Monitoring Report of the Quality of the Parliament’s Debate

The main findings in the first report of the monitoring are that in the monitoring period 19 June – 3 August, which includes 20 parliamentary sessions, the speeches of the members of the Parliament (MPs) were mostly supported with arguments.

Characteristic of this period is that the MPs from the main opposition block lead by SDSM, who decided to boycott the Assembly, do not take part in the work of the Assembly. It is noticeable that there is little interaction between the MPs during the sessions and poor exchange of arguments and opinions about the legislative proposals. This is also noticeable through the small number of replies which does not allow the validity and the strength of the arguments to be tested through a debate and also shortens the possibility the arguments to be disputed or supplemented with others views wherefrom the public is deprived of different views and arguments which could contribute to creation of better laws in favor of the common good and the public interest.

In most of the cases the MPs did not show much interest in the arguments of other speakers nor will and preparedness to change their own positions under the force of better arguments brought by other MPs in the debates. Regarding the use of inappropriate or abusive speech the monitoring reflected use of such speech in very rare occasions, which altogether with the small number of interruptions and constrains, indicates to low polarization in the work of the Assembly in the monitored period.