Revised Laws of Saint Lucia (2021)

35.   Speaker

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    (1)   When the House first meets after any general election of members and before it proceeds to the despatch of any other business, it shall elect a person to be the Speaker; and if the office of Speaker falls vacant at any time before the next dissolution of Parliament, the House shall, as soon as practicable, elect another person to that office.

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    (2)   The Speaker may be elected either from among the members of the House who are not members of the Cabinet or Parliamentary Secretaries or from among persons who are not members of the House:

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    Provided that a person who is not a member of the House shall not be elected as Speaker if—

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      (a)     he or she is not a Commonwealth citizen; or

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      (b)     he or she is a person disqualified to be elected as a member by virtue of section 32(1) or 32(4) or by virtue or any law enacted in pursuance of section 32(2), 32(3) or 32(5).

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    (3)   No business shall be transacted in the House (other than the election of a Speaker) at any time when the office of Speaker is vacant.

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    (4)   A person shall vacate the office of Speaker—

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      (a)     in the case of a Speaker who was elected from among the members of the House—

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        (i)     if he or she ceases to be a member of the House:

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    provided that the Speaker shall not vacate his or her office by reason only that he or she ceased to be a member of the House on a dissolution of Parliament, until the House first meets after the dissolution, or

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      (ii)     if he or she becomes a member of the Cabinet or a Parliamentary Secretary;

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      (b)     in the case of a Speaker who was elected from among persons who were not members of the House—

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        (i)     when the House first meets after any dissolution of Parliament,

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        (ii)     if he or she ceases to be a Commonwealth citizen, or

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        (iii)     if any circumstances arise that would cause him or her to be disqualified to be elected as a member by virtue of section 32(1) or 32(4) or by virtue of any law enacted in pursuance of section 32(2), 32(3) or 32(5).

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    (5)   If, by virtue of section 34(3), the Speaker (being an elected member of the House) is required to cease to perform his or her functions as a member of the House he or she shall also cease to perform his or her functions as Speaker; and if the Speaker resumes the performance of his or her functions as a member of the House, in accordance with the provisions of that section, he or she shall also resume the performance of his or her functions as Speaker.

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    (6)   At any time when, by virtue of section 34(3), the Speaker is unable to perform the functions of his or her office, those functions shall, until he or she vacates his or her seat in the House or resumes the performance of the functions of his or her office, be performed by the Deputy Speaker or, if the office of Deputy Speaker is vacant or the Deputy Speaker is required to cease to perform his or her functions as a member of the House by virtue of that subsection, by such member of the House (not being a member of the Cabinet or a Parliamentary Secretary) as the House may elect for the purpose.