National Assembly (Belize)

National Assembly
Type
Type
Houses Senate (upper house)
House of Representatives (lower house)
Leadership
President of the Senate
Marco Pech
Since 21 March 2012
Vice President of the Senate
Juliet Thimbriel, UDP
Since March 2012
Leader of the Opposition
Francis Fonseca, PUP
Since 3 November 2011
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Michael Peyrefitte
Since 21 March 2012
Structure
Seats 43 members
31 representatives
12 senators
Senate political groups
      UDP (6)
     PUP (3)
     Other (3)
House of Representatives political groups
      UDP (19)
     PUP (12)
Elections
appointed by the Governor-General
Meeting place
Belmopan
Website
www.nationalassembly.gov.bz
Belize
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Belize

The National Assembly is the bicameral legislature of the nation of Belize. It is divided into the House of Representatives, with 31 members, elected by universal suffrage, and the Senate, with 12 members, appointed by the Governor-General in consultation with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. The presiding officer of the House is the Speaker, while the Senate is presided over by the President.

History

The National Assembly of Belize, then known as British Honduras was first introduced on 31 December, 1963, replacing the unicameral Legislative Assembly.

The National Assembly has the power to debate and create laws based on the Constitution. It typically meets, both House and Senate, once a month, with other meetings called as necessary.

National Assembly Building, Belmopan

Since the relocation of the capital to Belmopan, the Parliament has sat at National Assembly Building, Belmopan since 1970.

See also

References

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