The National Council is the upper chamber of Namibia's bicameral Parliament. It reviews bills passed by the lower chamber and makes recommendations for legislation of regional concern to the lower chamber.
The 42 National Council members are indirectly elected by regional councils for a term of five years. Each of the 14 regional councils chooses three of its members to serve on the National Council. The last regional council elections were held on 26 November 2025.
Political party distribution in the National Council is as follows: South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) - 39 seats Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) - 2 seats United Democratic Front (UDF) - 1 seat
The National Council meets in the capital Windhoek in the National Council Building next to the Tintenpalast. The chairperson as of December 2020 is Lukas Muha.
Election results
Political Party Election Year 1992 1998 2004 2010 2015 2020 2025 South-West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) 19 21 24 24 40 28 39 Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) 6 4 1 1 1 2 2 United Democratic Front (UDF) 1 1 1 1 - 2 1 National Unity Democratic Organisation (NUDO) - - - - 1 1 - Landless People's Movement (LPM) - - - - - 6 - Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) - - - - - 2 - Independent - - - - - 1 - Total 26 26 26 26 42 42 42
See also
National Assembly of Namibia - the lower chamber of Parliament History of Namibia Legislative Branch List of Chairpersons of the National Council of Namibia List of national legislatures
References