SECTION 30

(1) A bill passed by the National Assembly shall be immediately forwarded to the President of the Senate by the President of the National Assembly. (2) The President of the Senate shall, upon receiving the bill forwarded by the President of the National Assembly, submit it to the Senate for consideration. (3) Within 10 (ten) days, with effect from the date of receipt of the bill or 5 (five) days for a bill declared urgent by the Government, the Senate may: a) Pass the bill. In which case, the President of the Senate shall return the adopted bill to the President of the National Assembly who shall forward same within 48 (forty-eight) hours to the President of the Republic for enactment. b) Amend the bill. Such amendment must be approved by a simple majority of the Senators. In which case, the amended bill shall be returned to the National Assembly by the President of the Senate for reconsideration. The amendment proposed by the Senate shall be passed or rejected by a simple majority of the members of the National Assembly. The final bill adopted shall be forwarded by the President of the National Assembly to the President of the Republic for enactment. c) Reject all or part of the bill. Such rejection must be approved by an absolute majority of the Senators. In which case, the rejected bill with reasons therefore shall be returned to the National Assembly by the President of the Senate for reconsideration. 1- The National Assembly shall, after deliberation, pass the bill by absolute majority of its members. The final bill adopted by the National Assembly shall be forwarded to the President of the Republic for enactment. 2- Where an absolute majority cannot be reached, the President of the Republic may convene a meeting of a joint commission comprising equal representation of both Houses to propose a common formulation of the provisions rejected by the Senate. The text prepared by the joint commission shall be submitted to both Houses by the President of the Republic for approval. No amendment shall be admissible, except with the approval of the President of the Republic. Where the joint commission fails to agree on a common text, or where such text is not adopted by both Houses, the President of the Republic may: - either request the National Assembly to take a final decision thereon; or - declare the government bill or private members’ bill null and void.