The Niue Assembly or Niue Parliament (Niuean: Niue Fono Ekepule) is the legislature of Niue. It consists of 20 members; 14 representatives of the villages and 6 elected on a common island-wide roll. 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 drawn from it.
History
The Assembly is descended from the Island Council established under the Cook Islands Act 1915. 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 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.
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 and candidates must be either New Zealand citizens or permanent residents of Niue, continually resident for at least three years at some point, and ordinarily resident for twelve months prior to enrolment as an elector or, as the case may be, nomination as a candidate.
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 personal status, the public service or Niuean land may not proceed without a report from the Chief Justice, the Niue Public Service Commission, 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.
