The Parliament of Jamaica () is the

legislative branch A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the authority, legal authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with th ...

of the government of

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

. Officially, they are known as the Houses of Parliament. 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, parti ...

(represented by the

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

), the appointed Senate and the directly elected House of Representatives. The Senate, the

Upper House An upper house is one of two Legislative chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restricted p ...

, 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 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

and eight on the advice of the

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

. The House of Representatives, the

Lower House A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

, is made up of 63 (previously 60) Members of Parliament, elected to five-year terms on a

first-past-the-post First-past-the-post (FPTP)—also called choose-one, first-preference plurality (FPP), or simply plurality—is a single-winner voting rule. Voters mark one candidate as their favorite, or First-preference votes, first-preference, and the cand ...

basis in single-seat constituencies.

Overview

As Jamaica is a parliamentary democracy modelled after the

Westminster system The Westminster system, or Westminster model, is a type of parliamentary system, parliamentary government that incorporates a series of Parliamentary procedure, procedures for operating a legislature, first developed in England. Key aspects of ...

, 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, 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. Construction on a new parliament building directly north of Gordon House was expected to start in early 2021. However, the start of construction was delayed. , the project was still in the procurement phase.

House of Representatives

The House of Representatives is the

. It is the group of elected members of parliament.

Members

Senate

The Senate is the

. The current members are: Jamaica Labour Party: * The Hon. Thomas George Lewis Tavares-Finson, JP, President * The Hon. Aubyn Rochester Hill * The Hon. Kamina Elizabeth Johnson Smith, Leader of Government Business * The Hon. Matthew Peter Samuda * Dr. The Hon. Dana Morris Dixon * Abka Fitz-Henley * Ransford Braham * Kavan Anthony Gayle * Dr. Sapphire Inderea Longmore * Sherene Samantha Golding Campbell * Charles Anthony Sinclair * Donald George Wehby * Delroy Hugh Williams People's National Party: * Peter Bancroft Bunting, Leader of Opposition Business * Donna Scott Mottley * Floyd Emerson Morris * Damion O. Crawford * Gabriela Morris * Sophia Lilleth Fraser-Binns * Lambert Alexander Brown, CD * Janice Allen 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.

Overview

Parliament building

House of Representatives

Members

Senate

Last election

See also

References

External links