Member of parliament
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A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their
Members of parliament typically form parliamentary groups, sometimes called caucuses, with members of the same political party.
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.
Australia
At the Commonwealth level, a "member of parliament" is a member of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the Commonwealth (federal) parliament. Members may use the postnominal "MP" after their names. "MHR" ("Member of the House of Representatives") was not used, which was affirmed by cabinet in 1901 and reaffirmed in 1951 and 1965.[1] However, the prohibition of "MHR" does not appear to have been strictly enforced, as it was used most recently by Tony Abbott when he was in the parliament (1994–2019).[2][3] A member of the upper house of the Commonwealth Parliament, the Senate, is known as a "Senator".[4]
States and territories
In the
MLCs are informally refer to as upper house MPs.
Bahamas
The Parliament of the Bahamas is the bicameral national parliament of Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The parliament is formally made up by the monarch (represented by the governor-general), an appointed Senate, and an elected House of Assembly. It currently sits at Nassau, the national capital.
The structure, functions, and procedures of the parliament are based on the Westminster system.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, a member of parliament is an individual who serves in the unicameral Jatiya Sangsad or House of the Nation. Members of the Jatiya Sangsad are elected at a general election, usually held once every five years unless Parliament is dissolved sooner by the president on the advice of the prime minister. Under the Constitution of Bangladesh, an individual is required to be a citizen of Bangladesh and must have attained the age of 25 years in order to qualify for election to Parliament.
The Parliament consists of 300 directly elected members from general seats elected by use of first past the post who represent single-constituencies, while 50 seats are reserved exclusively for women and are allocated on a proportional basis. After an election, the Election Commission allocates reserved seats to parties based on the number of general seats they won. A party then presents a list of candidates, each requiring a presenter and a seconder. If the number of candidates presented and seats allocated is equal, then there is no election and the reserved seats are filled in accordance with the candidate lists prepared by parties. In the event there are more candidates than seat allocations, the 300 MPs elected from general seats vote through use of the single transferable vote system to determine the reserved seats. In reality, there has never been an election for reserved seats as parties have never nominated more candidates than they have been allocated.[5] In order to form a Government, a political party or alliance usually requires a simple majority in Parliament. Since Bangladesh's independence, the prime minister has concurrently held the position of Leader of the House.
Barbados
The Parliament of Barbados is the legislative branch of the government of Barbados. It is a bicameral body, composed of an appointed Senate and an elected House of Assembly. The Senate (upper house), the direct successor of a pre-Independence body known as the "Legislative Council"—comprises 21 senators appointed by the president. The President appoints 12 Senators on the advice of the Prime Minister and two on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition.The remaining seven Senators are nominated by the President at their discretion (that is, the President is not bound by other political leaders' advice in these appointments) to represent various religious, social, economic, or other interests in Barbados.
In the absence of an opposition leader in parliament (i.e. in the case of a landslide victory where one party takes all 30 seats in the House of Assembly, as occurred in 2018 and 2022) the president will then appoint the remaining two senators in the opposition's stead allowing for 9 independents instead.
The House of Assembly (lower house) is made up of 30 members of Parliament, elected to five-year terms on a first-past-the-post basis in single-seat constituencies.[6]
Canada
The
Each province (and territory) has its own legislature, with each member usually known as a
India
A member of Parliament is a member of either of the two houses of the
The term of a member of the Rajya Sabha is six years, while Lok Sabha members are elected for a term of five years, unless the house is dissolved sooner. Rajya Sabha is a permanent house that is not subject to dissolution, and one third of the members retire every two years. Vacancies in both houses, whether because of death or resignation of a member, must be filled by using a bypoll within six months of the vacancy; the newly elected member then only serves the remainder of the term of the seat to which they are elected. The number of seats in both houses is regulated by the Constitution and parliamentary statutes.
Ireland
Since the formation of the Irish Free State in 1922 and subsequently in the Republic of Ireland, the legislature of Ireland is known as the Oireachtas, and consists of the president; the upper house, Seanad Éireann (or Senate); and lower house, Dáil Éireann (Assembly, or House of Representatives). They are functionally similar to other bicameral parliaments, with the lower house being significantly more influential and having more power over the creation of legislation. Elections to Dáil Éireann are held at least every five years using the single transferable vote; while elections to Seanad Éireann are restricted to members of both houses, elected members of local authorities, and alumni of National University of Ireland colleges. Eleven senators are nominated directly by the Taoiseach.
