EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT GOVERNING BODY ELECTIONS Extraordinary GB Elections, 30 July 05 August, 2018 Background information for voters and candidates European Youth Parliament 1
General information about the Governing Body The Governing Body (GB) is the international board of EYP. The GB directs the organisation and is responsible for the strategic development of the EYP. The Governing Body consists of six elected members and a representative of the Schwarzkopf Foundation, our international umbrella organisation. In its work, the Governing Body is supported by the Executive Director of the EYP, and is accountable to the Board of National Committees and to the members. Elections for the Governing Body Elections for the GB are held every year, usually in October-November, when three seats become vacant. National Committees elect two members and the EYP members elect one member of the Governing Body. This time, early elections have to be held in summer 2018, since Philippa Marguin has decided to resign and step down after 6 months of her term. Philippa was elected in the normal elections 2017, for a two year term over the calendar years 2018-2019. Philippa was elected to the GB as a teacher, and was elected through the votes of the National Committees. In the extraordinary elections in July/August 2018, EYP s National Committees will thus elect a new teacher to the GB, to replace Philippa for about 18 months, until the end of December 2019. Each National Committee will have one vote, and the candidate with the highest number of votes is elected, provided that she/he has received a minimum of 20% of the total number of National Committee votes. Voting will take place online, between Monday 30 July 2018 and Sunday 05 July 2018. In this election, a teacher quota applies whereby the vacant spot will have to be filled by a teacher. If you are interested in running, please see further instructions below. In case there are not enough candidates to allow for a competitive election, the nomination period will be reopened once, for a week. Role of National Committees and members National Committees are asked to actively encourage candidates to run in the elections, and to help raise awareness for the elections (voting period July 30 August 5). National Committees may not favour one candidate over another in their public statements. In contrast, individual members are more than welcome to campaign on behalf of candidates and to share candidates manifestos via email or social media. Before the voting opens, the International Office will send personal voting instructions for the online voting poll to all those individuals who are assigned to cast the NC votes. Please refer to the Policy on the Governing Body for other rules that apply during the elections. European Youth Parliament 2
Governing Body Mandate Period The new GB member elected in summer 2018 is elected only for about 1.5 years. The term will start immediately after the election and will end on 31 December 2019. The elected GB member is expected to serve for the entire 18 months, and he or she can run again in the normal elections in autumn 2019 for re-election. Work on the Governing Body In the beginning of the term, the GB selects a Chairperson among its members; agrees on an annual work plan; and usually also agrees on a task division or distributes portfolios amongst its members. The GB meets physically four times a year, usually over a weekend in Berlin. The GB members agree on the meeting dates together. All expenses are covered. Next to the meetings, the GB works via a joint e-mail list, and depending on the portfolios, each GB-member is also expected to work on his or her own tasks and responsibilities. A GB-candidate should: be able to make 3-6 hours per week available for GB work and reply to email regularly throughout the week; be able to attend four GB Meetings per year, and at least one additional event (e.g. BNC Meeting; Council Meeting; International Session) value good advice, but be able to arrive at decisions based on own judgement; be willing to defend and see through ideas; have a broad idea of how EYP should develop as an organisation; have some experience in NGO management. Members of the GB cannot hold any positions on boards of National Committees, Candidate National Committees, or EYP Initiatives. Members of the GB can also not hold any officials positions at International Sessions for the duration of their term. The EYP Councils assist the GB in specific fields. The five existing Councils are the Development Council, Training and Members Development Council, Academic Council, Educational Council, and Outreach and Inclusion Council. More information about the Councils is available here. How to run in the elections Anyone teacher can sign up as a candidate for the GB elections. National Committees and EYP members can also get in touch with potential candidates to encourage them to run. All the necessary information about the elections about how to run is compiled on the election page on the EYP Website. European Youth Parliament 3
To present yourself as a candidate for election, you must send an email to elections@eyp.org by Sunday, 22 July 2018. All candidates are required to submit a filled in questionnaire and a video. The questionnaire for candidates is attached to this call and also available at the above website page. Videos should be sent as a file or a link to elections@eyp.org. The International Office will upload all videos simultaneously. Campaign videos may be no longer than 3 minutes, and candidates should answer these two questions: Why do you run for the Governing Body? What will your aim and focus be during your term on the Governing Body? Election timeline Below you can see the full timeline of the extraordinary elections for the Governing Body in 2018 Call for candidates published: Tuesday, 3 July All NCs are asked to nominate and encourage suitable candidates to run in the elections. Deadline for candidates to submit manifestos and videos: Sunday 22 July, 23:59 CET Publication of manifestos: Monday, 23 July Campaigning period: Monday, 23 July Sunday, 29 July Voting period: Monday 30 July Sunday 5 August Results announced: Monday, 6 August The following preparatory deadlines will apply: 10 July The International Office will circulate a draft voting list of people casting the NC votes. 23 July NCs submit changes to persons voting on behalf of your NC in the NC vote Voting Each National Committees has one vote to cast. All National Committees are asked to assign one person voting on their behalf in the elections, and to inform the International Office about potential changes to the list of NC voters proposed. Only the assigned person and their email address will be able to cast the online votes. Voting takes place online, and voting instructions will be sent to all registered voters before the voting period begins. Voting takes place between Monday, 30 July and Sunday, 05 August 2018. During voting period, campaigning is no longer permissible but promoting the election is of course possible. European Youth Parliament 4
The elections are administered by the International Office to avoid any conflict of interests. At the end of the voting period, the results will be announced and the successful candidates appointed. European Youth Parliament 5