Rules of Procedure
Preamble
We, members of the Assembly,
Fully convinced of the critical need to build the main democratic institutions and a democratic culture,
Realizing that we have not been fortunate with accumulated experience but we have to start from the scratch and fully appreciating the difficulties in doing so;
Desirous to engage in a school of government where we and the Eritrean public learns and we become productive while doing so by building consensus in the form of draft legislation and policies;
Realizing the highest deliberative organ we are starting that must engage with conflicting interests and knowing that as citizens bound to live in a polity we must agree on considerable issues that make coexistence possible;
Aware that to this end, we must avoid anarchist tendencies and nature instead a culture of deliberative democracy, give and take, meeting others half-way;
Desirous to become consensus makers than magnifiers of divisions;
Desirous to reach decisions by consensus while being fully aware that consensus is not always possible and voting and decision-making formulas are necessary;
Committed to presenting that decisions made accordingly as the decision of the Assembly;
Aware that these rules are for kickstarting the mission we have and they shall be refined and detailed as we learn in the process;
Adopt theses rules to be the rules governing the operation of the Assembly.
Mode of deliberation
Considering the nature of our diaspora life and availing of the technology available now and in the future, the Assembly deliberates virtually through the portal at www.theabcjourney.org or other mediums that may be developed later on.
Quorum
Given that deliberations are virtually that offer great level of flexibility, quorum is assumed.
51 of the 100 members of the Assembly present virtually constitute quorum. From the purpose of establishing virtual presence, the Speaker shall count the number of representatives in deliberations 24 hours after the Speaker lowers an item for deliberation and vote. If, 20 members have participated in 24 hours, the Speaker may extend the quorum wait time by 24 hours to 48 hours total. If, after 48 hours, the quorum is not met, the Speaker shall dismiss the deliberations for lack of quorum.
The speaker may, discretionarily, use the email list to alert members to a new item of deliberation so lowered.
Acting for absent member
A member may vote for another absent member if authorized in writing by the absent member. In this case, the acting member could login using the credentials of the absent member and deliberate accordingly.
Language of deliberation
Considering the financial burden working with multiple languages could cause, and having regard to the long association the English language has with democracy and representatives, all deliberations shall be in English. Members are encouraged, at their own expenses, to provide translations to their constituencies to the extent practicable.
Qualification
All Eritreans above 25 who have a good command of English and who have demonstrated, preferably for many years, civilized engagement with Eritrean matters on Eritrean cyber spaces. Members of the Assembly should reflect the gender, age, ethnic, religious and geographic makeup of the country.
Opening an item for debate
Opening of an item for debate means when the speaker posts the item for debate on the assembly’s portal. Members of the assembly should check on their portal at least ones in every 12 hours.
Every item for deliberation should be posted at or before 8 am of London (U.K.) time in every Monday.
Debate time
Debate time on every issue or issues should be five days (120 hours). The Assembly shall do good faith effort to start deliberating on item by Monday and decided upon that item by the 120th hour on Friday or Saturday.
Floor time
Members are encouraged to deliberate on items at length with other fellow members and with their constituency using all means of in person or virtual communications outside the floors of the Assembly. Members are encouraged to build consensus or narrow differences before debating inside the Assembly. Inside the assembly, floor time is limited to a submission of 600 words, 200 in each round. If members are in agreement with the position of another member, they may cross reference that member and avoid repetition.
A member who does not comply with floor time shall be guilty of contempt of the Assembly and shall be barred from deliberations for 15 days for fist violation, 30 days for second violation and for 45 days for the third violation.
Round of takes
Every member has maximum 3 rounds of takes and may change their vote two times maximum before they are counted.
Electronic voting system
Members shall cast their vote using the voting tool attached to any item being debated.
Decision-making majority
Until the assembly enacts a constitution and other legislation that may provide for a specific decision-making majority, a decision shall be passed by relative majority support. For instance, if a proposition has three vote options framed as A, B or C, and of the 75 members of the Assembly present 24 support A, 25 support B and 26 support C, C has the requited votes.
