The debate

Debates are held according to an established pattern. First, the floor is given to the spokespersons from the political groups in the House of Representatives. The Minister or State Secretary replies. This is called the first stage. In most cases, not all the questions have been answered yet and the first stage is therefore followed by a second stage in which the MPs are given the floor again, and the member of the Cabinet replies. If questions remain which have not been answered satisfactorily, a third stage may follow.

During meetings, MPs enter into debate with Ministers and State Secretaries and if necessary with each other. However, they address the President of the House, not each other directly. Speakers may interrupt one another’s speeches and pose thorny questions, the so-called interruptions. In the Plenary Meeting Hall MPs can use the interruption microphones opposite the rostrum. Speaking time is limited beforehand to a certain number of minutes, but does not include interruptions and answers to interruptions. This means that a debate can continue for a long time.