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{
    "id": 572853,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/572853/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 29,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Speaker",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "the Constitution, the President can make specific proposals for amendment to the particular Bill; (ii) whether the specific proposals for amendment made by the President should go through the entire law-making process of consideration by the relevant committee, including pre-publication scrutiny, public hearings, and First, Second and Third Readings; (iii) whether accepting of the text proposed by the President and which has not been subjected to the ordinary law-making process as outlined in (b) above should require a two-thirds majority; and, (iv) whether, the House would be properly constituted if, at the time of putting the question on the President’s reservations or recommendations, there are less than two-thirds of all the Members present in the House. Hon. Members, the main substance of the concerns raised by the Member for Rarieda was that by making specific proposals for amendment to a Bill, the President was encroaching on the legislative mandate of the House and thereby contravening the principle of separation of powers. The matter was similarly canvassed by several other Members, who rose on points of order to make their contributions. I am, indeed, grateful to all those who spoke on that day and submitted their views on these very weighty matters. You are aware that, on a number of occasions during the term of this 11th Parliament, the President has referred back Bills to this House for reconsideration with memoranda outlining his reservations on those Bills and giving his recommendations thereon. Whenever this happens, the recommendations contained in the memoranda are subjected to the Committee of the whole House for consideration and concurrence. It is this procedure, among other issues, which is now being contested by Hon. Gumbo and several others of his colleagues. Hon. Members, I will address the matters raised by the Hon. Gumbo and canvassed by several other Members under the following four broad subjects. The first one is the form of presidential reservation to a Bill; the second one is the procedure for consideration of presidential reservations; the third subject is the voting threshold in consideration of presidential reservations; last is how presidential reservations relate to the principle of separation of powers. I will begin with the first subject, which is the form of the President’s reservations to a Bill. Hon. Members, in most jurisdictions, the legislative process provides for assent to Bills by the President as the head of the Executive arm of Government. Indeed, our own system, through the provisions of Article 115 of the Constitution, requires that all legislation by Parliament should be presented to the President for assent. Allow me to visit some relevant jurisdiction. In the Constitution of the United States of America,"
}