Belgium

On 21 February 2002, two amendments to the Constitution were adopted. A new paragraph was included in Article 10, with a view to guaranteeing the principle of equal access to elected office for men and women alike.
On 29 November 2001, the House of Representatives adopted an amendment to its Standing Orders, according to which the duty of representing the House shall devolve upon members who enjoy broad support in that body. However, with a view to reflecting the composition of the assembly, members of groups viewed as important shall be associated with the work of the Bureau of the House. Likewise, two key changes were made to the Senate's Rules of Procedure: committee meetings will henceforth be open to the public, whereas in camera meetings were the rule in the past, and speaking time for oral questions has been limited: in the future, the author of the question and the minister fielding the question will have three minutes each.

Canada

On 15 June 2001, the Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act came into force. The bill has two basic objectives: to address a decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal regarding the identification of the political affiliation of candidates on election ballots, and to make a number of technical and administrative changes and correct certain drafting errors in the new Canada Elections Act, which was passed in 2000.
In December 2001, the Senate adopted new rules with respect to Senators indicted and subject to judicial proceedings. An indicted Senator is given a leave of absence with respect to attendance in the chamber and in committees. Should there be a termination of the judicial process without conviction, then the Senator is automatically restored to full rights of participation in his or her legislative role. In the event of a conviction, the Senator remains in office until all appeals have been exhausted, but is suspended from the service without pay. If the conviction is subsequently set aside, the Senator is returned to the full role of a Senator and the pay that was withheld is restored in full, without interest.

Denmark

The Standing Orders were amended to establish new rules concerning the conditions for approval of parliamentary groups entitled to parliamentary rights and benefits. According to these new rules, this approval depends on such groups' compliance with one of the following:

• Group of Members elected in the latest parliamentary elections as representatives of a certain political party which they still represent;
• Group of Members who establish a new group and a new political party which is entitled to nomination for parliamentary elections;
• Group of Members who join an existing political party which is not represented in the Folketing but is entitled to nomination for parliamentary elections;
• Group of Members who are no longer members of the party for which they were elected but who continue as a collective body with a shared policy.

Hungary

The Constitution was amended in line with the changes in the structure of the top-level leadership of the Hungarian Army. The amending Law regulates the composition of the Council of Defence and stipulates that the basic rules regarding control of the armed forces and the order of the top-level leadership of the Hungarian Army shall be determined under a statute approved by two-thirds of the MPs present at the sitting called to consider the matter.

India

On 5 December 2001, a change to the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha came into force. The new rule provides for the automatic suspension of members who come to the well of the House and create disorder. On being named by the Speaker, such members would be automatically suspended from the service of the House for five consecutive sittings or the remainder of the Session, whichever is less.
Also enacted was the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Act, which enhances the salary of the members, the allowance payable to the members during any period of residence and the rate of road mileage in respect of every journey performed in India for the purpose of attending any business connected with the duties as a member.

Ireland

On 27 February 2002, the Standing Orders were amended to provide for the taking of votes electronically and to cater for situations where the electronic system is unavailable or unreliable, wherein the Speaker may at any time require that a vote be re-taken electronically or taken manually. The amended Standing Orders also provide that votes on the election of the Speaker, nomination of the Prime Minister and members of the Government, and motions of confidence in the Government will be taken manually.

New Zealand

On 22 December 2001, the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Act became law. It stipulates that if a member of Parliament resigns or is expelled from his or her parliamentary party, the member automatically loses office as a member of parliament. A member can be expelled from a party only if the parliamentary leader of that party delivers written notice to that effect to the Speaker and can only be expelled on the grounds that he or she has acted in a way that has distorted the proportionality of political party representation in Parliament. The leader must give the member 21 working days' notice of intention to take action and the decision to expel the member must be supported by at least two-thirds of the parliamentary members of that party.

Poland

Four amendments to the Standing Orders were adopted between 19 October 2001 and 14 February 2002. The first amendment introduced substantial changes into the system of permanent committees in the Sejm. Some were established, others replaced and five dissolved. The second amendment raised the maximum number of members of the Special Services Committee from seven to nine. The third amendment changed the procedures for appointment of members of the Deputies' Ethics Committee. The last amendment introduced the possibility to reject a bill in its second reading, which is a real innovation for the Polish system of legislative procedure.
The Act of 9 May 1996 on the Exercise of the Mandate of a Deputy or Senator was amended on 24 August 2001. The changes concern the principles of recruitment of staff to assist Deputies and Senators and service parliamentary clubs (caucuses) and groups. Detailed provisions specifying the procedure for financial statements by Deputies and Senators were also adopted.

Republic of Korea

The Election Law has been amended regarding financial deposits required of candidates in parliamentary elections. The ceiling on these deposits has been reduced to 15,000,000 won (some 11,500 US dollars) from 20,000,000 won. Changes have also been introduced with regard to the repayment of these deposits, which must be returned in the following cases: when the candidate is elected; upon the death of the candidate; if the number of candidate's obtained votes exceeds the number of valid votes divided by the total number of candidates running or if the number of votes is more than 15/100 of the valid votes. Another amendment establishes that by-elections do not have to be held if the remaining parliamentary term is less than one year from the date on which the by-election is to be held.

Rwanda

The Law on the means available to the Transition National Assembly for collecting information on government action and overseeing such measures has been amended. The changes concern, inter alia, the deadline for a reply by the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, Ministers or Secretaries of State, which has been extended from 15 to 30 days. Another new element is the possibility for the Assembly to debate questions of general interest with the government within the framework of an exchange of ideas.

South Africa

On 21 November 2001, the Constitution was amended to make provision for, among other things, the appointment of not more than two Deputy Ministers from outside the National Assembly. Before this amendment, the Constitution provided that Deputy Ministers should be appointed from among the members of the National Assembly only.
On 14 December 2001, the Constitution was also amended to extend and adjust the definition of a money bill, among other things, and to specify that only the Minister of Finance may introduce a money bill. The purpose of this amendment is to ensure that the National Treasury is able, before introduction, to assess all legislation having an impact on macro-economic policy or relating to national taxes or direct charges against the National Revenue Fund.

Sweden

In September 2001, the Riksdag Act was amended with regard to the Government's obligation to account for its actions in the European Union. Moreover, a new paragraph has been added to the Riksdag Act, which states that the committees are to follow up and evaluate decisions connected to their own area of responsibility.
The Electoral Law has been also amended to enable Swedish voters abroad to vote by mail, by sending their voting slips to the Election Authority in Sweden.