Legislative Council of the Falkland Islands | |
|---|---|
| Unicameral | |
| History | |
| Founded | 13 November 1845 (1845-11-13) |
| Disbanded | 1 January 2009 (2009-01-01) |
| Preceded by | Privy Council of the United Kingdom |
| Succeeded by | Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands |
| Leadership | |
Presiding officer | |
| Elections | |
First election | February 1949 |
Last election | 17 November 2005 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Gilbert House,Stanley, Falkland Islands | |
TheLegislative Council of the Falkland Islands (sometimes referred to asLEGCO)[1] was theunicameral legislature of theFalkland Islands from 13 November 1845 until 1 January 2009. Thenew constitution came into force in 2009 and replaced the Legislative Council with theLegislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands.
Immediately following theUnited Kingdom'sre-establishment of rule over the Falklands in 1833, the islands were undermilitary law by Naval Administrators appointed by theAdmiralty.[2] In the early 1840s, colonists from the UK began to settle on the islands which ledLord Stanley,Secretary of State for the Colonies, to seek authorisation fromParliament to establish a legislative power on the Falklands.[3]
On 13 November 1845Richard Moody, the firstGovernor of the Falkland Islands, formally inaugurated the Legislative Council in the newly founded town ofStanley. AnExecutive Council having been inaugurated on 2 April 1845.Suffrage was limited, with much of the membership of the Legislative Council being appointed by the Governor.[2]
There were only minor changes made to the Legislative Council over the next century, but in 1948 thePrivy Council passed the Falkland Islands (Legislative Council) Order 1948, which introduceduniversal suffrage to the islands by creating a new Legislative Council consisting of the Governor, acting as Presiding officer, twoex officio officers (the Chief Secretary and theFinancial Secretary), four appointed members and four elected members.[4] The new constitution came into force on 4 March 1949, with the first election taking place the same year.[5] In 1964 the number of appointed members was reduced to two and in 1977 the remaining appointed members were replaced by two additional elected members, giving the elected members a majority of the seats.[6]
TheArgentine military juntainvaded the Falklands on 2 April 1982, starting theFalklands War. During theirmilitary occupation of the islands, the Argentine government shut-down the Legislative Council and deported several of its elected members (most notablyBill Luxton and his family), describing them as potentialtroublemakers.[7] British forcesliberated the Falkland Islanders from Argentine occupation on 14 June 1982, with civilian rule being restored on 25 June with the return of GovernorRex Hunt.[8]
On 18 April 1985 the Falkland Islands Constitution Order 1985 came into force which increased the number elected members of the Council to eight and in 1997 the constitution was amended with regard to voters rights. In 2002 the Falkland Islands became aBritish Overseas Territory and the Governor was replaced asPresiding officer by the newly created office ofSpeaker of the Legislative Council. A new constitution came into force on 1 January 2009, which replaced the Legislative Council with the more powerfulLegislative Assembly.[9]
Under the 1985 constitution, the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council, could make laws for "the peace, order and good government of the Falkland Islands". The Legislative Council consisted of eight elected members (five from Stanley and three fromCamp) and twoex officio members (theChief Executive and the Financial Secretary). Elections to the Legislative Council had to take place at least once every four years.[10]