A Member of Dáil Éireann is known as a Teachta Dála (TD) or "Deputy to the Dáil", and addressed as "Teachta" (Deputy), while a Member of the Seanad is known and addressed as Seanadóir (Senator). These titles are used much more commonly in English than the official Irish.
A member of Parliament was the term used to refer to a member of the pre-1801 Irish House of Commons of the Parliament of Ireland. Irish members elected to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland were also called members of Parliament from 1801 to 1922. Northern Ireland continues to elect MPs to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Jamaica
The Parliament of Jamaica is the legislative branch of the government of Jamaica. It is a bicameral body, composed of an appointed Senate and an elected House of Representatives. The Senate (upper house), the direct successor of a pre-Independence body known as the "Legislative Council"—comprises 21 senators appointed by the governor-general: thirteen on the advice of the prime minister and eight on the advice of the leader of the opposition.
The House of Representatives, the lower house, is made up of 63 (previously 60) members of Parliament, elected to five-year terms on a first-past-the-post basis in single-seat constituencies.
Kenya
The
Malaysia
The
The term "members of Parliament" only refers to members of the Dewan Rakyat. In Malay, a member of Parliament is called Ahli Parlimen, or less formally wakil rakyat (people's representative).[9]
Members of Parliament are elected from population-based single-seat constituencies using first-past-the-post voting. The prime minister must be a member of Parliament.
Members of Parliament are styled Yang Berhormat ("Honourable") with the initials Y.B. appended prenominally. A prince who is a member of Parliament is styled Yang Berhormat Mulia. The prime minister, deputy prime minister and Tuns who are members of Parliament are styled Yang Amat Berhormat ("Most Honourable"), abbreviated Y.A.B.
Malta
The Parliament of Malta consists of the president of Malta and the House of Representatives of 69 members (article 51 of the Constitution), referred to as "members of Parliament" (article 52(1) of the Constitution). When appointed from outside the House, the speaker is also considered a member of the Parliament. The Constitution lists the qualifications and disqualifications from serving as a member of Parliament.[10]
Privileges of members of Parliament and their Code of Ethics are laid out in the House of Representatives (Privileges and Powers) Ordinance.[11]
Nauru
The Parliament of Nauru consists of 18 seats. Members of Parliament are entitled to use the prefix The Honourable.
New Zealand
The New Zealand Parliament is made up of the
Since 1907, members of the House of Representatives have been referred to as 'Member of Parliament', abbreviated MP. From the 1860s until 1907 they were designated as 'Member of the House of Representatives', abbreviated 'MHR'. Between the first general election, in 1853, and the 1860s, the designation was "Member of the General Assembly", abbreviated MGA.[13] Before 1951, New Zealand had an upper house, the Legislative Council, whose members were appointed.
Pakistan
A member of Parliament is a member of either of the two houses of the Pakistani Parliament: the National Assembly of Pakistan and Senate of Pakistan. The National Assembly of Pakistan has a total of 342 members, of whom 272 are directly elected, and 70 seats are reserved for women and minorities. A member of the National Assembly of Pakistan (MNA) has a tenure of five years. On the other hand, there are 104 members of the Senate of Pakistan, in which all four provinces are represented by 23 senators regardless of population, while the Islamabad Capital Territory is represented by four senators. A member of the Senate of Pakistan (a senator) has a tenure of six years.
Singapore
Member of Parliament refers to elected members of the Parliament of Singapore, the appointed Non-constituency Member of Parliament from the opposition, as well as the Nominated Members of Parliament, who may be appointed from members of the public who have no connection to any political party in Singapore.
Sri Lanka
In
Trinidad and Tobago
The Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago is the legislative branch of the government of Trinidad and Tobago. The Parliament is bicameral. It consists of the elected House of Representatives, which has 41 members elected for a five-year term in single-seat constituencies, and the Senate which has 31 members appointed by the president: 16 government senators appointed on the advice of the prime minister, 6 opposition senators appointed on the advice of the leader of the opposition and 9 independent senators appointed by the president to represent other sectors of civil society.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom elects members of its parliament:
- the Parliament of the United Kingdom, with 650 members elected by the first-past-the-post system to the (lower) House of Commons, referred to as members of Parliament, abbreviated to MP
and four devolved legislatures:
- the Scottish Gaelic: Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA; Scots: Memmer o the Scots Pairliament, MSP)
- the Ulster-Scots: Laa-Makkan Forgaitherar, LMF). (Between 1921 and 1973, Northern Ireland was governed by the bicameral Parliament of Northern Ireland. Members of its lower house, the House of Commons of Northern Ireland, were known as Member of Parliament.)
