Grenada Parliament

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Grenada Parliament
logo Distribution of seats in the House of Representatives:
New National Party (14)
Independent (1)
logo Distribution of seats in the House of Representatives: New National Party (14) Independent (1)
Basic data
Seat: Roseau , Dominica
Legislative period : 5 years
MPs: 15th
Current legislative period
Last choice: March 13, 2018
Chair: Governor-General of Grenada , Cécile La Grenade
Website
gov.gd

The Parliament of Grenada ( Parliament of Grenada ) is a two-chamber system , which from which Monarch ( Elizabeth II. , Or her deputy, the Governor General Dame Cécile La Grenade ) and the two chambers: the Senate and House of Representatives composed.

structure

Parliament consists of the Queen, represented by the Governor General , the Senate and the House of Representatives . The governor convenes parliament, prorogates the sessions to an end, and formally approves any law before it becomes effective. In practice, it carries out all these acts on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet .

The introduction of laws (passage of legislation) takes place with the participation of all three organs of parliament. A law must be voted on by both Houses and given the Royal Assent before it becomes an Act of Parliament . The competences of the Senate and House of Representatives are the same under the constitution, with the exception of financial legislation, which does not have to be passed by the Senate.

All Senators are appointed by the Governor General on the proposal of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.

The House of Representatives is directly elected by the people and even if the Senate is traditionally the upper house and the House of Representatives is the lower house , the House of Representatives plays the more important role in the parliamentary system.

The Grenada Parliament was established in 1974 when Grenada became independent.

senate

The Senate has 13 appointed members. Seven are appointed on the proposal of the Prime Minister, three on the proposal of the Leader of the Opposition and three on the proposal of the Prime Minister after "having consulted the organizations or interest groups which he believes the Senators should be chosen to represent." National Democratic Congress has no seats in the House of Representatives, it is only represented in the Senate.

Functions

The Senate has five main functions:

  • to form a second opinion on laws and initiatives of the House of Representatives (to act as a house of review)
  • to ensure proper consideration of all legislation
  • to provide adequate scrutiny of financial measures
  • To initiate non-financial legislation as the Senate sees fit: the Senate's capacity to initiate proposed legislation effectively means that Parliament is not confined in its opportunities for considering public issues in a legislative context to those matters covered by bills brought forward by the executive)
  • to probe and check the administration of laws and to keep itself informed, and to insist on ministerial accountability for the administration of the Government)
  • control the government and have an appropriate debate on government policies and programs. In the Senate, the government can be questioned about its leadership. (to provide effective scrutiny of Government and enable adequate expression of debate about policy and government programs. As a parliamentary forum, the Senate is one place where a Government can be, of right, questioned and obliged to answer.)

All laws must be passed by the Senate before they can be ratified. The Senate has the right to reject any law until the law has appropriate wording. The Senate can also amend a law, but not change a law that affects tax law or government spending.

President

Surname Taking office Term expires Remarks
Hon. Dr. John Watts 1966 1967
Hon. Thomas Joseph Gibbs 1967 1968
Hon. Greaves Beresford James , Original: Post-nominals 1968 1979
In abeyance (vacant) 1979 1984
Hon. Lawrence Albert Joseph 1984 1988
Hon. Dr. John Watts , based on post-nominal 1988 1990
The Hon. Margaret Neckles 1990 1995
Hon. Dr. John Watts , based on post-nominal 1995 2004
Hon. Leslie-Ann Seon January 9, 2004 February 27, 2006
The Hon. Kenny Lalsingh March 3, 2006 June 3, 2008
Hon. Joan Purcell August 20, 2008 January 9, 2013
Hon. Lawrence Albert Joseph March 27, 2013 December 24, 2014
Hon. Chester Humphrey December 24, 2014 Present

Governor-General

The Governor General (governor general) personifies the state. According to the law, she is the Head of the Executive and an integral part of the legislature. In practice, it exercises its powers at the suggestion / direction of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

House of Representatives

The House of Representatives has 16 members: 15 are elected to a single-seat constituency for five years , and a speaker is appointed. The elections take place according to the first-past-the-post system. The New National Party currently holds all seats in the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives is the center of parliamentary activity and public attention. Any member of the House of Representatives can introduce a law, except for government spending or taxation laws. This right is reserved for the government. However, since most laws have financial and tax implications, parliament is almost always concerned with government laws.

According to the law, a general election must be held every five years. However, the parliament can also be dissolved before the prescribed time and new elections can be scheduled. The authority to dissolve parliament rests with the Governor General as a royal prerogative , who usually does so on the proposal / instruction of the Prime Minister.

The House of Representatives was modeled on the British and to this day the practices of the British House of Commons are applied.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "After he has consulted the organizations or interests which he considers the Senators should be selected to represent".
  2. ↑ a b Official website .
  3. ^ The Parliamentarian: Journal of the Parliaments of the Commonwealth . 1966.
  4. ^ The Parliamentarian: Journal of the Parliaments of the Commonwealth . 1968.
  5. ↑ Wendy C. Grenade: The Grenada Revolution: Reflections and Lessons January 28, 2015, ISBN 9781626743458 .
  6. ^ The Parliamentarian: Journal of the Parliaments of the Commonwealth . 1968.
  7. ^ The Parliamentarian: Journal of the Parliaments of the Commonwealth . 1980.
  8. ↑ Europa World Year Book 1985
  9. ↑ a b Europa World Year Book 2003
  10. ↑ a b c Guide2Women Leaders
  11. ↑ http://archive.ipu.org/parline/reports/2128_A.htm
  12. ↑ https://www.gov.gd/departments/parliament.html
  13. ^ Electionguide.org

Web links

  • Entry in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association 2020-06-24

Coordinates: 12 ° 3 ′ 13.2 "  N , 61 ° 44 ′ 42"  W.