The_Revised_Constitution_of_The_Empire_of_Ethiopia-Chapter

Ba Beta Kristiyan Haile Selassie I

The Revised Constitution of The Empire of Ethiopia - 1955 Constitution

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Chapter V

THE LEGISLATIVE CHAMBERS

SECTION 1 - PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO BOTH CHAMBERS

ARTICAL 76

The Parliament shall be composed of a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate. No
one can be simultaneously a member of both the Chamber of Deputies and The
Senate. The two Chambers shall meet together at the beginning and the end of
each session, in the circumstances set forth in Articals 90 and 91, upon the call
of the Emperor, and upon such other occasions as may be determined by the
Chambers, The President of the Senate shall preside at all joint meetings of the
Chambers.

ARTICAL 77

The regular sessions of Parliament shall convene on the twenty-third day of the
month of Tekemt of each year in the Capital of the Empire and shall continue to
the first day of the month of Sene (8 June).

Until a new Parliament shall be elected and convened in accordance with the
present Constitution and the electoral law to be enacted, the two Chambers of
Parliament, as heretofore constituted, shall continue to sit and shall, in
accordance with the provisions and procedures established in Chapter V of the
present Constitution, exercise the perogatives and functions and fulfill the
responsibilites provided for in respect of Parliament. the first election to the
Chamber of Deputies shall be completed within two years from the entry into
force of the present Constitution and in accordance with the provisions of the
electoral law.

ARTICAL 78

No meeting of either Chamber of Parliament shall be closed to the public except
upon a request by the Prime Minister, or upon a decision by a majority vote of
the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate, as the case may be, to that effect. No
joint meeting of the Chambers shall be closed to the public except upon a
request by the Prime Minister or a decision by the majority of each of the
Chambers to that effect. If, after a question has been declared to be secret, a
member of either Chamber makes it known to the public, either in a speech, or
by the press, or by writings, or in any other way, he shall be punished according
to the provisions of Penal Law.

ARTICAL 79

Neither of the Chambers shall commence its deliberations on the first day of any
session without the presence of two-thirds of its members, or continue its
deliberations, or take any vote on any succeeding day of any session without the
presence of a majority of its members at joint meetings of the Chambers, the
presence of a majority of the members of each Chamber shall be required for
deliberations and for voting.

ARTICAL 80

If the quorum of Deputies and of Senators prescribed in Artical 79 is not present
on the day designed for the convening of Parliament or if, thereafter, either of the
Chambers, or the Chambers in joint meeting, cannot continue deliberations or
vote for lack of the required attendance, the members present shall take such
measures as may be authorized in the rules of procedure of the respective
Chambers, to compel the attendance of a sufficient number of the absent
members.

ARTICAL 81

Every Deputy or Senator, before taking his seat in the Chamber to which he has
been elected or appointed, shall take, before the Emperor, or if directed by
Him,before the President of the Legislative Chamber concerned, an oath of
loyality to the Emperor and to the Empire, and shall swear that he will obey the
Constitution and the laws of the Empire and will perform his duties
conscientiously and without fear or favour.

ARTICAL 82

Each Chamber shall determine its own rules of procedure and internal discipline.

ARTICAL 83

Members of Parliament shall receive salaries determined by law. Any law
increasing the salaries of members of Parliament shall be effective only from the
date of the election of the Next Parliament.

ARTICAL 84

No action or charge may be brought against any member of Parliament, or
against any Minister appearing by right or upon the invitation of either Chamber,
for words uttered or written statements submitted by him at any meeting of any
committee of either Chambers, or any joint meeting of the Chambers, or any
meeting of any committee of either Chamber. Nevertheless, every member of
each Chamber of Parliament shall be obliged to respect all rules of order,
conduct and procedure adopted by such Chamber for the transaction of its
business and shall be subject to discipinary action on the part of such Chamber
for violation of such rules. No action or charge may be brought against any
person or any newspaper for publication, by or under the authority of Parliament
or of either Chamber thereof, as the case may be, of any report, paper, votes or
proceedings of Parliament or either Chamber thereof, as the case may be.

ARTICAL 85

No member of Parliament, during a session thereof, may be arrested or
detained or summoned to answer a criminal charge, unless the permission of
the Chamber of which he is a member be obtained, or he be arrested in
flagrante delicto. A comparable immunity does not apply to civil cases.

ARTICAL 86

Laws may be proposed to either, or both Chambers of Parliament:

(a) by The Emperor, or

(b) by ten or more members of either Chamber of Parliament, except that every
proposal involving an increase in governmental expenditure or a new or
increased tax shall first be presented to the Chamber of Deputies.

ARTICAL 87

All matters in either Chamber or in joint meeting of the Chambers shall be
determined by vote of the majority of the members present, except as provided
in Artical 131. In event of an equal division of votes, the presiding officer shall
have a casting vote.

ARTICAL 88

Every proposal of legislation approved by one Chamber of Parliament shall be
immediately forwarded through the President thereof to the other Chamber. If it
is approved by the other without amendments within a period of two months, it
shall be promptly communicated through the Prime Minister to the Emperor and
shall either be promulgated as law, or returned by the Emperor to the Chambers
with His observations thereon, or with a new proposal of legislation as provided
in Artical 91. All laws duly approved by both Chambers of Parliament shall be
forwarded to the Emperor through the Prime Minister, by the Presidents of
Chamber of Deputies and of the Senate. In the event that such law shall receive
the approval and signature of the Emperor, it shall be published by the Minister
of the Ren in the Negarit Gazeta, with recital of the affixing of the Signature and
the Great Seal of the Emperor.
All Imperial Decrees and all ministerial decrees and orders shall be published in
the Negarit Gazeta.

