Regional Councillors: Bills On Numbers, Election System in Parliament

The Head of State’s commitment to fast-track decentralisation with the second level of decentralisation being the setting up of the Regions, has witnessed a serious concretisation step. On the table of Members of the National Assembly since March 20, 2019 is the bill to fix the number, proportion per category and allowances of Regional Councillors and another one rules governing their election.

Electoral Constituency

Government in the bill to fix the number, proportion per category and allowances of Regional Councillors, states that the Division is the electoral constituency for the election of regional councillors. It further states that some electoral constituencies could be grouped or warded and that a decree of the President of the Republic shall fix the number of regional councillors for each category per division or where applicable, per constituency ensuing from grouping or special warding.

Number of Councillors

The bill enshrines the principle of equality between regions and fixes the number of regional councillors per region at 90. Government in the bill specifies that there are two categories of councillors. One being delegates of divisions and another being representatives of traditional rulers. As such, it provides for 70 delegates of divisions and 20 representatives of traditional rulers. To ensure proper representation, the bill states that the regional council shall comprise at least one councillor from each subdivision for the category of delegates of divisions.

Allowances of Regional Councillors

According to the bill, regional councillors shall be entitled to a session allowance. They may also be entitled to a mission allowances outside sessions. The amounts, terms and conditions of payment of the allowances and mission allowances shall be fixed by decree of the President of the Republic. Government has also made provisions that during their tenure, the regional councillors shall be...