12. (1) The President may, at any one time or from time to time, grant to himself during his term of office leave of absence for urgent reasons of health or private affairs for a period not exceeding four months in the aggregate under intimation to the ¹[Speaker]: Provided that the President may extend this period of four months with prior intimation to the ²[Speaker]. (2) The leave allowance of the President shall be at the rate of Taka 2,500 per mensem free of income tax.