12. The newly-elected Saeima shall hold its first sitting on the first Tuesday in November, on which day the powers of the previous Saeima shall have expired.

13. Should the parliamentary elections, by reason of the dissolution of the previous Saeima, take place at another season of the year, the Saeima thus elected shall assemble not later than one month after its election and its powers shall expire after two years, on the first Tuesday in November, on which day a new Saeima shall assemble.

14. The electors may not recall any members of the Saeima.

15. The Saeima shall sit in Rigs. It may sit elsewhere only in extraordinary circumstances.

16. The Saeima shall elect its Board, which shall consist of the president, his two deputies and secretaries. The Board of the Saeima shall carry on its work uninterruptedly throughout the duration of the legislative period.

17. The first sitting of a newly-elected Saeima shall be opened by the President of the preceding Saeima or by any other member of the Board charged by the Board.

18. The Saeima shall examine the mandates of its members.

19. The Board shall convene sessions and decree ordinary and extraordinary sittings.

20. The Board shall convoke a sitting of the Saeima at the request of either the President of the State, the Prime Minister, or not less than one-third of the members of the Saeima.

21. The Saeima shall draw up the Standing Orders for the regulation of its internal procedure.

22. The sittings of the Saeima shall be public. At the request of ten members of the Saeima, the President of the State, the Prime Minister, or any one Minister, the Saeima may decide by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present to sit in camera.

23. The sittings of the Saeima may take place if at least one-half of the members are present.

24. Except in cases otherwise provided for by the Constitution, the Saeima shall pass its resolutions by the absolute majority vote of the members present.

25. The Saeima shall elect committees, determine the number of their members and their duties. The committees shall be entitled to request the respective Ministers and local authorities to supply any information necessary for their work, and also to invite responsible representatives of the respective Ministries and local authorities to their meetings, for the

purpose of obtaining explanations. The committees may carry on their work between the sessions.

26. At the request of not less than one-third of its

members, the Saeima shall appoint parliamentary enquiry committees to deal with special cases.

27. The Saeima shall have the right to address to the Prime Minister, or to any other Minister, interpellations or questions to which they, or responsible officials empowered by them, shall reply. At the request of either the Saeima or its committees, the Prime Minister, or any other Minister, shall place at their disposal relevant papers and documents.

28. The members of the Saeima shall be exempt from judicial, administrative and disciplinary prosecution in connection with their voting and with ideas expressed in the execution of their duties. Members of the Saeima, even in their public capacity, are liable to prosecution, if (1) they wilfully spread defamatory information, or (2) they spread defamatory information about private or family life.

29. Members of the Saeima may not be arrested or searched, nor may their personal liberty be restricted in any way, without the sanction of the Saeima. Members of the Saeima shall be liable to arrest if apprehended in the act of committing a crime. The arrest of a member of the Saeima shall be brought, within twenty-four hours, to the notice of the Board of the Saeima, who shall then report it at the next sitting of the Saeima; whereupon the Saeima shall decide as to whether the member shall be retained under arrest or liberated. During the period between the sessions, the Board of the Saenna shall decide the question of the retention under arrest of a member of the Saeima.

30. A member of the Saeima shall not be liable to judicial or administrative prosecution for criminal actions without the consent of the Saeima.

31. A member of the Saeima shall have the right to withhold evidence (1) concerning persons who have entrusted him, as a member of the Saeima, with certain facts or data; (2) concerning persons to whom he, as a member of the Saeima, has entrusted certain facts or data; (3) concerning such facts and data.

32. Members of the Saeima may not undertake Government contracts or receive Government concessions in their name or in that of any other person. The stipulations of this Article shall refer to Ministers, even if they are not members of the Saeima.

33. Members of the Saeima shall receive remuneration from State funds.

34. No person shall be prosecuted for circulating reports about sittings of the Saeima or its committees, if such reports correspond to facts. Accounts of sittings in camera, of either the Saeima or its committees, may only be published with the sanction of the Board of either the Saeima or the respective committees.

Section III.-The President of the State.

35. The President of the State shall be elected by the Saeima for a period of three years.

36. The President of the State shall be elected by secret ballot, with a majority of not less than fifty-one votes.

37. No person who is under 40 years of age may be elected President of the State.

38. The office of President of the State shall not be compatible with any other office. If the elected President be a member of the Saeima, he shall resign his membership.

39. The same person cannot hold office as President of the State for more than six consecutive years.

40. On assuming office at the first meeting of the Saeima after his election, the President of the State shall make the following solemn declaration:

"I swear that all my work shall be devoted to the good of the Latvian people. I will do everything in my power to promote the welfare of the State of Latvia and its inhabitants. I will heed and keep sacred the Constitution of Latvia and its laws. I will be just to everyone and will fulfil my duties to the best of my ability."

