Member of Parliament

Members of Parliament ( MPs also; representatives; deputies or representatives of the people ) are entitled to vote at a meeting, eg parliament or national assembly, elected people.

General

MPs are distinguished from electors. While MPs represent the voters for a certain period, electors have only one vote in a single concrete choice. If a deputy imperatives are mandate, we speak of councils. Only colloquially we speak with the members of local self- governing bodies as the deputy. Members may be chosen freely, but they can also stem from sham elections deputies are appointed or given the mandate ex officio or birth.

MPs enjoy immunity legal in most states, that is, they are not subject to criminal prosecution, unless has undertaken a process for waiver of immunity by Parliament. Due to the principle of indemnity they can in principle for utterances in Parliament not be dragged outside of parliament to account. You usually receive a parliamentary allowance.

The swearing in of MPs, the MPs envy was customary, but is today a marginal phenomenon in democracies.

Situation in individual countries

Germany

In Germany, the members of the German Bundestag ( Parliament) are also referred to as Members of Parliament or better members of the Bundestag. They are elected every four years by universal, direct, free, equal and secret elections, and are bound as a representative of all the people on any assignments or instructions and subject only to their conscience (Free mandate ). This principle contrasts with the observed in practice party discipline.

The elected members of the Diet of a federal state in Germany are referred to as member of the Parliament or in Berlin also as a Member, as the Berlin state parliament is the House of Representatives. The abbreviations for the corresponding members of the Land parliaments Member of Parliament (member of parliament ), MdA (Member of the Berlin House of Representatives ), MdBB (Member of Bremen Parliament ) and MdHB (member of the Hamburg Parliament ).

A deputy must be of age and at least one year of German nationality. Other requirements for eligibility for election result from the respective laws.

Austria

General

In Austria, a deputy and deputy (Latin for " Commissioner " ) is called. He is elected and sent to one of the public bodies. There is Member of Parliament and the state legislatures. As the countries representatives are not elected directly by the Bundesrat, they are called members of the Bundesrat and not as members of parliament.

The rights and obligations are governed by federal law and local state law. Examples include the immunity that provides an MEP protection against prosecution, or the Emoluments Act, which sets out the remuneration and expense allowances.

Wilder deputy

As wild deputy that is called, the time of his election was indeed on the list of candidates of a party, but later resigned from the party. Since he was elected by the people but he retains his seat. He is not subject to party discipline and, as usual gem. Article 38 I, p 2, to decide according to his conscience. Are the majority situation in short supply, it may thus be to " tip the scales ".

Italy

In Italy, the members of the first chamber of the Parliament are called deputies deputati. They are addressed with onorevole ( "Venerable "). In South Tyrol, the term, as in Austria, further interpreted.

European Union

The elected Members of the European Parliament as a member of the European Parliament ( MEPs) or unofficially referred to as MEP. They are elected directly in European elections since 1979 every five years; before the members of the EU Parliament have been determined by the parliaments of the Member States.

Currently, the European Parliament has 736 members.

United States

In the U.S. in particular are the elected members of the House of Representatives - i.e., the second chamber of Congress, that the U.S. Parliament - as a " deputy " or more precisely: " Congressman " (English Congressman / woman ), rarely as "representatives" ( representatives ) refers.

While even the U.S. Senate - i.e., the first chamber of the U.S. Parliament - part of the Congress; However, its members are not considered members of parliament, but as " senators " ( Senators ); see also Senate.