PRESIDENCY OF THE PARLIAMENT
Chamber:
Yehizib Twekayoch Mekir Bete
APPOINTMENT AND TERM OF OFFICE
Title:
Speaker of the House of People's Representatives
Term:
- duration: 5 years (term of House)
- reasons for interruption of the term:
resignation, death, dissolution
Appointment:
- elected by all the Members of the House
- election is held at the first
sitting of the newly elected House or when a vacancy occurs
Eligibility:
- any Member can be a candidate
- formal notification is required
- candidatures must be deposited at least two months before the election
Voting system:
- formal vote by secret ballot
- 2/3 majority is required in the first round
Procedures / results:
- the Head of the electorate board presides over the House during the voting
- the electorate board supervises the voting
- the electorate board announces the results within a month time
STATUS
Status:
- ranks third in the hierarchy of the State
- in the absence of the Speaker,
the Deputy Speaker can assume his/her role and functions
Board:
Material facilities:
NA (no information received)
FUNCTIONS
Organization of parliamentary business:
- convenes sessions
- establishes and modifies the agenda
- organizes the debates and sets speaking time
- examines the admissibility of bills and amendments
- refers texts to a committee for study
- examines the admissibility of request for setting up committees and/or committees of enquiry, proposes or decides on the setting up of such
committees
Chairing of public sittings:
- can open, adjourn and close sittings
- ensures respect for provisions of the
Constitution and Standing Orders
- makes announcements concerning the House
- takes
disciplinary measures in the event of disturbance, and lifts such measures
- establishes the list of speakers, gives and withdraws permission to speak
- establishes the order in which amendments are taken up and selects which amendments are to be debated
- calls for a vote, decides how it is to be carried out, verifies the voting procedure and cancels a vote in the event of irregularities
- checks the quorum
- authenticates the adopted texts and the records of debates
- has discretionary power to give the floor outside the agenda and thus organizes impromptu debates
Special powers:
- is responsible for establishing the budget
- is responsible for relations with foreign Parliaments
- is responsible for safety, and in
this capacity, can call the police in the event of disturbance in the House
Speaking and voting rights, other functions:
- takes the floor in legislative debates
- provides guidelines for the
interpretation or completion of the text under discussion
- proposes bills or amendments
- intervenes in the parliamentary oversight procedure |
