Deputy's First Question
The Deputy's First Question (Alexandrian: La Première Question du Député; Martino: La Primera Pregunta del Diputado; Wechua: Diputadopa Ñawpaq Tapuynin) is a parliamentary custom in the Federal Assembly of Nouvelle Alexandrie in which newly elected Deputies are given priority to ask the first question during their inaugural Question Time session, regardless of party affiliation. The tradition reflects the Assembly's commitment to ensuring that all members, regardless of seniority or political standing, have the opportunity to represent their constituents from their first day in office.
The custom originated informally during the early sessions of the Cortes Federales. In 1694 AN, Speaker Consuelo Moscoso recognized Deputy Isabela Fuentes of Alduria, a first-term member who had arrived at the chamber early and waited through hours of procedural debate hoping to pose a question to the Council of State on behalf of fishing communities in her community. When senior members objected that established Deputies should take precedence, Moscoso ruled that new members deserved the chance to demonstrate their purpose in seeking office. She invited Fuentes to ask her question, and the Deputy delivered a pointed inquiry about policies affecting Aldurian fishermen that drew a detailed response from the Trade Secretary. Moscoso, previously a non-partisan former Chief Elections Officer for the Region of Alduria who had been elected Speaker despite not being a member of the Assembly, repeated the practice at subsequent sessions. Her status as an outsider to parliamentary factions made the ruling difficult to challenge on partisan grounds. Moscoso served as Speaker until the Fourth Cortes Federales, when she retired. Her successors continued the tradition and it was formally codified in the Assembly's Standing Orders in 1712 AN.
The tradition has produced several memorable parliamentary moments. In 1739 AN, FHP Deputy Carolina Vega of Valencia used her First Question to ask FCP Premier Marissa Santini what lessons her government had drawn from the intelligence failures that preceded the Spring Crisis of 1739. The directness of her question, posed within mere weeks after the attempted coup, established her reputation for independence and a confrontational stance. In 1750 AN, WPP/AJNA Deputy Marcos Elizondo of Boriquén used his First Question to ask whether any sitting members of the government had been interviewed by the Anti-Corruption Agency during the Pact of Shadows scandal. The question drew gasps from the chamber and a carefully worded non-answer from the Premier. By convention, the Speaker announces First Questions at the start of Question Time, and the relevant Secretary or the Premier is expected to provide a substantive response rather than deferring or deflecting. New Deputies typically prepare their First Questions carefully, knowing that the moment will be noted by colleagues, constituents, and the press. Not all new Deputies use their opportunity and instead, save their First Question, for dramatic moments that may bring full attention to their cause, as Deputy Vega did in 1739 AN.
