Page 223 - DPOL202_COMPARATIVE_POLITICS_AND_GOVERNMENT_ENGLISH

Comparative Politics and Government

Notes the Fourth Republic, although both are diminished in stature compared with the power of the
executive.”
• Thus an organic law was passed to abolish the ‘notorious’ system of proportional representation
in the elections of National Assembly and substituted in its place the single-member constituency
system with a second ballot in case no cadidate succeeds in obtaining absolute majority of the
votes polled at the first ballot.
• The Constitution makes a distinction between the two types of laws by specifying that in regard
to the first the Parliament lays down underlying ‘general principles’ and also determines the
details of their application ; in regard to the second category, it confines only to the enunciation
of ‘fundamental principles’ without going into the details.
• The Constitution has fixed the number of commissions at six less to encourage departmental
interconnections but more to discourage lobbying from outside forces. Each commission appoints
from among its members its own bureau consisting of a president, 2 vice-presidents, 2 secretaries
in the smaller commission ; I president, 4 vice-presidents and 4 secretaries in the bigger ones.
The meetings are arranged and convened by the President.
• The interests of the farmers, particularly the richer ones, are represented by the National
Federation of Fanners—FNSEA. It claims the membership of 700,000 farmers. As this
organisation is largely dominated by the richer sections of the peasantry, the socialists,
communists and others have also formed their splinter groups.
• Lobbying is the main tactic of the business pressure groups. The owners of hotels, gas stations,
liquor distillation centres, automobile productions, oil companies and the like have their powerful
groups engaged in influencing the legislators and administrators.
• The term of the NPC may be extended for any duration, but it is laid down that fresh elections
shall take place within one year of the expiration of the abnormal situation. The NPC shall meet
at least once in a year. The session shall be convened by the Standing Committee. The special or
extra-ordinary session of the NPC may also be convened either by the Standing Committee or
when 1/5 Deputies of the NPC so desire. Before the commencement of the session, the NPC
shall elect a Presidium to conduct its proceedings.
• A technical difference is made between ordinary and constitutional legislation. It says that all
bills and statutes must be passed by absolute majority of the House, but constitutional
amendment bills proposed either by the State Council or by 1/5 members of the NPC must be
passed by 2/3 majority of all deputies of the NPC. In this sense, the new Constitution has a
rigid character at least for the sake of an argument.
• The present Constitution makes some important arrangements relating to the functioning of the
NPC. For instance, Art. 70 provides that it shall appoint Nationalities Committee, Law Committee,
Foreign Affairs Committee, Overseas Committee and other necessary committees to examine, discuss
and draw up relevant bills and draft resolutions according to the directions of the NCP or its SC.
• The Deputies of the NPC, one may easily understand, are the handpicked persons who assemble
for a very negligible span of time just for putting a seal of constitutional validity on the actions
of the elite of the ruling party.
8.5 Key-Words

1. House of Lords : The house of Lords is the upper house of the parliament of the United
Kingdom.
2. House of commons : The House of Commons is the lower house of the parliament of the
United Kingdom which, like the House of Lords, meets in the palace of
West minister.

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