The New Germany Part 14

The Reichstag is composed of the deputies of the German people.

ARTICLE 21.

The deputies are representatives of the whole people. They are subject to their conscience only and are not bound by instructions.

ARTICLE 22.

The deputies shall be elected by universal, equal, direct, and secret suffrage by those of either s.e.x over twenty years of age, on the principles of proportional representation. The day of the election must be a Sunday or public holiday. An electoral law of the Realm shall lay down further detailed regulations.

ARTICLE 23.

The Reichstag shall be elected for four years. New elections must take place at latest within sixty days after the expiration of its term of office. The Reichstag must hold its first meeting at latest on the thirtieth day after election.

ARTICLE 24.

The Reichstag shall meet on the first Wednesday of November in every year at the seat of the Government. The President of the Reichstag is bound to call it together at an earlier date if the President of the Realm, or at least one-third of the deputies, demand it.

The Reichstag determines the date of the close of its session and the date of its rea.s.sembly.

ARTICLE 25.[20]

The President of the Realm has power to dissolve the Reichstag, but may only do so once on the same ground.

New elections must be held at latest on the sixtieth day after the dissolution.

ARTICLE 26.

The Reichstag shall choose its own President, Vice-President, and Secretaries. It shall regulate its own procedure.

ARTICLE 27.

The business of the House between two sessions or between two election periods shall be conducted by the President of the Reichstag and the Vice-President holding office during the preceding session.

ARTICLE 28.

Disciplinary and police powers within the Reichstag building pertain to the President of the Reichstag. He also has the administration of the House. He has control of the income and expenditure of the House within the limits laid down by the national budget, and he represents the House in all the legal proceedings and legal business involved in its administration.

ARTICLE 29.

The sittings of the Reichstag are public. The public may be excluded on the demand of fifty deputies and by a two-thirds majority vote.

ARTICLE 30.

True reports of the proceedings at the public sittings of the Reichstag, of the proceedings at a Landtag, of the proceedings at Committees of the Reichstag or Landtag, are privileged matter.

ARTICLE 31.

A Court of Inquiry into election proceedings shall be formed in connection with the Reichstag. Such Court shall also decide whether any deputy has forfeited his mandate.

The Court of Inquiry into election proceedings shall be formed of members of the Reichstag, who shall be elected by the Reichstag for the duration of the electoral period, and further of members of the Supreme Administrative Court, who shall be nominated by the President of the Realm on the suggestion of the Presiding officers of this Court.

The Court of Inquiry into election proceedings shall p.r.o.nounce judgment in public and oral session through three members of the Reichstag, and two legal members.

Apart from inquiries actually conducted before the Court of Inquiry, proceedings may be taken before an officer of the Realm appointed by the President of the Realm. Further, procedure shall be determined by the Court of Inquiry.

ARTICLE 32.

A resolution of the Reichstag requires a simple majority of votes, except where some other proportion of votes is laid down by the const.i.tution. The Standing Orders of the Reichstag may admit exceptions to this rule in the case of elections carried out by the Reichstag.

The Standing Order shall regulate all questions of the validity of resolutions.

ARTICLE 33.

The Reichstag and its Committees of the Reichstag are ent.i.tled to demand the presence of the Chancellor or of any other Minister of the Realm. The Chancellor, the Ministers, and their deputies have access to the sittings of the Reichstag and to the sittings of the Committees of the Reichstag. The Lands are ent.i.tled to send plenipotentiaries to these sittings who shall submit the views of their Government on the question under discussion.

The representatives of the Lands may demand to be heard during the discussion; the representatives of the Government of the Realm may do so under suspension if necessary of the Orders of the Day.

Such representatives are subject to the rulings of the Chair.

ARTICLE 34.[21]

The Reichstag may set up Committees of Inquiry: it must do so if one-fifth of the members demand it. Such Committees shall in open session inquire into such evidence as they consider necessary, or the pet.i.tioners consider necessary. The public may be excluded by resolution of a two-thirds majority of the Committee of Inquiry. The Standing Orders shall regulate the procedure of the Committee and determine the number of its members.

The Courts and the Civil Service must submit any evidence demanded by these Committees; the Committees may demand to see their records.

The regulations of the Criminal Code apply to the taking of evidence by the Committees or by such authorities as they have instructed; nevertheless, the secrecy of the post office, of the letter, telegraph, and telephone services remains unaffected.

ARTICLE 35.[22]

The Reichstag shall appoint a Permanent Committee for Foreign Affairs; which Committee may sit during the recess, or after the election period has come to an end, or after the dissolution until the meeting of the new Reichstag. The sittings of such Committee are not public, unless the Committee itself decides on publicity by a two-thirds majority.

The Reichstag shall further appoint a Permanent Committee for the Protection of the Rights of the People's Representatives against the Government of the Realm for those periods during which it is out of session, and for the period following the termination of an election period.

Such Committees have the same rights as the Committees of Inquiry.