ARTICAL 89

If proposal of legislation approved by one Chamber is not finally acted upon the
other within the aforesaid period of two months, the Chambers shall meet
together to discuss the said proposal. If the proposal is approved in such joint
meeting, with or without amendments, within 30 days, it shall be communicated
to the Emperor for action in accordance with Artical 88.

ARTICAL 90

If, within the aforesaid period of two months, a proposal of legislation approved
by one Chamber, is approved by the other with amendments, the said proposal
shall be returned to the first Chamber for further consideration. If, upon such
consideration, it is approved within 30 days, by the first Chamber, with the said
amendments, it shall be communicated to the Emperor for action in accordance
with Artical 88. If, within 30 days, the amendments are not accepted by the first
Chamber, the Chambers shall, thereupon, shall meet together to discuss the
proposal. If, in such joint meeting, the proposal is approved, with or without
amendments, within 30 days, it shall, thereupon, be communicated to the
Emperor for action in accordance with Artical 88.

ARTICAL 91

If a proposal of legislation approval in one of the Chambers is rejected by the
other within two months after its communication to it, as provided in Artical 88, or
if a proposal of legislation is not approved, with or without amendments, after
discussion in a joint meeting, as provided in Artical 89 and 90, full reports on the
situation shall be promptly communicated to the emperor by the Presidents of
both Chambers of Parliament, through the Prime Minister, and the Emperor
may, thereupon, cause to be transmitted to both Chambers of Parliament, His
observations in regard to such reports and such proposal of legislation, or cause
to be transmitted to the Chambers, a proposal of legislation on the same subject.

ARTICAL 92

In cases of emergency that arise when the Chambers are not sitting, the
Emperor may proclaim decrees consistant with the Constitution, which shall
have force of law upon publication in the Negarit Gazeta, pending a decision on
the same by Parliament. To that end, the text of each such decree shall be
transmitted for consideration by both Chambers of Parliament at their first
meeting following each proclamtion. In the event that, conformably to the
provisions of Articals 88, 89, or 90, of the present Constitution, Parliament shall
approve decrees, they shall continue in force and shall become law upon
publication, in the Negarit Gazeta, of said approval. In the event that Parliament
shall disapprove any such decree, each such decree shall cease to have force
abd effect, upon the publication, in the Negarit Gazeta, of such disapproval.

SECTION II
The Chamber of Deputies

ARTICAL 93

The entire territory of the Empire, as definded in Artical 1 of the present
Constitution, shall be divided into electoral districts containing, as nearly as
possible, two hundred thousand inhabitants. The location and limits of each
electoral district shall be determined by law and each such district shall be as
regular in shape as circumstances permit. In addition, each town with a
population exceeding thirty thousand inhabitants shall be entitled to one Deputy
and an additional Deputy for each fifty thousand inhabitants in excess of thirty
thousand.

ARTICAL 94

Each electoral district shall be represented by two Deputies.

ARTICAL 95

All Ethiopian subjects by birth, of twenty-one years of age or more, who are
regularly domiciled or habitually present in any electoral district and who posses
the qualifications required by the electoral law, shall have the right to vote in such
electoral district for the candidates from such district, as members of the
Chamber of Deputies. The system of voting shall be secret and direct. Details of
procedure shall be prescribed by law.

ARTICAL 96

To be eligible as a Deputy, a person must be, by birth, an Ethiopian subject who:

(a) has reached the age of twenty-five years;

(b) is a bono fide resident and owner of property in his electoral district, to the
extent required by the electoral law; and

(c) is not disqualified under any provision of the electoral law.

ARTICAL 97

Deputies shall be elected for terms of four years and shall be eligible for
re-election subject to their continual possession of the qualifications set forth in
Artical 96.

ARTICAL 98

Vacancies that may occur in the membership of the Chamber of Deputies shall
be filled as provided in the electoral law.

ARTICAL 99

The President and two Vice Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies shall be
elected each year from and by members of the Chamber.

ARTICAL 100

The Chamber of Deputies shall be sole judge of the qualifications and election
of its members.

SECTION III
THE SENATE

ARTICAL 101

The Senate shall consist of the Senators appointed by the Emperor for six years.

ARTICAL 102

The Senate shall be composed of a number of persons, not exceeding one half
of the total number of Deputies, to be chosen by the Emperor from amounst
those who have, by their acts, secured the confidence and esteem of the people,
and from amongst those who have served their country and their government
with distinction.

ARTICAL 103

To be eligible for appointment as a member of the Senate, a person must be, by
birth, an Ethiopian subject who:

(a) has reached the age of thirty five years;

(b) is a Prince or other dignitary, or a former high governmental official, or other
person generally esteemed for his character, judgement and public services; and

(c) is not disqualified under any provision of the electoral law.

ARTICAL 104

The Senators first appointed by the Emperor, as provided in Artical 101, shall,
immediately after their first meeting, be divided into three equal groups. The
Senators of the fisrt group shall be succeeded at the end of the second year by
Senators appointed in accordance with the provisions of Artical 101, those of
the second group, at the end of the fourth year, and those of the third group, at
the end of the sixth year, so that one third be succeeded every second year.

ARTICAL 105

Senators shall be eligible for re-appointment subject to their continued
possession of the qualification set forth in Artical 103.

ARTICAL 106

Vacancies in the membership of the Senate shall be filled by appointments in
the manner provided in Artical 101.

ARTICAL 107

The President and two Vice Presidents of the Senate shall be appointed each
year by the Emperor from amounst the Senators.

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The Church of Haile Selassie I, Inc.

Ba Beta Kristiyan Haile Selassie I