VIII. The National General Assembly—Its Organisation and its Duties
Article 57.—The National General Assembly is composed of 140 deputies, of whom
| I. | One-seventh, that is twenty, are ecclesiastical deputies elected by the ecclesiastics in Constantinople. |
| II. | Two-sevenths, that is forty, are deputies from the provinces. |
| III. | Four-sevenths, that is eighty, are deputies elected by the different quarters in Constantinople. |
Article 58.—The members of the Religious and Political Assemblies attend the sittings of the General Assembly, but if they are not elected deputies they have no vote in the General Assembly.
Article 59.—The General Assembly can have no sitting if the majority of its members, that is at least seventy-one persons, be not present.
Article 60.—The functions of the General Assembly are to elect the Patriarchs, to participate in the election of the Katholikos, to elect the chief functionaries of the nation and the members of the Religious and Political Assemblies; to oversee the administration of the National Councils, to settle questions which belong to these Councils but are considered beyond their capacity, and to preserve the National Constitution intact.
Article 61,—The General Assembly will have a sitting
I. Once in two years, according to the old custom, in the latter part of the month of April, to hear the biennial report of the National Administration, to examine the general account of revenues and expenditures managed by financial functionaries, to elect new members for the Religious and Political Assemblies, to settle the national taxation for the next two years.
These biennial sittings should close within two months.
The members of the National Administrative Assemblies who are at the same time deputies in the General Assembly can take part in the discussions in these sittings, but cannot vote in any question except those of taxation and election,
II. To participate in the election of the Katholikos,
III. To elect the Patriarch of Constantinople, and the Patriarch of Jerusalem,
IV. To settle any discord between the Patriarch and the Political or Religious Assemblies. In such cases the parties in discord may take part in the discussions in the General Assembly, but can give no votes,
V. To revise the national Constitution,
Finally, for any question the decision of which belongs to the General Assembly.
But in case of such extraordinary sittings notice is given to the Sublime Porte and its consent is previously obtained.
Article 62.—The Patriarch convokes the General Assembly with the consent of the Political or of the Religious Assembly, or even at the
