Standing and Temporary Committees
The National Assembly and the Council of State are assisted by Standing Committees whose members are elected from among its ranks. Each of these committees is composed of Deputies who are knowledgeable about the matters it handles.
As set forth in the Constitution, the President of the National Assembly has the responsibility to direct and organize the work of these committees.
Their activities help maintain the continuity of the National Assembly’s work between sessions. Moreover, the various preparatory efforts carried out by the Deputies in each of these committees continuosly link them to realities of national life.
Parliamentary authority is reinforced not only by legislative activity, but also by the important role that these committees play in monitoring management of state and government. This monitoringincludes report-backs by ministers and officials, and most importantly, by contact with the daily life of the population and by permanent discussion through public meetings, where citizens express their opinions about issues important to the country.
When an issue is submitted for discussion and approval in the sessions of the National Assembly, it has already been analyzed by the members of the appropiate Standing Committee. The Deputies members of these committees dedicate considerable time to these deliberations, consulting with many sectors of the population.
The Standing Committees hold meetings in which state and government officials and specialists participate. Once the study of the proposed legislation has been completed and accompanying resolutions adopted, the debate is extended to each of the 14 provinces, including the deputies that live in the territory and also municipal and provincial delegates, representatives of social organizations and specialists.
In this way, when a bill is presented to Parliament, the issue has been broadly publicized and discussed. Lawmakers enrich the proposed legislation with their own points of view.
The committees are either standing or temporary, depending on their objectives and work. The standing committees function throughout the legislative term (five years), while the temporary ones are dissolved as soon as they have carried out the specific tasks assigned to them.
The standing committees of the National Assembly are organized by branch of production or services, or by sphere of activities. They are not professional. These collectives are designated by the plenary of the National Assembly and are usually composed of 20 deputies, who select a Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Secretary from among their number.
By virtue of the powers granted to them under the procedural rules of the National Assembly of People’s Power, the committees may request reports from the bodies of the State's Central Administration, from judicial bodies and all institutional levels of People’s Power.
Standing Committees have been named in the following spheres: