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Brazilian Imperial Army

Knut — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 03:55:02 GMT

Knut: Undo revision 4209 by 96.255.207.161 (Talk)

==Division types==
===Mechanized infantry===
Organizationally, a mechanized division is the same as an armored division. It differs, however, in that it uses lighter equipment, and is thus more easily deployable.

A mechanized infantry division enjoys the following advantages:
#Excellent tactical mobility
#Strong armament
#Good protection
#Good strategic mobility

It has the following disadvantage:
#Less protection than an armored division

A mechanized infantry division consists of the following:
*3 mechanized infantry brigades
*1 divisional aviation brigade
*Headquarters
**120 personnel with armored vehicles under the command of a Major-General

====Mechanized infantry brigade====
The mechanized infantry brigade is organized as follows:

*4 mechanized infantry battalions
*1 tank battalion
*1 artillery battalion
*1 aviation battalion
*1 engineer battalion
*1 reconnaissance squadron
*1 support battalion
*Headquarters
**30 personnel commanded by a Brigadier

=====Mechanized infantry battalion=====
The mechanized infantry battalion is comprised of 4 infantry companies, a fire support company, an engineer platoon, a logistics company, a reconnaissance platoon, and a headquarters.

The infantry company consists of 3 platoons and 1 company headquarters. Each platoon has three M113A4 Mobile Tactical Vehicle, Light (MTVL) for each of its three squads. The squad's personnel include the section leader, two machine gunners, two grenadiers, and four riflemen, one of whom is a sniper. In these vehicles there are also the platoon commanding officer, the platoon executive officer, the platoon sergeant, and the medic. The Company Headquarters has two MTVLs (carrying the company CO, the company XO, the radio unit, three medics, the company sergeant-major, a Stinger fire-team, and a Casper 250 UAV unit with two UAVs). Each MTVL carries a Samson Remote Controlled Weapon Station armed with a 25mm Bushmaster cannon, a co-axial 7.62mm Rheinmetall MG3 general purpose machine gun, and two Spike-ER (extended range) missiles; each MTVL also uses the ACAV kit, with two Rheinmetall MG3s mounted on the roof on each side behind gunshields.

The fire support company consists of the following units and equipment:

*Direct fire platoon
**8 MTVL twin-106mm recoilless rifle carriers
*Indirect fire platoon
**8 MTVL AMOS twin 120mm mortar system carriers
**2 M113A4 Mobile Tactical Vehicle Light Universal Carriers (MTVL-UC)
*Air defense platoon
**8 MTVLs equipped with NASAMS launchers
*Anti-tank platoon
**8 XM44 Fire Units (each carrying 8 YMGM-157B Enhanced Fiber Optic Guided Missiles)
*Headquarters
**1 M577A4 command vehicle

The engineer platoon has two M113A4 Mobile Tactical Light Recovery Vehicles (MTVR) and two M113A4 Mobile Tactical Light Fitters Vehicles (MTFV).

The logistics company consists of the following vehicles: ten MTVL-UCs and twenty M973 Small Unit Support Vehicles.

The reconnaissance platoon has four Sabre light tanks, two MTVLs, and four HMMWVs, two of which carry Micro-Vee UAVs. The unit also includes a sniper section and two scout sections.

Headquarters is commanded by a colonel with a ten man staff, guarded by twenty security troops, and has two M577A4 command vehicles and four MTVLs.

=====Tank battalion=====
The tank battalion comprises 4 tank squadrons, a fire support company, an engineer platoon, a logistics company, a reconnaissance platoon, and a headquarters.

Each tank squadron consists of thirteen T-90 main battle tanks. These T-90s differ from their Soviet counterparts in that they have: a co-axial Rheinmetall MG3 replacing the PKT; an M2 Browning heavy machine gun in place of the 12.7mm machine gun carried on stock models; completely different communications and navigation equipment that are compatible with the equipment used by the rest of the Army; and a Western-style snorkel fitted over the commander's hatch for fording operations, as opposed to the standard tank's narrow tube, which cannot be used for escape.

The tank battalion's fire support company is noticeably smaller than that of the mechanized infantry battalion, consisting only of an indirect fire platoon and an air defense platoon (both organizationally similar to their counterparts in the mechanized infantry battalion).

The engineer platoon uses two IMR-3 combat engineer vehicles.

The remaining units are identical to their counterparts in the mechanized infantry battalion.

=====Artillery battalion=====
The artillery battalion provides the primary means of fire support for the brigade. It possesses the following units and equipment:

*2 field artillery batteries
**8 M109A6 Paladin self-propelled guns
**8 M992 Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicles
**2 M981A3 Fire Support Team Vehicles
**1 M577A4 command vehicle
*1 rocket battery
**8 M270 MLRS
**1 M577A4 command vehicle
*1 air defense battery
**8 M1097A2 Heavy HMMWV Avengers
*Headquarters
**1 M577A4 command vehicle

=====Aviation battalion=====
The aviation battalion provides transportation, aerial reconnaissance, and close air support for the brigade. It operates the following aircraft:

*12 AH-64 Apache Longbow attack helicopters
*12 Bell ARH-70 armed reconnaissance helicopters
*12 NHI NH90 Tactical Transport Helicopters
*8 C-27J Spartan medium transports
*8 Luna X 2000 UAVs

=====Engineer battalion=====
*12 BREM-80U armored recovery vehicles
*12 MTU-90 bridge layer tanks
*8 M3 Amphibious Rigs
*12 IMR-2MA combat engineer vehicles
*4 M113A4 Engineering Squad Vehicles

=====Reconnaissance squadron=====
*12 Sabre light tanks
*3 MTVLs

=====Support battalion=====
*Logistics
**10 M1093 5-ton standard cargo trucks
**12 M1091 fuel/water tankers
**6 M1089 wreckers
**20 M1070 Heavy Equipment Transporter Systems
**20 M1075 Palletized Load Systems
**40 MTVL-UCs
*Medical
**12 M113A4 Armored Medical Evacuation Vehicles (AMEV)
*Military Intelligence
**4 M1114 Up-Armored Armament Carriers
*Military Police
**18 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles
*Signals Corps
**4 M1015 Tracked Electronic Warfare Carriers
*Chemical Corps
**4 M93A1 Fox NBC reconnaissance vehicles

====Divisional aviation brigade====
*20 C-27J Spartan medium transports
*16 CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters
*12 Bell ARH-70 armed reconnaissance helicopters
*12 AC-130U Spooky fixed-wing gunships

===Armor===
The heaviest type of division in the Army. It is intended to be used at the most difficult spots in both attack and defense. The weight of equipment fielded by an armored division means that it is relegated to a mainly defensive role.

An armored division has the following advantages:
#Excellent tactical mobility
#Strong armament
#Excellent protection

It also has the following disadvantage:
#Poor strategic mobility

An armored division consists of the following:
*3 armored brigades
*1 divisional aviation brigade
*Headquarters
**120 personnel with armored vehicles under the command of a Major-General

====Armored brigade====
The armored brigade is organized as follows:

*4 mechanized infantry battalions
*1 tank battalion
*1 artillery battalion
*1 aviation battalion
*1 engineer battalion
*1 reconnaissance squadron
*1 support battalion
*Headquarters
**30 personnel commanded by a Brigadier

=====Mechanized infantry battalion=====
The mechanized infantry battalion is comprised of 4 infantry companies, a fire support company, an engineer platoon, a logistics company, a reconnaissance platoon, and a headquarters.

The infantry company consists of 3 platoons and 1 company headquarters. Each platoon has four CV9040s for each of its three squads. The squad's personnel include the section leader, two machine gunners, two grenadiers, and four riflemen, one of whom is a sniper. In these vehicles there are also the platoon commanding officer, the platoon executive officer, the platoon sergeant, and the medic. The Company Headquarters has two CV9040s (carrying the company CO, the company XO, the radio unit, three medics, the company sergeant-major, and a Stinger fire-team).

The fire support company consists of the following units and equipment:

*Direct fire platoon
**8 CV90120-T light tanks
*Indirect fire platoon
**8 Grkpbv 90120 tracked armored mortar vehicles
**2 MTVL-UCs
*Air defense platoon
**8 CV9040 AAVs
*Anti-tank platoon
**8 CV9056s
*Headquarters
**1 CV90 Command Vehicle

The engineer platoon has two CV90 Armored Recovery Vehicles.

The logistics company consists of the following vehicles: ten MTVL-UCs and twenty M973 Small Unit Support Vehicles.

The reconnaissance platoon has four CV9040s, a sniper section, and two scout sections.

Headquarters is commanded by a colonel with a ten man staff, guarded by sixteen security troops, and has two CV90 Command Vehicles and two CV9040s.

=====Tank battalion=====
The tank battalion comprises 4 tank squadrons, a fire support company, an engineer platoon, a logistics company, a reconnaissance platoon, and a headquarters.

Each tank squadron consists of thirteen M1A2 SEP (System Enhancement Package) main battle tanks, each outfitted with the Tank Urban Survival Kit (TUSK).

The tank battalion's fire support company is noticeably smaller than that of the mechanized infantry battalion, consisting only of an indirect fire platoon and an air defense platoon (both identical to their counterparts in the mechanized infantry battalion).

The engineer platoon uses two M1 Grizzly Engineer Vehicles and two M1 Armored Recovery Vehicles.

The remaining units are identical to their counterparts in the mechanized infantry battalion.

=====Other brigade units=====
The remaining units are identical to those in the mechanized infantry division, with only a few differences: The engineer battalion uses the M1 Grizzly Engineer Vehicle, the M1 Armored Recovery Vehicle, the M104 Wolverine Heavy Assault Bridge, the M1 Panther II Remote Controlled Mine Clearing Vehicle, and the M1 Panther II Mine Clearing Blade/Roller System; and the reconnaissance squadron uses twelve CV9040s.

===Light infantry===
The second-most deployable type of division in the Army, the light infantry division is organizationally similar to an airborne division, but differs in that it possess aircraft and a larger number of vehicles. Although the division is fully mechanized, the vehicles it employs are very light, thus precluding it from engaging in close combat with an armored force; as such, its primary role is counter-insurgency warfare.

The light infantry division has the following advantages:
#Excellent tactical mobility
#Strong armament
#Minimal logistical requirements

It does, however, have one notable disadvantage:
#Poor protection

A light infantry division consists of the following:
*3 infantry brigades
*1 divisional aviation brigade
*Headquarters
**120 personnel with armored vehicles under the command of a Major-General

====Infantry brigade====
The infantry brigade is organized as follows:

*4 infantry battalions
*1 tank battalion
*1 artillery battalion
*1 aviation battalion
*1 engineer battalion
*1 reconnaissance squadron
*1 support battalion
*Headquarters
**30 personnel commanded by a Brigadier

=====Infantry battalion=====
The infantry battalion consists of 4 infantry companies, a fire support company, an engineer platoon, a logistics company, a reconnaissance platoon, and a headquarters.

The infantry company consists of 3 platoons and 1 company headquarters. Each platoon has three M113A4 Mobile Tactical Vehicle, Light (MTVL) for each of its three squads. The squad's personnel include the section leader, two machine gunners, two grenadiers, and four riflemen, one of whom is a sniper. In these vehicles there are also the platoon commanding officer, the platoon executive officer, the platoon sergeant, and the medic. The Company Headquarters has two MTVLs (carrying the company CO, the company XO, the radio unit, three medics, the company sergeant-major, and a Stinger fire-team). Each MTVL carries a Samson Remote Controlled Weapon Station armed with a 25mm Bushmaster cannon, a co-axial 7.62mm Rheinmetall MG3 general purpose machine gun, and two Spike-ER (extended range) missiles; each MTVL also uses the ACAV kit, with two Rheinmetall MG3s mounted on the roof on each side behind gunshields.

The fire support company consists of the following units and equipment:

*Direct fire platoon
**8 MTVL twin-106mm recoilless rifle carriers
*Indirect fire platoon
**8 MTVL AMOS twin 120mm mortar system carriers
**2 M113A4 Mobile Tactical Vehicle Light Universal Carriers (MTVL-UC)
*Air defense platoon
**8 MTVLs equipped with NASAMS launchers
*Anti-tank platoon
**8 XM44 Fire Units (each carrying 8 YMGM-157B Enhanced Fiber Optic Guided Missiles)
*Headquarters
**1 M577A4 command vehicle

The engineer platoon has two CV90 Armored Recovery Vehicles.

The logistics company consists of the following vehicles: ten MTVL-UCs and twenty M973 Small Unit Support Vehicles.

The reconnaissance platoon has four Wiesel 1 Aufklärung reconnaissance vehicles, two MTVLs, a sniper section, and two scout sections.

Headquarters is commanded by a colonel with a ten man staff, guarded by sixteen security troops, and has two M577A4 command vehicles and two MTVLs.

=====Tank battalion=====
The tank battalion comprises 2 tank squadrons, a fire support company, an engineer platoon, a logistics company, a reconnaissance platoon, and a headquarters.

Each tank squadron consists of thirteen M8 Thunderbolt Armored Gun Systems (Block II).

The tank battalion's fire support company is noticeably smaller than that of the mechanized infantry battalion, consisting only of an indirect fire platoon and an air defense platoon (both organizationally identical to their counterparts in the infantry battalion).

The remaining units are identical to their counterparts in the mechanized infantry battalion.

=====Other brigade units=====
The remaining units are identical to those in the mechanized infantry division, with only a few differences: The engineer battalion uses the Mobile Tracked Vehicle Engineer (MTVE), the MTVR, the MTFV, and an armored vehicle-launched bridge based on the M8 Buford; the reconnaissance squadron uses twelve Wiesel 1 Aufklärung reconnaissance vehicles; and the artillery battalion uses the Rascal 155mm light self-propelled howitzer (supported by the MTVL-UC), the HAWK-AMRAAM system for air defense, an M577A4 command vehicle for a fire command post, and the HIMARS truck-mounted multiple rocket launcher for the rocket battery.

===Airborne===
The airborne division forms a rapid reaction force. It is designed to be a self sufficient unit for a short time, containing all necessary maneuver, fire, and support units to operate alone.

An airborne division has the following advantages:
#Readiness within 72 hours
#Small logistical footprint
#Excellent tactical mobility

However, it has many disadvantages:
#Poor protection
#No tanks
#Lack of independence

An airborne division consists of the following:
*3 airborne brigades
*1 divisional aviation brigade
*Headquarters
**120 personnel with armored vehicles under the command of a Major-General

====Airborne brigade====
The airborne brigade is organized as follows:

*4 airborne battalions
*1 artillery battalion
*1 engineer battalion
*1 reconnaissance squadron
*1 support battalion
*Headquarters
**30 personnel commanded by a Brigadier

=====Airborne battalion=====
The airborne battalion is comprised of 4 infantry companies, a fire support company, an engineer platoon, a logistics company, a reconnaissance platoon, and a headquarters.

The infantry company has 3 infantry platoons, 1 weapons platoon, and 1 company headquarters. Each platoon consists of three squads, each with a section leader, two machine gunners, two grenadiers, and four riflemen (one of whom is a sniper), the platoon commanding officer, the platoon executive officer, the platoon sergeant, and the medic. The weapons platoon has four MTVLs, one carrying two Spike anti-tank missile teams, another carrying two Stinger fire teams, and the remaining two carrying machine guns. The company headquarters has two MTVLs (carrying the company CO, the company XO, the radio unit, three medics, and the company sergeant-major. Each MTVL carries a Samson Remote Controlled Weapon Station armed with a 25mm Bushmaster cannon, a co-axial 7.62mm Rheinmetall MG3 general purpose machine gun, and two Spike-ER (extended range) missiles; each MTVL also uses the ACAV kit, with two Rheinmetall MG3s mounted on the roof on each side behind gunshields.

The fire support company consists of the following units and equipment:

*Direct fire platoon
**4 M8 Thunderbolt Armored Gun Systems (Block II)
*Indirect fire platoon
**4 Wiesel 2 Mortars
*Air defense platoon
**4 Wiesel 2 Ozelot LeFlaSys Launcher Variant 1
**1 Wiesel 2 BF/UF LeFlaSys Command
**1 Wiesel 2 AFF LeFlaSys Radar
*Anti-tank platoon
**4 Wiesel 2 ATM HOTs
*Headquarters
**1 Wiesel 2 Command vehicle

The engineer platoon has two Wiesel 2 Pionier combat engineer vehicles.

The logistics company consists of the following vehicles: six MTVL-UCs and sixteen M973 Small Unit Support Vehicles.

The reconnaissance platoon has four Wiesel 1 Aufklärung, two MTVLs, a sniper section, and two scout sections.

Headquarters is commanded by a colonel with a ten man staff, guarded by sixteen security troops, and has two M577A4 command vehicles and four MTVLs.

=====Support battalion=====
*Logistics
**12 M973 Small Unit Support Vehicles
**12 M1083 standard cargo trucks
*Medical
**12 Wiesel 2 Ambulances
*Military Intelligence
**2 M1114 Up-Armored Armament Carriers
*Military Police
**6 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles
*Signals Corps
**4 M1015 Tracked Electronic Warfare Carriers
*Chemical Corps
**2 M93A1 Fox NBC reconnaissance vehicles

=====Other brigade units=====
The remaining units are identical to those in the mechanized infantry division, with only a few differences: The engineer battalion uses the MTVE, the MTVR, the MTFV, and an armored vehicle-launched bridge based on the M8 Buford; the reconnaissance squadron uses twelve Wiesel 1 Aufklärung reconnaissance vehicles; and the artillery battalion uses the Rascal 155mm light self-propelled howitzer (supported by the MTVL-UC), the HAWK-AMRAAM system for air defense, an M577A4 command vehicle for a fire command post, and the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System for the rocket battery, and the role normally taken by the M981A3 Fire Support Team Vehicles is instead carried out by forward artillery observers on foot.

===Airmobile===
Airmobile divisions are designed to have tactical mobility by helicopter. It has no tanks, and less artillery than other divisions, but more aircraft than any other type of division.

Its advantages are:
#Excellent tactical mobility
#No geographical limitations

Its disadvantages are:
#Poor protection
#No tanks
#Enormous logistical and technical support requirements

An airmobile division consists of the following:
*3 airmobile brigades
*1 divisional aviation brigade
*Headquarters
**120 personnel with armored vehicles under the command of a Major-General

====Airmobile brigade====
The airmobile brigade is organized as follows:

*4 infantry battalions
*1 attack aviation battalion
*1 transport aviation battalion
*2 assault transport aviation battalions
*1 artillery battalion
*1 engineer battalion
*1 reconnaissance squadron
*1 support battalion
*Headquarters
**30 personnel commanded by a Brigadier

=====Infantry battalion=====
The infantry battalion is comprised of four infantry companies, a fire support company, a reconnaissance platoon, and a headquarters.

The infantry company consists of three platoons and a company headquarters. Each platoon has three squads and a Platoon Headquarters. The squad's personnel include the section leader, two machine gunners, two grenadiers, and four riflemen, one of whom is a sniper. In these vehicles there are also the platoon commanding officer, the platoon executive officer, the platoon sergeant, and the medic. The Company Headquarters has the company CO, the company XO, the radio unit, three medics, four medium machine-gun teams and the company sergeant-major).

The fire support company consists of the following units and equipment:

*Direct fire platoon
**4 M8 Thunderbolt Armored Gun Systems (Block II)
**2 MTVLs
*Indirect fire platoon
**4 Wiesel 2 Mortars
*Air defense platoon
**4 Wiesel 2 Ozelot LeFlaSys Launcher Variant 1
**1 Wiesel 2 BF/UF LeFlaSys Command
**1 Wiesel 2 AFF LeFlaSys Radar
*Anti-tank platoon
**4 Wiesel 2 ATM HOTs
**2 M50A1 Ontos tank destroyers
*Headquarters
**1 Wiesel 2 Command vehicle

The reconnaissance platoon has a sniper section and two scout sections.

Headquarters is commanded by a colonel with a ten man staff, guarded by sixteen security troops.

=====Attack aviation battalion=====
*8 Bell ARH-70 armed reconnaissance helicopters
*24 AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters

=====Transport aviation battalion=====
*20 CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters

=====Assault transport aviation battalion=====
*24 NHI NH90 Tactical Transport Helicopters

=====Support battalion=====
*Medical
**12 UH-60Q Black Hawks
*Military Intelligence
**2 M1114 Up-Armored Armament Carriers
*Military Police
**6 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles
*Signals Corps
**4 EH-60C Black Hawks
*Chemical Corps
**2 M93A1 Fox NBC reconnaissance vehicles

=====Other brigade units=====
The reconnaissance squadron uses twelve Wiesel 1 Aufklärung reconnaissance vehicles and the artillery battalion uses the M119A1 105mm towed howitzer (supported by the M1114), the HAWK-AMRAAM system for air defense, an M577A4 command vehicle for a fire command post, and the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System for the rocket battery. The role normally taken by the M981A3 Fire Support Team Vehicles is instead carried out by forward artillery observers on foot and by Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters.

===Special forces===
The 17th Special Forces Division is an elite special operations force trained for guerrilla warfare, unconventional warfare, and special operations. It is trained to fight in any type of combat or terrain, with minimal protection and technical support. Flexible and rapidly deployable, the division employs a variety of specialized skills that enables it to be employed against a variety of conventional and special operations targets; among its specialties are air assault and direct action operations, raids, infiltration and exfiltration by air, land, or sea, airfield seizure, recovery of personnel and special equipment, support of general purpose forces, and psychological operations.

The division is tasked with six specific missions:

#Unconventional warfare
#Special reconnaissance
#Direct action
#Counter-terrorism
#Counter-proliferation
#Information operations

The special forces enjoy a high degree of self-sufficiency and require little in the way of technical support, aside from aviation support, which is provided by the 106th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (its missions include attack, assault, and reconnaissance, and are usually conducted at night, at high speeds and low altitudes, on short notice, and in secret).

The special forces are highly-trained, highly-mobile personnel whose operational and fighting capabilities are considered to be among the best in the world, rivalling the United Kingdom's Special Air Service and other elite forces.