- the Senedd (Welsh Parliament), with 60 elected members called Member of the Senedd (English - MS); Welsh: Aelod o'r Senedd, AS)[14]
- the London Assembly, with 25 members elected under the additional member system every four years, called Members of the London Assembly (AM)
MPs are elected in
A candidate to become an MP must be a British or Irish or Commonwealth citizen, be at least 18 years of age (reduced from 21 in 2006), and not be a public official or officeholder, as set out in the schedule to the Electoral Administration Act 2006.[15]
Technically, MPs have no right to
The
Zimbabwe
Members of the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, are styled "members of Parliament", while members of the Senate, the upper house, are referred to as "senators".
Other systems
Member of Parliament can be the term (often a translation) for representatives in parliamentary democracies that do not follow the Westminster system and who are usually referred to in a different fashion, such as deputé in France, deputato in Italy, deputat in Bulgaria, parlamentario or diputado in Spain and Spanish-speaking Latin America, deputado in Portugal and Brazil, and Mitglied des Bundestages (MdB) in Germany. However, better translations are often possible.
Afghanistan
Prior to the takeover of the
Austria
A member of Parliament is a member of either of the two chambers of the
Azerbaijan
Bulgaria
In Bulgaria there are 240 members of Parliament (
Cambodia
The member of parliament (Khmer: សមាជិកសភា) refers to the elected members of the National Assembly. There are 125 members of parliament in total. They are also alternatively called member of the National Assembly. Parliamentary elections are traditionally held every five years with no term limits imposed. The 25 provinces of Cambodia are represented by the members of Parliament in the National Assembly. A constituency may have more than one MP, depending on the population.
Czech Republic
A member of Parliament is a member of either of the two chambers of the
Denmark
In Denmark, a member of the Folketinget (
France
In France, member of parliament refers in English to the elected (one for each of the 577 constituencies) members of the National Assembly, the lower house of the French Parliament. They are known in French as députés (deputies) and sit for five years, unless a snap election is called before the end of their term.
Germany
A member of parliament refers to the elected members of the federal
In accordance with article 38 of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, which is the German constitution, "[m]embers of the German Bundestag shall be elected in general, direct, free, equal, and secret elections. They shall be representatives of the whole people, not bound by orders or instructions, and responsible only to their conscience." An important though not constitutionally required feature of German parliamentarianism is a slightly modified proportional representation.
The 16 federal states of Germany (Länder) are represented by the Bundesrat at the former Prussian House of Lords, whose members are representatives of the respective Länder's governments and not directly elected by the people.
Greece
Members of the Hellenic Parliament are known as vouleftés (βουλευτής, "councillors") in Greek, which is rendered into English as "members of parliament". The Vouli is a unicameral legislature of 300 constituency members, each elected for a four-year term.
Iceland
Indonesia
Although there are no official definition to what a member of parliament is, it commonly refers to the elected members of the lower
Currently, there are 575 and 136 members in the DPR and the DPD respectively, both elected for a renewable five-year term. Members of the DPR are required to be a member of a registered political party, whereas members of the DPD are independent.
Israel
A member of the Knesset (
Italy
Members of the lower house of the
Japan
In Japan, both houses of today's national parliament, the
Under the constitution of the Empire of Japan, the
Kazakhstan
According to the jurisdiction of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the term deputy (Kazakh: депутат, romanized: deputat) is the main and widely used word to describe a member of parliament (Kazakh: парламент депутаты, romanized: parlament deputaty) as a whole, encompassing both the lower house Mäjilis and the upper house Senate. While senator is also used to interchangeably describe a member of the Senate, the word "deputy" is the inclusive and general term for all 120 members of the Parliament.[21]
The 98 deputies of the Mäjilis obtain their mandate through mixed-member majoritarian representation, with 29 deputies elected from single-member districts and 69 deputies from closed-list proportional representation.[22] The Senate consists of 50 deputies, out of which 40 are indirectly elected by mäslihats (local assemblies), while the remaining 10 are appointed by the President and the Assembly of People.[23]
Lebanon
The Parliament of Lebanon is the Lebanese national legislature. It is elected to a four-year term by universal adult suffrage in multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's diverse Christian and Muslim denominations. Its major functions are to elect the president of the republic, to approve the government (although appointed by the president, the prime minister, along with the Cabinet, must retain the confidence of a majority in the Parliament), and to approve laws and expenditure. The name of a deputy in Arabic is Naeb (نائب). The plural of Naeb is Nuwab (نواب).
