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Parliament name National Assembly More photos  >>> Structure of parliament Unicameral Affiliation to the IPU No Affiliation date(s) LEADERSHIP President A. Michael Perkins (M)  Notes Elected on 30 June 2016. Secretary General Sonia Boddie-Thompson (F)  COMPOSITION Members (statutory / current number) 15 / 15 PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN More statistics  >>> Women (current number) 2 (13.33%) Mode of designation directly elected 11 appointed 3 other 1 Notes Appointed: appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister and the leader of the Opposition. Other: ex officio (the Attorney General when he is not an elected member). The Speaker may be designated from outside the National Assembly and becomes a member of parliament by virtue of holding the office of Speaker. Term 5 years Notes The term of the National Assembly is five years from the first session. General elections are constitutionally due within three months after the end of the legislature. Last renewal dates 16 February 2015 (View details) CONTACT INFORMATION Address National Assembly P.O. Box 164 BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Export mailing lists) Phone (1 869) 467 1159 Fax (1 869) 465 5040 E-mail SKNParliament@gov.kn Website http://www.parliament.gov.kn/

Parliament name National Assembly Structure of parliament Unicameral LEGAL FRAMEWORK Electoral law 23 June 1981 Constitution (1983 No.881) Mode of designation directly elected 11 appointed 3 other 1 Constituencies 11 single-member constituencies. Voting system Majority: Simple majority vote. Vacancies arising between general elections are filled through by-elections or appointment, according to the case. Voting is not compulsory. Voter requirements - age: 18 years - St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship (or British Commonwealth, if born in the country before independence). - residence in the country for at least one year - disqualifications: insanity, allegiance to a foreign State. CANDIDATES Eligibility Qualified electors - age: 21 years - St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship (or that of one parent) by birth - residence in the country on the date of nomination for election or appointment - ineligibility: undischarged bankrupts, persons under sentence of death or imprisonment exceeding 12 months, ministers of religion. Incompatibilities (not applicable) Candidacy requirements - support of at least two electors from the constituency concerned - deposit of a sum equivalent to US$ 55, which is reimbursed on obtaining at least 1/8 of votes cast in the constituency.

Parliament name National Assembly Structure of parliament Unicameral BACKGROUND Dates of election / renewal (from/to) 16 February 2015 Timing and scope of renewal Team Unity- a three-party opposition alliance led by former Foreign Minister Timothy Harris - ended the 20-year rule of the Labour Party (SKNLP), taking a total of seven seats against four won by the governing coalition (see note). Prime Minister Denzil Douglas, who had been in power since 1995, conceded defeat. On 23 February, Mr. Harris was sworn in as new Prime Minister, becoming only the third person to assume the post since independence from Britain in 1983. During the election campaign, the major parties focused on education, health care and job creation, as well as a proposal from Team Unity to exempt food and medicine from value added tax. Note: Team Unity comprised the People's Action Movement (PAM), the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) and the People's Labour Party (PLP). The PLP is a break away from the SKNLP that was launched in June 2013 by Mr. Harris and former Deputy Prime Minister Sam Condor. The governing coalition comprised the SKNLP and the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP). Date of previous elections: 25 January 2010 Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: 16 January 2015 Timing of election: Upon normal expiry Expected date of next elections: February 2020 Number of seats at stake: 11 (full renewal) Number of candidates: 22 (21 men, 1 woman) Percentage of women candidates: 4.5% Number of parties contesting the election: 5 Number of parties winning seats: 5 Alternation of power: Yes Number of parties in government: 3 Names of parties in government: People’s Labour Party (PLP), People’s Action Movement (PAM) and the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) Date of the first session of the new parliament: 14 May 2015 Name of the new Speaker: Mr. Franklin Brand STATISTICS Voter turnout Round no 1 16 February 2015 Number of registered electors Voters Blank or invalid ballot papers Valid votes 42'185 30'455 (72.19%) Notes Distribution of votes Round no 1 Political group Candidates Votes % of votes People's Action Movement (PAM) Labour Party (SKNLP) Concerned Citizens' Movement (CCM) People's Labour Party (PLP) Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) Distribution of seats Round no 1 Political Group Total of seats People's Action Movement (PAM) 4 Labour Party (SKNLP) 3 Concerned Citizens' Movement (CCM) 2 People's Labour Party (PLP) 1 Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) 1 Distribution of seats according to sex Men Women Percent of women 10 1 9.09% Distribution of seats according to age Distribution of seats according to profession Comments Note: The distribution of seats according to political parties only takes into account the 11 directly elected seats. One woman was directly elected and another woman was appointed. As at 26 May 2015, there were two women out of a total of 15 members: 11 directly elected, three appointed and one ex officio (the Attorney General). Sources: National Assembly (09.03.2015, 26.05.2015) http://www.sknvibes.com/elections/elections_results_2015.cfm

Parliament name National Assembly 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 of the Assembly, Speaker's responsibility called into question Appointment - elected by all Members of the Assembly - election is held at the beginning of a new session after the general election - before Members are sworn in Eligibility - any Member of the Assembly or any suitable person may be a candidate Voting system - formal vote by secret ballot - majority of votes required - if no person receives a majority of votes in the first round, but if two or more candidates receice an equal number of votes, subsequent ballots shall be held between these candidates only until one candidate is duly elected Procedures / results - the Clerk presides over the Assembly during the voting - the Clerk supervises the voting - the Clerk announces the results without any delay after the votes have been counted STATUS Status - represents the Assembly in international bodies such as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association - is ex officio Chairman of committees or other bodies - in the absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker can assume his/her role and functions Board Material facilities - special allowance of $ 24120 per annum - entertainment allowance of $ 1800 per annum FUNCTIONS Organization of parliamentary business - convenes sessions - establishes and modifies the agenda - organizes the debates and sets speaking time - examines the admissibility of bills and amendments - refers texts to a committee for study - examines the admissibility of request for setting up committees and/or committees of enquiry, proposes or decides on the setting up of such committees Chairing of public sittings - can open, adjourn and close sittings - 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 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 Special powers - is responsible for establishing the Assembly's budget in consultation with the Ministry of Finance - recruits, assigns and promotes staff - appoints the Clerk - organizes the services of Parliament - is responsible for relations with foreign Parliaments - is responsible for safety, and in this capacity, can call the police in the event of disturbance in the Chamber Speaking and voting rights, other functions - takes part in voting if he is an elected Member - signs all laws passed in the House and submits them for publication

This page was last updated on 23 August 2018
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