Rule 12  : Provisional Chair

1.    At the sitting provided for under Rule 134(2), and at any other sitting held for the purpose of electing the President and the Bureau, the outgoing President or, failing him or her, one of the outgoing Vice-Presidents in order of precedence or, in the absence of any of them, the Member having held office for the longest period shall take the Chair until the President has been elected.

2.    No business shall be transacted while a Member is provisionally in the Chair by virtue of paragraph 1 unless it is concerned with the election of the President or the verification of credentials.

The Member who is provisionally in the Chair by virtue of paragraph 1 shall exercise the powers of the President referred to in the second subparagraph of Rule 3(2). Any other matter relating to the verification of credentials that is raised when he or she is in the Chair shall be referred to the committee responsible for the verification of credentials.