Crisis Act
From Transformers Wiki
One thing that separates Autobots from Decepticons is that Autobots are loyal to their leaders out of well-earned respect rather than out of fear. Whether the Prime or another type of Autobot leader, they all get their power from the trust their soldiers have in them... and that's a source not infinite. Sometimes, a leader neglects their role in the Autobot hierarchy. Sometimes, a leader makes mistakes that leave doubt about their continued suitability. In any such case, Autobots far lower in rank still are authorized to invoke the Crisis Act—a regulation by which the leader figure gets relieved from command if the majority of the troops give it their support.
Fiction
Marvel The Transformers comics
In an attempt to bring back Ratchet, Optimus Prime and Nightbeat succeeded insofar that they obtained a mentally unstable, violent, destructive Megatron-Ratchet hybrid from unspace. Kup, the Ark Security Officer, initially wanted to kill it, but Optimus Prime forbade it, stating the creature was still part Ratchet. Within very little time, the hybrid rampaged through the Ark, beat up some of its crew and locked itself in the main engine room to tear things apart at its leisure. Kup was furious and reminded Optimus Prime that already most of the Autobots were unhappy with his decision to surrender to Scorponok, so if he wasn't going to put an end to this threat personally, the Crisis Act would be invoked. The Pri¢e of Life!
2005 IDW continuity
Rodimus invoked the Crisis Act against himself after revealing to the crew of the Lost Light that he'd been responsible for bringing Overlord onto the ship and had let Drift take the blame, asking them to vote on whether or not they still wanted him as captain. The majority voted to keep him around, with 89 crew members being against it. Burning Bright The vote was anonymous, and though Atomizer would later present a supposed list of the naysayers to Rodimus, Words Hang in the Air it turned out to be fake. Predestination: A Beginner's Guide
