(1) The Governor-General may at any time prorogue or dissolve
Parliament.
(2) Subject to subsection (3), Parliament, unless sooner dissolved, shall
continue for five years from the date of the first sitting of the National
Assembly after any dissolution and shall then stand dissolved.
(3) At any time when Her Majesty is at war, Parliament may extend the period
of five years specified in subsection (2) for not more than twelve months at a
time:
Provided that the life of Parliament shall not be extended under this
subsection for more than five years.
(4) In the exercise of his powers to dissolve Parliament the Governor-General
shall act in accordance with advice of the Prime Minister:
Provided that if the office of the Prime Minister is vacant and the
Governor-General, acting in his own deliberate judgment, considers that there is
no prospect of his being able within a reasonable time to appoint to that office
a person who can command the support of the majority of the Representatives, the
Governor-General shall dissolve Parliament.
(5) If, after a dissolution of Parliament and before the holding of the
general election of Representatives, the Prime Minister advises the
Governor-General that, because of some matter of urgent national importance, it
is necessary to recall Parliament, the Governor-General shall summon the
Parliament that has been dissolved to meet, but the general election of
Representatives shall proceed and the Parliament that has been recalled shall,
if not sooner dissolved, again stand dissolved on the date appointed for the
nomination of candidates in that general election.
