webGuinea

THE CONSTITUTION
of the [First] REPUBLIC OF GUINEA

November 10, 1958

TITLE IV
ON RELATIONS BETWEEN PARLIAMENT AND GOVERNMENT

Art. 9.
The National Assembly alone shall pass laws. The domain of the law is unlimited.

Art. 10.
No member of the National Assembly shall be subjected to pursuit, investigation, arrest, detention or trial because of his opinions or votes during the exercise of his functions.

Art. 11.
Unless apprehended in flagrante delicto no member of the National Assembly shall, during the length of his term, be pursued in criminal matters except with the authority of the Assembly. Detention or pursuit of a deputy is suspended if the National Assembly so decides.

Art. 12.
Members of the National Assembly shall receive compensation for their services as determined by law.

Art. 13.
The meetings of the National Assembly shall be public. The National Assembly can hold meetings in camera upon the request of the President of the Government or of more than half of the members.

Art. 14.
The President of the Republic and the deputies to the Assembly alone shall have the power to initiate and propose laws.

Art. 15.
The National Assembly shall study drafts and proposals of laws which originate in its various Committees whose members, composition and functions shall be determined by the National Assembly. Drafts of law submitted by the Government and proposals accepted by it shall be studied with priority.

Art. 16.
The National Assembly shall examine the estimate of the national budget which when voted on by Parliament shall become law. The national budget shall be ratified at the latest on the 30th of November of the preceding year.

Art. 17.
The deputies to the National Assembly shall possess the power of initiative for expenditures. No proposals tending to increase expenditures shall be presented without an accompanying proposal providing corresponding receipts.

Art. 18.
The National Assembly shall regulate the accounts of the nation. A statement of expenditures shall be presented before it at the end of each semester for the preceding semester. The final accounts of the preceding year shall be examined during the October session and ratified by law.

Art. 19.
The National Assembly shall dispose of the following means of information concerning governmental action:

• oral questioning
• written questioning
• interpellation
• audition by committees
• investigation committees

The law shall establish the conditions and procedure according to which these means of information shall be executed. The law also shall fix the time limit for answers.