Parliament of Jamaica

Parliament of Jamaica
Parliament of Jamaica
14th Parliament of Jamaica
Type
Type	Bicameral
Houses	Senate; House of Representatives
Leadership
Monarch	Charles III ; since 8 September 2022
Governor-General	Patrick L. Allen ; since 26 February 2009
Speaker of the House of Representatives	Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, JLP ; since 15 September 2020
President of the Senate	Thomas Tavares-Finson, JLP ; since 10 March 2016
Structure
Seats	84; 21 Senators; 63 Members of Parliament
Senate political groups	HM Government Jamaica Labour Party (13) Official Opposition People's National Party (8)
House of Representatives political groups	HM Government Jamaica Labour Party (49) Official Opposition People's National Party (14)
Elections
Senate voting system	Appointed by the Governor-General of Jamaica on advice of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition
House of Representatives voting system	First-past-the-post
House of Representatives last election	3 September 2020
House of Representatives next election	2025
Meeting place
	George William Gordon House, Kingston, Jamaica
Website
	japarliament.gov.jm

The Parliament of Jamaica is the legislative branch of the government of Jamaica. It consists of three elements: The Crown (represented by the Governor-General), the appointed Senate and the directly elected House of Representatives.

The Senate, the Upper House, is the direct successor of a pre-Independence body known as the "Legislative Council" and comprises 21 senators appointed by the Governor-General: thirteen on the advice of the Prime Minister and eight on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition.

The House of Representatives, the Lower House, is made up of 63 (previously 60) Members of Parliament, elected to five-year terms on a first-past-the-post basis in single-seat constituencies.

Overview

As Jamaica is a parliamentary democracy modelled after the Westminster system, most of the government's ability to make and pass laws is dependent on the Prime Minister's ability to command the confidence of the members of the House of Representatives. Though both Houses of Parliament hold political significance, the House of Representatives, of which the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition are both required to be members of, holds a more powerful and prestigious role since it is the main source of legislation.

Parliament building

The Parliament meets at Gordon House at 81 Duke Street, Kingston.[1] It was built in 1960 and named in memory of Jamaican patriot George William Gordon.[2]

Construction on a new parliament building directly north of Gordon House was expected to start in early 2021.[3] However, the start of construction has been delayed until at least 2022.[4]

House of Representatives

The House of Representatives is the Lower House. It is the group of elected members of parliament.

Senate

The Senate is the Upper House. This is the list of senators:

Senator Hon. Thomas George Lewis Tavares-Finson, JP, President Jamaica Labour Party Senator Aubyn Rochester Hill, Deputy President Jamaica Labour Party Senator Hon. Kamina Elizabeth Johnson Smith, Leader of Government Business Jamaica Labour Party Senator Hon. Ruel Bancroft Reid, CD, JP Jamaica Labour Party Senator Hon. Pearnel Patroe Charles, Jnr Jamaica Labour Party Senator Ransford Braham Jamaica Labour Party Senator Kavan Anthony Gayle Jamaica Labour Party Senator Dr. Sapphire Inderea Longmore Jamaica Labour Party Senator Kerensia Alicia Morrison Jamaica Labour Party Senator Matthew Peter Samuda Jamaica Labour Party Senator Charles Anthony Sinclair Jamaica Labour Party Senator Donald George Wehby Jamaica Labour Party Senator Delroy Hugh Williams Jamaica Labour Party Senator Mark Jefferson Golding, Leader of Opposition Business People's National Party Senator Hon.Keith Desmond St. Aubyn Knight, OJ,QC People's National Party Senator Floyd Emerson Morris People's National Party Senator Dr. Angela Rosemarie Brown-Burke People's National Party Senator Wensworth Kirkpatrick Skeffery People's National Party Senator Sophia Lilleth Fraser-Binns People's National Party Senator Lambert Alexander Brown, CD People's National Party Senator Noel Bancroft Sloley, CD People's National Party

In order to effect changes to the Constitution of Jamaica a two-thirds majority in both Houses is required. Therefore, changes to the Jamaican constitution will require consensus among Government and Opposition Senators.

Last election



Party		Votes	%	+/–	Seats	+/–
	Jamaica Labour Party	408,376	57.07	+6.99	49	+17
	People's National Party	305,950	42.76	–6.95	14	–17
	Independents	1,185	0.17	+0.03	0	0
Total		715,511	100.00	–	63	–

Valid votes		715,511	98.78
Invalid/blank votes		8,806	1.22
Total votes		724,317	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		1,913,410	37.85
Source: Electoral Commission of Jamaica

References

"Contact Us". Japarliament.gov.jm. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
"History". Japarliament.gov.jm. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
"Construction of New Parliament Building to Begin 2021". jis.gov.jm. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
Henry, Balford (19 March 2021). "Construction of new Parliament building set to start next year". Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 9 June 2021.

External links

Parliament of Jamaica

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] "Contact Us". Japarliament.gov.jm. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2016.

[2] "History". Japarliament.gov.jm. Retrieved 3 January 2016.

[3] "Construction of New Parliament Building to Begin 2021". jis.gov.jm. Retrieved 9 March 2021.

[Henry-4] Henry, Balford (19 March 2021). "Construction of new Parliament building set to start next year". Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 9 June 2021.

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Politics of Jamaica


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