Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature
| Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature | |
|---|---|
| 5th legislature | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Speaker | |
Deputy speaker |
Neo Mberane, African National Congress |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 63 |
 | |
Political groups |
Congress of the People (1) |
| Elections | |
| Party-list proportional representation | |
Last election | 7 May 2014 |
| Meeting place | |
| Provincial Legislature Building, Independence Avenue, Bhisho | |
| Website | |
| http://www.eclegislature.gov.za/ | |
The Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature is the primary legislative body of the South African province of Eastern Cape. It is unicameral in its composition, and elects the premier and the provincial cabinet from among the members of the leading party or coalition in the parliament.
Election
The provincial legislature consists of 63 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.
| Party | Votes | Vote % | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African National Congress | 1,528,345 | 70.09 | 45 | |
| Democratic Alliance | 353,316 | 16.20 | 10 | |
| United Democratic Movement | 134,280 | 6.16 | 4 | |
| Economic Freedom Fighters | 75,776 | 3.48 | 2 | |
| Congress of the People | 26,129 | 1.20 | 1 | |
| African Independent Congress | 16,786 | 0.77 | 1 | |
| Other parties | 45,832 | 2.1 | 0 | |
| Total | 2,180,464 | 100.0 | 63 | |
Officers
The Speaker is the political head of the legislature, and is assisted by a Deputy Speaker. As of 2012 the Speaker is Fikile Xasa [1] and his deputy is Bulelwa Tunyiswa;[2] they are both members of the African National Congress. The following people have served as Speaker:
| Name | Entered Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gugile Nkwinti | 1994 | 1999 | ANC |
| Mkhangeli Matomela | 1999 | 2004 | ANC |
| Noxolo Kiviet | 2004 | 2009 | ANC |
| Fikile Xasa | 6 May 2009 | 20 May 2014 | ANC |
| Noxolo Kiviet | 21 May 2014 | present | ANC |