Public Service Commission, and shall be responsible for the administration of Parliament.
(2) The office of the Clerk of Parliament and the offices of the members of his staff shall be public offices.
Oath to be taken by
Members of Parliament.
83. Every Member of Parliament shall, before taking his seat in Parliament, take and subscribe before Parliament the
oath as set out in the Third Schedule, but a Member may, before taking that oath, take part in the election of a
Speaker.
PART II — SUMMONING, PROROGATION AND DISSOLUTION
Sessions of Parliament.
84. (1) Each session in Parliament shall be held at such place within Sierra Leone and shall commence at such time
as the President may be Proclamation appoint.
(2) There shall be a session of Parliament at least once in every year, so that a period of twelve months shall not
intervene between the last sitting of Parliament in one session and the first sitting thereof in the next session:
Provided that there shall be a session of Parliament not later than twenty-eight days from the holding of a general
election of Members of Parliament.
(3) The President shall at the beginning of each session of Parliament present to Parliament an address on the state of
the nation.
Life of Parliament.
85. (1) Parliament shall stand dissolved at the expiration of a period of five years commencing from the date of its
first sitting after a general election.
(2) If there is in existence a state of public emergency in accordance with section 29 of this Constitution and the
President considers it not practicable to hold elections, Parliament may, by resolution, extend the period of five years
mentioned in subsection (1) from time to time but not beyond a period of six months at any one time.
Sittings of Parliament.
86. (1) The President may at any time summon a meeting of Parliament.
(2) Notwithstanding the provision of subsection (1), at least twenty per centum of all the Members of Parliament may
request a meeting of Parliament and the Speaker shall, within fourteen days after the receipt of that request, summon
a meeting of Parliament.
(3) Subject to the provisions of subsection (1) and of Sections 29 and 84 of this Constitution, sittings of Parliament in
any session after the commencement of that session shall be held at such times and on such days as Parliament shall
appoint.
(4) Parliament shall sit for a period of not less than one hundred and twenty days in each year.
General Elections.
87. (1) A general election of the Members of Parliament shall be held not earlier than thirty days and not later than
ninety days after any dissolution of Parliament:
Provided that nominations for such elections shall in no case be closed within fourteen days after dissolution.
(2) If, when Parliament has been dissolved, the President considers that owing to the existence of a state of public
emergency it would not be practicable to hold a general election within ninety days after the dissolution, the
President may by Proclamation recall the Parliament that has been dissolved and the following provisions shall then
have effect—
a.
the Parliament shall meet at such date, not later than fourteen days after the date of the Proclamation, as may
42