The voting of the standing rules and the new president’s inauguration will be the main items of the second session of the Mercosul Parliament, that will take place on Monday (25), in Montevideo. Paraguayan senator Alfonso González Núñez, the current parliament’s president, will be replaced by deputy Roberto Conde, who is currently the vice president for Uruguay. The country will also hold pro tempore presidency of Mercosul in the second semester of this year.

Núñez was granted a temporary term during the first sessions of the new parliament, on May (7), at the Uruguayan National Congress headquarters. Back then the delegates for the bloc’s member countries decided that the term of the Mercosul Parliament president should follow pro tempore presidency of Mercosul, with six months term.

The rules and procedures for the new parliament are to be settled during the next session. After the first session, on May, a special committee was created in order to make a draft for the internal rules and procedures. The document is to be submitted to all parliamentary officers of the bloc and then put to voting.

Once the new president is in charge and the rules and procedures are approved, parliamentary debates may start in the second semester. At this stage, priority will be given to issues related to the parliament’s political agenda - discussed by another special committee created in May.

As in other Legislative Houses in Mercosul countries, activities will be shared by the Plenary and the committees. Public audiences regarding issues related to the continent’s integration process will also take place. The purpose is to increase the participation of the civil society in the debates.

The Montevideo Letter, which was approved at the first parliament’s session, determines the new legislative organism may ensure “a common space designed for reflecting the pluralism and diversity of this region, contributing to democracy, transparency and legitimacy in the integration process.”