The Canarian Parliament: Structure, Functions, and Legislative Process
The Canarian Parliament
A Necessary Institution for the Canary Islands
The Canarian Parliament holds legislative powers and embodies the political autonomy of the Canary Islands. It comprises 60 deputies, with the current statute stipulating a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 70. The parliament operates through parliamentary groups.
Formation of Parliamentary Groups
To understand the functioning of the parliament, it’s crucial to know how these groups are formed, especially after elections that constitute a new parliament. Elections occur every four years, establishing a four-year term. Upon convening, the parliament must elect its governing body (the table) and form groups. The conditions for group formation are as follows:
- Members of the same party must belong to the same group.
- A minimum of 4 seats is required to form a group.
- The formation of a mixed group is discouraged.
Each group designates a spokesperson who serves as the primary representative and voice of the group.
The Governing Body of the Parliament
The table, responsible for managing the parliament, consists of the parliament speaker, two deputy chairpersons, and two secretaries. The president requires at least 31 votes for election. Subsequently, two vice-presidents and secretaries are elected, typically based on majority rule. Historically, in the 1980s and 1990s, an absolute majority was necessary for these elections.
The composition of the table often reflects an agreement to include opposition representation, ensuring a balance of power and preventing a monopoly by a single party.
Board of Spokespersons
This board comprises all group spokespersons and is chaired by the President. It plays a key role in determining the parliamentary agenda. While the table governs the parliament, the board of spokespersons holds significant influence, shaping the course of various initiatives.
The High Court of the Canary Islands
Each autonomous community in Spain has a High Court. The highest court in Madrid oversees these regional courts. Generally, the High Courts of the communities are successors to the Territorial Courts.
Functions of the Canarian Parliament
1. Legislation
The primary function of the parliament is lawmaking. As the legislative body of the Canary Islands, it creates laws specific to the region. However, the parliament’s legislative power is limited to the jurisdiction of the Canary Islands. These legislative powers can be exclusive or shared (primarily framework laws). Notably, Canarian laws hold equal rank to state laws.
Laws are enacted through a legislative process governed by the parliament’s rules of procedure, which dictate the proper procedures for lawmaking.
Phases of the Legislative Procedure
:
Legislative initiative: it is the first step is to begin. Not everyone has it. Who have Legislative Initiative?
- First, the government of the Canary Islands have this you can send to parliament a draft to see if you can make a law, such deletion is called a bill and must be articulated, the basic unit is the article. The government does not approve of the law who does it is the parliament. In political systems like ours this is the most common initiative. That bill processing will want to follow. The government by definition has a majority in Parliament.
- Secondly, this Parliament, but is not common, it will normally be the government. You can not take a deputy legislative initiative isolated according to the rules can not. It must be a firm parliamentary group’s spokesman. In this case, the bill calls. If the government does not want not leave the law because it has a majority.
Third are the Island Councils. Can only propose initiatives that affect their island is called selling proposition.
And last are the citizens’ initiative. It takes a minimum of 15,000 signatures of citizens who endorse the text articles. These signatures must be with name and ID. Bill is called. This does not mean that Parliament will have to accept it, may take into consideration or not, if you take into consideration not mean it will pass but to initiate the process, is what is called a direct democracy so that citizens participate in politics.
Differences between the Parliament of the Canary Islands and Madrid.
There are bicameral parliaments that are bilateral. Ever been raised in the Canary Islands who had two chambers, one representing the people and over the islands. Madrid’s parliament if bicameral. The Spanish parliament is a bicameral balance, means that one chamber dominates the other (the conference on the Senate). When Congress and the Senate do not agree that it is the opinion of Congress. In the U.S. there is a balanced bicameralism, both houses have equal power. Some propose a parliament that is called mixed or mono cameral chamber (Norway and Ireland).
Canary’s parliament has legislative initiative before the Parliament of Madrid. Canaries canaries can send 3 representatives to defend this bill. Once the decision has been taken into consideration, this project follows a three-step process.
Paper: parliament appoints a small group of deputies to study the proposal.
Commission: where already voted. If health is the health commission.
Full: that is where you vote. Publication: The law should sign it and publish it to be considered as such. If not taken into consideration is not processed.
2. The second function of Parliament is to control the government and is mainly in the media, advertising, etc.. In the Canarian community relations between the government and parliament relations are unbalanced.
The three main functions of the Parliament of the Canary Islands are:
- Laws.
- Government control.
- Approves the general budget.