Standing Orders of the Mejlis

1. These Standing Orders govern the procedure of the Mejlis, the Territorial Legislature of the Irad Special Economic Zone, under the Organic Act and the territorial statutes in force.

2. The Mejlis meets in two ordinary sessions a year: the spring session, which opens in March and closes not later than 30 June, and the autumn session, which opens in October and closes not later than 20 December. The dates of each session are fixed by resolution of the Mejlis.

3. Sittings are held in Legislative Hall on Tuesdays from 10:00 to 14:00. The Speaker may convene an additional sitting on another day and may extend a sitting with the consent of the chamber.

4. Each session opens with the State Anthem. Each sitting opens with prayers and the State Anthem.

5. A sitting is quorate when a majority of the deputies, 31 of 60, is present.

6. The order paper of each sitting is drawn up by the Speaker and published by the Secretariat not later than the Friday before the sitting.

7. A bill is read three times. After the first reading it is referred to the competent standing committee, which reports on it with any amendments before the second reading. At the third reading the bill is voted on as a whole.

8. An Act passed by the Mejlis is sent to the Governor for signature and is published in the Gazette.

9. The Budget Bill is laid by the Office of the Governor in November and is referred after the first reading to the Ways and Means Committee.

10. Ministers answer questions of deputies at sittings on the days fixed in the order paper. A question is handed to the Secretariat in writing not later than the Wednesday before.

11. The Speaker decides whether a motion is in order. A motion on a matter outside the competence of the chamber is ruled out of order and no question is put on it.

12. A deputy may raise a point of order at any time before the Speaker rules on the matter. The ruling of the Speaker is final. Points of order raised after the ruling are not entered in the record.

13. The summary record of each sitting is published after it has been approved by the Speaker. The full transcript is kept in the Library of Legislative Hall and is then transferred to the State Archives.

14. Sittings are public. Seats in the public gallery are given out on the day of the sitting on showing a passport or residence card. Visitors remain silent and seated; cameras, banners and telephones are not permitted in the gallery.

15. Written appeals of citizens to the Mejlis, its committees and deputies are registered by the Secretariat and answered within 30 days.