National Council (Namibia)

The National Council is the upper chamber of Namibia's bicameral Parliament. It reviews bills passed by the lower chamber and makes recommendations for legislation of regional concern to the lower chamber.^[3]

Type

Upper House

of the Parliament of Namibia

Founded23 February 1993^[1]

Chairperson

Lukas Sinimbo Muha, SWAPO
since 15 December 2020^[2]

Deputy Chairperson

Victoria Kauma, SWAPO
since 9 December 2019

Quick facts Type, History ...

National Council
7th National Council
Type
Type	Upper House of the Parliament of Namibia
History
Founded	23 February 1993[1]
Leadership
Chairperson	Lukas Sinimbo Muha, SWAPO since 15 December 2020[2]
Deputy Chairperson	Victoria Kauma, SWAPO since 9 December 2019
Structure
Seats	42
Political groups	Government (39)   SWAPO (39) Official opposition (2)   PDM (2) Other parties (1)   UDF (1)
Length of term	5 years
Elections
Voting system	Indirect election by Regional Councils
First election	30 November – 3 December 1992
Last election	26 November 2025
Meeting place
National Council Building, Windhoek, Khomas Region, Namibia
Website
Parliament of Namibia

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The 42 National Council members are indirectly elected by regional councils for a term of five years.^[4] Each of the 14 regional councils chooses three of its members to serve on the National Council.^[5] The last regional council elections were held on 26 November 2025.

Political party distribution in the current^[update] National Council is as follows:^[6]

• South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) - 39 seats
• Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) - 2 seats
• United Democratic Front (UDF) - 1 seat

The National Council meets in the capital Windhoek in the National Council Building next to the Tintenpalast. The chairperson as of December 2020 is Lukas Muha.