THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF SERBIA AS A ‘’WORKING’’ PARLIAMENT: LEGAL PROSPECTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Irena Pejić

DOI Number
https://doi.org/10.22190/FULP230901008P
First page
073
Last page
084

Abstract


The paper examines the legal framework and parliamentary practice that provides opportunities for the National Assembly of Serbia to act as a “working assembly”. After theoretical considerations on the “talking” and “working” assemblies, the author analyzes some issues relating to the Rules of Procedure which regulate the organization, working conditions and functioning of the National Assembly. The subject matter of analysis are the parliamentary committees, the Conference of Presidents, and the plenary sessions of the National Assembly. The Rules of Procedure indicate that there was an intention for the parliament to acquire the characteristics of a “working” assembly. However, parliamentary practice and the absence of good customs indicate that this intention was not achieved in practice. The general conclusion would be that the National Assembly has retained most of the attributes of the “talking” assembly, which performs most of its work in the plenum.


Keywords

National Assembly of Serbia, parliamentary committees, Conference of Presidents, plenary session, Rules of Procedure

Full Text:

PDF

References


Beyme, K.V. (2000). Parliamentary Democracy: Democratization, Destabilization, Reconsolidation, 1789-1999, London: Macmillan Press.

Hague R., Harrop, M. (2004). Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction, London: Palgrave MacMillan.

Lijphart, А. (1999). Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries, New Haven and London: Yale University Press.

Jovičić, M. (1998). Parliamentary rules of procedure: their importance, evaluation of valid rules of procedure, proposals for their improvement, Yugoslav Association of Constitutional Law, Belgrade.

Judge, D., Earnshaw, D., (2003) The European Parliament, London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Lees, J.D., Shaw, M. (eds.), (1979). Committees in Legislatures: A Comparative Analysis, Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press.

Pajvančić, M. (2012). Javno slušanje – oblik rada Narodne skupštine. Zbornik radova Pravnog fakulteta, Novi Sad, 46(3), 7-18. https://doi.org/10.5937/zrpfns46-2895

Pejić, I. (2006). Parliamentary Law: French, German, British, Serbian and the example of the European Parliament, Niš, Center for publications of the Faculty of Law.

Pejić, I. (2011). Parliamentary Law, Niš, Center for publications of the Faculty of Law.

Pejić, I. (2021). The Composition of the National Assembly of Serbia: challenges and obstacles, Collection of Papers, Faculty of Law Niš. Vol. 60, No. 90. 39- 59. doi: 10.5937/zrpfn0-31854

Schedler, К., Mastronardi, P. (2005). “Redesigning Political Governance: Reforms in Parliamentary Committees` Work in Switzerland”, Policy Studies Journal Vol. 33, No 2. 259-281.

Wilson, Woodrow (1885). Congressional Government– A Study in American Politics, (1885), Project Gutenberg [E-book #35861], released 13 April 2011. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/35861/35861-h/35861-h.htm#page_058 (accessed 27.06.2023)

Legal Sources and Reports

Assemblée nationale/French National Assembly (2023). La Conférence des Présidents; https://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/15/la-conference-des-presidents/(block)/42495

Deutscher Bundestag (2023). Council of Elders; https://www.bundestag.de/en/parliament/elders

The Constitution of the Republic of Serbia (2006), available at http://www.parlament.gov.rs/upload/documents/Constitution_%20of_Serbia_F.pdf

The National Assembly Act (2010), available at http://www.parlament.gov.rs/upload/documents/The%20Law%20on%20the%20National%20Assembly.pdf

The Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly of Serbia (2010), available at http://www.parlament.gov.rs/national-assembly/important-documents/rules-of-procedure-(consolidated-text)/entire-document---rules-of-procedure.1424.htm

Informator o radu Narodne skupštine (2022), 7. jun2022(The National Assembly Bulletin), available at http://www.parlament.gov.rs/upload/documents/informator_files/Informator%202022-2%20LAT.pdf

Open Paliament/CRTA (2022): The Annual state of play Report of the National Assembly 2021, by the Open Parliament, CRTA, June 2022, available at https://otvoreniparlament.rs/istrazivanje/75




DOI: https://doi.org/10.22190/FULP230901008P

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


ISSN 1450-5517 (Print)
ISSN 2406-1786 (Online)