Vice-Chairperson / Vice-Speaker
Overview
A Vice-Chairperson or Vice-Speaker (부의장, 副議長) is a position in assemblies, political parties, various committees, or boards of directors that assists the chairperson and acts in their stead when the chairperson is absent or unable to perform duties. Together with the chairperson, they share roles such as managing proceedings, coordinating agendas, and maintaining meeting rules, playing a key function in ensuring the continuity and stability of assembly operations. Vice-chairpersons are generally elected from among members or committee members, and a widespread practice is to elect one each from the majority party and the first opposition party to reflect the balance of power between parties.
Main Content
Roles and Powers of the Vice-Chairperson
The most basic role of a vice-chairperson is to assist the chairperson and act as a substitute for proceedings when the chairperson is absent. Specifically, they perform the following duties:
- Acting as Presiding Officer: When the chairperson is unable to perform duties due to an incident, the vice-chairperson acts on behalf of the chairperson to preside over meetings and handle agenda items.
- Agenda Consultation: Together with the chairperson, they coordinate the schedule of plenary sessions and committee meetings and participate in deciding the order of important agenda items.
- Maintaining Internal Discipline: They are responsible for maintaining order during meetings, allocating speaking rights, and managing voting procedures.
- Inter-Party Coordination: They mediate issues where there are disagreements between the ruling and opposition parties; especially when the vice-chairperson is elected from the opposition party, they maintain balance in assembly operations through consultation with the chairperson from the ruling party.
- Limits of Acting as Chairperson: Although the vice-chairperson can act for the chairperson, some powers unique to the chairperson—such as the right to represent the assembly, budget authority, and personnel authority—are exercised only to a limited extent or temporarily until the chairperson returns.
Election Method of Vice-Chairperson
The method of electing a vice-chairperson varies by country and institution, but general principles are as follows:
- Assembly Vice-Speaker: Elected by secret ballot from among members according to the National Assembly Act or assembly rules. In the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, two vice-speakers are recommended by the majority party and the first opposition party respectively and elected in a plenary session. The elected vice-speaker serves the same term as the speaker; if the speaker resigns or is dismissed, one of the vice-speakers acts as speaker.
- Political Party Vice-Chairperson: Elected at a party convention or central committee, assisting the party leader (chairperson) and sharing internal party operations. Party vice-chairpersons often represent regions or factions.
- Committee Vice-Chairperson: Elected by mutual vote among members of a standing committee or special committee, assisting the committee chairperson and presiding over meetings when the chairperson is absent.
- Corporate Board Vice-Chairperson: Appointed at a shareholders' meeting or board of directors, assisting the board chairperson and presiding over board meetings when the chairperson is absent. In large corporations, the vice-chairperson may also oversee actual management.
History and Institutional Background of the Vice-Chairperson
The vice-chairperson system developed alongside the evolution of parliamentary democracy. In the British House of Commons, the principle that the Speaker must maintain political neutrality was established from the 17th century, leading to the introduction of the Deputy Speaker system to prepare for the Speaker's absence. In the U.S. House of Representatives, while the Speaker holds strong powers, the vice-chairperson (in most cases, the Speaker pro tempore) is elected from within the majority party to assist the Speaker. In the Republic of Korea, the vice-speaker system was introduced from the first Constitutional Assembly in 1948 and continues to this day, with two vice-speakers according to the National Assembly Act.
Examples of Vice-Chairperson Duties
- Acting as Chairperson upon Resignation: In 2020, during the 20th National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, when Speaker Moon Hee-sang resigned, Vice-Speaker Joo Seung-yong acted as speaker.
- Acting during Chairperson's Overseas Travel: When the chairperson is absent due to attending international conferences, the vice-chairperson presides over plenary sessions, exercising the same authority as the chairperson.
- Mediating Internal Party Conflicts: Party vice-chairpersons may mediate conflicts between factions within the party and check the party leader's dominance.
Recent Trends
Key changes and trends related to the vice-chairperson system from 2024 to 2025 are as follows:
- Increased Demand for Ruling-Opposition Cooperation: After the 2024 general election, extreme confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties in the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea has continued, emphasizing the mediating role of vice-speakers. In particular, cases where the vice-speaker elected from the first opposition party cooperates with the speaker to speed up bill processing are increasing.
- Discussions on Expanding Vice-Chairperson's Scope of Duties: In some assemblies, legislative amendments are being pursued to allow vice-chairpersons to exercise substantive powers—such as budget review and audit requests—beyond acting as chairperson.
- Response to Digital Assembly Environment: With the widespread use of remote meetings and electronic voting, the role of vice-chairpersons in managing digital proceeding systems and handling cybersecurity issues is newly emerging.
- Changes in the Role of Party Vice-Chairpersons: Major political parties are increasingly using vice-chairpersons as internal communication channels, and there is a trend toward electing youth and female vice-chairpersons to enhance generational and gender representation.
- Active International Comparative Research: As academic research comparing and analyzing vice-chairperson systems in various parliaments increases, discussions are taking place on institutional mechanisms to strengthen the independence and neutrality of vice-chairpersons (e.g., restrictions on party activities for vice-chairpersons).
Related Topics
- [[Chairperson]]
- [[National Assembly]]
- [[Assembly Operations]]
- [[Political Party]]
- [[Committee]]
- [[Proceedings]]
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