The President of Tynwald (''Eaghtyrane Tinvaal'') is the presiding officer at the sittings of Tynwald Court in

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

and is elected by the members of Tynwald from amongst their number. The first elected President,

Charles Kerruish Sir Henry Charles Kerruish OBE LLD CP MLC (23 July 1917 – 2 August 2003) was a Manx politician who was the first President of Tynwald and, as Speaker of the House of Keys from 1962 to 1990, was the longest-serving Speaker in any Parliamen ...

, was elected in 1990 and held office until his retirement in 2000. The presiding officer remains impartial but has, in the case of a tied vote in the Legislative Council on a

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

, has a casting vote. The President authorises the Order Paper for sittings, is responsible for controlling the procedure of Tynwald Court and for the authoritative interpretation of its Standing Orders. This is mostly mirrored in the office of the Speaker of the House of Keys. Prior to 1990, the post was held ''ex officio'' by the Lieutenant Governor. The office is now held jointly with the Presidency of the Legislative Council (''Eaghtyrane y Choonseil Slattyssagh''). At ceremonial occasions, such as the annual

Tynwald Day Tynwald Day ( gv, Laa Tinvaal) is the National Day of the Isle of Man, usually observed on 5 July (if this is a Saturday or Sunday, then on the following Monday). On this day, the Island's legislature, Tynwald, meets at St John's, Isle of Man, ...

ceremony or the proclamation of a new Lord of Mann, the President wears a full-bottomed wig and a blue

damask Damask (; ar, دمشق) is a reversible patterned fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibers, with a pattern formed by weaving. Damasks are woven with one warp yarn and one weft yarn, usually with the pattern in warp-faced satin ...

cloak decorated with silver thread and Manx motifs. This cloak was designed by Charles Kerruish and draws inspiration from the carpet of the Tynwald Chamber. For other occasions, such as presiding over Tynwald during sittings for normal business, the Presidential dress code is the full-bottomed wig and a black cloak, akin to that worn by the Speaker of the House of Keys during sittings of the House.

List of presidents of Tynwald

*ex officio the

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, until 1990 *

, 1990–2000 * Noel Quayle Cringle, 2000–2011 *

Clare Christian Clare Margaret Christian OBE CP (born 11 September 1945) is a Manx politician, who was President of Tynwald until 2016. She is a former member of the Legislative Council and former Health Minister in the Isle of Man Government. Christian is ...

, 2011–2016 * Stephen Rodan, 2016–2021 *

Laurence Skelly Laurence David Skelly MLC is a Manx politician, who has served as President of Tynwald since July 2021. Political career He was elected as one of the three MHKs for Rushen in 2011, with 19.4% of the vote and was re-elected in 2016 as one ...

, from 2021 Kerruish, Cringle and Rodan had all served as Speaker of the House of Keys before assuming the Presidency. Christian is Kerruish's daughter.

Deputy presidents of Tynwald

The Deputy President is generally the same as the

Speaker of the House of Keys The Speaker of the House of Keys () is the principal officer of the House of Keys, the lower house of the Isle of Man legislature. The Speaker is elected from the membership of the House at its first sitting after an election. He is responsibl ...

; consequently, the current Deputy President is

Juan Watterson Juan Paul Watterson FCA CMgr FCMI FRSA SHK (born 1980) is a Manx politician, who is Speaker of the House of Keys, and a member for Rushen, in the Isle of Man. Early life Born in 1980 to John and Alison Watterson, he was educated at Rush ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:President Of Tynwald Tynwald Isle of Man, Tynwald