Croatian Parliament

- Constitution of Croatia

Croatian Parliament - Constitution of the Republic of Croatia. Government and Croatian Laws.

Croatian Parliament

IV ORGANIZATION OF GOVERNMENT

1. The Croatian Parliament

The Croatian Parliament (Sabor) is a body of the elected representatives of the people and is vested with the legislative power in the republic of Croatia.
The Croatian Parliament shall consist of the House of Representatives (Zastupni_ki dom) and the House of Counties (_upanijski dom).

The House of Representatives shall have no less than 100 and no more than 160 representatives, elected on the basis of direct universal and equal suffrage by secret ballot.
Citizens in every county shall on the basis of universal suffrage directly and by secret ballot elect 3 representatives to the House of Counties.
The President of the Republic shall upon the expiry of his term become a lifelong member of the Chamber of Counties, unless he explicitly renounces this duty.
The President of the Republic may nominate up to 5 representatives to the House of Counties from among citizens especially deserving for the Republic.

Representatives in the Houses of the Croatian Parliament shall be elected for a term of four years.
No one shall at the same time be a representative in the House of Representatives and the House of Counties.
The number of and conditions and procedure for the election of representatives to the Houses of the Croatian Parliament shall be regulated by law.

Elections for representatives in the Houses of the Croatian Parliament shall be held not later than 60 days after the expiry of the mandate or the dissolution of the Houses of the Croatian Parliament.
The first session of the Houses of the Croatian Parliament shall be held not later than 20 days after the completion of the elections.

Representatives in the Croatian Parliament shall not have an imperative mandate.
Representatives in the Croatian Parliament shall have a regular financial remuneration and shall have other rights specified by law.

Representatives in the Croatian Parliament shall enjoy immunity.
No representative shall be called to account criminally, detained or punished for an opinion expressed or a vote cast in the Parliament.
No representative shall be detained, nor shall criminal proceedings be instituted against him without approval thereof by the House of which he is a member.
A representative may be detained without assent of his Parliament only if he has been caught in the act of committing a criminal offense which carries a penalty of imprisonment of more than five years. In such a case, the Chairman of the House concerned shall be notified thereof.
If the House is not in session, approval for the detention of the representative, or for the continuation of criminal proceedings against him, shall be given and his right to immunity decided by the Parliamentary Immunity and Mandate Commission of his House, such a decision being subject to subsequent confirmation by the House.

The term of office of representatives in the Croatian Parliament may be extended by law only in the case of war.

The House of Representatives and the House of Counties may be dissolved if so decided by majority of all their representatives.
The President of the Republic may, in conformity with the Constitution, dissolve the House of Representatives.

The Houses of the Croatian Parliament shall be in regular session twice a year: the first time between January 15 and June 30, and the second time between September 15 and December 15.
The Houses of the Croatian Parliament shall sit in emergency session at the request of the President of the Republic, the Government or the majority of representatives in the House.

The internal organization and mode of work of the House of Representatives and the House of Counties shall be regulated by their respective rules of procedure.
The rules of procedure shall be passed by a majority vote of all representatives.
The House of Representatives and the House of Counties shall each have a Chairman and one or more Vice-Chairmen.
The rights and duties of the Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen shall be defined by the Houses' rules of procedure.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives shall be the Chairman of the Croatian Parliament.

The House of Representatives shall:

decide on the enactment and amendment of the Constitution;
pass laws;
adopt the state budget;
decide on war and peace;
decide on alterations of the borders of the Republic;
call referenda;
carry out elections, appointments and relief of office, in conformity with the Constitution and law;
supervise the work of the Government of the Republic of Croatia and other holders of public powers responsible to the Parliament, in conformity with the Constitution and law;
grant amnesty for penal offenses;
conduct other affairs as specified by the Constitution.

