Page:British and Foreign State Papers, vol. 144 (1952).djvu/1398

1370 shall obtain an absolute majority of the citizens who go to the polls, and this majority must represent at least 35 per cent. of the total number of persons inscribed in the national civil register.

(c) Senators, Representatives and the Executive Power may present draft amendments which must be approved by an absolute majority of the total number of members of the General Assembly.

Any draft which is rejected may not be brought forward again until the following legislative period, when the same procedure must be observed.

If the intiative is approved and promulgated by the President of the General Assembly, the Executive Power shall, within the following 90 days, convoke to elections for a National Constituent Convention, which shall discuss and decide upon the modifications which have been approved, as well as upon others that may be presented to it. The number of the members of the Convention shall be double that of the legislators. At the same time substitute members shall be elected, numbering twice as many as the members of the Convention. Conditions of eligibility, immunity and incompatibility shall be those laid down for Representatives.

Their election, by departmental lists, shall be governed by the system of integral proportional representation, and in accordance with the laws in force for the election of Representatives. The Convention shall meet within one year from the date on which the initiative for the modification has been promulgated.

The decisions of the Convention shall be reached by an absolute majority of the votes of the total number of its members, and the Convention must conclude its labours within one year from the date of its installation. The draft or drafts drawn up by the Convention shall be communicated to the Executive Power for immediate and widespread publication.

The draft or drafts drawn up by the Convention shall be ratified by the electorate, which shall be convoked for this purpose by the Executive Power, on the date which the National Constituent Convention shall indicate.

Voting shall be by “ Aye” or “ Nay,” and if there be several texts of modifications votes shall be cast separately on each one of them. For this purpose the Constituent Convention shall