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Rules of procedure of the National Assembly January 2007 This English translation was prepared under the responsibility of the European Affairs Department of the National Assembly. The French original is the sole authentic text.
Provisional Bureau Rule 1 1 At the first sitting of each new term the chair shall be taken by the oldest member of the National Assembly, until the President has been elected. 2 The six youngest deputies present shall perform the duties of secretaries until the Bureau has been elected. 3 No debates shall be held while the oldest member is in the chair.
Admission of Deputies – Invalid elections – Seats falling vacant Rule 2 At the commencement of the first sitting of each new term the oldest member shall inform the Assembly that the Government has communicated to him the names of the persons elected. He shall direct that they be posted immediately on the notice board and that they be published after the verbatim report of the sitting.
Rule 3 Petitions contesting an election and decisions dismissing them given by the Constitutional Council shall be communicated by the oldest member or the President in manner provided by Rule 2 at the commencement of the first sitting after they have been received.
Rule 4 1 Communication of decisions by the Constitutional Council which either reverse cancel the declaration made by the electoral returns committee and declare another candidate duly elected or declare void a contested election shall be made at the commencement of the first sitting after notification has been received, and the constituencies concerned and the candidates whose election has been invalidated shall be identified. 2 In the event of reversal of the result of an election, the name of the candidate declared elected shall be announced immediately after the decision has been communicated. 3 If the President is notified of a decision declaring void an election given by the Constitutional Council at a time when the Assembly is not sitting, he shall take note of it by means of a notice in the Journal officiel and shall inform the Assembly at the first sitting thereafter. 4 The same provisions shall apply in the event of disqualification or compulsory resignation determined by the Constitutional Council.
Rule 5 Where an election is declared invalid, any initiative taken by the deputy invalidly elected shall be deemed to have lapsed, unless it is taken over as it stands by another member of the National Assembly within eight clear days of the Assembly being notified of the declaration that the election is invalid or of the notice referred to in paragraph 3 of Rule 4 being published.
Rule 6 1 Any deputy may resign his seat - either, if his election has not been contested, upon expiry of the ten days allowed for presentation of a petition contesting an election, or, if his election has been contested, after notification of the decision by the Constitutional Council dismissing the petition. 2 Resignations shall be tendered in writing to the President, who shall inform the Assembly at the next following sitting and shall notify the Government. 3 When the Assembly is not sitting, the President shall take note of resignations by means of a notice in the Journal officiel.
Rule 7 1 The President shall inform the Assembly as soon as he is aware of a seat falling vacant for any of the reasons set out in section LO 176 of the Electoral Code. He shall notify the Government, if need be, of the names of deputies whose seats fall vacant and shall ask it to inform him of the names of the persons elected to replace them. 2 The names of the new deputies declared elected by virtue of section LO 176 shall be announced to the National Assembly at the commencement of the first sitting following the President's being informed by the Government. 3 The same shall apply to the names of deputies returned at by-elections. 4 When the Assembly is not sitting, the President shall take note of the communication of the names of newly elected members in manner provided by paragraph 3 of Rule 4. Bureau of the Assembly : composition and election procedure Rule 8 The Bureau of the National Assembly shall consist of: the President; 6 Vice-Presidents; 3 Quaestors; and 12 Secretaries.
Rule 9 1 During the first sitting of each new term, immediately after the communications specified in Rules 2 and 3 have been made, the oldest member shall invite the National Assembly to proceed to the election of its President. 2 The President shall be elected by secret ballot at the rostrum. If no candidate obtains an absolute majority of votes cast at the first two ballots, a relative majority shall suffice at the third ballot, and where the votes are equal the oldest candidate shall stand elected. 3 Tellers, chosen by lot, shall count the votes, and the oldest member shall declare the result. 4 The oldest member shall invite the President to take the chair immediately.
