A new constitution was promulgated on 18 July 1961, replacing the unicameral Legislative Council with the legislature.
Both houses convened for the first time on 5 October 1961, when members elected Rahman Baccus Gajraj as Speaker.
This resulted in mass demonstrations led by the PNC, a general strike and severe inter-racial violence.
A few weeks after the elections the British authorities intervened by sending in troops and the Governor declared a state of emergency.
[2] Further constitutional amendments in 1964 scrapped the legislature, replacing it with a unicameral House of Assembly elected by proportional representation.