Speaker of the House of Assembly (Albia)
| Speaker of the House of Assembly | |
|---|---|
Incumbent Vacant | |
| House of Assembly | |
| Style | Mr/Madam Speaker (informal) The Right Honourable (formal) |
| Type | Presiding Officer |
| Member of | House of Assembly Privy Council |
| Nominator | House of Assembly |
| Appointer | Monarch of Albia |
| Term length | At His Majesty's Pleasure |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Albia |
| Formation | 12 June 2022 |
| Deputy | Deputy Speaker of the House |
The Speaker of the House of Assembly is the presiding officer of the House of Assembly, the lower house and primary chamber of the Parliament of Albia.
History
The office of Speaker of the House was established on 12 June 2022 by Luke I of Albia. It was founded to be an officer of the monarch in parliament and to oversee the House of Assembly on the monarch's behalf.
Appointment
The speaker is nominated by the House of Albia, with the nomination being selected by election. Then the Monarch of Albia may decide to approve or deny the nomination. If the monarch approves, then they will swear the nominee into office.
When an officeholder takes office they are required to renounce any party membership and must remain non-partisan during their time in office.
Role
Presiding Officer
The speaker's primary function is to preside over the House of Assembly. The Speaker is the highest authority in the House and has final say in how the house's business is conducted.
While presiding the Speaker sits centrally in the House with the Government on the speaker's right and the opposition on the speaker's left.
During debate, the speaker is responsible for maintaining discipline and order, and rules. 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 House for the remainder of the day's sitting. For grave disobedience, the speaker may "name" a member, by saying "I name [Mr/Mrs X]." The House 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. In addition to maintaining discipline, the speakers must ensure that debate proceeds smoothly. If they finds that a member is making irrelevant remarks, is tediously repetitive, or is otherwise attempting to delay proceedings, they may order the member to end the speech.
Casting Votes
When the Ayes and Noes are tied, the speaker must use the casting vote.
Precedence and Privileges
The speaker is one of the highest-ranking officials in the Kingdom of Albia. Speakers, according with their high order of precedence, are appointed to the Privy Council on election. Thus they keep entitlement to the style "The Right Honourable" and post nominal letters PC.