The Parliament of Jamaica is the
legislative branch
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as ...
of the government of
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
. It consists of three elements: The
Crown
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
(represented by the
Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
), the appointed Senate and the directly elected House of Representatives.
The Senate, the
Upper House
An upper house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smalle ...
, 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
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
and eight on the advice of the
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
.
The House of Representatives, the
Lower House
A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...
, is made up of 63 (previously 60) Members of Parliament, elected to five-year terms on a
first-past-the-post
In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...
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. It was built in 1960 and named in memory of Jamaican patriot
George William Gordon
George William Gordon (1820 – 23 October 1865) was a wealthy mixed-race Jamaican businessman, magistrate and politician, one of two representatives to the Assembly from St. Thomas-in-the-East parish. He was a leading critic of the colonia ...
.
Construction on a new parliament building directly north of Gordon House was expected to start in early 2021.
However, the start of construction has been delayed until at least 2022.
House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is the
Lower House
A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...
. It is the group of elected members of parliament.
Members
Senate
The Senate is the
Upper House
An upper house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smalle ...
. 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
See also
*
List of presidents of the Jamaican Council
*
List of presidents of the Legislative Council of Jamaica List of presidents of the Jamaican Council
:''Source'':
List of presidents of the Legislative Council of Jamaica
:''Source'':
This position was succeeded by the President of the Senate of Jamaica.
Footnote and references
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pr ...
*
List of presidents of the Senate of Jamaica
List of presidents of the Senate of Jamaica. The president is the presiding officer of Senate of Jamaica
The Parliament of Jamaica is the legislative branch of the government of Jamaica. It consists of three elements: The Crown (represen ...
*
List of speakers of the House of Representatives of Jamaica
*
Women in the House of Representatives of Jamaica
Jamaica is the first English-speaking country in the Caribbean to achieve universal adult suffrage and grant women the right to be elected to Parliament. Between 1944 and 2020, a total of 47 women have been elected as members of the House of Repr ...
*
Jamaican Parliamentary by-elections A parliamentary by-election occurs in Jamaica following a vacancy arising in the Parliament of Jamaica. They are often seen as a test of the rival political parties' fortunes between general elections.
List
2020
Pearnel Patroe Charles Jr. won ...
*
Politics of Jamaica
Politics in Jamaica takes place in the framework of a representative parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The 1962 Constitution of Jamaica established a parliamentary system whose political and legal traditions closely fol ...
*
List of legislatures by country
This is a list of legislatures by country. A "legislature" is the generic name for the national parliaments and congresses that act as a plenary general assembly of representatives and that have the power to legislate. All entities included in ...
References
External links
Parliament of Jamaica
{{Legislatures of the Americas
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
Government of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
Parliament of Jamaica