Quorum — the minimum number of members required for the National Assembly to conduct business — is one-fourth of total membership, currently 84 of 336 members. If a member draws attention to the absence of quorum, the Speaker either suspends the sitting for up to an hour or rings bells for five minutes. If quorum is still not present, the sitting is adjourned to the next working day.
Why it matters for the National Assembly proceedings?
Quorum rules prevent a small faction from passing legislation or resolutions in the name of the full Assembly. They require a basic level of participation as a condition of legitimate decision-making. In practice, quorum calls are used by opposition members to halt proceedings, and avoided by governments that cannot always produce enough members at short notice.
What is in it for citizens?
When you see news that ‘Assembly was adjourned for lack of quorum’, this is not procedural trivia. It means the rules require a minimum level of attendance before Parliament can act on behalf of all citizens. Repeated quorum failures raise questions about member attendance — documented in FAFEN’s parliamentary observation reports.
Source: Rule 5, Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007
The proceedings of National Assembly are governed by the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007. The current rules were passed on 23 February 2007 and have since been amended 20 times.
This post is part of FAFEN’s series on parliamentary literacy. Read more of this series here.
