Source: http://archive.ipu.org/parline/reports/2226.htm
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 14:19:57
Document Index: 504234557

Matched Legal Cases: ['Art. 71', 'Art. 6', 'Art. 70', 'arty\n4', 'Art. 74', 'Art. 74']

﻿ IPU PARLINE database: NAMIBIA (National Council), Full text
HOME -> PARLINE -> NAMIBIA (National Council)
Chamber name National Council
Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) National Assembly
Affiliation date(s) 1990 -
President Margaret Mensah-Williams (F)
Notes Elected on 8 Dec. 2015.
Secretary General Emilia Mkusa (F)
Notes Appointed on 1 June 2015.
Members (statutory / current number) 42 / 42 PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN
Women (current number) 10 (23.81%)
Mode of designation indirectly elected 42
Notes Indirectly elected by the 14 regional councils (three members each).
Last renewal dates 8 December 2015
Address National Council
Phone (26461) 202 80 00
Fax (26461) 25 63 71
parliament.nc@parliament.na
Electoral law 28 August 1992
Constituencies Thirteen regions and 107 constituencies. Each region is headed by a regional governor who is also a member of the regional council. Any political party or association registered with the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) may field a candidate to stand for election as regional councillor for the constituency where he/she resides. Individual citizens may also stand as independent candidates for election as regional councillors provided they are registered with ECN.
Voting system : Regional councillors are directly elected through secret ballots by inhabitants of their constuencies. Candidates may stand either as independents or as members of registered political parties or associations. Each constituency is represented on the Regional council. The elected councillors are sworn in by a magistrate not later than seven days after results of the Regional Councils elections are released. Thereafter the regional councils meet on different dates to elect regional governors and the two councillors who will represent each region on the National Council.
Voter requirements -	Namibian citizenship
-	age 18 years or above
-	registration to the ECN voters' roll.
-	possession of the Regional and Local Authorities voter's registration card. Voter's registration card is updated every ten years.
Eligibility (at the regional level)
-	age: 21 years old and above
-	Namibian citizenship
-	Member of the regional council
-	persons convicted for any offence in or outside Namibia
-	unrehabilitated insolvents
-	unsound mind, and declared so by a competent court
-	remunerated members of the Public Service of Namibia
Incompatibilities (at the regional level)
Member of a Local Authority (however, a member of the National Council may be appointed Deputy Minister)
Candidacy requirements (at the regional level)
Candidate should have no criminal record; must be a member of and nominated by a registered political party or association; may be an independent whose nomination is supported by at least 100 registered voters in the constuency for which he/she intends to stand for election.
Dates of election / renewal (from/to) 8 December 2015
Timing and scope of renewal Elections were held for all the seats in the National Council on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. Regional Councils elections were held on 27 November 2015 to elect regional councilors from which each regional council elects three councilors to represent its region in the National Council.
(Not applicable - indirect elections)
Source: National Council (08.12.2015, 12.03.2018, 13.03.2018, 09.05.2018)
Starting from the 2015 renewal, the statutory number of members of the National Council increased from 26 to 42: three members from each of the 14 Regional Councils (instead of two).
Pursuant to the recommendation of the Fourth Delimitation Commission, the number of regions (and Regional Councils) was increased from 13 to 14. The proclamation of the recommendation was gazetted in August 2013. However, the outgoing legislature did not comprise the representatives from the new region and thus had 26 members from 13 regions.
Title Chairperson of the National Council
- the election is held on the first sitting day of the newly elected Council
- after Members' mandates have been validated and they have been sworn in
Eligibility - any Member of the Council can be a candidate
Voting system - secret ballot
Procedures / results - the Secretary General presides over the Council during the voting
- the clerks supervises the voting
- presides over joint sessions of the Chambers
- in the absence of the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman can assume his/her role and functions
- examines the admissibility of requests for setting up committees and/or committees of enquiry, proposes or decides to set up such bodies
- may appoint committees and their Chairmen
- makes announcements concerning the Council
Special powers - recommends the budget of the National Council
- recommends the recruitment, assignment and promotion of staff
- organizes the services of the Council
- is responsible for safety, and in this capacity, can call the police in the event of disturbance in the Council
Speaking and voting rights, other functions - may not take part in voting but has a casting vote
- signs laws and transmits them to the Head of State for enactment
· Procedure (Art. 71 of the Constitution of 21.03.1990 and Schedule 3 thereto, Art. 6 of the Standing Orders of the National Council, Annex to the Standing Orders of the National Council)
Validation of mandates No
End of the mandate · On the day when the legal term of the House ends (Art. 70 (1) of the Constitution) (the National Council cannot be dissolved)
· Procedure: letter addressed to the Secretary
Can MPs lose their mandate ? Yes Loss of mandate by judicial decision: sentence of imprisonment of more than 12 months without the option of a fine
1.	The Chairperson
2.	The Vice-Chairperson
3.	The Whip - Ruling Party
4.	The Whip - Opposition
· Basic salary: NAD 146,168 per year
(a)	Official housing:
- Housing Allowance: NAD 72,000 per year
Parliamentary immunity - parliamentary non-accountability · The concept does exist (Art. 74 (5) of the Constitution, S. 2 of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament Act, see also S. 5 of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament Act).
Parliamentary immunity - parliamentary inviolability · The concept does not exist. For the prohibition to issue or execute a service of process within the precincts of Parliament, and for the obligation to inform the Speaker about the arrest or sentence to imprisonment, see S. 3 of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament Act.
· MPs are prevented from being called as witnesses before a judge or tribunal (S. 4 of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament Act).
Training · There is an informal training/initiation process on parliamentary practices and procedures for MPs.
· It is provided by political parties.
Discipline · The rules governing discipline within Parliament are contained in SO 44 to 49 of the Standing Orders of the National Council.
- Warning for irrelevance (SO 44 of the Standing Orders of the National Council)
- Order to withdraw (SO 45 of the Standing Orders of the National Council)
- Suspension (SO 46 to 48 of the Standing Orders of the National Council)
- Adjournment of the House, suspension of the sitting (SO 49 of the Standing Orders of the National Council)
- Warning for irrelevance, order to withdraw: the presiding Member
- Suspension: the National Council, on recommendation of the Select Committee on Standing Orders and Internal Arrangements
- Adjournment of the House, suspension of the sitting: the Chairperson
Code (rules) of conduct · This concept does not exist in the country's juridical system but there are some relevant provisions (Art. 74 (4) of the Constitution, S. 12 (b) (i), (c), and (d) of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities Act).
· Penalties foreseen for violation of the rules of conduct: different sanctions (S. 12 (b) (i), (c), and (d) of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities Act, conduct of a Member)
· Competent body to judge such cases/to impose penalties: the National Council, on recommendation of the Committee of Privileges
· Procedure (S. 12 (b) (i), (c), and (d) of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities Act, conduct of a Member).