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it is "The Bahamas" never "the Bahamas." The page itself should not be named "the Bahamas" because The Bahamas is one of two countries on Earth where the "The" is always capitalized, the other being The Gambia |
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{{
{{Infobox legislature
| name = Parliament of the Bahamas▼
|
|
| legislature = [[14th Bahamian Parliament]]
| coa_pic = Coat of arms of the Bahamas.svg
| coa_res = 120px
| coa_alt =
| foundation = {{start date and age|df=y|1729|3|4}}
| house_type = Bicameral
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| houses = [[Parliament of the Bahamas#Senate|Senate]]<br>[[Bahamas House of Assembly|House of Assembly]]
| leader1_type = [[Monarch of the Bahamas|Monarch]]
| leader1 = [[
| party1 =
| election1 =
| leader2_type = [[Governor-General of the Bahamas|Governor-General]]
| leader2 =
| party2 =
| election2 =
| leader3_type = [[List of Presidents of the Senate of the Bahamas|President of the Senate]]
| leader3 = [[Lashell Adderley]]
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| party4 = [[Progressive Liberal Party|PLP]]
| election4 = 6 October 2021
| leader5_type = [[Prime Minister of the Bahamas|Prime Minister]]
| leader5 = [[Philip Davis (Bahamian politician)|Philip Davis]]
| party5 = [[Progressive Liberal Party|PLP]]
| election5 = 17 September 2021
| leader6_type = [[Leader of the Opposition (Bahamas)|Leader of the Opposition]]
| leader6 = [[Michael Pintard]]
| party6 = [[Free National Movement|FNM]]
| election6 = 27 November 2021
| members = '''Senate''': 16 seats<br />'''House''': 39 seats
| house1 = Senate's
| house2 = House's
| structure1 = <!--Bahamas_senate_Diagram.svg-->
| structure1_res = 260px
| structure1_alt =
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| structure2_res = 260px
| structure2_alt =
| political_groups1 = '''[[Government of the Bahamas|
*{{Color box|#FFD700|border=
'''[[Opposition (parliamentary)|HM Most Loyal Opposition]]'''
*{{Color box|#D2232A|border=
| political_groups2 = '''[[Government of the Bahamas|
*{{Color box|#FFD700|border=
'''[[Opposition (parliamentary)|HM Most Loyal Opposition]]'''
*{{Color box|#e30513|border=
| committees1 =
| committees2 =
| joint_committees =
| voting_system1 =
| voting_system2 = [[First
| last_election1 =
| last_election2 = [[2021 Bahamian general election|16 September 2021]]
| previous_election1 =
| previous_election2 =
| session_room = BahamianParliamentPanorama.jpg
| session_res =
| session_alt =
| meeting_place = [[Bahamian Parliament Building|Bahamian Parliament]], [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]], [[The Bahamas]]
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| footnotes =
| motto =
| next_election2
}}
The '''Parliament of The Bahamas''' is the [[bicameralism|bicameral]] national [[parliament]] of the [[The Bahamas|Commonwealth of The Bahamas]].
The structure, functions, and procedures of the parliament are based on the [[Westminster system]].
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==History==
Originally inhabited by the [[Lucayan people]], a branch of the [[Arawakan]]-speaking [[Taíno people|Taino]] people,
In 1670 [[Charles II of England|King Charles II]] granted the islands to the [[
A General Assembly was established in 1729; the [[Bahamian general election, 1729|first elections]] took place in September, and on 29 September 1729 twenty-four members representing the islands of [[New Providence]], [[Eleuthera]], and [[Harbour Island, Bahamas|Harbour Island]] gathered together at the house of Samuel Lawford to form the
The Bahamas legislature has had a bicameral feature since its inception in 1729 as the Governor's Council performed both executive and legislative functions. In 1841 Governor [[Francis Cockburn]] divided Governors Council into two separate councils
Bahamians achieved self-government in 1964 and full independence within the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] on July 10, 1973, retaining [[Queen Elizabeth II]] as monarch. The Parliament as presently constituted was established by Chapter 5 of the Constitution of The Bahamas, which came into effect upon the country's independence from the [[United Kingdom]].
