The Free State Provincial Legislature is the primary legislative body of the South African province of Free State. It is unicameral in its composition and elects the Premier of the Free State, who in turn selects the members of the Executive Council of the Free State.
Powers The Free State Provincial Legislature chooses the Premier of the Free State, the head of the Free State's provincial executive. The legislature can force the Premier to resign by passing a motion of no confidence. Although the Executive Council is chosen by the Premier, the legislature may pass a motion of no confidence to force the Premier to change the composition of the Council. The legislature also appoints Free State's delegates to the National Council of Provinces, allocating delegates to parties in proportion to the number of seats each party holds in the legislature.
The legislature has the power to pass legislation in numerous fields specified in the national constitution, including include health, education (except universities), agriculture, housing, environmental protection, and development planning. In some fields, legislative power is shared with the national parliament, while in other fields it is reserved to the Free State alone.
The legislature oversees the administration of the Free State provincial government, and the Premier and the members of the Executive Council are required to report to the legislature on the performance of their responsibilities. The legislature also manages the finances of the provincial government by way of the appropriation bills which determine the Free State's provincial budget.
Election
The provincial legislature consists of 30 members, who are elected through a system of party-list proportional representation with closed lists. The most recent election was held on 29 May 2024. The following table summarises the results.
Party Votes Vote % Seats 429,241 51.87 16 181,062 21.88 7 111,850 13.52 4 24,933 3.01 1 15,9851.931 15,1201.831 Other parties 49,321 5.96 0 Total 827,512 100.0 30
The following table shows the composition of the provincial parliament after past elections. The African National Congress has held a majority in the legislature since 1994, while the Democratic Alliance has been the official opposition since 2014, when it displaced the Congress of the People.
Party 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 20192024 African Christian Democratic Party 0 0 1 0 0 0 0African Congress for Transformation——————1 African National Congress 24 25 25 22 22 19 16Congress of the People———4000 Democratic Alliance / Democratic Party 0 2 3 3 5 6 7 Economic Freedom Fighters — — — — 2 4 4 Freedom Front Plus / Freedom Front 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 New National Party / National Party 4 2 0 — — — —UMkhonto we Sizwe——————1Total30
Officers
The following people have served as Speaker of the Free State Provincial Legislature.
NameTerm startTerm endParty Motlalepula ChabakuExecutive Summary: Provincial 10 Year Review Implementation Report19941998ANCJoel Mafereka19982001ANCJani Mohapi20012002ANCMxolisi Dukwana20022008ANC Ouma Tsopo20132014ANCSisi Mabe20142014ANCMamiki Qabathe20152019ANCZanele Sifuba20192024ANCMxolisi Dukwana2024IncumbentANC
Members
Members of the 7th Free State Provincial Legislature (2024–present) Members of the 6th Free State Provincial Legislature (2019–2024) Members of the 5th Free State Provincial Legislature (2014–2019) Members of the 4th Free State Provincial Legislature (2009–2014) Members of the 3rd Free State Provincial Legislature (2004–2009) Members of the 2nd Free State Provincial Legislature (1999–2004)
References