Discussion Paper: Constituent Assembly Procedures from a Gender Perspective, International IDEA - 2008

This paper raises issues about how the Constituent Assembly will work, and how its procedures will have an impact both on the way in which women members will be able to play a part in its work, and on how women’s issues will dealt with in the new Constitution which is the purpose of the Constituent Assembly to draft. This paper does not deal with public participation – which is the topic of the next paper in the International IDEA Gender Folder. Most of the procedures of the Constituent Assembly will be laid down in its Rules, a draft of which is currently before the relevant committee.

To access this discussion paper, please click the link below:

http://www.idea.int/resources/analysis/ca_gender_perspective.cfm

The Contents:

Introduction

Why do we need rules?

Should we be focusing on women members at all?

Women in legislative settings

The particular situation of women Constituent Assembly members in Nepal

Political parties in the Constituent Assembly

Where are the real decisions made?

Caucuses

Facilities

Thinking about Procedures

- Participation of members

- The right to speak

- Public participation

- Committees

- Committee chairs

- Decision-making in committees

- Experts

 - Voting methods

- Welfare of members

- Discipline

- The party whip

- Seating arrangements

- Quorum

- The Secretariat

- Records

Getting to Grips with the Rules