Constitution of the Independent
State of Samoa
35
60. Bills assented to become Acts of Parliament - (1) No
bill shall become a law until the Head of State has given his or
her assent thereto.
(2) Whenever a bill which has been passed by the Legislative
Assembly is presented to the Head of State for his or her assent,
the Head of State shall, acting on the advice of the Prime
Minister, declare that he or she assents to the bill or that he or she
refuses his or her assent to the bill.
(3) A law assented to by the Head of State as herein provided
shall be known as an Act of Parliament and shall come into force
either on the day on which it is assented to, or on any date
(whether earlier or later than the date on which it is assented to)
specified in that behalf in the Act.
61. Oath of allegiance - Except for the purpose of enabling
this Article to be complied with and for the election of a Speaker,
no Member of Parliament shall sit or vote in the Legislative
Assembly until the Member shall have taken and subscribed
before the Assembly an Oath of Allegiance in the form set out in
the Third Schedule.
62. Privileges of Legislative Assembly - The privileges,
immunities and powers of the Legislative Assembly, of the
committees thereof and of Members of Parliament may be
determined by Act:
PROVIDED THAT no such privilege or power may extend to the
imposition of a fine or to committal to prison for contempt or
otherwise, unless provision is made by Act for the trial and
punishment of the person concerned by the Supreme Court.
(See the Legislative Assembly Powers and Privileges Ordinance
1960.)
63. Prorogation and dissolution of Legislative Assembly (1) The Head of State may at any time, by notice published in the
Samoa Gazette, prorogue the Legislative Assembly.
(2) If, at any time, the office of Prime Minister is vacant, the
Head of State shall, by notice published in the Samoa Gazette,
dissolve the Legislative Assembly as soon as the Head of State is
satisfied, acting in his or her discretion, that a reasonable period