Free State Provincial Legislature | |
|---|---|
| 7th Legislature | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Speaker | |
Deputy Speaker | |
Leader of the Opposition | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 30 |
 | |
Political groups | Government (16)
Official Opposition (7)
Other parties (7) |
| Elections | |
| Party-list proportional representation | |
Last election | 29 May 2024 |
| Meeting place | |
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| Legislative Chamber,Vierde Raadsaal,Bloemfontein | |
| Website | |
| Free State Legislature | |
TheFree State Provincial Legislature is the primary legislative body of the South African province ofFree State. It isunicameral in its composition and elects thePremier of the Free State, who in turn selects the members of theExecutive Council of the Free State.
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 amotion 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 theNational 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 nationalconstitution, including include health, education (except universities), agriculture, housing, environmental protection, and development planning. In some fields, legislative power is shared with thenational 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 theappropriation bills which determine the Free State's provincial budget.
The provincial legislature consists of 30 members, who are elected through a system ofparty-list proportional representation withclosed lists. The most recent election was held on29 May 2024. The following table summarises the results.
| Party | Votes | Vote % | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANC | 429,241 | 51.87 | 16 | |
| DA | 181,062 | 21.88 | 7 | |
| EFF | 111,850 | 13.52 | 4 | |
| VF+ | 24,933 | 3.01 | 1 | |
| MK | 15,985 | 1.93 | 1 | |
| ACT | 15,120 | 1.83 | 1 | |
| 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. TheAfrican National Congress has held a majority in the legislature since 1994, while theDemocratic Alliance has been the official opposition since 2014, when it displaced theCongress of the People.
| Party | 1994 | 1999 | 2004 | 2009 | 2014 | 2019 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| African Christian Democratic Party | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| African Congress for Transformation | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | |
| African National Congress | 24 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 16 | |
| Congress of the People | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 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 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | |
| Total | 30 | |||||||
The following people have served as Speaker of the Free State Provincial Legislature.
| Name | Term start | Term end | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motlalepula Chabaku[3] | 1994 | 1998 | ANC | |
| Joel Mafereka | 1998 | 2001 | ANC | |
| Jani Mohapi | 2001 | 2002 | ANC | |
| Mxolisi Dukwana | 2002 | 2008 | ANC | |
| Ouma Tsopo | 2013 | 2014 | ANC | |
| Sisi Mabe | 2014 | 2014 | ANC | |
| Mamiki Qabathe | 2015 | 2019 | ANC | |
| Zanele Sifuba | 2019 | 2024 | ANC | |
| Mxolisi Dukwana | 2024 | Incumbent | ANC | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
