New Parliament, election of speaker of the house and officials – procedure

The general election will choose Members of Parliament for the next Parliament, usually In this election, 225 Members of Parliament will be elected, with 196 chosen by public vote and 29 through the National List.

The first session of the new parliament will be announced according to a notification issued by the President.

On the first day, the Secretary-General of Parliament will handle the main responsibilities. New MPs will not have assigned seats on this day. The Secretary-General will present the notification from the President, which specifies the date and time for the Parliament’s meeting.

Following this, the Speaker will be elected by vote, and the Speaker will then administer the official oath of office. Afterward, Members of Parliament will take their official oath, and the Deputy Speaker and Deputy Chairperson of Committees will be elected by vote.

A Member of Parliament can be appointed as the Speaker, but it is important to confirm that the Member is willing to accept the position before nominating them. The election of the Speaker will proceed based on nominations made by Members, without any debate.

The Secretary-General will inform the House that the Speaker must be appointed first. When a member proposes a name, the Secretary-General will direct the House’s attention to that nomination. If no other nominations are presented, the Member is elected as Speaker.

It is a tradition for the two Members who proposed and seconded the Speaker’s name to escort the elected Member to the Speaker’s chair. The Speaker will then take their official oath of office before the Secretary-General. Before taking their seat, the newly appointed Speaker will briefly thank the House for the appointment.

Congratulatory remarks will be offered by both government and Opposition representatives, followed by a statement of thanks from the Speaker. The remaining Members will then take their official oath before the Speaker.

If two Members are proposed for the position of Speaker, a secret ballot will be conducted. During the ballot, a five-minute Quorum Bell will signal Members to prepare. The Secretary-General will distribute ballot papers to each Member, who will write the name of their chosen candidate and sign the paper. Members will then fold the ballot paper discreetly and place it in the ballot box. The Secretary-General will tally the votes and announce the result to the House. If a ballot paper lacks the Member’s signature, it will be deemed invalid.

If three Members are proposed for the position of Speaker and no candidate secures an absolute majority, the candidate with the least number of votes will be eliminated, and a new round of voting will be conducted. This process will continue until one candidate secures an absolute majority.

If there is a tie between two candidates, a re-vote will be conducted. If the tie persists, the Secretary-General will select the Speaker by drawing lots.

After the vote, the ballot papers will be kept under the custody of the Secretary-General for one month before being destroyed, as directed by Parliament.

All elected Members of Parliament must sign the Member roll after taking their oath on the first day. The Speaker signs first, followed by the Prime Minister, and then the other Members. This signed record is maintained as a highly secure document.

When the Deputy Speaker and Deputy Chairperson of Committees are to be elected, the Speaker will conduct all notifications and voting procedures. After nominations are made, the Speaker will ask if there are any further nominations. If none are forthcoming, the nominated Members will be elected to their positions. If a vote is necessary, the procedure will mirror that of the Speaker’s election, with the Speaker conducting the voting instead of the Secretary-General.

After these activities, Parliament will be adjourned until the next scheduled parliamentary day. If the President addresses Parliament to present the government policy statement, the House will be temporarily suspended. When Parliament reconvenes, the President will present the policy statement and then adjourn Parliament until the next scheduled day.