====Aircraft====
The 106th Special Operations Aviation Regiment operates modified versions of the CH-47 Chinook, OH-6 Cayuse, and UH-60 Black Hawk that are not used by any other unit in the Brazilian Imperial Armed Forces. The specialized versions are listed as follows:

*Chinook
**MH-47D
**MH-47E
**MH-47G
*Cayuse
**AH-6C
**MH-6E
*Black Hawk
**MH-60G Pave Hawk
**MH-60K Black Hawk
**MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator

===Special aviation===
The 21st Special Aviation Division provides the Brazilian Imperial Army's heavy-lift capabilities. It operates the following aircraft:

*Airbus A400M
*Alenia C-27J Spartan
*C-130J Super Hercules
*C-47 Skytrain
*CH-47F Chinook
*CH-54 Tarhe
*DHC-4 Caribou
*DHC-5 Buffalo
*DHC-6 Twin Otter
*Embraer C-390
*NHI NH90 Tactical Transport Helicopter
*Sikorsky S-92

[[Category:Armies]]

Brazilian Army

Knut — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 03:46:52 GMT

Knut:

{| class="toccolours" style="float: right; font-size: 90%; text-align: left; width: 32em;" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"
|-
! cellpadding="2" colspan="2" style="text-align:center" style="background:#ccccff;" |<center>Brazilian Army</center>
|-
|colspan=2 style="text-align: center"|[[Image:Brazil Army insignia.PNG|85px]]
|-
!Active
|1824 -
|-
!Country
|[[Image:Small Brazil flag.PNG|22px]] [[Brazil]]
|-
!Branch
|[[:Category:Armies|Army]]
|-
!Size
|190,000 active personnel 82 aircraft
|-
!Part of
|Ministry of the Army
|-
!Headquarters
|Brasília/DF
|-
!Patron
|Luís Alves de Lima e Silva
|-
!Motto
|''Braço Forte, Mão Amiga''
|-
!March
|"Canção do Exército"
|-
!Anniversaries
|August 25 (Soldier's Day) April 19 (Brazilian Army Day)
|-
!Engagements
|War of Independence Argentina-Brazil War War of the Farrapos War of the Triple Alliance World War I
|-
! cellpadding="2" colspan="2" style="text-align:center" style="background:#ccccff;" |<center>Commanders</center>
|-
!Commander-in-Chief
|President João de Oliveira Mendonça
|-
!Commander
|Gen. Paulo Mendonça (no relation to the President)
|-
!Notable commanders
|Luís Alves de Lima e Silva Eurico Gaspar Dutra Artur da Costa e Silva
|}

The '''Brazilian Army''' (Portuguese: ''Exército Brasileiro'') is the land arm of the [[Military of Brazil|Brazilian military]].

==History==
After the Brazilian declaration of independence from Portugal in 1822, the Brazilian Army was essential to avoid a fragmentation of the new Brazilian Empire. It destroyed any separatist tendencies of the early years, supporting the authority of Emperor Dom Pedro I across his vast empire. By the Regency Era it was complemented by the National Guard, a paramilitary militia.

On May 1 1865, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina signed the Triple Alliance to defend themselves against aggression from Paraguay, which was ruled by the dictator Francisco López, who invaded the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, the north of Argentina and was heading for Uruguay. Supported by the UK (because Paraguay objectives conflicted with the English Empire capitalism thoughts) and with overwhelming numbers, the Alliance defeated Lopez.

After World War I, under a contract where French army officers came to Brazil, the Brazilian Army was restructured according to lessons learned by the French in the war.

In 1964, Brazilian Army General Humberto de Alencar Castello Branco took power in a state coup, beginning a military dictatorship in Brazil that has lasted to this day. Since then, the Brazilian Army has undergone an extensive modernization process, and now boasts modern equipment, superbly trained and highly motivated soldiers, and able commanders. Among Latin American countries, Brazil's military is second only to the Confederate States of Latin America in terms of power.

==Organization==
===Strength===
'''Active troops:''' 190,000

'''Reserves:'''
* Trained first-line: 1,115,000
* Subject to immediate recall: 400,000
* Second-line: 225,000

===Headquarters===
'''General HQ:'''
* Army General Headquarters (''Quartel-General do Exército'') - Brasília

'''Military Commands:'''
*Amazon Military Command - HQ: Manaus
*East Military Command - HQ: Rio de Janeiro
*Northeast Military Command - HQ: Recife
*Plateau Military Command - HQ: Brasília
*South Military Command - HQ: Porto Alegre
*Southeast Military Command - HQ: São Paulo
*West Military Command - HQ: Campo Grande

'''Military Regions:'''
*1st Military Region - States of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo (HQ: Rio de Janeiro)
*2nd Military Region - State of São Paulo (HQ: São Paulo)
*3rd Military Region - State of Rio Grande do Sul (HQ: Porto Alegre)
*4th Military Region - State of Minas Gerais (HQ: Belo Horizonte)
*5th Military Region - States of Paraná and Santa Catarina (HQ: Curitiba)
*6th Military Region - States of Bahia and Sergipe (HQ: Salvador)
*7th Military Region - States of Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco and Alagoas (HQ: Recife)
*8th Military Region - States of Pará and Maranhão (HQ: Belém)
*9th Military Region - State of Mato Grosso (HQ: Campo Grande]]
*10th Military Region - States of Ceará and Piauí (HQ: Fortaleza)
*11th Military Region - State of Goiás and the ''Distrito Federal'' (HQ: Brasília)
*12th Military Region - State of Amazonas (HQ: Manaus)

===Main units===
*1 armored cavalry brigade
**2 armored battalions
**2 mechanized infantry battalions
**1 armored artillery battalion
*3 mechanized infantry brigades
**3 mechanized infantry battalions
**1 armored battalion
**1 armored artillery battalion
*4 mechanized cavalry brigades
**3 armored battalions
**1 mechanized infantry battalion
**1 artillery battalion
*12 motorized infantry brigades
*1 mountain brigade
*1 parachute infantry brigade
*1 special operations brigade
*4 jungle infantry brigades
*1 frontier brigade

==Equipment==
===Individual weapons===
*FN M2HB .50 BMG heavy machine gun
*M971 7.62×51mm general purpose machine gun
*M964 FAP 7.62×51mm squad automatic weapon
*IMBEL MD-3 5.56×45mm assault rifle
*M964A1 7.62×51mm assault rifle
*IMBEL MD97 5.56×45mm assault rifle
*M4 5.56×45mm carbine (used by special forces)
*Taurus M972 9×19mm submachine gun
*IMBEL M973 9×19mm pistol
*Taurus M975 9×19mm pistol
*Barrett M82A1 12.7×99mm anti-materiel rifle (used by special forces)
*Heckler & Koch PSG-1 7.62×51mm sniper rifle (used by special forces)
*ACGL 7.62×51mm sniper rifle
*AT4 81mm anti-tank weapon

===Artillery===
*M108 105mm self-propelled howitzer
*M109A5 155mm self-propelled howitzer
*ASTROS II self-propelled multiple rocket launcher
**SS-30 (fires 127mm rockets)
**SS-40 (fires 180mm rockets)
**SS-60 (fires 300mm rockets)
**SS-80 (fires 300mm rockets)
*AV-SF-70 Skyfire 70mm rocket system
*M114 155mm towed howitzer
*L118 105mm towed howitzer
*OTO Melara Mod 56 105mm towed howitzer
*M101A1 105mm towed howitzer
*M2 120mm towed mortar
*M30 107mm towed mortar
*M936 AGR 81mm towed mortar
*RO 81mm towed mortar
*M949 AGR 60mm light mortar
*Brandt 60 60mm light mortar
*Oerlikon 35mm towed anti-aircraft autocannon
*Bofors 40mm L/70 towed anti-aircraft autocannon
*Bofors 40mm L/60 towed anti-aircraft autocannon
*M40 106mm recoilless rifle
*Carl Gustav 84mm recoilless rifle

===Missiles===
*ERYX anti-tank guided missile
*MILAN anti-tank guided missile
*9K38 Igla (SA-18) surface-to-air missile
*Roland 2 surface-to-air missile
*FOG-MPM anti-tank/surface-to-air missile

===Armored vehicles===
*Leopard 2A5 main battle tank (being upgraded to 2A6 standard)
*EE-T2 Osório main battle tank
*M60A3 main battle tank (being upgraded to M60T standard)
*MB-3 Tamoyo III medium tank (being modernized)
*M41B/C Walker Bulldog light tank (being upgraded to M41D standard)
*EE-3 Jararaca scout car (being modernized)
*EE-9 Cascavel armored reconnaissance vehicle (being modernized)
*EE-11 Urutu armored personnel carrier (being modernized)
*EE-18 Sucuri II tank destroyer (being modernized)
*EE-T4 Ogum armored fighting vehicle (being modernized)
*AV-VBL light multi-purpose armored vehicle
*AV-VB4-RE light armored reconnaissance vehicle
*CBTP SL Charrua armored personnel carrier
*M113A3 armored personnel carrier

===Support vehicles===
*M60 Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge (AVLB)
*M60 Armored Vehicle Launched MICLIC (Mine-Clearing Line Charge),
*M60 Panther remotely-controlled mine-clearing tank
*M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle (CEV)
*M88A1 armored recovery vehicle
*Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozer
*M1083 standard cargo truck
*M35 2-1/2 ton cargo truck
*Heavy Equipment Transport System
*Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck
*Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement all-terrain vehicle
*Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle
*Logistics Vehicle System (LVS)
*Pionierpanzer 3 Kodiak combat engineer vehicle
*Bergepanzer BPz3 Büffel armored recovery vehicle
*AIL Storm II mini-SUV
*Plasan Sand Cat all-wheel drive off-road vehicle
*Wolf all-wheel drive off-road vehicle

===Helicopters===
*Eurocopter AS 532UE Cougar transport helicopter
*Eurocopter AS 550A-2 Fennec scout/liaison/attack helicopter
*Eurocopter AS 365K Panther transport/attack helicopter
*Helibras HB 350-1 utility/attack helicopter
*Sikorsky S-70A Black Hawk transport helicopter

{{Military of Brazil}}
[[Category:Armies]]
[[Category:Military of Brazil|Army, Brazilian]]

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João de Oliveira Mendonça

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{| class="toccolours" style="float: right; width: 36%;" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"
|-
| style="color:#ffffff; background-color:#15317E; font-size:120%; text-align:center;" colspan="2" | '''João de Oliveira Mendonça'''
|-
| align="center" colspan="2" | [[Image:Mendonca.jpg|João de Oliveira Mendonça]]
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
| colspan="2" style="background: align="center" | [[Image:Small Brazil flag.PNG|22px]] '''[[Brazil#Presidency|President of Brazil]]'''
|-
| style="font-size: 90%;" | '''Term start''' || style="font-size: 90%;" | January 1, 2003
|-
| style="font-size: 90%;" | '''Term end''' || style="font-size: 90%;" | ''Incumbent''
|-
| style="font-size: 90%;" | '''Preceded by''' || style="font-size: 90%;" | Enzo Martins Peri
|-
| style="font-size: 90%;" | '''Succeeded by''' || style="font-size: 90%;" | ''Incumbent''
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
| style="font-size: 90%;" | '''Date of birth''' || style="font-size: 90%;" | December 10, 1932 (age 75)
|-
| style="font-size: 90%;" | '''Place of birth''' || style="font-size: 90%;" | Manaus, [[Brazil#List of Brazilian states|Amazonas]], [[Brazil]]
|-
| style="font-size: 90%;" | '''Spouse''' || style="font-size: 90%;" | Anneliese Mendonça (née Banzer)
|-
| style="font-size: 90%;" | '''Profession''' || style="font-size: 90%;" | Military officer, politician
|-
| style="font-size: 90%;" | '''Political party''' || style="font-size: 90%;" | National Renewal Alliance Party (ARENA)
|-
| style="font-size: 90%;" | '''Religion''' || style="font-size: 90%;" | Roman Catholic (lapsed)
|-
| style="font-size: 90%;" | '''Languages''' || style="font-size: 90%;" | Portuguese, German, English, Spanish
|-
|}

General '''João de Oliveira Mendonça''' (born December 10, 1932) is the current President of the Republic of the United States of Brazil. Perceived as a moderate and pragmatist, he was nominated for the presidency to placate both the Brazilian Democratic Movement (Brazil's only legal opposition party) and the Confederate States of Latin America (Brazil's neighbor, with which Brazil has an uneasy relationship). Though an avid reader with an extensive knowledge of politics, Mendonça is well known for his open contempt of the political process and for his "cordial dislike" of politicians. Reportedly, it took much badgering and cajoling by the military government to convince him to serve as President.

During his term in office, he has pursued a generally successful ''détente'' with the Confederate States of Latin America, eliminated Brazil's few remaining tariffs, and somewhat relaxed the government's iron grip on society, while still fiercely resisting any attempts at democratization.

==Biography==
João de Oliveira Mendonça was born in Manaus, Brazil to a German seamstress and a Brazilian manual laborer; his paternal grandfather was Portuguese-Brazilian and his paternal grandmother was born in Bavaria, making him three-fourths German. To this day, Mendonça speaks fluent German, and has much affinity for Germany; he has visited the country several times, both as a private citizen and in his capacity as a head of state, and he holds a deep adoration for German cuisine, culture, and history.

Orphaned at an early age, he was raised by his paternal grandparents, who were stern taskmasters but also compassionate and loving people. In spite of their relative poverty, he had a fairly happy childhood, and was popular with the neighborhood children, though also known for his mischievous nature and tendency to "act up" in class. He did poorly in mathematics and science but excelled in English and read voraciously, often at the rate of two to three books per day (a habit he maintains to this day). He also enjoyed sports, particularly wrestling and soccer.

His somewhat rambunctious personality persisted into high school, where he was a bit of a class clown and a womanizer, but he mellowed down by his junior year, and graduated high school near the top of his class.

Initially, he wanted to attend university and study chemical engineering, but was unable to secure the funds, and joined the Army as a means by which to earn the money. To his surprise, he found military service highly enjoyable, and, realizing he had found his niche, he quickly forgot about his earlier plans and decided to pursue a permanent career in the military. With his athleticism, sharp intellect, and nearly limitless capacity for hard work, he advanced very rapidly.

During a stint in the United States, where he was sent for advanced training, he learned a smattering of the English language, which he now speaks fluently. While there, he also met his future wife, Anneliese Banzer, a Dutch-German foreign exchange student in the U.S. on a scholarship, studying, ironically, chemical engineering. Neither spoke fluent English (at the time), though both were well versed in German. Mendonça asked her out, and the two soon began dating steadily. Six months later, they were married, in spite of opposition from Mendonça's grandparents (they had reservations about him marrying a Protestant) and from Anneliese's parents (who had an antipathy toward Catholics). The religion issue was moot to the young couple, though. While Anneliese was a devout Calvinist, she had no reservations about marrying Mendonça, and Mendonça, whose Catholicism had lapsed long ago, did not care what religion his wife adhered to either way.

As luck would have it, Anneliese obtained her university degree just before Mendonça's stint in the U.S. ended, and so they were able to return home to Brazil together. There, she devoted her time to studying and mastering the Portuguese language, while her husband continued to advance in the armed forces. He played a minor but important role in the 1964 American-backed coup d'état which deposed left-leaning President João Goulart. In 1971, he was made a brigadier; by 1977, he was made a full general and appointed director of the ''Academia Militar de Agulhas Negras''; he served in that capacity from 1977—1985, when he was given command of the Southeast Military Command. During his tenure, soldiers' working conditions were improved, corrupt and/or incompetent officers were weeded out, and both costs and waste were minimized. Impressed by his natural leadership qualities, he was suggested as a potential presidential candidate in 1993, but politely declined. He spent the next few years authoring a number of short, but well-received, books on military strategy, before being appointed commander of the Brazilian Army in 1997. Just a year later, though, he was made Minister of the Army in President Enzo Martins Peri's cabinet, and General Paulo Mendonça (no relation) succeeded him as commander of the Army.

During his tenure as Minister of the Army, he became one of the most popular members of the government. His emphasis on "maximizing efficiency while minimizing costs"; his vigorous anti-corruption campaign; and his removal of officers and soldiers guilty of gross human rights abuses, made him immensely popular with the public. It is believed that he played a role in convincing the Peri Administration to ban torture. Mendonça was quick, however, to emphasize his distrust of democracy: "Democracy is not a panacea, but a disease. Only continued military rule, only firm but principled guidance, can ensure Brazil's progress as a nation. Only by working together and looking to the future, rather than squabbling and blindly following demagogic false prophets, can we succeed in our endeavors." He vowed that, "So long as I am capable of firing a gun, no civilian will ever preside over this great country. The politicians have brought us nothing but ruin and corruption. Do we want ruin and corruption? No, no. We want peace and progress!"

His more humane handling of dissenters, combined with his loathing of democracy, made him acceptable to both the military and the opposition, and after much persuasion, he was convinced to assume the Presidency in 2003.

Notable accomplishments of his tenure thus far include: An annual economic growth rate of over 8%; Brazil's rising prominence on the world stage (including hosting a peace conference in an effort to prevent war between Spain and Portugal); improved relations with countries that Brazil has traditionally had cool relations with; a remarkable improvement in prison conditions; and the legalization of many "victimless crimes" (though not political dissent).

==Family==
Mendonça's wife, Anneliese, teaches a chemical engineering course at the Universidade Católica de Brasília. She is three years his junior, and both she and her husband remain in excellent health. Her interests include bird-watching, chemistry, Bible reading, and dining. Both she and Mendonça speak fluent Portuguese, German, and English. He speaks passable Spanish, while she can speak it fluently. She also speaks fluent Dutch, and is an intermediate speaker of a few indigenous Brazilian languages.

Their children are Pablo (b. 1960), an Army captain; Baltasar (b. 1963), a chemical engineer; Marisa (b. 1969), a pianist; and João, Jr. (b. 1973), an Army medic. They have seventeen grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

==Personal==
Mendonça's hobbies are hunting, fishing, hiking, equestrianism, camping, rock-climbing, swimming, and reading. His interests are music and history. He is rumored to be an amateur practitioner of capoeira.

He is a strict teetotaler, he has never drunk alcohol or smoked a cigarette in his life. While he believes in God, he is a lapsed Catholic, and is said to visit church only rarely.

He was successfully treated for prostate cancer in 2001. Even at 75, he is in peak physical condition, and he is more fit than most men half his age. His intellect is as sharp as ever.

[[Category:Characters of Brazil|Mendonça, João de Oliveira]]
[[Category:National leaders|Mendonça, João de Oliveira]]

United States of South America

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Kingdom of Romania

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Army of the Republic of Viet Nam

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Another Constitution

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==<center>Chapter The Head of State</center>==
'''Section 1.''' The head of state of _____ shall be the President.

'''Section 2.''' (1) The President shall be elected by an electoral college consisting of the members of the Senate and the National Assembly, at a meeting to be called in accordance with the provisions of this section and presided over by the Chief Justice of _____ or a judge of appeal designated by him.

(2) The election of a President shall be held at a time and place to be fixed by the Speaker of the National Assembly or (in his absence) the Secretary to Parliament and made known by notice in the ''Gazette'' not less than fourteen days before such election.

(3) The date so fixed shall be a date not less than one month and not more than three months before the termination of the period of office of the President then holding office: Provided that if the President dies or for any other reason vacates his office a date within three months after the office became vacant shall be so fixed.

(4) No person may be elected or serve as President unless he-
 (a) is at least thirty-five years of age;
 (b) is a natural-born citizen of _____;
 (c) has resided for ten years within the limits of the Republic;
 (d) is in full enjoyment of his political and civil rights.

(5) Any person holding any public office in respect of which he receives any renumeration or allowance out of public funds, who is elected as President, shall vacate such office with effect from the date on which he is elected.

'''Section 3.''' (1) Nominations of candidates for election as President shall be called for at the meeting at which the election is to take place, by the person presiding thereat.

(2) Every nomination shall be submitted in the form prescribed and shall be signed by two members of the electoral college and also by the person nominated, unless he has in writing signified his willingness to accept nomination.

(3) The persons duly nominated as provided in sub-section (2) shall be announced at the meeting at which the election is to take place by the person presiding thereat, and no debate shall be allowed at the election.

(4) If in respect of any election only one nomination has been received, the person presiding at the meeting shall declare the candidate in question to be duly elected.

(5) Where more than one candidate is nominated for election, a vote shall be taken by secret ballot, each member of the electoral college present at the meeting in question having one vote, and any candidate in whose favor a majority of all the votes cast is recorded, shall be declared duly elected by the person presiding at the meeting.

(6) (a) If no candidate receives a majority of all the votes so cast, the candidate who received the smallest number of votes shall be eliminated and a further ballot taken in respect of the remaining candidates, this process being repeated as often as may be necessary until a candidate receives a majority of all the votes cast and is declared duly elected.
 (b) Whenever two or more candidates being the lowest on the poll have received the same number of votes, the electoral college shall by separate vote, to be repeated as often as may be necessary, determine which of those candidates shall for the purposes of paragraph (a) be eliminated.

(7) (a) Whenever-
 (i) only two candidates have been nominated; or
 (ii) after the elimination of one or more candidates in accordance with the provisions of this section, only two candidates remain,
 and there is an equality of votes between those two candidates, a further meeting shall be called in accordance with the provisions of section two, and the provisions of this section shall apply as if such further meeting were the first meeting called for the purposes of the election in question.
 (b) At the third meeting called in connection with any particular election, the person presiding at the meeting shall in the event of an equality of votes between any two candidates under the circumstances described in paragraph (a), have and exercise a casting vote.

(8) (a) The Speaker of the National Assembly shall make rules in regard to the procedure to be observed at a meeting of the electoral college, including rules prescribing the form in which any nomination shall be submitted, and rules defining the duties of the presiding officer and of any person appointed to assist him and prescribing the manner in which the ballot at any such meeting shall be conducted.
 (b) Any such rules shall be made known in such manner as the Speaker of the National Assembly may consider necessary.

