Mava Council

Parliament of the Commonwealth of Mava Kausaakkavtaagikyakii Maava Yakiinaigaalu
50th Parliament of Mava
Type
Type	Bicameral
Houses	House of Elders House of Representatives
Leadership
President of the House of Elders	Vauta Laumaasi, Independent since 12 May 2021
Speaker of the House of Representatives	Aamikat Uuyukluq, Independent since 11 January 2023
Structure
Seats	86 25 (House of Elders) 61 (House of Representatives)
House of Elders political groups	Independent (25)
House of Representatives political groups	Government (39)   Progressive Party (39) Opposition (22)   Labour Movement (15)   Democracy and Renewal (5)   Independent (2)
Elections
House of Representatives last election	11 May 2023
House of Representatives next election	before 8 May 2025
Meeting place
Kausaakkavtaagikakitat Paas, Mava
Website
House of Elders - official website House of Representatives - official website

The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Mava (Mavean: Kausaakkavtaagikyakii; lit. National Lawmakers) is the bicameral legislature of Mava, consisting of the House of Peers (Paaquakitattaagik; lit. Senior's Assembly) and the House of Representatives (Kaavikuakitattaagik; lit. Delegate's Assembly). Both chambers meet at the Kausaakkavtaagikakitat in Paas.

The current Parliament was established in the 1925 Constitution, replacing the colonial-era Legislative Council. The Council was established by the Atitlanese colonial authorities in 1908 to advise the governor in policymaking. The council did not have the power of veto and had only a consultative role, with no power to even propose legislation. In 1925, upon independence, the Council was replaced with the current Parliament. Between 1925 and 1943, the Parliament was largely subordinate to the personalist regime of Kuraava Tanigak. Following constitutional amendments in 1943, which replaced the presidential system with a parliamentary system, Parliament assumed exclusive control over the legislative power and also took over nominal executive powers.

The members of the House of Representatives are elected for two years via bloc voting. Members represent multi-member constituencies (apart from Taak, which has a single-member at-large constituency). The 25 members of the House of Elders are appointed by the President-in-Council. For laws to pass, they must receive the approval of the House of Elders and must be confirmed to be "in the spirit of the law" by the House of Elders.

History

The Parliament of Mava was created on 1 April 1925 through the Mavean Independence Act, passed by the Atitlanese Congress. The members were carried over from the membership of the Legislative Council, which had served as the appointed advisory body to the colonial governor. Under the interim provisions, Mava was governed by a Transitional Government of the Parliament, appointed by Parliament to govern until elections could be held. The first elections were held on 14 May 1925, with Kuraava Tanigak appointed president by Parliament. The body was made permanent following the passage of the first Mavean constitution in September 1925, with the division of its powers between the newly established Nominated Assembly and Legislative Assembly.

The 1943 constitution radically increased the powers of parliament, transforming Mava from a presidential to a parliamentary republic. The prime minister, a member of the Legislative Assembly, formally became head of government and answerable to the Legislative Assembly rather than the president. The Legislative Assembly also assumed powers to dismiss governments with the abolition of the assembly-independent system, and its members became the sole initiators of legislation, with the president previously able to propose bills. The Nominated Assembly had its power of veto removed, now only able to recommend amendments and supervise the drafting of laws. It remains responsible for ensuring the legality of any laws passed in the lower house.

Under the 1943 constitution, the president of the parliament appointed a "Grand Committee of the National Parliament", composed of members of both houses appointed for the purpose of electing the president and approving the nominations of judges and other officials. The body was abolished in 1994; an Electoral College was created to elect the president, whilst responsibility for approving nominations was transferred to the House of Representatives.

Composition

Parliament consists of the President; an upper house, the House of Elders; and a lower house, the House of Representatives. Each constituent part has its own responsibilities distinct from the other parts, although all three work in conjunction as part of the legislative process. Members of the lower house are called "members of the Legislative Assembly" (Kausaakkavakakat; lit. "Lawmaker"), whilst members of the Nominated Assembly are called "Nominated Members" (Paaqok lit. "Senior").

No individual may sit in both chambers at the same time.

House of Elders

The legislative authority of the House of Elders is subordinate to that of the House of Representatives, and it has no power in its own right to restrict or deny the authority of the latter. However, it plays an important role within the legislative process, with all legislation required to be presented to the Nominated Assembly prior to its promulgation by the president.

Elders are appointed by the President-in-Council based on their being distinguished individuals in their respective field. 25 members are appointed, representing different areas of society and selected for their knowledge and expertise. The following structure of appointments is followed, although there is no legal basis for it: 5 members from the judiciary; 5 members from the social sector (including the voluntary sector); 5 members from industry and commerce; 5 members from organised labour; 3 members representing culture and the arts; and 2 members representing agriculture and fisheries. Members are appointed for life and are required to sit as independents.

