Guyana’s 1980 constitution (amended in 2003) provides for an executive presidency and a unicameral legislature. The legislative National Assembly has 65 members directly elected under proportional representation. There are 40 members at the national level and 25 members at the regional level.
The leader of the majority party in the Assembly becomes the Prime Minister. The President appoints the Cabinet, which is responsible to parliament. Each parliament lasts for five years, as does the Presidency. However, the President has a two-term limit. The President retains the power to dissolve parliament, whereas the parliament can only remove the President if he/she has been found to be acting unconstitutionally. Laws are passed by a simple majority in parliament, though certain constitutional changes require a 2/3 majority.