The Government of Bermuda

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The Government of Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory with a high degree of internal self-government. The official head of state is the Queen, who appoints a Governor to represent her in Bermuda. The Governor is responsible for the police, external affairs, internal security and defence. Bermuda’s system of government is similar to that of the UK. There are two legislative chambers; the House of Assembly and the Senate. The House of Assembly consists of 36 members elected by eligible voters in a general election (held at least every 5 years). The leader of the political party winning the most seats in the House of Assembly is appointed Premier and is asked by the Governor to form a government (i.e. Cabinet). The largest minority political party becomes the Opposition with its own Leader and Shadow Cabinet. The Senate has 11 members; 5 of whom are appointed by the Governor on advice of the Premier, 3 by the Leader of the Opposition, and 3 by the Governor. To become law, legislation must be passed by the House of Assembly and approved by the Senate and Governor. There are two major political parties in Bermuda; the United Bermuda Party (UBP) and the Progressive Labour Party (PLP). Politics of Bermuda takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency, whereby the Premier is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system.

Bermuda is the oldest self-governing British Overseas Territory and has a great degree of internal autonomy. Its parliament held its first session in 1620, making it the third-oldest continuous parliament in the World. The original system of government was created under the Virginia Company, which colonised Bermuda, accidentally in 1609, and deliberately from 1612. The Virginia Company lost its Royal Charter for North America ("Virginia") in 1622, and the Crown assumed responsibility for the administration of the continental colony. Bermuda, however, has passed in 1615 to a new company, The Somers Isles Company (The Somers Isles being the other official name of the colony), formed by the same shareholders. The House of Assembly was created under that company, which continued to appoint Governors until it was dissolved in 1684, with the Crown assuming responsibility for the Colony's administration. The Crown left in place the political system created under the Company. The Colonial Parliament originally consisted only of the lower house. The Governor's Council, an appointed body, served in the roles of an upper house and a cabinet. The President of The Council could find himself temporarily acting as Governor when no Governor was present. Voting was originally restricted, in Bermuda, to male landowners. When the numbers of non-White landowners began to increase, a minimum value was established for the properties which entitled their owners to vote. A man could vote in each parish in which he owned sufficiently valuable land. Its 1968 Constitution provided the island with formal responsibility for internal self-government, while the British Government retained responsibility for external affairs, defense, and security. The Bermudian Government is always consulted on any international negotiations affecting the territory. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Parliament. The party system is dominated by the Progressive Labour Party and the United Bermuda Party. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Military defence is officially the responsibility of the United Kingdom, but Bermuda maintains its own military force. Bermuda participates, through British delegations, in the UN and some of its specialized and related agencies. The United Nations Committee on Decolonization includes Bermuda on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories. Since 1968 Bermuda has had a Constitution that sets out its structure of government. Queen Elizabeth II is head of state and is represented in Bermuda by a Governor, whom she appoints. Internally, Bermuda has a parliamentary system of government. The British Governor has reserved powers in three areas which are External Affairs, Internal Security and the Police The Government of Bermuda consists of a Governor, a Deputy Governor, a Cabinet, and a Legislature based on two legislative chambers – a Senate and a House of Assembly. Main Functions of the Legislature The main functions of the Legislature are: To pass laws. To provide, by taxation, the means of carrying on the work of Government. To scrutinize Government policy and administration, particularly proposals for expenditure. In discharging these functions, the Legislature helps to bring the relevant facts and issues before the electorate. The Constitution of Bermuda, introduced in June 1968 and amended in 1973, 1979, 1989, 2001 and 2003 contains provisions relating to: the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual; the powers and duties of the Governor; and the composition, powers and procedure of:- the Legislature, the Cabinet, the Judiciary, and the Public Service. The House of Assembly is comprised of 36 members elected by universal adult suffrage. It elects a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker and sits for a term of five years, unless dissolved earlier. Bermuda is divided into 36 constituencies, each represented by one member in the House. Under the Constitution, a Boundaries Commission is appointed every seven years to examine and, if necessary, to revise the boundaries of the constituencies. The Senate is comprised of 11 members appointed by His Excellency the Governor. Five members of Senate are appointed on the recommendation of the Premier and represent the governing party. Three members are appointed on the recommendation of the Leader of the Opposition and represent the official opposition party. And the three remaining Senators are appointed as Independents. A President and a Vice-President are elected by the full Senate from among the Independent Senators. Bermuda’s system of Government is based on the “Westminster Model” of parliamentary democracy. It is a system that relies heavily upon the existence of organized political parties, each laying policies before the electorate for approval. The party who wins the most seats at a general election, or who has the support of a majority of members in the House of Assembly, forms the Government. In accordance with the Bermuda Constitution, the leader of the majority party is asked by the Governor to form a Government (i.e. a Cabinet). The largest minority party becomes the official opposition with its own leader and “Shadow Cabinet”. The Cabinet is responsible to the Legislature. Bermuda’s Constitution was written in 1968. Just as the US Constitution does, it guarantees those basic human rights to which everyone living in a democracy is entitled, and protects individual freedoms of thought and religion, of speech, of movement, of choice, freedom from arbitrary arrest, the right to a fair trial, and freedom of the press. It is as advanced a constitution as is possible for a country that is still a British dependent territory.