# The Bahamas Independence Order 1973, Article 5: Parliament


(1) The persons who immediately before the appointed day are members of the Senate established by the existing Order (in this section referred to as “the existing Senate”), having been appointed as such under paragraphs (a) and (b) respectively of section 30(2) of the Schedule to the existing Order, shall as from the appointed day be members of the Senate established by the Constitution as if they had been appointed as such under paragraphs (2) and (3) respectively of Article 39 of the Constitution and shall hold their seats as Senators in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
(2) The persons who immediately before the appointed day are members of the House of Assembly then established for the Bahamas Islands (in this section referred to as “the existing Assembly”) shall as from the appointed day be members of the House of Assembly established by the Constitution as if elected as such in pursuance of Article 46(2) of the Constitution and shall hold their seats in that House in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
(3) The persons who immediately before the appointed day are Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the existing Assembly shall as from the appointed day be Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively of the House of Assembly established by the Constitution as if elected as such by that House in pursuance of Article 50(1) of the Constitution and shall hold officer in accordance with the provisions of that Article.
(4) Any person who is a member of the Senate or the House of Assembly established by the Constitution by virtue of the preceding provisions of this section and who, since he was last appointed or elected as a member of the existing Senate or the existing Assembly before the appointed day, has taken the oath of allegiance in pursuance of section 45 of the Schedule to the existing Order shall be deemed to have complied with the requirements of Article 64 of the Constitution relating to the taking of the oath of allegiance.
(5) The rules of procedure of the existing Senate and the existing Assembly as in force immediately before the appointed day shall, except as may be otherwise provided in pursuance of Article 55(1) of the Constitution, be the rules of procedure respectively of the Senate and the House of Assembly established by the Constitution, but they shall be construed with such modifications, adaptations, qualifications and exceptions as may be necessary to bring them into conformity with the Constitution.
(6) Notwithstanding anything contained in Article 66(3) of the Constitution (but subject to the provisions of paragraphs (4) and (5) of that Article) Parliament shall, unless sooner dissolved, stand dissolved on the expiration of five years from the first sitting of the existing Assembly after the general election of members of the existing Assembly last preceding the appointed day.
(7) For the purposes of Articles 41 and 47 of the Constitution any period of ordinary residence in the Bahama Islands immediately before the appointed day shall be deemed to be residence in The Bahamas.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1973/1080/article/5 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/bahamas-independence-order-1973/article-5
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.