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Section 172. For the purpose of maintaining national or public safety or
national economic security, or averting public calamity, the King may issue an Emergency
Decree which shall have force as an Act.
The issuance of an Emergency Decree under paragraph one shall be made
only when the Council of Ministers is of the opinion that it is an emergency of necessity and
urgency which is unavoidable.
In the subsequent sitting of the National Assembly, the Council of Ministers
shall submit the Emergency Decree to the National Assembly for its consideration without
delay. If it is out of session and it would be a delay to wait for the opening of an ordinary
session, the Council of Ministers must proceed to convoke an extraordinary session of the
National Assembly in order to expeditiously consider whether to approve or disapprove the
Emergency Decree. If the House of Representatives disapproves it or approves it but the
Senate disapproves it and the House of Representatives reaffirms its approval by the votes
of not more than one-half of the total number of the existing Members of the House of
Representatives, the Emergency Decree shall lapse, prescribed that it shall not affect any act
done during the enforcement of such Emergency Decree.
If the Emergency Decree under paragraph one has the effect of amending or
repealing any provisions of any law and such Emergency Decree has lapsed in accordance
with paragraph three, the provisions of the law in force before the amendment or repeal
shall continue to be in force as from the day the disapproval of such Emergency Decree is
effective.
If the House of Representatives and the Senate approve the Emergency
Decree, or if the Senate disapproves it but the House of Representatives reaffirms its
approval by the votes of more than one-half of the total number of the existing Members of
the House of Representatives, such Emergency Decree shall continue to have the force of
an Act.
The Prime Minister shall cause the approval or disapproval of the Emergency
Decree to be published in the Government Gazette. In case of disapproval, it shall be
effective as from the day following the date of its publication in the Government Gazette.
The consideration of an Emergency Decree by the House of Representatives
and the Senate and reaffirmation of an approval of an Emergency Decree must take place at
the first opportunity in the sittings of the respective Houses.
Section 173. Before the House of Representatives or the Senate approves
any Emergency Decree, Members of the House of Representatives or Senators comprising
not less than one-fifth of the total number of the existing members of each House have the
right to submit an opinion to the President of the House of which they are members that
the Emergency Decree is not in accordance with section 172 paragraph one, and the