The Legislative house of Jamaica is the legal branch of the government of Jamaica. It is a bicameral system, composed of an appointed Senate and an elected House of Representatives.
The Senate (Upper House) - the direct heir of a pre-Independence system known as the "Legislative Council" - comprises 21 senators appointed by the governor-general: thirteen on the suggestions of the Prime Minister and eight on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition.
The House of Representatives, the Lower House, consist of 63 (previously 60) Members of Parliament, elected to five-year terms on a first-past-the-post basis in single-seat constituencies.
