12/12/2014 Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs
“Changes in political affiliation by parliamentarians in the course of their electoral mandates are a common phenomenon in many member states. Yet this political nomadism raises questions relating to political opportunism, possible threats to public confidence in the political class and the internal discipline of political parties,” the Rules Committee concluded today as it unanimously adopted a draft resolution prepared by Jordi Xuclà (Spain, ALDE).
In the resolution, the committee calls on national parliaments and the PACE’s political groups to promote specific rules laying down the requirements for and consequences of switches in political affiliation and the suspension, expulsion or resignation of members and to draw up records of switches in political affiliation. Given that switching from one group to another after elections or withdrawing from a group to sit as an independent member may influence the balance of political representation within the national delegations to the PACE, the committee invites national parliaments to take due account of such switches and to notify them to the Assembly.