Netherlands
The Parliament of the Netherlands is known as the Staten-Generaal, the States General. It is bicameral, divided into two kamers (English: chambers). The Senate is known in Dutch as the Eerste Kamer (First Chamber) and its members as senatoren, senators. The House of Representatives, known in Dutch as the Tweede Kamer (Second Chamber), is the most important one. The important debates take place here. Also, the Second Chamber can amend proposed laws and can propose laws itself. The Senate does not have these capabilities. Its function is a more technical reviewing of laws. It can only pass a law or reject it. Both chambers are in The Hague, which is the seat of parliament but not the official capital of the Netherlands, which is Amsterdam.
The 150 members of the House of Representatives are elected by general elections every four years (or earlier if the government falls). The 75 members of the Senate are elected indirectly. The members of the twelve provincial parliaments and the councils of the three Caribbean special municipalities elect the senators. The value of a vote of a member of a provincial parliament is weighted by the population of the province. Provincial parliaments, the States Provincial, are elected by general elections every four years; a new Senate is elected three months after the provincial elections.
North Macedonia
In the Republic of North Macedonia there are 120 members of parliament (Macedonian: Sobranie) called Pratenici (singular Pratenik).
Norway
A member of parliament is an elected member of the
The members of the unicameral parliament of Norway are chosen by popular vote for a parliamentary period of four years.
Philippines
From 1978 to 1984, the Philippine parliament was called the
Poland
Portugal
The Portuguese parliament is called the
Spain
The word parlamento—of the same origin as Parliament in English—is used as a common name for all legislative assemblies, and hence parlamentario for the member of any of them, which can usually refer to members of:
- both chambers of the national legislature (Congress of Deputies and the Senate.
- the regional devolved legislatures of the Autonomous Communities.
- the European Parliament.
Members of the Congress of Deputies are called diputados (deputies), implying that they are elected to act in the name and on behalf of the people they represent. It is also usual to call members of the European Parliament eurodiputados. Members of the Senate are called senadores (senators).
South Africa
The Parliament of South Africa consists of two houses: the National Assembly of South Africa (lower house) and the National Council of Provinces (upper house). Members of both houses are given the title Member of Parliament.[24]
The National Assembly is made up of 400 members, who are all elected by the public in general elections using a proportional representation system with closed lists. The National Council of Provinces is composed of 90 delegates with 10 delegates for each of the nine provinces regardless of the population of the province. A provincial delegation consists of six permanent delegates and four special delegates. NCOP delegates are elected by the nine provincial legislatures on the day when they reconvene, usually the same day as the National Assembly. The delegates are sworn in the next day.[24]
South Korea
A member of Parliament refers to a member of the
In the
The members of provincial legislatures are called members of the Legislative Assembly or MLA. In some provinces, such individuals are call councillors and members of the provincial parliament.
Sweden
Members of parliament refers to the elected
The parliament is a unicameral assembly with 349 members who are chosen every four years in general elections. To become an MP, a person must be entitled to vote (i.e. be a Swedish citizen, be at least 18 years old and be or have been resident in Sweden) and must be nominated by a political party.[25] The MPs are elected by proportionality in constituencies across the nation. To decide which candidate will be elected the modified Sainte-Laguë method is used. This method usually but not always gives an accurate result in proportion to cast votes.
The salaries of the MPs are decided by the
According to a survey investigation by the sociologist Jenny Hansson,[28] Swedish national parliamentarians have an average workweek of 66 hours, including side responsibilities. Hansson's investigation further reports that the average Swedish national parliamentarian sleeps 6.5 hours per night.
Switzerland
Thailand
In the
Turkey
In the Republic of Turkey, a member of parliament is an elected member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi, TBMM), which has 600 members elected at a general election for a term of office of five years.