Rule 10 1 The other members of the Bureau shall be elected, at the commencement of each new term, during the sitting following the election of the President and shall be renewed each year thereafter, except in the year preceding the renewal of the Assembly, at the sitting commencing the ordinary session. The President shall be assisted by the six youngest members of the Assembly, who shall perform the duties of secretaries. 2 In the election of the Vice-Presidents, Quaestors and Secretaries, every endeavour shall be made to ensure that the Bureau reflects the political make-up of the Assembly. 3 The chairmen of groups shall meet to establish, in an order of presentation to be determined by them, lists of their candidates for the several offices in the Bureau. 4 Candidatures shall be filed at the Secretariat-General of the Assembly not later than half an hour before the time set for appointments or for the opening of each ballot. 5 Where, for each office in the Bureau, the number of candidates does not exceed the number of seats to be filled, paragraph 3 of Rule 26 shall apply. 6 Otherwise, for offices for which the number of candidates exceeds the number of seats to be filled, election shall be by the plurinominal system of majority voting. 7 On ballot papers made available to deputies there shall appear no more names than there are offices to be filled in each ballot. 8 Votes cast in envelopes containing no more names than there are offices to be filled shall be valid. 9 At the first and second ballots, candidates who have obtained an absolute majority shall stand elected in the order of the number of votes cast for them. 10 However, if for one or more seats more candidates than there are seats to be filled have obtained an absolute majority and the same number of votes, there shall be a further ballot for those seats. A relative majority shall be sufficient at the third ballot. Where the votes are equal the oldest candidate shall stand elected. 11 Tellers chosen by lot shall count the vote, and the President shall declare the result. 12 Any seat falling vacant shall be filled by the same procedure.
Rule 11 1 In the absence of the President one of the Vice-Presidents shall take the chair. 2 Where the Vice-Presidents and Quaestors were elected by ballot, their order of precedence shall be determined by the date and ballot on which they were elected and, if they were elected at the same ballot, by the number of votes they obtained. If they obtained an equal number of votes at the same ballot, the oldest shall have precedence. 3 Where the Vice-Presidents and Quaestors were elected in accordance with paragraph 3 of Rule 26, their order of precedence shall be the order in which they were presented by the chairmen of groups.
Rule 12 After the election of the Bureau the President of the Assembly shall inform the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister and the President of the Senate of its composition. Presidency and Bureau of the Assembly : powers Rule 13 1 The President of the Assembly shall convene and chair public sittings of the Assembly and meetings of the Bureau and the Chairmen's Conference. 2 The President shall be responsible for the internal and external security of the Assembly. For these purposes he shall determine the size of the military forces he considers necessary ; such forces shall be under his orders. 3 Communications of the National Assembly shall be made by the President.
Rule 14 1 The Bureau shall have power to arrange the deliberations of the Assembly and to organize and direct departments as provided in these Rules. 2 The Assembly shall have financial autonomy as provided in section 7 of Ordinance 58-1100 of 17 November 1958 on the functioning of the parliamentary assemblies. 3 The Bureau shall determine the conditions in which personalities may be allowed to address the Assembly at sittings.
Rule 15 1 The Quaestors shall be responsible for financial and administrative matters, pursuant to guidelines laid down by the Bureau. No new expenditure shall be incurred without prior consultation with them. 2 The President and the Quaestors shall be provided with official apartments in the Palais Bourbon.
Rule 16 1 The expenditure of the Assembly shall be settled by financial year. At the commencement of each new term and, in each following year, with the exception of the year preceding the renewal of the Assembly, at the commencement of each ordinary session, the Assembly shall appoint, in such a way as to ensure proportional representation of groups in manner provided by Rule 25, a special committee of fifteen members to audit and clear the accounts. The committee shall give a discharge to the Quaestors in respect of their management or shall report to the Assembly. 2 At the end of each financial year the committee shall make a public report. 3 Members of the Bureau of the Assembly shall not be members of the committee. 4 The Bureau shall lay down rules to govern accounting procedures.
Rule 17 The Bureau shall lay down rules to govern the organization and operation of departments of the Assembly, the application, interpretation and implementation, by the several departments, of the provisions of these Rules, staff regulations and relations between the administration of the Assembly and staff associations.
Rule 18 The departments of the National Assembly shall be staffed exclusively by persons appointed in manner provided by the Bureau. Accordingly, the departments shall not employ on a permanent basis any official on the staff of a government department outside the Assembly, except civilian and military personnel made available by the Government to the National Defence and Armed Forces Committee or to the Finance, General Economy and Planning Committee. Groups
1 Deputies may form themselves into groups according to their political affinities; the minimum number of members required to form a group shall be twenty, not including deputies associating themselves with a group in manner provided by paragraph 4. 2 A group shall be formed by transmitting to the President's office a political statement signed by its members, accompanied by a list of members and associate members and the name of its chairman. These documents shall be published in the Journal officiel. 3 A deputy shall not belong to more than one group. 4 Deputies who do not belong to any group may associate themselves with a group of their choosing, with the consent of the bureau of the group. Associate members shall count towards the calculation of the number of committee seats allocated to groups by Rules 33 and 37.
