National Assembly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Senate (upper house) House of Representatives (lower house) |
| Leadership | |
Hon.Carolyn Trench Sandiford since 11 December 2020 | |
Hon.Valerie Woods since 11 December 2020 | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 44 members 31 representatives 13 senators |
 | |
Senate political groups | PUP (6) UDP (3) Other (4) |
 | |
House of Representatives political groups | PUP (26) UDP (5) |
| Elections | |
| Appointed by theGovernor-General | |
| First-past-the-post | |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| National Assembly Building,Belmopan | |
 | |
| Website | |
| www | |
17°15′04″N88°46′23″W / 17.2512°N 88.7730°W /17.2512; -88.7730
TheNational Assembly is thebicamerallegislature of the nation ofBelize. It is divided into theHouse of Representatives, with 31 members, elected byuniversal suffrage, and theSenate, with 13 members, appointed by theGovernor-General in consultation with thePrime Minister and theLeader of the Opposition.[1] Thepresiding officer of the House is the Speaker, while the Senate is presided over by the President.
The National Assembly of Belize, known asBritish Honduras prior to independence in 1981, was first introduced on 31 December 1963, replacing theunicameralLegislative Assembly.[2]
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.
Since 1970, following the relocation of the capital to Belmopan, the Parliament has sat atNational Assembly Building, Belmopan in the Cayo District.[2]
The House of Representatives is the Lower House. It consists of 31 members, who are elected by the people in a general election every five years.[3] Each member represents one constituency. Members of the House include both members of the ruling party and members of the opposition who won their seats in general election. The House of Representatives is presided over during their meetings by a speaker. The speaker's main responsibility is to maintain order and control. The House of Representatives passes bills, debates national issues and approves government budget.
The Senate is the Upper House. The Senate discusses and confirms bills that are sent from the House of Representatives. It is made up of 13 members who are all appointed by the Governor General. The President of the Senate presides over meetings.
The lawmaking process includes the following steps:
The house currently has only onedebating chamber despite being abicameral legislature.
The National Assembly and the Senate meet at different times for this reason.
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