National Assembly (Guyana)

National Assembly
National Assembly
12th Parliament of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
Prime Minister	Mark Phillips (PPP/C) ; since 2 August 2020
Speaker	Manzoor Nadir ; since 1 September 2020
Leader of the Opposition	Aubrey Norton (APNU+AFC) ; since April 2022
Structure
Seats	65
Political groups	Government PPP/C (33); Official Opposition APNU+AFC (31); Other opposition LJP–ANUG–TNM (1);
Elections
Voting system	Proportional representation
Last election	2 March 2020
Next election	2025
Meeting place
	Parliament Building; Georgetown, Guyana
Website
	National Assembly

06°48′31″N 58°10′00″W / 6.80861°N 58.16667°W / 6.80861; -58.16667

The National Assembly is one of the two components of the Parliament of Guyana. Under Article 51 of the Constitution of Guyana, the Parliament of Guyana consists of the president and the National Assembly.^[3] The National Assembly has 65 members elected using the system of proportional representation. Twenty five are elected from the ten geographical constituencies and forty are awarded at the national level on the basis of block votes secured, using the LR-Hare Formula as prescribed by the elections Laws (Amendment) Act 15 of 2000 (Sections 11 and 12).^[4]

The National Assembly is presided over by the speaker, who may be elected from the members of the National Assembly or from outside the membership. Speakers elected from outside the membership of the National Assembly do not have an original or casting vote. Where a question put before the National Assembly results in the votes by the members being equally divided and the sitting is presided over by a speaker who does not have an original or casting vote, the constitution stipulates that the question does not pass or carry.^[5] The members also elect a deputy speaker from among their membership.^[6]

Composition

Speaker
Clerk of the National Assembly
Deputy clerk of the National Assembly
65 elected and voting members (including members of the governing party appointed as Cabinet ministers)
Non-elected and non-voting ministers (allowed to the governing party)
Non-elected and non-voting parliamentary secretaries (appointed by the president)

Quorum

Under Article 169 of the constitution, a minimum of one-third of the elected members (excluding the person presiding) is required to be present for there to be a quorum enabling the sitting of the National Assembly to proceed.^[7]

Meeting place

The National Assembly has traditionally met in the Parliament Chambers located within the Public Buildings (often referred to as Parliament Building). The president may, by proclamation, designate any other venue as the meeting place of the National Assembly, for any duration. This was recently done in 2020 when President Irfaan Ali issued a proclamation designating that the National Assembly meet at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and the limited space in the Parliament Chamber which was not conducive to ensuring proper social distancing.^[8]

The predominant colour of the seats and carpet in the Parliament Chamber is green, reflecting the traditional colour of the elected House of Commons in the United Kingdom. This tradition is also replicated in the elected houses of various Commonwealth Caribbean legislatures, including Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Barbados.

The most prominent feature in the chamber is the ornate ceiling by architect Cesar Castellani.^[9]

Parliamentary term

Pursuant to the provisions of Article 70(3) of the constitution, the duration of the parliamentary term shall be for five years from the date the National Assembly, under the new Parliament, first meets after having been dissolved for a general election. The National Assembly is summoned to its first sitting of the parliamentary term by a proclamation by the president which designates the date, time, and venue of the sittings.^[10]

The parliamentary term may, however, be longer or shorter depending on the circumstances which require either action. The president may at any time dissolve the National Assembly before the fifth year of its current term to make way for fresh elections. The president must also constitutionally dissolve the National Assembly after a successful no-confidence motion against the government^[11] in order for new elections to be held within three months from the date the motion passes.^[12]

The constitution also provides that the term of the National Assembly be extended in the event a state of war or emergency exists. However such extensions are limited to twelve months for each instance for a maximum of five instances. The president may also prorogue the National Assembly,^[13] however, the constitution provides that each prorogation lasts for a period of six months.

