Council of Iroij | |
|---|---|
| History | |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Seats | 12 |
 |
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The Council of Iroij, also known as the House of Iroij, is a consultative body in the Marshall Islands provided for by the constitution. Its twelve members consist of the Iroij, the traditional chiefs of the islands. The Council of Iroij has the power to review any proposed legislation affecting land rights or traditional practices. [1]
A House of Iroij was established in 1949 when a bicameral Congress was established consisting of the House of Iroij and the House of Assembly. [2] However, the House of Iroij was abolished in 1958 when new constitution created a unicameral Legislature. [3] The Council of Iroij was subsequently established by the 1979 constitution. [2]
The membership of the Council of Iroij is defined by the constitution, with five members from the Ralik Chain (of which one is from Ujelang and the other four from the remaining islands) and seven from the Ratak Chain (one each from Airok, Arno, Likiep, Majuro, Mejit, Mili and one representing Ailuk, Aur, Maloelap (excluding Airok), Utrik and Wotje). [4]
Members can lose their seats if they are elected to the legislature, cease to be a qualified voter or resign. [4] In cases where there is more than one eligible Iroijlaplap for a defined area, the eligible members rotate membership, serving one year-terms. [4]
The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 coral atolls and five islands, divided across two island chains: Ratak in the east and Ralik in the west. 97.87% of its territory is water, the largest proportion of water to land of any sovereign state. The country shares maritime boundaries with Wake Island to the north, Kiribati to the southeast, Nauru to the south, and the Federated States of Micronesia to the west. The capital and largest city is Majuro, home to approximately half of the country's population.
Austronesian settlers arrived in the Marshall Islands in the 2nd millennium BC, but there are no historical or oral records of that period. Over time, the Marshallese people learned to navigate over long ocean distances by walap canoe using traditional stick charts.
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate. The Legislature meets in the New Jersey State House, in the state capital of Trenton.
The Constitution of South Africa is the supreme law of the Republic of South Africa. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the republic, it sets out the rights and duties of its citizens, and defines the structure of the Government. The current constitution, the country's fifth, was drawn up by the Parliament elected in 1994 in the South African general election, 1994. It was promulgated by President Nelson Mandela on 18 December 1996 and came into effect on 4 February 1997, replacing the Interim Constitution of 1993. The first constitution was enacted by the South Africa Act 1909, the longest-lasting to date. Since 1961, the constitutions have promulgated a republican form of government.
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Amata Kabua was the first President of the Marshall Islands from 1979 until his death in 1996.
A House of Chiefs is a post-colonial assembly, either legislative or advisory, that is recognised by either a national or regional government as consisting of and providing a collective, public voice for an ethnic group's pre-colonial authorities. Although often influential within the indigenous culture, its members do not usually function as a modern nation's primary law-making body, being neither representative nor consisting of members appointed individually by the government in power, whether democratic or not. It consists of all or some of the "traditional leaders", historically kings and chiefs, of a country or a sub-division thereof.
Iroijlaplap are the traditional paramount chiefs in the Marshall Islands. Ordinary chiefs bear the title of Iroij ; -ļapļap is a superlative suffix.
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The Legislature of the Marshall Islands has 33 members, elected for a four-year term in nineteen single-seat and five multi-seat constituencies. The last election was November 20, 2023. Elections in the Marshall Islands are officially nonpartisan, but most members of the Nitijeļā are affiliated with one of the four active political parties in the Marshall Islands: Aelon Kein Ad (AKA), Kien Eo Am (KEA), United People's Party (UPP), and United Democratic Party (UDP).
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The government of the Marshall Islands operates under a mixed parliamentary-presidential system as set forth in its Constitution. Elections are held every four years in universal suffrage, with each of the 24 constituencies electing one or more representatives (senators) to the lower house of RMI's unicameral legislature, the Nitijela. The President, who is head of state as well as head of government, is elected by the 33 senators of the Nitijela. Four of the five Marshallese presidents who have been elected since the Constitution was adopted in 1979 have been traditional paramount chiefs.
Constitutional Convention elections were held in the Marshall Islands in November 1976.
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Constitutional Convention elections were held in the Marshall Islands on 21 February 2017.
Iroij Namo Hermios was a Marshallese chief and politician. He served as a member of the House of Representatives of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands between 1965 and 1968, and as a member of the Marshall Islands Legislature until his death.
The Constitution of the Marshall Islands is the supreme law of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, in force from 1 May 1979.
A constitutional referendum was held in the Marshall Islands on 20 November 2023, alongside general elections. Citizens voted on amendments to the constitution proposed by parliament and approved by the convention elected in 2017.