Arrêté establishing the organisation and functioning of the Council of Ministers, Le Moniteur No. 48 of 29 July 2004

Le Moniteur, 159e année, No. 48, Thursday 29 July 2004, carrying the arrêté of 2 June 2004 on the organisation and functioning of the Council of Ministers.

The Council is the Prime Minister and the Ministers meeting under the President's chairmanship, with each of the two principals accompanied by their chief of staff (Article 4). The Prime Minister chairs in the President's absence (Article 5). It sits at the National Palace and is validly constituted with half its members present (Article 6). Secretaries of State may sit by decision of the Prime Minister in agreement with the President (Article 7); officials, experts and the heads of independent institutions may be invited to be heard but may not take part in the deliberations (Article 8). The Conseil Interdépartemental holds a deliberative vote when the agenda covers decentralisation and the country's social, economic, commercial, agricultural and industrial development planning (Article 9).

Chapter III creates the Secrétariat Général du Conseil des Ministres, headed by a Secretary General with the rank of Minister, appointed by presidential arrêté countersigned by the Prime Minister (Articles 10 to 12). The Secretary General submits the provisional agenda for the President's approval, prepares the minutes, has them signed and entered in a special register, and keeps the archive (Article 13). The Council meets at least twice a month in regular session, and in special session on convocation by the President in agreement with the Prime Minister (Article 15).

The issue also carries eleven arrêtés naming municipal commissions to run the communes of Pignon, Port-à-Piment, l'Acul du Nord, Saint Raphaël, Dondon, Borgne, Bahon, Tiburon, Quartier Morin, Sainte Suzanne and Vallières until elected councils take office, a naturalisation and a company authorisation.