Rules of procedure
Adopted at the meeting of the Committee on 6 May 2011
Amended at the meeting of the Committee on 19 June 2012
Amended at the meeting of the Committee on 20 April 2016
I. General provisions
1. The Political Party Funding Supervision Committee (The Committee) is a committee established under Article 1210 of the Political Parties Act. Its activities are based on the Political Parties Act, Administrative Procedure Act, Substitutive Enforcement and Penalty Payment Act, other acts regulating the work of state agencies and these Rules of Procedure.
2. The Committee verifies whether the activities of political parties, election coalitions and single candidates adhere to the requirements provided for in the Political Parties Act.
3. The term of office of the Committee is five years.
4. The postal address of the Committee is Lossi plats 1a, 15165 Tallinn, Estonia.
5. The Chancellery of the Riigikogu ensures the operations and technical service of the committee. The officials of the Committee are members of the staff of the Chancellery of the Riigikogu.
6. The Committee’s activities are financed from the state budget.
II. Election of chairman and deputy chairman of the Committee
7. The Committee elects a chairman and a vice chairman from among its members by secret ballot in the first meeting of the Committee.
8. First the Chairman is elected, and then the Deputy Chairman. Each member of the Committee may submit candidates for the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman. The candidates have to grant their consent concerning their nomination.
9. Each member of the Committee has one vote at the election of the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Committee.
10. The candidate who receives more than half of the votes of the members of the Committee is considered elected. If there is only one candidate, he or she is considered elected if more votes are given for him or her than against.
11. If none of the candidates receives more than half of the votes of the members of the Committee, the second round of voting is held between the two candidates who received the greatest number of votes in the first round. The candidate who receives the largest number of votes is considered elected. If number of votes is equal, lots shall be drawn.
III. Termination of authority of Chairman and Deputy Chairman of Committee
12. The Committee may express no confidence in the Chairman or Deputy Chairman of the Committee. The motion to express no confidence in the Chairman or Deputy Chairman of the Committee has to be made by not less than two members of the Committee jointly. The motion is taken on the agenda of the next meeting after the motion was submitted. The motion to express no confidence in the Chairman or Deputy Chairman is passed if more than half of the Members of the Committee vote for it.
13. If the Chairman or Deputy Chairman of the Committee resigns from the office or is removed from the position of the member of the Committee, or no confidence is expressed in them, or the Chairman or Deputy Chairman of the Committee dies, a new the Chairman or Deputy Chairman will be elected not later than in the next meeting of the Committee.
IV. Duties of Chairman and Deputy Chairman of Committee
14. Chairman of the Committee:
14.1. organises the work of the Committee;
14.2. represents the Committee;
14.3. drafts the agendas of the meetings of the Committee and convene the meetings;
14.4. chairs the meetings of the Committee;
14.5. invites third persons to the meetings of the Committee;
14.6. signs the documents of the Committee;
14.7. superscribes the invoices and payment orders of the Committee;
14.8. performs other duties based on these Rules of Procedure.
15. Deputy Chairman of the Committee substitutes the Chairman of the Committee during the absence of the latter, or in other cases the Chairman is temporarily not able to perform his or her functions. The Chairman informs the Deputy Chairman and, if possible, other members of the Committee of his or her absence.
V. Meeting of the Committee
16. A meeting is the work format of the Committee. Under the conditions and pursuant to the procedure provided in Clause 27, the Committee may pass decisions without holding a meeting.
17. Meetings of the Committee are held when necessary at the time designated by the Chairman of the Committee.
18. Meeting of the Committee is convened by the Chairman of the Committee. The first meeting of the Committee is convened by the Chairman or Deputy Chairman of the previous Political Party Funding Supervision Committee not later than on the seventh day after the beginning of the term of the Committee.
19. The Chairman of the Committee informs the members of the Committee of the time of the meeting, and sends them the draft agenda and the documents relating to the meeting not later than five days before the day of the meeting.
20. At the beginning of the meeting, the agenda of the meeting is approved. Before approving the agenda, the Committee may make changes to the draft agenda.
21. Meeting of the Committee is chaired by the Chairman of the Committee, in his or her absence the Deputy Chairman. Until the election of the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman, the meeting is chaired by the eldest member of the Committee. The Chairman or the Deputy Chairman of the Committee may authorise another member of the Committee to chair the meeting.
