Type Unicameral | Seats 80 | |
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Speaker N.P. Nkonyeni, African National Congress Deputy Speaker Mtholephi Mthimkhulu, African National Congress Political groups African National Congress (52) Democratic Alliance (10) Inkatha Freedom Party (9) National Freedom Party (6)Economic Freedom Fighters(2)Minority Front(1) Voting system | ||
The KwaZulu-Natal Legislature is the primary legislative body of the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. It is unicameral in its composition, and elects the premier and the provincial cabinet from among the members of the leading party or coalition in the parliament.
Contents
Election
The provincial legislature consists of 80 members, who are elected through a system of party list proportional representation with closed lists. In other words, each voter casts a vote for one political party, and seats in the legislature are allocated to the parties in proportion to the number of votes received. The seats are then filled by members in accordance with lists submitted by the parties before the election.
The legislature is elected for a term of five years, unless it is dissolved early. This may occur if the legislature votes to dissolve and it is at least three years since the last election, or if the Premiership falls vacant and the legislature fails to elect a new Premier within ninety days. By convention all nine provincial legislatures and the National Assembly are elected on the same day.
The most recent election was held on 7 May 2014. The following table summarises the results.
The following table shows the composition of the legislature after past elections and floor-crossing periods.
Officers
The Speaker of the Legislature is Neliswa Peggy Nkonyeni and the Deputy Speaker Mtholephi Emmanuel Mthimkhulu; they are both members of the African National Congress. The following people have served as Speaker: