The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly of the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...

. The Speaker also administers the

oaths of office An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Such ...

and

allegiance An allegiance is a duty of fidelity said to be owed, or freely committed, by the people, subjects or citizens to their state or sovereign. Etymology From Middle English ''ligeaunce'' (see medieval Latin ''ligeantia'', "a liegance"). The ''al ...

. The Legislative Council (established in 1845) was presided over by the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

until 2002 when the office of Speaker was created. In 2009 the new

Constitution of the Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands Constitution is a predominantly codified constitution documented primarily within the ''Falkland Islands Constitution Order 2008'', a statutory instrument of the United Kingdom. The Constitution, in its present form, was made ...

replaced the Legislative Council with the Legislative Assembly and also laid out the election, powers and role of the Speaker. The Speaker is elected by the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) at the first meeting of the Assembly after an election. Unlike the

Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: * Speaker of ...

, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly does not need to be a member of the Assembly, although the Speaker must be eligible to stand as a MLA. The MLAs also elect a Deputy Speaker, in the same manner as the Speaker, who acts as presiding officer in the absence of the Speaker. The Speaker and the Deputy Speaker are elected for the life of the Legislative Assembly although they can be removed by a

motion of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

supported by at least six of the eight elected MLAs. During the Speaker election, the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

acts as presiding officer.

List of office-holders

References

* * Politics of the Falkland Islands Falkland Islands, Legislative Assembly {{falklands-stub