Legislation

Any member of the National Assembly may introduce a bill for the consideration of the assembly. All bills which deal with the finances or financial obligations of the government must receive the permission of the Cabinet, communicated by a minister before it can be introduced into the National Assembly.^[14]

The constitution allows the National Assembly to regulate its own procedure, which is done by the Standing Orders of the National Assembly. The Standing Orders were last amended in 2011 after extensive referral to the Special Select Committee on the Report of the Draft Standing Orders over a four-year period.^[15]

All bills must receive the assent of the president before they become law. The president may only refuse assent to a bill once and must do so with reasons noted to the speaker of the National Assembly within 21 days of the bill being presented for assent.^[7]

Within six months of the bill being returned, the National Assembly may by a vote of two-thirds of the elected members resolve that the bill be presented again to the president for assent. The president shall then give assent to the bill within ninety days of receiving the bill a second time.^[7]

Assented bills which have become law are numbered sequentially by year (e.g. Act No. 1 of 2020), sealed with theseal of the Republic of Guyana, and are subsequently published in the Official Gazette of Guyana.^[16]

Enactment clause

"Enacted by the Parliament of Guyana:—"

Latest elections

General Elections (parliamentary, presidential, and for the members of the 10 regional democratic councils) were held on 2 March 2020. The next elections are constitutionally due by 2025.

Current members

The current members of the National Assembly for the Twelfth Parliament are^[17]

Speaker

Name	Incumbent since
Manzoor Nadir	1 September 2020

Government members

Name	Party List	Constituency/Notes
Frank C. S. Anthony	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Vickram Bharrat	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Sanjeev Datadin	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Juan A. Edghill	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Yvonne Fredericks-Pearson	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Joseph Hamilton	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Deodat Indar	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Bharrat Jagdeo	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Warren Kwame McCoy	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Mohabir Anil Nandlall	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Seepaul Narine	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Savitri Sonia Parag	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Anand Persaud	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Mark Phillips	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Bheri Ramsaran	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Charles S. Ramson	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Dharamkumar Seeraj	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Pauline Sukhai	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Bhagmattie Veerasammy	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Jennifer Westford	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Lee Williams	PPP/C	National Top-Up
Collin Croal	PPP/C	Region 1
Nandranie Coonjah	PPP/C	Region 2
Priya Manickchand	PPP/C	Region 3
Tandika Smith	PPP/C	Region 3
Vindhya Persaud	PPP/C	Region 4
Susan Rodrigues	PPP/C	Region 4
Hugh Todd	PPP/C	Region 4
Faizal Jafferally	PPP/C	Region 5
Vishwa Mahadeo	PPP/C	Region 6
Zukfikar Mustapha	PPP/C	Region 6
Gail Teixeira	PPP/C	Region 7
Alister Charlie	PPP/C	Region 9
Robeson Benn	n/a^[18]	Non-Elected Minister
Oneidge Walrond Allicock	n/a^[19]	Non-Elected Minister
Ashni Singh	n/a^[20]	Non-Elected Minister
Sarah Browne^[21]	n/a^[22]	Non-Elected Parliamentary Secretary (Amerindian Affairs)
Vikash Ramkissoon^[23]	n/a^[24]	Non-Elected Parliamentary Secretary (Agriculture)

Opposition members

Name	Party List	Constituency/Notes
Geeta Chandan-Edmond	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
Karen Cummings	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
Sherod Duncan	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
Annette Ferguson	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
Juretha Fernandes	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
Roysdale Forde	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
Aubrey Norton	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
Volda Lawrence	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
Vincent Henry	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
Christopher Jones	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
Coretta McDonald	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
David Patterson	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
Haimraj Rajkumar	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
Khemraj Ramjattan	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
Tabitha Sarabo-Halley	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
Natasha Singh-Lewis	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
Raphael Trotman	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
Amanza Walton Desir	APNU+AFC	National Top-Up
Ronald Cox	APNU+AFC	Region 1
Shurwayne Holder	APNU+AFC	Region 2
Ganesh Mahipaul	APNU+AFC	Region 3
Nima Flue-Bess	APNU+AFC	Region 4
Catherine Andrea Hughes	APNU+AFC	Region 4
Maureen Allison Philadelphia	APNU+AFC	Region 4
Deonarine Ramsaroop	APNU+AFC	Region 4
Vinceroy Jordan	APNU+AFC	Region 5
Dineshwar Nand Jaiprashad	APNU+AFC	Region 6
Dawn Hastings-Williams	APNU+AFC	Region 7
Richard Sinclair	APNU+AFC	Region 8
Jermaine Figueira	APNU+AFC	Region 10
Devin Sears	APNU+AFC	Region 10
Dr. Asha Kissoon	LJP/ANUG/TNM	National Top-Up. (Elected Deputy Speaker^[25])