Rule 20 Any group formed in accordance with Rule 19 may be serviced by an administrative secretariat to be recruited and remunerated as determined by the group itself; the rules governing such secretariats, their accommodation and equipment and the rights of access for their staff to the precincts of the Assembly shall be determined by the Bureau of the Assembly on a proposal made by the Quaestors and the chairmen of groups.
Rule 21 Changes in the composition of a group shall be communicated to the President of the Assembly over the signature of the deputy concerned in the case of resignation, over that of the chairman of the group in the case of expulsion and over the signatures both of the deputy concerned and of the chairman of the group in the case of a deputy joining or associating himself with a group. Changes shall be published in the Journal officiel.
Rule 22 Once groups have been formed, the President of the Assembly shall call a meeting of their representatives to divide the floor of the chamber into as many sections as there are groups, and to determine where non-attached deputies are to sit in relation to the groups.
Rule 23 1 No group which binds its members shall be formed in the National Assembly, either as provided by Rule 19 or in any other form or under any other description whatever, for the purpose of representing private, local or occupational interests. 2 Nor shall any permanent association, of whatever description, whose purpose is to represent such interests be allowed to meet in the precincts of the Assembly. Personal appointments : general provisions Rule 24 Where provisions laid down by the Constitution, by statute or by regulation require the Assembly to function as an electoral body for another assembly, for a committee or other body for the members of any body, such personal appointments shall be made, unless otherwise provided in the constitution of the body concerned, and subject to any particular requirements of that constitution, in manner provided by this Chapter.
Rule 25 1 Where the constitution of the body concerned requires the appointments to be made in such a way as to ensure proportional representation of groups, the President of the Assembly shall set the time by which the chairmen of groups are to inform him of the names of their candidates. 2 Once that time has expired, the names of the candidates transmitted to the President of the Assembly shall be posted on the noticeboard and published in the Journal officiel. Appointment shall have effect immediately upon publication. 3 Where, for whatever reason, whether or not the Assembly is in session, representatives of the Assembly in some body as referred to in Rule 24 need to be replaced, the names of their replacements shall be posted on the noticeboard and published in the Journal officiel. Replacement shall have effect immediately upon publication.
Rule 26 1 In cases other than those provided for in Rule 25, the President shall inform the Assembly of appointments that need to be made and shall set a time for the filing of candidatures. If the Assembly is not sitting, this shall be done by publication in the Journal officiel. 2 If the constitution of the body concerned does not specify the manner in which appointments are to be made by the Assembly or candidates nominated by specifically designated committees, the President shall entrust one or more standing committees, after consulting their chairmen where appropriate, with the duty of nominating candidates. 3 If, once the time specified in paragraph 1 has expired, the number of candidates does not exceed the number of seats to be filled, and if the constitution of the body concerned does not provide for a ballot, paragraphs 2 and 3 of Rule 25 shall apply. 4 If the number of candidates exceeds the number of seats to be filled, or if the constitution of the body concerned provides for a ballot, the Assembly shall proceed, on the date set by the Chairmen's Conference, to make the appointments by uninominal or plurinominal election, as the case may require, either at the rostrum or in the rooms adjoining the chamber. 5 Ballot papers bearing the names or the lists of candidates shall be distributed by the office of the Assembly. 6 Votes shall be valid if cast in envelopes containing no more names than there are members to be appointed. 7 An absolute majority shall be required at the first two ballots; a relative majority shall suffice at the third ballot, and where the votes are equal the oldest candidate shall be appointed. 8 Where a second or third ballot is needed, only ballot papers bearing the names of candidates who have maintained or declared their candidature by the time set by the President shall be distributed.
Rule 27 1 Where the constitution of the body concerned provides for appointment by a committee of the Assembly, the President, when application is made to him by the competent authority, shall pass it on to the relevant committee. 2 The names of the deputies appointed shall be communicated to the competent authority through the President.
Rule 28 Members of the National Assembly appointed to bodies as referred to in Rule 24 shall present, at least once a year, a written report on their activities to the relevant committee. The report shall be printed and distributed. Personal appointments : Rule 29 1 Representatives of the National Assembly in international or European assemblies shall be designated by the procedure set out in Rule 26. 2 Representatives of the National Assembly shall take counsel together each year and shall present a written report to the Foreign Affairs Committee on the activities of the assembly to which they belong. The report shall be printed and distributed. Special committees : Rule 30 1 Special committees may be appointed, as provided by Article 43 of the Constitution, and subject to the Institutional Act pertaining to Finance Acts, at the request either of the Government or of the Assembly, to consider government and Members' Bills. 2 A special committee shall be appointed by right if the Government so requests. Any such request in respect of government Bills shall be made at the time of their introduction in the National Assembly and in respect of Members' Bills within two clear days after their distribution.
