Foreign and Commonwealth Office publishes draft Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution
皇冠体育app Foreign and Commonwealth Office has today published a draft Constitution for consultation throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands.
皇冠体育app draft Constitution has been prepared as part of the constitutional and electoral reform process in TCI which was announced in 2009 following the suspension of parts of the 2006 Constitution.
皇冠体育app process included the work of constitutional and electoral reform adviser, Kate Sullivan, who consulted widely throughout the Islands and published two rounds of recommendations in 2010. 皇冠体育app FCO has now received Ms Sullivan鈥檚 final recommendations which are also published today.
Minister for the Overseas Territories, Henry Bellingham, said:
鈥淚 am pleased that the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands will now have the opportunity to consider a draft Constitution. 皇冠体育app draft Constitution contains measures to embed good governance and sound public financial management firmly in the Turks and Caicos Islands.鈥�
鈥淎 team of FCO representatives will hold meetings soon to give people an opportunity to discuss the proposed changes. 皇冠体育app team will also meet community groups and leaders. I encourage all interested persons in the Islands to participate in these meetings, which will inform our final decisions on the Constitution.鈥�
皇冠体育app draft Constitution published today is based on the text of the 2006 Constitution. It reflects Ms Sullivan鈥檚 recommendations, and those of the Commission of Inquiry. 皇冠体育app draft Constitution also incorporates amendments that reflect wider FCO policy with regard to the overseas territories and good constitutional practice from other territories. 皇冠体育app draft is accompanied by a commentary explaining the origin of the main changes proposed.
皇冠体育app implementation of a new Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order, in support of recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry, will enable significant progress to be made against some of the milestones detailed in Mr Bellingham鈥檚 Written Ministerial Statement of 9 December 2010.
皇冠体育app period for consultation on the draft Constitution will end on 3 May 2011. During this period, in addition to the consultation events that will be held across the Islands by the FCO representatives, it is hoped that other public meetings will be organised in-territory to give people as much chance as possible to express their views.
Written responses to the consultation can be sent to the Governor鈥檚 Office, Waterloo, Grand Turk, TCI or by email to: [email protected]