Page:British and Foreign State Papers, vol. 144 (1952).djvu/340

 Special laws require for their approval the favourable vote of one more than half of the members of each co-legislative body. Regular laws require only the favourable vote of a majority of those present at the meeting at which they are approved.

137. A Bill that obtains the approval of both co-legislative bodies shall necessarily be presented to the President of the Republic by the Presiding Officer of the body which gave final approval to it, within 10 days following said approval. The President of the Republic within 10 days after receiving the Bill, and after a resolution of the Cabinet, shall sanction and promulgate the law, or shall return it, with the objections that he deems proper, to the co-legislative body from which it came. When said body has received the Bill, it shall enter the objections integrally on the minutes, and shall proceed to discuss the Bill again.

If, after this discussion, two-thirds of the total number of members of the co-legislative body vote in favour of the Bill, it shall be sent, with the President’s objections, to the other body, which shall likewise discuss it, and if it approves the Bill by a like majority, it shall be a law.

In all of these cases, ballot shall be by roll-call.

If within the 10 business days following the sending of the Bill to the President, he does not return it, it shall be considered as sanctioned and shall be a law.

If within the last 10 days of a session, a Bill is presented to the President of the Republic, and he intends to utilise the full period with respect to approval granted him in the preceding paragraph, he shall make his intention known to Congress in a period of 48 hours, in order that it may remain in session, if it wishes, until the expiration of said period. If the President does not do so, the Bill shall be considered approved and shall be a law.

No Bill which is totally rejected by either of the co-legislative bodies can again be discussed during the same Session.

A Bill approved by one of the co-legislative bodies shall be preferentially discussed and resolved on by the other. This precept does not apply to special laws.

Every law shall be promulgated within 10 days following its approval.