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PRESIDENCY OF THE PARLIAMENT |
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| Chamber: | |||||
| Nationalrat - Conseil national - Consiglio nazionale | |||||
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| Title: | |||||
| President of the National Council | |||||
| Term: | |||||
| - duration: 1 year - reasons for interruption of the term: resignation, death |
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| Appointment: | |||||
| - elected by the Members of the Council - the election is held every year at the beginning of the winter session, following validation of Members' mandates and swearing-in |
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| Eligibility: | |||||
| - all Members of the Council (barring the outgoing President) can be candidates | |||||
| Voting system: | |||||
| - formal vote by secret ballot - an absolute majority of the valid ballots cast is required - several rounds if no candidate obtains the required majority - the first two rounds are free - however, starting with the third round, the candidate with the fewest votes must withdraw |
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| Procedures / results: | |||||
| - the oldest Member presides over the Chamber during the voting - the tellers supervise the voting - the presiding officer of the sitting announces the results without delay - the results cannot be challenged |
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STATUS |
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| Status: | |||||
| - ranks fourth in the hierarchy of State, after the President of the Confederation, the Vice-President of the Federal Council and the five other federal councillors - ranks first in the order of precedence between the Presidents of the two Houses - presides over joint sittings of both Houses (Federal Assembly) - represents the National Council in international bodies - presides ex officio over the Board, the administrative delegation, the Co-ordinating Conference and, at present, the delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE - in case of absence, the President is replaced by the Vice-President or former President who is still an MP. Should a vacancy arise before the beginning of the summer session, the Council elects a new President without delay |
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| Board: | |||||
| - The Board is regulated by the Standing Orders of the National Council - consists of 15 Members (President, Vice-President, tellers, 9 presidents of groups) - a 4-year term for tellers - the groups elects their presidents - meets before each session and as need be during sessions at the President's initiative - is a decision-making body |
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| Material facilities: | |||||
| - allowance - additional allowance of SF 20,000 - official car - secretariat for the President's Office |
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FUNCTIONS |
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| Organization of parliamentary business: | |||||
| - establishes and modifies the agenda, while respecting the timetable laid down by the Board - organizes the debates and sets speaking time |
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| Chairing of public sittings: | |||||
| - can open, adjourn and close sittings - ensures respect for provisions of the Constitution and Standing Orders - makes announcements concerning the Council (e.g. reads out the agenda for the next sitting of the National Council - 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 - 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 texts adopted and the records of debates - interprets the rules or other regulations governing the life of the Council |
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| Special powers: | |||||
| - takes part in the establishment of the budget as part of the administrative delegation, together with the President of the other Chamber - confirms certain appointments made by the administrative delegation - takes part in the appointment of the Secretary General as part of the Co-ordinating Conference - this appointment is, formally speaking, within the competence of the government - is consulted with regard to the organization of the services of Parliament - is regularly briefed by the government on the foreign relations situation, on planned projects within the framework of international organizations and on negotiations conducted with foreign States - is responsible for relations with foreign Parliaments, in agreement with the Co-ordinating Conference - is responsible for safety, and in this capacity, can call the police in the event of disturbance in the Chamber |
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| Speaking and voting rights, other functions: | |||||
| - takes the floor in legislative debates (in which case he lets the Deputy President preside) - only votes in case of a tie - proposes bills or amendments |
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Choose one of the thematic modules below for further information grouped by category. Alternatively, you can access the full text of the PARLINE data about this parliament (downloading will take longer). |
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Last Elections | Parliamentary Mandate | Full text | Parliamentary Oversight PARLINE database: new search |
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