Senate of Bermuda

Upper house of the Parliament of Bermuda

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Senate of Bermuda

11th Modern Bermudian Parliament
Type
Type|

Upper House

of the Parliament of Bermuda

History
Founded| 1 August 1620 (original unicameral house) 2 June 1968 (modern bicameral Parliament)
Leadership

Monarch

Charles III

Governor

Rena Lalgie
since December 2020

President

Joan Dillas-Wright
since 2017

Structure
Seats| 11 Senators

House political groups

| His Majesty's Government

* Progressive Labour Party (5)

His Majesty's Loyal Opposition

* One Bermuda Alliance (3)
* Appointed by Governor (3)

Meeting place
The building housing the Senate and the Cabinet Offices.

Politics of Bermuda

Law

Monarchy

* Sovereign
* Charles III
* Governor
* Andrew Murdoch

Executive

* Premier
* Edward David Burt

Legislative

* Parliament
* Senate
* President: Joan Dillas-Wright
* House of Assembly
* Speaker: Dennis Lister
* Leader of the Opposition: N.H. Cole Simons

Elections

* Recent elections

* General: 2012
* 2017
* 2020
* 2025

* Political parties

Progressive Labour
Party (PLP)

One Bermuda
Alliance (OBA)

Administrative divisions

Citizenship

* Belonger status
* British Overseas Territories citizen
* Passport
* Visa requirements

Foreign relations

* Representative of Bermuda, London

* Other countries

* v
* t
* e

The Senate of Bermuda is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Bermuda. The Senate consists of eleven members appointed by the governor for five-year terms—five senators are recommended by the premier, three by the leader of the opposition, and three are appointed at the discretion of the governor. Of the three appointed by the governor, the Senate elects one to serve as the president, and another to serve as the vice-president.[1]

The Senate is a house of review and can be a road-block to constitutional change—the constitution requires a 2/3 super-majority, eight votes, for a constitutional amendment.

The presiding officer of the Senate is the President of the Senate. The current President, Joan Dillas-Wright, was appointed to the Senate in 2008 and previously was CEO of the Bermuda Hospitals Board.[2]

Carol Bassett was the first woman president of the Senate in 2008.[3] She resigned the office in August 2017.[4][5]

## Current members

[edit]

As of November 27, 2024:[6][7]

Independents (3)

* Joan Dillas-Wright
* John Wight
* Kiernan Bell

Government/Progressive Labour Party:

* The Hon. Kim Wilkerson
* The Hon. Owen Darell
* Ariana Hodgeson
* Lindsay Simmons
* Mischa Fubler

Opposition/One Bermuda Alliance:

* Douglas de Cuoto
* Robin Tucker
* Dwayne Robinson

## History

[edit]

Bermuda's Parliament was created in 1620 and originally had one house, the House of Assembly. Political parties were not legal, and the role now performed by the Senate was originally performed by an appointed council, called the Governor's Council, or Privy Council. The council also performed the role that today belongs to the Cabinet (the Cabinet is composed of ministers appointed from elected members of Parliament from the House of Assembly). Historically, the Council, composed of members of Bermuda's wealthy merchant class, had been the true centre of power, rather than the elected House of Assembly, or the governor despatched from overseas. During periods when the colony was without a governor, the president of the Council would be acting governor. The balance of power began to shift away from the Council in the 19th century, when Bermuda assumed a new importance in imperial security, and when the governor became also the commander-in-chief of the naval establishment and military garrison.

In May 1888, the Privy Council was split into an Executive Council, which later became the Cabinet, and a Legislative Council, which became the upper house of Parliament (equivalent to the House of Lords in the Westminster Parliament), both with senior military and civil servants as members, and also with members appointed by the governor from the House of Assembly. On the split, the president of the old Council, the chief justice of Bermuda (Sir Josiah Rees), became the president of the Legislative Council.

In 1968, largely as a result of the civil rights movement, a new constitution was introduced which made a number of changes to Bermuda's parliamentary system, making it more like the Westminster system. Political parties were legalised, and the system of a responsible government, from which a premier was appointed and the cabinet ministers were drawn, and a minority opposition was adopted. The property qualification was abolished and the system of suffrage, by which the members of the lower house were elected, and which had historically been limited to male landowners, was finally extended to all adults. The Executive Council was renamed the Cabinet in 1973, and is now formed from members of the majority party in the House of Assembly. The Legislative Council was renamed the Senate of Bermuda in 1980, and is now composed of five members recommended by the premier, three by the leader of the opposition, and three by the governor acting in his own discretion, all appointed by the governor.[8][9]

## See also

[edit]

* List of presidents of the Senate of Bermuda

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The Legislature | Government of Bermuda". www.gov.bm. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
2. ^ Snaith-Simmons, Cecille (2023-05-31). "A humble woman with 'the common touch'". www.royalgazette.com. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
3. ^ Carol A.M. Bassett
4. ^ "Carol Bassett Retires As Senate President". Bernews. 2017-08-17. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
5. ^ "Bermuda", The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 2024-09-03, retrieved 2024-09-30
6. ^ "Government Senator Appointed | Government of Bermuda". www.gov.bm. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
7. ^ "Bermuda Parliament". parliament.bm. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
8. ^ "General Information". Bermuda Parliament. Government of Bermuda. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
9. ^ "Bermuda Parliament". www.parliament.bm. Retrieved 2024-09-30.

