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TheLegislative Assembly was thelower house of theLegislature inBritish Guiana between 1961 and 1964.
A new constitution was promulgated on 18 July 1961, replacing theunicameralLegislative Council with the legislature. The new body consisted of a 13-member Senate and a 36-member Legislative Assembly.[1] Whilst the 13 members of the Senate were nominated, the Legislative Assembly was elected, and consisted of 35 members elected in single-member constituencies, and a Speaker elected by the elected MPs.[1]
Elections to the new Legislature were held on 21 August 1961. ThePeople's Progressive Party (PPP) won 20 seats, thePeople's National Congress (PNC) won 11 andthe United Force four. Both houses convened for the first time on 5 October 1961, when members electedRahman Baccus Gajraj as Speaker.[1]
Although the PPP had only received 1.6% more of the vote than the PNC, it won almost double the number of seats. This resulted in mass demonstrations led by the PNC, a general strike and severe inter-racial violence. A few weeks after the elections theBritish authorities intervened by sending in troops and theGovernor declared a state of emergency.[2]
Further constitutional amendments in 1964 scrapped the legislature, replacing it with a unicameralHouse of Assembly elected byproportional representation. The legislature was dissolved on 25 September 1964.[1]