Speaker of the Assembly of State (Portucale)
The Speaker of the Assembly is the Chief Officer and the Second Highest Authority in the Assembly of State in the Portucale Republic.
The Speaker is responsible for maintaining order during debate, and may punish members who break the rules of the Assembly. In common with presiding officers in other parliamentary systems, speakers remain strictly non-partisan and renounce all affiliation with their former political parties when taking office and afterwards. The Speaker does not take part in debate or vote (except to break ties; and even then, the convention is that the speaker casts the tie-breaking vote which results either in further debate or a vote for the status quo). Aside from duties relating to presiding over the House, the Speaker also performs administrative and procedural functions.
| Speaker of the Assembly | |
|---|---|
| Presidente da Assembleia | |
Incumbent None Elected | |
| Assembly of State | |
| Style | Mr (Madam) Speaker |
| Member of | Assembly of State |
| Nominator | Assembly of State |
| Appointer | Assembly of State Approved and Sworn in by the Grand Duke |
| Term length | At His Grace's Pleasure |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Portucale |
| Formation | 3rd of December 2021 |
| Deputy | Deputy Speakers of the Assembly |
History
The role of Speaker of the Assembly was established on the 3rd of December 2021 with the foundation of the Assembly of the Republic in the Portucale Republic. Then it evolved into Speaker of the Assembly of State
Non-Partisanship
By convention the Speaker severs all ties with their political party while in office, as it is considered essential they be seen as an impartial presiding officer.
Seat in the Assembly
The Speaker will customarily seek re-election at a general election typically not attached to a party but as "The Speaker Seeking Re-Election".
Role
Presiding Officer
The Speaker's primary function is to preside over the Assembly of State. According to parliamentary rules, the Speaker is the second highest authority of the Assembly and has final say over how its business is conducted when the Prime Minister or Head of the Assembly are not in the House.
Whilst presiding, the speaker sits in a chair at the front of the House. Traditionally, members supporting the Government sit on his or her right, and those supporting the Opposition on his or her left.
Members direct their speeches not to the whole House, but to the speaker, using the words "Mister Speaker" or "Madam Speaker". Members must refer to each other in the third person by the name of their constituency or their ministerial titles (not their names); they may not directly address anyone other than the speaker (who does call them by name). In order to remain neutral, the speaker generally refrains from making speeches, although there is nothing to prevent him or her from doing so.
During debate, the speaker is responsible for maintaining discipline and order,and rules on all points of order (objections made by members asserting that a rule of the Assembly has been broken); the decisions may not be appealed. In addition, the speaker has other powers that may be used to maintain orderly debate. Usually, the speaker attempts to end a disruption, or "calls members to order", by loudly repeating "ORDER! ORDER!". If members do not follow instructions, the speaker may punish them by demanding that they leave the Assembly for the remainder of the day's sitting.
For serious disobedience, the speaker may "name" a member, by saying "I name [Mr/Mrs X]." (deliberately breaching the convention that members are only referred to by reference to their constituency, "The [Right] Honourable Member for [Y]"). The Assembly may then vote to suspend the member "named" by the Speaker, for five sitting days for a first offence. In case of "grave disorder", the speaker may immediately adjourn the entire sitting.