Voting
Voting
Rule 40Methods of voting
40.1. Only
those representatives or, in their absence, the substitutes duly
designated by the national delegation not later than 24 hours before
the debate concerned, who have signed the register of attendance,
shall be entitled to vote.
40.2. The Assembly
shall normally vote by using the electronic voting system.
40.3. If need
be, the President may decide that the Assembly shall vote by show
of hands or by standing up.
40.4. Only affirmative
and negative votes shall count in calculating the number of votes
cast. The President shall declare the voting closed and announce
the result, which may not subsequently be modified. In case of an
electronic vote, the numerical result shall be displayed publicly
in the Chamber; the numerical results of votes on draft resolutions,
recommendations and opinions to the Committee of Ministers shall
also be recorded in the reports of the debates of the sitting.
40.5. Where the vote takes place
by means of the electronic voting system, members’ individual votes
shall be made public.
40.6. Voting
by roll call can only be requested if the electronic system cannot
be used for technical reasons. It will be taken if at least one
sixth of the representatives of the Assembly authorised to vote,
belonging to at least five national delegations, so request.
40.7. A roll call may be requested
only for the whole of a draft text. It may be requested at any time
during the debate but before the start of the vote on amendments
or on the whole of the draft text if there are no amendments.
40.8. Voting by
roll call shall proceed in the alphabetical order of the representatives’
names. Voting shall be by word of mouth and shall be expressed by
“Yes”, “No” or “abstention” only. The President shall ask whether
all members have been called before declaring voting closed and
announcing the result. The votes are recorded in the reports of
the debates of the sitting in the alphabetical order of the representatives’
names.
40.9. Once
the President has declared the vote closed, a member may not change
his or her vote.
40.10. Nobody
may be called to speak during a vote.
40.11. In the case of appointments,
voting shall take place by secret ballot. Only those ballot papers
bearing the names of persons who have been duly entered as candidates
before the opening of the first ballot shall be taken into account
in calculating the number of votes cast.
Rule 41Majorities
required
41.1. The following majorities
are
required:
41.1.a. for
the adoption of a draft recommendation or a draft opinion to the
Committee of Ministers, for the adoption of urgent procedure, for
an alteration to the agenda, for the setting up of a committee,
for the fixing of the date for the opening or resumption of ordinary
sessions and a decision to dismiss the holder of an elective office,
a majority of two thirds of the votes cast.
41.1.b. for
the adoption of a draft recommendation on the initiation of a complementary
joint procedure between the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary
Assembly in response to a serious violation by a member State of
its statutory obligations, a majority of two thirds of the votes
cast and a number of votes in favour equivalent to at least one third
of the total number of members of the Assembly authorised to vote;
41.1.c. in
respect of appointments, an absolute majority of the votes cast
at
the first ballot and a relative majority at the second ballot
;
in the event of a tie-vote between candidates in the second ballot,
successive ballots shall be held until one candidate obtains a relative
majority;
41.1.d. for the
adoption of a draft resolution and for any other decision, a majority
of the votes cast
in
the case of a tie the question being rejected.
Rule 42Quorum
42.1. The Assembly
may deliberate, decide upon procedural motions, and agree to adjourn, whatever
the number of representatives present.
42.2. All votes
other than votes by roll call shall be valid whatever the number
of members voting, unless, before the voting has begun
, the President has been requested
to ascertain whether there is a quorum. At least one sixth of the
representatives authorised to vote
,
belonging to at least five national delegations, have to vote in
favour of the request. To ascertain whether there is a quorum, the
President, before proceeding to a vote on the subject matter that prompted
the request, invites representatives to mark their presence in the
Chamber using the electronic voting system.
42.3. The quorum
is one third of the number of representatives of the Assembly authorised to
vote.
42.4. A vote by
roll call shall not be valid, nor the result made public, unless
one third of the representatives authorised to vote
took
part. The President may decide to ascertain whether there is a quorum,
using the procedure of Rule 42.2.
,
before proceeding to a vote by roll call.
42.5. In the
absence of a quorum, the vote shall be postponed until the next
sitting or, on a motion from the Chair, until a subsequent sitting.
The Assembly proceeds
to the next item on the agenda.
42.6. If,
owing to the absence of a quorum, the Assembly is unable to take
a decision on one of the procedural motions specified in Rule 37
, the
President shall declare that motion to be null and void.
Rule 43Right
to vote
43.1. The right to vote is an individual
one. Voting by proxy is prohibited. A Substitute authorised to sit
in place of an absent representative shall vote in his or her own
name.
