Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party Second Congress
1. The Congress will hold two sessions each day: from 9 am to 1 pm and from 3 pm to 7 pm.
2. No speaker to speak for longer than ten minutes; rapporteurs to be restricted to half an hour (with departures from this rule possible in exceptional cases); and persons introducing reasoned proposals and resolutions to be allowed no more than 20 minutes.
3. No-one to be allowed to speak more than three times on any question: this limitation not to include the rapporteur’s opening speech.
4. On questions relating to procedure in a session, no more than two speakers to be allowed ‘for’ and two ‘against’ the motion.
5. The Congress minutes to be compiled by the secretaries with help from the Bureau. Each session to begin by confirming the minutes of the previous session. Each speaker to hand in to the Bureau, not later than two hours after the end of a session, a summary of each of his contributions.
6. Voting on all questions except the election of functionaries to be open. If demanded by not less than ten votes, voting by roll-call to take place, with recording in the minutes of all votes cast.
7. In all divisions, without exception, only members in possession of deciding votes to take part; those with two mandates to exercise two votes.
8. A motion is considered as carried if an absolute majority of votes is cast in its favour. When there is no absolute majority, a second vote will be taken, when a relative majority will decide the issue. In exceptional cases the congress may refer the matter to a commission.
9. All resolutions, apart from those relating to matters of form, to be handed in to the Bureau in writing.