ART. 71. The electoral commissions are formed from the heads of the electoral districts in question, and the presidents of the communes in which, according to the direction of the government, the elections are to take place, preside. The election, too, is to be attended by a princely commissioner.1

ART. 72. The electors must appear punctually on the appointed day and at the specified time at the place where the election is to be held, and they shall prove their identity by presentation of their voting card. The voting cards are issued to the electors by the communal electoral commissions and contain only the date of the election, the name of the person elected and the number of votes cast for him. ART. 73. The president of the electoral commission at the appointed hour, without regard to the number of electors present, opens the proceedings of the election of the deputies with an address in which he invites the electors to cast their votes with only the concern for the general good and the welfare of the land in mind, irrespective of all minor considerations and special interests. Hereupon the electors proceed to the voting, and they are permitted to increase the legally constituted electoral commissions by adding out of their own number from 3 to 5 registrars, if they wish to make use of this right.' ART. 74. Each elector must designate as his choice the number of candidates for the office of deputy allowed to his district. This designation is made in writing on ballots which are deposited into the urn which is ready for the purpose. The ballot must contain the names of the deputies voted for, and they must be written plainly and definitely, so that there may be no ambiguity as to the choice of persons.

In case of a tie between two candidates the matter is decided by lot. The lots are always drawn in the presence of all the electors, 'and if the interested parties are not present in person, the two oldest electors are appointed representatives for the drawing. If an election can not be completed on the same day, it is continued on the next.

After the completion of the election of the deputies the substitutes are elected in the same way. There are to be 3 substitutes for the highlands and 2 for the lowlands.1

ART. 75. The secretary of the commune in which the election takes place, chosen for this purpose, shall draw up a careful protocol of the election proceedings, and the votes shall be entered upon it as well as upon the voting list and the duplicate list.

ART. 76. If in the voting there should be doubt as to the identity of an elected person, the electoral commission renders a provisional decision in the matter.

1 Amended by the Law of 19 February 1878.

The same procedure is followed, if, before the beginning of the voting, objection is made against an elector who has appeared with his voting card. Final decision in the matter is rendered by the Diet, which shall take up the question immediately after it has been constituted.

ART. 77. When the voting is completed, the results thereof are published by the president of the commission, in accordance with the number of votes of the assembled electors.

ART. 78. Absolute majority is required for the validity of the election of deputies to the Diet. In case of a tie the matter is decided by lot.

ART. 79. If an absolute majority has not been attained in the first ballot, a second election must be held, which is, of course, restricted to the number of delegates who have not attained an absolute majority in the preceding ballot.

Otherwise the second ballot is conducted in precisely the same way as the first; the election is not limited by any other restriction and is conditioned only by the number of candidates as a result of the first election.

ART. 80. If the election is not completed by the second ballot, a relative majority will decide in the third ballot, and only the names of those candidates mentioned in the second ballot may be voted on.

ART. 81. In case of a tie between two candidates the matter is decided by lot. The drawing of the lot always takes place in the presence of all electors, and if the participants are not present in person, the two oldest electors are appointed representatives for the drawing. If an election can not be completed on the same day, it is continued on the next.

After the completion of the election of the deputies, the 5 substitutes are elected in the same way.

ART. 82. A person elected to the office of deputy may decline the position, but must within ten days after being informed of his election declare his intention to the head of the government. If no such declaration is made, the election is accepted. A person who has accepted an election may be dismissed from the Diet only for valid

reasons.

ART. 83. A State official who has been elected to the Diet must secure the permission of the government. Such permission will, however, be granted in every case, except for very important reasons. In case such permission is refused, the substitute enters the Diet.

ART. 84. If father and son should be elected deputy at the same time, the son shall be excluded unless the father voluntarily agrees to resign.

ART. 85. Vacancies so caused will be filled by summoning the substitutes.

ART. 86. After the completion of the entire electoral proceedings the election protocol with all its annexes is submitted to the head of the government, and those who have been elected receive for their legitimation an election document containing the signatures of all persons who participated in the conduct and authentication of the elections. They shall submit a receipt for this document within the period stipulated in Article 82.

ART. 87. All primary voters shall take part in the election of electors. Those who without good reason absent themselves from the election, are liable to a fine of 1 gulden, which accrues to the poorhouse fund. The electoral commission decides on the validity of excuses for absence. The validity of the elections of deputies and substitutes is not conditioned by the appearance of any fixed number of electors.1

ART. 88. If the prescribed forms were not observed in the course of the election, or if the requisite legal qualities are not found in the persons elected, or if illegal influences and punishable activities made themselves felt, the election is null and void.

If one or more unqualified persons participated in the voting, the elections are nevertheless considered valid if the difference in the number of votes resulting thereby has no effect on the majority of votes attained by the person elected. If the latter is not the case, the election is void. The Diet, which is to be informed of the validity or invalidity of the elections, orders an investigation, if necessary, in case illegal practices have been discovered, at the proposal of the government. Such investigations are conducted through the regular legal channels.