'''Section 4.''' (1) (a) The President shall hold office for a period of six years from the date upon which he takes the oath prescribed in section six, and shall not on termination of his period of office be eligible for re-election.
 (b) He shall cease to hold office on a resolution passed by the Senate and by the National Assembly during the same session declaring him to be removed from office on the ground of misconduct or inability to perform efficiently the duties of his office.

(2) (a) No resolution shall be taken under paragraph (b) of sub-section (1), except after consideration of a report of a joint committee of the Senate and the National Assembly appointed in pursuance of a resolution of the National Assembly which has been concurred in by the Senate.
 (b) The National Assembly shall not adopt a resolution that such a committee be appointed, unless there has previously been submitted to the Speaker of the National Assembly a petition signed by not less than one-fifth of the members of the National Assembly and requesting that such a committee be appointed.
 (c) In connection with any resolution contemplated in paragraph (b) no debate shall be allowed either in the Senate or in the National Assembly.

(3) The President may resign by lodging his resignation in writing with the Prime Minister.

(4) The President shall not be absent from the Republic except with the prior consent of the Senate.

'''Section 5.''' Whenever the office of President is vacant or the President is for any reason unable to perform the duties of his office, the Chairman of the Senate shall serve as Acting President, and, if the office of Chairman of the Senate is vacant or the holder of that office is unable to act, the Speaker of the National Assembly or, if his office is vacant or he is unable to act, a person appointed by the Government shall serve as Acting President.

'''Section 6.''' The President and any Acting President shall before assuming office make and subscribe an oath of office in the following form before the Chief Justice of _____ or a Judge of the Supreme Court of _____:

"I, A.B., do swear (or affirm) to be faithful to the Republic of _____ and do solemnly and sincerely promise at all times to promote that which will advance it, to oppose all that may harm it, and to dedicate myself to the welfare of its inhabitants, to obey, observe, uphold, and maintain the Constitution and all other laws of the Republic, to discharge my duties with all my strength and talents to the best of my knowledge and ability and true to the dictates of my conscience, to do justice unto all and to devote myself to the well-being of my people. So help me God."

(In case of affirmation, the last sentence will be omitted)

'''Section 7.''' (1) There shall be paid to the President out of and as a charge on the Federal Treasury, in addition to any allowances appropriated from time to time by Parliament, and apart from any privileges which he may enjoy, a salary of seventy-five thousand dollars per annum.
 (2) The salary of the President shall not be increased nor diminished during his term of office.

'''Section 8.''' The President shall have only such powers and duties as are conferred or imposed upon him by or under this Constitution.

'''Section 9.''' (1) There shall be a Public Seal of _____, showing the coat of arms with the circumscription "Republic of _____."

(2) The Public Seal of _____ shall be kept by the President and used for sealing all things whatsoever that shall pass the Public Seal of _____.

'''Section 10.''' (1) The will and pleasure of the President shall be expressed in writing under his signature, and every instrument signed by him shall be countersigned by a Minister.

(2) The signature of the President on any instrument shall be confirmed as provided in section nine.

'''Section 11.''' The President shall have power-
 (a) to appoint and to accredit, to receive and to recognize ambassadors, plenipotentiaries, diplomatic representatives, and other diplomatic officers, consuls, and consular officers;
 (b) to enter into and ratify international conventions, treaties, and agreements;
 (c) to proclaim and to terminate martial law;
 (d) to declare war and to make peace; and
 (e) to confer honors and precedence.

'''Section 12.''' The President may constitute such offices for _____ as may lawfully be constituted and, subject to the provisions of this Constitution and of any other law, the President may-
 (a) make appointments, to be held during pleasure, to any office so constituted; and
 (b) dismiss any person so appointed or take such other disciplinary action in relation to him as the President may think fit.

'''Section 13.''' (1) The President may, subject to such lawful conditions as Parliament may fix:
 (a) grant to any person concerned in or convicted of an offense against any law a pardon; or
 (b) grant to any person a respite, either indefinite or for a specified period, from the execution of any sentence passed on that person for such an offense; or
 (c) substitute a less severe form of punishment for that imposed by any sentence for such an offense; or
 (d) remit the whole or part of any sentence passed for such an offense or any penalty or forfeiture otherwise imposed on account of such an offense.

(2) Where a person resident in _____ has been convicted in a country outside _____ of an offense against a law in force in that country, the President may declare that that conviction shall not be regarded as a conviction for the purposes of this Constitution or any other law in force in _____.

'''18.''' (1) The President may, at any time the public safety requires it, by proclamation published in the ''Gazette'', declare that:
 (a) a state of public emergency exists; or
 (b) a situation exists which, if it is allowed to continue, may lead to a state of public emergency.

(2) A declaration in terms of subsection (1), if not sooner revoked, shall cease to have effect:
 (a) in the case of a declaration made when the National Assembly is meeting for the transaction of business, at the expiration of a period of seven days beginning with the day of the publication of the proclamation in the ''Gazette'';
 (b) in any other case, at the expiration of a period of thirty days beginning with the day of the publication of the proclamation in the ''Gazette'';

unless, before the expiration of that period, the decision is approved by a resolution passed by the National Assembly:

Provided that, if Parliament is dissolved during the period of thirty days referred to in paragraph (b), the declaration, unless sooner revoked, shall cease to have effect at the expiration of a period of sixty days beginning with the day of the publication of the proclamation in the ''Gazette'' unless, before the expiration of that period, the declaration is approved by a resolution passed by the National Assembly.

(3) Where a declaration in terms of subsection (1):
 (a) is not approved by a resolution passed by the National Assembly in pursuance of the provisions of subsection (2), the President shall forthwith after the National Assembly has considered the resolution and failed to approve it or, if the National Assembly has not considered the resolution, on the expiration of the appropriate period specified in subsection (2), by proclamation published in the ''Gazette'', revoke such declaration;
 (b) is approved by a resolution passed by the National Assembly in pursuance of the provisions of subsection (2), such declaration shall, subject to the provisions of subsections (4) and (5), continue in force for a period of twelve months beginning with the day of the publication of the proclamation in the ''Gazette'':

Provided that, where the National Assembly has in the resolution in pursuance of the provisions of subsection (2) specified that such declaration shall continue in force for a period of less than twelve months, the President shall, by proclamation published in the ''Gazette'', declare that the declaration shall, subject to the provisions of subsection (4), be revoked at the expiration of the period specified in the resolution.

(4) If the National Assembly resolves that it considers it expedient that a declaration in force in terms of this section should be continued in force for a further period not exceeding twelve months, the President shall forthwith, by proclamation published in the ''Gazette'', extend such declaration for such further period as may be so resolved.

(5) The National Assembly may at any time resolve that a declaration in force under this section should be revoked and the President shall forthwith, by proclamation published in the ''Gazette'', revoke such declaration.

(6) A declaration in terms of this section may be continued in force in terms of this section notwithstanding that such declaration has previously been continued in force in terms of this section.

(7) For the purposes of this section the National Assembly shall be regarded as meeting for the transaction of business during a period:
 (a) beginning on the day the National Assembly first meets after a prorogation or an adjournment in pursuance of the passing of a resolution such as is referred to in paragraph (b) and;
 (b) ending on the day the National Assembly next adjourns in pursuance of a resolution the purpose of which is that the National Assembly shall stand adjourned for more than thirty days or on the day the National Assembly is dissolved or prorogued, whichever is the sooner.

==<center>Chapter The Government</center>==
'''Section 1.''' The executive government of the Republic in regard to any aspect of its domestic or foreign affairs shall be vested in the Government.

'''Section 2.''' (1) The Government shall consist of the Prime Minister, Ministers, and Deputy Ministers appointed under section three for the time being holding office.

(2) The Prime Minister shall determine, and be responsible for, general policy. Within the limits of this general policy, each Minister shall conduct the business of his department autonomously and on his own responsibility.

'''Section 3.''' (1) The President shall, after consulting the National Assembly, appoint the person who, in his opinion, is best able to command the support of a majority of the Assembly, to be the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister shall hold office during the pleasure of the President.

(2) The President, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister-
 (a) shall appoint other Ministers of the Government and may assign functions to such Ministers, including the administration of any Act or of any department of government; and
 (b) may appoint Deputy Ministers of any specified department of government or of such other description as the President may determine.

(3) A Deputy Minister may be appointed to exercise or perform on behalf of a Minister any of the powers, functions, and duties entrusted to such Minister under any law or otherwise which may, subject to the directions of the President, be assigned to him from time to time by such Minister.

(4) A Minister or Deputy Minister appointed under sub-section (2) shall hold office during the pleasure of the President and may be removed from office by the President acting on the advice of the Prime Minister.

(5) No member of the Government shall hold office unless he is a member of the Senate or the National Assembly.

(6) Any person appointed under this section shall, before entering upon his office, make and subscribe an oath before the President or a person designated by him, in the following form:

"I, A.B., do hereby swear (or affirm) to be faithful to the Republic, to hold my office with honor and dignity, to respect and uphold the Constitution and all other laws of the Republic, to consecrate myself to the service of the nation, and to perform the duties of my office conscientiously and to the best of my ability. So help me God."

(In case of affirmation, the last sentence will be omitted)

'''Section 4.''' Whenever a Minister is from any cause whatever unable to perform any of the functions of his office, the President may appoint any other member of the Government to act in the said Minister's stead, either generally or in the performance of any particular function.

'''Section 5.''' (1) The Prime Minister may at any time by notice in writing addressed to the President resign his office.

(2) A Minister or a Deputy Minister may at any time by notice in writing addressed to the President and delivered to the Prime Minister resign his office.

'''Section 6.''' (1) The Prime Minister shall be responsible to the President and, within the ambit of the Government’s political responsibility, to Parliament.

(2) The Deputy Prime Minister, if any, and Ministers shall be responsible to the Prime Minister and, within the ambit of the Government’s political responsibility, to Parliament.

(3) Deputy Ministers, if any, shall be responsible to the Prime Minister and to their respective Ministers.

'''Section 7.''' (1) The Government shall, within ten days of its appointment, submit its program to the National Assembly for consideration, by means of a Prime Ministerial statement. The program shall set out the main political guidelines and the measures that are to be adopted or proposed in the various areas of governance.

(2) In the event that the National Assembly is not in full session, the Speaker shall obligatorily summon it for this purpose.

(3) The debate shall not last for more than three days, and until it is closed, any parliamentary group may make a motion rejecting the program, and the Government may request the passage of a confidence motion.

(4) Rejection of the program shall require an absolute majority of all the members of the National Assembly in full exercise of their office.

'''Section 8.''' The Government may ask the National Assembly to pass a motion of confidence in relation to a statement of general policy or any important matter of national interest.

'''Section 9.''' (1) Upon the initiative of one quarter of all the members in full exercise of their office or of any parliamentary group, the National Assembly may subject the Government to no confidence motions in relation to the implementation of its program or to any important matter of national interest.

(2) No confidence motions shall only be considered forty-eight hours after they are made, and the debate thereon shall last for no more than three days.

(3) If a no confidence motion is not passed, its signatories may not make another such motion during the same legislative session.

'''Section 10.''' The Government shall resign upon:
 (a) the beginning of a new legislature; or
 (b) acceptance by the President of the Prime Minister's resignation; or
 (c) the Prime Minister’s death or lasting physical incapacitation; or
 (d) rejection of the Government's program; or
 (e) the failure of any confidence motion; or
 (f) passage of a no confidence motion by an absolute majority of all the members of the National Assembly in full exercise of their office.

'''Section 11.''' (1) A member of the Government shall cease to hold office if he ceases to be a member of the Senate or the National Assembly, as the case may be.

(2) A member of the Government may resign for any cause without vacating his seat in the Senate or the National Assembly, as the case may be.

'''Section 12.''' Members of the Government may not hold any other salaried office, nor engage in a trade, nor practice a profession, nor belong to the management or, without the consent of Parliament, to the board of directors of an enterprise carried on for profit.

'''Section 13.''' (1) The salaries and emoluments of the Prime Minister, Ministers, and Deputy Ministers shall be fixed by law and may not be increased or decreased during their tenure of office. Until otherwise provided by law, Prime Minister shall earn an annual compensation of fifty thousand dollars; the Deputy Prime Minister, if any, and Ministers shall each receive an annual compensation of forty thousand dollars; and the Deputy Ministers, if any, shall each receive an annual compensation of thirty-five thousand dollars.

(2) The Prime Minister and Ministers shall not, in addition to the compensation mentioned in the preceding sub-section, receive any compensation they would otherwise be entitled to as members of the Senate or the National Assembly, whichever the case may be, unless they first resign from the Government.

==<center>Chapter: Parliament</center>==
===<center>Part I: General</center>===
'''Section 1.''' Legislative power shall be vested in Parliament, which shall consist of the Senate and the National Assembly.

'''Section 2.''' The President may appoint such times for holding the sessions of Parliament as he thinks fit, and may also from time to time, by proclamation or otherwise, prorogue Parliament, and may in like manner dissolve the National Assembly.

'''Section 3.''' There shall be a session of Parliament once at least in every year, so that twelve months shall not intervene between the last sitting of Parliament in one session and its first sitting in the next session.

===<center>Part II: The Senate</center>===
'''Section 1.''' (1) The Senate shall be composed of senators for each State, chosen by the legislature of the State.

(2) Until Parliament otherwise provides there shall be ten senators for each State. Parliament may make laws increasing or diminishing the number of senators for each State, but so that equal representation of the several States shall be maintained and that no State shall have less than ten senators.

'''Section 2.''' (1) The senators shall be chosen for a term of eight years, and the names of the senators chosen for each State shall be certified by the Governor to the President.

(2) If the seat of a senator becomes vacant, the legislature for the State concerned shall appoint a person to hold the seat until the completion of the period for which the person in whose stead he is appointed would have held the seat.

'''Section 3.''' The Senate may proceed to the dispatch of business, notwithstanding the failure of any State to provide for its representation in the Senate.

'''Section 4.''' The Senate may from time to time establish standing committees for various matters as it may deem fit, and any Minister or Deputy Minister may at any time with due regard to the rules of the Senate, move that any matter be referred to such a committee for investigation and report.

'''Section 5.''' The Prime Minister or any Minister acting on his behalf shall at the commencement of each session of Parliament as circumstances may require, make known what bills are to be introduced in the Senate during that session.

'''Section 6.''' No person shall be qualified to be a senator unless he-
 (a) is at least thirty-five years of age;
 (b) is qualified to be registered as a voter for the election of members of the National Assembly in the State concerned;
 (c) has resided for five years within the limits of the State concerned; and
 (d) is a natural-born citizen of the Republic in full enjoyment of his political and civil rights.

'''Section 7.''' (1) The Senate shall, before proceeding to the dispatch of any other business, elect a senator, not being a Minister or a Deputy Minister, to be the Chairman of the Senate, and as often as the office of Chairman becomes vacant the Senate shall again choose a senator to be the Chairman.

(2) The Chairman of the Senate may at any time resign his office either by announcing his resignation in person to the Senate or by notice in writing to the Secretary to Parliament.

(3) The Chairman of the Senate shall vacate his office if he ceases to be a senator or if he becomes a Minister or a Deputy Minister.

(4) The office of the Chairman of the Senate shall become vacant if the Senate, by an affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds of the total membership of the Senate, resolves that the office of the Chairman of the Senate shall become vacant.

(5) Prior to or during the absence of the Chairman of the Senate, the Senate may choose a senator, not being a Minister or a Deputy Minister, to perform his duties in his absence.

'''Section 8.''' A senator may, by writing under his hand addressed to the Chairman of the Senate, resign his seat, which thereupon shall become vacant.

'''Section 9.''' Whenever the seat of a senator becomes vacant, whether in consequence of his resignation or otherwise, the Chairman of the Senate, or in his absence the presiding senator, shall notify the legislature of the State in the representation of which the vacancy has happened, and the legislature shall as soon as practicable cause steps to be taken to have the vacancy filled.

'''Section 10.''' Until Parliament otherwise provides, the presence of at least one-third of the whole number of the senators shall be necessary to constitute a meeting of the Senate for the exercise of its powers.

'''Section 11.''' All questions in the Senate shall be determined by a majority of votes of senators present other than the Chairman of the Senate or the presiding Senator, who shall, however, have and exercise a casting vote in the case of an equality of votes.

===<center>Part III: The National Assembly</center>===
'''Section 1.''' The National Assembly shall be composed of 175 members, directly chosen by the voters of the Republic in electoral districts delimited as hereinafter provided.

'''Section 2.''' (1) ______ shall be divided into as many electoral districts as there are members of the National Assembly in such manner as the competent authority, acting with the approval of each house of Parliament signified by resolution, may prescribe.

(2) No electoral district shall form part of more than one State and the boundaries of each electoral district shall be such that the number of inhabitants thereof is as nearly equal to the population quota as is reasonably practicable, provided that the number of inhabitants of an electoral district may be greater or less than the population quota in order to take account of means of communication, geographical features, the distribution of different communities, and the boundaries of the States.

(3) The competent authority shall review the division of ______ into electoral districts at intervals of not less than five and not more than ten years and may alter the electoral districts in accordance with the provisions of this section to such extent as it may consider desirable in the light of the review: Provided that that authority may at any time carry out such a review and alter the electoral districts in accordance with the provisions of this section to such extent as it considers necessary.

(4) Where the boundaries of any electoral district established under this section are altered in accordance with the provisions of this section, that alteration shall come into effect after the expiration of the full term of all the members of Parliament approving such alteration.

(5) In this section "population quota" means the number obtained by dividing the number of the inhabitants of _____ by the number of electoral districts into which _____ is divided under this section.

(6) For the purposes of this section the number of inhabitants of _____ or any part thereof shall be ascertained by reference to the latest census of the population of _____.

(7) In this section "the competent authority" means the Federal Electoral Commission.

'''Section 3.''' (1) Every electoral district established under Section 2 shall return to the National Assembly one member who shall be directly elected in such manner as may be prescribed by Parliament.

(2) The registration of voters and the conduct of elections shall be subject to the direction and supervision of the Federal Electoral Commission.

(3) Until Parliament otherwise provides, the qualification of electors of members of the National Assembly shall be in each State that which is prescribed by the law of the State as the qualification of electors of the more numerous house of the legislature of the State; but in the choosing of members each elector shall vote only once.

'''Section 4.''' No person shall be qualified to be a member of the National Assembly unless he-
 (a) is at least twenty-five years of age;
 (b) is qualified to be registered as a voter for the election of members of the National Assembly in the State in which the electoral district for which he is elected is located;
 (c) has resided for two years within the limits of the electoral district concerned; and
 (d) is a natural-born citizen of the Republic in full enjoyment of his political and civil rights.

'''Section 5.''' (1) Every National Assembly shall continue for four years from the first meeting thereof, but may at any time be dissolved by the President of the Republic by proclamation in the ''Gazette''.

(2) A general election of members of the National Assembly shall be held on such day within a period not exceeding four months after the issue of a proclamation dissolving the Assembly as the President of the Republic may in that proclamation fix.

(3) At any general election of members of the National Assembly, all polls shall be taken on one and the same day in all the constituencies throughout the Republic, such day to be appointed by the President of the Republic.

(4) After any general election the National Assembly shall assemble not later than thirty days after the day appointed for the return of the writs.

'''Section 6.''' (1) The National Assembly shall, before proceeding to the dispatch of any other business, elect a member, not being a Minister or a Deputy Minister, to be the Speaker of the National Assembly, and as often as the office of Speaker becomes vacant the National Assembly shall again choose a member to be the Speaker.

(2) The Speaker of the National Assembly may at any time resign his office either by announcing his resignation in person to the National Assembly or by notice in writing to the Secretary to Parliament.

(3) The Speaker of the National Assembly shall vacate his office if he ceases to be a member of the National Assembly or if he becomes a Minister or a Deputy Minister.

(4) The office of the Speaker of the National Assembly shall become vacant if the National Assembly, by an affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds of the total membership of the National Assembly, resolves that the office of the Speaker of the National Assembly shall become vacant.

(5) Prior to or during the absence of the Speaker of the National Assembly, the National Assembly may choose a member, not being a Minister or a Deputy Minister, to perform his duties in his absence.

'''Section 7.''' A member may, by writing under his hand addressed to the Speaker of the National Assembly, resign his seat, which thereupon shall become vacant.

'''Section 8.''' Whenever the seat of a member becomes vacant, whether in consequence of his resignation or otherwise, the Speaker shall issue his writ for the election of a new member, or if there is no Speaker or if he is absent from the Republic, the presiding member may issue the writ.

'''Section 9.''' Until Parliament otherwise provides, the presence of at least one-third of the whole number of the members of the National Assembly shall be necessary to constitute a meeting of the National Assembly for the exercise of its powers.

'''Section 10.''' All questions in the National Assembly shall be determined by a majority of votes of members present other than the Speaker of the National Assembly or the presiding member, who shall, however, have and exercise a casting vote in the case of an equality of votes.

===<center>Part IV: Both Houses of Parliament</center>===
'''Section 1.''' Every senator and every member of the National Assembly shall, before taking his seat, make and subscribe before the Chief Justice, or some person authorized by him, an oath in the following form:

"I, A.B., do hereby swear (or affirm) to be faithful to the Republic of _____, to hold my office with honor and dignity, to respect and uphold the Constitution and all other laws of the Republic, to consecrate myself to the service of the nation, and to perform the duties of my office conscientiously and to the best of my ability. So help me God."

(In case of affirmation, the last sentence will be omitted)

'''Section 2.''' Notwithstanding any dissolution of the Senate or the National Assembly, whether by effluxion of time or otherwise:
 (a) every person who at the date of the dissolution is a member of the body concerned shall remain a member thereof;
 (b) the said body shall remain competent to perform its functions; and
 (c) the President shall have power to summon Parliament for the dispatch of business,

during the period following such dissolution up to and including the day immediately preceding the polling day for the election held in pursuance of such dissolution, in the same manner in all respects as if the dissolution had not occurred.

