The President shall declare
the opening and closing of each plenary meeting of the Conference. He shall direct the
discussions, ensure observance of these Rules, accord the right to speak, put questions to
the vote and announce decisions. He shall rule on points of order and, subject to the
present Rules, shall control the proceedings and the maintenance of order. The President
may, in the course of the discussion of an item, propose to the Conference the limitation
of the time to be allowed to speakers, the limitation of the number of times each speaker
may speak, the closure of the list of speakers or the closure of the debate. He may also
propose the suspension or adjournment of the meeting or the adjournment of the debate on
the item under discussion.
The President shall not vote,
but may designate a member of his delegation to vote in his place.
The President, in the exercise
of his functions, remains under the authority of the General Conference.
The President of the General
Conference shall sit ex officio in an advisory capacity on the Executive Board.
Acting
President
If the President finds it
necessary to be absent during a meeting or any part thereof, he shall appoint one of the
Vice-Presidents to take his place.
If the President is obliged to
be absent for more than two days, the General Conference may, on the motion of the General
Committee, elect one of the Vice-Presidents as acting President for the whole period of
the President’s absence.
A Vice-President sitting as
President or an Acting President, shall have the same powers and responsibilities as the
President.
