Sahrawi National Council

Sahrawi National Council المجلس الوطني الصحراوي Consejo Nacional Saharaui
12th Period
Type
Type	Unicameral
History
Founded	1976
Preceded by	Djema'a
Leadership
President	Hamma Salama, Polisario Front since 16 March 2020
Structure
Seats	51 members
51
Political groups	Government   Polisario Front (51)
Committees	Six[1] Social and Economic Affairs Foreign Affairs Defense Occupied Territories and Sahrawi Community Abroad Information and Culture Legal and Administrative Affairs
Elections
Voting system	Single non-transferable vote
Last election	8–9 April 2023
Meeting place
Sahrawi refugee camps or Tifariti

Politics of the SADR
Constitution Nationality law
Executive President Brahim Gali Prime Minister Bouchraya Hammoudi Bayoun
Legislature Sahrawi National Council President: Hamma Salama
Judiciary Constitutional Council Supreme Court Court of Appeal Judicial system
Politics Parties: Polisario Front
Administrative divisions Free Zones Municipalities Sahrawi refugee camps
Elections Recent elections Presidential: 2016 2019 2023 Legislative: 2016 2020 2023
Foreign relations International recognition Political status of Western Sahara Western Sahara conflict ICJ Advisory Opinion Diplomatic missions of / to the SADR Passport Visa requirements Visa policy
Other countries
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The Sahrawi National Council (SNC; Arabic: المجلس الوطني الصحراوي, Spanish: Consejo Nacional Saharaui) or Sahrawi Parliament is the legislature of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Its structure and competences are guided by the Constitution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). The present speaker since 2020 is Hamma Salama.

It was first created by Polisario Front members and Sahrawi tribal notables as the Provisionary National Council in April or November 1975, after the proclamation of Guelta Zemmur. On February 27, 1976, POLISARIO leader El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed announced that the Council had declared the creation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, of which it became the first parliament. On the POLISARIO's III General Popular Congress (August 26–30, 1976), a newly elected membership was formally installed as the Sahrawi National Council.

The SNC is a unicameral body, with 53 seats,^[2] elected every two years (since the XIII POLISARIO Congress^[3]) at the General Popular Congresses by delegates from the Sahrawi refugee camps at Tindouf province, Algeria, supplemented by representatives of the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army and the civil society organizations (UJSARIO, UNMS, UGTSARIO).^[4] In the last election (2012), 35% of the parliamentarians were women. It usually convenes in Tifariti, at the Liberated Territories of Western Sahara, but on occasion also in the refugee camps.

Among the reforms enacted by the SNC is the abolishment of death penalty. In 1999, the SNC caused the fall of then Prime Ministers Mahfoud Ali Beiba government through a motion of no-confidence. The powers of the SNC were substantially expanded in the 1991 constitutional reforms of the SADR, and has since been further enhanced.