Caucus shift: DA sets May date for parliamentary leadership election

With the Democratic Alliance (DA) having chosen a new federal leader on Sunday, the focus shifts to who will lead the party in Parliament, since Geordin Hill-Lewis is not planning to return to the legislature.

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The party will open the nominations process next Monday for MPs to propose candidates, with an election expected at a caucus meeting on 7 May.

In the interim, however, Hill-Lewis will oversee the Parliamentary caucus, while Chief Whip George Michalakis retains his position until a new parliamentary leader is chosen.

Not since Helen Zille was party leader and served as the Cape Town mayor and then the Western Cape Premier, has the DA had to elect a separate parliamentary leader.

While the caucus rules stipulate that the process of filling a vacancy must start at the first ordinary meeting of the caucus, caucus chairperson Desiree Van Der Walt said that, with MPs currently on constituency duty and others scheduled to undertake oversight visits, more time has been allocated.

" In order to make sure all our members are back in the ordinary programme of parliament as well as to give those candidates who are nominated a fair opportunity to campaign. "

Van Der Walt said that the election will be run by the DA’s federal office to ensure impartiality and fairness.

"In the interim, according to our caucus rules, our federal leader is acting as the parliamentary leader. "

Hill-Lewis is no stranger to parliamentary processes, having served as an MP for a decade.

The 99 members from both the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces will be allowed to nominate potential candidates to lead the parliamentary caucus.