Chapter 04 - The General Assembly

4.1.	The General Assembly, being the highest authority of FIDE, exercises the legislative and - unless otherwise defined below - also the executive power. It supervises the activities of the Executive Board, the Presidential Board, the President and also the other FIDE officials and organizations. It approves the FIDE budget, elects the Presidential Board, Ethics Committee, Verification and Constitutional Committees and determines the schedule of FIDE activities. When the General Assembly is not in session its powers are transferred to the Executive Board. However, the Executive Board cannot take decisions on the following: election of officials - as previously defined changes in Statutes, matters of Rules Commission, matters of Qualification Commission. All decisions taken by the Executive Board shall be reviewed by the following General Assembly. The World Champion and the Women's World Champion shall be invited to attend the General Assembly with consultative voice, but no vote.
4.2.	The General Assembly is composed of: the representatives of the member-federations and their counsellors, the members of the Executive Board, the representative of the affiliated international chess organizations, the Honorary Members, Honorary Presidents, Life Members and Friends of FIDE, the chairmen of the permanent commissions, and delegates (Chapter 8).
4.3.	Every member-federation is represented by its Permanent Delegate or by another person (Proxy), accredited by letter for such representation, and who either belongs to the federation concerned or is the representative (Permanent Delegate or Proxy) of another federation. Every representative is permitted to represent, besides his own, only one additional federation. A representative may be aided by one or two counsellors. A proxy can be assigned to a member-federation only by written authorisation. The letter of assignment must have a signature of the Permanent Delegate or of an official authorised by the federation, as last registered with FIDE. In emergency the General Assembly can approve a Proxy on notification by other means.
4.4.	Each member-federation represented in the General Assembly has one vote. The other participants in the General Assembly have a consultative voice only. The discussions may be carried through on the basis of a speaker's list to be kept by the General Secretary. the chairman can take the floor as often as required also outside the order of the speaker's list. Motions of order (closing of the speaker's list, closing of the discussion, adjournment of the agenda point, removing the point from the agenda) may be made at any time on a point under discussion. these motions should be considered and decided upon at once in so far as they do not entail an interruption of the session. The same goes for objections because of violation of the statutes. Proposals regarding amendments or supplementary proposals will be treated only if they are seconded by another voting member.
4.5.	In General Assemblies and Extraordinary General Assemblies no less than 50% of the affiliated federations (proxies included) shall be represented. If the quorum is not fulfilled at the beginning of the General Assembly, the Executive Board will decide which items of the agenda can be submitted for decision by the truncated General Assembly. The items put on the agenda shall not include changes of statutes, financial regulations or election of officials of FIDE.
4.6.	The sessions of the General Assembly are public, unless it is decided otherwise by simple majority vote.
4.7.	Votes are made orally. Votes on elections are to be made by secret ballot, unless otherwise decided by a two-third's majority. Each recommendation by the Executive Board is voted upon first, after discussion, in the General Assembly. In other cases amendments are voted upon first. Supplementary proposals are voted upon only after a decision on the main proposal; they will be discussed and voted upon in the reverse order in which they were made.
4.8.	Decisions shall be made with the majority of the votes delivered, without taking into account abstentions. For the exceptions hereto see Art. 14.4 and 14.5. For elections, special election regulations are operative.
4.9.	In the event of a tie in voting, the President decides (with the exception of elections).
4.10.	Prior to voting all relevant communications from absent members shall be brought to the attention of those present.
4.11.	Proposals of members or FIDE officials or organizations, or affiliated international organizations under Art. 2.9 sub (b), which are to be included in the agenda for the General Assembly, should reach the President not later than three months before the beginning of the General Assembly, together with the reasons for the proposals. Proposals submitted within this time limit must be included in the agenda for the General Assembly. At sittings of the General Assembly no new motion which was not previously included in the Agenda shall be entertained once there is a veto from 1/3 of the membership of the General Assembly present at the meeting.
4.12.	The regular General Assembly is held every Olympiad year - or every other year beginning in 1998. It is convened by the President. The invitations shall be sent out at the latest four months prior to the opening date of the General Assembly. The President shall send the minutes of the general Assembly to the members and the FIDE officials and organisations at the latest three months after the closing of the General Assembly. The President shall send the participants the complete agenda and the relevant documents at the latest six weeks prior to the opening of the General Assembly.
4.13.	Place and date of the General Assembly are determined: by the preceding General Assembly, or in the absence of such a decision, by the President.
4.14.	Decisions made by the General Assembly concerning a certain cycle for the World Championship, cannot be discussed and changed again during that cycle, unless agreed to by a two-thirds' majority.
4.15.	An Extraordinary General Assembly shall be convened by the President upon request of one-third of the member-federations within two months of such a request. In urgent cases the President, with the consent of the Executive Board or Presidential Board, also has the right to convene an Extraordinary General Assembly. The agenda for the Extraordinary General Assembly shall be sent to participants at least one month before the meeting is held.
4.16.	Proxies
4.16.1	All proxies shall be registered on the first day, at the beginning of the General Assembly, during the period of the establishment of the legality of the meeting after which the register shall be closed. The register of the proxies shall then be reopened after the elections would have been concluded on the first day of the General Assembly
4.16.2	Th Committee set up to establish the legality of a meeting shall examine the quorum and the proxies presented for verification.
4.16.3	For a proxy to be valid, it must be signed by any of the following accredited officials of the federation in the order of precedence of: President, Permanent Delegate or Secretary of the federation.
4.16.4	The proxy could either be an original copy of a letter or a faxed copy.
4.16.5	Where two or more proxies are received and there is a conflict, the order of precedence shall be as follows: Proxies received from the President Proxies received from the Permanent delegate Proxies received from the Secretary
4.16.6	Where the order of precedence is established and there is still a conflict, the latest fax or letter shall be deemed to be valid.
4.16.7	All other rules pertaining to the use of proxies as contained in the Standing Orders shall continue to remain valid insofar as they are not in conflict with the express provisions as contained in Articles 4.16.1 to 4.16.6 of this Statute.