Automatic microphone timer to be proposed for Parliament sessions

Parliament Speaker Nikitas Kaklamanis announced on Friday that he will propose an amendment to the Parliament’s Rules next week, aiming for discussion and voting in October so that an automatic microphone timer can be applied immediately in sessions.

The timer will regulate speaking times in all legislative and parliamentary meetings according to existing rules. Exceptions will apply only to special sessions involving political leaders or budget debates. 

New software has been installed in the plenary microphone system to enable the automatic “cut-off” function.

The move follows repeated breaches of speaking time regulations. Kaklamanis noted that the recent foreign policy session, intended to last 90 minutes, extended to eight hours and 35 minutes.