Sahrawi legislative election, 2008
Encyclopedia
The most recent election for the Sahrawi National Council took place between 17 February and 19 February 2008. More than 126 candidates competed for the 53 seats of the Sahrawi National Council
, which is the unicameral legislature
of the partially recognized
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
. The Council was elected for a period of three years. The election was only held in the so-called Free Zone
as well as in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria
, the rest of Western Sahara
being under the de facto administration of Morocco
. As stipulated in the Sahrawi Constitution
, the renewal of the Council occurred after the previous Council was dissolved
following the 12th Congress of the Polisario Front
, which took place two months earlier between 14 December and 21 December 2007. First-time MPs represented 61.53% of those elected. The percentage of young people in the new Council stood at 57.67%, while women gained 34.61% of seats, thanks in part to a quota system. Mahfoud Ali Beiba
was reelected Speaker
of the Council on 27 February 2008.
Sahrawi National Council
The Sahrawi National Council or simply National Council is the legislature of the government in exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Its structure and competences are guided by the Constitution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic...
, which is the unicameral legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
of the partially recognized
Foreign relations of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is the government in exile claiming sovereignty of the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara. The Polisario Front, the national liberation movement that administers the SADR, currently controls the area that it calls the Liberated territories, a strip of...
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is a partially recognised state that claims sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony. SADR was proclaimed by the Polisario Front on February 27, 1976, in Bir Lehlu, Western Sahara. The SADR government controls about...
. The Council was elected for a period of three years. The election was only held in the so-called Free Zone
Free Zone (region)
The Free Zone or Liberated Territories is a term used by the Polisario Front to describe the part of Western Sahara that lies to the east of the Moroccan Berm and west and north of the borders with Algeria and Mauritania, respectively...
as well as in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria
Refugee camps in Tindouf Province, Algeria
The Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria, are a collection of refugee camps, set up in the Tindouf Province, Algeria in 1975-76 for Sahrawi refugees fleeing from Moroccan forces, who advanced through Western Sahara during the Western Sahara War...
, the rest of Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
being under the de facto administration of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. As stipulated in the Sahrawi Constitution
Constitution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
A constitution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic was first promulgated in 1976, but it has been revised several times since then. The last major redrafting came in 1991, but this version was further changed by the Sahrawi National Council - the SADR's parliament in exile - in 1995 and...
, the renewal of the Council occurred after the previous Council was dissolved
Dissolution of parliament
In parliamentary systems, a dissolution of parliament is the dispersal of a legislature at the call of an election.Usually there is a maximum length of a legislature, and a dissolution must happen before the maximum time...
following the 12th Congress of the Polisario Front
Polisario Front
The POLISARIO, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro is a Sahrawi rebel national liberation movement working for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco...
, which took place two months earlier between 14 December and 21 December 2007. First-time MPs represented 61.53% of those elected. The percentage of young people in the new Council stood at 57.67%, while women gained 34.61% of seats, thanks in part to a quota system. Mahfoud Ali Beiba
Mahfoud Ali Beiba
Mahfoud Laroussi Ali Beiba was a Sahrawi nationalist politician and co-founder of the Polisario Front, an organisation that seeks independence for Western Sahara...
was reelected Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the Council on 27 February 2008.