One way of doing this, suggested in the NCA draft constitution and the Law Society’s model constitution, would be to allow Parliament to determine when and how often it should sit. The President would be required to summon Parliament within 21 days after a general election, and after that it would be up to Parliament to work out its own sittings. In the interests of efficiency, Parliament would probably have to prepare some sort of time-table for its sittings, but this could be done through its standing orders rather than through Presidential order. Even the power to dissolve Parliament could be conferred on Parliament itself rather than on the President. This would have to be done by an increased majority, say a two-thirds majority, of all the members of Parliament (or of the lower chamber of Parliament, if there is to be a bicameral legislature). Conclusion One important point should be made before ending. Whatever the form of the legislature in the new constitution, and however much power it is given, it will only be effective if effective members are elected to it. Its effectiveness, in other words, will depend on the quality of its members. That in turn will depend, at least partly, on the form of the electoral system. And that will be the subject of another paper. ___________________________ 55