Mapping Modern Parliaments: From Absenteeism Rules to AI and Regional Cooperation
New data on how legislatures handle attendance and proxy voting, plus the latest on parliamentary innovation, family-friendly reforms, and collaboration across the globe
Hello from Brazil again, where I’m keeping a close eye on the new coalition formed in Germany after the recent legislative elections. What this means for AI projects in the Bundestag remains to be seen, but I’m continuing conversations with folks in Berlin and will share insights as they come.
In this edition, we’re excited to share new research on absenteeism and proxy voting (a big shoutout and thanks to our fantastic interns, Alero and Kaitlin, for compiling the data), highlights from recent events, the latest on AI, and a roundup of modernization resources.
Beatriz Rey, Ph.D.
How Are Legislatures Dealing with Absenteeism and Proxy Voting?
The ModParl team at POPVOX Foundation has compiled data that did not previously exist in one place: how 51 legislatures across the Americas and Europe regulate absenteeism and proxy voting. Our analysis of official rules from 2022–2023 reveals that while thirty-one legislatures have formal absenteeism policies, only twenty actually enforce them with penalties. Just twenty-four allow exemptions for circumstances like parental leave or medical issues. Proxy voting remains largely restricted — but countries like Peru, Bolivia, and Greece offer exceptions. From fingerprint scanners in Argentina to flexible voting in emergencies, this is a first-of-its-kind look at how democracies manage presence and participation. Dive into the full findings.
On a related topic, the Assemblée nationale du Québec offers an on-site drop-in daycare as part of a broader effort to promote work-family balance and create a more inclusive, accessible, and family-friendly parliamentary environment.
MPs from Across the Americas Meet on Capitol Hill
On March 26, legislators from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada met with bipartisan Members of the US House of Representatives to discuss trade, migration, security, and regional development. Hosted by ParlAmericas, in collaboration with the House Democracy Partnership, the roundtable highlighted the importance of interparliamentary cooperation ahead of the upcoming Summit of the Americas. With voices from across the region — including MPs from Mexico, Grenada, and Paraguay — the dialogue underscored a shared commitment to strengthening legislative ties across the hemisphere.
Bridging Policy and Innovation: A Capitol Hill Tech Showcase
On April 28, POPVOX Foundation and the Bertelsmann Foundation cohosted Learning Together: Technology Solutions for Policy Challenges, a dynamic showcase on Capitol Hill that brought together Congressional staff, international peers, civic tech builders, and the public to explore how technology can strengthen democracy. The event featured five cutting-edge tools — from AI-powered community input platforms to gamified policy education — and demonstrated how innovations can enhance institutional efficiency, deepen civic engagement, and bridge communication divides. By fostering a non-commercial, hands-on learning environment, Learning Together encouraged cross-sector collaboration and highlighted the importance of exposing staff to new technologies that address shared policy challenges across local, national, and international levels.
The Latest on AI
Two new papers explore the intersection of AI and democracy: one from civic tech organizations MAPLE (US); the other, published in Portuguese, analyzes how the rise of AI is reshaping democratic dynamics by introducing new epistemological challenges through the coexistence of human, collective, and machine intelligences.
A series of posts coauthored with the head of the Brazil Senate’s e-Citizenship Office investigates how the institution is using AI to enable greater citizen participation in lawmaking.
At the Global AI Summit in Kigali, over 50 African nations launched the Africa Declaration on Artificial Intelligence —a landmark commitment to data sovereignty, digital infrastructure, and sustainable AI innovation, coordinated by Qhala, Smart Africa, and Rwanda’s C4IR.
India’s new ‘Sansad Bhashini’ initiative aims to transform parliamentary processes with cutting-edge AI, enhancing multilingual accessibility, streamlining documentation, and advancing tech-driven governance.
A British MP Kanishka Narayan built a tool to help his constituents easily understand the content of his recent speeches — and then he expanded “Kanishka Kloud” to cover speeches of all British MPs.
The United Arab Emirates has committed to a 10-year, $1.4 trillion investment framework in the United States, focusing on sectors like AI infrastructure, semiconductors, energy, and manufacturing. While the White House hailed the move as a major expansion of UAE investments, details on how the total will be reached remain unclear.
Other News and Resources
At the OAS Permanent Council, US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Kimberly J. Penland reaffirmed the US commitment to inter-parliamentary engagement in the Americas, while calling for greater safeguards to ensure that only democratically elected representatives participate in regional legislative dialogues.
A government-backed reform bill to remove hereditary peers from the House of Lords is making its way through Parliament, offering a long-awaited opportunity to not only end hereditary membership but also to advance broader reforms to the UK’s second chamber.
Spain’s Chamber of Deputies has officially published its first Open Parliament Plan, launching a new phase focused on transparency, citizen participation, and accessibility — with key measures including plain language initiatives, lobbying regulation, and civic education programs.
The Fijian Parliament has officially become the host of the IPU Pacific Regional Hub, taking over from New Zealand to lead innovation, digital transformation, and regional collaboration among Pacific parliaments — with support from UNDP and partners in Australia, Japan, and New Zealand.
The Dutch parliament has approved motions to reduce reliance on US software firms by developing a sovereign cloud platform, citing shifting US relations and renewed urgency under Donald Trump’s presidency.
“Exploring Parliament,” a book edited by Louise Thompson, Cristina Leston-Bandeira, and Alexandra Meakin, offers a fresh, evidence-based look at how the UK Parliament works — blending academic insight with real-world perspectives to uncover its structures, practices, and evolving role in democracy.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association explores how dress codes across Commonwealth legislatures reflect evolving cultural, political, and gender norms — highlighting that when it comes to parliamentary attire, there is no one-size-fits-all.
Events
May 20: Information Seminar on the Structure and Functioning of the Inter-Parliamentary Union 2024 (IPU, Geneva, Switzerland)
May 22: Examples of AI Governance in Parliaments (IPU, Virtual)
May 27: Legislando para o Futuro: A Governança Antecipatória na Ação Parlamentar (ParlAmericas, Montevideo, Uruguai)
June 13: 4th Global Conference on Parliamentary Studies (Athens, Greece)
June 18-20: Inaugural Africa Regional Conference on Parliament and Legislation (AFRIPAL, Kampala, Uganda)
October 1-3: Athens Democracy Forum (Athens, Greece)
October 7–9: Open Government Partnership Summit (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain)
October 6–12: 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (Bridgetown, Barbados)
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