'''Section 3.''' (1) A member of the Senate who is elected as a member of the National Assembly shall vacate his seat as a senator with effect from the date on which he becomes a member of the National Assembly.

(2) A member of the National Assembly who is appointed as a member of the Senate shall vacate his seat as a member of the National Assembly with effect from the date on which he becomes a member of the Senate.

(3) A Minister or a Deputy Minister who is a member of the Senate or the National Assembly and a member of the Senate shall have the right to sit and speak in the Senate and in the National Assembly, but shall vote only where he is a member.

'''Section 4.''' (1) No person shall be capable of being elected or appointed or of sitting as a member of the Senate or the National Assembly, if he-
 (a) has voluntarily acquired citizenship of a country other than _____ or has made a declaration of allegiance to such a country; or
 (b) is adjudged to be a lunatic or otherwise declared to be of unsound mind by a competent court; or
 (c) is an undischarged bankrupt, having been adjudged or otherwise declared bankrupt under any law in force in any part of the Republic; or
 (d) is a member of the public service of the Republic or the public service of a State, a member of the armed forces, or the holder of any other office or emolument under the Republic; or
 (e) is under a sentence of imprisonment exceeding six months imposed on him by such a court or substituted by competent authority for some other sentence imposed on him by such a court.

(2) Paragraph (d) shall not apply to the office of any of the Ministers or Deputy Ministers of the Government.

'''Section 5.''' If a senator or a member of the National Assembly:
 (a) becomes subject to any of the disabilities mentioned in Section 4; or
 (b) ceases to be qualified as required by law; or
 (c) fails for a whole ordinary session to attend without the special leave of the Senate or the National Assembly, whichever the case may be;

his seat shall thereupon become vacant.

'''Section 6.''' If any person who is by law incapable of sitting as a senator or member of the National Assembly shall, while so disqualified and knowing or having reasonable grounds for knowing that he is so disqualified, sit or vote as a member of the Senate or the National Assembly, he shall be liable to a penalty of five hundred dollars for each day on which he shall so sit or vote, to be recovered on behalf of the Federal Treasury by action of the Supreme Court.

'''Section 7.''' (1) There shall be a Secretary to Parliament appointed by the Speaker of the National Assembly after consulting the Chairman of the Senate and subject to the approval of the National Assembly.

(2) A person appointed as the Secretary to Parliament shall not be removable from office except in pursuance of a resolution by the National Assembly.

(3) The salary of the Secretary to Parliament shall not be reduced during his continuance in office.

(4) Subject to any wishes which may be expressed from time to time by the National Assembly, the Speaker shall, after consulting the Chairman of the Senate, appoint such number of other staff of Parliament as the Speaker may from time to time consider necessary.

(5) The staff of Parliament shall be appointed on terms of service approved from time to time by the National Assembly and shall be deemed to be public officers but shall not form part of the civil service of the government of _____.

'''Section 8.''' Senators and members of the National Assembly shall, unless otherwise provided by law, receive an annual compensation of twenty-five thousand dollars each, including per diems and other emoluments or allowances and exclusive only of traveling expenses to and from their respective electoral districts in the case of members of the National Assembly, and to and from their places of residence in the case of senators, when attending sessions of Parliament. No increase in said compensation shall take effect until after the expiration of the full term of all the members of the Senate and of the National Assembly approving such increase. Until otherwise provided by law, the Chairman of the Senate and the Speaker of the National Assembly shall each receive an annual compensation of thirty thousand dollars.

'''Section 9.''' All senators and members of the National Assembly shall, upon assumption of office, make a full disclosure of their financial and business interests. They shall notify the house concerned of a potential conflict of interest that may arise from the filing of a proposed legislation of which they are authors.

'''Section 10.''' A senator or member of the National Assembly shall, in all cases except treason, felony, and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest while Parliament is in session. No member shall be questioned nor be held liable in any other place for any speech or debate in Parliament or in any committee thereof.

'''Section 11.''' No senator or member of the National Assembly shall directly or indirectly be financially interested in any contract with the government or any subdivision or instrumentality thereof, or in any franchise or special privilege granted by Parliament during his term of office. He shall not appear as counsel before court in any civil case wherein the government or any subdivision or instrumentality thereof is the adverse party, or in any criminal case wherein an officer or employee of the government is accused of an offense committed in relation to his office, or collect any fee for his appearance in any administrative proceedings; or accept employment to intervene in any cause or matter where he may be called upon to act on account of his office.

'''Section 12.''' (1) The Senate or the National Assembly may make rules and orders with respect to the order and conduct of its business and proceedings.

(2) If a joint sitting of the Senate and the National Assembly is required, it shall be convened by the President by message to the Senate and to the National Assembly.

(3) At any joint sitting referred to in sub-section (2) the Speaker of the National Assembly shall preside and the rules of the National Assembly shall, as far as practicable, apply.

'''Section 13.''' (1) The President may at any time-
 (a) attend and address the Senate or the National Assembly; or
 (b) call a joint meeting of the Senate and the National Assembly and attend and address such joint meeting.

(2) The President may send messages to the Senate or the National Assembly and any such message shall be read by a Minister designated by the President at the first convenient sitting of the the Senate or the National Assembly, whichever the case may be, after it is received.

(3) The Senate and the National Assembly may, either jointly or separately, pursuant to a resolution, invite any person to address the Senate or the National Assembly or, as the case may be, a joint meeting of the Senate and the National Assembly.

'''Section 14.''' On the dissolution of Parliament all proceedings pending at the time shall be terminated and accordingly every bill, motion, petition, or other business shall lapse.

===<center>Part V: Powers of Parliament</center>===
'''Section 1.''' (1) Parliament shall have power to make laws with respect to-
 (i) trade and commerce with foreign nations;
 (ii) taxation; but so as not to discriminate between States or parts of States;
 (iii) borrowing money on the public credit of the Republic;
 (iv) bankruptcy and insolvency;
 (v) currency, coinage, and legal tender;
 (vi) weights and measures;
 (vii) census and statistics;
 (viii) naturalization and aliens;
 (ix) immigration and emigration;
 (x) the influx of criminals;
 (xi) quarantine;
 (xii) the naval and military defense of the Republic, and the control of the forces to execute and maintain the laws of the Republic;
 (xiii) external affairs;
 (xiv) the acquisition of property on just terms from any State or person for any purpose in respect of which Parliament has power to make laws;
 (xv) the service and execution throughout the Republic of the civil and criminal process and the judgments of the courts of the States; and
 (xvi) the recognition throughout the Republic of the laws, the public Acts and records, and the judicial proceedings of the States.

(2) Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have exclusive power to make laws with respect to:
 (i) the seat of government of the Republic, and all places acquired by the Republic for public purposes;
 (ii) matters relating to any department of the public service the control of which is by this Constitution transferred to the executive government of the Republic;
 (iii) other matters declared by this Constitution to be within the exclusive power of Parliament.

'''Section 2.''' (1) Proposed laws appropriating revenue or moneys, or imposing taxation, shall not originate in the Senate. But a proposed law shall not be taken to appropriate revenue or moneys, or to impose taxation, by reason only of its containing provisions for the imposition or appropriation of fines or other pecuniary penalties, or for the demand or payment or appropriation of fees for licenses, or fees for services under the proposed law.

(2) The Senate may not amend proposed laws imposing taxation, or proposed laws appropriating revenue or moneys for the ordinary annual services of the government.

(3) The Senate may not amend any proposed law so as to increase any proposed charge or burden on the people.

(4) The Senate may at any stage return to the National Assembly any proposed law which the Senate may not amend, requesting, by message, the omission or amendment of any items or provisions therein. And the National Assembly may, if it thinks fit, make any of such omissions or amendments, with or without modifications.

(5) Except as provided in this section, the Senate shall have equal power with the National Assembly in respect of all proposed laws.

'''Section 3.''' The proposed law which appropriates revenue or moneys for the ordinary annual services of the government shall deal only with such appropriation.

'''Section 4.''' (1) Laws imposing taxation shall deal only with the imposition of taxation, and any provision therein dealing with any other matter shall be of no effect.

(2) Laws imposing taxation, except laws imposing duties of customs or of excise, shall deal with one subject of taxation only; but laws imposing duties of customs shall deal with duties of customs only, and laws imposing duties of excise shall deal with duties of excise only.

'''Section 5.''' A vote, resolution, or proposed law for the appropriation of revenue or moneys shall not be passed unless the purpose of the appropriation has in the same session been recommended by message of the President to the house in which the proposal originated.

'''Section 6.''' (1) If the National Assembly passes any proposed law, and the Senate rejects or fails to pass it, or passes it with amendments to which the National Assembly will not agree, and if after an interval of three months the National Assembly, in the same or the next session, again passes the proposed law with or without any amendments which have been made, suggested, or agreed to by the Senate, and the Senate rejects or fails to pass it, or passes it with amendments to which the National Assembly will not
agree, the President may dissolve the Senate and the National Assembly simultaneously. But such dissolution shall not take place within six months before the date of the expiry of the National Assembly by effluxion of time.

(2) If after such dissolution the National Assembly again passes the proposed law, with or without any amendments which have been made, suggested, or agreed to by the Senate, and the Senate rejects or fails to pass it, or passes it with amendments to which the National Assembly will not agree, the President may convene a joint sitting of the members of the Senate and of the National Assembly.

(3) The members present at the joint sitting may deliberate and shall vote together upon the proposed law as last proposed by the National Assembly, and upon amendments, if any, which have been made therein by one House and not agreed to by the other, and any such amendments which are affirmed by an absolute majority of the total number of the members of the Senate and National Assembly shall be taken to have been carried, and if the proposed law, with the amendments, if any, so carried is affirmed by an absolute majority of the total number of the members of the Senate and National Assembly, it shall be taken to have been duly passed by both houses of the Parliament, and shall be presented to the President for his assent.

'''Section 7.''' (1) No bill shall become law unless the President assents thereto and has signed it in token of such assent.

(2) A bill shall be presented to the President for assent when it has been duly passed by Parliament, subject always to compliance with any other requirements of this Constitution that apply to such bill.

(3) When a bill is presented to the President for assent he shall declare, subject to the law and constitutional convention, that he assents or refuses assent thereto. In the latter case, the President shall return to the Senate or the National Assembly, in whichever it may have originated any bill so presented to him, and shall transmit therewith his objections to the bill, and the Senate or the National Assembly, as the case may be, shall reconsider the bill. If, after such reconsideration, two-thirds of the members of the house shall again agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the President's objections, to the other house by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two-thirds of the members of that house, it shall be returned to the President, who shall assent to the bill or propose to the Supreme Court to declare the bill unconstitutional. If the Supreme Court declares the bill constitutional, the President shall sign it.

(4) In every bill signed by the President, the words of enactment shall be: "Be it enacted by the President and the Parliament of _____."

(5) A law assented to by the President shall come into operation on the day of its publication in the ''Gazette'' or on such other day as may be specified in and under that or some other law.

'''Section 8.''' (1) As soon as may be after a bill has been assented to by the President, the Secretary to Parliament shall cause a fair copy of the Act, duly authenticated by the signature of the President and the Public Seal of _____, to be enrolled on record in the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court and such copy shall be conclusive evidence of the provisions of such Act.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (1), a law of Parliament may provide that a revised edition of the laws in force on any specified day shall be compiled and published and that, upon publication, the laws therein printed shall in all courts of justice and for all purposes whatever be the sole and authentic version of such laws and be conclusive evidence thereof, and the President shall cause a duly authenticated copy of such revised edition of the laws to be deposited in the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court.

===<center>Part VI: Limitations on Parliament</center>===
'''Section 1.''' No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed.

'''Section 2.''' No law impairing the obligation of contracts shall be passed.

'''Section 3.''' No law granting a title of royalty or nobility shall be enacted.

'''Section 4.''' No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the census or enumeration hereinbefore directed to be taken.

'''Section 5.''' No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any State.

'''Section 6.''' No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the ports of one State over those of another.

'''Section 7.''' Parliament shall not make anything but gold and silver coin legal tender.

==<center>Chapter The Judiciary</center>==
'''Section 1.''' (1) The judicial authority of the Republic shall be vested in the Supreme Court of _____.

(2) The Supreme Court shall be independent of the executive and the legislature. Each judge shall, in the exercise of his duties and functions, be subject only to the Constitution.

'''Section 2.''' The Supreme Court shall enjoy fiscal autonomy. Appropriations for the Supreme Court may not be reduced by the legislature below the amount appropriated for the previous year and, after approval, shall be automatically and regularly released.

'''Section 3.''' The Supreme Court shall be composed of:
 (a) three judges appointed by the National Assembly, but from the members thereof;
 (b) three judges appointed by the Senate, but from the members thereof; and
 (c) three judges appointed by the President.

'''Section 4.''' No person shall be qualified to be a member of the Supreme Court unless he-
 (a) is at least thirty-five years of age;
 (b) has been for fifteen years or more, a judge of a lower court or engaged in the practice of law in _____;
 (c) is a person of proven competence, integrity, probity, and independence; and
 (d) is a natural-born citizen of the Republic in full enjoyment of his political and civil rights.

'''Section 5.''' Every judge of the Supreme Court shall, before entering upon the duties of his office, make and subscribe before the President, or some person authorized by him, an oath in the following form:

"I, A.B., do hereby swear (or affirm) to be faithful to the Republic of _____, to hold my office with honor and dignity, to respect and uphold the Constitution and all other laws of the Republic, to consecrate myself to the service of the nation, and to perform the duties of my office conscientiously and to the best of my ability. So help me God."

(In case of affirmation, the last sentence will be omitted)

'''Section 6.''' (1) A judge of the Supreme Court shall compulsorily retire when he attains the age of seventy years.

(2) A judge of the Supreme Court may at any time resign his office by notice in writing to-
 (a) the Speaker of the National Assembly, if he was appointed by the latter body; or
 (b) the Chairman of the Senate, if he was appointed by the latter body; or
 (c) the President, if he was appointed by the latter.

(3) Nothing done by a judge of the Supreme Court shall be invalid by reason only that he has attained the age at which he is required by this section to vacate his office.

(4) Whenever the seat of a member becomes vacant, from any cause whatever, the vacancy shall be filled within ninety days. The judge appointed to fill the vacancy shall be appointed by whomever appointed the previous occupant of the vacant seat.

'''Section 7.''' The Supreme Court shall, before proceeding to the dispatch of any other business, choose a member of the Supreme Court to be the Chief Justice.

'''Section 8.''' Each member of the Supreme Court shall hold office for a period of fifteen years from the date upon which he takes the oath prescribed in section six, and shall not on termination of his period of office be eligible for re-appointment.
 (b) If a member of the Supreme Court attains the age at which he is required by section six to vacate his office, he shall vacate his office, regardless of the length of the remainder of his period of office.

'''Section 9.''' (1) The power of the Supreme Court shall extend to:
 (a) all cases arising under this Constitution
 (b) the law of the Republic
 (c) treaties made, or which shall be made, by the Republic;
 (d) all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls;
 (e) all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction;
 (f) controversies to which the Republic shall be a party;
 (g) controversies between two or more States;
 (h) controversies between a State and citizens of another State, where the State is plaintiff;
 (i) controversies between citizens claiming lands under grants of different States; and
 (j) controversies between a State or the citizens thereof, and foreign states, citizens, or subjects.

(2) No State shall be sued by a citizen or subject of any foreign state.

(3) In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and those in which a State shall be a party, the Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction. In all the other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction both as to law and fact, with such exceptions and under such regulations as Parliament shall make.

(4) The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury, and such trial shall be held in the State where the said crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the trial shall be at such place or places as Parliament may by law have directed.

'''Section 10.''' (1) Treason against the Republic shall consist only in levying war against it, or in adhering to its enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

(2) Parliament shall have power to declare the punishment of treason; but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture, except during the life of the person attainted.

'''Section 11.''' (1) A judge of the Supreme Court may be removed from office by-
 (a) the National Assembly, if he was appointed by the latter body; or
 (b) the Senate, if he was appointed by the latter body; or
 (c) the President, if he was appointed by the latter,

but only for inability to discharge the functions of his office, whether arising from infirmity of body or mind or any other cause, or for misbehavior and shall not be so removed unless the question of the removal of that judge from office has been referred to an independent tribunal and that tribunal has recommended that the judge be removed from office for inability as aforesaid or misbehavior.

(2) (a) A tribunal referred to in subsection (1) shall consist of members appointed by the State judiciaries. Each State judiciary shall appoint five members.
 (b) No person shall be qualified to hold membership in the tribunal unless he is, and has been for not less than ten years, qualified to practice law in _____.

(3) (a) A tribunal appointed in terms of subsection (1) shall inquire into the matter and and report on the facts thereof to the National Assembly or the Senate or the President, whichever the case may be, and recommend to the relevant authority whether or not the judge concerned should be removed from office.
 (b) For the purpose of this subsection, "the relevant authority" means whomever appointed the judge being investigated by the tribunal.

'''Section 12.''' All questions in the Supreme Court shall be determined by a majority of votes of members present other than the Chief Justice, who shall, however, have and exercise a casting vote in the case of an equality of votes.

'''Section 13.''' (1) No decision shall be rendered by the Supreme Court without expressing therein clearly and distinctly the facts and the law on which it is based.

(2) No petition for review or motion for reconsideration of a decision of the Supreme Court shall be refused due course or denied without stating the legal basis therefor.

'''Section 14.''' The salary of members of the Supreme Court shall be fixed by law. During their continuance in office, their salary shall not increased nor diminished.

'''Section 15.''' The Supreme Court shall, within thirty days from the opening of each session of Parliament, submit to the President and Parliament an annual report on the operations and activities of the Court.

The President shall be the Commander-in-Chief of all armed forces of the Philippines and whenever it becomes necessary, he may call out such armed forces to prevent or suppress lawless violence, invasion or rebellion. In case of invasion or rebellion, when the public safety requires it, he may, for a period not exceeding sixty days, suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus or place the Philippines or any part thereof under martial law. Within forty-eight hours from the proclamation of martial law or the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, the President shall submit a report in person or in writing to the Congress. The Congress, voting jointly, by a vote of at least a majority of all its Members in regular or special session, may revoke such proclamation or suspension, which revocation shall not be set aside by the President. Upon the initiative of the President, the Congress may, in the same manner, extend such proclamation or suspension for a period to be determined by the Congress, if the invasion or rebellion shall persist and public safety requires it.

The Congress, if not in session, shall, within twenty-four hours following such proclamation or suspension, convene in accordance with its rules without need of a call.

The Supreme Court may review, in an appropriate proceeding filed by any citizen, the sufficiency of the factual basis of the proclamation of martial law or the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus or the extension thereof, and must promulgate its decision thereon within thirty days from its filing.

A state of martial law does not suspend the operation of the Constitution, nor supplant the functioning of the civil courts or legislative assemblies, nor authorize the conferment of jurisdiction on military courts and agencies over civilians where civil courts are able to function, nor automatically suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus.

The suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall apply only to persons judicially charged for rebellion or offenses inherent in, or directly connected with, invasion.

During the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, any person thus arrested or detained shall be judicially charged within three days, otherwise he shall be released.

1. Acts that the President of the Republic undertakes under the terms of Articles 133h, j,
l, m and p, 134b, d and f) and 135a, b and c shall require counter-signature by the
Government.
2. In the event that the Government does not counter-sign any such act, the said act shall
be legally invalid.

'''Section 1.''' (1) The executive government of the Republic in regard to any aspect of its domestic or foreign affairs is vested in the President, acting on the advice of the Executive Council.

(2) Save where otherwise expressly stated or necessarily implied, any reference to the President shall be deemed to be a reference to the President acting on the advice of the Executive Council.

(3) The provisions of subsections (1) and (2) of this section shall not be construed to affect the exercise by the President of his powers under section twenty, in so far as it relates to the appointment of Ministers, or section twenty-five, paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section thirty-three or section forty-seven, or the constitutional conventions relating to the exercise of his functions by the President.

'''Section 2.''' The Executive Council shall consist of the Ministers appointed under section twenty for the time being holding office.

'''Section 3.''' (1) There shall be a Public Seal of _____, showing the coat of arms with the circumscription "Republic of _____."

(2) The Public Seal of _____ shall be kept by the President and used for sealing all things whatsoever that shall pass the Public Seal of _____.

'''Section 4.''' (1) The will and pleasure of the President shall be expressed in writing under his signature, and every instrument signed by him shall be countersigned by a Minister.

(2) The signature of the President on any instrument shall be confirmed as provided in section three.

'''Section 5.''' (1) The President-
 (a) acting in his discretion in the manner prescribed in provisio (ii) to subsection (1) of section fifty-seven shall appoint a Prime Minister;
 (b) acting on the advice of the Prime Minister-
 (i) shall appoint other Ministers of the Government and may assign functions to such Ministers, including the administration of any Act or of any department of government; and
 (ii) may appoint Deputy Ministers of any specified department of government or of such other description as the President may determine.

(2) A Deputy Minister may be appointed to exercise or perform on behalf of a Minister any of the powers, functions, and duties entrusted to such Minister under any law or otherwise which may, subject to the directions of the President, be assigned to him from time to time by such Minister.

(3) A Minister or Deputy Minister appointed under paragraph (b) of subsection (1) shall hold office during the pleasure of the President and may be removed from office by the President acting on the advice of the Prime Minister.

(4) A person who holds office as a Minister or a Deputy Minister for any period of three consecutive months without also being a member of the National Assembly or of the Senate shall cease to be a Minister or a Deputy Minister, as the case may be, at the end of that period:

Provided that if that period expires at a time when Parliament is dissolved, he shall cease to be a Minister or a Deputy Minister, as the case may be, on the day when Parliament first meets after the dissolution, unless he is-
 (a) elected as a member of the National Assembly at the general election following such dissolution; or
 (b) appointed as a member of the Senate immediately following that general election.

