Ten Requests of Our House

1) A local council elected deputy should reside permanently in the area of his/her constituency or in the close proximity to it.

(Presently, the place of residence of local council members is not restricted. Some live far away from their electorate and feel detached, less responsible and unaccountable).

2) A deputy should publish his/her election manifesto/program and work to implement it, taking into account voters’ expectations and public interests of a constituency.

(Not every candidate for a local council has a clear election manifesto even during the elections. A written manifesto helps holding deputies accountable after elections, when promises to voters tend to be forgotten).

3) A deputy should receive voters at least once a week in non-working (evening & weekend) hours on the territory of his/her constituency.

(Many local council members usually schedule their visiting hours once a month. Sometimes voters have to travel far to see their elected deputy.)

4) Elected deputies should actively engage in the work of the council and its various committees, as well as communicate the results of their work in writing accessible to the voters.

(This is a right of an elected deputy. When it is not practiced the work of the council is reduced to their mere presence).

5) Information about the council’s decisions shaping voters’ life (like local budgets) must be made accessible in full to the public.

(As of today, not every council publishes such information; voters are not allowed to attend councils’ sessions or various boards’ meetings).

6) Elected representatives should report to their constituency about their performance publicly at least twice a year via newsletters or media. Their reports should be openly accessible via the Internet.

(Very few deputies do so: publications in media are extremely rare).

7) An elected deputy should have an assistant(s) that could help with council’s duties on a voluntary basis.

(Local council members perform their duties while keeping their pre-election jobs. They often leave their constituency because of job related needs; interests and issues of their constituents are left unattended).

8) A deputy should have a personal business email address for communication with voters and attend to electronic petitions in the same way as to verbal and written appeals.

(Electronic appeals received by government offices are treated equally to the appeals filed in writing).

9) A deputy should make an ad hoc accountability session, following a written demand by at least 10% of voters, residing on the territory of a constituency.

(Established practice in the recent years is that such a report will be made only if a third of the all voters in the constituency sign the request).

10) A deputy should terminate his/her mandate early and voluntarily if no confidence is expressed by constituents during the accountability session.

(Many deputies perform their duties recklessly and tend to ignore or disregard the discontent from their constituents).