constituteproject.org • Immunity of legislators • Standing committees PDF generated: 28 Mar 2017, 17:22 Article 21 No Member of the Assembly of the Union shall be prosecuted, investigated, arrested, detained or tried in respect of opinions expressed or votes cast in the discharge of his functions. No Member of the Assembly of the Union shall be prosecuted or arrested in penal matters nor shall he be subjected to other custodial or semi-custodial measures during the session period without the authorization of the Assembly, except in the case of a crime or offense committed flagrante delicto. No Member of the Assembly of the Union may be arrested between session periods without the authorization of the Bureau of the Assembly, except where a crime or offense has been committed flagrante delicto, prosecutions have been authorized or a conviction has become final. Article 22 No Member shall be elected with any binding mandate. The right to vote of the Members of the Assembly of the Union shall be exercised in person. Union legislation may in exceptional cases authorize voting by proxy. In that event, no member shall be given more than one proxy. • Length of legislative sessions Article 23 The Assembly of the Union shall sit as of right in two ordinary sessions each year whose total duration shall not exceed six months. The days and hours of sittings shall be determined by the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of the Union. • Extraordinary legislative sessions • Public or private sessions The Assembly of the Union shall meet in extraordinary session at the request of the President of the Union or of the absolute majority of the Deputies to debate a specific agenda. The extraordinary session shall be closed not later than fifteen days after the Assembly’s first sitting. Article 24 The sittings of the Assembly of the Union shall in principle be public, except in the cases provided for in the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly. • Initiation of general legislation • Organic laws • Standing committees • Establishment of cabinet/ministers • Powers of cabinet Article 25 Both the President of the Union and the Deputies shall have the right to initiate legislation. Government Bills shall be discussed in the Council of Ministers and shall be tabled in the Bureau of the Assembly of the Union. • Finance bills The Deputies and the Government shall have the right of amendment. Private Members’ Bills and amendments introduced by Members of the Assembly of the Union shall not be admissible where their enactment would result in either a diminution of public revenue of the Union or the creation or increase of any public expenditure of the Union. Comoros 2001 (rev. 2009) Page 13