Sahrawi National Council

Sahrawi National Council
المجلس الوطني الصحراوي
Consejo Nacional Saharaui
Type
Type
Leadership
President
Structure
Seats 53 members
Political groups

Government

     Polisario Front (53)
Elections
First past the post
Last election
 19, 20 February 2012
Meeting place
Sahrawi refugee camps, Tifariti
Sahrawi Arab Democratic
Republic (SADR)
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
the SADR

The Sahrawi National Council (SNC) or Sahrawi Parliament is the legislature of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Its structure and competences are guided by the Constitution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). The present speaker since 2010 is Kathri Aduh.[1]

It was first created by Polisario Front members and Sahrawi tribal notables as the Provisionary National Council in April or November 1975, after the proclamation of Guelta Zemmur. On February 27, 1976, POLISARIO leader El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed announced that the Council had declared the creation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, of which it became the first parliament. On the POLISARIO's III General Popular Congress (August 26–30, 1976), a newly elected membership was formally installed as the Sahrawi National Council.

The SNC is a unicameral body, with 53 seats, elected every two years (since the XIII POLISARIO Congress[2]) at the General Popular Congresses by delegates from the Sahrawi refugee camps at Tindouf province, Algeria, supplemented by representatives of the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army and the civil society organizations (UJSARIO, UNMS, UGTSARIO).[3] In the last election (2012), 35% of the parliamentarians were women. It usually convenes in Tifariti, at the Liberated Territories of Western Sahara, but on occasion also in the refugee camps.

Among the reforms enacted by the SNC is the abolishment of death penalty. In 1999, the SNC caused the fall of then Prime Ministers Mahfoud Ali Beiba government through a motion of no-confidence. The powers of the SNC were substantially expanded in the 1991 constitutional reforms of the SADR, and has since been further enhanced (last in 1999).

In its last election (2012), 158 candidates competed for 52 seats in 11 constituencies.[4]

List of presidents of the Sahrawi National Council

Below is a list of Presidents of the Sahrawi Provisional National Council:

Name Image Entered office Left office
Mohammed Uld Ziu 28 November 1975[5] August 1976
Khatri Adduh, current president and speaker of the Sahrawi National Council, during a speech at the Asamblea de Extremadura, Spain, 26 July 2012.

Below is a list of Presidents of the Sahrawi National Council:

Name Image Entered office Left office
? August 1976 ?
? ? ?
? ? ?
? ? ?
Abdelkader Taleb Omar 1995 1999
Salem Lebsir 1999 2003
Mahfoud Ali Beiba 2003 2 July 2010
Khatri Addouh 2010 Present
2005 drawing plan of the future building of the Sahrawi National Council in Tifariti, Liberated Territories.
 Composition of the Sahrawi National Council
Party Seats
Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro 53
Total 53

International membership

The Sahrawi National Council is a member of the Pan-African Parliament.[6] Since October 14, 2011, the SNC is a permanent observer member of the Andean Parliament.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Khatri Adduh re-elected as speaker of the Parliament". Sahara Press Service. 2012-02-28. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
  2. ↑ "Elections of the Saharawi National Council on Feb 21st (official)". SPS. 22 January 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  3. ↑ "Formation of a committee to oversee elections of the Saharawi National Council (Presidential Decree)". SPS. 2012-01-16. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
  4. ↑ "Elections of Saharawi Parliament: preparatory conferences started today in refugee camps and liberated territories". SPS. 18 February 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  5. ↑ "Saharawi people marks 40th anniversary of outbreak of armed struggle tomorrow". SPS. 19 May 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  6. ↑ Pan-African Parliament Members Pan-African Parliament
  7. ↑ "Venezuela es invitada por el Parlamento Andino a volver a la Comunidad Andina" (in Spanish). Parlamento Andino - Oficina de Comunicaciones. 2011-10-14. Retrieved 2011-10-29.

See also

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