Speaker and Deputy Speaker

(1) When the House of Representatives first meets after any general election and before it proceeds to the dispatch of any other business it shall elect a person to be Speaker of the House; and, if the office of Speaker falls vacant at any time before the next dissolution of the National Assembly, the House shall, as soon as practicable, elect another person to that 76 (2) The Speaker shall be above the age of thirty years and may be elected either from among the members of the House of Representatives who are not Ministers or from among persons who are not members of either House, Provided that a person who is not a member of either House shall not be elected as Speaker if, (a) he is not a citizen of Belize; or (b) he is a person disqualified for election as a member of the House of Representatives by virtue of section 58 (1) of this Constitution. (3) When the House of Representatives first meets after any general election and before it proceeds to the dispatch of any other business except the election of the Speaker, the House shall elect a member of the House, who is not a Minister, to be Deputy Speaker of the House; and if the office of Deputy Speaker falls vacant at any time before the next dissolution of the National Assembly, the House shall, as soon as practicable, elect another such member to that office. (4) A person shall vacate the office of Speaker or Deputy (a) in the case of a Speaker elected from among members of the House of Representatives or in the case of the Deputy Speaker, (i) if he ceases to be a member of the House; or (ii) if he is appointed to be a Minister; (b) in the case of a Speaker elected from among persons who are not members of either 77 (i) upon any dissolution of the National (ii) if he ceases to be a citizen of Belize; or (iii) if any circumstances arise which would cause him to be disqualified for election as a member of the House by virtue of section 58 (1) of this (c) in the case of the Deputy Speaker, if he is elected to be Speaker. (5) (a) If, by virtue of section 59 (3) of this Constitution, the Speaker or Deputy Speaker is required to cease to perform his functions as a member of the House of Representatives, he shall also cease to perform his functions as Speaker or Deputy Speaker, as the case may be, and those functions shall, until he vacates his seat in the House or resumes the performance of the functions of his office, be performed, (i) in the case of the Speaker, by the Deputy Speaker or, if the office of Deputy Speaker is vacant, by such member of the House (not being a Minister) as the House may elect for the purpose; (ii) in the case of the Deputy Speaker, by such member of the House (not being a Minister) as the House may elect for the purpose. (b) If the Speaker or Deputy Speaker resumes the performance of his functions as a member of the House, in accordance with the provisions of section 59(3) of this Constitution, he shall also resume the performance of his functions 78 as Speaker or Deputy Speaker, as the case may be.