Member of the Legislative Assembly

A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), or a Member of the Legislature (ML), is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction.

Australia

Members of the Legislative Assembly use the suffix MP in New South Wales and Queensland.

In Western Australia, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory and Norfolk Island, members are known as MLAs. However the suffix MP is also commonly used. South Australia and Tasmania have a House of Assembly and denote its members MHA.

In Victoria members can use either MP or MLA.

In federal parliament, members of the House of Representatives are designated MP and not MHR.

Brazil

In Brazil, Members of all 26 Legislative Assemblies (Portuguese: Assembléias Legislativas) are called deputados estaduais (English: statewide deputies). The Federal District Legislative Assembly is actually called Legislative Chamber (Portuguese: Câmara Legislativa), and is composed by deputados distritais (English: district deputies). Unlike the federal legislative body, which is bicameral, Brazilian states legislatures are unicameral. Members of the Lower House are also called deputies, but they are deputados federais (English: federal deputies).

Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)

A Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district (constituency) to the Legislature of a State in the Indian system of government. Each state has between seven to nine MLA for every Member of Parliament (MP) that it has in the Lok Sabha. There are also Members in two unicameral legislatures in Union Territories: the Delhi Legislative Assembly and Puducherry Legislative Assembly.

State legislature

In states where there are two houses there is a Legislative Council and a Legislative Assembly . In such a case, the Legislative Council is the Upper House, while Legislative Assembly is the Lower House of the State Legislature. The Governor shall not be a member of the Legislature or Parliament; shall not hold any office of profit, shall be entitled to emoluments and allowances. (Article 158 of Indian constitution).

The Legislative Assembly consists of not more than 500 members and not less than 60. The biggest state like Uttar Pradesh has 403 members in its Assembly. States which have small population and are small in size have a provision for having even lesser number of members in the Legislative Assembly. Puducherry has 30 members. Mizoram, Goa have only 40 members each. Sikkim has 32 members. All members of the Legislative Assembly are elected on the basis of adult franchise, and one member is elected from one constituency. Just as the President has the power to nominate 2 Anglo Indians to the Lok Sabha, similarly, the Governor also has the power to nominate 1 member from Anglo Indian's community as he/she deems fit, if he/she is of the opinion that they are not adequately represented in the Assembly.

Legislative assembly

Legislative assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature, or to one of its branch. The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as a number of other countries, with notable examples being that of the Australian States, which each have a legislative assembly as a Lower House.

Legislative assemblies in the Commonwealth

The modern-day legislative assembly in a Commonwealth country, either as a national or sub-national parliament, is in most cases an evolution of one of these colonial legislative chambers.

In a number of territories, the name House of Assembly is used instead.

Examples of legislative assemblies in Commonwealth countries

In India, the lower or sole house of each constituent state's parliament is called the legislative assembly, or Vidhan Sabha. The same name is also used for the lower house of the legislatures for two of the union territories, Delhi and Puducherry. The upper house in the seven states with a bicameral legislature is called the legislative council, or Vidhan Parishad. Members of the former are called MLAs, and those of the latter MLCs.

Legislative assembly (disambiguation)

Legislative assembly may refer to:

Legislative Assembly (British Guiana)

The Legislative Assembly was the lower house of the Legislature in British Guiana between 1961 and 1964.

History

A new constitution was promulgated on 18 July 1961, replacing the unicameral Legislative Council with the Legislature. The new body consisted of a 13-member Senate and a 36-member Legislative Assembly. Whilst the 13 members of the Senate were nominated, the Legislative Assembly was elected, and consisted of 35 members elected in single-member constituencies, and a Speaker elected by the elected MPs.

Elections to the new Legislature were held on 21 August 1961. The People's Progressive Party (PPP) won 20 seats, the People's National Congress (PNC) won 11 and the United Force four. Both houses convened for the first time on 5 October 1961, when members elected Rahman Baccus Gajraj as Speaker.

Although the PPP had only received 1.6% more of the vote than the PNC, it won almost double the number of seats. This resulted in mass demonstrations led by the PNC, a general strike and severe inter-racial violence. A few weeks after the elections the British authorities intervened by sending in troops and the Governor declared a state of emergency.