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Parliament name Parliament of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana More photos  >>> Structure of parliament Unicameral Affiliation to the IPU Yes Affiliation date(s) 1981 - 1985 2016 - LEADERSHIP President Barton Scotland (M)  Notes Elected on 10 June 2015. Secretary General Sherlock E. Isaacs (M)  COMPOSITION Members (statutory / current number) 69 / 69 PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN More statistics  >>> Women (current number) 22 (31.88%) Mode of designation directly elected 65 other 4 Notes Other: includes three non-elected ministers and the Speaker. Note: A maximum of four non-elected ministers and two non-elected Parliamentary Secretaries may sit in the National Assembly. If the Speaker is not an elected member, he or she becomes a member of the National Assembly by virtue of holding the office of Speaker. The National Assembly may thus have up to 72 members. Term 5 years Last renewal dates 11 May 2015 (View details) CONTACT INFORMATION Address National Assembly Parliament Office Public Buildings Brickdam, Stabroek (Export mailing lists) Phone (592) 226-8456-9 226 1465 Fax (592) 225 1357 E-mail sherlockeisaacs@gmail.com Website http://www.parliament.gov.gy/

Parliament name Parliament of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana Structure of parliament Unicameral LEGAL FRAMEWORK Electoral law 25 September 1964 Last amendment: 13.02.2001 Mode of designation directly elected 65 other 4 Constituencies - 10 geographical constituencies accounting fro 25 seats - one nation-wide constituency for 40 seats. Voting system Proportional: Closed party-list proportional representation system based on the Largest Remainder system using Hare quota. Vacancies between general elections are filled by "next-in-line" candidate of the same party. Voting is not compulsory. Voter requirements - age: 18 years - Guyanese or British Commonwealth citizenship - domicile and residence in Guyana for a period of at least one year - disqualifications: insanity, conviction for election-connected offences, certain government contractors CANDIDATES Eligibility - qualified electors - age: 18 years - Guyanese citizenship - ability to speak and read the English language with a degree of proficiency sufficient to take an active part in the proceedings of the Assembly - ineligibilities: allegiance to a foreign State, death sentence, imprisonment exceeding six months, insanity, certain public officials, members of the armed and police forces, and certain government contractors Incompatibilities - certain public officials - members of armed or police forces Candidacy requirements - membership of a political party - party list of candidates must be supported by not less than 200 electors - a third of the candidates nominated must be women

Parliament name Parliament of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana Structure of parliament Unicameral BACKGROUND Dates of election / renewal (from/to) 11 May 2015 Timing and scope of renewal The Partnership for National Unity - Alliance for Change coalition (APNU-AFC, see note), led by former army general David Granger, narrowly won both parliamentary and presidential elections, thereby ending the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)'s 23-year rule. Outgoing President Donald Ramotar (PPP/C), who lost to Mr. Granger, claimed the elections had been rigged and demanded a recount. International observers said the elections were free and fair. On 16 May, Mr. Granger was sworn in as the new President. The major electoral issues were measures to tackle the high crime rate, unemployment, corruption as well as drug and human trafficking. The early elections followed the prorogation of parliament by the President in November 2014, in an apparent attempt to avoid a vote of no confidence against his minority government. A motion had been tabled in August by the AFC, which accused the PPP/C of corruption, mismanagement and lack of transparency, and a successful vote would have seen the dissolution of parliament and early elections. In January 2015, the President announced the holding of early parliamentary elections, stating that the prorogation of parliament had not eased tensions between the parliamentary parties. Note: In the previous elections held in 2011, the APNU and the AFC fielded candidates separately and won a total of 33 seats. This was one more than the PPP/C, which failed to secure a parliamentary majority for the first time in 19 years. Mr. Ramotar subsequently formed a minority PPP/C government, the first since Guyana gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. In 2015, the APNU and the AFC submitted a joint candidate list. Date of previous elections: 28 November 2011 Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: 28 February 2015* *The dissolution of the outgoing legislature was constitutionally due by 12 February 2015, three months ahead of the polling day. Timing of election: Early elections Expected date of next elections: May 2020 Number of seats at stake: 65 (full renewal) Number of parties contesting the election: 7 Number of parties winning seats: 2 (including one coalition) Alternation of power: Yes Number of parties in government: One coalition including two parties Names of parties in government: A Partnership for National Unity - Alliance for Change (APNU-AFC) Date of the first session of the new parliament: 10 June 2015 Name of the new Speaker: Mr. Barton Scotland (non-elected member) STATISTICS Voter turnout Round no 1 11 May 2015 Number of registered electors Voters Blank or invalid ballot papers Valid votes 570'708 412'012 (72.19%) Notes Distribution of votes Round no 1 Political group Candidates Votes % of votes A Partnership for National Unity - Alliance for Change (APNU-AFC) People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Distribution of seats Round no 1 Political Group Total of seats A Partnership for National Unity - Alliance for Change (APNU-AFC) 33 People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) 32 Distribution of seats according to sex Men Women Percent of women 48 21 30.43% Distribution of seats according to age Distribution of seats according to profession Comments Source: National Assembly (12.06.2015, 01.09.2015, 01.01.2017) Note on the distribution of seats: The statistics above refer to the 65 directly-elected seats. As at 12 June 2015, 37 members from the government had been sworn in: - 33 directly-elected members (including 13 women) from “A Partnership for National Unity - Alliance for Change (APNU-AFC)”; - three non-elected ministers and; - the Speaker, a non-elected member, who became an ex officio member of the National Assembly. - 32 members of the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), including nine women, were sworn in on 17 August, bringing the number of women to 21 out of a total of 69 members.

Parliament name Parliament of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana Structure of parliament Unicameral APPOINTMENT AND TERM OF OFFICE Title Speaker of the National Assembly Term - duration: 5 years (term of House) - reasons for interruption of the term: resignation, death, dissolution Appointment - elected by all the Members of the Assembly who are present - election is held at the first sitting of the newly elected Assembly or when a vacancy occurs - before Members are sworn in Eligibility - any Member of the Assembly can be a candidate - candidatures must be submitted by a third party who is himself a Member of the Assembly - candidatures must be seconded by another Member Voting system - if only one candidature is submitted : the candidate is elected without a vote or debate - if several candidatures are submitted : a secret ballot is taken for each candidates in the order of their registration until one of them is elected. Procedures / results - the Clerk presides over the Assembly during the voting - the Clerk announces the results without any delay STATUS Status - in the absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker (or any other Member elected for that sitting) can assume his/her role and functions Board Material facilities NA (no information received) FUNCTIONS Organization of parliamentary business - convenes sessions, in exceptional case only - organises the debates and sets speaking time - examines the admissibility of questions, petitions, bills and amendments Chairing of public sittings - can open and close sittings, within the framework of the Standing Orders - can suspend sittings for short periods - ensures respect for provisions of the Constitution and Standing Orders - makes announcements concerning the Assembly - takes disciplinary measures in the event of disturbance, and lifts such measures - establishes the list of speakers, gives (the Member who catches the Speaker's eye would have the floor) and withdraws permission to speak - calls for a vote, decides how it is to be carried out, verifies the voting procedure and cancels a vote in the event of irregularities - checks the quorum - authenticates the adopted texts and the records of debates - interprets the rules or other regulations governing the life of the Assembly Special powers - is responsible for safety, and in this capacity, can call the police in the event of disturbance in the Assembly Speaking and voting rights, other functions - takes part in voting, only if he/she has been elected at the Assembly and only in the case of a tied vote

This page was last updated on 7 February 2017
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