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==House of Assembly==
{{See also|Constituencies of the Bahamas|List of current members of the House of Assembly of the Bahamas}}
The House of Assembly is the [[lower chamber]]. It consists of 39 members (known as
===Latest election===
{{Election results|image=[[File:Bahamas Assemblée 2021.svg]]|seats8=0|color6=black|party7=Grand Commonwealth Party|votes7=260|seats7=0|sc7=New|color7=yellow|party8=Righteous Government Movement|votes8=61|sc8=New|seats6=0|color8=blue|party9=Independents|votes9=2438|seats9=0|sc9=0|row10=|seats10=5|total_sc=0|electorate=194494|sc6=New|votes6=515|party1=[[Progressive Liberal Party]]|seats3=0|votes1=66407|seats1=32|sc1=+28|party2=[[Free National Movement]]|votes2=45730|seats2=7|sc2=–28|party3=[[Coalition of Independents]]|votes3=8560|sc3=New|party6=Kingdom Government Movement|party4=[[Democratic National Alliance (Bahamas)|Democratic National Alliance]]|votes4=1742|seats4=0|sc4=0|party5=United Coalition Movement|votes5=701|seats5=0|sc5=New|color5=purple|source=[https://www.bahamaslocal.com/showlisting/21858/Bahamas_General_Election_2022.html BL] [https://ewnews.com/decision-now-2021 EW]}}
==Senate==
The Senate (upper house) consists of 16 members appointed by the [[Governor General of the Bahamas|
If the House passes a money bill and sends that bill to the Senate for its consent, and if the Senate does not give its consent within a month after receiving the bill, the money bill is sent to the governor-general for assent even though the Senate had not consented to it<ref name="A4">{{cite web| title=Restrictions on the Power of the Senate | work=Government of the Bahamas | url=https://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/portal/public/The%20Government/Legislative/About%20the%20Parliament/!ut/p/b1/vZLNkppAFIWfZR7AoWn-lwjYNAgINAhsKED5EXVQRMSnj5NKVZJKjZNFJt2rrvpunT7nXCqhIio5Ztemyi7N2zHbv78TPmUAsmSZFS3EAR7gYLWUV4IOHZp7APEDAB8cGTydNyG1pqIohjf1DY8LLUzrLNyBW5JVk3Ubg_WuGvu-a-AqqKxL5ZdlzjrLIj8znCG0fZfR9qBYMuzxVRJO3NSiGivajPOWle1uZUiOg7LOpGHNpFCMCp3d2OWbrZiSVSIH-fnxnJSEPwkqcNa9rmf3bZ3AXqArFWvdTgH23SBNOJdowsROM5A6i92-2xuL3tyn4fymuEwLXn5k8JFJFvxdhk9C-mR-TSVPkfcffAee1fRZUbb-dthS8QMTfsFICACmgez5tAtEm6YIFQE29XdTh-_t3XuUadu5h_1d4oBdMNmEuDZZLIlt20TraZoE00UbIVFjaBHPti76ahN6wVxWuMg5_SHoQCI9BBWaNwMO-ID9akHEOeIjCIGsZA4C5ND_W5D5r5GilQO-3OFvS8O6_75Dg0qa_PA6FodX8CpKPM0JIiuJPGBZUaDCXcwKqohHFZNUaS-I72_9wsO9R-SxVgScuY6xNza-JKLUgKeoqptYGEYBeiIe0KEZkFOIkVYok70BLtFnjt8Lt2Zl5r51ATU-81Wcs_jIuccTDEatuupkFqnlkrkissnbMEqiM8l1yyHGvThmJdyG2-7s4K6t06ne82ivDtFynshgWJTVw5s_NfRpXypb5KHmLl3MzDgYCg20TVuS9UwrZDFo53EbzNm6WEBTOzEwFO7a-EJ1h-BqLnlPH2nx5x1fvgFU7vu4/dl4/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/}}</ref>
In a historic vote, attorney Sharon Wilson was unanimously elected to a second term as President of the Senate, marking the first time a woman won re-election to head that legislative body. She previously served as President of the Senate from 2002 to 2007, and succeeded Lynn Holowesko, who served as President of the Senate from 2007 to 2012.▼
▲In a historic vote, attorney [[Sharon Wilson]] was unanimously elected to a second term as
==Legislative functions==
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[[Image:Bahamian Parliament 3.JPG|thumb|right|200px|The statue of [[Queen Victoria]], located in Parliament Square, was erected in her honour after her death in 1901]]
Parliament is empowered by Article 52(1) of the Constitution to make laws for the peace, order and good government of The Bahamas.
