How parliaments work during a pandemic

Zeitschrift für Parlamentsfragen, 2021

As early as March 2020, the President of the European Parliament decided to shut down the assembly’s facilities in Brussels and to cancel the plenary sessions in Strasbourg . Impor­tant decisions were made to abandon in-person meetings, introduce teleworking for all staff, and implement remote deliberation and voting both in committees and in the plena­ry . The Rules of Procedure were adapted to formalize these organisational changes and make them ready for future crises . All in all, the European Parliament proved to be resilient and adaptive: it continued to discuss and adopt many legislative, budgetary, and non-legis­lative texts in the plenary . However, remote-work did have an impact on the political dynamics within Parliament . It was characterised by a very high level of consensus, as the result of a higher level of agreement between the two main party groups, the European People’s Party and the Socialists & Democrats . Those main groups also became much more cohesive .

The Theory and Practice of Legislation, 2020

Legislatures around the world have been challenged by the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic. Questions have arisen about parliaments' operation during the pandemic, their role in combating covid-19, and their relationship with the executive and other state actors. This editorial introduces the special issue on 'Legislatures in the Time of Covid-19' and offers an overview of its rich array of articles.

Journal of the Malaysian Parliament, 2024

The surge of Covid-19 cases worldwide has had its impact on how every institution discharges its functions, including the legislature. Governments, under the pretext of containing the spread of the virus, have paralysed parliament and incapacitated it from performing its duties, particularly its oversight function. This article explores the extent to which the standard operating procedures (SOP) for Covid-19 in the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives) of Malaysia should be permitted under the Federal Constitution of Malaysia on parliamentary procedure. Despite attempts to restrict parliament in many countries, legislatures such as in Canada, Australia and Brazil have demonstrated their ability to adapt and move progressively to minimise disruptions that the pandemic might cause to parliament. Taken together, legislatures' responses in times of Covid-19 offer an interesting impression of parliamentary privileges while also raise an important question of the role of parliament in representing people and checking the government actions.

2020

A Political Economy of Pandemics, 2021

This chapter evaluates the role of the Nigerian parliament in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence shows that the National Assembly engaged early on COVID-19 related matters urging the executive to take pre-emptive measures to limit the impact on the economy and the livelihoods of the citizens. Despite the disruptive effect of the pandemic on legislative business, the National Assembly considered and approved the revised budget as well as the loan request of the Federal Government in the face of limited consultations with the stakeholders. Furthermore, the two chambers of the National Assembly held interactive sessions with the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 and other government officials to assess the government’s response. Among others, the author discussed two important legislations initiated in the House of Representatives, namely, Economic Stimulus and the Infectious Diseases Bills which could not be passed for presidential assent as of November 2020. Notwithstanding these legislative measures, the quality of oversight of government spending and activities during the pandemic because remain largely superficial with little to suggest any serious positive outcomes. In the light of the poor performance of the legislature, especially in providing effective oversight of the executive in emergency situations, a revision of House and Senate Rules is recommended to enable the legislature to better adapt to emergencies by leveraging on new technologies to conducting legislative business, engage with the public and perform oversight functions. Additional recommendations include special legislative mechanisms to enhancing the effectiveness of legislative check on the executive both in the exercise of emergency powers and emergency expenditure.

2nd International Conference on Universal Wellbeing 12 December 2020 At: Jakarta, 2021

When the Covid 19 pandemic hit the world and there was a state of emergency in various countries, the parliament also responded so that they could continue to work. Various adjustments and simplifications of meeting and decision-making mechanisms were made. The House of Representatives of Indonesia issued a new regulatory regulation to accommodate the virtual meeting mechanism and the use of information technology in meetings and decision making. Armed with these new rules and regulations during the 2020 pandemic emergency, the House of Representatives of Indonesia carried out its functions such as forming laws, supervising, and forming the state budget. However, the interesting fact that appears is that House of Representatives of Indonesia's products have a low level of public participation and a reduced representation function. Information technology and virtual meetings have not been able to facilitate the quality and quantity of the implementation of democratic procedures in the House of Representatives of Indonesia.

2020

Insufficient attention has been given to studying a vital organ jeopardized by COVID-19: legislatures. Legislatures across the globe have been shut down or limited due to COVID-19. In a comprehensive multidisciplinary study, exploring legislatures across 159 countries, we show that there is no causal relation between the severity of COVID-19 and limitations on legislatures’ operation. This suggests that legislatures are at risk of being shut down either due to unfounded fear from COVID-19 or as an excuse for silencing legislatures. We find that legislatures in healthy democracies are relatively immune to this risk, while those in frail democracies and authoritarian regimes are more at risk of becoming casualties of COVID-19. In partially free countries, the use of technology can mitigate this risk. Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; parliaments; legislatures; legislative activity

Parliamentary Affairs, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically accelerated digital transformations in all spheres of public and private life, providing a strong incentive also for parliaments to adopt digital and remote working methods. The entry of the virtual paradigm into parliamentary work is part of a scenario already marked by a crisis of the traditional political representation model, also as a consequence of the disintermediation phenomena induced by the digital revolution. This article aims at investigating some conceptual links between the crisis of parliamentary representation and the digital transition and at analysing pros and cons of virtual/hybrid parliamentary proceedings and investigating with a non-empirical approach some potential systemic effects that could derive from maintaining them even after the current pandemic is over. Finally, the article suggests that the virtual challenge could encourage the evolution of parliaments towards new hybrid and network-based representation models which might help in providing a new centrality to legislatures in 21st century democratic systems.

Fiat Justisia: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum, 2021

The responsibility to handle the Covid-19 Pandemic is not only carried out by the President as the highest leader of the government, but also the House of Representatives which holds the legislative branch of power, so far the public has questioned the seriousness of Parliament in handle the Pandemic, through its functions should be able to assist and especially to monitoring policy government to work together to handle this pandemic and as an effort to prevent potential abuse of power. The writing of this article uses the Juridical Normative method which will produce recommendations on how the House of Representatives should optimize its function during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Zeszyty Prawnicze Biura Analiz Sejmowych

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