bir Tawil, have selected a flag to represent our kingdom in the international community.

Our national flag uses a combination of the Pan-African (Green, Gold, Red and Black) and Pan-Arab colors (Green, White, Black and Red) allowing for a design of great beauty and harmony, which also symbolizes our position vis-a-vis our common continent and neighbors. As the name of our country means "water well", the flag also includes a representation of this element, symbolic of the preciousness of water in our sandy and arid land.

I hereby decree the following:

- All public buildings in the Kingdom of Bir Tawil are required to fly the flag in a position of appropriate honor.

- All citizens of the Kingdom of Bir Tawil are to show proper respect for the flag.

Let it be known and recorded.

His Royal Majesty,

King George Henry I of Bir Tawil

Foundation of the Kingdom of Bir Tawil

On this glorious April day, and in view of rampant strife due to the lack of organized government in the region known as Bir Tawil, I, George Henry I, proclaim myself the new King of said land.

Let it be known and recorded.

His Royal Majesty,

George Henry I