Type Unicameral | Seats 42 | |
 | ||
Speaker Sharna Fernandez, DA
Since 21 May 2014 Deputy Speaker Piet Pretorius, DA
Since 22 February 2011 Political groups Democratic Alliance (26)
African National Congress (14)
Economic Freedom Fighters (1)
African Christian Democratic Party (1) Voting system Party-list proportional representation | ||
The Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP) is the legislature of the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is located at 7 Wale Street in Cape Town.
Contents
The Provincial Parliament, along with the other provincial legislatures of South Africa, exists by virtue of Chapter 6 of the Constitution of South Africa and Chapter 3 of the Constitution of the Western Cape. It is unicameral, and consists of 42 members elected by a system of party-list proportional representation.
The Western Cape is unique amongst the provinces of South Africa in calling its legislature the "Provincial Parliament" and the members Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). The other provinces use the terms "Provincial Legislature" and "Members of the Provincial Legislature".
The Fifth Provincial Parliament was elected on 7 May 2014 in South Africa's 2014 general elections. A majority of the members belong to the Democratic Alliance.
Powers
The Provincial Parliament is modelled on the Westminster system. The executive head of the provincial government, the Premier of the Western Cape, is elected by the Members of the Provincial Parliament from amongst themselves; conventionally the Premier will be the leader of the largest party in the parliament. The Premier then chooses the members of the Provincial Cabinet, who must also be MPPs. The Provincial Parliament also has the power to force the Premier and Cabinet to resign, by passing a motion of no confidence.
The legislative power of the Provincial Parliament is restricted to certain fields enumerated in the national Constitution; in some of these fields the power is shared with the national Parliament. The fields on which the Provincial Parliament may legislate include health care, primary and secondary education, agriculture, transport, and land use planning. It also controls the budget of the provincial government departments.
Legislation may be introduced by any member, except for money bills, which may be introduced only by the Provincial Minister of Finance. Laws passed by the Provincial Parliament must be signed by the Premier before coming into effect. The Premier may refer a bill back to Parliament for reconsideration if she or he believes it is unconstitutional. If the Parliament re-passes it, then the Premier must either sign it or refer it to the Constitutional Court, which can make a final decision on its constitutionality.
Election
The provincial legislature consists of 42 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 provincial parliament after past elections and floor-crossing periods.
Officers
The presiding officer of the Provincial Parliament is the Speaker, assisted by a Deputy Speaker. As of 22 February 2011 the Speaker is Richard Majola and the Deputy Speaker is Piet Pretorius, both members of the Democratic Alliance.
Apart from being the executive head of the province, the Premier also leads the governing party or coalition in the Provincial Parliament. The leader of the largest party not in government is recognised as Leader of the Opposition. As of 2009 the Premier is Helen Zille of the Democratic Alliance. Marius Fransman of the African National Congress was elected Leader of the Opposition in 2011.