After the election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker, the Assembly proceeds to elect a Prime Minister from among its Muslim members, to the exclusion of any other business. Each nomination paper must be signed by the proposer, the seconder, and the candidate – confirming consent to contest – and delivered to the Secretary by 2:00 pm the day before the election.
Why it matters for the National Assembly proceedings?
The requirement that the Prime Minister be a Muslim member of the National Assembly is a constitutional provision under Article 91(3), reflected directly in the rules. The procedural significance is that the PM election is the Assembly’s first substantive act after the Speaker’s election. So, the legislature’s initial function is to constitute the executive.
What is in it for citizens?
Citizens watching the formation of a new government after a general election should understand the precise sequence: oath-taking, Speaker election, Deputy Speaker election, then PM election. The new government does not come to exist constitutionally until this parliamentary process is complete.
Source: Rule 32, Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007
The proceedings of the 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 21 times, most recently on 22 October 2024.
This post is part of FAFEN’s series on parliamentary literacy. Read more of this series here.
