Indicator: 1.4 Parliamentary organization

Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. is a unique setting that brings together MPs with equal status who represent diverse political opinions. Organizing the work of parliament therefore requires a collective decision-making system and a complex structure.

The plenary is the most visible part of parliament’s work and represents the culmination of the business carried out in committees. The presidium, as a collective governing body, ensures that political issues are submitted before parliament, while the Speaker Speaker The highest authority and principal presiding officer of the parliament, or of the house or chamber in bicameral parliaments. The Speaker is usually an MP elected at the beginning of each convocation by fellow MPs to preside over the parliamentary chamber or, in a unicameral system, to preside over the parliament. is responsible for managing the operation of parliament fairly and impartially.

Parliamentary committees are groups of MPs who are usually appointed or elected by parliament to examine matters more closely. The political structure of parliament is usually guided by political groups, which bring together MPs – normally from the same party – with the aim of coordinating their activities and achieving shared political goals. MPs may also cooperate across party lines, through cross-party groups.