Ukraine
A people's deputy of Ukraine (Ukrainian: народний депутат України, narodnyi deputat Ukrayiny) is a member of parliament or legislator elected by a popular vote to the Verkhovna Rada (the unicameral parliament of Ukraine). Often people's deputies of Ukraine are referred to simply as deputies.
The main statutes that define the order of elections, rights and duties of the people's deputies of Ukraine are outlined in Articles 76–81 of the Constitution of Ukraine. There are 450 people's deputies of Ukraine who are elected based on the general, equal and direct electoral right for five years. The deputies may be appointed to various parliamentary positions such as the chairperson (speaker) of parliament, a head of a committee or a parliamentary faction, etc. Upon its appointment, to the office, each people's deputy of Ukraine receives a deputy mandate.
People's deputies that run for parliament as self-nominated candidates can join factions if they wish.[29]
See also
- Deputy (legislator)
- Member of Congress
- Australia and New Zealand Association of Clerks-at-the-Table, an association with the aim of advancing the professional development of parliamentarians.
References
- ^ "House of Representative Practice: Members' titles". Parliament of Australia - House of Representatives. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
- ^ Abbott, Tony (2 November 2012). "The Coalition's deregulation agenda" (Media Release). Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
- ^ "Biography: Tony Abbott MHR". Tonyabbott.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
- ^ "Odgers' Australian Senate Practice Chapter 6 Senators - Designation of senators". Parliament of Australia - Senate. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
- ^ "Women's Reserved Seat Systems in Bangladesh" (PDF). International Foundation for Electoral Systems. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "The Constitution of Parliament". BARBADOSPARLIAMENT.COM. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ "ESL Home". Parl.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 3 February 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^ "Glossary of Parliamentary Terms for intermediate students". Parliament of Canada. Archived from the original on 20 April 2008.
- ^ Then, Stephen (11 October 2012). "Here comes a real wakil rakyat". The Star (Malaysia). Archived from the original on 13 April 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
- ^ "Court Services" (PDF). Docs.justice.gov.mt. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 May 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^ "Court Services" (PDF). Docs.justice.gov.mt. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^ "Members of Parliament". www.parliament.nz. New Zealand Parliament. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ^ Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer. p. 91.
- ^ "UK Parliament". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ "Electoral Administration Act 2006". Office of Public Sector Information. Archived from the original on 10 November 2007.
- ^ House of Lords Reform UK Parliament
- ^ "Mitglieder des Deutschen Bundestages (MdB)" (in German). German Bundestag. Archived from the original on 9 September 2010. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
- ^ "Senator Indonesia". twitter.com (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 19 August 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
- ^ Judgment no.390/2007 of the Constitutional Court makes clear that the third paragraph of Article 68 of the Constitution is intended to prevent that — listening to confidential discussions of a senator or a deputy — the Judiciary may become a source of constraints and pressures on the free development of an elected mandate : Buonomo, Giampiero (2007). "Intercettazioni "telefoniche" indirette: illegittima la distruzione immediata e la conseguente immunità dei terzi (non parlamentari) coinvolti". Diritto&Giustizia Edizione Online. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ National Diet Library, Reference (レファレンス Archived 28 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine, an NDL monthly) 2005.5, Ōyama Hidehisa, 帝国議会の運営と会議録をめぐって Archived 22 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine, pp.49–50, Table 2: Number of members of the House of Peers and House of Representatives [by Imperial Diet and in the House of Peers, by membership category]
- ^ "On the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the status of its deputies". adilet.zan.kz. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ Bulatkulova, Saniya (25 January 2023). "What You Need to Know About Upcoming Election in Kazakhstan". The Astana Times. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ Bulatkulova, Saniya (12 January 2023). "What You Need to Know About Senate Election in Kazakhstan This Week". The Astana Times. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ a b "What Parliament Does – Parliament of South Africa". Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- Parliament of Sweden. 3 October 2006. Archivedfrom the original on 10 August 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
- ^ "Pay and economic benefits". The Riksdag. 1 November 2007. Archived from the original on 22 August 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
- ^ "Members' pay". The Riksdag. 13 July 2007. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
- ^ Hansson, Jenny (2008). "Sociologiska institutionen – Välkommen till oss!" (PDF). De Folkvaldas Livsvillkor, Umea University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2009.
- ^ "Yanukovych signs law on open voting to elect parliamentary chairman". Kyiv Post. 19 November 2012. Archived from the original on 29 June 2014.