The speaker of a deliberative assembly , especially a legislative body , is its presiding officer , or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England .
47-459: The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerford in the Parliament of England . The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the powers to discipline members who break the procedures of the chamber or house . The speaker often also represents
94-799: A candidate in the Singapore presidential elections . The president of the Congress of Deputies is the speaker of the Congress of Deputies , the lower house of the Cortes Generales (the Spanish parliament). The president is elected among the members of the Congress and is, after the king and the prime minister , the highest authority in the Kingdom of Spain . The president of the Senate
141-467: A matter to the attention of the speaker. Decisions from the chair remain subject to appeals from the Senate. Canada has more recently departed from the traditions of the House of Lords, notably since 1991, when new rules for the Senate were adopted. The new Standing Orders have made it clear that the speaker of the Senate could intervene without being called to do so by the Senate. The new guidelines move
188-598: A president, two vice presidents, four secretaries and alternates to serve two-year terms, with no reappointment to the same position in the immediately subsequent election. In addition to voting as senator or federal deputy at their respective houses, both presidents also hold the casting vote in case of a tie, but the large number of legislators (81 in the Federal Senate and 513 in the Chamber of Deputies, as of 2023) makes this attribution rarely used. The president of
235-699: A presiding officer defined by the United States Constitution . The speaker of the United States House of Representatives presides over the lower house of Congress , the House of Representatives . The speaker, elected by the entire House, is the top-ranking officer of the legislative branch of the federal government. Unlike in Commonwealth realms, the position is partisan, and the speaker often plays an important part in running
282-593: A right of abode in foreign countries. Parliamentarism in Italy is centred on the presidents of the two Houses, vested in defence of the members and of the assembly as a whole; so "the Speaker invites the representative of the Government not to deviate from the rules of parliamentary behaviour". Now constitutional community highlights changes also in this role. The president of the Senate also acts as deputy president of
329-537: A speaker pro tempore (or deputy speaker), designated to fill in when the speaker is not available. The speaker is commonly supported by a 'speaker's office'. Examples of speakers include: The president of the National Assembly of Armenia is the speaker of the house in the National Assembly of Armenia . The formation of this position was established on 1 August 1918. The speaker of
376-633: A speaker. The presiding officer of the National Assembly for Wales , presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament , and presiding officer of the Northern Ireland Assembly fulfill the same role as the speaker. Thomas de Hungerford Sir Thomas de Hungerford (died 3 December 1397) of Farleigh Castle in Somerset, was the first person to be recorded in the rolls of the Parliament of England as holding
423-783: Is expected to be politically impartial. The presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament is the president, presiding officer and speaker of the Scottish Parliament . The llywydd of the Senedd is the speaker of the Senedd , the Welsh parliament. The speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly presides over the Northern Ireland Assembly . Both chambers of the United States Congress have
470-469: Is not merely ceremonial; the speaker is a real delegate and representative of Canada abroad. They are expected to represent Canada internationally, and sometimes visit other nations on behalf of the Government of Canada . While the speaker is an officer of the Senate, the speaker as a senator also remains a representative of the province or territory from which they were appointed. Unlike the speaker of
517-549: Is still extant in the church. His second wife was Geva, widow of Adam de Stokke, but he left no issue. Hungerford was Sheriff of Wiltshire from 1355 to 1360 and served several times as a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire : in April 1357, in 1360, 1362, January 1376/7, twice in 1380, in 1383, 1384, 1386, January 1389/90, and in January 1392/3. He served as a Member of Parliament for Somerset in 1378, 1382, 1388, and 1390. He
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#1732765997135564-454: Is the presiding officer of the Senate of Canada . The speaker represents the Senate at official functions , rules on questions of parliamentary procedure and parliamentary privilege , and presides over debates and voting in the chamber. The office of the speaker is held by Raymonde Gagné who has held the position since May 16, 2023. By convention, the speaker of the Senate is appointed by
