Unicameral legislature of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar.
The Gibraltar Parliament is the unicameral legislature of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Established under the 1969 constitution as the Gibraltar House of Assembly, it was renamed by the 2006 Gibraltar Constitution Order. All 17 members are elected at large under a limited voting system.
The Gibraltar Parliament is the unicameral legislature of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. It was established under the Gibraltar Constitution Order 1969 as the Gibraltar House of Assembly, a unicameral body originally consisting of 15 elected members plus two appointed members, including the Attorney-General. The term “House of Assembly” was commonly used for legislatures of British territories that were less than fully sovereign. A new Gibraltar Constitution Order in 2006 replaced the House of Assembly with the current Gibraltar Parliament, reflecting an increase in Gibraltar’s sovereignty. Under the new constitution, all 17 members of the Parliament are elected. Gibraltar uses a limited voting system. Each voter is allowed to vote for up to ten candidates. Because of Gibraltar’s small area and territorial continuity, precincts function only as polling places rather than political units, and there are no electoral districts; members are elected at large to serve the territory as a whole. The system lends itself to block voting, as parties or coalitions typically nominate a slate of ten candidates and encourage supporters to vote for all of them. The Parliament meets in a building overlooking Main Street and John Mackintosh Square, constructed in 1817.