Rule 31 1 A special committee may be appointed by the Assembly at the request of the chairman of a standing committee, or of the chairman of a group of not less than thirty deputies, a definitive list of whose names shall be published in the Journal officiel after the verbatim report. Any such request shall be made within two clear days after the distribution of the Bill. If the matter is declared to be urgent by the Government before distribution, the time allowed shall be one clear day. 2 Requests shall be posted immediately on the noticeboard and notified to the Government and to the chairmen of groups and standing committees. 3 A request shall stand approved if the President of the Assembly has received no objection from the Government, the chairman of a standing committee or the chairman of a group before the second sitting after posting. 4 If an objection has been made in accordance with paragraph 3 to a request that a special committee be appointed, a debate on the request shall automatically be set down for the end of the first sitting held in accordance with paragraph 1 of Rule 50 following the announcement of the objection to the Assembly. Only the Government and, for not longer than five minutes, the objector, the originator or first signatory of the request and the chairmen of the relevant standing committees may take part in the debate.
Rule 32 Except in the case of a Bill approving planning options or the Plan itself, a treaty or agreement as referred to in Rule 128, or where the Assembly has already refused to appoint a special committee, such a committee shall be appointed by right, on the initiative of the Assembly, if a request is made within the time allowed by paragraph 1 of Rule 31 by one or more chairmen of groups whose total membership represents an absolute majority of members of the Assembly.
Rule 33 1 Each special committee shall consist of fifty-seven members designated in such a way as to ensure proportional representation of groups in accordance with the procedure set out in Rule 34. No special committee shall number more than twenty-eight members belonging, at the time it is appointed, to any one standing committee. 2 Each special committee may appoint at most two members selected from among non-attached deputies.
Rule 34 1 Where, by Rules 30 to 32, a special committee is to be appointed, the President of the Assembly shall direct that the request of the Government that this be done or the decision of the Assembly to appoint the committee be posted on the noticeboard and notified to the chairmen of groups, together with the title of the Bill which it is to consider. 2 The President shall set the time allowed chairmen of groups to make known the names of the candidates they nominate. The time allowed shall be not more than two clear days when the Assembly is in session and not more than five clear days when it is not. 3 The names of those nominated by the chairmen of groups shall be posted on the noticeboard and published in the Journal officiel. Appointment shall have effect immediately upon publication. 4 Any deputy ceasing to be a member of the group to which he belonged when appointed to a special committee shall automatically cease to be a member of the committee. 5 Where, for whatever reason, whether or not the Assembly is sitting, representatives of a group in a special committee need to be replaced, the names of their replacements shall be posted on the noticeboard and published in the Journal officiel. Replacement shall have effect immediately upon publication.
Rule 35 Each special committee shall retain jurisdiction until the Bill it was appointed to consider has been finally disposed of.
Standing committees : Rule 36 1 The Assembly shall appoint, at a public sitting, six standing committees. 2 The names and areas of responsibility of these committees are as follows: 3 1° Cultural, Family and Social Affairs Committee 4 Education and research; vocational training and social advancement; youth and sport; cultural activities; information; labour and employment; public health, the family, population; social security and welfare; civilian, military, retirement and invalidity pensions. 5 2° Economic, Environmental and Regional Planning Committee 6 Agriculture and fisheries; energy and manufacturing industry ; technical research; consumption; internal and external trade; customs; means of communication and tourism; town and country planning ; infrastructure and public works; housing and construction ; the environment 7 3° Foreign Affairs Committee 8 International relations: foreign policy, international cooperation, treaties and agreements. 9 4° National Defence and Armed Forces Committee 10 General organization of defence; military cooperation and assistance policy; long-term planning for armed forces; aerospace and arms industries; military establishments and arsenals; military property; national service and recruitment statutes ; civilian and military armed services personnel; gendarmerie and military law. 11 5° Finance, General Economy and Planning Committee 12 State revenue and expenditure; budget implementation; currency and credit; internal and external financial activities; financial control of nationalized industries; state property. 13 6° Constitutional Acts, Legislation and General Administration Committee 14 Constitutional, institutional and electoral acts; Rules of procedure; administration of justice; civil, administrative and criminal legislation; petitions; general administration of the territories of the Republic and of territorial units. 15 The maximum number of members of committees shall be : 16 1° in the case of The Cultural, Family And Social Affairs Committee and the Economic, Environmental and Regional Planning Committee : two eighths each of the total membership of the National Assembly ; 17 2° in the case of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the National Defence and Armed Forces Committee, the Finance, General Economy and Planning Committee, and the Constitutional Acts, Legislation and General Administration Committee, one eighth each of the total membership of the Assembly. 18 The number of members thus calculated shall be rounded up to the nearest whole number.