611-540: Is the speaker of the Spanish upper house called Senate . The Legislative Yuan is the highest legislative body of Taiwan . The president of the Legislative Yuan presides over its meetings and is elected by the legislators from among themselves. Until 1993, the president of the Control Yuan was elected by and from the members like the speaker of many other parliamentary bodies. In the Parliament of
658-656: Is used. The presiding officer fulfills the same role as the speaker of the House of Commons. The president of the Chamber of Deputies is the highest authority of the Chamber of Deputies . The president of the Senate is the highest authority of the Senate of Chile . In the People's Republic of China , the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress is the presiding officer of
705-583: The House of Lords . The presiding officer of the House of Lords was until recently the Lord Chancellor , who was also a member of the government (a cabinet member) and the head of the judicial branch. The Lord Chancellor did not have the same authority to discipline members of the Lords that the speaker of the Commons has in that house. The Lord Speaker is elected by the members of the House of Lords and
752-660: The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress , which is considered China's top legislative body. As stipulated in Article 84 of the Constitution of China , should both the president and vice-president become incapacitated, and the National People's Congress is unable to elect a timely replacement, the chairman of the NPC Standing Committee will act as president. The president of
799-596: The Westminster system . The speaker does not vote except in the case of a tie. By convention, if required to vote, the speaker will vote in favour of continuing debate on a matter, but will not ultimately vote for a measure to be approved. The speaker of the Senate ( président du Sénat ) is the presiding officer of the Senate , the appointed upper house . The speaker represents the Senate at official functions, rules on questions of parliamentary procedure and parliamentary privilege, and presides over debates and voting in
846-535: The governor general on the advice of the prime minister . The speaker of the Senate takes precedence only after the monarch , the governor general , members of the Canadian Royal Family , former governors general and their spouses , the prime minister , former prime ministers , and the chief justice of Canada in the Canadian Order of Precedence . The role of the speaker in
893-411: The speaker of the House of Commons ( Président de la Chambre des communes ) is the individual elected to preside over the House of Commons, the elected lower house . The speaker is a member of parliament (MP) and is elected at the beginning of each new parliament by fellow MPs. The speaker's role in presiding over the House of Commons is similar to that of speakers elsewhere in other countries that use
940-539: The speaker of the Parliament of Singapore is the head officer of the country's legislature . By recent tradition, the prime minister nominates a person, who may or may not be an elected member of parliament (MP), for the role. The person's name is then proposed and seconded by the MPs, before being elected as speaker. The Constitution states that Parliament has the freedom to decide how to elect its speaker. While
987-411: The "Red Chamber". The speaker of the Senate is appointed by the governor general from amongst sitting senators upon the advice of the prime minister. The speaker has a vote on all matters. In the event of a tie, the matter fails. At the provincial level, the presiding officer of the provincial legislatures is called the "speaker" ( président ) in all provinces except Quebec , where the term "president"
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#17327659971351034-533: The Chapel of St Anne (north transept chapel) of St Leonard's Chapel, Farleigh Hungerford Castle, where his chest tomb with effigies of himself and his wife survive. His portrait was made in a stained-glass window, engraved in Hoare 's Modern History of Wiltshire , Heytesbury Hundred, p. 90. Speaker of the Senate of Canada The speaker of the Senate of Canada ( French : président du Sénat du Canada )
1081-671: The Federal Senate is the presiding officer of the Federal Senate , the upper house. The president of the Chamber of Deputies is the presiding officer of the Chamber of Deputies , the lower house. The Constitution also determines that the president of the Federal Senate presides over the Board of the National Congress in the joint sessions of both houses, the Common Regulations of the National Congress refer to
1128-462: The House and advancing a political platform; Joseph Gurney Cannon , speaker from 1903 to 1911, is an extreme example. The vice president of the United States , as provided by the United States Constitution formally presides over the upper house, the Senate . In practice, however, the vice president does not regularly appear in Congress owing to responsibilities in the executive branch and
