The Parliament is made up of two Houses, the House of Representatives and the House of Counselors. Members of the Houses hold their mandate from the Nation. Their right to vote is personal and cannot be delegated. (art. 36)

Members of the House of Representatives are elected for a six- year term by direct universal suffrage. The legal legislative period shall end at the opening of the October session in the fifth year following the election of the House. The number of representatives as well as the voting system, eligibility requirements, incompatibility cases, legal contentions concerning elections is set out in law.

The Speaker (President) is elected first at the beginning of the legislative period, then at the April session in the third year of the said period and for the remaining portion thereof.

Members of the Board are elected for one year; their number is in proportion to their respective groups. (art. 37)

For 3/5 of its membership, the House of Counselors consists of members elected in each region by electoral colleges made up of elected members of trade chambers as well as members elected at the national level by an electoral college consisting of wage-earners’ representatives.

Members of the House of Counselors are elected for a nine-year term. One third of the House is renewed every three years. In the first and second renewal operations, seats are drawn by lot. The number of counselors as well as the voting system, the number of members to be elected by each electoral college, the distribution of seats according to regions, eligibility requirements, incompatibility cases, balloting procedures mentioned above and legal contentions concerning elections shall be set out in law.

The President of the House of Counselors and members of the Board are elected at the October session during each renewal operation in the House. Members of the Board are elected in proportion to the size of their respective groups.

Upon the setting up of the first House of Counselors or upon its election following the dissolution of the preceding House, the President and the members of the Board are elected at the beginning of the session which follows the election ; they seek renewal of their term of office at the beginning of the October session during each renewal operation in the House. (art. 38)

No Member of Parliament shall be prosecuted, arrested, put into custody or brought to trial as a result of expressing opinions or casting a vote while exercising office functions, except when the opinions expressed may be injurious to the monarchical system and the religion of Islam or derogatory to the respect owed to the king.

During parliamentary sessions, no member of Parliament shall be subject to prosecution or arrest for criminal charges or felonies, besides those mentioned in the preceding paragraph, without permission from the House except flagrante delicto.

Outside parliamentary sessions, no member of Parliament shall be subject to arrest without permission from the Board of the House , except flagrante delicto, or in the case of authorized prosecution or final judgment.

The imprisonment or prosecution of a member of Parliament shall be suspended if so required by the House, except flagrante delicto or in the case of authorized prosecution or final judgment. (art. 39)

The Parliament holds its meetings during two sessions a year. The King presides over the opening of the first session which shall begin on the second Friday in October. The second session begins on the second Friday in April.

When the Parliament convenes for at least three months during one session, the session may be adjourned by decree. (art. 40)

The Parliament may be convened in special session either at the request of the absolute majority of the members of one of the two Houses or by decree.

Special sessions of the Parliament are held on the basis of a defined agenda. Once the agenda is fully addressed, the session may be adjourned by decree. (art. 41)

Cabinet members may attend the meetings of each House and those of the committees thereof ; in this respect, they have the right to commission their own assistants.

Apart from the standing committees referred to in the preceding paragraph, parliamentary fact-finding committees may be established on the King’s initiative or upon the request of the majority of the members of one of the two Houses and within each House , with the mission of inquiring about specific facts and submitting findings thereon to that House.

There may be no fact-finding committees in cases involving prosecutions, and as long as these are being conducted.

The mission of any fact-finding committee which may be established shall end with the opening of the judicial investigation pertaining to the instances bringing about the establishment thereof.

Fact-finding committees shall by nature be temporary. Their mission shall end with the submission of their reports.The functioning of these committees shall be governed by an organic law. (art. 42)

Meetings of the Houses of Parliament are open to the public. Proceedings of the debates are published in extenso in the Gazette .

Each House may hold private meetings if so requested by the Prime Minister, or by a third of its members. (art. 43)

Each House establishes and votes on its own Rules of Procedure. These do not, however, go into effect until they are declared by the Constitutional Council as consistent with the provisions of this Constitution. (art. 44)

The Parliament