Prepared by the National Democratic Institute (NDI), this document is intended as a basis for discussion within the international community regarding standards for the functioning of democratic legislatures. The standards set forth in this document are intended to apply to all national legislatures, whether they are known as a parliament, a congress or a national assembly. 

 

The standards set out in this discussion document do not represent all elements of a democratic legislature. At the same time, to be considered democratic, a legislature must demonstrably adhere to standards across the entire spectrum of legislative life, specifically with respect to the organisation, procedures, functions and values of the legislature as enumerated herein. The authors, however, say that selective adherence to or “cherry picking” standards does not assure the emergence of a democratic legislature, and may in fact serve as a façade or cover for non-democratic practice.

 

Different countries evolve their legislatures and legislative practice in different ways, and there is no single institutional form through which the standards presented in this report can be met. The true measure of a legislature is how well it makes public policy on behalf of the citizens its members represent, and the quality of its oversight of the executive.

 

The authors also point out that there may be a need to examine additional standards for practices that are becoming the norm in some legislatures in several new democracies. These include the right of the legislature to ratify treaties, trade agreements and loans negotiated by the executive.