The new President of the House of Representatives will be elected via electronic voting for the first time, according to DIKO MP Zacharias Koulias. As the senior member of the House, he presided on Wednesday over the briefing meeting of the parties regarding the procedures for the election of the new President, which will take place on Thursday afternoon.
As Koulias explained, in the event of a tie between two candidates in a second runoff vote, a lottery will follow, to be conducted by the presiding MP.
New regulation
He also noted that the new regulations provide for the election of a Deputy President of the House, as well as a deputy to the deputy.
“The process began yesterday. We were briefed by the staff on the procedure we will follow, pursuant to the new regulation, which was enacted for the first time,” Koulias stated initially.
“The old system is being phased out and the new regulation is being followed,” he added.
As the DIKO MP noted, the new regulation stipulates that the 56 members of parliament will be announced by name, followed by a confirmation of their candidacy, and then a vote.
The magic number
He added that candidates for the House presidency will be nominated by those present, and once they accept their nomination, a vote will be held.
“If one of our colleagues secures 29 votes—which is the magic number—then they will be the new President of the House. If not, then a vote will follow between the two leading candidates,” noted Koulias.
He also clarified that if some candidates tie, the vote will be repeated by the entire body, followed by the regular vote. If there is still a tie at the end, then a lottery will be held.
Asked who would serve as the President’s deputy in their absence, Koulias said that “the new rules provide for the election of a deputy and a deputy to the deputy.”
Time for deliberations
Koulias clarified that the election of deputies is not included in tomorrow’s proceedings: “Tomorrow’s agenda includes the election of the President of the House of Representatives, and next Thursday will be the regular session. These are procedural matters, there is time.”
“Each member of the House will have the candidates listed before them and will vote with the push of a button,” he said regarding tomorrow’s vote.
In conclusion, Koulias noted that it is at the discretion of the presiding MP to grant a recess after each vote, so that there is time for the necessary consultations and deliberations among the members of Parliament and the parties.
Source: CNA
