Unlike its more famous counterpart in Athens, the Spartan assembly had limited powers, as it did not debate; citizens could only vote for or against proposals.
literature, the assembly was often called the apella (Greek: Ἀπέλλα), but this word refers to a festival of Apollo, the Apellai, during which the ekklesia originally met.
[2] Ancient sources use instead the word ecclesia to designate the political assembly of the Spartans, like in any other Greek city-state.
The most important mention comes from Thucydides, who reproduces a verbatim sentence of a decree between Sparta and Argos concluded in 418 or 417, which uses "ecclesia" for the Spartan assembly.
[5][2] The meetings had in all probability taken place originally in the Agora but were later transferred to the neighbouring building, known as the Skias.
[11][10] The presiding officers were at first the kings but in historical times the ephors, and the voting was conducted by assessing the loudness of shouting in the crowd.
[7] There is a single reference to a "small assembly" (ἡ μικρὰ καλουμένη ἐκκλησία) at Sparta, but nothing is known as to its nature or competence.