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Status
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1. A President shall stand at the head of the State.
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Place of residence.
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2. The place of residence of the President of the State
shall be Jerusalem.
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Election and period of tenure
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3. (a) The President of the State shall be elected by the
Knesset for seven years.
(b) The President will serve for one term only.
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Eligibility
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4. Every Israel national who is a resident of Israel is qualified to be a
candidate for the office of President of the State.
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Date of election
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5. The election of the President of the State shall be
held not earlier than ninety days and not later than thirty days before the
expiration of the period of tenure of the President in office. If the place
of the President of the State falls vacant before the expiration of his
period of tenure, the election shall be held within forty-five days from the
day on which such place falls vacant. The Chairman of the Knesset, in
consultation with the Deputy Chairman, shall fix the day of the election and
shall notify it to all the Members of the Knesset in writing at least twenty
days in advance. If the day of the election does not fall in one of the
session terms of the Knesset, the Chairman of the Knesset shall convene the
Knesset for the election of the President of the State.
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Proposal of candidates
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6. (a) When the day of the election has been fixed, any
ten or more Members of the Knesset may propose a candidate. The proposal
shall be in writing and shall be delivered to the Chairman of the Knesset,
together with the consent of the candidate in writing or by telegram, not
later than ten days before the day of the election. A member of the Knesset
shall not sponsor the proposal of more than one candidate.
(b) The Chairman of the Knesset shall notify all the members of
the Knesset, in writing, not later than seven days before the day of the
election, of every candidate proposed and of the names of the Members of the
Knesset who have proposed him, and shall announce the candidates at the
opening of the meeting at which the election is held.
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Voting
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7. The election of the President of the State shall be by
secret ballot at a meeting of the Knesset assigned only for that purpose.
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Election by majority of votes
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8. The candidate who has received the votes of a majority
of the Members of the Knesset is elected. If no candidate receives such a
majority, a second ballot shall be held. If there is no majority as aforesaid
at the second ballot, either, voting shall be continued. At the third and
every subsequent ballot, the candidate who at the preceding ballot received
the smallest number of votes shall no longer stand for election. The
candidate who at the third or any subsequent ballot receives a majority of
the votes of the Members of the Knesset who take part in the voting and vote
for one of the candidates is elected. If two candidates receive the same
number of votes, voting shall be repeated.
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Declaration of allegiance
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9. The President-Elect shall make and sign before the
Knesset the following declaration of allegiance:
"I pledge myself to bear allegiance to the State of Israel and to its laws and
faithfully to carry out my functions as President of the State.".
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Making of declaration and commencement of period of tenure
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10. The President-Elect shall make his declaration of
allegiance and begin to hold office upon the expiration of the period of
tenure of the preceding President of the State. If the place of the preceding
President of the State falls vacant before the expiration of his period of
tenure, the President-Elect shall make his declaration of allegiance as soon
as possible after his election and shall begin to hold office upon making his
declaration of allegiance.
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Functions and powers
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11. (a) The President of the State -
(1) shall sign every Law, other than a Law relating to its
powers;
(2) shall take action to achieve the formation of a Government
and shall receive the resignation of the Government in accordance with Law;
(3) shall receive from the Government a report on its meetings;
(4) shall accredit the diplomatic representatives of the State,
shall receive the credentials of diplomatic representatives sent to Israel by
foreign states, shall empower the consular representatives of the State and
shall confirm the appointments of consular representatives sent to Israel by
foreign states;
(5) shall sign such conventions with foreign states as have been
ratified by the Knesset;
(6) shall carry out every function assigned to him by Law in
connection with the appointment and removal from office of judges and other
office-holder's.
(b) The President of the State shall have power to pardon
offenders and to lighten penalties by the reduction or commutation thereof.
(c) The President of the State shall carry out every other
function and have every other power assigned to him by Law.
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Counter-signature
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12. The signature of the President of State on an official
document, other than a document connected with the formation of a Government,
shall require the countersignature of the Prime Minister or of such other
Minister as the Government may decide.
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Immunity with regard to discharge of functions
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13. (a) The President of the State shall not be amenable
to any court or tribunal, and shall be immune from any legal act, in respect
of anything connected with his functions or powers.
(b) The President of the State shall not, in giving evidence,
have to disclose anything which came to his knowledge in the discharge of his
functions as President of the State.
(c) The immunity of the President of the State under this
section shall continue after he has ceased to be President of the State.
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Immunity from criminal proceedings
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14. The President of the State shall not be criminally
prosecuted. The period during which, by virtue of this section, the President
of the State cannot be prosecuted for an offence shall not be counted in
calculating the period of prescription of that offence.
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Evidence
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15. If the President of the State is required to give
evidence, his evidence shall be taken at such place and time as shall be
determined with his sanction.
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Salary and other payments
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16. The salary of the President of the State, and other
payments to be made to him during or after his period of tenure, including
payments to be made to his survivors, shall be fixed by resolution of the
Knesset, which may empower the Finance Committee in that behalf. Resolutions
under this section shall be published in Reshumot.
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President to hold no other office
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17. (a) Save with the sanction of the House Committee of
the Knesset, the President of the State shall not hold any post, or exercise
any function, other than the post and functions of President of the State.
(b) The President of the State shall be exempt from all
compulsory service.
