The government held a conference call on Tuesday to ask parliament to convene an extraordinary session to discuss several important bills - bills of amendments to laws on welfare, excises, and the financing of local government, a consumer bankruptcy bill, and a bill on renewables and highly efficient co-generation.
Under the constitution, parliament convenes twice a year, between January 15 and July 15, and between September 15 and December 15. Extraordinary sessions outside those dates are called at the request of the president, the government or the parliamentary majority. Upon receiving such a request, the speaker must convene a session within eight days.
Although an extraordinary session has been mentioned recently in the context of parliament's dissolution so that a parliamentary election can be held, ruling coalition MPs say parliament will not be dissolved at this session but that it will convene for a regular session after September 15,
Ruling MPs would not comment on unofficial reports that the coalition has agreed to propose to the president to call the election by November 15 at the latest nor would they say when parliament will be dissolved.
(Text: Hina)
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