Federal Parliament of the West Indies Federation

The Federal Parliament of the West Indies Federation was the bicameral legislature in West Indies Federation from 1958 to 1962. It was formally made up of two houses, an appointed Senate (Upper house) and an elected House of Representatives (Lower house).

Federal Parliament of the West Indies Federation
Type
Type
HousesSenate
House of Representatives
History
FoundedApril 1958
DisbandedJuly 1962
Structure
Senate political groups
  •   Federalist (15)
  •   Democrat (4)
House of Representatives political groups
Length of term
5 years (maximum)
Elections
Appointment by the governor general
House of Representatives last election
 25 March 1958
Meeting place
Port of Spain, Trinidad

The governor general, on behalf of the monarch, summons and appoints the 19 senators, while each of the 45 members of the House of Representatives represents an electoral district, and are elected by voters residing in the district. The governor general also summons and calls together the House of Representatives, and may prorogue or dissolve Parliament, in order to either end a parliamentary session or call a general election.[1]

The only election was held in 1958. It remained for 4 years until the dissolution of the federation in 1962. The official language of the Parliament is English.

Senate

The upper chamber was called Senate, and it had 19 members appointed by Governor-General of the West Indies Federation. There are 2 senators from each territory except Montserrat, which only have 1 senator.

Potential Senators must meet certain criteria before they can be nominated to the upper chamber. In order to be eligible for appointment, a person must be a British subject of at least 21 years of age who has resided in the territory compromised in the Federation for the past three years. A person is ineligible for appointment if they are in bankruptcy, have a mental illness, hold an allegiance to a foreign state, have a capital punishment sentence, have been in prison for a time exceeding twelve months, or disqualified to be elected at the House of Representatives. Furthermore, a Senator cannot also serve as a civil servant, a member of the armed forces or police, a judge, a public prosecutor, a controller, or a current sitting member of the House of Representatives. Senators serve for five years.[1]

President of the Senate

The President of the Senate is the presiding officer of the Senate. He or she is assisted by a Vice President who must be a sitting Senator. Both the President and the Vice President must not be a member of the Council of State.

List of Presidents
No. Name Term of office Party Province Ref.
Took office Left office
1 Allen Montgomery Lewis 1958 1959 Federalist Saint Lucia [2]
2 Arnott Cato 1959 1962 Federalist Barbados [3]

House of Representatives

The lower chamber was called House of Representatives, and it had popularly elected 45 members, where five members are from Barbados, 17 from Jamaica, 10 from Trinidad and Tobago, 1 from Montserrat, and 2 from the remaining territories. Montserrat also have a privilege of an alternate member, who serves as a substitute member in the absence of the main member. The requirements to stand for election is similar with the requirements for Senate appointment. However, the alternate member for Montserrat is forbidden to stand election as the main member of Montserrat.[1]

Speaker of the House of Representatives

The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives who must not be a member of the Council of State. Erskine Ward is the sole Speaker during the existence of the Federal Parliament.

List of Speaker
No. Name Term of office Party Province Ref.
Took office Left office
1 Erskine Ward 1958 1962 Federalist Barbados [4]

See also

References
  1. "West Indies (Federation) Order in Council, 1957" (PDF). Digital Legislative Library of the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
  2. Lentz, Harris M. (February 4, 2014). Heads of States and Governments Since 1945. Routledge. ISBN 9781134264902 – via Google Books.
  3. Grey, Ian (January 10, 1986). The Parliamentarians: The History of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, 1911-1985. Gower. ISBN 9780566051999 – via Google Books.
  4. "Caribbean Elections Biography | Erskine Ward". www.caribbeanelections.com. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
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