1175-435: The House of Commons , who has a vote only in the event of a tie. The speaker of the Senate was also similar to the lord chancellor in being considered equal to other senators. Decisions of the chair were not binding on the Senate unless the speaker's decision was also the pleasure of a majority of senators. Also similar to the practice of the House of Lords was that the speaker would not intervene unless another senator brought
1222-403: The House of Commons, the speaker of the Senate has the right to participate in debates. The speaker has the right and power to cast an original vote, and to simultaneously preside over the voting process (rather than the speaker merely delivering a tie-breaking vote). Another significant difference between the two speakers is that the speaker of the House of Commons holds a management role within
1269-669: The House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the Australian House of Representatives , the lower house of the Parliament of Australia . The president of the Senate is the presiding officer of the Australian Senate , the upper house of the Parliament. The Federal Constitution determines that both houses of the National Congress , in the first session after taking office, must elect their "Mesas Diretoras" (Presiding Boards), consisting each of
1316-666: The Legislative Council of Hong Kong is the speaker of the Legislative Council and is elected by and from its members. The president presides over the Council meetings and is empowered to enforce the Rules of Procedures solely. While members of the Legislative Council may be Hong Kong residents who are not Chinese citizens, the president can only be selected from people with Chinese nationality who do not have
1363-650: The Nebraska Legislature ", who presides over legislative sessions in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor but retains the powers typical of other legislative speakers. In Tennessee, the senators elect a "Speaker of the Senate" who presides over the Tennessee Senate and serves as lieutenant governor. The presiding officer for an upper house of a bicameral legislature usually has a different title such as Chairman or President of
1410-475: The Senate further from the model of the self-governing practices of the House of Lords, and more toward the chair-governed customs of the House of Commons. The position was preceded by the speaker of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada . The speaker of the Senate is historically responsible for deciding on points of order, only once risen by another senator. However, with the 1991 amendments to
1457-526: The Senate was originally based on that of the lord chancellor in the United Kingdom, who presided over the British House of Lords . In keeping with the role of the lord chancellor, the speaker of the Senate was expected to be partisan; the speaker of the Senate would, at all times, have the right to leave the chair, to participate in debates, and to hold an original vote—unlike the speaker of
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1504-520: The Senate. Should both chair officers be absent, any senator can be called upon to take the chair. Irrespective of who is in the chair, their decisions hold the same force as that of the speaker of the Senate. The speaker of the Senate performs the Senate Speaker's Parade to mark the opening of a sitting in the Senate with the help of the Black Rod . Key: Hays, Housakos, and Furey are
1551-535: The Standing Orders and Guidelines that govern the Senate of Canada, the speakership has generally begun to assert its right to intervene, where appropriate, without being prompted to do so. Therefore, the speaker is, broadly speaking, responsible for the maintenance of order and decorum in the Senate. As a high-ranking individual on the order of precedence , the speaker of the Senate often receives visiting heads of state and heads of government — this role
1598-573: The United Kingdom , the Speaker is the individual elected to preside over the elected House of Commons . The speaker is a member of Parliament (MP) and is elected at the beginning of each new parliament by fellow MPs. MPs also elect three Deputy Speakers, known as the Chairman of Ways and Means and the First and Second Deputy Chairmen of Ways and Means. The Lord Speaker is the presiding officer of
1645-408: The administration of the House of Commons and chairs the Board of Internal Economy. The speaker of the Senate holds no similar role, as the Senate's Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets, and Administration is chaired by another senator. In the absence of the speaker in the chamber, their duties are carried by the speaker pro tempore , a senator appointed at the beginning of each session by
1692-471: The body in person, as the voice of the body in ceremonial and some other situations. A speaker usually presides the lower house. Different styles are employed to refer to those who preside upper houses or Senates. By convention, speakers are normally addressed in Parliament as 'Mister Speaker' if a man, or 'Madam Speaker' if a woman. In other cultures, other styles are used, mainly being equivalents of English "chairman" or " president ". Many bodies also have
