Speaker of the Parliament of Lashardia

The **Speaker of the Parliament of Lashardia** is the presiding officer of the Parliament of Lashardia.

The Speaker is the third-highest ranking official in Lashardian government, following the President and Prime Minister. Typically, the Speaker is a member of the second largest party that is a member of the current coalition government, however this is not always true.

The Speaker usually does not personally preside over debates, instead delegating the duty to members of the Parliament from the coalition government. The Speaker usually does not participate in debates and rarely votes.

Aside from duties relating to heading the Parliament and the coalition government, the Speaker also performs administrative and procedural functions.

## Selection

The Parliament elects the Speaker on the first day of every new Congress and in the event of the death or resignation of an incumbent Speaker. There are normally two nominations, one from the coalition government and one from the opposition that are previously decided upon. Each MP then announces the name of the nominee they are voting for. Typically the nominee from the coalition government will always win. MPs are not restricted to voting for one of the nominated candidates and may vote for any person, even for someone who is not a member of the Parliament at all. They may also abstain by voting "present".

Although no rule exists, based on tradition and practice from the earliest days of the nation, to be elected speaker a candidate must receive an absolute majority of all votes cast for individuals, i.e. excluding those who abstain. If no candidate wins such a majority, then the roll call is repeated until a speaker is elected. However, this has never actually happened.

The new Speaker is then sworn in by the Dean of the Parliament of Lashardia, the Parliament's longest-serving member. In modern practice, the Speaker is chosen by the coalition government from among its senior leaders either when a vacancy in the office arrives or when the coalition government changes. It is expected that members of the House vote for their party's candidate. If they do not, they usually vote for someone else in their party or vote "present". Those who vote for the other party's candidate often face serious consequences, up to and including the loss of seniority.

Results of the 2014 Speaker of Parliament election

## Partisan role

The Constitution does not spell out the political role of the Speaker. As the office has developed historically, however, it has taken on a clearly partisan cast. The Speaker in the Lashardia, by tradition, is a high-ranking member of a party in the coalition government in the Parliament of Lashardia. However, despite having the right to vote, the Speaker usually does not participate in debate and rarely votes.

The Speaker is responsible for ensuring that the Parliament passes legislation supported by the majority party. In pursuing this goal, the Speaker may use their power to determine when each bill reaches the floor. They also chair the majority party's steering committee in the House. While the Speaker is the functioning head of the Parliament coalition government.

When the Speaker and the President belong to the same party, the Speaker tends to play the role in a more ceremonial light. Nevertheless, there are times when the Speaker plays a much larger role if the President is a fellow member of their party, and thus, the Speaker is tasked with pushing through the agenda of the majority party, often at the expense of the minority opposition. On the other hand, when the Speaker and the President belong to opposite parties, the public role and influence of the Speaker tend to increase. As the highest-ranking member of the opposition party (and in effect a *de facto* Leader of the Opposition), the Speaker is normally the chief public opponent of the President's agenda. In this scenario, the Speaker is known for undercutting the President's agenda by blocking measures by the opposition or rejecting bills.

## Presiding officer

As presiding officer of the Parliament, the Speaker holds a variety of powers over the Parliament and is the second highest-ranking legislative official in the Lashardian government, after the Prime Minister. The Speaker may delegate his powers to a member of the Parliament to act as Speaker *pro tempore* and preside over the Parliament in the Speaker's absence; when this has occurred the delegation has always been to a member of the same party. During important debates, the Speaker *pro tempore* is ordinarily a senior member of the coalition government who may be chosen for his skill in presiding. At other times, more junior members may be assigned to preside to give them experience with the rules and procedures of the Parliament. The Speaker may also designate, with approval of the Parliament, a Speaker *pro tempore* for special purposes.

Under the Rules of the Parliament, the Speaker, "as soon as practicable after the election of the Speaker and whenever appropriate thereafter," must deliver to the Clerk of the Parliament a confidential list of Members who are designated to act as Speaker in the case of a vacancy caused by an emergency, such as a terrorist attack.

On the floor of the House, the presiding officer is always addressed as "Mister Speaker" or "Madam Speaker," even if it is a Speaker *pro tempore*, and not the Speaker themselves. When the Parliament resolves itself into a Committee of the Whole, the Speaker designates a member to preside over the Committee as the Chairman, who is addressed as "Mister Chairman" or "Madam Chairwoman." To speak, members must seek the presiding officer's recognition. The presiding officer also rules on all points of order but such rulings may be appealed to the whole Parliament. The Speaker is responsible for maintaining decorum in the Parliament and may order the Sergeant-at-Arms to enforce House rules.

The Speaker's powers and duties extend beyond presiding in the chamber. In particular, the Speaker has great influence over the committee process. The Speaker selects eight of the fifteen members of the powerful Grand Committee, subject to the approval of the entire coalition government. The leadership of the opposition chooses the remaining seven members. Furthermore, the Speaker appoints all members of select committees and conference committees. Moreover, when a bill is introduced, the Speaker determines which committee will consider it. As a member of the Parliament, the Speaker is entitled to participate in debate and to vote but, by custom, only does so in exceptional circumstances. Ordinarily, the Speaker votes only when the Speaker's vote would be decisive or on matters of great importance, such as constitutional amendments or major legislation.