(5) A person who holds office as a Minister or a Deputy Minister and who is at no time while holding that office also a member of the National Assembly or of the Senate shall be ineligible for reappointment as a Minister or a Deputy Minister before Parliament is next dissolved after he ceases to hold that office, unless in the meantime he has become a member of the National Assembly or of the Senate.

(6) A Minister or a Deputy Minister may at any time by notice in writing addressed to the President and delivered to the Prime Minister resign his office.

(7) Any person appointed under this section shall, before entering upon his office, take before the President or some person authorized by the President in that behalf oaths of loyalty and for the due execution of his office in the forms set out in the First Schedule.

Nigeria

Knut — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 00:32:25 GMT

Knut:

{| align=right cellspacing=0 width=325px class="infobox toccolours" style="padding: 0.8em 0.8em 0.8em 0.8em; margin: 0em 0em 0.75em 0.75em; background: #fcfcfc; vertical-align: right; border-h: 1px #c6c6c6 solid; border-top: 1px #c6c6c6 solid; border-left: 1px #c6c6c6 solid; border-right: 1px #c6c6c6 solid; border-bottom: 1px #c6c6c6 solid; border: 1px #c6c6c6 solid; font-size: 85%; span: 1px #c6c6c6 solid;"
|-
| style="font-size: 11pt; background: #fcfcfc; text-align: center;" colspan=2 | '''''Orílẹ̀-èdè Olómìnira Àpapọ̀ Naìjírìà''''' '''''Republik Nijeriya''''' '''''جمهورية نيجيريا''''' '''''Republic nde Naigeria''''' '''''Republik Federaal bu Niiseriya''''' '''Federal Republic of Nigeria'''
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
| style="text-align: center;" width=50% | [[Image:Flag of Nigeria.png|127px|Flag of Nigeria]] || style="text-align: center;" width=50% | [[Image:Coat of arms of Nigera.png|85px|Coat of arms of Nigeria]]
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: center;" | Flag || style="border: 0px; text-align: center;" | Coat of arms
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
| align=center colspan=2 style="padding: 0em 0em 0.5em 0em; text-align: center; background: #fcfcfc;" | '''Motto''' "Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress"
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
| align=center colspan=2 style="padding: 0em 0em 0.5em 0em; text-align: center; background: #fcfcfc;" | '''Anthem''' ''Arise O Compatriots, Nigeria's Call Obey''
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
| align=center colspan=2 style="padding: 0em 0em 0.5em 0em; text-align: center; background: #fcfcfc;" | [[Image:Map of Nigeria.png|250px|Location of Nigeria]]
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
|'''Capital''' (and largest city)
|Lagos [http://toolserver.org/~magnus/geo/geohack.php?pagename=Lagos&params=6_27_11_N_3_23_45_E_type:city 6°27'11"N, 3°23′45″E]
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
|'''Official languages'''  - Regional languages
|English Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Fula
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
| '''Demonym''' || Nigerian
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
|'''Government'''  - President  - Vice President
|Federal presidential republic (military dictatorship) Gen. Mohammed Abubakar Lt. Gen. Michael Ashimolowo
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
|'''Independence'''  - Declared and recognized  - Republic declared
|from the United Kingdom October 1, 1960 October 1, 1963
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
|'''Area'''  - Total  - Water (%)
| 966,151 km² 373,031 sq mi 1.4
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
|'''Population'''  - 2008 estimate  - Density  
| 140,383,240 145.3 /km² 376.3 /sq mi
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
|'''GDP''' (PPP)  - Total  - Per capita
|2008 estimate $833.315 billion $5,936
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
|'''GDP''' (nominal)  - Total  - Per capita
|2008 estimate $960.502 billion $6,842
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
|'''Gini''' (2004) || 63 (high)
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
|'''HDI''' (2006) || [[Image:10px-Green Arrow Up Darker.PNG|10px]] 0.759 (medium)
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
|'''Currency''' || Nigerian naira (₦) (<code>NGN</code>)
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
|'''Time zone''' - Summer (DST)
|IST (UTC +5:30) ''not observed'' (UTC +5:30)
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
|'''Internet TLD''' || .ng
|-
| colspan="2" | <hr>
|-
|'''Calling code''' || +234
|-
|}

'''Nigeria''', officially named the '''Federal Republic of Nigeria''', is a federal republic comprising thirty-seven states. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast lies on the Gulf of Guinea, part of the Atlantic Ocean, in the south. The capital city is Lagos.

The people of Nigeria have an extensive history, and archaeological evidence shows that human habitation of the area dates back to at least 9000 BC. The Benue-Cross River area is thought to be the original homeland of the Bantu migrants who spread across most of central and southern Africa in waves between the 1st millennium BC and the 2nd millennium AD.

With a population of over 140 million, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and one of the ten most populous countries in the world. A middle-income country, its economy has flourished greatly for most of its history, due to massive reserves of petroleum and natural gas and prudent economic policies. However, corruption is rife, the gap between rich and poor is one of the largest in the world, and the country's poor human rights record has come under much scrutiny abroad.

==History==
===Early history===
The Nok people in central Nigeria produced terracotta sculptures that have been discovered by archaeologists. A Nok sculpture resident at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts portrays a sitting dignitary wearing a "Shepherds Crook" on the right arm, and a "hinged flail" on the left. These are symbols of authority associated with Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs, and the god Osiris, and suggests that an ancient Egyptian style of social structure, and perhaps religion, existed in the area of modern Nigeria during the late Pharonic period. In the northern part of the country, Kano and Katsina has recorded history which dates back to around AD 999. Hausa kingdoms and the Kanem-Bornu Empire prospered as trade posts between North and West Africa.

The Yoruba people date their presence in the area of modern republics of Nigeria, Benin and Togo to about 8500 BC. The kingdoms of Ifẹ and Oyo in the western block of Nigeria became prominent about 700-900 and 1400 respectively. However, the Yoruba mythology believes that Ile-Ife is the source of the human race and that it predates any other civilization. Ifẹ produced the terra cotta and bronze heads, the Ọyọ extended as far as modern Togo. Another prominent kingdom in south western Nigeria was the Kingdom of Benin whose power lasted between the 15th and 19th century. Their dominance reached as far as the well known city of Eko which was named Lagos by the Portuguese traders and other early European settlers. In the 18th century, the Oyo and the Aro confederacy were responsible for most of the slaves exported from Nigeria.

===The colonial era===
[[Image:Stamp Southern Nigeria 1901 1sh.jpg|thumb|left|Stamp of Southern Nigeria, 1901.]]
[[Image:Flag of British Colonial Nigeria.png|thumb|Colonial flag of Nigeria.]]
Following the Napoleonic wars, the British expanded trade with the Nigerian interior. In 1885 British claims to a West African sphere of influence received international recognition and in the following year the Royal Niger Company was chartered under the leadership of Sir George Taubman Goldie. In 1900 the company's territory came under the control of the British Government, which moved to consolidate its hold over the area of modern Nigeria. On January 1, 1901 Nigeria became a British protectorate, part of the British Empire, the foremost world power at the time.

In 1914 the area was formally united as the ''Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria''. Administratively Nigeria remained divided into the northern and southern provinces and Lagos colony. Western education and the development of a modern economy proceeded more rapidly in the south than in the north, with consequences felt in Nigeria's political life ever since. Following World War II, in response to the growth of Nigerian nationalism and demands for independence, successive constitutions legislated by the British government moved Nigeria toward self-government on a representative and increasingly federal basis. By the middle of the 20th century, the great wave for independence was sweeping across Africa.

===Post-independence===
[[Image:JajaWachuku1.jpg|right|thumb|Jaja Wachuku, First Nigerian Speaker of the House: 1959 - 1960.]]
On October 1, 1960, Nigeria gained its independence from the United Kingdom. The new republic incorporated a number of people with aspirations of their own sovereign nations. Newly independent Nigeria's government was a coalition of conservative parties: the Nigerian People's Congress (NPC), a party dominated by Northerners and those of the Islamic faith, and the Igbo and Christian dominated National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) led by Nnamdi Azikiwe, who became Nigeria's maiden Governor-General in 1960. Forming the opposition was the comparatively liberal Action Group (AG), which was largely dominated by Yorubas and led by Obafemi Awolowo.

The nation parted with its British legacy in 1963 by declaring itself a Federal Republic, with Azikiwe as the first president. When elections came about in 1965, the AG was outmaneuvered for control of Nigeria's Western Region by the Nigerian National Democratic Party, an amalgamation of conservative Yoruba elements backed heavily by the Federal Government amid dubious electoral circumstances. This left the Igbo NCNC to coalesce with the remnants of the AG in a weak progressive alliance.

===Military era===
This disequilibrium and perceived corruption of the electoral and political process led in 1966 to several back-to-back coups. The subsequent political and social instability and chaotic, unpredictable climate scared away foreign investors, led to a suspension of foreign aid, polarized society, and had calamitous effects on the economy. An increasingly leftist trend in the upper echelons of the armed forces alarmed the United States and other Western countries, and in 1970 the pro-Western Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Gowon seized power with CIA assistance. He immediately banned the Communist Party, severed ties with the Soviets, and opened the country to foreign investment. The economy grew healthily, but pervasive corruption meant that little of this newfound wealth trickled down to the populace, and public disenchantment with Gowon mounted. He was himself overthrown in 1973 and exiled to the United Kingdom.
[[Image:Gowon.jpg|thumb|left|Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Gowon served as President from 1970-1973.]]
His successor, the left-leaning General Tunji Sango, rapidly reversed course. The Soviet embassy was allowed to re-open, the Communist Party was legalized, the oil industry was nationalized, and several progressive, populist policies were introduced. While immensely popular with the masses, Sango was hated and feared by the country's elite, who openly advocated his overthrow. They got their wish, and in 1975 Sango was deposed and assassinated in a coup led by Murtala Mohammed.

Mohammed made great strides in reducing corruption, while pursuing a neutral foreign policy and presiding over a mixed economy. However, after hinting at democratic reforms, military hard-liners removed him and put him under house arrest. A provisional junta ruled for three months before selecting General Owoye Azazi, a relative unknown, as Mohammed's replacement.
[[Image:Rioters.jpg|thumb|right|As repression in Nigeria intensified, so too did public resistance to it. Pictured here is a 1987 riot in Lagos in which hundreds of protesters died.]]
Unlike his predecessors, General Azazi possessed a remarkable political acuity and ability to survive. Between 1976 and 1979, he helped suppress no less than fourteen coup attempts, and purged the military of thousands of officers suspected of "disloyalty." He banned political parties, introduced strict censorship laws, implemented nationwide curfews, increased spending on defense and law enforcement, and dealt with both crime and dissent (though they were practically synonymous to him) ruthlessly. His regime is most remembered for its implementation of classically liberal and neo-liberal economic reforms, including the privatization of several state controlled industries and the rollback of many state welfare institutions. These policies were very successful in recovering economic growth (and are often called "the Miracle of Nigeria"), but they dramatically increased inequality, and some of their effects are sharply contested to this day. While millions of Nigerians were lifted out of poverty, life expectancy rose, and infant mortality fell, many of the poorer Nigerians plunged ever deeper into poverty, and the rising disparity in income and deteriorating living standards for the poor produced growing friction that made strikes, protests, and riots increasingly frequent. While Nigeria became a haven for foreign investment, it came at the price of social and political freedom; dissent continued to be brutally repressed. On a positive note, he won praise for stamping out tribalism and religious tension for the most part, even if this was accomplished through force.

By 1990, Nigeria had become a middle-income country with a relatively developed infrastructure, a large and educated middle-class, and fairly high (by Third World standards) living standards, but income inequality had soared to such unprecedented heights that even conservative allies of Azazi expressed alarm. Leftists called for a more equitable distribution of wealth; leftists and rightists alike called for democratization. To placate public opinion, Azazi restored parliament, grudgingly allowed token demonstrations, permitted mild criticism of the government, and lifted the ban on political parties. He decreed that two political parties could exist, one "a little to the left," the other "a little to the right." The newly created parties, the Social Democratic Party and the National Republican Convention, were overwhelmingly comprised of Azazi loyalists. Both parties were forced to strictly adhere to centrist manifestoes and shun "extremism, polarization, tribalism, religious insensitivity, excess politicization, and anti-populace tendencies." Parliamentary elections were scheduled for 1993, but Azazi died before they could be held. His successor, General Mohammed Abubakar, allowed them to proceed.
[[Image:Mohammed Abubakar.png|thumb|right|General Mohammed Abubakar has been the President of Nigeria since 1993.]]
A hard-liner, Abubakar reversed some of Azazi's more liberal policies and repressed dissent even more forcefully than his predecessor. More controversially, he introduced the death penalty for homosexuality, and declared a "national crusade" against homosexuals. Yet, he managed to avoid discontent by sating the populace with subsidized gasoline, free healthcare and education, and low-cost housing units for the poor. Nevertheless, his commitment to market economics was as strong as Azari's had been, and he repeatedly assured foreign investors they had nothing to fear from it, and proved it by doing away with nearly all of Nigeria's (precious few) economic regulations.

As of 2008, Nigeria's economy has continued to grow healthily, yet there are also issues of growing concern. Increasing scrutiny from human rights organizations and foreign governments, re-emergent class tensions, steadily rising crime rates, declining standards in education and health, and a low-scale insurgency in the oil-rich Niger Delta are among the difficulties Nigeria faces today. How well it can weather them and continue to advance as a nation, and whether democracy will ever come or not, remains to be seen.

==Government and politics==
[[Image:Nigerian-Presidential-Seal1.jpg|thumb|left|140px|Official seal of the President of Nigeria.]]
Nigeria is a federal republic organizationally modelled after the United States, with executive power exercised by the president and with overtones of the Westminster System model in the composition and management of the upper and lower houses of the bicameral legislature.

The current president of Nigeria is General Mohammed Abubakar, who succeeded General Owoye Azazi upon the latter's death in 1993. The president presides as both chief of state and head of government. While the constitution stipulates that the president is to be elected by popular vote and be limited to a maximum of two four-year terms, this provision has been ignored by Nigeria's military rulers for decades.

The president's power is checked, at least on paper, by a Senate and a House of Representatives, which are combined in a bicameral body called the National Assembly; in reality, this body rarely provides even token opposition, and is largely filled by yes-men whose only purposes are to provide an illusion of democratic governance and approve the president's initiatives. The Senate is an 111-seat body with three members from each state; members are elected by state legislatures to four-year terms. The House contains 360 seats and the number of seats per state is determined by population.
[[Image:Nigeriahouseofreps.jpg|thumb|right|The National Assembly of Nigeria.]]
Only two political parties are legal and allowed to hold office, the centrist Social Democratic Party and National Republican Convention, the former leaning "a little to the left," and the latter "a little to the right." Both parties' platforms were written by the military government, and both parties are forced to toe the government line, and forbidden from propagating "seditious, anti-family, anti-religion, or anti-government beliefs." Tribalism, once rampant in Nigerian politics and society, has been all but extinguished; political office holders have lost their seats or even been thrown in prison on the flimsiest evidence of holding "tribal tendencies."

Corruption, vote rigging, and other means of coercion, including open ballots and the presence of security officers at polling places, make a mockery of Nigerian "democracy."

===Cabinet===
{| border="1" align="center" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! Office !! Name
|-
| Minister of Agriculture || Lt. Gen. [http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg229/minnesota_iceman/BayoAudu.jpg Bayo Audu]
|-
| Minister of Commerce and Industry || Gen. [http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg229/minnesota_iceman/IyaboObasanjo.jpg Iyabo Obasanjo]
|-
| Minister of Education || Maj. Gen. [http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg229/minnesota_iceman/IshayaDantata.jpg Ishaya Dantata]
|-
| Minister of Finance || Gen. [http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg229/minnesota_iceman/AbdullahiAbacha.jpg Abdullahi Abacha]
|-
| Minister of Foreign Affairs || Lt. Gen. [http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg229/minnesota_iceman/ChinuaOkadigbo.jpg Chinua Okadigbo]
|-
| Minister of Infrastructure || Maj. Gen. [http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg229/minnesota_iceman/EbukaAzikiwe.jpg Ebuka Azikiwe]
|-
| Minister of Interior || Gen. [http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg229/minnesota_iceman/ObafemiJohnson.jpg Obafemi Johnson]
|-
| Minister of Justice and Public Security || Lt. Gen. [http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg229/minnesota_iceman/MohammedAguiyi.jpg Mohammed Aguiyi]
|-
| Minister of Labor || Maj. Gen. [http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg229/minnesota_iceman/NwaforEkwensi.jpg Nwafor Ekwensi]
|-
| Minister of National Defense || Gen. [http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg229/minnesota_iceman/AdekunleBakare.jpg Adekunle Bakare]
|-
| Minister of Petroleum || Gen. [http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg229/minnesota_iceman/OnyemaIguodala.jpg Onyema Iguodala]
|-
| Minister of Transportation || Lt. Gen. [http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg229/minnesota_iceman/HassanIronsi.jpg Hassan Ironsi]
|}

===Law===
[[Image:SupremeCourt.jpg|thumb|right|The Supreme Court of Nigeria.]]
There are three distinct systems of law in Nigeria:

*English Law which is derived from its colonial past with Britain;
*common law, a development of its post colonial independence;
*customary law, which is derived from indigenous traditional norms and practice

The country has a judicial branch, the highest court of which is the Supreme Court of Nigeria. The courts are dominated by politically reliable appointees chosen for sycophany rather than merit.

===States===
''Not pictured:'' Southern Cameroons
[[Image:NigeriaNumbered.png|thumb|right|275px|States of Nigeria.]]
{|
|-
|
# Abia
# Adamawa
# Akwa Ibom
# Anambra
# Bauchi
# Bayelsa
# Benue
# Borno
# Cross River
# Delta
# Ebonyi
# Edo
# Ekiti
# Enugu
# Gombe
# Imo
# Jigawa
# Kaduna
# Kano
# Katsina
# Kebbi
# Kogi
# Kwara
# Lagos
# Nasarawa
# Niger
# Ogun
# Ondo
# Osun
# Oyo
# Plateau
# Rivers
# Sokoto
# Taraba
# Yobe
# Zamfara
|}

===Foreign relations===
[[Image:NigerianEmbassyWashingtonDC02.jpg|thumb|right|275px|The Embassy of Nigeria in Washington.]]
Upon gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria made the liberation and restoration of the dignity of Africa the centerpiece of its foreign policy and played a leading role in the fight against the apartheid regime in South Africa. One notable exception to the African focus of Nigeria's foreign policy was the close relationship the country enjoyed with Israel throughout the 1960s, with the latter country sponsoring and overseeing the construction of Nigeria's parliament buildings.

Nigeria's foreign policy was soon tested in the 1970s when it quickly committed itself to the liberation struggles going on in the Southern Africa sub-region. Though Nigeria never sent an expeditionary force in that struggle, it offered more than rhetoric to the African National Congress (ANC) by taking a committed tough line with regard to the racist regime and their incursions in southern Africa, in addition to expediting large sums to aid anti-colonial struggles. Nigeria was also a founding member of the Organization for African Unity (now the African Union), and has tremendous influence in West Africa and Africa on the whole. Nigeria has additionally founded regional cooperative efforts in West Africa, functioning as standard-bearer for ECOWAS and ECOMOG, economic and military organizations respectively.

With this African-centered stance, Nigeria readily sent troops to the Congo at the behest of the United Nations shortly after independence (and has maintained membership since that time); Nigeria also supported several Pan African and pro-self government causes in the 1970s, including garnering support for Angola's MPLA, SWAPO in Namibia, and aiding anti-colonial struggles in Mozambique, and Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) military and economically.

With few exceptions, Nigeria generally kept aloof from the Cold War, maintaining strict neutrality and enjoying an amicable working relationship with both the United States and the Soviet Union. Nigeria diversified its military hardware by purchasing equal amounts from the West and East.

Nigeria retains membership in the Non-Aligned Movement, and in late November 2006 organized an Africa-South America Summit in Abuja to promote what some attendees termed "South-South" linkages on a variety of fronts.

Nigeria has remained a key player in the international oil industry since the 1970s, and maintains membership in Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) which it joined in July 1971. Its status as a major petroleum producer figures prominently in its sometimes vicissitudinous international relations with both developed countries, notably the USA, CSA, and more recently China and developing countries, notably Ghana, Jamaica, and Kenya.

==Economy==
Nigeria has pursued generally sound economic policies for nearly three decades. Since the mid-1970s, the government has sold many state-owned companies, and privatization is continuing as of 2008, though at a slower pace. The government's role in the economy is mostly limited to regulation, although the state continues to operate oil giant NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) and a few other enterprises (there is one state-run bank). Nigeria is strongly committed to free trade and has welcomed large amounts of foreign investment. Nigeria's approach to foreign direct investment is codified in the country's Foreign Investment Law, which gives foreign investors the same treatment as Nigerians. Registration is simple and transparent, and foreign investors are guaranteed access to the official foreign exchange market to repatriate their profits and capital

Nigeria is rare among African countries in that is a net exporter of food. Whereas other African colonies neglected agriculture in favor of industrialization, Nigeria has invested large amounts in agriculture since independence. Both the state and the private sector continue to invest heavily in this area. Nigeria is the largest producer of groundnuts, palm oil, cocoa, and coconuts in the world, and is among the largest producers of citrus fruits, maize, pearl millet, cassava, yams, and sugar cane.

Nigeria's relative prosperity is attributable, at least in part, to its enormous wealth of resources. Nigeria is the 10th largest producer of petroleum in the world, the 8th largest exporter, and has the 10th largest proven reserves. Although much of the oil wealth has been squirreled away by corrupt officials, a lot of it has been well spent; much of it is invested in the maintenance of infrastructure, the construction of schools and hospitals, etc. Nigeria continues to draw most of its foreign earnings from the petroleum sector, but is working to diversify its economy. Private investors are increasingly investing in the exploitation of other resources, such as coal, tin, iron ore, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, and arable land.

