Isle of Man election 2016: A guide to a 1,000-year old parliament

Tynwald is derived from the Old Norse Thing-völlr, meaning assembly field

Elections for the world's oldest continuous parliament in the Isle of Man take place on 22 September. More than 60 candidates will contest the 24 seats up for grabs in the House of Keys with residents as young as 16 eligible to vote.

This is a guide to Tynwald and the 2016 general election:

What is Tynwald and how does it work?

Tynwald - believed to be world's longest continuous parliament - dates back 1,000 years and was established by the Vikings.

It is made up of two chambers: the directly elected House of Keys (lower house) and the indirectly chosen Legislative Council (upper house).

The Legislative Council has eleven members including the Bishop of Sodor and Mann and the Attorney General.

The two chambers process legislation which requires Royal Assent but sit together as Tynwald to debate policy and financial issues.

The Isle of Man was one of the first countries to give women the vote in 1881 and also led the way as the first country in western Europe to allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote in national elections.

Tynwald is the world's oldest continuous parliament - dating back to the Vikings

Who are the MHKs?

MHKs work in the same way as MPs do at Westminster and can propose new laws and raise issues that matter to their constituents in the Manx parliament.

They can also hold government ministers to account over current issues, scrutinise and vote on legislation and take part in debates when they gather in the chamber.

Most candidates stand as independents, but there are registered political parties on the Isle of Man.

Thirteen woman are seeking election this year compared to just seven in 2011 - only two were elected.

Two candidates from each of the island's 12 constituencies will be elected as Members of the House of Keys (MHKs) for a term of five years.

The Isle of Man is almost entirely self-governing, and the 24 successful representatives will control virtually every aspect of public life from law and order to health provision.

MHKs in numbers

• Longest serving current MHK Allan Bell: 32 years

• Oldest member of previous HoK Leonard Singer: 73

• Youngest member of previous HoK: Juan Watterson 36

• In 2011, just two out of 24 MHKs were women

Following changes to the electoral system two MHKs will be elected from each of 12 constituencies.

What is the current balance of power?

In 2011, the Liberal Vannin party gained three seats with 21 MHKs electing to stand independently. There is also a Manx Labour Party, who through David Cretney, retained one seat in 2011.

With no structured opposition, every issue is debated on its own merits and by consensus.

There is no whip system in place - the council of ministers and government departments operate under a system of collective responsibility.

At the last general election, Tim Crookall won the only seat in Peel with just 646 votes whilst Juan Watterson received the highest number of votes (3,080) - to gain one of Rushen's three seats.

Six government ministers are standing down including Chief Minister Allan Bell

What is changing this year?

This year's election will see an end to a system in which some Manx residents get three votes and others get just one.

Following an overhaul of the Isle of Man's electoral boundaries, each of 12 island areas will be represented by two political members with those elected sworn in on 27 September.

A speaker will be elected on the same day.

The government said the reform was needed to achieve "equality in political representation".

A shake-up is guaranteed following announcements by six of those elected in 2011 that they will retire from politics in September.

They include Chief Minister Allan Bell (Ramsey), Treasury minister Eddie Teare (Ayre), Environment, Food and Agriculture minister Richard Ronan (Castletown) and Policy and Reform minister John Shimmin (Douglas West).

The founder of the Liberal Vannin party Peter Karran (Onchan) and his fellow Onchan representative Zac Hall will also stand down.

The newly elected MHKs will be sworn in on the 27 September

Who can vote?

• To be registered to vote, you must be 16 or over by 22 September

• Resident at the address stated on your registration form

• Resident in the Isle of Man for at least one year

• In order to register, you must request a household registration form and return by 1 September

How can you vote?

There are three options:

• Place your vote at a polling station in your constituency (open between 08:00 and 20:00)

• Apply for an Advance vote

• Apply for the appointment of a Proxy who will be able to vote on your behalf

Who are you voting for?

• You will be able to vote for two candidates in your area

• A full list of candidates can be found below

What happened last time?