House of Keys
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2009) |
House of Keys Yn Kiare as Feed | |
---|---|
High Court of Tynwald | |
Leadership | |
Structure | |
Seats | 24 |
Political groups | Speaker (1)
Others (15)
|
Elections | |
Multiple non-transferable vote | |
Last election | 23 September 2021 |
Next election | September 2026 |
Meeting place | |
Chamber of the House of Keys, Legislative Buildings, Douglas | |
Website | |
www |
The House of Keys (Manx: Yn Kiare as Feed) is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council.
History
The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written in Latin by an English scholar, which refers to Claves Mann (the 'Keys of Mann') and Claves Legis (the 'Keys of Law'). There is a dispute, however, over the origin of the name. The word keys is thought by some to be an English corruption of a form of the Norse verb kjósa ('to choose'). However, a more likely explanation is that it is a mishearing of the Manx-language term for 'four and twenty': kiare as feed [ˈkʲiːəs ˈfid], the House having always had 24 members. The Manx-language name of the House remains Yn Kiare as Feed ('The Four and Twenty').
Governance
Members are known as Members of the House of Keys (MHKs). Citizens over the age of 16 may vote, while one must be at least 18 years old and a resident of the island for three years to be elected an MHK. There are
The
The House of Keys elects 8 of the 11 members of the
The House of Keys meets about once each month together with the Legislative Council in a joint session called Tynwald Court. During the COVID pandemic, these meetings have been more frequent. The
Meeting place
The House of Keys usually meets in their chamber in the Legislative Buildings in
Elections
Membership
References
External links
- House of Keys
- Elections to the House (Dead Link)
- Enfranchisement @ 16 years (BBC)
- iomelections.com – 2006 General Election
- Access to work & info of members of IoM Tynwald
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. (The last paragraph of this article speculates on the origins of the name "House of Keys").