Exceptional procedures
Rule 55Procedure
for dismissing the President and Vice-Presidents of the Parliamentary
Assembly
55.1. The Assembly may terminate
the functions of the President of the Parliamentary Assembly or
a Vice-President of the Assembly on the ground that he or she no
longer enjoys the confidence of the Assembly, be it that he or she
no longer fulfils the conditions required for the exercise of that
office, or if he or she fails to honour one or more undertaking
in the Code of conduct for members of the Parliamentary Assembly,
including if he or she failed to declare any relevant interests
or made an untruthful declaration, or if he or she is guilty of
serious misconduct by seriously or repeatedly violating the provisions
of the Code of conduct for members of the Parliamentary Assembly.
A motion for dismissal concerning the same person and based
on the same grounds may be tabled only once in the course of an
ordinary session of the Assembly.
55.2. A
motion for dismissal shall be presented in both official languages
and signed by at least one tenth of the component members (representatives
and substitutes) of the Assembly belonging to at least three political
groups and ten national delegations.
The motion for dismissal shall be published as an official
document within twenty-four working hours, forwarded to the member
concerned and referred to the Committee on Rules, Ethics and Immunities,
which shall give an opinion on its admissibility. The committee
hears the member concerned; the absence of the duly invited member
at the meeting is not a valid ground for postponing the committee’s
decision. The committee’s opinion shall be approved within twenty-four
hours following the reference, if it is decided in the course of
a part-session of the Assembly, or otherwise at the meeting which
immediately follows the reference. The motion for dismissal shall
be put to the vote of the Assembly within twenty-four hours after
the approval of the committee’s opinion if it is issued in the course
of a part-session of the Assembly, or otherwise at the opening of
the part-session which immediately follows the approval of the committee’s
opinion.
55.3. A
motion for dismissal, presented in both official languages, may
also be signed by at least one fifth of the component members (representatives
and substitutes) of the Assembly belonging to a least three political
groups and fifteen national delegations.
The motion for dismissal shall be published as an official
document within twenty-four working hours and forwarded to the member
concerned. It shall be put to the vote of the Assembly within twenty-four
hours after its publication, if it is issued in the course of a
part-session of the Assembly, or otherwise at the opening of the
part-session which immediately follows its publication.
55.4. After the publication of
the motion for dismissal and until the final decision on the motion
is taken, the President or Vice-President ceases to chair the meetings
of the Assembly.
55.5. The provisions of Rules 27.5.
(alteration of the
agenda), 33
(discussion
and consideration of texts), 34
(amendments and sub-amendments) and 37
(procedural
motions) shall not apply.
55.6. Only
the first signatory of the motion, the chairperson of the Committee
on Rules, Ethics and Immunities or a representative appointed by
the committee, the chairperson of each political group or a representative
appointed by the group, and the member to whom the procedure relates
may be heard in the debate.
55.7. The Assembly
shall decide by using the electronic voting system, in accordance
with the quorum conditions laid down in Rule 42.3.
and by a two-thirds majority of the
votes cast.
55.8. The
voluntary resignation of the member concerned from his or her office
shall terminate the procedure.
55.9. The
dismissal of the President or Vice-President of the Assembly shall
take effect immediately after the announcement that the motion has
been carried.
55.10. A President of the Parliamentary
Assembly who has been dismissed may not rely on the provisions of
Rule 20.3.
. He or she shall
not be eligible for re-election to the office of President or for
election to the offices of Vice-President of the Assembly, or of
chairperson or vice-chairperson of a committee. He or she shall
not be granted the title of Honorary President of the Parliamentary
Assembly. A President or Vice-President of the Assembly who has
been dismissed from office may not be granted the title of honorary
associate of the Parliamentary Assembly.