The primary role of the House of Elders is quasi-judicial. It ensures that legislation approved in the House of Representatives complies with the constitution and with existing law - formally described as "in keeping with the spirit of the law." In the majority of cases, this requires only a review of the law by a select panel of members rather than the participation of the whole house. Aside from its power of review, the House of Elders may also recommend amendments to proposed legislation, which is returned to the House of Representatives for consideration. The House of Representatives is not required to approve, or even debate, amendments proposed in the House of Elders, although the regard of the upper house usually requires a debate.

House of Representatives

The House of Representatives is the elected component of the Mavean Parliament, with each member elected by a plurality of voters in each of the country's electoral constituencies. The requirements to run one of the 61 seats in the House of Representatives are that they be at least 18 years old, not be completing any criminal sentence, and be elegible to vote in national elections. Members hold their seats until Parliament is dissolved, after which they may seek re-election.

The House of Representatives is the "principal legislative body" and is established as the more powerful of the two parliamentary houses. All legislation is required to be introduced to the House of Representatives and be approved by its members. The House of Representatives also has exclusive control over money matters, possessing power of the purse and ultimate responsibility for the budget.

In addition to its legislative role, the House of Representatives is responsible for nominating the prime minister for appointment by the President. The house may, by a constructive motion of no confidence, request the president to dismiss the government. However, no such motion has ever been successful. Furthermore, the House of Representatives constitutes part of the membership of the Electoral College, alongside the House of Elders, which is tasked with electing the President. The government is officially responsible to the House of Representatives and answers to it.

Committees

Parliament has a number of joint committees that draw membership from both houses. There are currently 11 committees, the majority of which correspond with government departments:

• Joint Committee on Finance and the Economy
• Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs
• Joint Committee on Public Security
• Joint Committee on Public Health, Sport, and Fitness
• Joint Committee on Education, Culture, and Youth
• Joint Committee on the Environment
• Joint Committee on Justice
• Joint Committee on Administration
• Joint Committee on Media and Youth
• Joint Committee on Equality and Integration
• Joint Committee on Fisheries and Employment

Elections

General elections to the House of Representatives occur whenever the assembly is dissolved. Dissolutions occur automatically two years from the date of the first meeting of the house, although it is common for dissolutions to occur in March, at least six weeks prior to the date of the next election. Elections are usually held in the second week of May (generally a Thursday), following an electoral campaign of no less than 35 days. Candidates are usually nominated by political parties, although a small number of independent candidates have won seats. Candidates are usually elected in local party meetings in the relevant constituency, although the law does not mandate this and several candidates have historically been selected by the national party rather than local members.

Candidates are required to file a nomination paper bearing the signatures of at least 50 constituents. Each constituency (except from Taak) returns several members of Parliament using the block voting electoral system, in which voters may cast as many votes as there are available seats, with a simple plurality required. To stand as and vote for a candidate, one must be a Mavean citizen and at least eighteenth years of age. Additional eligibility requirements are imposed on electoral candidates.

Members serve a two year term. Should a member die, resign, or otherwise cease to hold their seat, a by-election is held in the relevant constituency under the same rules and procedures as in general elections. Individuals expelled by the House of Representatives are not permitted to run in the following by-election, although they may be a candidate in the next general election (even if no subsequent by-election is held).

Constituencies

61 members are returned from multi-member constituencies or single-member constituencies. Each district is divided into a number of constituencies based on their population, each returning an allocated number of members. The distribution of constituencies is reviewed every ten years by the Mavean Elections Office, with a requirement that each seat represents approximately 1,150 people.

District	Seats	MPs
Aasqaalet	3	10
Miilep	2	5
Paas	8	23
Pmaak	4	9
Kungaatiibisa	1	3
Taagokiajut	1	3
Sigaak	2	5
Saayup	1	2
Taak	1	1

The current set of constituency boundaries came into effect ahead of the May 2015 parliamentary elections. Prior to this, Paas had 25 seats, which were re-allocated to Aasqaalet and Pmaak.

2023 election

Party		Votes	%	+/–	Seats	+/–
	Progressive Party of the Mavean Islands	14,291	40.84	-1.21	39	0
	Political Congress of the Mavean Labour Movement	11,102	31.73	+4.33	15	+1
	Democracy and Renewal	3,755	10.73	-1.71	5	+1
	Mavean People's Party	1,921	5.49	-1.24	0	-1
	Independents	3,920	11.20	-0.17	2	-2
Total		34,989	100.00	–	61	0
Valid votes		31,989	98.49
Invalid/blank votes		491	1.51
Total votes		32,480	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		51,072	63.60
Source: Mavean Elections Office

See also

• Politics of Mava
• Culture of Mava

External links

• National Parliament of Mava. aawnuhiuakak.mv