Parliament Speaker Nikitas Kaklamanis was placed in a statement to What happened at yesterday’s plenary meeting on the OPECEPE casewhere the opposition’s proposals for the establishment of a pre -trial committee were rejected. This statement comes in response to the parties ‘requests for an extraordinary convening of the Presidents’ Conference.
Mr. Kaklamanis, based on Article 67 of the Constitutionmakes it clear that the House can make a valid decision with the absolute majority of the members present, but it may not be less than the a quarter of the total number of Members, ie 75.
According to the Speaker of the House, it is not correct to think that the valid decision on proposals for a preliminary examination requires the presence of 151 Members. What is required is the majority of 75 Members, just as happened in yesterday’s procedure.
In terms of letter voteMr Kaklamanis said that parliamentary practice has expanded its potential for use, which will be reviewed in the context of the forthcoming amendment of the House Regulation. However, he stresses that the possibility of letter voting, even in secret votes, is explicitly provided for the applicable regulation.
Concluding, Mr Kaklamanis makes it clear that the extraordinary convening of the President’s Conference is “over” as it can in no way modify or cancel decisions already taken by the House of Representatives.