I. – Subject to the cases provided for in the third paragraph of this article and in article D. 4233-3, the term of office of the members and substitute members of the Ordinary Council is six years.
Half of the councils of the Order are renewed every three years.
In the event of an election involving all the elected members of a council, in order to allow for a subsequent renewal by half, lots are drawn in accordance with the procedures laid down in the electoral regulations at the first meeting following this election to determine the pairs of members or the members whose term of office expires at the end of three or six years respectively.
This draw is made between the pairs of members or the members elected within each delegation or departmental, regional or professional category college.
If, in a Council, certain colleges have an uneven number of members, lots are drawn beforehand between these colleges to determine which will have an initial number of six-year terms immediately greater than half their number, the others having a number immediately less, so that the total number of six-year terms in the Council as a whole is equal to or immediately greater than half the number of elected members of this Council.
II. – An ordinal councillor or substitute ordinal councillor called upon to replace the titular councillor, absent and unrepresented without a valid reason for three consecutive meetings, may, on the proposal of the council concerned, be declared to have resigned automatically by the national council.
III. – The term of office of elected ordinal councillors ends when the results of the election to renew their seats are announced.
During the interval between the announcement of the results and the first meeting of the Council following the renewal by half, at which the new executive committee is to be elected, the current executive committee carries out current business.