The Parliament of Namibia is the
national legislature of
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south a ...
. It is a
bicameral legislature
Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single grou ...
and, thus, consists of two houses:
the
National Council (
upper house) and the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
(
lower house).
All
cabinet members are also members of the lower house. This situation has been criticised by Namibia's civil society and the opposition as creating a significant overlap between
executive
Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to:
Role or title
* Executive, a senior management role in an organization
** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators
** Executive dire ...
and
legislature, undermining the
separation of powers. The seniority of cabinet members generally relegate ordinary MPs to the back benches.
From
Namibian independence until 2014 the National Assembly consisted of 78 members, 72 members elected by
proportional representation and 6 members appointed by the president. The
National Council had 26 representatives of the Regional Councils, 2 from each of the then thirteen regions.
[ Prior to the 2014 general elections the constitution was amended to increase both chambers to their current size.][
]
Speakers of Parliament
* Hon. Prof. Peter Katjavivi, MP - Speaker of th
National Assembly
* Hon. Prof. Loide Kasingo, MP - Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly
See also
* Politics of Namibia
*List of legislatures by country
This is a list of legislatures by country. A "legislature" is the generic name for the national parliaments and congresses that act as a plenary general assembly of representatives and that have the power to legislate. All entities included in ...
References
External links
*
1990 establishments in Namibia
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south a ...
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south a ...
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south a ...
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