What the People Expect of Members of Parliament (MPs), and What They Perceive Their MPs are Delivering
Members of Parliament face a challenging task in fulfilling their core and at times conflictingresponsibilities within government and society. They are expected to provide a voice for the people, i.e.,represent their constituents’ interests and views within the national government. They are also expectedto provide services to improve lives and livelihoods within their constituencies. In addition, MPs areexpected to legislate, i.e., draft and enact new laws, and amend and improve existing laws. And finally,MPs are expected to provide oversight of the executive branch of government (the President, theCabinet and the government bureaucracy). However, Afrobarometer observations show that, it is notuncommon in Africa that MPs spend a disproportionate amount of their time on constituency services- which is often the most visible aspect of their work to voters, and thus important in attracting votes- at the expense of their other core functions. As a result, many African legislatures remain weak andunable to challenge strong presidents or provide the necessary checks and balances on presidentialpower
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