Notes

^ "Nadir promises to be fair, impartial as Speaker". Newsroom Guyana. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
^ "Norton is new Opposition Leader". Guyana Chronicle. 14 April 2022.
^ Constitution 2012, p. 44.
^ Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), http://www.gecom.org.gy/faq.html Archived 8 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine.
^ Constitution 2012, p. 139.
^ Constitution 2012, p. 46.
^ ^a ^b ^c Constitution 2012, p. 140.
^ https://officialgazette.gov.gy/images/gazette2020/aug/Extra_28AUGUST2020Proc1of2020.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ "Public Buildings (Parliament Building) 1800's ceiling". National Trust of Guyana. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
^ Constitution 2012, pp. 49–50.
^ Constitution 2012, p. 60.
^ Constitution 2012, p. 61.
^ https://parliament.gov.gy/documents/proclamations/2686-proclamation_to_prorogue_parliament_2014.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ http://parliament.gov.gy/constitution.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ http://parliament.gov.gy/Standing%20Orders%20of%20the%20National%20Assembly%20-%202014.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ http://parliament.gov.gy/new2/documents/acts/11583-act_no_24_of_1970-_court_of_appeal_(constitution).pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ https://officialgazette.gov.gy/images/gazette2020/aug/Extra_20AUGUST2020RecOrd60.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ Did not appear on the PPP/C list of candidates
^ Did not appear on the PPP/C list of candidates
^ Did not appear on the PPP/C list of candidates
^ "Two parliamentary secretaries appointed". 16 September 2020.
^ Did not appear on the PPP/C list of candidates
^ "Two parliamentary secretaries appointed". 16 September 2020.
^ Did not appear on the PPP/C list of candidates
^ "Asha Kissoon elected as new Deputy Speaker". July 2023.

Bibliography

Constitution (2012). "CONSTITUTION OF THE CO-OPERATIVE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA ACT" (PDF). Parliament of Guyana.

External links

Official website
Official Gazette The Official Gazette of Guyana

[1] "Nadir promises to be fair, impartial as Speaker". Newsroom Guyana. Retrieved 3 September 2020.

[2] "Norton is new Opposition Leader". Guyana Chronicle. 14 April 2022.

[FOOTNOTEConstitution201244-3] Constitution 2012, p. 44.

[4] Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), http://www.gecom.org.gy/faq.html Archived 8 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine.

[FOOTNOTEConstitution2012139-5] Constitution 2012, p. 139.

[FOOTNOTEConstitution201246-6] Constitution 2012, p. 46.

[FOOTNOTEConstitution2012140-7] Constitution 2012, p. 140.

[8] ttps://officialgazette.gov.gy/images/gazette2020/aug/Extra_28AUGUST2020Proc1of2020.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}

[9] "Public Buildings (Parliament Building) 1800's ceiling". National Trust of Guyana. Retrieved 3 September 2020.

[FOOTNOTEConstitution201249–50-10] Constitution 2012, pp. 49–50.

[FOOTNOTEConstitution201260-11] Constitution 2012, p. 60.

[FOOTNOTEConstitution201261-12] Constitution 2012, p. 61.

[13] ttps://parliament.gov.gy/documents/proclamations/2686-proclamation_to_prorogue_parliament_2014.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}

[14] ttp://parliament.gov.gy/constitution.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}

[15] ttp://parliament.gov.gy/Standing%20Orders%20of%20the%20National%20Assembly%20-%202014.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}

[16] ttp://parliament.gov.gy/new2/documents/acts/11583-act_no_24_of_1970-_court_of_appeal_(constitution).pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}

[17] ttps://officialgazette.gov.gy/images/gazette2020/aug/Extra_20AUGUST2020RecOrd60.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}

[18] Did not appear on the PPP/C list of candidates

[19] Did not appear on the PPP/C list of candidates

[20] Did not appear on the PPP/C list of candidates

[21] "Two parliamentary secretaries appointed". 16 September 2020.

[22] Did not appear on the PPP/C list of candidates

[23] "Two parliamentary secretaries appointed". 16 September 2020.

[24] Did not appear on the PPP/C list of candidates

[25] "Asha Kissoon elected as new Deputy Speaker". July 2023.

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