Parliament activities during a pandemic: experience of foreign countries and Uzbekistan

Аннотация

This article analyzes the activities and working methods of world parliaments during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as materials collected by the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The activities of the chambers of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan during a pandemic with specific examples are disclosed. The article concludes relevant proposals for amending legislation to improve the activities of the chambers and structures of the Oliy Majlis during a pandemic. Keywords: Covid-19, pandemic, Inter-Parliamentary Union, parliament, Oliy Majlis, plenary meeting, fractions, committees, Kengash chambers, remote work, rule of procedures. It is no secret that the threat of coronavirus has already reached the world, with the exception of a few countries, and is one of the main problems on the agenda. Whether it is an epidemic or a pandemic, it is only natural that the parliament should continue to function, especially if it is within its jurisdiction. Well, the question naturally arises as to how parliaments work in such a situation. Parliaments around the world have been forced to change their procedures in response to the new situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. They changed the procedures and forms of voting, plenary 32 Scientific research results in pandemic conditions (COVID-19) sessions, committee meetings, and parliamentary oversight. Almost all parliaments around the world have moved to a limited system. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Innovation Center, an international organization that unites most of the world's parliaments, has been compiling data on how the world's parliaments work during the coronavirus crisis [1]. According to him, there are three different practices of organizing parliamentary sessions around the world. Under the first practice, parliaments continued to hold sessions in person with some restrictions. That is, the number of general meetings and committee meetings was reduced. The number of parliamentarians and staff in the building has been reduced. Some have been transferred to remote work. Parliamentary venues have been relocated, and large halls have been used to provide more effective social distance. For example, the Swedish and Estonian parliaments asked their staff to stay at home only if they felt unwell or had symptoms. In the second practice, parliaments continued to hold virtual sessions using remote working methods. Many parliaments have taken advantage of remote working. However, this raises a number of issues, including the need to establish a legal framework for remote operation, security and authentication. In many countries, including German, Lithuanian, and Norwegian parliaments, video conferencing has been introduced instead of face-to-face meetings. The French and Dutch parliaments encouraged only the most important staff to come to work, and transferred the rest to remote work [2]. The British Parliament went into "hybrid" mode on April 22 this year. In other words, the fate of the country is being decided by politicians without leaving home. This means that some members of parliament work through the Zoom platform, while others visit Westminster Palace. In the lower house, 50 deputies (out of 650) are allowed to sit in one place at a time, while the rest of the deputies communicate via video. The Zoom platform allows only 120 participants to communicate, so not everyone has the right to speak. [3]. In the third practice, parliaments did not convene. This was due to the fact that the parliaments declared a parliamentary holiday. The lower house of the Canadian Parliament has considered extending the term of office for five weeks (from early March to April 20) after inter-chamber deliberations. However, on March 23, the chamber reconvened to introduce economic emergency measures and then closed again. The New Zealand Parliament amended its bylaws to allow a special committee to convene instead of all members of the House. It should be noted that some parliaments are amending laws and procedures 33 Scientific research results in pandemic conditions (COVID-19) (regulations, rules) to ensure remote operation. In Spain and Brazil, in particular, the chambers have amended their rules to allow for virtual sessions. Other parliaments, including Estonia, Israel, and the United Kingdom, have relaxed existing rules to allow committees to meet virtually. Below, we would like to highlight the experience of Uzbekistan on this issue. It is known that on March 16, 2020, a quarantine was declared in our country with the detection of the first patient with coronavirus. It should be noted that the work in the chambers of the Oliy Majlis has not stopped, on the contrary, the work continues. From this day on, the parliamentary style of work is gaining new significance due to the situation. If we look at this in concrete examples, we should emphasize the following aspects. First, on March 17, 2020, deputies of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis went to their co