Deputies will be prohibited from blocking the rostrum
Such a provision is contained in the draft law elaborated by the PAS faction in the last parliament and adopted in the first reading. Now the majority faction decided to revisit the document and put it out for public consultations.
According to the draft law, deprivation of the mandate can now take place in the case of a deputy being declared ineligible, final inability to fulfill the mandate for more than four consecutive months or unmotivated absence from any parliamentary activity for more than four months.
The draft lists a number of cases in which a deputy becomes ineligible. This includes, inter alia, “the establishment by a final ascertaining act of the fact of concluding, directly or through a third party, a certain transaction, making or participating in a decision without resolving a real conflict of interest.
Commission on Parliamentary Ethics and Conduct
The MPs also propose to set up a Commission on Parliamentary Ethics and Conduct, which will consider cases of violations of ethical norms and ensure compliance with the rules of behavior of MPs.
The commission will consist of 11 members: four each from the parliamentary majority and the opposition, and three from civil society. The nominal composition and the chairperson of the commission will be approved by a parliamentary decision on the proposal of the Permanent Bureau. The secretariat of the Standing Committee on Law, Appointments and Immunities will assist in the work of the Commission.
The bill establishes norms of conduct for parliamentarians inside and outside parliament, when interacting with secretariat staff, the media and citizens. Blocking the central rostrum, blocking access to the chamber, blocking or restricting access to microphones or creating conditions that make it impossible for parliamentary proceedings to continue will be prohibited.
Experts’ concerns
It is worth noting that in its expert report on the draft law, the National Anti-Corruption Center expressed concerns about the vagueness of some norms: there are no clear rules for the permanent profile commission, the powers of a deputy, cases of automatic termination of the mandate and deprivation of the mandate at the request of the National Integrity Authority. The draft uses vague terms, does not clarify the status of court decisions on convicted MPs, deadlines for informing about complaints and types of sanctions for violations in parliament and official travel.