If a proposition has two vote options framed as, for example, Yes or No, if of the 75 members of the Assembly present 37 support Yes, and 38 support No, No has the majority. In case of tie of votes, the Speaker shall have one additional vote to resolve the tie.
Abstentions
Members are permitted to abstain from voting. Abstention votes are not counted in anyway.
Deliberations open public
All deliberations and votes cast shall be open to the public unless the Assembly decides to keep them confidential for good cause. The speaker shall assume all deliberations and votes are open unless 20 members of the assembly inform the speaker in advance about their desire to keep deliberations and votes on a certain item closed to the public. In that case, the Speaker shall lower to the Assembly for vote on whether deliberations and votes on that item or items should be closed to the public.
Sponsoring
The speaker may sponsor an item for deliberation and vote by the Assembly.
Ten members of the Assembly may sponsor an item for deliberation and vote by the Assembly. Such ten members should designate a lead sponsor. It is the lead sponsor’s obligation to gather the support of 10 members in a form and style acceptable to the Speaker. Form the time being, an email to the Speaker from the lead sponsor, copying the other 9 members, shall be an acceptable form of sponsoring an item.
The public may sponsor an item for the deliberation and vote by the Assembly. A signature collected from 1000 citizens through a means deemed credible by the Speaker may cause the speaker to open an item for deliberation as publicly sponsored item.
A private member may request the Speaker in writing to schedule without delay an urgent matter of national public importance for discussion by the Assembly. In submitting the request, the member must motivate why the matter is of so urgent a nature.
Speaker and Vice Speaker
The Assembly shall appoint its speaker and vice speaker from among its members in its first session. The speaker and vice speaker (or assisted by one of skills) shall run the portal of the assembly for virtual deliberations. The speaker shall have the roles commonly deemed roles of a speaker of a legislature until the Assembly develops more rules on the speaker and the Office of the Assembly.
The Speaker shall preside over the Assembly at such times and circumstances as is above set forth. He or she shall be privileged to communicate at any stage of proceedings at any time incident to the duties and responsibilities of his or her office.
Conduct
Members shall not engage in grossly disorderly conduct in the Assembly and its forums.
Members shall not undermining the authority of the speaker or any other presiding officer.
Members shall obey these rules and decorum of legislatures.
Members shall not make serious allegations against a member without adequate substantiation or following the correct procedure.
Members shall not threaten with violence against a member or other person; or act in any other way to the serious detriment of the dignity, decorum or orderly procedure of the Assembly.
In all businesses of the Assembly, members must refer to one another in respectful terms. No member may refer to any other member by his or her name only. Instead, a member should use MP or Rep before a member’s name. No name to impugn the dignity of any member may be used.
No member may reflect in a disrespectful manner upon the Assembly or its forums and committees or upon their proceedings and decisions.
No member may use offensive, abusive, insulting, disrespectful, unbecoming or unparliamentary words or language, nor offensive, unbecoming or threatening gestures.
No member may impute improper motives to any other member, or cast personal reflections upon a member’s integrity or dignity, or verbally abuse a member in any other way.
A member who wishes to bring any improper or unethical conduct on the part of another member to the attention of the Assembly, may do so only by way of a separate substantive motion, comprising a clearly formulated and properly substantiated charge that in the opinion of the Speaker prima facie warrants consideration by the Assembly.
Points of order
A member may raise a point of order at any time during the proceedings of the Assembly. The point of order should be submitted in the portal and emailed to the speaker for immediate consideration. It is recommended that members halt their deliberation until the point of order is resolved. The speaker should rule on the point of order as soon as possible.
Supplementary Rules
In the absence of a controlling rule to cover a specific situation and in the absence of controlling custom, usage, and/or precedent, the Assembly shall be guided by Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure.