Cloture

Cloture (, also UK: ), closure, or informally a guillotine, is a motion or process in parliamentary procedure aimed at bringing debate to a quick end. The cloture procedure originated in the French National Assembly, from which the name is taken. Clôture is French for "the act of terminating something". It was introduced into the Parliament of the United Kingdom by William Ewart Gladstone to overcome the obstructionism of the Irish Parliamentary Party and was made permanent in 1887. It was subsequently adopted by the United States Senate and other legislatures. The name cloture remains in the United States. In Commonwealth countries it is usually closure or, informally, guillotine. In the United Kingdom and Canada, closure and guillotine are distinct motions.