* v
* t
* e

Bermuda articles

History|

* Hurricane strikes
* Railway
* Sloop

Colonisation|

* London Company
* Sea Venture
* George Somers
* Somers Isles Company
* Nathaniel Butler

Military|

* Bermuda Base Command (World War II)
* Militias
* 1612-1687
* 1687-1813
* 1813
* North American Station
* RAF in Bermuda during World War II
* USN Submarine Base, Ordnance Island
* Volunteer/Territorial Army Units 1895-1965

Geography|

* Bermuda Triangle
* Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS)
* Islands
* National Trust
* Sargasso Sea
* Spittal Pond

Environment|

| Flora|

* Bermuda onion (cultivated)
* Casuarina (invasive)
* Elaeodendron laneanum
* Juniperus bermudiana
* Lilium longiflorum (cultivated)
* Sabal bermudana
* Sisyrinchium bermudiana

|

Fauna|

* Bermuda land snail
* Bermuda petrel
* Bermuda rock skink
* Common ground dove
* Eastern bluebird
* Gray catbird
* Great kiskadee
* Humpback whale
* Mourning dove
* Northern cardinal
* White-eyed vireo
* White-tailed tropicbird
* Yellow-crowned night heron

Schools|

| State|

* Berkeley Institute
* Cedarbridge Academy

|

Independent|

* Bermuda HS
* Bermuda Institute
* Saltus Grammar School
* Warwick Academy

Tertiary|

* Bermuda College

Politics|

* British Overseas Territories
* Elections
* Governor
* Law enforcement
* LGBT rights
* Parliament
* Political parties
* Premiers

Economy|

* ACE Ltd.
* Bermudian dollar (currency)
* Butterfield Bank
* Electricity
* HSBC Bank Bermuda
* Industrial Union
* Monetary Authority
* Public Services Association
* Stock Exchange
* Transport
* XL Capital

Society|

| Places|

* Places of interest
* The Causeway
* The Fairmont Hamilton Princess
* Government House
* Hamilton, Bermuda
* Lighthouses
* Royal Naval Dockyard
* Somerset Bridge
* Victoria Park, Hamilton

|

Communications|

* Bermuda Broadcasting Company
* Newspapers
* Postal codes
* TV stations

Culture|

* Architecture
* Bermudian English
* Coat of arms
* Cuisine
* Gombey
* Kites
* Music
* Public holidays
* Bermuda Day
* Shorts
* Sports and recreation

Religion|

* Anglican Church of Bermuda
* Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton in Bermuda
* Cathedral of Saint Theresa of Lisieux

* Outline
* Index

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Legislatures of the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories

United Kingdom (UK)|

| Sovereign|

* Parliament of the United Kingdom
* House of Commons
* House of Lords

|

Devolved|

* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales

Dependent territories|

| Crown Dependencies|

* Bailiwick of Guernsey1
* dependencies: Alderney
* Sark
* Jersey
* Isle of Man
* House of Keys
* Legislative Council

|

Overseas Territories|

* Akrotiri and Dhekelia2
* Anguilla
* Bermuda
* House of Assembly
* Senate
* British Antarctic Territory2
* British Indian Ocean Territory2
* British Virgin Islands
* Cayman Islands
* Falkland Islands
* Gibraltar
* Montserrat
* Pitcairn Islands
* Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha3
* South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands2
* Turks and Caicos Islands

Related|

* Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
* Hansard

1 "Bailiwick-wide" legislation passed in the States of Guernsey applies not only in Guernsey, but also in Alderney and Sark, with the consent of their governments.
2 Territories without legislatures
3 Territories whose councils are purely advisory/consultative rather than legislative.

* v
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* e

Upper houses of national legislatures

Federal|

* Argentina
* Australia
* Austria
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Brazil
* Canada
* Ethiopia
* Germany
* India
* Malaysia
* Mexico
* Nepal
* Nigeria
* Pakistan
* Russia
* Somalia
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Switzerland
* United States

Unitary|

* Algeria
* Antigua and Barbuda
* Bahamas
* Bahrain
* Barbados
* Belarus
* Belize
* Bhutan
* Bolivia
* Burundi
* Cambodia
* Cameroon
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* Slovenia
* South Africa
* Spain
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Togo
* Trinidad and Tobago
* Tunisia
* United Kingdom
* Uruguay
* Uzbekistan
* Yemen
* Zimbabwe

Dependent and
other territories|

* American Samoa
* Bermuda
* Isle of Man
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Puerto Rico

Non-UN states|

* Somaliland

Defunct|

* Afghanistan
* Austria
* British Guiana
* British Raj
* Burkina Faso
* Burma
* Ceylon
* China
* Costa Rica
* Croatia
* Cuba
* Czechoslovakia
* Denmark
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* Rhodesia
* Russian Empire
* Senegal
* Serbia
* South Africa
* South Korea
* Soviet Union
* Sweden
* Turkey
* Venezuela
* Weimar Germany

Related|

* Bicameralism
* Unicameralism
* Tricameralism
* Multicameralism
* List of abolished upper houses
* List of legislatures by country

* National bicameral legislatures
* National unicameral legislatures
* National lower houses

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