Speaker (politics)
The term
speaker is usually the title given to the presiding officer of a state's
lower house (under various names, e.g. House of Commons, House of Representatives) in a
bicameral parliament or
congress.
As a parliamentary title it is typically
Anglo-Saxon, first recorded in the English parliament for
Thomas de Hungerford in 1377; in most other cultures other styles are used, mainly translations of
Chairman or
President. However the term is also used to render comparable positions elsewhere, even in
unicameral legislatures.
In most cases the speaker is elected from among the members of the assembly by the members, and
whips are not allowed to be among the selection. A speaker from the ruling party is usually chosen.
In many nations, especially those with the
Westminster System of government, the position of Speaker, modeled after the British office, is an official charged with enforcing procedural rules. The speaker decides who may speak and has the powers to discipline members who break the procedures of the house. Ideally, the speaker in a Westminster-derived legislature is politically neutral and is not concerned with substantive issues. In the event of a tie, the speaker is permitted to vote but only according to established conventions.
Despite being an impartial position, the Speaker in a Westminster system parliament has to stand for re-election if he wishes to stay. In the
Republic of Ireland the Speaker (
Ceann Comhairle) is deemed to have been elected if he seeks re-election; in the
United Kingdom it is a
constitutional convention that no major party will put up a candidate against the 'Speaker seeking re-election'. However in recent times the
Scottish National Party has put up candidates against the incumbent speaker (
Michael Martin).
Often the speaker performs his duties in a non-partisan manner, but in the
United States, the Speaker is the most powerful position in the
United States House of Representatives and participates in legislating.
It is fairly rare for an
upper house to use the style speaker. For example, the upper houses in
Australia and
Chile have presidents. Examples of upper house leaders being styled "Speaker" include several
U.S. state legislatures, and the presiding officer of the
Canadian Senate. In the UK, the
Lord Chancellor (a cabinet member) still serves as Speaker of the House of Lords but recent reforms to that office mean that a new position of
Lord Speaker has been created, with
Helene Hayman, Baroness Hayman elected on
4 July 2006.
*
Speaker of the British House of Commons*
Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons*
Speaker of the Canadian Senate*
Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives*
Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives*
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives*
Ceann Comhairle (Speaker of the
Irish Dáil)
*
Speaker of Lok Sabha (House of the People,
India)
*
Marshal of the
Sejm,
Poland*
President of the National Assembly of Quebec*
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario*
Speaker of the Riksdag (Speaker of the
Swedish parliament)
*
Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament*
Presiding Officer of the Welsh Assembly*
Speaker of the South African National Assembly*
Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council*
Israeli 'Knesset' speakers*
President of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
