For over 25 years the CPA have conducted Post-Election Seminars for parliaments at a national or sub-national level. This long-standing programme introduces newly elected parliamentarians to differing legislative systems and methods of working. The Seminars usually take place a few months after a general election, in either a physical on virtual format, and are delivered by senior, highly experienced current and former parliamentarians and parliamentary officials from throughout the Commonwealth.
The objectives are two-fold:
- To disseminate information on diverse good practices in Commonwealth parliaments as a way of providing options to parliamentarians;
- Promote an understanding of the way parliamentary procedures and practices can embed good governance into a system.
Topics covered by the programme might centre on dealing with the media, working in the constituency, as well as how to perform better in committees.
Since mid-2020, the CPA delivered Virtual Post-Election Seminars with Anguilla, Dominica, Bermuda, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize and the Cayman Islands and provided support to the Parliament of Jamaica in their new-Members induction programme. Participants across all programmes highlight a significant increase in understanding of parliamentary practice and procedure.