Parliament approves new procedures for electing the house speaker

On Thursday, the plenary session of the Parliament voted to amend the regulations regarding the election of the Speaker of the House. The proposal passed with 39 votes in favor, 8 against, and 4 abstentions. Under the new rules, candidates are proposed by other members, with alphabetical listing. A candidate requires an absolute majority of the total number of members to be elected in the first round. If no candidate secures an absolute majority, a second round is held between the two leading candidates, where a simple majority suffices. In the event of a tie during the second round, a runoff vote is held, followed by a public lottery if the tie persists. Furthermore, the updated regulations specify that if the most senior member is a candidate, the chair is taken by the next oldest member. The new process is expected to be implemented during the upcoming elections in early June.