debate rules and procedures

If a Senator starts to conduct a Filibuster, that Senator can speak for as long as he/she wants. The rules for committees could be different. When voting for the resolution, you will be given the choice of ‘for’ (Agree Button), ‘against’ (Disagree Button) or ‘abstain’ (Step Away). The quorum rule can be a source of delaying tactics. Many people claim that seeking consensus was the traditional way of doing things in their culture. Amendments must only concern the one clause currently under debates; GENERAL RULES FOR CLASS DEBATES Prof. Libertina Vasilescu &ROHJLXO7HKQLF³(OLH5DGX´3ORLHúWL 1 GENERAL RULES FOR CLASS DEBATES Prof. Libertina Vasilescu Colegiul Tehnic ³Elie Radu ´ 3ORLHúWL Introduction The classroom debates are designed to make our students increase their teambuilding, group problem solving and oral presentation skills. Rules often require that those abstaining must also indicate that they are doing so, and that the numbers abstaining be recorded. Different sorts of decisions may require different majorities. Papers on which discussions are to be based should be publicly available in time to permit interested parties to make submissions and get in contact with observers. In Nepal the interim constitution says that for most purposes there must be at least 25 percent of the constituent assembly members present. Women’s caucuses are common in legislatures around the world. In Nepal some members expressed concern that they might be subject to pressure, and some civil society activists were worried that members from various ethnic or caste groups and women would not have freedom to represent those groups, but would be essentially “vote banks” for their parties and their concerns. If there are enough votes, the Senator who was speaking must sit down, and the debate/discussion continues. Clear rules should specify a majority of what: “a majority of those present and voting,” “a majority of those present,” or even “a majority of all members,” making the use of the term “a simple majority” unnecessary—and indeed, it is best avoided. It takes 67% of those present to stop the Filibuster. And if the atmosphere sours—as it has in some commissions—rules that make all the members feel they have a fair chance to participate may become important. [I will explain this to the class before we get started.] $ % 1 2 ? These could be professions, religious groups, ethnic or linguistic groups, or possibly certain major NGOs. In Timor-Leste each member had three cards and voted by holding them up: green, red, and blue (for, against, and abstain). However, drawing on some degree of common sense, and also on the rules of previous commissions, the following are, we suggest, the main points that ought to be addressed: A small group of people may develop a good relationship, and even become friends. Online Model United Nations is a program of MUN Impact and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Some members might be tempted not to think hard about how they should vote, because they would not be answerable for it. In many constitution-making processes the required majority is set at two- thirds of the entire body. with resolutions then follows, but speakers can only talk about the amendment. ù   Announce the result: “Senator (Name of Senator) Bill [passes or fails] by a vote of (#votes in favor to # votes against].” Move on to the next Bill, follow the same procedures set forth above. A quorum is the number of people who must be present before discussion or a vote can take place. n Senators must remain silent unless the President of the Senate has recognized them and permitted to speak. At one point it was suggested that rather than having each group hold up its cards separately, all should hold them up together and they could be counted by three people simultaneously. During a debate, students take turns speaking in response to the arguments made by their opponents. A majority of those present (which means that those who are present but abstain from voting are counted as having voted against); where the issue to be voted upon is whether to amend a draft constitution, this rule makes it difficult for the amendment to be accepted, which may be a desirable provision. Such a rule may act as a disincentive to members abstaining, something that is often a form of abdication of responsibility. A mechanism to handle deadlocks is almost bound to be required at some point, whether there is formal provision for it in the rules or not. The latter would mean that a person who was present but abstained was in effect voting against the motion. Publicity attached to attendance may help in some societies. The only way a Filibuster can be stopped is if a Senator stands up and calls for a Cloture Vote. Research shows that male interruption of women speaking is more likely than any other type of harassment. There are risks in openness. A secret ballot may encourage bribery—because no one would know how individuals voted and would therefore not know whether they have been influenced by factors such as bribery. | | Ö Ö Ö Ö Ö ÿÿÿÿ ê ê ê ê ş ê Ş ø It prevents a small minority standing in the way of a new constitution—which may be a consequence of a rule requiring a higher majority. It is a painstaking exercise, which is most rewarding in the end because it produces no losers since all are winners, and promotes legitimacy and acceptable decisions” (Odoki 2005). There are basically two ways for that draft to be considered: either it is to be presumed to be the final constitution unless it is changed, or it is to be viewed as a proposal only. A foreign expert favored the latter interpretation (Kathlene 1994: 565). Then there was to be a process to try to achieve agreement (through party leaders), and finally, if this proved impossible, a two-thirds majority of all the members would suffice. The delegate The rules may not go into any detail on these issues, but it would be wise to make it clear where responsibility primarily lies—though this should not preclude civil society from monitoring and publicizing the work of the body. Rules may become rather complex and intimidating on these points, and care should be taken not to be overly formal. Once debate time has elapsed, UN member states vote on the amendment, either for or against or to abstain. For amendments you will be given the choice of ‘for’ (Agree button), ‘against’ (Disagree button) or ‘abstain’ (Step Away button). If a participant is unable to continue the debate, they are to sign out, and the Tally Moderator will make note of the departure. “All those against the Bill, raise your hand.” Count the votes. The voice vote is partially anonymous: the person sitting next to a member may know how his or her neighbour voted, but the person presiding and the public may not. The same procedure as In developing-country legislatures, parties are often weak, with patronage rather than rules being the governing principle—which makes it hard to fight for fair party procedures for women. It would be possible to allow other groups—which might include women, people with disabilities, or minority groups that may cross party lines, according to the particular country’s circumstances—to be given extended time.