List of speakers of the National Assembly of Guyana explained

Post:Speaker
Body:the National Assembly of Guyana
Insignia:Mace of the Parliament of Guyana (Stylized).svg
Insigniasize:250px
Incumbent:Manzoor Nadir
Incumbentsince:1 September 2020
Style:The Honourable
Mr. Speaker
Comrade Speaker[1]
Appointer:Members of the National Assembly of Guyana
Constituting Instrument:Article 56 of the Constitution of Guyana
Termlength:During the life of the National Assembly
Inaugural:Aubrey Percival Alleyne
Formation:1966
Deputy:Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly
Precursor:Legislature of British Guiana

The Speaker is the presiding officer of the National Assembly in Guyana. The post was created in 1966 when the National Assembly came into being, although previous legislatures including the Legislative Council, House of Assembly, and the Legislative Assembly also had Speakers.

The position of Speaker was introduced in 1953 following constitutional reforms that created the House of Assembly. The Speaker was initially appointed by the Governor, but following the 1961 constitutional reforms, was elected by members of the legislature. The first elected Speaker, Rahman Baccus Gajraj, was not a member of the Legislative Assembly. The second, Aubrey Percival Alleyne, was a member of the House of Assembly, and after election as Speaker, resigned from his role as an elected member and was replaced by the next person on the party's list.

The Speaker initially wore a full-bottomed wig and ceremonial gown, with the practice ceasing in 1969. The Speaker's Chair was a gift from the Government of India on 15 November 1966 to celebrate Guyanese independence.[2]

List of speakers

NameEntered officeLeft officeNotes
House of Assembly
Eustace Gordon Woolford7 April 195321 December 1953
Interim Legislative Council
Eustace Gordon Woolford5 January 195429 June 1957
Legislative Council
Donald Edward Jackson21 August 195718 July 1961
Legislative Assembly
Rahman Baccus Gajraj5 October 196125 September 1964
House of Assembly
Aubrey Percival Alleyne31 December 196426 May 1966
National Assembly
Aubrey Percival Alleyne26 May 19664 August 1967
Rahman Baccus Gajraj16 February 19684 January 1971[3]
Sase Narain4 January 197110 June 1992
Derek Chunilall Jagan17 December 199215 October 2000
Martin Zephyr23 October 200015 February 2001
Hari Narayen Ramkaran4 May 200112 January 2012
Raphael Trotman12 January 201210 June 2015
Barton Scotland10 June 20151 September 2020
Manzoor Nadir1 September 2020Incumbent[4]

Note

Notes and References

  1. https://parliament.gov.gy/Standing%20Orders%20of%20the%20National%20Assembly%20-%202014.pdf
  2. http://parliament.gov.gy/GUYANA%20PARLIAMENT%20HISTORY%202009-1.pdf Historical information events and dates on the Parliament of Guyana from 1718 to 2006
  3. Web site: Dr Barton Scotland elected as Speaker of National Assembly. Staff Reporter. 11 June 2015. Guyana Chronicle.
  4. News: Manzoor Nadir declared Speaker of the National Assembly. Stabroek News. 1 September 2020.
  5. Web site: Guyana Parliament. www.guide2womenleaders.com.