Selected Official Documents of the South African Republic and Great Britain | Page 7

members of the Volksraad assemble in the Council
Hall annually on the first Monday in May, or such other time as may be
indicated in their summons, whenever the President judges it necessary
that the Volksraad should come together; and daily from that time
onwards at nine o'clock in the morning, so as to be at work not less than
four to five hours a day. The assembly of the Volksraad shall be opened
and closed with a suitable prayer.
ARTICLE 51.--The President of the Volksraad is responsible that the
meetings are held according to regulations in Article 50, on neglect of
which the Volksraad can fine him in 5 to 50 Rds.
ARTICLE 52.--The maintenance of order among the persons present,
as mentioned in Article 42, must be entrusted to the Field-Cornet
appointed to that purpose by the Landrost of the district where the
session is held.
ARTICLE 53.--The Landrost shall also appoint a messenger to be at
the service of the Volksraad during the meeting.
ARTICLE 54.--The Volksraad judges all contraventions of regulations
fixed by the Volksraad, and committed in the hall of the Volksraad, and
punishes the infringers without further appeal.

ARTICLE 55.--Notice is given by the Secretary of all fines inflicted by
the Volksraad, to the Landrost under whom the persons fined reside,
and the latter sees to its execution.
OF THE STATE PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF THE
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.--THE PROPOSERS OF LAWS.
ARTICLE 56.--The executive power resides in the State President, who
is responsible to the Volksraad. He is chosen by a majority of the
burghers entitled to vote, and for the term of five years. He is eligible
for re-election. He must have attained the age of thirty years, and need
not be a burgher of the State at the time of his nomination, and must be
a member of a Protestant Church, and have no dishonouring sentence
pronounced against him. (By a subsequent law the President must be
chosen from among the burghers; he must be a burgher. Outsiders are
excluded.)
ARTICLE 57.--The President is the first or highest official of the State.
All civil servants are subordinate to him; such, however, as are charged
with exercise of the judicial power are left altogether free and
independent in its exercise.
ARTICLE 58.--As long as the President holds his position as such he
shall fill no other, nor shall he discharge any ecclesiastical office, nor
carry on any business. The President cannot go outside the boundaries
of the State without consent of the Volksraad. However, the Executive
Council shall have the power to grant him leave to go outside the
boundaries of the State upon private affairs in cases of necessity.
ARTICLE 59.--The Vice-President assumes authority in case the
President is dismissed or incapable of acting, or is absent from seat of
government.
ARTICLE 60.--The President shall be discharged from his post by the
Volksraad after conviction of misconduct, embezzlement of public
property, treachery, or other serious crimes, and be treated further
according to the laws.

ARTICLE 61.--If in consequence of transgression of the Constitution
or other public misdemeanors the Volksraad resolve that the President
shall be brought to trial, he shall be tried before a special court
composed of the members of the High Court, the President and another
member of the Volksraad, while the State Attorney acts as Public
Prosecutor. The accused shall be allowed to secure assistance of a
lawyer at his choice.
ARTICLE 62.--The President is charged with the proposing of laws to
the Volksraad, whether his own proposals or others which have come
in to him from the people; he must make these proposals known to the
public by means of the Staats Courant three months before presenting
them to the Volksraad, together with all such other documents as are
judged useful and necessary by him.
ARTICLE 63.--All proposals for a law sent in to the President shall,
before they are published, be judged by the President and Executive
Council as to whether publication is necessary or not.
ARTICLE 64.--The President submits the proposals for laws to the
Volksraad, and charges the official to whose department they belong
first and foremost, with their explanation and defence.
ARTICLE 65.--As soon as the President has received the notice of the
Volksraad that the proposed law is adopted, he shall have that law
published within two months, and after the lapse of a month, to be
reckoned from the publication, he shall take measures for the execution
of the same.
ARTICLE 66.--Proclamation of martial law, as intended in Article 23,
shall only be made by the President with the assent of the members of
the Executive Council. This proclamation must, however, take place in
case of pressing danger, and the law shall then at once be put into
execution; the decision with regard to