THE members of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), who won seats in Parliament during last year's elections, have finally decided to take up their positions in Chamber next week.

The RDP won eight seats.

"We will send a letter to the secretariat of the National Assembly, that our members are ready to be sworn in next week, when the House resumes its sessions," RDP president, Hidipo Hamutenya announced yesterday, shortly after a court ruling.

The Supreme Court ruled in favour of RDP, and eight other opposition parties, yesterday morning, that their election challenge, which was struck from the High Court roll in March due to a technicality, should be referred back to the High Court.

Most of the nine opposition parties, who challenged the 2009 election results, and won seats in Parliament, decided to boycott the National Assembly in March this year. Only the MPs of the Nudo party, Swanu, CoD and the All Peoples' Party (APP) were sworn in. Three months ago, the two DTA MPs then also took up their seats. According to the RDP party list, their eight new MPs to be sworn in next Tuesday are party president Hidipo Hamutenya, Steve Bezuidenhoudt (Vice President), Jesaya Nyamu (Secretary General), Agnes Limbo (Deputy Secretary General), Anton von Wietersheim, Kandy Nehova, Peter Naholo and Heiko Lucks.

Except for Lucks and Bezuidenhoudt, all other RDP MPs were formerly members of the ruling Swapo party.

The only MP for the Republican Party (RP), Henk Mudge, who also stayed away, is expected to take up his seat in the National Assembly. With the expected announcement of a merger between the RP and RDP in Windhoek today, it remains to be seen, what will happen to Mudge, who has been RP president so far.