CONSTITUTION ADOPTED AT THE FIRST CONGRESS OF THE UNION OF NORTH  CAU­CASUS MOUNTAIN PEOPLES AND DAGHESTAN

May 7, 1917

Art. 1.  The Union of the Mountain Peoples unites all of the mountainous tribes, as well as of Nogaits and Turkmen of Stavropol Gubernia (Province); the Union is a member of the Uni­on of the Caucasus Moslems and has the aim to secure peaceful coexistence of all the peoples of the Caucasus and Russia, unite the highlanders for protecting and strengthening the achievements of the Revolution, develop democracy and protect the common political, social and cultural-national interests of all mountainous tribes.

Art. 2.  The organs of the supreme power of the Union of the North Caucasus Mountain People and Daghestan are: 1) the Congress of Delegates and 2) the Central Committee.

Art 3.  The organs of the Union shall:

a) strengthen civil and political freedoms achieved by the Revolution;

b) protect and strengthen the right of peoples of the Union to self-determination;

c) prevent the inter-tribal conflicts;

d) maintain the peace and order, as it does not impede its implementation by the local bodies;

e) facilitate the peoples of the Union to organize the power.

Art. 4.  Each of the Peoples of the Union is autonomous in the field of its domestic public-economic interests.

Art.5. The Congress of Delegates is composed of representatives of mountain peoples, Noghaits and Turkmen - 1 delegate for 20 000 inhabitants; at that every ethnic group has a right to have at least one delegate and the remainder above 10 000 is considered as 20 000 inhabitants.

Art. 6. The Delegates shall be elected on the basis of universal, direct and equal suffrage by secret ballots; where the local district or public committees find it impossible due to the local circumstances and upon the consent of the Central Committee election shall be held on the basis of universal and two-tired suffrage by secret ballots.

Art. 7. The Delegates are elected for a term of one year.

Art. 10.  The Congress of Delegates is the supreme administrative body, which exercises the supreme supervisory function over the Union’s management; it determines the order and means for electing the Union’s governing powers; determines the measures for domestic security aimed at maintaining the peace and order; elects the members of the Central Committee and the Spiritual Board; resolves all the issues within the Union; annuls the decisions made by public and district Councils in case they run counter to the Union’s common interests; determines the dutiable for the needs of the Union; approves the reports by the Central Committee.

Art. 12. Every ethnic group has the right to be represented at the Central Committee.

At the current Congress the number of the members of the Central Committee is determined to be seventeen: 6 from Daghestan Oblast (District), 6  from Terek Oblast, 2 from Kuban Oblast and Chernomorskiy Gubernia; 1  from Zakatala Okrug, 1  from the Abkhaz people; 1 from Stavropol Gubernia.  The members of the Committee shall elect a Chairman from the members of the Committee.  Each member of the Committee may have 1 or 2 candidates (substitutes. tr.).

Art. 13. The Congress of Delegates elects the members of the Central Committee and their Candidates, at that each Oblast or Gubernia is holding separate elections subject of consequent approval by the Congress.

Art. 14.  The members of the Committee are accountable to the Congress of Delegates.

Art. 15.  The Central Committee has the right to co-opt the persons, who shall have the deliberative vote.

Art. 16.  The Central Committee directs in a general way the Union’s affairs, and it takes control over observance of the Union’s Constitution and on implementation of the Resolutions adopted by the Congress, and by its own initiative or upon complaints takes necessary measures to enforce their observance; takes measures to maintain security and peace on the territory of the Union, safeguards the interests of the Union and submits to the Congress of Delegates the projects and reports;  it is entitled to exercise supervision over the officials.

Art. 18. All of the forces of the Union, public militia and the permanent paid militia shall be subordinate to the Central Committee.

Art. 19.  The Central Committee determines the rules for forming, educating, supplying, appointing and dismissing the commanders of the units and in a whole takes all necessary measures for better organization of the application of Union’s forces.

Art. 23.  All of the resolutions adopted by the Central Committee are binding to the members of the Union; in case of disobedience to the Central Committee, the latter is authorized to propose to the Congress to expel such member from the Union.

Art. 30.  The Sittings of the Congress of Delegates at the Central Committee are held if the half of members attends it and the resolutions are adopted by the simple majority of votes.

(Union of the North Caucasus Mountain Peoples and Daghestan (1917-1918). Mountain Republic (1918-1920). Documents and Materials. Makhachkala, 1994, p. 50-53/in Russian)