22. Only the members of the Committee, substitute members of the Committee, the officials serving the Committee and the persons who have been invited to the meeting may attend a meeting of the Committee. Member and substitute member of the Committee whose criminal record for an intentionally committed criminal offence has not expired cannot participate in the meetings of the Committee. Substitute member of the Committee has the right to speak and vote only when he or she substitutes an absent member of the Committee.
221. Pursuant to Article 11(1)1) of the Anti-corruption Act, a member or a substitute member cannot participate in the decision-making process relating to an item on the agenda of a meeting or the issues mentioned in Clause 27 of these Rules of Procedure, or any other exchange of information relating to an item on the agenda if the item of the agenda concerns exercising supervision over him or her or a person connected to him or her. Connected persons are enlisted in Article 7 of the Anti-corruption Act.
VI. Quorum of the Committee and adoption of decisions
23. The Committee has a quorum if more than one half of the members of the Committee, including the Chairman or the Deputy Chairman, take part in the meeting.
24. If no committee member demands a vote, a decision of the Committee is deemed to have been adopted unanimously. If at least one member of the Committee requests deciding an issue by a vote, voting is conducted. Each member of the Committee has one vote.
25. A member of the Committee does not have the right to abstain from voting or to remain undecided. Voting in the Committee is a vote by roll-call. The Committee passes decisions by a majority vote, unless otherwise provided in these Rules of Procedure.
26. The results of voting are entered in the minutes by name. A member of the Committee may request including an oral dissenting opinion in the minutes, or add a written dissenting opinion to the minutes.
VII. Passing decisions without holding a meeting
27. If all members of the Committee agree to it, the Committee may pass a decision in a matter that has to be resolved urgently without holding a meeting. Elections of the Chairman and Deputy Chairman or expressing no confidence in them cannot be conducted without holding a meeting. If a meeting is not held, the Chairman of the Committee sends the matter to be decided and the information relating to it to the members of the Committee electronically. The position of a member of the Committee must be in a form which can be reproduced in writing.
VIII. Minutes of the Committee
28. Minutes are taken of the meetings of the Committee. The minutes shall set out:
28.1. number of the meeting;
28.2. the time and place of the meeting;
28.3. names of the members of the Committee who participated in the meeting;
28.4. names of the persons who had been invited to the meeting and participated in the meeting;
28.5. basic content of the discussions at the meeting;
28.6. passed decisions and the results of votings;
28.7. dissenting opinion of a member of the Committee.
29. If a decision is adopted without holding a meeting, the minutes shall include:
29.1. names of the members of the Committee who participated in voting;
29.2. time of adoption of the decision;
29.3. basic content of the discussion;
29.4. passed decisions and the results of votings;
29.5. dissenting opinion of a member of the Committee.
30. The official serving the Committee takes minutes of the meeting of the Committee and of the decisions adopted without holding a meeting. Chairman of the Committee or an official authorised by him or her sends the minutes to all members of the Committee within five working days after the meeting or adopting the decision without holding a meeting. Members of the Committee may submit amendments to the minutes within two working days after receiving the minutes. The minutes will be signed by the Chairman of the Committee and by the person who took the minutes within three working days after the deadline for submitting amendments. The signed minutes are published on the web page of the Committee as soon as possible.
IX. Contracts and operations of the Committee
31. The Committee may decide to order expert opinions, investigations and analyses, and sign cooperation agreements. Work-related expenses are compensated to the members of the Committee on the basis of documents proving the expenses.
32. The Secretary General of the Riigikogu establishes the list of documents of the Committee in cooperation with the Committee. The documents of the Committee are registered in the document register of the Chancellery of the Riigikogu.
33. The operations of the Committee are based on the Rules of Record Management and the accounting policies and procedures of the Chancellery of the Riigikogu.
X. Remuneration of the work of members of the Committee
34. Members and substitute members of the Committee are remunerated for participating in the meetings of the Committee and for performing other tasks of the Committee on the basis of hourly remuneration pursuant to the rates established by the Political Parties Act.
35. The period for calculating the remuneration is calendar month.
36. The remuneration is paid to the bank account of the member of the Committee.