Rule 37 1 The members of standing committees shall be appointed at the commencement of each new term and each year thereafter, except in the year preceding the renewal of the Assembly, at the commencement of the ordinary session, in manner provided by Rule 25. 2 Groups duly formed in accordance with Rule 19 shall have a number of seats in proportion to their size in relation to the membership of the Assembly. 3 Seats still to be filled after the distribution described in paragraph 2 shall be allocated to non-attached deputies. Candidates for these seats shall be selected, absent agreement, giving preference to the oldest.
Rule 38 1 No deputy shall serve on more than one standing committee. Deputies may, however, attend meetings of committees on which they do not serve. 2 Deputies serving on international or European assemblies or on a special committee may at their request, during the proceedings of such assemblies, of their committees or of the special committee, be exempted from attending meetings of the standing committee on which they serve. They shall then ensure that another member of the committee stands in for them. 3 Any deputy ceasing to be a member of the group to which he belonged when appointed to a standing committee shall automatically cease to be a member of the committee. 4 Seats allocated to groups in standing committees which have fallen vacant shall be replaced in manner provided by paragraph 5 of Rule 34. Committee proceedings Rule 39 1 Once appointed, each committee shall be convened by the President of the National Assembly and shall then elect its bureau; each special committee shall also designate its rapporteur. 2 The bureau of a standing committee shall consist of its chairman and of a deputy chairman and one secretary for each thirty members. The Finance, General Economy and Planning Committee shall appoint a general rapporteur. The number of deputy chairmen and secretaries shall not, however, be less than three. 3 The bureau of other committees shall consist of a chairman, two deputy chairmen and two secretaries. 4 The bureaux of committees shall be elected by secret ballot by each type of office. Where, for each type of office, the number of candidates does not exceed the number of seats to be filled, no ballot shall be held. 5 If an absolute majority is not obtained at the first two ballots, a relative majority shall suffice at the third ballot, and where the votes are equal the oldest candidate shall stand elected. 6 No deputy chairman shall take precedence over another. 7 No deputy shall at the same time be chairman of a special committee and of a standing committee.
Rule 40 1 Committees shall be convened by the President of the National Assembly where the Government so requests. 2 In the course of a session, a committee may also be convened by its chairman. 3 When the Assembly is not in session, a committee may be convened either by the President of the Assembly or by its chairman with the agreement of its bureau. However, the meeting may be cancelled or deferred if more than half of the members of the committee so request, at least forty-eight hours before the day appointed. 4 In the course of a session, no committee shall be convened more than forty-eight hours before it is to meet; by way of exception, a committee may be convened at shorter notice if this is necessitated by the agenda of the Assembly. When the Assembly is not in session, the forty-eight-hour time limit is extended to one week. Meeting notices shall state what business is on the agenda. 5 Subject to any rules laid down by the Constitution, an institutional act or these Rules, each committee shall be master of its own proceedings.
Rule 41 When the Assembly is sitting, standing committees shall meet only to consider matters committed to them by the Assembly for immediate consideration or matters on the agenda of the Assembly.
Rule 42 1 Attendance of committee members at committee meetings is mandatory. 2 The names of members attending and the names of members who have conveyed their apologies, either for one of the reasons set out in Ordinance 58-1066 of 7 November 1958 (Institutional Act giving exceptional authority to Members of Parliament to delegate their right to vote) or because of some other insuperable impediment, or of members in whose stead validly appointed substitutes have attended, shall be published in the Journal officiel on the day following each committee meeting. 3 Where a member has failed to attend more than one third of committee meetings during any one ordinary session, without conveying his apologies for any of the reasons referred to in paragraph 2 or ensuring that another member stands in for him as provided in Rule 38, the bureau of the committee shall inform the President of the Assembly, who shall declare that the member has resigned. Any such member shall be replaced and shall not serve on any other committee during the year; his duty allowance shall be reduced by one third until the commencement of the following ordinary session.