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Departure for abroad
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18. The President of the State shall not leave the
territory of the State save with the sanction of the Government.
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Resignation
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19. The President of the State may resign his office by
submitting a letter of resignation to the Chairman of the Knesset. The letter
of resignation shall not require a countersignature. The place of the
President of the State shall become vacant forty-eight hours after the letter
of resignation reaches the Chair-man of the Knesset.
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Removal of President from office
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20. (a) The Knesset may, by resolution, remove the
President of the State from office if it finds that he is unworthy of his
office owing to conduct unbecoming his status as President of the State.
(b) The Knesset shall not remove the President of the State from
office, save following a complaint brought before the House Committee by at
least twenty members of the Knesset and upon the proposal of the House
Committee passed by a three-quarters majority of the members of the
Committee. A resolution by the Knesset to remove the President from office
shall require a three-quarters majority of the Members of the Knesset.
(c) The House Committee shall not propose the removal of the
President of the State from office before he has been given an opportunity to
refute the complaint in accordance with procedure prescribed by the Committee
with the approval of the Knesset, and the Knesset shall not resolve to remove
the President of the State from office before he has been given an
opportunity to be heard in accordance with procedure prescribed by the House
Committee with the approval of the Knesset.
(d) The President of the State may be represented before the
House Committee and before the Knesset by an authorised representative. A
Member of the Knesset shall not act as the representative of the President.
The House Committee and the Knesset may summon the President of the State to
be present at proceedings under this section.
(e) Proceedings of the Knesset under this section shall be taken
at a meeting, or successive meetings, assigned solely for that purpose. The
proceedings shall begin not later than twenty days after the resolution of
the House Committee. The time of their beginning shall be notified by the
Chairman of the Knesset to all the Members of the Knesset, in writing, at
least ten days in advance. If the beginning of the proceedings does not fall
in one of the session terms of the Knesset, the Chairman of the Knesset shall
convene the Knesset for the proceedings.
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Vacation of post for reasons of health
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21. (a) The Knesset may, by resolution passed by a
majority of its members, declare that for reasons of health the President of
the State is permanently unable to carry out his functions.
(b) The Knesset shall not pass a resolution as aforesaid save
upon the proposal of the House Committee passed by a two-thirds majority of
its members on the strength of a medical opinion given in accordance with
rules prescribed by the Committee.
(c) If the Knesset resolves as aforesaid, the place of the
President of the State shall become vacant on the day of the resolution.
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Temporary cessation of exercise of office
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22. (a) The President of the State shall temporarily cease
to carry out his functions and exercise his powers -
(1) if he leaves the territory of the State - from the time of
his leaving until his
(2) if he notifies the House Committee that for reasons of
health he is temporarily unable to carry out his functions and the Knesset
Committee approves his notification by a majority of votes -- from the time
of the approval of the notification until the expiration of the period fixed
by the Committee in its resolution or until the President of the State
notifies the House Committee that he is no longer unable to carry out his
functions, whichever is the earlier date;
(3) if the House Committee, by a two-thirds majority of its
members, on the strength of a medical opinion given in accordance with rules
prescribed by the Committee, resolves that for reasons of health the
President of the State is temporarily unable to carry out his functions --
from the passing of the resolution until the expiration of the period fixed
by the House Committee in the resolution or until the House Committee resolves
that the President is no longer unable to carry out his functions.
(b) The House Committee shall not, under subsection (a)(2) or
(3), fix a period exceeding three months. It may extend the period, without a
break, up to a maximum of three additional months. Any further extension
shall require a resolution of the Knesset passed by a majority of the Members
of the Knesset upon the proposal of the House Committee.
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Interim President and Acting President
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23. (a) If the place of the President of the State has
fallen vacant, and so long as the new President has not yet begun to hold
office, the Speaker of the Knesset shall hold office as Interim President of
the State.
(b) During a period in which the President of the State has
temporarily ceased to carry out his functions and exercise his powers, the
Speaker of the Knesset shall hold office as Acting President of the State.
(c) While holding office as Interim President of the State or
Acting President of the State, the Speaker of the Knesset shall carry out the
functions assigned to the President of the State by Law and shall exercise
the powers vested in the President of the State by Law.
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Notices in Reshumot
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24. (a) The Speaker of the Knesset shall publish a notice
in Reshumot as to -
(1) the commencement of the tenure of the President of the
State;
(2) the vacancy of the place of the President of the State;
(3) the commencement and termination of the tenure of the
Speaker of the Knesset as Acting President of the State under section
22(a)(2) and (3).
(b) The Prime Minister shall publish a notice in Reshumot as to
the President's leaving the territory of the State and as to his return.
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Law not to be affected by emergency regulations
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25. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, this
Law cannot be varied, suspended, or made subject to conditions, by emergency
regulations.
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Repeal
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26. (a) There are hereby repealed -
(1) sections 2(c), 6 and 7 of the Transition Law, 5709-1949(1);
(2) the State President (Tenure) Law, 5712-1951(2);
(b) The State President, Government Members and Chief Rabbis of Israel (Fixing of Salaries)
Law, 5711-1950(3), shall no longer apply to the salary of the President of
the State or to payments due to him or his survivors.
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Transitional provision
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27. The President of the State who was elected by the
Knesset on the 27th Iyar, 5723 (21st May, 1963) shall be deemed to
have been elected, and to hold office, under this Law.
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