The report shows the relatively low level of debate quality in the Assembly in this mandate and concludes that there is room for significant improvement. On a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest), the average rating of the debate quality in the Assembly in the first half of 2023 is 5.5.
MPs from the opposition were more active in participating in discussions, participating in 76% of all discussions monitored, while MPs from the parliamentary majority participated in 24%. MPs who stayed the longest at the parliamentary rostrum are Dayancho Eftimov, Zdravko Trajanov and Beti StamenkoskaTrajkoska. Among the 10 MPs who stayed the longest at the rostrum during this monitoring period were five MPs from the opposition: Beti Stamenkoska-Trajkoska, Gordana Siljjanovska-Davkova, Blagica Lasovska, Lidija Petkoska and Eli Panova. The share of women in the discussion is at a high 43%, and remains at a relatively high level, and this is the highest participation of women in the discussion compared to previously observed mandates.
In 49% of all analyzed discussions, the participants made no arguments, while in 44% of the analyzed discussions they had poor arguments, that is, the speakers offered an explanation of their positions that is not sufficient to be considered a full argument. The level of argumentation has slightly deteriorated compared to the previous monitoring period from July to December 2022. Only eight speakers used two arguments, while in the monitored discussions the speakers used more than two arguments to support their position in only two instances or in only 0.1% of the monitored speeches.
In this reporting period, no change of attitude was observed among the MPs due to better arguments of the interlocutors or any other reason in the discussions monitored, which is on the same level as the last monitoring period from July to December 2022.
The report also confirms the consistently low regard of the MPs towards the rights of marginalized groups, consistent in all periods of monitoring. It has been observed that in almost 87.3% of their discussion, the MPs do not refer to the rights of marginalized groups, unless a specific law or agenda topic related to their rights is discussed. Although the MPs generally rarely refer to the rights of marginalized groups and communities, female MPs refer to these communities to a greater extent than their fellow male MPs.
You can read the report here:
PARLIAMENT WATCH: MONITORING REPORT ON THE DEBATE QUALITY IN THE PARLIAMENT (JANUARY – JUNE 2023)