Rule 43 1 The presence of a quorum shall in all cases be required for votes to be valid if one third of the members present so request. 2 Where a vote cannot be taken because a quorum is not present, it shall be validly taken, whatever the number of members present, at the following meeting, which shall be held not less than three hours later.
Rule 44 1 Voting in committees shall be by show of hands or by ballot. 2 Voting shall be by ballot at the request of not less than one tenth of the members of a committee or of one member of the committee in the case of personal appointments. 3 Subject to Rule 38, committee members may appoint as their proxy in ballots only another member of the same committee and only in the cases and manner provided by Ordinance 58-1066 of 7 November 1958. The chairman of the committee shall be notified of such proxies. Rule 62 shall apply to them. 4 Committee chairmen shall have no casting vote. Where the votes are equal, the provision put to vote shall fail.
Rule 45 1 Ministers shall have access to committees; they shall be heard at their request. 2 The chairman of any committee may ask that a member of the Government be heard. 3 Any committee may ask, through the President of the Assembly, that a rapporteur of the Economic and Social Council be heard with respect to any instrument on which it is called upon to give an opinion.
Rule 46 1 The proceedings of committees shall be recorded in the minutes. The minutes shall be confidential. Members of the Assembly may take cognizance of the minutes of committees and documents laid before committees but shall not remove them. Minutes and documents shall be deposited in the archives of the Assembly at the end of each term. 2 At the end of each committee meeting a report giving an account of its proceedings, votes taken and speeches made shall be published. As provided by the bureau of a committee, the reports of the several meetings at which an instrument was considered may be gathered together in an annex to the committee's report. 3 The bureau of a committee may, after consulting the committee, arrange for some or all of the hearings held by the committee to be made public, in such manner as it may determine. 4 A Bulletin des Commissions shall be published, containing information about the proceedings of the committees in such detail as may be determined by the bureau of each committee. 5 An audiovisual record of the proceedings of committees may be produced and broadcast or distributed as provided by the Bureau of the Assembly. Agenda of the Assembly. Organization of debates Rule 47 1 The agenda of the Assembly shall contain: 2 – Bills, set down in order of precedence as provided by Rule 89; 3 – questions for oral answer, set down as provided by Rule 134; and 4 – other business, set down as provided by Rule 48.
Rule 48 1 The Vice-Presidents of the Assembly, the chairmen of standing committees, the general rapporteur of the Finance, General Economy and Planning Committee, the chairman of the National Assembly Delegation for the European Union and the chairmen of groups shall be convened by the President each week if necessary on a day and at a time determined by him for the Chairmen's Conference. 2 The chairmen of special committees and the chairman of the committee appointed in accordance with Rule 80 may be called to attend the Chairmen's Conference at their request. 3 The Government shall be notified of the day and time of the Conference by the President. It may be represented at the Conference. 4 At its weekly meeting the Conference shall examine the Assembly's order of business for the current week and the two following weeks. The Conference shall be notified as provided by paragraph 2 of Rule 89 of requests made by the Government for business to be given precedence on the Assembly's agenda; the Conference shall make any proposals concerning the agenda in addition to debates given precedence at the Government's request. 5 At the commencement of the session, and then not later than 1 March following, or after the formation of the Government, the Government shall inform the Conference of the business which it intends to put forward for the agenda of the Assembly and of the time at which it wishes such business to be debated. 6 Once a month the Conference shall determine the monthly sitting at which precedence is given, in accordance with the third paragraph of Article 48 of the Constitution, to agenda decided by the Assembly. The Conference may, in manner provided in last sentence of paragraph 4, determine how the items remaining on this agenda are to be debated. 7 In votes taken at the Conference on proposals made by its members, the chairman of each group shall be allotted a number of votes equal to the number of members of the group less the other members of the Conference. 8 The agenda drawn up by the Conference shall be immediately posted on the noticeboard and notified to the Government and the chairmen of groups. 9 During the sitting following the meeting of the Conference, the President shall put its proposals to the Assembly. No amendment shall be accepted. The Assembly shall decide on the proposals in their entirety. Speeches may be made only by the Government and, to give an explanation of vote not exceeding five minutes in duration, chairmen of committees or their delegates having attended the Conference, and one speaker per group. 10 The agenda set by the Assembly may be subsequently amended, subject to Rule 50, only in respect of business given precedence in accordance with the first paragraph of Article 48 of the Constitution, as provided by Rule 89. By way of exception, it may be modified after a further meeting of the Chairmen's Conference.