41. The President of the State shall represent the State in an international capacity; he shall accredit Latvian representatives abroad, and receive accredited representatives of foreign States. He shall carry out the decisions of the Saeima concerning the ratifications of international treaties.

42. The President of the State shall be the chief of the armed forces of the State. In time of war, he shall appoint a Commander-in-Chief.

43. The President of the State shall declare war on the strength of the decision of the Saeima.

44. The President of the State shall have the right to take steps indispensable to the military defence of the country, if another State shall have declared war on Latvia, or if the enemy shall be attacking Latvian frontiers. At the same time, the President of the State shall immediately convoke the Saeima, which shall decide upon the declaration of war and opening of hostilities.

45. The President of the State shall have the right to pardon criminals undergoing penal sentences. This right of pardon shall not refer to cases for which the Law provides a different mode of pardon. Amnesty shall be granted by the

Saeima.

46. The President of the State shall have the right to convoke extraordinary meetings of the Cabinet for the discussion of an agenda prepared by him and to preside over such meetings.

47. The President of the State shall have the right of legislative initiative.

48. The President of the State shall have the right to propose the dissolution of the Saeima. This shall be followed by a referendum. If in the referendum more than one-half of the votes are cast in favour of dissolution, the Saeima shall be considered as dissolved and new elections shall be proclaimed. These elections shall take place within two months of the dissolution of the Saeima.

49. On the dissolution of the Saeima, its members shall retain their powers until the newly-elected Saeima shall have assembled. The former Saeima may only assemble on being convoked by the President of the State, who shall draw up the agenda for the sittings.

50. If the dissolution of the Saeima be opposed by more than one-half of the votes cast when the referendum is taken, the President of the State shall be considered as having resigned, and the Saeima shall elect a new President of the State for the duration of the unexpired period of office of the President who has resigned.

51. On the motion of not less than one-half of the members of the Saeima, the Saeima, at a sitting to which the public is not admitted, may decide by a majority of not less than two-thirds of their number, to dismiss the President of the State. After this decision, the Saeima shall immediately elect a new President of the State.

52. Should the President of the State resign his office, die, or be dismissed before the expiry of his term of office, his duties shall be carried out by the President of the Saeima, pending the election of a new President of the State. Likewise, the President of the Saeima shall take the place of the President of the State, should the latter be absent from Latvian territory, or in any other way prevented from exercising his functions.

53. The President of the State shall not be held responsible for his activities. All decrees of the President of the State shall be countersigned by the Prime Minister, or any one Minister, who shall thereby assume full responsibility for the decrees, except in cases foreseen by Articles 48 and 56.

54. The President of the State may be prosecuted for criminal offences, with the sanction of the Saeima, by a majority of not less than two-thirds of its members.

Section IV.-The Cabinet.

55. The Cabinet shall consist of the Prime Minister and Ministers invited by him.

56. The Cabinet shall be formed by a person entrusted with that task by the President of the State.

57. The number of Ministries and scope of their activities,

as well as the mutual relations of Government Departments, shall be fixed by law.

58. The administrative institutions shall be subordinate to the Cabinet.

59. In the exercise of their functions, the Prime Minister and Ministers shall of necessity enjoy the confidence of the Saeima, and shall be responsible to the Saeima for their activities. Should the Saeima defeat the vote of confidence in the Prime Minister, the whole Cabinet shall resign. Should the Saeima defeat the vote of confidence in any particular Minister, that Minister shall resign and the Prime Minister shall invite another person to take his place.

60. The meetings of the Cabinet shall be presided over by the Prime Minister, or, in his absence, by another Minister so empowered by the Prime Minister.

61. The Cabinet shall discuss all Bills drawn up by the separate Ministries, and all questions concerning the activities of the various Ministries; likewise all questions of State policy put forward by individual members of the Cabinet.

62. If the State be threatened by foreign invasion, or, if in the State or part thereof, disorders endangering the existing order of the State arise, or threaten to arise, the Cabinet shall have the right to proclaim a state of enforced defence. The Cabinet shall notify such proclamation to the Board of the Saeima within twenty-four hours, and the Board shall put it before the Saeima without delay

63. Ministers, even if they are not membes of the Saeima, and responsible State officials empowered by Ministers, shall have the right to be present at the sittings of the Saeima or its committees, and to introduce amendments to Bills.

Section V.-Legislation.

64. The right of legislation shall belong both to the Saeima and to the people, within the limits laid down in this Constitution.

65. Bills may be presented to the Saeima by the President of the State, the Cabinet, the Committees of the Saeima, not less than five members of the Saeina or onetenth of the electors, on such occasions and in such a manner as are prescribed by this Constitution.

66. Before the commencement of each financial year, the Saeima shall pronounce on the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget, the draft of which shall be submitted by the Cabinet.

If the Saeima pass a resolution involving expenditure not foreseen by the Budget, it shall likewise specify in this resolution the sources of revenue with which to meet such expenditure.