ly may function if one-half of the deputies plus one
additional deputy are present. Laws and decisions are adopted by simple
majority vote with the exception of an amendment to the Constitution,
which requires a two-thirds majority of the total number of assembly
deputies. Laws and decisions are signed by the presiding officer present
at the time the decision is voted. Within ten days after adoption, laws
are required to be signed by the president of the Council of State and
published in the _Official Bulletin of the Socialist Republic of
Romania_.

The Council of State

Described as the supreme body of state power with a permanent activity,
the Council of State exercises certain permanent powers as well as
special powers that fall to it when the Grand National Assembly is not
in session. Formed of nineteen members, the Council of State is elected
by the assembly, from its own membership, at the first assembly session
as it begins a new term of office. The council's authority continues
until the election of a new Council of State by the succeeding
legislature. Although the president of the council is the head of state,
the Constitution asserts that the functioning of the council is to be
based on the principle of collective leadership. Almost all the members
of the Council of State also hold leading party posts.

Among the most important permanent powers of the Council of State are
the establishment of election dates; the appointment and recall of the
heads of central government agencies, except for the Council of
Ministers; and the ratification or denunciation of international
treaties. The president of the council represents the republic in
international relations. Other permanent powers include the granting of
senior military ranks; the conferral of honors; the granting of
citizenship, pardon, and refuge; and the appointment and recall of
diplomatic representatives.

Grand National Assembly powers that devolve to the Council of State
between assembly sessions, or in the event of exceptional circumstances
that prevent the assembly from acting, include the authority to appoint
and recall members of the Council of Ministers, members of the Supreme
Court, and the prosecutor general. Also included in this category are
powers to establish norms having the power of law, control over the
application of laws and decisions passed by the assembly, and
supervision of the Council of Ministers and other central administrativ