Rule 49 1 General debate on instruments laid before the Assembly may be arranged by the Chairmen's Conference. 2 The Conference may decide that the general debate will be arranged as provided by Rule 132. 3 Otherwise, the Conference shall determine the total duration of the general debate as part of the sittings set down on the agenda. The duration shall be allocated by the President of the Assembly to the groups, guaranteeing each group an identical minimum time related to the duration of the debate. Non-attached deputies shall have a total speaking time in proportion to their number. The remaining time available shall be allocated by the President to the groups in proportion to their number. 4 Chairmen of groups shall enter the names of deputies seeking leave to speak on a list which they present to the President of the Assembly, indicating the order in which they wish those listed to be called and the duration of their speeches, which shall be not less than five minutes. 5 In the light of these particulars the President of the Assembly shall determine the order of speakers. Plenary sittings Rule 49-1 1 Sitting days for purposes of Article 28 of the Constitution shall be days in which a sitting has been opened. No sitting day shall be continued the following day beyond the hour appointed by Rule 50 for the opening of the morning sitting. 2 Any decision by the Prime Minister to hold additional sitting days pursuant to the third paragraph of Article 28 of the Constitution shall be published in the Journal officiel. 3 Any request to hold additional sitting days emanating from the members of the Assembly shall be constituted by a document delivered to the President of the Assembly listing the signatures of half the members plus one. If the President finds that this condition is satisfied, he shall convene the Assembly.
Rule 50 1 The Assembly shall meet in public sitting in the morning, afternoon and evening of Tuesday and in the afternoon and evening of Wednesday and Thursday each week. For purposes of paragraph 6 of Rule 48 the Assembly may also sit on Friday. The Tuesday morning sitting shall normally be reserved for questions for oral answer without debate. 2 On a proposal made by the Chairmen's Conference, the Assembly may decide to hold further sittings provided the maximum number set by the second paragraph of Article 28 of the Constitution is not exceeded. Subject to the same proviso, the holding of such further sittings shall be obligatory if requested by the Government in the Chairmen's Conference. 3 Wednesday mornings shall be set aside for Committee business. Subject to the provisions of Article 48(1) of the Constitution, on those mornings no sittings may be organised pursuant to the preceding paragraph. 4 The Assembly's afternoon sittings shall be held from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. and its evening sittings from 9.30 p.m. to 1 a.m. the following morning. Its morning sittings shall be held from 9.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. 5 The Assembly may, however, decide to continue a sitting, either on a proposal made by the Chairmen's Conference for a specified agenda or on a proposal made by the committee responsible or by the Government in order to proceed with a debate in progress; in the latter case the Assembly shall be consulted by the President without debate. 6 The Assembly may at any time determine weeks in which it will not sit, in accordance with the second paragraph of Article 28 of the Constitution.
Rule 51 1 The Assembly may decide to sit in camera by express vote without debate taken at the request either of the Prime Minister or of one tenth of its members. The tenth of members shall be calculated by reference to the number of seats actually filled. If the calculation results in a fraction, the number shall be rounded up. A single list of signatures shall be drawn up. Once the list has been deposited, no signature shall be withdrawn or added, and the procedure shall run its course until the Assembly decides. The definitive list of signatures shall be published in the Journal officiel after the verbatim report. 2 When the reason for sitting in camera ceases to apply, the President shall consult the Assembly on resuming the public sitting. 3 The Assembly shall subsequently decide whether to publish the verbatim report of debates in camera. At the request of the Government, the decision shall be made in camera.
Rule 52 1 The President shall open the sitting, control debate, enforce these Rules and maintain order; he may at any time suspend or adjourn the sitting. 2 Police powers in the Assembly shall be exercised on its behalf by the President. 3 The Secretaries shall supervise the drafting of the minutes and shall record votes by show of hands, by sitting and standing or by roll call and the results of ballots; they shall check proxies; the presence of at least two of them shall be required at the tribune (behind the rostrum). If fewer than two are present, or if there is equality of views, the President shall decide.
Rule 53 Before the Assembly proceeds to consider the agenda, the President shall inform it of any communications which are of concern to it.
