Page:Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1993 from Government Gazette.djvu/16

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Act No. 200, 1993

Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1993

subject to paragraph (b) be determined by multiplying the number of seats such party holds in the provincial legislature by 10 and dividing the result by the total number of seats in the legislature plus one.

(b)

If the application of paragraph (a) yields a surplus not absorbed by the number of senators allocated to that party, such surplus shall compete with similar surpluses accruing to any other party or parties, and any undistributed senatorial seat or seats shall be allocated to the party or parties concerned in sequence of the highest surplus.

(3) A member of a provincial legislature or local government nominated as a senator in terms of this section, shall vacate his or her seat in the provincial legislature or local government upon his or her acceptance of such nomination.

President and Deputy President of Senate

49. (1) At its first sitting after it has been convened under section 53(2), and before proceeding to dispatch any other business, the Senate, with the Chief Justice or a judge of the Supreme Court designated by him or her acting as the chairperson, shall elect one of its members to be the President of the Senate, and shall thereafter elect another of its members to be the Deputy President of the Senate.

(2) The provisions of Schedule 5 shall apply mutatis mutandis to the election of the President and the Deputy President of the Senate.

(3) The President of the Senate shall be vested with all the powers and functions assigned to him or her by this Constitution, an Act of Parliament and the rules and orders.

(4) If the President of the Senate is absent or for any reason unable to exercise and perform the powers and functions vested in the office of President of the Senate, or when the office of President of the Senate is vacant, the Deputy President of the Senate shall act as President of the Senate during the absence or inability of the President of the Senate or until a President of the Senate is elected.

(5) If any of the circumstances described in subsection (4) applies with reference to both the President and the Deputy President of the Senate, a senator designated in terms of the rules and orders shall act as President of the Senate while the said circumstances prevail.

(6) The Deputy President of the Senate or the senator designated under subsection (5), while acting as President of the Senate, may exercise the powers and shall perform the functions vested in the office of President of the Senate.

(7) The President or Deputy President of the Senate or any other senator designated for that purpose in terms of the rules and orders shall preside over sittings of the Senate.

(8) While presiding at a sitting of the Senate, the President or Deputy President of the Senate or other senator presiding shall not have a deliberative vote , but shall have and exercise a casting vote in the case of an equality of votes.

(9) The President or Deputy President of the Senate shall vacate his or her office if he or she ceases to be a senator, and may be removed from office by resolution of the Senate, and may resign by lodging his or her resignation in writing with the Secretary to Parliament.

(10) If the office of President or Deputy President of the Senate becomes vacant, the Senate, under the chairpersonship of the Chief Justice or a judge as provided in subsection (1), shall elect a member to fill the vacancy: Provided that the President of the Senate shall in such event preside at the election of the Deputy President of the Senate.

Qualification for membership of Senate

50. No person shall be qualified to become or remain a senator unless he or she is or remains qualified to become a member of the National Assembly.