The Commonwealth (Latimer House) Principles on the Accountability of and Relationship among the Three Branches of Government

In 2003 in Abuja, Heads of Government underpinned the Commonwealth’s shared values with new principles providing the framework through which other values should be expressed.  That framework, the Commonwealth Latimer House Principles, was the result of an initiative begun by the CPA in partnership with Commonwealth associations in the legal field.

The Commonwealth (Latimer House) Principles on the Accountability of and Relationship among the Three Branches of Government were the culmination of a collaboration proposed by the CPA to the Commonwealth Magistrates’ and Judges’ Association, the Commonwealth Lawyers’ Association and the Commonwealth Legal Education Association. The Commonwealth Latimer House Principles articulate for the first time minimum standards for Commonwealth nations on the relationship between Parliament, the executive and the judiciary. They provide the Commonwealth with guidelines to preserve two vital components of democratic governance:  a sovereign Parliament and an independent judiciary.

The Principles outline basic standards for democratic Commonwealth systems of government covering:

• Parliament and the judiciary,
• Independenceof Parliamentarians,
• Ethical governance,
• Accountability mechanisms,
• The legislative process,
• Oversight of government and
• The role of civil society.

The Principles were promoted to Parliamentarians at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in 2004. The following year, the CPA joined with the Commonwealth Secretariat and legal organizations at a Kenyan meeting of African Commonwealth countries to develop an action plan to implement the Principles.