|
The Legislature of Panama comprises the legislative assembly that was created as a result of the amendments made in the Panama Constitution in 1983. The 67 member legislative assembly in the Legislature of Panama is a unicameral body. All the 67 members have an alternate, who like the members themselves are elected for a tenure of five years.
A nominee in the Panama legislative election has to be a Panamanian by birth or by naturalization and should be more than 21 years of age. For naturalization, the candidate is needed to have resided in Panama for fifteen consecutive years. The Legislature of Panama holds a total of two four month sessions in a year. Special sessions can also be conducted if the president calls for it.
The Legislature of Panama has great power in the Government of Panama. Starting from assigning the judges and the magistrates in the Panama judiciary, the power of the legislative assembly extends to creating, modifying or repealing laws.
Some of the other functions of the Panama Legislature include approving treaties, declaring wars, providing amnesty for certain political offenses, modulating taxes, passing national budget bills and impeaching members of the executive or judicial branches in the Panama Government. The Legislature of Panama has no power to administer the activities of the Panama military.
|
