Acceso usuarios
Yonatan Fessha
In countries that have adopted a federal or quasi-federal system of government,second chambers could be designed to serve as an important mechanism ofintrastate federalism, channelling subnational interests within the institutionsof the national government. Focusing both on constitutional and extra-constitutional factors that shape the functioning of second chambers, thisarticle examines the intrastate federalism role of second chambers in Kenyaand Nigeria. The outcome of the survey of the structure, powers and practiceof second chambers in the two African federations reveals that the latter arenot serving as the ‘voice of subnational units’. Intrastate federalism is almostnon-existent, confirming the experience elsewhere that second chambersrarely serve as an effective mechanism of intrastate federalism.
