15/04/2024 Session
PACE today welcomed the elaboration of the Venice Commission Checklist Parameters on the relationship between the parliamentary majority and the opposition in a democracy and recommended it to the parliaments of Council of Europe member states and observer states, as well as to parliaments enjoying partner for democracy status.
The Parliamentary Assembly underlined that this checklist was a result of careful work carried out by the Venice Commission, which took its origin in PACE Resolution 1601 (2008) entitled “Procedural guidelines on the rights and responsibilities of the opposition in a democratic parliament”.
It believes that enshrining and clearly defining rights and guarantees in law is an effective tool for the functioning of a parliamentary opposition, and that strengthening the position of the opposition in parliament could only be beneficial for the system of checks and balances in a democracy.
The resolution unanimously adopted by the Assembly, on the basis of a report by Elvira Kovács (Serbia, EPP/CD), invites the parliaments of member states to promote the Venice Commission Checklist Parameters and to take them into account when revising national regulations on the relationship between the parliamentary majority and the opposition.
Finally, the Parliamentary Assembly proposed that the PACE political groups review their statutory rules and rules of procedure, including provisions specifying the procedure and requirements for, and consequences of, switches in political affiliation as well as the suspension, expulsion or resignation of members.