With its absence of wage and price controls and large, English-speaking populace, Nigeria is a popular destination for business outsourcing, which ensures that jobs, both skilled and unskilled, are plentiful. For those consistently unable to find a job, most state and local governments operate public works programs to provide employment for the needy. Nigeria has a large population of expatriate workers in the country, such as Filipino nurses, South Asian construction workers, American accountants, Israeli security guards, etc. In times of economic downturn, and especially in the slums, the presence of these foreigners has bred much resentment.

Wealth distribution in Nigeria is extraordinarily inequal. Nigeria's top 10 richest percentile possesses 47 percent of the country's wealth. In relation to income distribution, some 6% of the country populates the upper economic income bracket, 20% the middle bracket, 41% the lower middle, 15% the lower bracket, and 18% the extreme poor. While Nigeria's wealthy are among the world's richest people and its middle class enjoys a standard of living comparable to the poorer countries of Europe, Nigeria's poor are among the most impoverished in the world. Many of Nigeria's extreme poor subsist on the equivalent of 30 cents a day, and malnutrition, crime, infant mortality, and juvenile delinquency are rife among the poor. While virtually 100% of the upper class and over 65-70% of the middle class are literate, literacy rates among the poor are below 30%, sometimes as low as 10% among the extreme poor. Needless to say, the disparity in health, life expectancy, etc. is just as large. While numerous international NGO-operated charities provide relief and ensure that outright starvation is rare, most Nigerian poor do not get enough nutrition or receive adequate healthcare. Increasing radicalization and politicization of the poor, especially union workers, is something the government has repeatedly tried, with few tangible results, to extinguish.

The country's Gross National Income per capita is $5,000, the unemployment rate is 7.9%, and the inflation rate is 3.2%, down from 4% in 2007.

==Culture==
===Literature===
Nigeria has a rich literary history, and Nigerians have authored many influential works of post-colonial literature in the English language. Nigeria's best-known writers are Wole Soyinka, the first African Nobel Laureate in Literature and Chinua Achebe, the legendary writer best known for the novel ''Things Fall Apart'' and his controversial critique of Joseph Conrad. Other Nigerian writers and poets who are well known on the international stage include John Pepper Clark, Ben Okri, Buchi Emecheta, Helon Habila,Chidi Anthony Opara, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Lanre Adekola, and Ken Saro Wiwa.

Nigeria has the second largest newspaper market in Africa (after Egypt) with an estimated circulation of several million copies daily in 2003.

===Music and film===
[[Image:FemiKuti.png|thumb||Femi Kuti, son of Fela Kuti, is one of the major performers of modern Afrobeat music.]]
Nigeria (naija) has been called "the heart of African music" because of its role in the development of West African highlife and palm-wine music, which fuses native rhythms with techniques imported from the Congo, Brazil, Cuba and elsewhere.

Nigerian music includes many kinds of folk and popular music, some of which are known worldwide. Styles of folk music are related to the multitudes of ethnic groups in the country, each with their own techniques, instruments and songs. As a result, there are many different types of music that come from Nigeria.

Many late 20th century musicians such as Fela Kuti have famously fused cultural elements of various indigenous music with American Jazz and Soul to form Afrobeat music. JuJu music which is percussion music fused with traditional music from the Yoruba nation and made famous by King Sunny Adé, is also from Nigeria. There is also fuji music, a Yoruba percussion style, created and popularized by the one and only Mr. Fuji, Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister.

There is a budding hip hop movement in Nigeria. Kennis Music, the self proclaimed "No 1 Record Label in Africa" and one of Nigeria's biggest record labels, has a roster almost entirely dominated by hip hop artists.

Some famous musicians that come from Nigeria are Fela Kuti, Adewale Ayuba, Ezebuiro Obinna, Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, King Sunny Adé, Ebenezer Obey, Femi Kuti, Lagbaja, Dr. Alban, Sade Aduand Tuface Idibia.

The Nigerian film industry is known as Nollywood. Many of the film studios are based in Lagos and Abuja and the industry is now a very lucrative income for these cities.

===Religion===
[[Image:AbujaNationalMosque.jpg|thumb|Abuja National Mosque.]]
Nigeria has a variety of religions which tend to vary regionally. The four main religions are Islam, Christianity, Orisha, and Animism. Animist religious practices include traditional religious belief systems such as Igbo mythology. Christianity is concentrated in the southeast portion of the country while Islam dominates in the north of the country. The majority of Nigerian Muslims are Sunni, but a significant Shia minority exists.

Across Yorubaland (western Nigeria, Benin, Togo), many people are adherents to Yorubo/Irunmole spirituality with its philosophy of divine destiny that all can become Orisha (''ori'', spiritual head; ''sha'', is chosen: to be one with Olodumare (''oni odu'', the God source of all energy; ''ma re'', enlighthens / triumphs).

Other minority religious and spiritual groups in Nigeria include Hinduism, Judaism, The Bahá’í faith, and Chrislam (a syncretic faith melding elements of Christianity and Islam). Further, Nigeria has become an African hub for the Grail Movement, the Rosicrucian order (AMORC), and the Hare Krishnas.

There is a surprisingly large degree of goodwill and tolerance among the different faiths in Nigeria, although critics attribute this to the government's brutally enforced secularism and violent repression of "extremism."

===Sport===
Like many nations, football is Nigeria's national sport. There is also a local Premier League of football. Nigeria's national football team, known as the Super Eagles, has made the World Cup on three occasions 1994, 1998, and 2002, won the African Cup of Nations in 1980 and 1994, and also hosted the Junior World Cup. They won the gold medal for football in the 1996 Summer Olympics (in which they beat Argentina) and have reached the finals of the U-20 World Championship in 2005. In September 2007, Nigeria won the U-17 World cup for the third time, becoming the only African nation to have achieved that feat and the second nation (after Brazil) to do so. Nigeria had previously won the very first U-17 tournament in 1985 (China '85), 1993 (Japan '93) and in 2007 (Korea '07).

The nation's cadet team to Japan '93, produced some of the world's finest players notably Nwankwo Kanu, a two-time African Footballer of the year who won the European Champions League with Ajax Amsterdam and later played with Inter Milan (Italy), Arsenal FC (London, UK), West Brom (UK) and Portsmouth F.C. (UK). Other players that graduated from the Junior teams are Celestine Babayaro (of Newcastle United, UK), Wilson Oruma (of Marseille, France).

According to the official September 2007 FIFA World Rankings, Nigeria is currently first-ranked football nation in Africa and the 19th highest in the world. Nigeria is also involved in other sports such as basketball and track and field. Boxing is also an important sport in Nigeria; currently, Samuel Peter is the World Heavyweight Champion.

===Cuisine===
Nigerian cuisine, like West African cuisine in general, is known for its richness and variety. Many different spices, herbs and flavorings are used in conjunction with palm oil or groundnut oil to create deeply-flavoured sauces and soups often made very hot with chilli peppers. Nigerian feasts are colorful and lavish, while aromatic market and roadside snacks cooked on barbecues or fried in oil are plentiful and varied.

[[Category:Nations]]
[[Category:Nigeria| ]]

Knut — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 08:08:41 GMT

Knut: /* TITLE VThe Legislative Branch */

[[Image:VERY awesome flag.PNG|125px]]

==<center>'''TITLE I'''</center>==
<center>Sole Chapter Fundamental Statements</center>

Article 1. The Republic of _____ is irrevocably and forever free and independent from any domination or protection by a foreign power.

Article 2. It shall never be the patrimony of any person or of any family.

Article 3. The government of the Republic of _____ is and always shall be democratic, representative, responsible, and alternating.

Article 4. Political power resides in the people, who exercise it directly through election, initiative, and referendum, and indirectly through their representatives in the government of the State.

Article 5. No person or assembly of persons has authority to arrogate the title or representation of the people, to usurp its rights, or to make demands in its name. Violation of this precept constitutes a crime.

Article 6. The government of the Republic is exercised by the legislative branch, the executive branch, the judicial branch, and the electoral branch.

Article 7. In the organization of the powers and institutions of the State, the principle of minority representation is established.

Article 8. The branches of the government shall function harmoniously in accomplishing the aims of the State. In the exercise of their particular functions, they are limited and independent.

Article 9. No magistracy, or person, or assembly of persons, not even under the pretext of extraordinary circumstances, is empowered to assume any other authority or rights than those that have been expressly conferred upon them by the laws. Every act in contravention of this article is void.

Article 10. Spanish is the national and official language of the State.

Article 11. The State has no official religion.

Article 12. The city of _____ is the capital of the Republic and the permanent seat of the branches of the government.

Article 13. This Constitution is the supreme law of the Nation. The treaties, conventions, and other international agreements ratified and exchanged, and the laws, make up the national positive law, in the order of precedence in which they are listed.

Article 14. The Republic recognizes the principles of international law; it condemns wars of aggression or of conquest and any form of colonialism or imperialism; it accepts the pacific settlement of international disputes by juridical means; and it proclaims its respect for human rights and the sovereignty of peoples. It hopes to live in peace with all nations and to maintain friendly cultural and trade relations with them on the basis of juridical equality, of nonintervention in internal affairs, and of the self-determination of peoples. The Republic may become a party to international multilateral systems of development, cooperation, and security.

Article 15. Navigation on the international rivers is free to ships of all flags. It shall also be free on internal rivers, subject to any regulations issued by the competent authority.

Article 16. The principles, guarantees, rights, and obligations established in this Constitution may not be altered by the laws that regulate their exercise. Any law, decree, regulation, or other act of authority that is contrary to its provisions is null and void.

==<center>'''TITLE II'''</center>==
<center>Chapter I The National Territory</center>

Article 17. The national territory is that which belonged to the Viceroyalty of _____ before the political transformation initiated in 1820, with the modifications resulting from treaties validly concluded by the Republic. It also includes with the same status the adjacent islands, keys, headlands, banks, the submerged lands, the territorial sea and the continental shelf, as well as the air space, the stratosphere, and the entire undersea area of its sovereign domain according to international law.

Article 18. The national territory is indivisible, inalienable, and imprescriptible. It may never be ceded, transferred, or leased or alienated in any way, even partially or temporarily, to a foreign power.

Foreign States may acquire, within a specified area, under guarantee of reciprocity and with limitations established by law, only real property that is necessary for the seat of their diplomatic and consular representation. The acquisition of real property by international organizations may be authorized only in accordance with conditions and restrictions established by law. In al these cases sovereignty over the land is retained.

<center>Chapter II Departmental Administration</center>

Article 19. For purposes of political organization the territory is divided into departments, and these into municipalities. The law shall establish the manner in which judicial and administrative decentralization is to take place.

Article 20. The law may merge existing departments, change their boundaries, create new departments, and authorize compensation or cession of territories among bordering developments, taking into account the physical and demographic characteristics, the means of communication, and the most desirable policy based on economic, social, cultural, and national defense considerations.

Article 21. The capital of the Republic is independent of any departmental territory. The law shall establish its limits.

Article 22. The political administration of each department shall be under the direction of a prefect appointed by the President of the Republic.

In each department, there shall be the police judges deemed necessary, likewise appointed by the President of the Republic.

The qualifications of these officials and their powers and duties shall be determined by law.

<center>Chapter III Municipal Administration</center>

Article 23. The municipal councils shall enjoy economic and administrative autonomy, subject to the supervision of the executive branch. The law shall determine the procedure for guaranteeing this autonomy to the municipalities both in the political sphere as well as in the juridical, economic, and administrative spheres.

Article 24. The municipalities shall be governed by municipal councils, composed of a mayor, a councilman, and a treasurer, who shall be elected with their respective alternates by direct popular vote for a term of three years.

Article 25. To be a member of a municipal council it is necessary to be over twenty-one years of age, a citizen in the exercise of one's rights, a layman, have resided in the town for at least one year, and have no debts outstanding to the national treasury, municipal treasury, or the local social welfare board.

Article 26. The cases and forms in which members of the municipal councils shall be replaced shall be determined by law.

Article 27. The municipalities shall have exclusive competence in the government and administration of commercial interests, particularly those matters related to their assets and revenues and, in accordance with the law, in matters of urban development, food supply, education and culture, health care and social welfare, widows' and orphans' funds, traffic, tourism, and municipal inspection and police. The law may also authorize the establishment and operation of services of a national or departmental nature within the jurisdiction of the municipalities.

Article 28. The law may establish different systems for the organization, government, and administration of the municipalities, taking into account the conditions with respect to population, economic development, geographical location, and other factors that determine their development.

Article 29. Each city or town shall be the seat of a municipality and the obligatory headquarters of its authorities.

Article 30. The municipal councils are authorized to decree local laws and to impose local taxes that do not affect the incentives established by the General Law on Use of Natural Resources or the Law for Protection and Stimulation of Industrial Development.

The tax schedules and budgets of the municipal councils must be approved by the executive branch.

Article 31. Municipalities shall have the following revenues:

(1) The proceeds from their communal lands and their own property;
 (2) Excise taxes from the use of their property and services;
 (3) Licenses on industry, commerce and vehicles, and taxes on urban real property and public entertainment;
 (4) Fines imposed by municipal authorities and others attributed to them by law;
 (5) National subsidies and donations; and
 (6) Any other special taxes, excises and contributions that are imposed according to law.

Article 32. The property and revenue of the municipalities belong to them exclusively and enjoy the same guarantees as the property and income of private individuals.

No power of the State may encumber such property or income or grant exemptions from taxes payable to the municipalities.

Article 33. The funds of the municipalities shall be applied exclusively to services of the administration of the corresponding community.

Article 34. Real property of the municipalities is imprescriptible.

Article 35. The mayors of the municipalities shall be free to appoint the employees subordinate to them, in accordance with the law.

Article 36. It is prohibited to establish barriers or limitations to traffic between municipalities, as well as to decree intermunicipal transit or transport taxes under any name, that burden or interfere with the free circulation of goods, persons, or vehicles. However, taxes on local production payable to the municipal treasurers may be established by law.

Article 37. The staff members of the municipal councils shall be jointly and severally responsible for any abuses they may commit in the performance of their duties. Excepted from this rule are members who dissent from the acts that gave rise to the responsibility.

Article 38. The municipalities shall be entitled to proportional participation in the profits obtained by the State from the exploitation of natural resources granted to individuals in their respective jurisdictions. This principle shall be regulated by law.

Article 39. The executive power may intervene in the affairs of the municipalities in the following cases:

(1) At the request of the municipal council;
 (2) Because the disintegration of the municipal council makes it impossible for it to function;
 (3) When there is a budgetary deficit for two consecutive years; or
 (4) In the case of serious irregularity in certain limited circumstances determined by law.

Such intervention shall not be prolonged beyond ninety days. In case of disintegration of the council, elections to constitute the new elective authorities shall be held within that period of time. If the intervention results in the termination of the duties of the authorities, the elections to replace them shall be held within sixty days from the date of such termination.

==<center>'''TITLE III'''</center>==
<center>Chapter I Nationality</center>

Article 40. ______ nationality is acquired by birth or by naturalization.

Article 41. The following are _____ by birth:

(1) Those born in the territory of _____. Children of aliens in the service of their governments are excepted, unless the child is registered in the Civil Registry by the will of the person having patria potestas over the minor while the latter is under age, or by his own will within three years following his eighteenth birthday;
 (2) Children of a _____ father or mother, born abroad, when they have _____ nationality by the law of the place of birth, or, having the right to choose, they elect to be _____; or from the time they reside in _____, provided they have not chosen the other nationality or, if they have, by renouncing it. Such persons are _____ even for the purposes for which the Constitution or the laws require birth in national territory;
 (3) Children of _____ born abroad, provided that, at the time, the father or the mother were in the service of the Republic in a foreign country, even for the purposes for which the Constitution or the laws require birth in national territory;
 (4) Infants of unknown parentage found in _____ territory;
 (5) Those born aboard _____ aircraft or seacraft, outside the jurisdiction of another State, with the exception established in paragraph (1) of this Article.

Article 42. The following are _____ by naturalization:

(1) Foreigners who obtain certificates of naturalization from the Ministry of Foreign Relations;
 (2) A foreign woman who marries a _____ man and has or establishes her domicile within the national territory; and
 (3) Foreign infants legally adopted by _____.

Article 43. Neither marriage nor its dissolution shall affect the nationality of the spouses or their children.

Article 44. _____ nationality is lost:

(1) By voluntary naturalization in a foreign country. A native _____ who loses it in this way shall recover his _____ nationality if at any time he returns to _____;
 (2) By cancelation of the certificate of naturalization;
 (3) By the voluntary absence of a naturalized _____ from the territory for more than five consecutive years, unless he shows that he has remained bound to the country;
 (4) When naturalized persons are convicted of treason against the country or they propagate political doctrines or ideologies that tend to destroy the republican or democratic form of government. In such cases, nationality may not be recovered.

The law shall regulate all matters pertaining to naturalization.

Article 45. No naturalized _____ may carry out, on behalf of _____, diplomatic functions in his country of origin.

Article 46. The obligations of _____ are:

(1) To comply with and obey this Constitution and the laws, as well as the decrees, resolutions, and other acts of authority that, in the exercise of their functions, the legitimate organs of the public powers may enact;
 (2) To honor and defend the fatherland, and to safeguard and protect the interests of the Nation;
 (3) To see that their children or wards, under fifteen years of age, attend public or private schools to obtain primary education during the time prescribed by the General Law on Public Education;
 (4) To earn their living through a lawful activity;
 (5) To contribute with their work to the overall development of the nation and its spiritual, moral, material, and cultural aggrandizement; and
 (6) To contribute to the public expenditures in the proportional and equitable manner provided by law.

Article 47. _____ shall have priority over foreigners under equality of circumstances for all classes of concessions and for all employment, positions, or commissions of the Government in which the status of citizenship is not indispensable. In time of peace no foreigner can serve in the National Guard nor in the police or public security forces.

Article 48. _____ cannot demand indemnity from the state for injuries to their person or property caused by acts that were not performed by legitimate officials in the exercise of their functions.

<center>Chapter II Foreigners</center>

Article 49. Foreigners are those who do not possess the qualifications set forth in Articles 41 and 42.

Article 50. Foreigners enjoy in _____ all the civil rights and guarantees that are granted to _____, with the restrictions established by law.

They are bound to obey the laws, to respect the authorities, and to pay all the regular and special taxes to which _____ are subject.

Article 51. Foreigners are prohibited from intervening, directly or indirectly, in the national or international political activities of the country.

For violating this provision, without prejudice to any liability that may be incurred, they may be expelled without trial by the President of the Republic in Council of Ministers, unless the foreigner has a _____ spouse or a child by a _____, recognized prior to the events that led to the expulsion.

Article 52. Foreigners may not make claims or demand indemnification of any kind from the State except in the cases and in the manner in which Nicaraguans may do so.

Article 53. The rules and conditions for the expulsion of foreigners from national territory, as well as the cases in which they may be denied the right to enter or remain in the country, shall be determined by law.

Article 54. Foreigners may not resort to diplomatic channels except in case of denial of justice. The fact that a decision is unfavorable to the claimant is not to be understood as a denial of justice. Those who violate this provision shall lose the right to reside in the country.

Article 55. Foreigners may not be extradited for political crimes or for common crimes related thereto. The characteristics of each type are determined by law and treaties.

<center>Chapter III Citizenship</center>

Article 56. The following are citizens:

(1) _____ over twenty-one years of age;
 (2) _____ over eighteen years of age who know how to read and write or are married; and
 (3) _____ under eighteen years of age who have completed secondary education.

Article 57. The following are prerogatives of citizens:

(1) To vote in popular elections;
 (2) To be voted for, for all offices subject to popular election, and to be appointed to any other employment or commission, if they have the qualifications established by law;
 (3) To associate together to discuss the political affairs of the country;
 (4) To bear arms in the National Guard in the defense of the Republic and its institutions, under the provisions prescribed by law; and
 (5) To exercise in all cases the right of petition.

Article 58. The following are obligations of citizens:

(1)

==<center>'''TITLE IV''' Rights and Guarantees</center>==
<center>Chapter I Individual Rights</center>

Article. The inhabitants of the Republic have the right of protection in the enjoyment of life, honor, liberty, security, labor, and property. No one may be deprived of these rights except in conformity with laws which may be enacted for reasons of general interest.

Article. Human life is inviolable. However, the death penalty is established for the following crimes: high treason committed during a war against a foreign enemy; serious crimes of a purely military nature, and crimes of murder, patricide, or arson or robbery followed by death, and accompanied by serious circumstances determined by law.

Article. All persons are equal before the law, no other distinctions being recognized among them save those of talent and virtue.

Article. No titles of nobility, or hereditary or prerogatives or honors shall be granted in _____, nor shall any effect be given to those granted by other countries.

Article. This Constitution upholds the equality of the civil and political rights of men and women, whose correlative duties shall be established in the law, attending to the purposes of matrimony and to the unity of the family.

Article. Slavery is forbidden in _____. Slaves who enter national territory from abroad shall, by this act alone, recover their freedom and enjoy the protection afforded by the laws.

Article. All inhabitants of the Republic have the right to free development of their personality, with no limitations other than those derived from the rights of others and from considerations of public and social order.

Article. Private acts that do not offend public order or morals or harm others are exempt from the authority of the magistrates. No inhabitant of the Republic may be forced to do anything that the law does not require, or prevented from doing anything not forbidden by law.

Article. Except when caught in the act of committing a crime, persons may be arrested only by written warrant issued by the competent authority. No person whatsoever may be detained for more than twenty-four hours without being advised for the reason for his detention, nor shall he be kept detained other than in his domicile or in a public place designated for this purpose. The detention shall be brought to the knowledge of the competent judge within forty-eight hours. If the arrested person is held incommunicado, this condition may in no case be prolonged beyond that period of time, unless by judicial order.

Article. In the investigation of punishable offenses, the accused shall have access to the charges against him in the summary hearing, and to all means of defense prescribed by law. The summary hearing is not secret, nor may it be prolonged beyond the legally established time.

Article. No person may be prosecuted without a trial based upon a law executed prior to the commission of the offense, nor may he be tried by a special court.

