Senate (Lesotho)

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The Senate (English Senate ) in Lesotho is a chamber of the Parliament of Lesotho . It corresponds to the House of Lords in the British system.

Composition and function

The Senate consists of 22 principal chiefs and eleven members appointed by the king. He can reject or amend laws and refer them back to the National Assembly , which it can then pass again and finally with a simple majority. The Senators' term of office coincides with the five-year term of the National Assembly. Most recently, following early elections, new senators were elected by King Letsie III in July 2017 . appointed. Senate President from 2015 to 2017 was morena Seeiso Bereng Seeiso, the brother of Letsies III. On July 14, 2017, 'Mamonaheng Mokitimi won the office after a battle vote, including against the prince.

history

Until 1965 there was the Basutoland National Council (BNC) in what was then the British colony of Basutoland , half of which consisted of barena . With the approaching independence in October 1966, the BNC was replaced by a two-chamber system based on the British model. This was laid down in the Basutoland Constitutional (Amendment) Order. In addition to the largely powerless Senate, the National Assembly was set up as a legislative body analogous to the British House of Commons . The king was free to choose eleven members.

Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan repealed the constitution in 1970 . This also dissolved the Senate. It was not until 1993 that free elections were held again and a new constitution came into force. Since then, the Senate has been in existence again - with the same composition and function. However, the king must make his selection in consultation with the Council of State (for example, "Council of State"). Former ministers and lecturers from the National University of Lesotho were appointed senators .

In 2012 it was decided to build a new Senate building on Mpilo Hill in Maseru .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Description of the Senate on the website of the Lesotho Parliament (English), accessed on March 19, 2013
  2. ↑ Why Prince Seeiso was toppled. Lesotho Times, July 15, 2017, accessed July 17, 2017
  3. ^ Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , p. 322.
  4. ↑ New Senate chambers to cost M80 million on the website of the Lesotho government ( Memento from January 14, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (English)