Nitijela

Legislature of the Marshall Islands

Legislature of the Marshall Islands

National legislature of the Marshall Islands

The Legislature of the Marshall Islands (Marshallese: Nitijeļā [nʲidˠiːzʲɛlˠæ])[2] has 33 members, elected for a four-year term in nineteen single-seat and five multi-seat constituencies. The last election was November 20, 2023. Elections in the Marshall Islands are officially nonpartisan, but most members of the Nitijeļā are affiliated with one of the four active political parties in the Marshall Islands: Aelon Kein Ad (AKA), Kien Eo Am (KEA), United People's Party (UPP), and United Democratic Party (UDP).

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History

Bicameral Marshall Islands Congress was established in July 1950. The two chambers were the House of Iroij and the House of Assembly.[3] Kabua Kabua was the president of the House of Iroij in 1953. Atlan Anien was the president of the House of Assembly in 1953.[3]

The Congress was reformulated as unicameral in 1958.[4][5] Members were elected for a 4-year term. The congress was chaired by Atlan Anien in 1959, Amata Kabua in 1962, and Dwight Heine in 1963 and 1964[4]

The legislature, Nitijeļā, was established in its current form in 1979 by the Constitution of the Marshall Islands.

Speakers

The salary of the speaker is set to 35,000 USD annually.[6]

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Members of Nitijeļā

The twenty-four electoral districts into which the country is divided correspond to the inhabited islands and atolls. There are four political parties in the Marshall Islands: Aelon Kein Ad (AKA), Kien Eo Am (KEA), United People's Party (UPP), and United Democratic Party (UDP). Control is shared by the AKA and the KEA.

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Committees

The Nitijeļā has 7 permanent standing committees with oversight authority and legislative authority. All committees have 9 members.[9]

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Staff

The Nitijeļā is supported by various staff.

Clerk of the Nitijeļā

The Clerk is the administrative head of the legislature, with authority to approve related matters. The Clerk prepares the Nitijeļā's business and serves as the legislature's secretary, keeping minutes and publishing them.[10]

The current Clerk is Morean Watak, and Carl Alik is her Assistant Clerk.[10]

Legislative Counsel

The Office of the Legislative Counsel was established in 1981. The office provides legal advice to MPs and the Speaker, as well as providing legislative drafting services. The Legislative Counsel also serves as the Commissioner of the Marshall Islands Revised Code if the Cabinet has not appointed a Commissioner.[11]

The current Legislative Counsel is Joe Lomae.[11]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "History of the Nitijela". rmiparliament.org.
  2. [2]
    "Marshallese-English Dictionary". www.trussel2.com.
  3. [3]
    "Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands". Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Office of United Nations Political Affairs. August 2, 1955 – via Google Books.
  4. [4]
    "Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands". Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Office of United Nations Political Affairs. January 1, 1964 – via Google Books.
  5. [5]
    "Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands". Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Office of United Nations Political Affairs. 1971 – via Google Books.
  6. [6]
    Nitijela. "NITIJELA MEMBERS COMPENSATION ACT 1980" (PDF). rmiparliament.org.
  7. [7]
    "Republic of the Marshall Islands". rmiparliament.org.
  8. [8]
    "Members". rmiparliament.org. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
  9. [9]
    "Permanent Standing Committees". rmiparliament.org. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  10. [10]
    "Office of the Clerk". rmiparliament.org. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  11. [11]
    "Office of the Legislative Counsel". rmiparliament.org. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
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