Turks and Caicos Islands House of Assembly

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The House of Assembly of the Turks and Caicos Islands is the legislature of that British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The name of the house was changed from the Legislative Council of the Turks and Caicos Islands to its present name following the implementation of the new constitution on 9 August 2006.

In August 2009, the United Kingdom suspended the Turks and Caicos' self-government after allegations of ministerial corruption. The prerogative of the ministerial government and the House of Assembly were vested in the islands' governor until a general election was held in November 2012.[1]

Composition

The House of Assembly has 21 members; formerly, 15 members were elected for a four year term in single-seat constituencies (of which 11 lay in the Caicos Islands and 4 in the Turks Islands), while 3 members sat ex officio, 3 were appointed members and a speaker was chosen from outside the house.

Although the number of elected representatives to the body was not changed during the 2009-12 suspension of self-government, the composition was changed so that ten of the 15 elected representatives are elected to individual districts, while five are now elected at-large.

Consultative Forum (2009-2012)

Following the suspension of self-government in August 2009, the Governor assembled a Consultative Forum for the Turks and Caicos Islands to advise him on legislation relating to the territory. The forum consisted of the Chief Executive, the Attorney-General, the Permanent Secretary for Finance, and eleven to fifteen representatives of the community, appointed by the Governor. The council could make non-binding recommendations to the Governor about bills that were presented to it and on policies that were referred to it.[2] The chair of the Consultative Forum was Lillian Missick.[3] The forum disbanded in November 2012 upon the election of a new House of Assembly following restoration of self-government to the islands.

Election results

General election, 2012:

Party Leader District At-large Total
seats
+/–
Votes % Seats Votes % Seats
People's Democratic MovementOswald Skippings3,16450.13415,43150.7137+5
Progressive National PartyRufus Ewing2,83344.87614,76448.5228–5
People's Progressive PartyHarold Charles3104.9100New
Independents40.0602330.77000
Invalid/blank votes 82
Total6,3931001030,4281005150
Source: TCI News, TCI News
 Summary of the 9 February 2007 Legislative Council of the Turks and Caicos Islands election results
Parties Votes % Seats +/-
Progressive National Party 3,558 59.7 13 +5
People's Democratic Movement 2,401 40.3 2 –3
Total (turnout %) 5,959 100.0 15 +2

See also

References


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