* determine the privileges, immunities, powers, and procedures of both the Senate and the House of Assembly;
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* prescribe the number of Justices of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal; and
* approve the Government's budget.<ref name="A2">{{cite web| title=Functions of Parliament | work=Government of the Bahamas | url=http://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/portal/public/The%20Government/Legislative/About%20the%20Parliament/!ut/p/b1/vZLLbqMwGEafpQ-QYsx9SYAYk2ACGAJsEJBwCbkTQsjTTzoaaWY0aruZ1l5ZOvan7_xmEiZikkN2a6rs2hwP2e7tnIgpB5CtqrxsIwGIAAfLhbqUTOiwwhOInwB4Z6ngw_tzyKyYKIrhXT_iYWaEaZ2FW3BPsmq070Ow2lZD150auAwq-1r5ZZnzzqLIL5xgSW13yljSa7YKO3xTpLMwtqjGmjERvEVF3I0K6aHXVpnSr7gUylFh8mtSHok2V-wSOcjPD5ekpOJZ0oGz6kwze2zqBHYSW-nYOG01QB4WbcKpwlIudpqe1lnsdqedNevmuzSc3jWXa8HLLwfvleTBZw5XTPIh8vbCT-AjzZ-JJuZxv2HiJyb9gdEQAMwC1fNZF8iEZSgTAT71t-MJP9qH9xwGIbmH_W3igG0wEkpdQmcLSgihRseyNBivxgCpHkObesS-mst16AVTVRMi5_xPoAOp8gzUWHEeCMAH_FcHIsGRnyIkulQFCJDDfncg961K0dIBX97wr0_Du_9_hhaTNPn-dSj2r-BVVkRWkGRekUXA87LEhNuYl3QZDzqmqdZekdjdu5mHO4-qQ61JOHMda2etfUVGqQXPUVU3sdQPEvRk3KN90yOnkCOj0EayBi41J47fSfdmOc99-wpqfBGrOOfxQXAPZxgMRnUz6STSywV3Q3Sdt2GURBeam7ZDrUdxyEq4CTeni4NPbZ2O9U5EO72PFtNEBf2srJ7d_LFhz7tS2yAPNQ_lOs-svaWxwFi3JV1NjEKVg3Yat8GUr4sZnBtnDobSwxhemNM-uC1EzxxY-fce1Jcf_aF9cA!!/dl4/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/}}</ref>
Parliament also maintains oversight of the
==Legislative procedure==
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Most of the laws passed by Parliament are for the modification or amendment of existing laws.
Article 52(2) of the Constitution empowers Parliament to make laws by the passing of a [[bill (proposed law)|bill]]. Most bills are introduced into Parliament by a
There are currently four main classifications of
A bill must pass through a series of stages in order to be passed by each{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} [[parliamentary chamber|chamber]], with a vote taken at each stage.
# A bill is formally introduced into Parliament at the [[first reading]]; this stage is generally a formality, with the bill's [[long title]] being read out and the presiding officer placing the [[motion (parliamentary procedure)|motion]] without debate.
# At the [[second reading]], the principle of the bill is debated.
# At the [[committee stage|committal stage]], the entire House of Assembly sits as a [[
# The [[third reading]] is the final stage; the motion made by the
Each
==Members==
* [[List of members of the House of Assembly of the Bahamas, 2002–2007|List of members of the House of Assembly of The Bahamas, 2002–2007]]
* [[List of members of the House of Assembly of the Bahamas, 2007–2012|List of members of the House of Assembly of The Bahamas, 2007–2012]]
* [[List of members of the House of Assembly of the Bahamas, 2012–2017|List of members of the House of Assembly of The Bahamas, 2012–2017]]
* [[List of members of the House of Assembly of the Bahamas,
* [[List of current members of the House of Assembly of the Bahamas|List of current members of the House of Assembly of The Bahamas]]
==See also==
* [[List of
* [[List of
* [[List of legislatures by country]]
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