Section 179: Existing Parliament.

The Parliament constituted by the existing Constitution (hereinafter referred to as "the existing Parliament") shall be deemed to be the Parliament at the commencement of this Constitution and the existing Members shall be deemed Members thereof and the said Parliament shall stand dissolved not later than twelve months after the commencement of this Constitution. (2) The Constituencies into which Sierra Leone was divided immediately before the commencement of this Constitution and until other provision is made in that behalf in accordance with this Constitution shall be deemed to be the Constituencies into which Sierra Leone is divided in pursuance of section 38 of this Constitution; and the persons who immediately before the commencement of this Constitution are the elected members of the existing Parliament representing these constituencies shall be deemed as from the commencement of this Constitution to have been elected to Parliament in accordance with provisions of this Constitution as the elected Members representing the respective constituencies corresponding to those constituencies and shall hold their seats in accordance with the provisions of subsection (1). (3) The registers of voters having effect immediately before the commencement of this Constitution for the purposes of elections to the existing Parliament shall, as from the commencement of this Constitution, have effect as if they have been compiled in pursuance of this Constitution. (4) the persons who, immediately before the commencement of this Constitution, are Members of Parliament appointed by the President pursuant to the provisions in paragraph (c) of subsection (1) or section 43 of the existing Constitution, shall be deemed as from the commencement of this Constitution to be Members of Parliament until the dissolution of Parliament in accordance with the provisions of subsection (1) of this Constitution. (5) The persons who, immediately before the commencement of this Constitution are the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the existing Parliament shall be deemed as from the commencement of this Constitution to have been elected as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution and shall hold office in accordance with those provisions. (6) Until Parliament otherwise provides, any person who holds or acts in any office, the holding of which would under the existing law be a disqualification for election to Parliament, shall be deemed not to be so disqualified as though provisions in that behalf had been made in pursuance of this Constitution. (7) The Standing Orders of the existing Parliament as in force immediately before the commencement of this Constitution shall until it is otherwise provided by Parliament, be the Standing Orders of Parliament, but they shall be construed with such modifications, adaptations, qualifications and exceptions as may be necessary to bring them into conformity with this Constitution. (8) Any person who, by virtue of this section, is deemed as from the commencement of this Constitution to have been elected as Speaker or any other Member of Parliament shall be deemed to have taken and subscribed any necessary oath under this Constitution.