The Council is an elected executive body of the Academy. It consists of the President and Vice Presidents of the Academy, the President of the Council for Sciences and of other members of the Council. The Council shall have at most seventeen members. The members of the Council, with the exception of the President and of the President of the Council for Sciences, shall be elected and recalled by the Assembly from among its members. They shall be elected by secret ballot based on proposals submitted by the Assemblies of Research Workers of the Institutes ensuring proportional representation of the main research areas of the Academy.