» Rules of Procedure of the Inter-American Juridical Committee

CHAPTER V

Chairman and Vice Chairman

Article 9: The Chairman and the Vice Chairman shall hold office for a term of two years and may not be reelected for an immediately following term. In case of vacancy in the office of Vice Chairman, a new Vice Chairman shall be elected to fill the remainder of the term of his predecessor.

Article 10: The Chairman and the Vice Chairman shall be elected separately and by secret vote. For that purpose the Secretariat of the Committee will give to each member a sheet of paper on which are listed the names of all the members of the Committee. Each member will mark with a cross only one name. The Chairman in office shall immediately declare elected to the corresponding office that member who has obtained at least six votes.

 In case on the first ballot no member obtains at least six votes, the voting shall be repeated as many times as necessary until one member obtains the above-mentioned majority.

Article 11: The functions and powers of the chairman are:

 a) To open and close the sessions and to direct the discussion;

 When the Chairman is also rapporteur on a topic, the Vice Chairman shall take over the chair once the topic is opened for discussion;[3]

 b) To submit to the consideration of the Committee the matters that are listed on the order of business;

 c) To grant the floor in the order in which it is requested;

 d) To decide points of order. Nevertheless, when any member requests it, the point of order decided by the Chairman shall be submitted to the decision of the majority;

 e) To submit to a vote the topics under discussion that require decision, and to announce the results thereof;

 f) To bring to the attention of the other members the communications received from the organs of the Organization, from the American governments, or from the members of the Committee, or other communications that in his opinion should be brought to the attention of the other members;

 g) To represent the Committee before the other organs of the OAS, governments, organizations, agencies and other authorities;

 h) To be the intermediary between the members, or between them and the Committee, or between them and the authorities, in all cases which it is required;

 i) To give, verbally or in writing, information that the other members request of him;

 j) To supervise the acquisition of technical books, taking into account the available resources;

 k) To supervise the functioning of the Secretariat;

 l) The other functions and powers that these Rules of Procedure confer on him and those that the Committee assigns to him.

Article 12: At the beginning of each regular meeting, the Chairman shall give a report to the Committee on the manner in which he has complied, during the recess of the Committee, with the powers and functions that these Rules of Procedure confer on him and he shall submit to the consideration of the Committee the order of priority of the matters to be considered.

[3]. Amendment approved by resolution CJI/RES.II-13/86, dated August 9, 1986.