Following the announcement of the results of the 2024 national and state elections, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo formally set the date for the first sitting of Parliament for Friday 14 June 2024 at 10am.
This comes days after Zondo formally received the list of MPs heading to Parliament and state assemblies and handed it over to the Chief Secretary of Parliament.
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presides over the first session at which members of Parliament are sworn in.
The session will also see elections for the president, speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly.
The parliament must be constituted within 14 days of the election results being declared.
The election of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and President is crucial to the formation of the National Assembly, while the election of the President is crucial to ensuring the formation of a Government.
Let us take a brief look at the constitution-making process.
Currently, there is no National Assembly. To form a National Assembly, the members must be sworn in, with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court or a judge designated by the Chief Justice as chairperson.
A Speaker is then elected, who then presides over the election of the Vice-Speaker. Once Parliament is fully constituted, the Chief Justice returns to the Speaker position and presides over the election of the President.
The president-elect must take the oath and assume office within five days, after which he or she must appoint a cabinet and national executive from among members of parliament to form a government.
The President may also select up to two Ministers who are not members of Parliament to serve as members of the Government.
