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| Constitution |
 Guyanaportal |
The Legislative Assembly was the lower house of the Legislature in British Guiana between 1961 and 1964.
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| Constitution |
| Guyanaportal |
The Legislative Assembly was the lower house of the Legislature in British Guiana between 1961 and 1964.
A new constitution was promulgated on 18 July 1961, replacing the unicameral Legislative Council with the legislature. The new body consisted of a 13-member Senate and a 36-member Legislative Assembly. [1] Whilst the 13 members of the Senate were nominated, the Legislative Assembly was elected, and consisted of 35 members elected in single-member constituencies, and a Speaker elected by the elected MPs. [1]
Elections to the new Legislature were held on 21 August 1961. The People's Progressive Party (PPP) won 20 seats, the People's National Congress (PNC) won 11 and the United Force four. Both houses convened for the first time on 5 October 1961, when members elected Rahman Baccus Gajraj as Speaker. [1]
Although the PPP had only received 1.6% more of the vote than the PNC, it won almost double the number of seats. This resulted in mass demonstrations led by the PNC, a general strike and severe inter-racial violence. A few weeks after the elections the British authorities intervened by sending in troops and the Governor declared a state of emergency. [2]
Further constitutional amendments in 1964 scrapped the legislature, replacing it with a unicameral House of Assembly elected by proportional representation. The legislature was dissolved on 25 September 1964. [1]
Guyana is a parliamentary republic in which the President of Guyana is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President, advised by a cabinet. Legislative power is vested in both the President and the National Assembly of Guyana. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members often have a different title. The terms congressman/congresswoman or deputy are equivalent terms used in other jurisdictions. The term parliamentarian is also sometimes used for members of parliament, but this may also be used to refer to unelected government officials with specific roles in a parliament and other expert advisers on parliamentary procedure such as the Senate parliamentarian in the United States. The term is also used to the characteristic of performing the duties of a member of a legislature, for example: "The two party leaders often disagreed on issues, but both were excellent parliamentarians and cooperated to get many good things done."
British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana.
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The Constitution of Guyana is the highest governing document in the Republic of Guyana. It came into effect on October 6, 1980, replacing the constitution enacted in 1966 upon its independence from the United Kingdom. The current Constitution of Guyana contains 12 chapters that are further divided into 232 articles. It also contains a preamble and an oath. Since its 1980 enactment, it has gone through multiple amendments.
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General elections were held in British Guiana on 21 August 1961. The result was a victory for the People's Progressive Party, which won 20 of the 35 seats.
The Legislative Council was the legislature of British Guiana between 1928 and 1953 and again from 1954 until 1961.
The House of Assembly was the legislature of British Guiana in the 1950s and 1960s.
The Legislature was the parliament of British Guiana between 1961 and 1964. A bicameral body, it consisted of an appointed Senate and an elected Legislative Assembly.
The Senate was the upper house of the Legislature in British Guiana between 1961 and 1964.