SPEAKERS AROUND THE WORLD have resigned for acts committed in their “private” lives.
A speaker of the Australian parliament resigned after hundreds of vile text messages he sent to an assistant about genitalia were published.
Peter Slipper stepped down after the text messages were revealed during a sexual harassment court case brought by his former assistant.
Attempts by Liberal MPs to have him sacked failed by just one vote but Mr Slipper later resigned, stating the Speaker’s role “is far greater than my own role”.
Singapore’s Speaker of Parliament Michael Palmer resigned and left the ruling People’s Action Party after admitting to an extramarital affair.
Palmer said he made a “grave mistake” of improper conduct after being involved in a relationship with a member of a government agency who worked in a district he used to represent.
His resignation was accepted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who said that lawmakers must uphold the “highest standards of personal conduct”.
Jean-Charles Luperto, speaker of the parliament of the Federation Wallonia-Brussels, which represents the French-speaking community of Belgium, announced his resignation following revelation of alleged indecent exposure.
E. JEROME DAVIS