Rule 54 1 No member of the Assembly shall speak unless he has sought and been given leave by the President, even if another member who has the floor has exceptionally given way to him. In the latter case the interruption shall not last longer than five minutes. 2 Deputies wishing to speak shall put their names down with the President, who shall determine the order in which they are called. 3 Save in debates limited by these Rules, the President may authorize one speaker per group to give an explanation of vote lasting five minutes. 4 Deputies shall speak from the rostrum or from their places; the President may invite deputies to come to the rostrum. 5 When the President considers that the Assembly has been sufficiently informed, he may direct a deputy to bring his speech to a close. He may also, in the interests of the debate, authorize a deputy to speak for longer than the time allocated. 6 A speaker shall not depart from the question before the Assembly; if he does, the President shall call him to order. If the deputy disregards the call to order, or if a deputy speaks without leave or continues to speak after being directed to discontinue or reads a speech, the President may forbid him to speak. The President shall then direct that the deputy's words shall not appear in the minutes; this is without prejudice to the disciplinary measures provided in Chapter XIV of this Title.
Rule 55 1 In all debates in which speaking time has been limited, deputies shall in no case speak for longer than the time allotted to their group. 2 If the speaking time is exceeded, the President shall apply paragraphs 5 and 6 of Rule 54. 3 Once a group has used up its speaking time, no further members of the group shall be called to speak. 4 If it appears in the course of an organized debate that speaking times are insufficient, the Assembly may, on a proposal made by its President, decide without debate to increase them by a specified period.
Rule 56 1 Ministers and the chairmen and rapporteurs of committees responsible shall be given leave to speak whenever they seek it. 2 Government commissioners, designated by decree, may also speak at the request of the member of the Government attending the sitting. 3 The President may give leave to a deputy to reply to the Government or to the committee. 4 The chairmen and rapporteurs of committees may select officials of the Assembly to assist them in debates at public sittings.
Rule 57 1 Save in debates organized as provided in Rule 49, and where at least two speakers of opposing views have been called in the general debate, in the debate on a particular clause or in explanations of vote, the immediate closure of that phase of debate may be either decided by the President or moved by a member of the Assembly. However, the closure shall not apply to explanations of vote on an instrument in its entirety. 2 If the closure of the general debate is moved by a member of the Assembly, leave to speak shall be given only to oppose the motion and only to a single member, who may speak for not more than five minutes. Precedence shall be given to the first of the remaining members down to speak in the debate or, in his absence, to another member in order of listing, who seeks leave to speak against the closure. If no speakers remain listed, leave to speak against the closure shall be given to the first deputy who seeks it. 3 Where the closure is claimed outside the general debate, the Assembly shall be required to decide without debate. 4 There shall be no public ballot to decide the closure. The President shall consult the Assembly by calling for a show of hands. If there is any doubt about the result of the show of hands, the Assembly shall vote by standing and sitting. If there is still doubt, debate shall continue.
Rule 58 1 Points of order and requests relating to the conduct of the sitting shall always take precedence over the main question; they suspend discussion of the question. Leave to speak shall be given to any deputy seeking it for this purpose, either immediately or, if another deputy has the floor, when he has finished speaking. 2 If the point raised is manifestly unrelated to these Rules or the conduct of the sitting or purposes to challenge the agenda that has been determined, the President shall direct the deputy to discontinue. 3 Requests to suspend the sitting shall be submitted for decision by the Assembly unless made by the Government, by the chairman or rapporteur of the committee responsible or, in person and for a group meeting, by the chairman of a group or a person delegated by him whose name has previously been notified to the President. Any such delegation shall cancel any preceding delegation. 4 A deputy wishing to speak on a matter of personal concern shall be given leave to do so only at the end of the sitting. 5 In cases covered by this Rule, deputies shall be given leave to speak for not more than five minutes. 6 Personal attacks, questions put by one deputy to another and disorderly conduct are forbidden.
Rule 59 1 Before adjourning the sitting, the President shall inform the Assembly of the date and agenda of the next sitting. 2 For each public sitting an official summary record shall be prepared, posted on the noticeboard and distributed, and a verbatim report of proceedings shall be prepared and published in the Journal officiel. 3 The verbatim report shall be the record of the sitting. It shall stand as the definitive record if the President of the Assembly has not received, in writing, any objection or request that a change be made twenty-four hours after publication in the Journal officiel. Objections shall be submitted to the Bureau of the Assembly, which shall rule whether they are accepted after the speaker in question has been heard by the Assembly for n |