Law for the transition period, 1937

Art. 1. The present law will apply during the period of transition from the present Estonian Constitution (State Gazette No. 113/114, 1920 and No. 86, 1933) to the Constitution as passed by the National Constituent Assembly.

Art. 2. The Estonian Constitution, as passed by the National Constituent Assembly, shall enter into force on the one hundred and twentieth day following the date of its publication in the State Gazette, in so far as not otherwise indicated in the present law. The present Constitution shall accordingly become invalid.

Simultaneously with the entry into force of the Estonian Constitution, the following laws as passed by the National Constituent Assembly shall take effect:

(1) The Law for the Election of the President of the Republic;

(2) The Law for the Election of the Chamber of Deputies;

(3) The Law for the Formation of the National Council;

(4) The Provisional Standing Rules of the National Assembly;

(5) The Law Respecting the Procedure for the National Assembly;

(6) The Law Respecting the Salary of the President of the Republic;

(7) The Law Respecting the Salaries of the Members of the National Assembly.

At the same time the following laws become null and void:

(1) The Law for the Election of the Head of State (State Gazette No. 5, 1934);

(2) The Law for the Election of the State Assembly (State Gazette No. 5, 1934);

(3) The Law Respecting the Salary of the Head of State (State Gazette No. 5, 1934).

The standing order of the State Assembly (State Gazette No. 5, 1934) and the law respecting the salaries of the members of the State Assembly (State Gazette No. 30, 1932), shall become null and void on the termination of the mandates of the present State Assembly.

Art. 3. As from the date of the publication of the Estonian Constitution, as passed by the National Constituent Assembly, the Prime Minister in office with the powers of the Head of State, shall carry on his duties as President-Regent. The President-Regent shall (1) perform the duties of the Head of State and those of the Prime Minister, on the basis of the previous Constitution, until the entry into force of the Estonian Constitution, as passed by the National Constituent Assembly; (2) after the entry into force of the Estonian Constitution, as passed by the National Constituent Assembly, and

(a) until the convening of the Chamber of Deputies and National Council, he shall perform the duties of the Head of State and those of the Prime Minister, on the basis of the previous Constitution, making use at the same time of the special rights of the President of the Republic, as foreseen in the Estonian Constitution passed by the National Constituent Assembly, and

(b) after the Chamber of Deputies and the National Council have been convened and until the President of the Republic enters into office the President-Regent shall perform the duties of the President of the Republic on the basis of the Estonian Constitution as passed by the National Constituent Assembly.

The office of the President-Regent shall not be connected with any other kind of employment or occupation.

Art. 4. In the event of the office of the President-Regent being vacated before the President of the Republic enters into office, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in office at the time of the publication of the Estonian Constitution, as passed by the National Constituent Assembly, shall become the President-Regent.

If there be no Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, referred to in the foregoing section hereof, the election of a new President-Regent shall at once be held by the Electoral Committee as provided for in the fourth section of Article 46 of the Estonian Constitution, as passed by the National Constituent Assembly, and in this Electoral Committee, until the convening of the Chamber of Deputies and National Council, the President of the First Chamber of the National Constituent Assembly, which passed the Estonian Constitution, shall take place of the President of the Chamber of Deputies, and the President of the Second Chamber of the National Constituent Assembly, shall take the place of the President of the National Council.

Art. 5. The Government of the Republic shall carry on its functions on the basis of the present Constitution until the convening of the Chamber of Deputies and National Council.

Art. 6. The election of the Chamber of Deputies and the formation of the National Council shall be undertaken at a time to be determined by the President-Regent providing that the Chamber of Deputies and National Council must be convened at the latest by April 23, 1938.

The first meetings of the Chamber of Deputies and National Council shall be presided over by the oldest member of each of these two Chambers, until the election of their respective Presidents.

The mandates of the present State Assembly shall be terminated by the decision of the resident-Regent.

Art. 7. The election of the President of the Republic shall take place at a time fixed by the President-Regent within six months after the convening of the Chamber of Deputies and National Council.

In the interests of the State, the election of the President of the Republic may be postponed upon a decision to that effect taken by a council presided over by the President-Regent and composed of the Commander-in-Chief, or the Commander of the Armed Forces, the Prime Minister, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, and the President of the National Council.

Art. 8. The present law shall come into force upon publication in the State Gazette.

The present law shall be published at the same time as the Estonian Constitution, as passed by the National Constituent Assembly.