Drafting Team to Modify LACRALO Organising Instruments
Date: Thursday, 25 February 2010
Time: 22:00 UTC - 23:00 UTC (for the time in various timezones click here)
Meeting Number: AL.LAC/MT.0210/2
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Interpretation: EN and ES
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Adobe Connect Meeting Room: http://icann.na3.acrobat.com/lacralo/![](/images/icons/linkext7.gif)
Participants: Dev Anand Teelucksingh, Carlton Samuels, Cristian Casas, José Ovidio Salgueiro, Antonio Medina Gomez, Sylvia Leite, Andres Piazza, Carlos Aguirre, Sergio Salinas, Cheryl Langdon-Orr
Apologies: Jose luis Barzallo, Sergio Bronstein
Staff: Matthias Langenegger, Heidi Ullrich
A G E N D A (English) - TO BE UPDATED
Agenda is in draft form until adopted by the meeting. Some agenda items have documents attached to it. If available, the document is next to the agenda item. Please do not insert text next to agenda items. The agenda will be easier to read without explanatory text attached. If you would like to add text, please create a new page and link it to the agenda item
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1. Roll call and apologies
2. Discussion on Quorum Needed for Amendment of Rules of Procedure and Operating Principles
Background information:
LACRALO Rules of Procedure
According to Rule 6 on Quorum:
"6.1 A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the accredited ALS referred to in Rule 1.1 present and represented at the Assembly."
However, according to Part VII on the Modifications to the rules where a virtual meeting is held:
"19 When a Virtual Meeting of the Assembly is held, the following Rules shall not apply: 6"
Which implies that no quorum is necessary in online votes. However, with regards to amending the rules of procedures, Rule 17 notes that
"The Assembly may amend these Rules of Procedure by a decision taken in plenary meeting by a two-thirds majority of the representatives of ALS present and voting."
LACRALO Operating Principles
Principle 4: "The General Assembly shall, to the extent possible, operate by consensus. If a consensus cannot be reached, each ALS accredited in the General Assembly shall be entitled to one vote and those votes shall decide by simple majority any matter put to vote. In the event of a tie vote, the person chairing the meeting shall have the casting vote."
Issues that need to be addressed before the vote on the proposed modifications:
- What is the quorum requirement for an online election on the modifications of the Rules of Procedure?
- Does a virtual meeting (an online election) constitute a plenary meeting? Does that mean that there is no quorum requirement for the proposed modifications of the Rules of Procedure?
- Does the quorum for amending the Rules of Procedure equally apply to amending the operating principles ?
Interpretation of the Quorum rule by ICANN's legal department:
"The rules (of procedures) do not appear to address any special quorum or voting threshold issue that would apply for the change of the operating principles. However, it wouldn’t be recommended to change the operating principles to conflict with a provision of the Operating Rules, even if the group determines that a lower threshold is required. The two documents should harmonize with each other.
Turning to what is required to amend the Operating Rules, it’s really not clear. We would encourage LACRALO to review how they will proceed with an eye to legitimacy. The ability to amend Operating Rules – one of the defining documents – was set out as requiring a higher voting threshold than other actions of the Assembly, and there’s a risk to the legitimacy of the group if the Operating Rules are able to be changed according to the wishes of a small group of people. Taking the time to discuss the intended application of a voting threshold, and whether that requires a quorum as set forth in the document, will likely be a more useful exercise than having the Operating Rules changed by a somewhat smaller group, making the Rules change susceptible to challenge later. We’ve seen other organizations within ICANN place stricter requirements on changes to Operating Rules to help address this fundamental legitimacy issue – such as the GNSO allowing absentee voting on amendments to the document in the event that councilors were not in attendance at the meeting."
Interpretation of the Quorum rule by Nick Ashton-Hart:
There is no quorum for online votes on modifications of the rules of procedure. Online votes have no quorum rule because every ALS representative is considered to be "virtually" present and able to participate in the vote if he or she wishes to.
3. Draft Text to Modify Rule 12.9 of the LACRALO Rules of Procedures
The current paragraph 12.9 on weighted voting is confusing. It is suggested that the paragraph be reworded to make sure the voting mechanisms accomplishes what is it intends and avoid confusions in the future.
Rules of Procedure
"12.9 The number of votes cast for or against any motion shall be limited by the following calculation with respect to any Assembly that is international in nature: a) The number of countries or territories covered by the entire membership of the Assembly shall form the numerator. b) The denominator shall be 100. c) The result of the division of (a)/(b) shall be multiplied by 100. d) The result of 12.9(c) shall be known as the Maximum Percentage. e) The votes cast by delegates representing ALSes normally domiciled in any one country may not in the aggregate exceed the Maximum Percentage. This calculation shall be separately applied to votes for and against any motion".
Issues arising under the current paragraph 12.9 |
Believe point D. should read "You would then set the Maximum Percentage as the numerator and the number of ALS domiciled in a given country as the denominator to get the corresponding country coefficient for the ALSes of that country." - Dev T |
4. Modification of the LACRALO Rules of Procedure
- draft text to extend the term of the LACRALO Secretariat to two years with a limit of one reelection (rules of procedure)
5. Modification of the LACRALO Operating Principles
- draft text to extend the term of the LACRALO Chair to two years with a limit of one reelection (operating principles)
6. Next Steps
7. Any Other Business
AGENDA (Español) ― SUJETA A ACTUALIZACIÓN
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1. Confirmación de Asistencia de los Presentes
2. Discusión sobre el quórum necesitada para modificar las reglas ordinarias de procedimiento y los principios operativos
Información adicional:
LACRALO reglas ordinarias de procedimiento
Según la regla 6 sobre el quórum:
6.1 El quórum consistirá en la mayoría simple de las ALSs acreditadas a las que se refiere la
Regla 1.1 y que estén presentes y representadas en la Asamblea.
AL/2007/SD/2.Rev1
_"6.2 La Asamblea no podrá tomar decisiones sobre asunto alguno a menos que el quórum
requerido esté presente."_
No obstante, según la parte VII sobre las modificaciones al reglamento cuando se celebre una reunion virtual:
_"19 Cuando se celebre una Reunión Virtual de la Asamblea, no se aplicarán las siguientes
reglas: 6"_
lo que implica que no es necesario un quórum en votos virtuales. No obstante, respecto a las enmiendas al Reglamento de Procedimientos, la regla 17 nota que
"La Asamblea podrá enmendar este Reglamento de Procedimientos en una sesión plenaria y
por mayoría de dos tercios de los votos de los representantes de las ALSs presentes que
voten."
Interpretación del reglamento del quórum de Nick Ashton-Hart:
No hay un quórum en las votos virtuales sobre modificaciones de las reglas de procedimiento. Votaciones virtuales no necesitan un quórum porque cada representante de un ALS esta considerado como "virtualmente" presente y apto a participar en el voto si quiere.
LACRALO Principios Operativos
_Principio 4:"La Asamblea General deberá, hasta donde sea posible, operar por
consenso. Cuando no se pueda lograr el consenso, cada ALS acreditada
en la Asamblea General tendrá derecho a un voto, y éstos votos decidirán
por mayoría simple cualquier asunto que se someta a votación."_