The government shall decree new elections immediately, if an election has been manifestly conducted in such a way as to make its invalidity clear.

CHAPTER VII.-THE DIET.

ART. 89. The Assembly of Deputies, summoned in a regular, legal way, forms the constitutional organ of the Diet.

ART. 90. The Prince alone has the right to call ordinary and extraordinary sessions of the Diet, to close them, and to prorogue or dis

1 As amended by the Law of 19 February 1878. This article formerly read: “All primary voters shall take part in the election of electors. At least two thirds of the persons entitled to the suffrage must cast their vote in the election of deputies to the Diet. If the election can not be held because of the lack of this number of electors, those electors who did not appear must defray the expenses of the proposed elections among themselves or with mutual responsibility. Only those shall be excepted who were prevented by force majeure from being present at the electoral proceedings. decision of the electoral commission in this matter is final."

The

solve the Diet for three months for important reasons which must in every case be communicated to the Assembly.

ART. 91. The Prince will convene the Diet as often as he considers it necessary for the transaction of important and urgent matters pertaining to the country.

ART. 92. Ordinarily the Diet must be summoned once a year, at the latest between 15 and 31 October.1

ART. 93. After the dissolution of the Diet a new election must be ordered within four months, and the newly elected members of the Diet must be summoned.

Within the same period a prorogued Diet, too, must be convened again.

ART. 94. An extraordinary Diet must be summoned after every change in the government; it must be called within 30 days after the said change in government has taken place. If the Diet has previously been dissolved, the elections are to be hastened so that the new Diet may convene at the latest 60 days after the change in government has been effected.

ART. 95. The regular sequence of ordinary sessions of the Diet can not be broken because of an extraordinary session.

ART. 96. All the rights accruing to the Diet can only be exercised in the legally constituted Assembly.

ART. 97. Upon convening, the Diet, under the presidency of its senior presiding member, elects a president and a vice-president for the transaction of business. Both elections require subsequent confirmation by the Prince.

ART. 98. The deputies and substitutes are elected for a period of 4 years.2

ART. 99. The departing members of the Diet may be reconfirmed in so far as they were named by the Prince, or they may be reelected in so far as they received their membership by election.

ART. 100. If a member of the Diet named by the Prince should die, lose his personal qualifications or be permanently prevented from attending the sessions, a new member of the Diet is named by the Prince.

ART. 101. The deputies shall as a rule not be elected prior to 6 weeks before the convening of the Assembly. The Diet is convened by a princely decree in which the day and the hour of the meeting of the Diet shall be specified.

1 Amended by the Law of 11 October 1901. Formerly Article 92 read: " 'Ordinarily the Diet must be summoned once a year, namely between 15 and 31 May."

As amended by the Law of 19 February 1878. Formerly Article 98 read: The deputies are appointed and elected for a period of 6 years. Half of those elected must always depart after 3 years and shall be replaced by newly elected members. In the first assembly those who are to depart are chosen by lot, thereafter by sequence."

ART. 102. After having been summoned the deputies shall appear personally at the seat of the government, where their meeting takes place. Vote by proxy is not permitted. In case of legal hindrance the deputy in question shall notify the government thereof, if possible before the opening of the Diet. If the hindrance is permanent, a substitute must be summoned.

ART. 103. The Diet is opened by the Prince in person or by a plenipotentiary with fitting ceremony, on which occasion all newly entering members swear the following oath:

I swear that I will obey the Constitution and the existing laws and observe the welfare of the country without private considerations, according to my own convictions. So help me God!

Members who enter after the opening of the session have this oath administered to them by the president of the Diet.

ART. 104. Decisions made by the Diet are to be executed as soon as possible and are to be published by the government at the latest at the time of the meeting of the Diet Committee in the month of August.

The laws shall be published with the notice that they have been examined by the government and approved by the Diet.

ART. 105. The Diet is closed by the Prince in person or by a princely commissioner.

ART. 106. At the time of the dissolution of every Diet and at the time of the adjourning of an ordinary Diet, a Committee must be elected, for which the former members are again eligible, as far as they retain their seats in the Diet. In order to complete this election the Assembly must always be permitted to meet, even immediately after its dissolution. If extraordinary conditions should make it impossible to hold such meetings, the former members [of the Committee] or their representatives must continue the business of the Committee.

ART. 107. No member of the Diet may be arrested in the course of a session without the consent of the Diet, unless he be caught in flagrante delicto.

In the latter case the Diet shall immediately be informed of the reasons for the arrest which has occurred.

ART. 108. If a member of the Diet should be arrested during the last 6 weeks before the opening of the Diet, the Committee shall immediately be informed of the reasons for the arrest.

ART. 109. During a session of the Diet the deputies receive from the public treasury a suitable per diem allowance.

CHAPTER VIII.-THE DIET COMMITTEE.

ART. 110. As long as the Diet is not in session, there will be a Committee to take its place and to transact all business which requires the cooperation of the popular representation.