The House of Counties:

shall propose to the House of Representatives bills and the calling of referenda;
shall discuss and may give opinion on questions falling within the competence of the House of Representatives;
shall give to the House of Representatives prior opinion on the procedure for the enactment of the Constitution and laws which regulate national rights, elaborate constitutionally determined freedoms and rights of man and the citizen and the electoral system, the organization, responsibilities and operation of government bodies, and the organization of local self- government and administration;
may, within a period of 15 days from the date of the passage of a law in the House of Representatives, with a substantiated opinion return the law for re-consideration in the House of Representatives. In such case, the House of Representatives shall decide on the passage of such a law by a majority vote of all representatives, except when the House of Representatives passes laws by a two-thirds majority;
shall conduct other affairs as specified by the Constitution.

Unless otherwise specified by the Constitution, the House of Representatives and the House of Counties shall make decisions by a majority vote, provided that a majority of representatives are present at the session.
Representatives shall vote personally.

Laws which regulate national rights shall be passed by the House of Representatives by a two-thirds majority vote of all representatives.
Laws which elaborate the constitutionally defined freedoms and the rights of man and the citizen, the electoral system, the organization, responsibilities and operation of local self- government and administration shall be passed by the House of Representatives by a majority vote of all representatives.

Sessions of the Croatian Parliament shall be public.

All representatives of the House of Representatives, working bodies of the House of Representatives, the House of Counties and the Government of the Republic of Croatia shall have the right to propose laws.

Representatives in the Houses of the Croatian Parliament shall, in conformity with the rules of procedure, have the right to put questions to the Government of the Republic of Croatia and to individual ministers.

The House of Representatives may call a referendum on a proposal for the amendment of the Constitution, or a bill or any other issue falling within its competence.
The President of the Republic may, at the proposal of the Government and with the counter-signature of the Prime Minister, call a referendum on a proposal for the amendment of the Constitution or on any other issue which he considers to be important for the independence, unity and existence of the Republic.
At such a referendum, a decision shall be made by the majority of the voters who voted, provided that the majority of the total number of electors have taken part in the referendum.
Decisions made at referenda shall be binding.
A law shall be passed on referenda.

The House of Representatives may, for a maximum period of one year, authorize the Government of the Republic of Croatia to regulate by decrees individual issues falling within its competence, except those relating to the elaboration of constitutionally defined freedoms and rights, national rights, the electoral system, the organization, responsibilities and operation of government bodies and local self-government.
Decrees based on statutory authority shall not have a retroactive effect.
Decrees passed on the basis of statutory authority shall cease to be valid after the expiry of a period of one year from the date when the House of Representatives received such authority, unless otherwise decided by the House of Representatives.

Laws shall be promulgated by the President of the Republic within eight days from the date when they were, in conformity with the Constitution, passed in the House of Representatives.

Before coming into force, laws shall be published in Narodne novine, the Republic's official gazette.
A law shall come into force at the earliest on the eighth day after its publication, unless otherwise specified by law for especially justified reasons. Only individual provisions of a law may have a retroactive effect.

State revenues and expenditures shall be determined by the state budget.
A law whose application demands financial funds shall specify the sources of such funds.

The Houses of the Croatian Parliament may form inquiry commissions regarding any issue of public interest.
The composition, responsibilities and powers of inquiry commissions shall be in accord with law.

An ombudsman, who shall be a commissioner of the Croatian Parliament, shall protect the constitutional and legal rights of citizens in proceedings before government administration and bodies vested with public powers.
The ombudsman shall be elected by the House of Representatives for a term of eight years.
Conditions for the election and relief of office and the mode of work of the ombudsman and his deputies shall be regulated by law.

Historical Foundations

Basic Provisions

Fundamental Freedoms And Rights Of Man And Citizen

Common Provisions

Personal and Political Liberties and Rights

Economic Social and Cultural Rights

Organisation of Government

Croatian Parliament

President of the Republic of Croatia

Government of the Republic of Croatia

Judicial Power

Public Prosecution Service