Parliament of Bermuda
Encyclopedia
Parliament has two chambers
Bicameralism
In the government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses....

. Originally, there was only one, the House of Assembly, which held its first session in 1620, making Bermuda's Parliament amongst the World's oldest legislatures. An appointed Privy Council originally performed roles similar to that of an upper house, and of a cabinet. This was replaced with an appointed upper house, the Senate, in 1968, and a Cabinet composed from Members of Parliament from the party with the most seats in the lower house (party politics, and universal adult suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...

 having been introduced at the same time-forty years after its introduction in Britain). A Premier was also introduced as leader of the ruling party, and an official opposition: the Westminster System
Westminster System
The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....

.
  • The House of Assembly
    House of Assembly of Bermuda
    The House of Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Bermuda. The house has 36 members, each elected for a five year term in a single seat constituencies....

    has 36 members, elected for a five year term in single seat constituencies.
  • The Senate
    Senate of Bermuda
    The Senate is one of two parts of the Parliament of Bermuda, the other being the House of Assembly. Both are overseen by the Governor. The Senate is the Upper House of the Parliament, and serves as a House of Review....

    has 11 appointed members.

External Link

Bermuda Government website
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