Namibia Constitution of the Republic of Namibia Chapters 7 - 8
NAMIBIA CONSTITUTION OF NAMIBIA fully interlinked for quick and easy reference and available as
NAMIBIA CONSTITUTION OF NAMIBIA fully interlinked for quick and easy reference and available as download
Article 58 Conduct of Business after Dissolution
Article 59 Rules of Procedure, Committees and Standing Orders
Article 60 Duties, Privileges and Immunities of Members
There shall be a National Council which shall have the powers and functions set out in this Constitution.
The National Council shall consist of two (2) members from each region referred to in Article 102 hereof, to be elected from amongst their members by the Regional Council for such region
The elections of members of the National Council shall be conducted according to procedures to be prescribed by Act of Parliament.
Members of the National Council shall hold their seats for six (6) years from the date of their election and shall be eligible for re-election.
When a seat of a member of the National Council becomes vacant through death, resignation or disqualification, an election for a successor to occupy the vacant seat until the expiry of the predecessor's term of office shall be held, except in the instance where such vacancy arises less than six (6) months before the expiry of the term of the National Council, in which instance such vacancy need not be filled. Such election shall be held in accordance with the procedures prescribed by the Act of Parliament referred to in Article 69(2) hereof.
Every member of the National Council shall make and subscribe to an oath or solemn affirmation before the Chief Justice, or a Judge designated by the Chief Justice for this purpose, in the terms set out in Schedule 3 hereof.
The National Council shall, before proceeding to the dispatch of any other business, elect from its members a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson. The Chairperson, or in his or her absence the Vice-Chairperson, shall preside over sessions of the National Council. Should neither the Chairperson nor the ViceChairperson be present at any session, the National Council shall elect from amongst its members a person to act as Chairperson in their absence during that session.
consider in terms of Article 75 hereof all bills passed by the National Assembly;
investigate and report to the National Assembly on any subordinate legislation, reports and documents which under law must be tabled in the National Assembly and which are referred to it by the National Assembly for advice;
recommend legislation on matters of regional concern for submission to and consideration by the National Assembly;
perform any other functions assigned to it by the National Assembly or by an Act of Parliament.
The National Council shall have the power to establish committees and to adopt its own rules and procedures for the exercise of its powers and the performance of its functions. A committee of the National Council shall be entitled to conduct all such hearings and collect such evidence as it considers necessary for the exercise of the National Council's powers of review and investigations, and for such purposes shall have the powers referred to in Article 59(3) hereof.
The National Council shall in its rules of procedure make provision for such disclosure as may be considered to be appropriate in regard to the financial or business affairs of its members.
The duties of the members of the National Council shall include the following:
Rules providing for the privileges and immunities of members of the National Council shall be made by Act of Parliament and all members shall be entitled to the protection of such privileges and immunities.
All bills passed by the National Assembly shall be referred by the Speaker to the National Council.
The National Council shall consider bills referred to it under Sub-Article (1) hereof and shall submit reports thereon with its recommendations to the Speaker.
If in its report to the Speaker the National Council confirms a bill, the Speaker shall refer it to the President to enable the President to deal with it under Articles 56 and 64 hereof.
If the National Council in its report to the Speaker recommends that the bill be passed subject to amendments proposed by it, such bill shall be referred by the Speaker back to the National Assembly.
If a bill is referred back to the National Assembly under Sub-Article (a) hereof, the National Assembly may reconsider the bill and may make any amendments thereto, whether proposed by the National Council or not. If the bill is again passed by the National Assembly, whether in the form in which it was originally passed, or in an amended form, the bill shall not again be referred to the National Council, but shall be referred by the Speaker to the President to enable it to be dealt with under Articles 56 and 64 hereof.
If a majority of two-thirds of all the members or the National Council objects to the principle of a bill, this shall be mentioned in its report to the Speaker. In that event, the report shall also indicate whether or not the National Council proposes that amendments be made to the bill, if the principle of the bill is confirmed by the National Assembly under Sub-Article (b) hereof, and if amendments are proposed, details thereof shall be set out in the report.
If the National Council in its report objects to the principle of the bill, the National Assembly shall be required to reconsider the principle. If upon such reconsideration the National Assembly reaffirms the principle of the bill by a majority of two-thirds of all its members, the principle of the bill shall no longer be an issue. If such two-thirds majority is not obtained in the National Assembly, the bill shall lapse.
If the National Assembly reaffirms the principle of the bill under Sub-Article 5(b) hereof by a majority of two-thirds of all its members, and the report of the National Council proposed that in such event amendments be made to the bill, the National Assembly shall then deal with the amendments proposed by the National Council, and in that event the provisions of Sub-Article 4(b) shall apply mutatis mutandis.
If the National Assembly reaffirms the principle of the bill under Sub-Article 5(b) hereof by a majority of two-thirds of all its members, and the report of the National Council did not propose that in such event amendments be made to the bill, the National Council shall be deemed to have confirmed the bill, and the Speaker shall refer the bill to the President to be dealt with under Articles 56 and 64 hereof.
Sub-Articles (5) and (6) hereof shall not apply to bills dealing with the levying of taxes or the appropriation of public monies.
The National Council shall report to the Speaker on all bills dealing with the levying of taxes or appropriations of public monies within thirty (30) days of the date on which such bills were referred to it by the Speaker, and on all other bills within three (3) months of the date of referral by the Speaker, failing which the National Council will be deemed to have confirmed such bills and the Speaker shall then refer them promptly to the President to enable the President to deal with the bills under Articles 56 and 64 hereof.
If the President withholds his or her assent to any bill under Article 56 hereof and the bill is then dealt with in terms of that Article, and is again passed by the National Assembly in the form in which it was originally passed or in an amended form, such bill shall not again be referred to the National Council, but shall be referred by the Speaker directly to the President to enable the bill to be dealt with in terms of Articles 56 and 64 hereof.
The presence of a majority of the members of the National Council shall be necessary to constitute a meeting of the National Council for the exercise of its powers and the performance of its functions.
Save as is otherwise provided in this Constitution, all questions in the National Council shall be determined by a majority of the votes cast by members present other than the Chairperson, or in his or her absence the Vice-Chairperson or the member presiding at that session, who shall, however, have and may exercise a casting vote in the case of an equality of votes.
Complete Table of Contents of the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia:
Article 1 Establishment of the Republic of Namibia and identification of its Territory
Article 5 Protection of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms
Article 10 Equality and Freedom from Discrimination
Article 22 Limitation Upon Fundamental Rights and Freedoms
Article 25 Enforcement of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms
Article 26 State of Emergency, State of National Defence and Martial Law
Article 31 Immunity from Civil and Criminal Proceedings
Article 81 Binding Nature of Decisions of the Supreme Court
Article 87 Powers and Functions of the Attorney-General
Article 95 Promotion of the Welfare of the People
Article 100 Sovereign Ownership of Natural Resources
Article 101 Application of the Principle contained in this Chapter
Article 102 Structures of Regional and Local Government
Article 107 Remuneration of Members of Regional Councils
Article 110 Administration and Functioning of Regional Councils
Article 117 Removal of the Inspector-General of Police
Article 120 Removal of the Chief of the Defence Force
Article 130 Coming into Force of the Constitution
Article 131 Entrenchment of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms
Article 132 Repeal and Amendment of the Constitution
Article 136 Powers of the National Assembly prior to the Election of a National Council
Article 137 Elections of the First Regional Councils and the First National Council
Article 140 The Law in force at the Date of Independence
Article 142 Appointment of the First Chief of the Defence Force, the First Inspector-General of Police and the First
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