1739-399: The chief residence of his descendants, and in 1383 obtained licence to crenellate his manor house there, which thus became Farleigh Castle . In about 1384 he aroused the suspicion of King Richard II , who attached him, but he obtained a pardon and also a confirmation of his free warren at Farleigh. He married twice: Hungerford died at Farleigh on 3 December 1397, and was buried in
1786-579: The commons of England in this Parliament'). He is thus the first person formally mentioned in the Rolls of Parliament as holding the office of speaker. Sir Peter de la Mare preceded him in the post, without the title, in the Good Parliament of 1376. In 1380 Hungerford was appointed Forester of Selwood. In 1369 he purchased from Walter Pavely , de jure Baron Burghersh , the manor of Farleigh Montfort, now called Farleigh Hungerford , which served as
1833-501: The fact that the vice president may only vote to break a tie, something that rarely occurs due to the filibuster preventing tie votes from occurring in practice. In the vice president's absence, the presiding role is delegated to the most senior member of the majority party, who is the president pro tempore of the United States Senate . Since the Senate's rules give little power to its non-member presider (who may be of
1880-463: The minority party), the task of presiding over daily business is typically rotated among junior members of the majority party. In the forty-nine states that have a bicameral legislature, the highest leadership position in the lower house is usually called the "Speaker" and the upper house is usually the "President of the (State) Senate". In Nebraska—the only state with a unicameral legislature—the senators elect one senator to serve as " Speaker of
1927-498: The office of Speaker of the House of Commons of England , although that office had existed before his tenure. Hungerford was the son of Walter de Hungerford of Heytesbury , Wiltshire, thrice a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire , in 1331/2, 1333/4 and 1336. His mother was Elizabeth FitzJohn, daughter and heiress of Sir Adam FitzJohn of Cherhill in Wiltshire. The Hungerford family had been seated in Wiltshire since at least
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1974-572: The president of the Federal Senate on these occasions as "President of the National Congress". Following the Brazilian political tradition, the legislative assemblies of the states ( Legislative Chamber in the case of the Federal District ), all unicameral, adopt rules identical to those of the National Congress, electing a Presiding Board among the state deputies for two-year terms on the first session after taking office. In Canada ,
2021-542: The republic "in all cases in which the president cannot perform them". In New Zealand , the speaker of the House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the New Zealand House of Representatives , the only chamber of the New Zealand Parliament . Precedent set by other Westminster-style parliaments means that members of Parliament must always address the speaker. In Singapore ,
2068-477: The senate When the upper house is called a senate , but they have the same duties. Australia , Chile , the United States and many other countries have upper houses with presiding officers titled "president". In several American republics, the vice president of the country serves as the president of the upper house. This pattern is not universal, however. Some upper houses, including those of Canada , have
2115-468: The speaker does not have to be an elected MP, they must possess the qualifications to stand for election as an MP as provided for in the Constitution. The speaker also cannot be a cabinet minister or parliamentary secretary, and must resign from those positions prior to being elected as speaker. The speaker is one of the few public sector roles which allow its office-holder to automatically qualify as
2162-634: The twelfth century. Thomas's uncle was Robert Hungerford (d.1355), a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire in 1316 and a commissioner to inquire into the possessions of the Despensers after their attainder in 1328, and gave much land to the hospital at Calne in memory of his first wife, Joan, to the church of Hungerford , Berkshire, and to other religious foundations. He was buried in 1355 in Hungerford Church, where an elaborate monument long existed above his grave. An inscription to his memory
2209-641: Was returned for both constituencies in 1384 and January 1389/90. He was knighted in February 1375. He was closely associated with John of Gaunt and acted for some time as steward of Gaunt's household. Owing to Gaunt's influence, he was chosen in January 1376/7, in the last of Edward III's parliaments (the Bad Parliament ), to act as Speaker of the House of Commons . According to the Rolls of Parliament (ii. 374) Hungerford "avait les paroles pur les communes d'Angleterre en cet parliament" ('[he] spoke for
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