Turks and Caicos Islands Territorial Assembly

From JSC Archives
Jump to navigationJump to search

The Turks and Caicos Islands Territorial Assembly is the highest institution of state within the Canadian territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is unicameral, consisting of a single chamber of 55 seats. Each seat represents an electoral district of roughly equal population (3186 people), with each seat held by an elected member known as a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA).

The Territorial Assembly is devolved, meaning it exists via an act of the Parliament of Canada and, like those assemblies of the other territories, can theoretically be unilaterally dissolved at any time by an Act of Parliament, unlike the provinces whose legislative assemblies are constitutionally entrenched and thus share sovereignty with the Parliament of Canada.

The Territorial Assembly elects the Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands via the parliamentary procedure, meaning the leader of the political party or coalition holding a majority of seats in the Territorial Assembly is automatically, formally declared Premier by the Commissioner of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Premier leads the Turks and Caicos Islands Territorial Council, the executive branch of the territorial government, whose ministers are nominated by the Territorial Assembly and confirmed by the Premier.