The Government of Montserrat

Montserrat - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Montserrat, it was island named by explorer Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 after the Benedictine abbey Santa Maria de Montserrat, near Barcelona, Spain. The Government system in this country is the parliamentary democracy; self-governing overseas territory of the UK type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter

National symbols

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The flag

The National flag of Montserrat has blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the arms feature a woman in green dress, Erin, the female personification of Ireland, standing beside a yellow harp and embracing a large dark cross with her right arm; Erin and the harp are symbols of Ireland reflecting the territory's Irish ancestry; blue represents awareness, trustworthiness, determination, and righteousness.

The National Anthem

Title
Lyric/music

More about the government of Montserrat

Constitution
Date of Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday	Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, usually celebrated the Monday after the second Saturday in June (1926)
Legal system	English common law
International law organization participation
History	Previous 1960; latest put into force 20 October 2010 (The Montserrat Constitution Order 2010)
Amendments	Amended 2011, 2020
Citizenship
Executive Branch
Chief of state	King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Sarah TUCKER (since 6 April 2023)
Head of government	Premier Easton TAYLOR-FARRELL (since 19 November 2019)
Cabinet	Executive Council consists of the governor, the premier, 3 other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary
Elections/appointments	the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes premier
Legislative branch
Description	Unicameral Legislative Assembly (12 seats; 9 members directly elected in a single constituency by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds to serve 5-year terms; the speaker, normally elected from the outside by the Assembly for a 5-year term, and 2 ex-officio members - the attorney general and financial secretary)
Elections	Last held on 18 November 2019 (next to be held in 2024)
Election results	Percent of vote by party - MCAP 42.7%, PDM 29.9%, other 17.1%; seats by party - MCAP 5, PDM 3, independent 1; composition - men 8, women 4, percentage women 33.3%
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC - headquartered on St. Lucia - consists of the Court of Appeal - headed by the chief justice and 4 judges - and the High Court with 18 judges; the Court of Appeal is itinerant, traveling to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts; High Court judges reside in the member states, with 1 assigned to Montserrat; Montserrat is also a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice
Judge selection and term of office	Chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by the Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, and independent body of judicial officials; Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65; High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62
Subordinate courts	Magistrate's court
Diplomatic representation in the US
Diplomatic representation from the US
Embassy	None (overseas territory of the UK); alternate contact is the US Embassy in Barbados [1] (246) 227-4000; US Embassy Bridgetown, Wildey Business Park, St. Michael BB 14006, Barbados, WI