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Skupstina)
The Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro (Скупштина Србије и Црне Горе/Skupština Srbije i Crne Gore) is the national assembly of
Serbia and Montenegro. The parliament is unicameral and is made up of 126 deputies, of which 91 are from Serbia and 35 are from Montenegro. The Parliament was founded in 2003, and is a replacement for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's legislature.
The assembly elects from among its deputies a President and Vice-President, who can not be from the same member state. The assembly can be dissolved if the candidate for the President of Serbia and Montenegro or the list of candidates for ministers of the council of ministers do not win the required number of votes after two and three proposals respectively. In that case the President can call for direct elections.
The President and the Vice-President of the parliament propose a candidate for the President of Serbia and Montenegro, which the parliament at large then elects, along with the Council of Minsters.
The Council of Ministers, a deputy and the assembly of the member state can submit a bill for adoption to the parliament. Bills are adopted by the vote of a majority of deputies, but must also have a majority of votes among deputies of each of the two member states. Every deputy enjoys the freedom of expression at the Assembly and has immunity for the words uttered and for other acts he performs in his capacity as deputy. A deputy can not be detained or punished without the approval of the Assembly of Serbia and Montenegro, except for a criminal offense punishable by over five years in prison.
Building
The Parliament building is in the city centre of Belgrade, on the Nikola Pašić Square, in front of Pioneer's park. Prior to its use for the Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro, it served as the seat of parliament for Yugoslavia. The building is shown on the five-Serbian Dinars coin.
Construction on the building started in 1907, with the cornerstone being laid by King Peter I. The building was based on a design made by Konstantin Jovanović in 1891; a variant of that design made by Jovan Ilkić, which won a competition in 1901. World War I delayed construction, and the original plans to the building were lost. Reconstruction of the plans were made by Jovan's son Pavle. The interior was designed by Nikolaj Krasnov. It was designed in the manner of academic traditionalism.
The sculpture of Toma Rosandic Igrali se konji vrani(Play of Black Horses) was placed in front of the building in 1939.
Authority of Parliament according to Constitutional charter
The Assembly of Serbia and Montenegro's authority is granted by the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro, and its jurisdiction is limited. Its major responsibilities include legislation regarding other institutions established within the Constitution, and foreign relations, including declarations of war, military and defense issues, border disputes, international treaties, and membership in international groups. It also may pass laws dealing with immigration issues, budget issues affecting the whole of Serbia and Montenegro, the aforementioned election of the President and Council of Ministers, issues involving trade and commerce within Serbia and Montenegro, the flag, anthem, and coat of arms of Serbia and Montenegro, as well as issues of standardization, systems of measurement, and intellectual property,
Current Seats
From 2003 to 2005, the deputies are chosen based on results of elections to the National Assembly of Serbia and the Assembly of Montenegro . Parties are allocated seats in the Parliament according to their proportions of deputies in the respective national assemblies. Any change in composition of the assemblies (such as an election) results in an immediate change in the composition of the national Parliament.
After 2005 it is planned to hold direct elections for the federal Parliament every four years. However, whether this will actually happen is uncertain as the state union of Serbia and Montenegro may dissolve.
The current speaker of the parliament is Zoran Šami.
The following table shows seats by member state then by party:
See also:
Last updated: 05-17-2005 17:15:51
