CHAPTER 7
LEGISLATIVE PROCEDURE
Article 50 — Right of Legislative Initiative
The right of legislative initiative belongs to: a) deputies of either chamber; b) committees of Parliament; c) the Government; d) the Ombudsman on matters affecting constitutional rights; e) citizens through popular legislative initiative under this Constitution; f) other bodies only where expressly provided by this Constitution.
Legislative initiatives shall be accompanied by: a) a written statement of reasons; b) a fiscal impact analysis prepared or certified by the Government or an independent fiscal office, for any bill that creates, modifies, or eliminates expenditure obligations, revenues, or public debt; c) a constitutional compatibility statement confirming consistency with the Constitution and fundamental rights, prepared by the initiating body and reviewed by the Parliamentary legal service before the first reading.
Article 51 — Stages of Lawmaking
No bill shall be adopted without: a) formal registration; b) public publication of the text; c) committee consideration; d) at least two readings in the Lower House, except in urgent cases strictly defined by constitutional law; e) recorded voting; f) review by the Upper House; g) promulgation in accordance with this Constitution.
No less than seven (7) days shall elapse between the first and second reading of any bill in the Lower House. Constitutional law may establish longer periods. For budget laws and laws declared urgent under paragraph 3a, a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours between readings shall apply.
3a. Urgent procedure shall be declared only by an absolute majority vote of the Lower House and shall compress timelines only for ordinary laws. It may not be used for the laws listed in paragraph 3 of this Article.
- Urgent procedure may not be used for constitutional amendments, election laws, referendum laws, judicial laws, laws affecting media freedom, or laws limiting rights.
Article 52 — Constitutional Review Before Promulgation
Before promulgation, the constitutionality of an adopted law may be challenged before the Constitutional Court by the actors empowered under Article 90 of this Constitution.
A law subject to pending constitutional review shall not enter into force until the Constitutional Court has issued its final decision. The Constitutional Court shall decide pre-promulgation challenges within thirty (30) days of referral. Where the Court does not decide within thirty days, the law proceeds to promulgation unless the Court has issued an interim order extending the period for stated reasons, not to exceed a further fifteen (15) days.
If the Constitutional Court declares the law unconstitutional in whole, it shall not enter into force. If only certain provisions are declared unconstitutional, the remaining provisions enter into force unless the Court finds them inseparable from the unconstitutional parts.
Article 53 — Promulgation of Laws
Laws adopted in accordance with this Constitution shall be promulgated by the Speaker of the Lower House acting in the ceremonial capacity of Head of State.
Promulgation is a formal constitutional act and may not be used to exercise political veto.
If constitutional review is not pending and all procedural requirements have been met, promulgation shall occur within seven (7) days of the law being transmitted to the Speaker. If the Speaker fails to promulgate within that period without a stated constitutional reason, the law is deemed promulgated by operation of this Constitution and shall be published by the Parliamentary Secretariat.
No law shall have force unless officially published in accessible digital and printed form on the day of promulgation or deemed promulgation.