d the national budget and provides
for their implementation. In addition, it directs the establishment of
the economic enterprises and other industrial and commercial
organizations (see ch. 14). The council's responsibilities also include
the general administration of relations with other states, the
conclusion of international agreements, and the general organization of
the armed forces.

Formally elected by the Grand National Assembly at the beginning of each
new assembly session, the council's term of office continues until the
election of a new council by the succeeding assembly. Both collectively
and individually, the council members are responsible to the Grand
National Assembly; and in the interval between assembly sessions, to the
Council of State. The Constitution asserts that the Council of Ministers
is to operate on the principle of collective leadership to ensure the
unity of its political and administrative actions.

In late 1969 the Grand National Assembly enacted legislation aimed at
strengthening the concept of collective leadership in the ministries and
extending the principle to other national administrative agencies. In
the case of the Council of Ministers, the measure provided for the
establishment of a collegium in each ministry consisting of the
minister, department heads, certain specialists, and representatives of
labor unions or other organizations. Purposes of the collegium included
collective decisionmaking, review of ministry activities, and
recommendations on ministry programs and policies. The meetings of the
collegium, at which decisions are made by majority vote, are also
attended by representatives of the PCR appointed by the party Central
Committee. In the event of serious disagreements within the collegium,
the law provides for the matter to be referred to the Council of
Ministers. No such disagreements have been reported, however.

Since the promulgation of the 1965 Constitution, the Council of
Ministers has been reorganized several times. In late 1971 the
importance of a number of the ministries and state commissions was
emphasized by the prominence of the party position held by their
ministers or chairmen: almost all of the members of the Council of
Ministers were either full or alternate members of the PCR Central
Committee; the chairmen of the General Union of Trade Unions, the
National Union of Agricultural Production Cooperatives, and the State
Planning Committee were full me