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Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature
Legislature

Legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to create and change laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law....
, or to one of its chambers
Chambers of parliament

Many parliaments or other legislatures consist of two chambers : an election lower house, and an upper house or Senate which may be appointed or elected by a different mechanism from the lower house....
. The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, also known as the Commonwealth or the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organization of fifty-three independent member states....
, as well as in a number of Latin America
Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages ? particularly Spanish language and Portuguese language, and variably French language ? are primarily spoken....
n countries.

mber of colonies
Colony

In politics and in history, a colony is a Territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies....
 in the British Empire
British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
 were given a degree of involvement in running their own affairs by the creation of a representative body, often named the Legislative Assembly.






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Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature
Legislature

Legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to create and change laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law....
, or to one of its chambers
Chambers of parliament

Many parliaments or other legislatures consist of two chambers : an election lower house, and an upper house or Senate which may be appointed or elected by a different mechanism from the lower house....
. The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, also known as the Commonwealth or the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organization of fifty-three independent member states....
, as well as in a number of Latin America
Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages ? particularly Spanish language and Portuguese language, and variably French language ? are primarily spoken....
n countries.

Legislative Assemblies in the Commonwealth

A number of colonies
Colony

In politics and in history, a colony is a Territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies....
 in the British Empire
British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
 were given a degree of involvement in running their own affairs by the creation of a representative body, often named the Legislative Assembly. Typically the Legislative Assembly was partially or wholly elected by popular vote; this was usually in contrast with the other chamber of the legislature, called the Legislative Council
Legislative Council

A Legislative Council is the name given to the legislatures, or one of the chambers of the legislature of many nations and colonies.A member of the Legislative Council is commonly referred to as an MLC....
, whose membership was generally either nominated by the Governor
Governor

A governor is a governing official, usually the Executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state. In federations, a governor may be the title of each appointed or elected politician who governs a constitutive state....
, or indirectly elected. Conflict between the two chambers frequently led to the Legislative Council being reformed, or even abolished outright, thus leaving the Legislative Assembly as either the more powerful chamber in the parliament, or the only one.

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
House of Assembly

House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral legislature, in some countries, often at subnational level....
 is used instead.

Members of Commonwealth Legislative Assemblies

Members of a Legislative Assembly in a Commonwealth country are usually referred to as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, commonly abbreviated as MLA; however, in Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, members of the province of Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
's Legislative Assembly are known as a Member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP, Ontario).

Although Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
's legislature is called the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly

The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolution legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly Reserved matters to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive....
, its members are also known as MLAs.

Examples of Legislative Assemblies in Commonwealth countries

In India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, the lower or sole house of each constituent state's parliament is called the Legislative Assembly, or Vidhan Sabha
Vidhan Sabha

The Vidhan Sabha also known as Legislative Assembly is the lower house of state legislature in India. Members of the Vidhan Sabha are direct representatives of the people of the particular state as they are direct election by an electorate consisting of all adult citizens of that state....
. The same name is also used for the lower house of the legislatures for two of the union territories, Delhi
Delhi

Delhi , sometimes referred to as Dilli , is the List of most populous cities in India metropolis in India and, with over 11 million residents, the List of metropolitan areas by population....
 and Puducherry
Puducherry

; , , , ) is a Union Territory of India. It is a former France colony, consisting of four non-contiguous enclaves, or districts, and named after the largest, Pondicherry ....
 (Pondicherry). The upper house in the six states with a bicameral legislature is called the Legislative Council
Legislative Council

A Legislative Council is the name given to the legislatures, or one of the chambers of the legislature of many nations and colonies.A member of the Legislative Council is commonly referred to as an MLC....
, or Vidhan Parishad
Vidhan Parishad

The Vidhan Parishad also known as Legislative Council forms a part of the state legislatures of India. In 6 of India's 28 States and territories of India , the Legislative Council serves as the upper house of a bicameral legislature....
. Members of the former are called MLAs, and those of the latter MLCs.

The lower house of the parliament of the Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
n state of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)

File:Map Victoria Aboriginal tribes .jpgVictoria is a States and territories of Australia located in the southeastern corner of Australia. It is the smallest mainland state in area but the most Population density and urbanised....
 is called the Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly

The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of Victoria in Australia. The other is the Victorian Legislative Council....
. In contrast, the state of Queensland
Queensland

Queensland is a States and territories of Australia of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south....
 has abolished the former upper house of its parliament, leaving the Legislative Assembly as the sole chamber.

Former Legislative Assemblies

In Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
, the Legislative Assembly was renamed the National Assembly, following the abolition of the Legislative Council
Legislative Council of Quebec

From 1867 until 1968, the Legislative Council of Quebec was the unelected upper house of the bicameral legislature in the Canada province of Quebec....
 in 1968.

In Mauritius
Mauritius

Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius, , is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres east of Madagascar....
, the unicameral Parliament was known as the Legislative Assembly until 1992, when, following the establishment of a republic
Republic

A republic is a state or country that is not led by a hereditary monarch but in which the people have an impact on its government. The word originates from the Latin term res publica....
, it was renamed the National Assembly.

See also

  • House of Assembly
    House of Assembly

    House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral legislature, in some countries, often at subnational level....
  • Legislative Council
    Legislative Council

    A Legislative Council is the name given to the legislatures, or one of the chambers of the legislature of many nations and colonies.A member of the Legislative Council is commonly referred to as an MLC....