Daily News Analysis

The Office of the Speaker: India vs the US

stylish lining

The Office of the Speaker: India vs the US

 

 

Why in the News?

The U.S. House of Representatives Speaker, Republican Kevin McCarthy was voted out from his position in the lower chamber of Congress by hardliners within his party.

  • The rarely used procedural tool known as a “motion to vacate” was used to abruptly end Mr. McCarthy’s tenure as Speaker.
  • Despite winning the votes of 210 Republicans, he was defeated by 216 votes (including 8 Republicans and all the House Democrats).
  • McCarthy has become the first U.S. House speaker in American history to be removed through a motion to vacate.

 

Office of the Speaker

 

India

USA

Succession to Presidential office

No such line of succession in Presidential/ Prime ministerial post, and only conduction of elections is a way to fill the post.

The office of Speaker is second in the line of presidential succession, following the vice president.

Membership of the House

The Speaker has to be compulsorily a member of the Parliament.

The Constitution does not explicitly require the speaker to be an incumbent member of the House of Representatives.

Election

The Speaker is elected from amongst the members of the house (Lok Sabha)

A candidate must receive a majority of votes from the members present and voting

Oath taking

No oath is administered by the Speaker

The new speaker is sworn in by the dean of the United States House of Representatives, the chamber's longest-serving member.

Speaker pro tempore

The deputy Speaker is also elected from amongst the members of the house, who shall act as the presiding officer in the absence of the Speaker.

Speaker Pro Tem is elected to preside over the first session, after the speaker of the previous Lok Sabha resigns before the first sitting of the new Lok Sabha.

Speaker may designate a member to serve as speaker pro tempore. At the start of their term, the speaker is required to create a secret ordered list of members to temporarily serve as speaker of the House if the speakership became vacant.

 

 

despite having the right to vote, the speaker usually does not participate in debate.

term

5 years

At the House's pleasure; elected at the beginning of the new Congress by a majority of the representatives-elect, and upon a vacancy during a Congress

Removal

By absolute majority

Simple majority

 

Similarities:

  1. The speaker presides over debates and maintains order within the House.
  2. establishes the legislative agenda
  3. administers the oath of office to House members.
  4. He appoints members of select and conference committees
  5. No time limit on the length of time that a member may be speaker pro tempore.
  6. The speaker in the United States, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives, outranking the majority leader.

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