| Background Color: | Green |
| Free State Provincial Legislature | |
| Native Name: | |
| Legislature: | 7th Legislature |
| Coa Pic: | Free State Legislature seal.jpg |
| Coa Res: | 200px |
| House Type: | Unicameral |
| Leader1 Type: | Speaker |
| Leader1: | Mxolisi Dukwana |
| Party1: | ANC |
| Election1: | 27 June 2024[1] |
| Leader2 Type: | Deputy Speaker |
| Leader2: | Nolitha Ndungane |
| Party2: | ANC |
| Election2: | 27 June 2024 |
| Leader3: | Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae |
| Party3: | ANC |
| Election3: | 14 June 2024 |
| Leader4 Type: | Leader of the Opposition |
| Leader4: | Roy Jankielsohn |
| Party4: | DA |
| Election4: | 21 May 2014[2] |
| Structure1: | South Africa_Free State_Parliament_2024.svg |
| Structure1 Res: | 220px |
| Members: | 30 |
| Political Groups1: | Government (16)
Official Opposition (7)
Other parties (7) |
| Voting System1: | Party-list proportional representation |
| Last Election1: | 29 May 2024 |
| Meeting Place: | Legislative Chamber, Vierde Raadsaal, Bloemfontein |
| Session Room: | Legislative chamber, Free State parliament (6461110525).jpg |
| Website: | Free State Legislature |
The Free State Provincial Legislature is the primary legislative body of the South African province of Free State. It is unicameral in its composition and elects the Premier of the Free State, who in turn selects the members of the Executive Council of the Free State.
The Free State Provincial Legislature chooses the Premier of the Free State, the head of the Free State's provincial executive. The legislature can force the Premier to resign by passing a motion of no confidence. Although the Executive Council is chosen by the Premier, the legislature may pass a motion of no confidence to force the Premier to change the composition of the Council. The legislature also appoints Free State's delegates to the National Council of Provinces, allocating delegates to parties in proportion to the number of seats each party holds in the legislature.
The legislature has the power to pass legislation in numerous fields specified in the national constitution, including include health, education (except universities), agriculture, housing, environmental protection, and development planning. In some fields, legislative power is shared with the national parliament, while in other fields it is reserved to the Free State alone.
The legislature oversees the administration of the Free State provincial government, and the Premier and the members of the Executive Council are required to report to the legislature on the performance of their responsibilities. The legislature also manages the finances of the provincial government by way of the appropriation bills which determine the Free State's provincial budget.
The provincial legislature consists of 30 members, who are elected through a system of party-list proportional representation with closed lists. The most recent election was held on 29 May 2024. The following table summarises the results.
| Party | Votes | Vote % | Seats | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 429,241 | 51.87 | 16 | |||
| 181,062 | 21.88 | 7 | |||
| 111,850 | 13.52 | 4 | |||
| 24,933 | 3.01 | 1 | |||
| 15,985 | 1.93 | 1 | |||
| 15,120 | 1.83 | 1 | |||
| Other parties | 49,321 | 5.96 | 0 | ||
| Total | 827,512 | 100.0 | 30 | ||
The following table shows the composition of the provincial parliament after past elections. The African National Congress has held a majority in the legislature since 1994, while the Democratic Alliance has been the official opposition since 2014, when it displaced the Congress of the People.
| Party | 1994 | 1999 | 2004 | 2009 | 2014 | 2019 | 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| African Christian Democratic Party | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| African Congress for Transformation | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | ||
| African National Congress | 24 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 16 | ||
| Congress of the People | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Democratic Alliance / Democratic Party | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ||
| Economic Freedom Fighters | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Freedom Front Plus / Freedom Front | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| New National Party / National Party | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | ||
| UMkhonto we Sizwe | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | ||
| Total | 30 | ||||||||
The following people have served as Speaker of the Free State Provincial Legislature.
| Name | Term start | Term end | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motlalepula Chabaku[3] | 1994 | 1998 | ANC | ||
| Joel Mafereka | 1998 | 2001 | ANC | ||
| Jani Mohapi | 2001 | 2002 | ANC | ||
| Mxolisi Dukwana | 2002 | 2008 | ANC | ||
| Ouma Tsopo | 2013 | 2014 | ANC | ||
| Sisi Mabe | 2014 | 2014 | ANC | ||
| Mamiki Qabathe | 2015 | 2019 | ANC | ||
| Zanele Sifuba | 2019 | 2024 | ANC | ||
| Mxolisi Dukwana | 2024 | Incumbent | ANC | ||