Niue Assembly

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Niue
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The Niue Assembly is the legislature of Niue. It consists of 20 members, 6 elected on a common roll and 14 representatives of the villages. Members are directly elected by universal suffrage, and serve a three year term. Niue follows the Westminster system of government, with the Premier elected by the Assembly and the Cabinet draw from it.

The Assembly is descended from the Island Council established under the Cook Islands Act 1915 (NZ). This was disbanded in 1959 and reconstituted as the Assembly, which was successively granted greater control^[1]. The Assembly assumed full law-making power within the constitution upon self-government in 1974.

The Assembly is physically located in Alofi.

1 Speaker of the Assembly
2 Elections
3 Legislative Procedures
4 References

[edit] Speaker of the Assembly

The Assembly is presided over by a Speaker, elected by its members from outside their ranks. If a member of the Assembly is elected Speaker, they must resign their seat^[2]. The Speaker does not vote in proceedings, and does not enjoy a casting vote.

The current Speaker is Atapana Siakimotu.

[edit] Elections

Elections are held under a simple plurality system, with electors in the fourteen villages electing one member per village by majority vote, and six members from a common roll. Electors must be New Zealand citizens, resident for at least three months, and candidates must have been electors, resident for twelve months.

e•d Summary of the 30 April 2005 **Niue Assembly** election results
Members	Seats
Non-partisan members elected on a common roll	6
Representatives of the villages	14
Total (turnout %)	20

[edit] Legislative Procedures

The power of the Assembly to pass legislation is circumscribed by the constitution. Any member may introduce a bill, but the Assembly may not proceed on bills dealing with financial matters without the consent of the Premier. Bills affecting the criminal law or pesonal status, the public service or Niuean land may not be proceeded with without a report from the Chief Justice, the Niue Public Service Commissio, or an appropriate Commission of Inquiry respectively^[3].

A bill becomes law when passed by the Assembly and certified by the Speaker^[4]. There is no Royal Assent.

[edit] References

^ Island Territories: Niue Island in Te Ara: An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966.
^ Constitution of Niue, article 20 (3).
^ Constitution of Niue, Articles 30 - 33.
^ Constitution of Niue, Article 34.