Article. Defense of the person and of rights in a trial or suit is inviolable. No one may be compelled to testify against himself, against his spouse, or against a relative within the fourth degree of consanguinity or the second degree of affinity. Acts of this nature render the statement void and make the persons who ordered or executed them responsible before the law.

Article. Trial shall be public. The defendant, either personally or by attorney, shall have the right to intervene beginning in the preliminary inquiry stage.

Article. Trial by jury is established for criminal cases involving the crimes established by law.

Article. In any stage of a criminal trial which will not result in a penitentiary sentence, judges may place the accused at liberty, under a bond as determined by law.

Article. The law presumes the innocence of anyone who has not been found guilty by a competent judge.

Article. Punishment does not extend beyond the person guilty.

Article. No one may be tried for the same offense for which he has previously been judged, nor deprived of his liberty for obligations the noncompliance with which has not been defined by law as a crime or violation. The imprisonment of debtors is not permitted.

Article. In no case shall the death penalty be applied for political reasons.

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel or inhuman treatment. Penal institutions must be adequate to the purpose, healthful, and clean; they shall be used only as a means of assuring that convicts and prisoners are reeducated, acquire an aptitude for work, and become rehabilitated.

Article. The penalty of confiscation of property may not be imposed for reasons of a political nature.

Article. It is prohibited to enact laws of banishment or that establish infamous punishment or punishment of more than thirty years' duration.

Article. No law shall have retroactive effect except those penal laws that are more favorable to the defendant or convicted person.

Article. The opening of closed trials or cases is prohibited. In criminal cases, however, the defendant may be granted a review of a closed case when more than a correctional penalty has been imposed. If in the review it is admitted that an error has been made, the state shall compensate the person unjustly punished.

Article. No public power or official may take action on cases pending before the competent authority.

Article. Any person who believes himself to be seriously injured or in imminent danger of being seriously injured by an illegal act or omission by an authority or by a private person in a right or guarantee established by this Constitution or the law, and who because of the urgency of the case cannot seek redress by ordinary means, may appear before any judge of first instance to seek protection. The procedure shall consist of a brief summary public hearing, without cost, and the judge shall have the power to safeguard the right or guarantee, or to reestablish immediately the juridical situation that had been infringed. The law shall regulate this procedure.

Article. No one is obliged to pay taxes or to render personal services not expressly established by law. Excessive bail shall not be required nor excessive fines imposed.

Article. _____ and aliens shall have the right to indemnity from the State or the municipalities for any damages or injuries caused to them by the legitimate authority in the exercise of its functions.

Article. In the event that a constitutional precept is violated to the detriment of any person, the order of a superior does not exempt from liability the agent who carries it out. Those in active military service are exempted from this provision, and with respect to them liability falls upon the superior who gave the order.

Article. No one may take justice into his own hands, or resort to violence to demand his rights; however, the defense of a person's own life, property and honor is guaranteed.

Article. The inhabitants of the Republic are entitled to have arms of any kind in their possession for their protection and legitimate defense, except such as are expressly forbidden by law, or which the nation may reserve for the exclusive use of the National Guard; but they may not carry arms within inhabited places without complying with police regulations.

Article. Every person may circulate freely throughout the national territory and choose his residence and domicile therein without being compelled to change it, except by virtue of a final judgment or in those cases of infectious and contagious diseases defined and regulated by law which require the isolation of the patient to prevent contagion.

Article. The right to emigrate and immigrate is recognized, with the limitations established by law.

Article. The home is inviolable. It may not be entered by force except to carry out a decision of a competent judicial authority or to prevent the perpetration of an imminent crime.

Article. No one shall be compelled to render aid of any kind to the National Guard, or to permit his house to be used for the billeting of troops except by order of a civil magistrate according to law, and in such cases he shall receive from the Republic indemnification for loss that may be incurred.

Article. Private papers, letters, and telegraph, telephone, and cable communications, or communications of any other type are inviolable. They may not be searched, examined, or intercepted unless by judicial order for specific cases. Accounting records, vouchers and documents shall be subject to inspection and control only by competent authorities and in accordance with the law. Domestic and private matters that have no bearing on the acts under investigation shall be kept secret at all times.

Article. Freedom of thought and of opinion are guaranteed on equal terms to all inhabitants of the Republic. It is forbidden to preach hatred or class struggle among _____, or to defend crime or violence. The laws may be criticized freely, but no one may proclaim disobedience to their provisions.

Article. Freedom of expression and of information without prior censorship are inviolable, and no law shall be enacted that limits such freedom or prevents it except in matters connected with the prohibitions contained in the previous article. In time of war information on matters relating to the security of the Republic and national defense may be censored.

Article. Journalism in any of its forms may be practiced freely. Press organs lacking responsible direction shall not be permitted, nor shall the publication of immoral subject matter be permitted.

Under no circumstances shall printing presses, the accessories thereof, or any other material means used to propagate ideas be confiscated as instruments of an offense.

Public shows may be subject to censorship as established by law.

Article. No person or enterprise that publishes a newspaper and no radio or television broadcasting station may receive a subsidy of public or private funds from abroad without authorization by the government.

Article. In suits brought on account of publications of any nature that may affect the honor, reputation, or dignity of individuals and that refer to offenses subject to private penal actions, or to acts of private conduct that this Constitution and the law declare to be exempt from the authority of the magistrates, evidence of the truth or of the notoriety of such acts shall not be admissible. Such evidence shall be admitted when the suit is brought because of the publication of criticism of the official conduct of public functionaries, and in the other cases expressly provided by law.

Article. The right of peaceful and unarmed public meetings is guaranteed. The exercise of this right may not be denied by any authority of the Republic except in accordance with law, and only insofar as such exercise may prejudice public health, safety or order.

Article. All persons have the right to form associations, for any purpose whatsoever, provided they do not form an association which the law has declared unlawful.

Article. Every person has the right to address petitions or claims in writing to the public powers and the authorities. The latter are obligated to act on such petitions or claims and to make known the results.

Article. The enumeration of the rights and guarantees contained in this Constitution shall not be construed as denying others, not specifically mentioned therein, that are inherent in the human being. Absence of a regulatory law shall not be invoked to deny or impair any right or guarantees.

<center>Chapter II Economic Rights</center>

Article. The State shall promote economic development by means of the rational utilization of the resources available for the purpose of promoting vigorous growth of the national economy, creating new sources of work and wealth, and ensuring the general welfare. Development shall be promoted on the basis of overall programs founded upon principles of social justice that assure to all persons an existence that is compatible with human dignity.

Article. Property is inviolable. No one may be deprived of his property except by court decision, a general tax, or for public use or social interest and upon prior payment in cash of just compensation in accordance with the law.

In the event of a national emergency or public disaster, or for agrarian reform purposes in the case of uncultivated large landholdings, compensation may be made through bonds, the maturity, interest, and terms of which shall be determined by law.

Article. Property, by virtue of its social function, imposes obligations. The law shall determine their content, nature, and extent.

Article. The right of property, as far as its exercise is concerned, is subject to the limitations imposed by the maintenance and progress of the social order. The law may impose obligations or easements of public use and may regulate questions of rent.

Article. Commercial companies, national or foreign, are subject, without restrictions, to the laws of the Republic. In every state contract with foreigners, or in the concessions which grant them in the latters' favor, it must be expressly stated that they will submit to the laws and courts of the Republic and renounce all diplomatic claims.

Article. Foreigners, as regards property, are in the same condition as _____, without being able in any case to invoke an exceptional position in this respect or have recourse to diplomatic claims.

Article. The law may, for reasons of national interest, establish special restrictions and prohibitions for acquiring and transferring determined classes of property, whether this be by its nature, its condition, or its location in the territory.

Article. Every author, inventor, or investigator is the exclusive owner of his work, invention, or scientific discovery for the period of time determined by law.

Article. The State recognizes unrestricted freedom of trade, as well as of contract and industry. However, for reasons of general or national interest, transitory restrictions on this freedom may be established by law.

The law shall set forth the requirements for exercising this freedom and the guarantees for protection thereof.

Article. A state of economic emergency may be decreed when the equilibrium of the monetary economy, the protection of the external financial position, or the stability and social well-being of the nation so requires.

Article. Monopolies in the private interest and any industrial or commercial market cornering are prohibited. Also prohibited is the granting of concessions involving the establishment of monopolies over the natural resources of the State.

Any action taken by the state to prevent monopolistic practices or tendencies is of public interest; the law may establish monopolies and state stores only in the national interest and for the benefit of the State or the municipalities.

However, the law may grant privileges for a limited time to inventors or persons who devise improvements in the field of industry.

Article. Usury is prohibited. The law setting a maximum limit on interest rates for money is a public order. The same law shall determine the penalty to be applied to the violation thereof.

Article. A special department, the functions of which shall be determined by law, shall exercise, on behalf of the State, the supervision of banking enterprises.

Article. The State shall maintain by the means at its disposal the stability of the currency and the free conversion of banknotes. Only in exceptional cases, at the request of the executive branch and with the assent of the agency entrusted with the regulation of the currency and the head of the department supervising banking enterprises, shall Congress have the power to pass a law decreeing temporary non-conversion of banknotes.

Article. The State must oversee the operation of enterprises, in order to guarantee the safety and health of the workers.

Article. Every enterprise, the nature of which requires that the personnel reside on the premises, shall be obliged to provide adequate food and lodging in accordance with conditions which the law may establish.

Article. Within fifty kilometers of the frontiers, foreigners may not acquire or possess, under any title, lands, waters, mines, or fuels directly or indirectly, individually or collectively, under pain of loss, to the benefit of the State, of the acquired property, except in the case of national necessity declared by express law.

Article. The State has within its domain all the solid, liquid, and gaseous minerals found in their natural state in the territory of the Republic, with the exception of petrous, earthy, or calcareous substances. In cases in which the official agencies do not undertake the task, concessions may be granted, for a limited time only, for the prospecting, investigation, exploration, or exploitation of mineral deposits. The regulatory law shall take into account national defense requirements.

Article. The exploitation of natural resources within the domain of the State may be the object of concessions to private or mixed national enterprises, or to foreign private enterprises, by means of special laws enacted in each case. No concession shall be granted for an indefinite time, nor shall privileges be granted that deprive the State of a fair share of the profits of the exploitation of such resources.

Article. Railways, highways, water-supply lines, oil pipelines, and other private means of communication or transportation constructed by enterprises exploiting natural resources shall be at the service of the public under the conditions and limitations established by law, in such a way that the rights of those enterprises or the legitimate interests of the community are not prejudiced.

Article. The State may, for reasons of public interest, intervene in the operation and management of public service enterprises, and even nationalize them, subject to prior compensation.

Article. The right to reclaim property that has been unlawfully confiscated is imprescriptible.

Article. The rates for passages and freights shall, without any exception, be fixed and collected solely in national currency.

Article. The law may grant tax exemptions on the introduction of materials for education, for culture, and for scientific and technological research, and on machinery, equipment, tools and other materials essential to the development of agriculture, industry and mining.

Article. Any person may freely dispose of his property by any legal title. With respect to wills, they shall abide by the law regarding the conjugal portion and allowance for support.

Any entailment of property is prohibited, except those established for the purpose of constituting a family estate or in favor of social welfare establishments and official educational and cultural centers.

Trusts shall be regulated by law.

Article. Capital as a factor in development should serve an economic and social purpose in harmony and mutual cooperation with labor. The State shall promote the formation and consolidation of national capital and shall favor the investment of foreign capital in productive activities, as a supplement necessary for national development.

==<center>'''TITLE V''' The Legislative Branch</center>==
<center>Chapter I Organization and Powers</center>

Article. The legislative power shall be exercised by a Congress composed of two chambers: the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

Article. In elections of deputies and senators a method shall be used, that, in practice, will result in giving an effective proportionality in representation to opinions and to political parties.

Article. Deputies and senators represent the nation and are not subject to any imperative mandate.

Article. Regular elections for members of Congress shall be held simultaneously with those for President of the Republic.

Article. Deputies and senators, and their alternates, shall be elected to hold office for five years, and may be reelected.

Article. In being sworn into the chambers, the deputies and senators shall take an oath to fulfill their offices faithfully and patriotically, and to act in every respect in conformity with the provisions of this Constitution.

Article. Congress shall begin its sessions on the fifteenth of March of each year, meeting until the fifteenth of December, or only until October fifteenth, in the event that there are elections, and the new Congress must in that event begin its sessions on the fifteenth of the following February.

Congress shall meet on the dates indicated, without the necessity of special convocation by the executive branch.

Only for grave and urgent reasons may Congress, or either of the chambers, or the executive branch, terminate the recess, and then exclusively for the purpose of dealing with the questions which have given rise to the convocation.

Article. The chambers shall open and close their sessions simultaneously and shall hold their sessions in such a way that the number held by either one shall not exceed the number held by the other by more than three, unless otherwise agreed upon by both.

Any action taken in either chamber in contravention of this provision is void.

Article. Each chamber is the sole judge of the election of its members and their rights and titles. Neither chamber shall open its sessions without the presence of an absolute majority of its members; but a smaller number may compel the absent members to attend the sessions, under a penalty that shall be established in the rules or procedure for absentees.

Article. By a two-thirds majority vote, each chamber may reprimand or remove any of its members because of misconduct in the performance of duty, incapacity, or physical or mental disability, duly substantiated. In cases of resignation, it shall decide by a simple majority vote.

Article. No member of Congress may be legally accused or interrogated for any opinions he may express in the performance of his duties as a legislator. From the day he is elected until the end of his term, no senator or deputy may be arrested, except when caught flagrante delicto. In that case, the authority taking action shall place him in custody in his residence and shall immediately notify the corresponding chamber of this occurrence, and shall transmit the antecedents of this case to the lower courts. Should the latter institute proceedings against the member for that offense, or any other, and if there are grounds for issuance of a warrant for arrest, the judge of the case, before issuing that warrant, shall notify the chamber, which shall, by a two-thirds vote, suspend the accused and place him at the disposal of the judge.

Article. Five days in advance of the date fixed for a regular session the chambers shall follow a preparatory procedure in accordance with formalities specified in their respective regulations.

Article. In the event of a temporary or permanent absence of a member of Congress, he shall be replaced by the corresponding alternate. If the latter is absent, the president of the chamber shall call upon any other alternate of the same political party as the absentee, until the list is exhausted, in accordance with the formalities specified in the respective regulations.

In the event that the designated alternates refuse to or cannot attend the chamber, the president thereof shall fill the vacancy with alternates of another party of his own choosing.

Article. Any meeting or action of members of Congress for the purpose of exercising the legislative power, held otherwise than in accordance with the constitutional provisions, shall be void.

Article. The following may not be elected as deputies or senators:

(1) Members of the executive branch, the judicial branch, the Public Ministry, the Tribunal of Accounts, the departmental councils or municipal councils, or of salaried councils or boards of directors of the autonomous entities;
 (2) Military employees or civil employees of the executive branch, the judicial branch, the Public Ministry, the Tribunal of Accounts, the departmental or municipal governments, and the autonomous entities, if they receive a salary, but excepting retired or pensioned employees. This provision does not apply to university teaching positions or university technicians with teaching functions, but if the elected deputy or senator chooses to continue in such position, it must be honorary during his term of office. Military persons who resign their posts and salary in order to serve in the legislature shall retain their rank but for the duration of their legislative functions they may not be promoted; they shall be exempt from all military discipline and the time during which they hold their legislative position shall not be counted for purposes of seniority for promotion;
 (3) Those who administer or have administered or collected national, departmental, or municipal funds, until their accounts have been settled;
 (4) Those who are part of an enterprise that operates a public service or has obtained a concession from the government, or those who are attorneys, representatives, or advisers of such an enterprise;
 (5) Those who are members of the clergy; and
 (6) Those whose citizenship rights are suspended.

Article. Deputies and senators shall receive a monthly remuneration, which shall be established in the General Budget of Revenues and Expenditures of the Republic. The monthly remuneration to the deputies and senators may not be renounced, withheld, or attached.

Article. The armed forces may not enter the premises of either chamber or of the Congress in joint session except at the request of the presiding officer, and they shall remain at his orders.

Article. The sessions of the chambers and of Congress in joint session shall be public, except in those cases in which it is otherwise established by this Constitution or the respective regulations.

Article. No regular deputy or senator, or alternate holding office, from the time of his election or installation, may be appointed or elected to public office or employment paid from national, departmental, or municipal government funds, and the appointment shall have no legal effect unless he first resigns as a representative. The following positions are excepted from the incompatibility stipulated in this article: positions on international arbitration tribunals, in the field of teaching, on the boards of directors of the universities, and those on the social welfare boards.

They may also be members of technical or scientific commissions, hospital directors or physicians, lawyers or counselors of any state institution or agency of the executive branch.

This prohibition likewise does not apply to holding the position of Minister of State.

Article. A deputy or senator who absents himself from the country for more than thirty days without permission of the chamber to which he belongs, or in the recess thereof, of its president, shall cease to hold his office. Special laws alone can authorize an absence of more than a year.

Article. For the purposes of voting in the chambers of Congress, a simple majority shall be understood to mean one half of the legal quorum plus one; an absolute majority, at least the legal quorum; a two-thirds majority, two-thirds of the legal quorum; and a two-thirds absolute majority, two thirds of the total number of members of each chamber. The legal quorum shall consist of one half of that total, plus one, in each case. When the type of majority is not specified, it shall be understood to be a simple majority.

Article. Each chamber shall elect its officers, issue its regulations, and appoint its staff.

Article. Congress in separate session has the following powers:

1) To enact codes and other laws, amend them, or repeal them, based on this Constitution;
 2) To examine infractions of the Constitution and do what is necessary in order to make effective the responsibility of those who infringe it;
 3) To establish the political division of the territory of the Republic and the municipal organizations;
 4) To enact the electoral law;
 5) To declare and specify the duration of a state of economic emergency whenever abnormal circumstances of the country so demand.

Such a declaration of emergency shall suspend, if so ordered, any or all guarantees set forth in Article 65.

The laws enacted by the legislative branch on the basis of this declaration or during its recess by the executive branch may not be in force to the detriment of stated constitutional guarantees longer than the time fixed by the corresponding decree;
 6) To take cognizance of the decree-laws issued by the executive branch in the event of emergency or public necessity;
 7) To approve or reject the treaties, conventions, concordats, and other international agreements signed on behalf of the Republic, and to authorize the executive power to declare war and conclude peace;
 8) To enact laws pursuant to which captures on sea and land must be declared good or bad; and to enact maritime laws applicable in peace and war;
 9) To enact each year the law on the General Budget of the Nation;
 10) To recognize the national debt and indicate the means for its consolidation and amortization;
 11) To levy the necessary taxes to meet budgetary expenditures, provide for their distribution, collection and appropriation, and to repeal, modify, or increase those in existence;
 12) To regulate commerce with foreign nations;
 13) To create or abolish public employments, to determine or to modify their attributes, to increase or diminish their salaries, to grant pensions and to decree public honors to those rendering distinguished services. Laws granting pensions must be passed by a vote of two-thirds of the members present in each chamber;
 14) To specify the functions of government employees and indicate the territorial jurisdictions in which they are to be exercised;
 15) To establish tribunals and regulate the administration of justice and of contentious-administrative matters;
 16) To establish mints, fix the content, weight, type and the denomination of the currency, to determine the value of foreign currencies, and to adopt a general system of weights and measures;
 17) To establish the legal rules governing the transfer and lease of fiscal and municipal assets;
 18) To establish rules for the occupation and alienation of vacant lands and fix their price;
 19) To open and close all classes of ports, establish maritime and frontier custom houses, and designate their location;
 20) To regulate river and air navigation;
 21) To register ships and aircraft as _____ in accordance with the law;
 22) To grant awards and extend temporary privileges permitted by the Constitution to authors and inventors of works of general utility and to persons who have introduced new industries or improved existing ones;
 23) To grant general amnesties for political offenses and common offenses related thereto.

In no case may pardons include civil liabilities toward private individuals;
 24) To legalize the extraordinary or supplementary credits authorized by the President of the Republic in Council of Ministers;
 25) To delegate to the executive branch the power to legislate, by means of legislative decrees, on a specific matter and for a particular period as established in the enabling law. These legislative decrees are subject to the same provisions as those which apply for the law;
 27) To fix the monthly remuneration that deputies and senators shall receive. The remuneration cannot be changed during a legislative period except to take effect in the period following;
 28) To enact internal resolutions and decisions, and to formulate declarations in conformity with its powers;
 29) To decree a prolongation of its sessions in accordance with Article _____; and
 30) To exercise any other powers that are within its competence according to this Constitution.

<center>Chapter II Chamber of Deputies</center>

Article. The Chamber of Deputies shall consist of seventy deputies elected, with their respective alternates, directly by the people, in departmental election districts, at the ratio of one regular deputy and one alternate for every thirty thousand inhabitants or fraction thereof exceeding fifteen thousand; but in any case each department shall be entitled to have one deputy.

Article. The qualifications for being elected deputy are the following:

(1) To be a _____ citizen by birth;
 (2) To have attained twenty-five years of age at the time of the election;
 (3) To be a native of the department to which the electoral circumscription belongs or to have had three years' continuous residence therein; and
 (4) Not to be included within any of the grounds for incapacity indicated in Article _____.

Article. The exclusive powers of the Chamber of Deputies are:

(1) To initiate the consideration of bills relating to the tax, monetary, and banking systems, to the contracting of loans, and to the General Budget of Revenues and Expenditures of the Republic;
 (2) To initiate the consideration of any bill relating to electoral or municipal legislation;
 (3) To supervise, through a committee drawn from its body, the correct performance of the functions of the Tribunal of Accounts;
 (4) To pass political judgment on the conduct of the Ministers of State, in accordance with the provisions of Articles _____ to _____;
 (5) To examine accusations presented by its own members or by private individuals against the President of the Republic, deputies, senators, magistrates of the courts of justice, Ministers of State, diplomatic agents, and the president of the Tribunal of Accounts; and if the charge appears well founded, to submit the corresponding impeachment to the Senate;
 (6) To exercise any other powers which this Constitution expressly confers upon it.

