The Shift Toward Legislatures’ Self-Led Development
Key insights from the IPU and AGORA on parliamentary strengthening, modernization updates, and the latest on legislative elections
We're back with our traditional ModParl newsletter, bringing you the latest on modernization initiatives from around the world. Moving forward, you can expect at least one comprehensive edition like this one, along with updates featuring interviews and insights from legislatures I visit—such as my recent experience in Barcelona.
Below, you’ll find key takeaways from a discussion on legislative development at an event hosted by the AGORA Portal for Parliamentary Development and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), along with the latest news and resources on modernization. Plus, as always, we provide an overview of recent legislative elections and updates on future events.
Beatriz Rey, Ph.D.
Rethinking Legislative Development: The Role of Parliaments and Their Staff
The evolving role of multilateral institutions in parliamentary development was a key focus of the AGORA Community of Practice on the Common Principles for Support to Parliament, hosted by the IPU and the AGORA Portal for Parliamentary Development in late March. The discussion highlighted two major shifts: placing parliaments at the center of their own development and expanding the role of parliamentary staff in institutional strengthening.
Norah Babic, IPU’s manager of the Technical Cooperation Program, reflected on how the institution has moved away from bringing in external experts to lecture legislators or draft strategic plans — approaches that often failed to yield lasting impact. Instead, today’s parliament-led process ensures that strategies are meaningful, actionable, and embedded within the institutions themselves, leading to sustainable reforms.
A key pillar of this shift is empowering parliamentary staff, whose role is often overlooked in development initiatives. “Staff is the backbone of any parliament,” Babic emphasized, noting that parliaments often have the answers, but lack the platforms and time to explore solutions in depth. Aleida Ferreyra, global lead in Democratic Institutions and Processes in a Digital Era at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), echoed this perspective: “Capacity-building through parliamentary staff strengthens institutions at an administrative level, leading to long-term improvements.”
By prioritizing staff inclusion and parliament-led strategies, multilateral organizations are transforming the approach to legislative development, ensuring that change is driven from within rather than imposed externally. Learn more about the IPU’s Common Principles for Support to Parliaments, which have been guiding parliamentary development and institutional strengthening for over a decade.
Modernization Updates and Resources
The UK Parliament released its Information and Digital Strategy for 2024-2027, outlining a vision for how the institution will leverage information, data, and digital technologies in the coming years.
The Austrian Parliament, together with the University of Vienna, has published examples of how legislative open data can be used. Their look at how committee work is distributed is especially insightful and a great example of how legislatures and academia can collaborate to deepen our understanding of parliamentary processes.
Speaking of academia, recent peer-reviewed articles worth reading:
Lauren Martin examines how e-petitions connect UK citizens to parliament.
David A. Alexander investigates the contribution of parliamentary library and research services to the quality of deliberative democracy in Scotland.
Helen A. Bramah finds how trustworthiness can be conveyed by UK members of parliament in social media.
Frank M. Häge and Nils Ringe explore how homophily and reciprocity shape lawmaker collaboration in the European Parliament.
The IPU has launched a toolkit on SDG-informed legislative scrutiny to help parliamentarians integrate the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals into laws and budgets. It includes guidelines, checklists, and case studies from parliaments worldwide.
Spain has approved a bill imposing fines of up to €35 million or 7% of global turnover on companies that fail to label AI-generated content, aiming to combat misinformation and deepfakes. The legislation aligns with the EU’s AI Act and also prohibits manipulative AI practices targeting vulnerable groups.
Legislative Elections
Prime Minister Mark Caney is set to ask for a dissolution of Canada’s Parliament and call a federal election in upcoming days. The campaign will begin just a week after Carney’s swearing-in and cabinet appointments.
After a no-confidence vote in early March, the Portuguese President dissolved the country’s parliament and called for snap legislative elections to be held on May 18. This will be the third election to be held in Portugal since 2023.
Guinea-Bissau has legislative (and presidential) elections scheduled for November 23.
In Germany, voter turnout reached a record 82.5% — the highest since reunification in 1990 — leading to a victory for the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) coalition with 28.6% of the vote. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) followed in second place with 20.8%, while the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens secured 16.4% and 11.6%. Coalition talks for government formation are now underway.
Greenland’s pro-business opposition party, which advocates for a gradual path to independence from Denmark, secured victory in the latest parliamentary election.
The IPU reports that while the parliamentary gender gap has narrowed over the past 30 years — with women’s representation rising from 11.3% in 2000 to 27.2% in 2015 — progress stalled in 2024, with an increase of just 0.3 percentage points.
Events
March 25: Multidimensional Security and Regional Cooperation: Parliamentary Perspectives (ParlAmericas, Washington, DC, in person)
October 1-3: Athens Democracy Forum (Athens, Greece, in person)
June 18-20: Inaugural Africa Regional Conference on Parliament and Legislation (AFRIPAL, Kampala, Uganda)
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