The Parliament of Jamaica is the

legislative branch A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

of the government of

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. It consists of three elements: The

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

(represented by the Governor-General), the appointed Senate and the directly elected House of Representatives. The Senate, the

Upper House An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...

, is the direct successor of a pre-Independence body known as the "Legislative Council" and comprises 21 senators appointed by the Governor-General: thirteen on the advice of the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

and eight on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition. The House of Representatives, the Lower House, is made up of 63 (previously 60) Members of Parliament, elected to five-year terms on a

first-past-the-post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast thei ...

basis in single-seat constituencies.

Overview

As Jamaica is a parliamentary democracy modelled after the Westminster system, most of the government's ability to make and pass laws is dependent on the Prime Minister's ability to command the confidence of the members of the House of Representatives. Though both Houses of Parliament hold political significance, the House of Representatives, of which the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition are both required to be members of, holds a more powerful and prestigious role since it is the main source of legislation.

Parliament building

The Parliament meets at Gordon House at 81 Duke Street, Kingston. It was built in 1960 and named in memory of Jamaican patriot

George William Gordon George William Gordon (1820 – 23 October 1865) was a wealthy mixed-race Jamaican businessman, magistrate and politician, one of two representatives to the Assembly from St. Thomas-in-the-East parish. He was a leading critic of the colonia ...

. Construction on a new parliament building directly north of Gordon House was expected to start in early 2021. However, the start of construction has been delayed until at least 2022.

House of Representatives

The House of Representatives is the Lower House. It is the group of elected members of parliament.

Members

Senate

The Senate is the

. This is the list of senators: Senator Hon. Thomas George Lewis Tavares-Finson, JP, President Jamaica Labour Party Senator Aubyn Rochester Hill, Deputy President Jamaica Labour Party Senator Hon. Kamina Elizabeth Johnson Smith, Leader of Government Business Jamaica Labour Party Senator Hon. Ruel Bancroft Reid, CD, JP Jamaica Labour Party Senator Hon. Pearnel Patroe Charles, Jnr Jamaica Labour Party Senator Ransford Braham Jamaica Labour Party Senator Kavan Anthony Gayle Jamaica Labour Party Senator Dr. Sapphire Inderea Longmore Jamaica Labour Party Senator Kerensia Alicia Morrison Jamaica Labour Party Senator Matthew Peter Samuda Jamaica Labour Party Senator Charles Anthony Sinclair Jamaica Labour Party Senator Donald George Wehby Jamaica Labour Party Senator Delroy Hugh Williams Jamaica Labour Party Senator Mark Jefferson Golding, Leader of Opposition Business People's National Party Senator Hon.Keith Desmond St. Aubyn Knight, OJ,QC People's National Party Senator Floyd Emerson Morris People's National Party Senator Dr. Angela Rosemarie Brown-Burke People's National Party Senator Wensworth Kirkpatrick Skeffery People's National Party Senator Sophia Lilleth Fraser-Binns People's National Party Senator Lambert Alexander Brown, CD People's National Party Senator Noel Bancroft Sloley, CD People's National Party In order to effect changes to the Constitution of Jamaica a two-thirds majority in both Houses is required. Therefore, changes to the Jamaican constitution will require consensus among Government and Opposition Senators.

Last election

References

External links

Parliament of Jamaica
{{Legislatures of the Americas

Government of Jamaica

Parliament of Jamaica