<center>Chapter III Senate</center>

Article. The Senate shall consist of thirty regular senators and their respective alternates, also elected directly by the people, in a single national election district.

Article. The qualifications for being elected senator are the following:

(1) To be a _____ citizen by birth;
 (2) To have attained forty years of age at the time of the election; and
 (3) Not to be included within any of the grounds for incapacity indicated in Article _____.

Article. The exclusive powers of the Senate are:

(1) To initiate the consideration of bills relating to national defense, to the ratification of international treaties, conventions or agreements, to expropriations, and to the limitation of real property ownership;
 (2) To consent to the appointment of the attorney general and the ambassadors and ministers plenipotentiary of the foreign service of the Republic, as well as to military promotions beginning with and including the rank of colonel in the Army, or its equivalent in the other branches of the armed forces and in the services;
 (3) To authorize the departure of national troops beyond the borders of the country, the passage of foreign troops through the national territory, and the sojourn of squadrons of other powers for more than one month in _____ waters;
 (4) To authorize public officials or employees to accept posts, honors, or recompense from foreign governments;
 (5) To try impeachments submitted by the Chamber of Deputies against the officials referred to in Article _____ by a hearing of the accused. If the latter does not appear he shall be tried in absentia;
 (6) To grant or deny its consent to the acts of the President of the Republic in cases in which the Constitution or the law so requires. If the Senate does not pass upon the matter within thirty days after call for urgency by the President of the Republic, its consent shall be taken for granted;
 (7) To exercise any other powers which this Constitution may assign to it.

Article. When the Senate tries the officials impeached by the deputies, the following rules shall be observed:

1) If the impeachment refers to offenses committed while holding office, and the Senate acting as a jury finds the party guilty, it shall impose as the penalty removal from office, when appropriate, and disqualification from holding public office for the time specified by law, without prejudice to a criminal trial of the guilty party before the Supreme Court of Justice if his acts show liability deserving other punishment.

2) If the impeachment refers to other offenses, the Senate shall limit itself to a statement of whether or not there are grounds for prosecution, and if its finding is affirmative, it shall pass the case on to the Supreme Court of Justice and place the accused at its disposition. If the Senate declares that there are no grounds for prosecution, the official shall be restored to office.

==<center>'''TITLE VI''' The Executive Branch</center>==

<center>Chapter I Organization</center>

Article. The executive power shall be exercised by a citizen with the title of President of the Republic, who shall act with his Ministers, separately or in Council, except in those cases in which he may act alone.

Article. The President of the Republic shall be elected by direct ballot, with an absolute majority of the votes validly cast. The election shall be held at least six months prior to the end of the administration of the President of the Republic then holding office in the manner determined by law.

Should there be more than two candidates in the presidential election, none of them obtaining more than half of the votes validly cast, a new election shall be held within fifteen days following the proclamation of the official count. This election shall be limited to the two candidates with the highest relative majorities.

In relation to the provisions contained in the two preceding paragraphs, blank and null and void votes will be considered as if they had not been cast.

Article. The President of the Republic, during his term of office, may be impeached only for treason to the country and serious common crimes.

Article. The qualifications for being elected President of the Republic are the following:

(1) To be a _____ citizen by birth, in the full enjoyment of his rights, and the son of _____ parents by birth;
 (2) To have attained forty years of age at the time of the election;
 (3) To have resided in the country during the entire year prior to the day of the election;
 (4) To have completed secondary education, or the equivalent thereof;
 (5) To possess the moral and intellectual qualities that recommend him to hold the office;
 (6) Never to have renounced his nationality at any time; and
 (7) Not to be included within any of the grounds for incapacity indicated in Article _____.

Article. The term of the President of the Republic shall be six years and shall begin and end on the first of July, and no event whatever may extend his mandate.

Article. The president-elect shall take office before a formal joint session of Congress and shall take the following oath: "I, (name), swear before God and country that I will faithfully and patriotically discharge the office of president of the Republic of _____ and support and defend the Constitution and the laws. If I do not do this, may God and country hold me to account." If on the date established the Congress not succeed in forming a quorum in order to meet, the ceremony shall be held immediately before the Supreme Court of Justice.

Article. A citizen who has held the office of President of the Republic, by popular election or by appointment as ad interim, provisional, or substitute President, can in no case and for no reason again hold that office. This prohibition may not be modified or repealed. The author or authors of a proposal for modification or repeal, and those who support it, directly or indirectly, shall cease ipso facto in the occupation of their respective posts and shall be permanently incapacitated for the exercise of any public office.

Likewise, the following may not be elected President of the Republic:

(1) Relatives of the President of the Republic within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity;
 (2) A military person who has been in active service within six months prior to the election;
 (3) A Minister of State who has been in office at any time during the six months prior to the election;
 (4) Persons who have held the position of magistrate of the courts and tribunals of justice at any time during the six months prior to the election;
 (5) The leader and chiefs of a coup d'état, revolution, or other armed movement or their relatives within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity for the period in which the constitutional regime was interrupted;
 (6) Anyone who has been a Minister of State or held high military rank in a de facto government or his relatives within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity, for the same periods indicated in the preceding paragraph; and
 (7) A minister of any religious cult.

Article. The official office of the President of the Republic shall be in the Casa Presidencial, and the National Treasury shall defray the expense of a residence for him that is in keeping with the dignity of his office. He shall be entitled to a salary, which may not be changed during his term of office, and during that term he may not engage in any other employment, nor devote himself to his profession, business or industry, nor receive any other emolument from the Republic.

Article. The President of the Republic may leave the country only for official reasons after due consideration has been given to the best possible way to carry out his duties, in which case he shall entrust the office of the presidency of the Republic to one of the Ministers of State. He shall inform the other powers of such decisions. A special law shall establish the functions of the Minister in charge of the office of the presidency of the Republic.

The President of the Republic may not leave the country for more than thirty days or during the last ninety days of his administration without the consent of the Senate.

In no case may a President of the Republic against whom an impeachment is pending before the Senate leave the country. Neither may former Presidents of the Republic who are in similar circumstances leave the country.

Article. The Presidency of the Republic is vacated, besides in case of death:

(1) By permanent physical or moral incapacity of the President of the Republic, declared by Congress;
 (2) By the acceptance of his resignation;
 (3) By a judicial sentence condemning him for the offenses enumerated in Article _____;
 (4) By leaving the territory of the Republic for more than thirty days or during the last ninety days of his administration without the permission of the Senate; and
(5) By not returning to the territory of the Republic on the expiration of the period of thirty days.

Article. The exercise of the presidency of the Republic is suspended:

(1) By the President's commanding the armed forces in person;
 (2) By the temporary physical incapacity of the President of the Republic declared by Congress; and
 (3) By being brought to trial according to Article _____.

Article. In the event of the absolute disability of the President of the Republic, occurring during the first two years of his term, if Congress is in session, it shall immediately constitute itself as an electoral college, and if there is at least two-thirds of the total membership present, it shall name by secret ballot, and by an absolute majority of votes, an interim President; the same Congress shall issue, within ten days following the designation of the interim President, a call for the election of a President to complete the respective term; between the date of the call and that designated for holding the election, there must be an interval of not less than three months nor more than six.

If Congress is not in session, the Delegated Committee shall immediately name a provisional President and shall call Congress in extraordinary session in order that it, in turn, may designate an interim President and issue the call for presidential elections as indicated in the preceding paragraph.

When the disability of the President occurs within the last four years of his term, if Congress is in session, it shall designate a substitute President to complete the term; if the Congress is not in session, the Delegated Committee shall name a provisional President and shall convoke the Congress in extraordinary session in order that it may constitute itself into an electoral college and elect the substitute President.

<center>Chapter II Powers and Duties of the Executive Branch</center>

Article. The President of the Republic has the following duties in relation to the legislative branch:

1) To attend the opening of regular sessions of Congress and present to it a report concerning the acts of his administration;
 2) To convoke Congress in extraordinary session;
 3) To prepare the General Budget of the Nation each year and presents it to the chambers of Congress for consideration;
 4) To present to the chambers through the intermediary of the respective ministries, within ninety days after Congress is installed, the annual record or report of each branch of the administration;
 5) To present proposals for laws and to submit treaties and contracts as require legislative approval;
 6) To promulgate and publish, as appropriate, the laws approved by the legislative branch or use his veto power in accordance with the Constitution;

Article. The President of the Republic has the following duties in relation to the judicial branch:

1) To watch over the ministerial conduct of the judges and other employees of the judicial power, and for this purpose to request the Supreme Court of Justice, if appropriate, to affirm their bad conduct, or the office of the attorney general to institute disciplinary measures before the competent tribunal, or, if there be sufficient grounds, to file the proper accusation; and
 2) To give to the judicial branch whatever assistance it may need for the expeditious exercise of its functions.

Article. The President of the Republic has the following powers and duties as commander in chief of the armed forces:

1) To command all branches of the armed forces, organize them, distribute them, and utilize them in conformity with the law;
 2) To direct wartime operations as commander in chief;
 3) To command in person the armed forces with the approval of the Senate. In this case the President of the Republic may reside at any place occupied by _____ arms;
 4) To levy the forces necessary to repel invasions or put down rebellions;
 5) To discharge and demobilize any special army when an emergency has passed;
 6) To issue military regulations in accordance with the law;
 7) To grant pensions to which military personnel are entitled if disabled in service;
 8) To grant retirement to military personnel according to law;
 9) To grant honors and rewards to military persons who have distinguished themselves in service; and
 10) To commission officers of all branches of the armed forces up to and including the rank of lieutenant colonel or its equivalent and, with the approval of the Senate, the higher ranks. On the field of battle he may confer these superior military offices at his own instance.

Article. The President of the Republic has the following powers and duties as the supreme administrative authority:

(1) To represent the State at home and abroad;
 (2) To maintain internal order and the external security of the Republic, without contravening the Constitution or the laws;
 (3) To comply with and enforce the Constitution and the laws;
 (4) To regulate the laws without transgressing or perverting them; and with this same restriction, to issue pertinent decrees, resolutions, and instructions;
 (5) To appoint and remove the President of the Council of Ministers and the Ministers of State, in conformity with the Constitution;
 (6) To provide for the collection of the revenues of the Republic, decree the expenditures, and render accounts of them, in accordance with the General Budget of the Nation and the laws;
 (7) To conduct the foreign relations of the Republic;
 (8) To receive chiefs of diplomatic missions of foreign countries and admits their consuls and to appoint ambassadors and ministers plenipotentiary of the foreign service of the Republic, with the approval of the Senate;
 (9) To conclude treaties of friendship, commerce, navigation, alliance, boundaries, and neutrality, and concordats and other international agreements and to ratify them after approval by Congress;
 (10) To declare war with the authorization of Congress, or even without it, to repel any foreign bellicose aggression, when this is necessary;
 (11) To conclude treaties of peace, giving due notice to Congress the next time it is in session;
 (12) To appoint, remove, and grant leave of absence, in conformity with the law, to public officials and employees whose appointment or removal does not devolve on other officials or agencies;
 (13) To grant, in conformity with the law, severance and retirement pensions and annuities;
 (14) To grant, for outstanding merit, the decorations, medals, diplomas and prizes that are established by law;
 (15) To commute sentences and grant private pardons, upon the report of the Supreme Court of Justice and in accordance with the law. Officials impeached by the Chamber of Deputies and tried by the Senate can be pardoned by Congress only. The President of the Republic may not exercise this power with respect to the Ministers of State;
 (16) To appoint the attorney general, with the approval of the Senate;
 (17) To sign contracts, in accordance with the Constitution and the laws, for the rendering of services and the execution of public works and for the general interest; and
 (18) To exercise the other functions of government and administration assigned to him under this Constitution.

Article. Whenever in his opinion the public tranquility is threatened, the President of the Republic may order the detention of persons presumed responsible, interrogate them, and hold them in custody for ten days, within which time they must be freed or turned over to a competent court; but if in the opinion of the chief of state it is necessary to confine such persons, he may, in Council of Ministers, order their confinement.

The persons so detained may not be held in military quarters or mingled with common criminals.

Article. In the event of national disaster, as a result of natural, unforeseen events or other similar causes, the President of the Republic, in Council of Ministers, may decree a state of national emergency throughout the territory of the country or in the region affected, in order to establish measures to protect and assist the population.

Article. The President of the Republic, in Council of Ministers, may suspend or restrict, in all or a part of the national territory, the exercise of constitutional guarantees in any of the following cases:

a) When the Republic becomes involved in an international or civil war, or when there is danger that either of these may occur;
 b) In case of epidemic, earthquake, or other public disaster;
 c) Whenever due to any other circumstances it is required for the protection, peace, or security of the nation or of its institutions or form of government.

The President of the Republic and the Ministers of State shall be held responsible whenever the suspension or restriction of the constitutional guarantees is declared when none of the above-mentioned cases have occurred, and they shall be held responsible, together with all other officials, for any abuse committed during a period of suspension or restriction.

The decree of suspension or restriction shall contain:

a) The grounds on which it is based;
 b) Specifications of the guarantee or guarantees that are restricted or suspended; and
 c) The territory affected by the suspension or restriction.

Neither suspension nor restriction of guarantees shall in any way affect the functioning of the organs of government, and their members shall always retain the prerogatives granted by law.

In the event of foreign war, the executive shall convoke Congress in the same decree in which the exercise of constitutional guarantees is suspended or restricted, to meet within the next thirty days; and if he fails to convoke it, Congress shall meet in its own right.

In no case may the decree of suspension or restriction affect the following guarantees:

a) The inviolability of human life;
 b) The prohibition against trials by judges other than those designated by law;
 c) The prohibition against acts of cruelty or torture and infamous punishments;
 d) The prohibition against retroactive or confiscatory laws; and
 e) The prohibition against imposing taxes. However, if an international or civil war breaks out, the President of the Republic in Council of Ministers may impose taxes of a general nature.

The decree of suspension of guarantees shall be repealed upon the cessation of the causes for which it was invoked and the chief executive shall render to Congress in joint session without delay an account of the measures taken.

<center>Chapter III The Council of Ministers</center>

Article. For the conduct of business corresponding to the executive branch there shall be Ministers of State. The law shall specify their number, their titles, and the departments of the administration corresponding to each.

Under the authority of the President of the Republic, they shall be in charge of the direction and management of the public services assigned to the respective administrative departments.

Article. The decrees, orders, and rulings of the President of the Republic, with the exception of those indicated in sections _____ and _____ of Article _____, must be countersigned by the Ministers of State of the respective departments. Without this requirement they are null and void.

Article. The Ministers in assembly form the Council of Ministers. Its organization and function are determined by law.

The Council of Ministers has its President. It is the responsibility of the President of the Republic to preside over the Council of Ministers when he convokes it or attends its meetings.

Article. The President of the Republic appoints and removes the President of the Council of Ministers. He appoints and removes the other Ministers, on the proposal and with the agreement, respectively, of the President of the Council of Ministers.

Article. The President of the Council of Ministers countersigns his own appointment and that of the other Ministers.

Article. The President of the Council of Ministers, who may be a Minister without portfolio, has the following duties:

(1) To act, after the President of the Republic, as the authorized spokesman for the government;
 (2) To coordinate the functions of the other Ministers, in accordance with the President of the Republic’s instructions;
 (3) To coordinate relations between the executive branch and Congress;
 (4) To countersign the decree-laws issued by the President of the Republic in the event of emergency or public necessity; and
 (5) To exercise any other powers assigned to him under the Constitution and the law.

Article. To be a Minister of State a person must be a native-born _____, a citizen in the exercise of his rights, more than thirty years of age, a layman, and enjoy an excellent reputation for his integrity and knowledge of public affairs.

Article. The following may not be Ministers of State:

(1) Contractors for national or municipal works and services;
 (2) Persons who as a result of such contracts have claims in their own interest pending against the Public Treasury or municipal councils;
 (3) Persons who have collected or administered national or municipal funds, and whose accounts have not been settled;
 (4) Delinquent debtors to the Public Treasury; and
 (5) Relatives of the President of the Republic within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity.

Article. The Council of Ministers has the following powers:

(1) To approve such bills as the President of the Republic may submit to Congress;
 (2) To discuss issues of public interest;
 (3) To give advice to the President of the Republic in all cases in which he may consult it; and
 (4) To exercise any other powers assigned to it under the Constitution and the law.

Article. Any decision of the Council of Ministers requires the affirmatory votes of the majority of its members.

The Council of Ministers has a deliberative vote and a consultative vote in the cases specified by law.

The President of the Republic adjusts, with the consultative vote of the Council of Ministers, conflicts of competence among the Ministers. His decision is countersigned by the President of the Council of Ministers.

Article. The Ministers may not exercise any other public function except that of deputy or senator.

They shall not intervene, directly or indirectly, in the direction or management of any private undertaking or association.

Article. There are no Ministers pro tempore. The President of the Republic may, on the proposal of the President of the Council of Ministers, entrust to a Minister, who retains his own Ministry, the charge of another in the event of vacancy or impediment on the part of the serving Minister, but this charge may not be prolonged for more than thirty days or be transferred successively to the other Ministers.

Article. The Ministers are responsible civilly and criminally for their own acts and for the presidential acts which they countersign.

Unless they resign immediately, all Ministers are collectively responsible for offenses against or infractions of the Constitution and of the laws which the President of the Republic commits, or which are agreed on in the Council of Ministers, even though they refrain from voting.

Article. The Ministers shall present an annual report on their actions to the President of the Republic. For their services, they shall receive a salary established by law, which may not be changed during their term of office.

<center>Chapter IV Relations Between the Legislative Branch and the Executive Branch</center>

Article. The Council of Ministers in full, or the Ministers separately, may attend the sessions of Congress or of the chambers and participate in the debates.

They may also attend when invited to give information.

Article. The President of the Council of Ministers, on assuming his functions, shall attend the Chamber of Deputies, in company with the other Ministers, to explain and discuss the general policy of the executive branch and the principal measures required for the implementation of this policy. For this purpose he shall submit a confidence motion.

If the Chamber of Deputies is not in session, the President of the Republic shall call a special session.

Article. The attendance of the Council of Ministers, or of any of the Ministers, is obligatory if the Chamber of Deputies calls for them in order to interpellate them. The interpellation shall be made in writing. For its acceptance it requires one fifth of the votes of the sitting deputies. The Chamber of Deputies shall indicate the day and hour for the Ministers to reply to the interpellations.

Article. The Chamber of Deputies actualizes the political responsibility of the Council of Ministers or of the Ministers individually by means of a vote of censure or by defeating a vote of confidence. The latter may only be proposed upon a ministerial initiative.

A vote of censure against the Council of Ministers or against any of the Ministers may be moved by a single deputy. Whenever motions to this effect are presented, the Chamber of Deputies shall be specially convoked, within a period of not over forty-eight hours, to decide upon its course of action.

If upon the first convocation of the Chamber of Deputie there are not a sufficient number of members present to hold a meeting, a second convocation shall be made and the Chamber of Deputies shall be considered organized with the number of legislators who attend.

Any censure motion against the Council of Ministers, or against any of the Ministers, must be approved by an absolute majority of the full membership of the Chamber of Deputies.

The Council of Ministers or the censured Minister must then resign. The President of the Republic shall accept the resignation within the subsequent seventy-two hours.

The nonapproval of a ministerial initiative does not oblige the Minister to resign, except in the case of his having made approval a matter of confidence.

Article. The President of the Council of Ministers may introduce a motion of confidence before the Chamber of Deputies on behalf of the Council of Ministers. If the confidence motion is rejected, or if the President of the Council of Ministers is censured or if he resigns or is removed by the President of the Republic, the Cabinet is in complete crisis.

Article. The President of the Republic may decree the dissolution of the Chamber of Deputies if the latter has censured or denied its confidence to three Councils of Ministers.

In the same decree that stipulates the dissolution of the Chamber of Deputies, the President of the Republic shall call for elections of deputies, who shall complete the constitutional term, unless one year or less remains before its termination. These elections shall be held within three months.

If the elections are not held within the deadline provided for, the dissolved Chamber of Deputies may meet as a matter of right, recover its powers, and remove the Council of Ministers. None of the latter’s members may be reappointed Minister during the remaining presidential term.

A Chamber of Deputies elected in this manner shall replace the previous one and complete the constitutional term of the dissolved Chamber of Deputies.

Article. The President of the Republic may dissolve the Chamber of Deputies only once during his presidential term, being precluded from exercising this power during the last year in which the Chamber of Deputies is in office.

The Chamber of Deputies may not be dissolved under a state of emergency or a state of siege.

Article. The Senate may not be dissolved.

<center>Chapter V The Consultative Commissions and Technical Councils</center>

Article. In each Ministry there shall be one or more Consultative Commissions composed of _____ citizens who are specialists in the branches of the administration in question. The law shall determine their organization and functions.

Article. There shall be Technical Councils of administrative cooperation in the Ministries of Public Education; Agriculture and Livestock; Economy, Industry, and Commerce; Public Health; Public Works; Labor; and others specified by law.

==<center>'''TITLE VII''' The Judicial Branch</center>==

==<center>'''TITLE VIII''' The Electoral Branch</center>==

==<center>'''TITLE IX'''</center>==
<center>Sole Chapter The Office of the Attorney General</center>

==<center>'''TITLE X''' Public Finance</center>==

==<center>'''TITLE XI'''</center>==
<center>Sole Chapter Public Officials and Employees</center>

==<center>'''TITLE XII'''</center>==
<center>Sole Chapter The Armed Forces</center>

==<center>'''TITLE XIII'''</center>==
<center>Sole Chapter Indian Communities</center>

==<center>'''TITLE XIV'''</center>==
<center>Sole Chapter Agrarian Reform</center>

==<center>'''TITLE XV'''</center>==
<center>Sole Chapter Amendment of the Constitution</center>

==<center>'''TITLE XVI'''</center>==
<center>Sole Chapter Final and Transitory Provisions</center>