National Assembly (Botswana)

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National Assembly (Botswana)
Botswana coat of arms Parliament building
logo Parliament building
Basic data
Seat: Gaborone
Legislative period : five years
MPs: 65
Current legislative period
Last choice: 23 October 2019
Chair: Speaker Phandu Skelemani
Distribution of seats:
41
17th
3
2
41 17th 3 2 
A total of 63 seats
  • BDP : 41
  • UDC : 17
  • BCP : 3
  • Ex officio : 2
Website
[1]

The National Assembly (English: National Assembly ) is the parliament in the unicameral system of Botswana . The National Assembly is composed of 65 members. It is located in the capital, Gaborone . The Ntlo ya Dikgosi ( Setswana : House of Chiefs ) provides advice to parliament in everyday political life. The 12th legislature since the country's independence has been in session since 2019 .

Electoral system

The composition of the parliament is determined every five years according to the majority vote . The currently valid electoral law dates from May 17, 1968. This stipulates that the 57 MPs are elected in as many constituencies . In addition to these MPs, an additional six are indirectly elected by being appointed by the President and confirmed by Parliament, and two more are ex officio , the President of Botswana and the Attorney General . All citizens of Botswana who have reached the age of 18 and are in full possession of their social and political rights are allowed to vote. Members of Parliament must be 21 years old, born in Botswana and have lived there for at least a year.

elections

In the election on October 24, 2014 , the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) won with 37 out of 63 seats. The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) have also won constituency mandates. In the 2019 election , the BDP won again with an absolute majority. The UDC received 15 seats, and other parties received a total of four seats. For the first time, six additional MEPs ( Specially Elected Members of Parliament , SMEP) were appointed.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Electoral system , website of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, accessed in August 2015.
  2. ↑ Kesitegile Gobotswang: Provision on specially elected MPs must be scrapped. weekendpost.co.bw of June 27, 2016, accessed on January 12, 2020