Legislative Assembly
Encyclopedia
Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature
, or to one of its branch.
The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations
, as well as a number of Latin America
n countries.
in the British Empire
were given a degree of involvement in running their own affairs by the creation of a representative body, often named the Legislative Assembly. Typically the Legislative Assembly was partially or wholly elected by popular vote; this was usually in contrast with the other chamber of the legislature, called the Legislative Council
, whose membership was generally either nominated by the Governor
, or indirectly elected. Conflict between the two chambers frequently led to the Legislative Council being reformed, or even abolished outright, thus leaving the Legislative Assembly as either the more powerful chamber in the parliament, or the only one.
The modern-day Legislative Assembly in a Commonwealth country, either as a national or sub-national parliament, is in most cases an evolution of one of these colonial legislative chambers.
In a number of territories, the name House of Assembly
is used instead.
, members of the province of Ontario
's Legislative Assembly are known as a "Member of the Provincial Parliament" (MPP, Ontario).
Although Northern Ireland
's legislature is called the Northern Ireland Assembly
, its members are also known as MLA's.
, the lower or sole house of each constituent state's parliament is called the Legislative Assembly, or Vidhan Sabha
. The same name is also used for the lower house of the legislatures for two of the union territories, Delhi
and Pondicherry. The upper house in the six states with a bicameral legislature is called the Legislative Council
, or Vidhan Parishad
. Members of the former are called MLAs, and those of the latter MLCs.
The lower houses of the parliaments of the Australian states of New South Wales
, Victoria
and Western Australia
are called the Legislative Assembly. In contrast, the state of Queensland
has abolished the former upper house of its parliament, leaving the Legislative Assembly as the sole chamber. The sole house of parliament in the Australian Capital Territory is the Legislative Assembly.
In Malaysia, the State Legislative Assemblies of each individual states are known as Dewan Undangan Negeri
. There are thirteen State Legislative Assemblies in Malaysia and it is a unicameral legislature.
, the Legislative Assembly was renamed the National Assembly, following the abolition of the Legislative Council
in 1968.
In Mauritius
, the unicameral Parliament was known as the Legislative Assembly until 1992, when, following the establishment of a republic
, it was renamed the National Assembly.
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
, or to one of its branch.
The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
, as well as a number of Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n countries.
Legislative Assemblies in the Commonwealth
A number of coloniesColony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
in the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
were given a degree of involvement in running their own affairs by the creation of a representative body, often named the Legislative Assembly. Typically the Legislative Assembly was partially or wholly elected by popular vote; this was usually in contrast with the other chamber of the legislature, called the Legislative Council
Legislative Council
A Legislative Council is the name given to the legislatures, or one of the chambers of the legislature of many nations and colonies.A Member of the Legislative Council is commonly referred to as an MLC.- Unicameral legislatures :...
, whose membership was generally either nominated by the Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
, or indirectly elected. Conflict between the two chambers frequently led to the Legislative Council being reformed, or even abolished outright, thus leaving the Legislative Assembly as either the more powerful chamber in the parliament, or the only one.
The modern-day Legislative Assembly in a Commonwealth country, either as a national or sub-national parliament, is in most cases an evolution of one of these colonial legislative chambers.
In a number of territories, the name House of Assembly
House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level....
is used instead.
Members of Commonwealth Legislative Assemblies
Members of a Legislative Assembly in a Commonwealth country are usually referred to as a "Member of the Legislative Assembly", commonly abbreviated as MLA; however, in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, members of the province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
's Legislative Assembly are known as a "Member of the Provincial Parliament" (MPP, Ontario).
Although Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
's legislature is called the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
, its members are also known as MLA's.
Examples of Legislative Assemblies in Commonwealth countries
In IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the lower or sole house of each constituent state's parliament is called the Legislative Assembly, or Vidhan Sabha
Vidhan Sabha
The Vidhan Sabha or the Legislative Assembly is the lower house or the sole house of the provincial legislature in the different states of India. The same name is also used for the lower house of the legislatures for two of the union territories, Delhi and Pondicherry...
. The same name is also used for the lower house of the legislatures for two of the union territories, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and Pondicherry. The upper house in the six states with a bicameral legislature is called the Legislative Council
Legislative Council
A Legislative Council is the name given to the legislatures, or one of the chambers of the legislature of many nations and colonies.A Member of the Legislative Council is commonly referred to as an MLC.- Unicameral legislatures :...
, or Vidhan Parishad
Vidhan Parishad
The Vidhan Parishad is the upper house in those states of India that have a bicameral legislature. , six states have a Legislative Council: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh...
. Members of the former are called MLAs, and those of the latter MLCs.
The lower houses of the parliaments of the Australian states of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
are called the Legislative Assembly. In contrast, the state of Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
has abolished the former upper house of its parliament, leaving the Legislative Assembly as the sole chamber. The sole house of parliament in the Australian Capital Territory is the Legislative Assembly.
In Malaysia, the State Legislative Assemblies of each individual states are known as Dewan Undangan Negeri
Dewan Undangan Negeri
A state legislative assembly is the legislature of each of the 13 Malaysian states. Members of a state legislative assembly comprises elected representatives from single-member constituencies during state elections through the first-past-the-post system....
. There are thirteen State Legislative Assemblies in Malaysia and it is a unicameral legislature.
Former Legislative Assemblies
In QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, the Legislative Assembly was renamed the National Assembly, following the abolition of the Legislative Council
Legislative Council of Quebec
From 1867 until 1968, the Legislative Council of Quebec was the unelected upper house of the bicameral legislature in the Canadian province of Quebec...
in 1968.
In Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, the unicameral Parliament was known as the Legislative Assembly until 1992, when, following the establishment of a republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
, it was renamed the National Assembly.