It is ANC and DA vs small parties in national dialogue on coalitions

[Nat Quinn]

South Africa’s two largest political parties, the ANC and DA, agree that electoral thresholds should be factored into the creation of coalition governments, but smaller opposition parties argue this excludes them from democracy.

There are also disagreements between parties over proportional representation in executive councils where no party has a majority. On Friday, conflicting views emerged between majority and opposition parties during the national dialogue on coalition governments held at the University of the Western Cape.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula supports thresholds where parties with less than 1% support will not be granted a seat. “A threshold needs to be introduced so that there is some legitimacy in terms of what amount of electoral support a party or candidate qualifies to be part of councils and coalition governments,” he told the gathering.

He also said that the law should be amended to ensure that public administration is insulated from coalition deals and bargaining. Mbalula also suggested that motions of no confidence should not be abused. “Coalitions must be transparent and accountable to the people in their jurisdiction by providing quarterly reports and accountability to citizens on service delivery progress and milestones. An independent mechanism should be put in place to deal with any disputes between coalition partners,” he said. He also said the health of a democracy should be measured by the well-being of citizens as well as the stability and capacity of democratic institutions.

DA parliamentary chief whip Siviwe Gwarube said an electoral threshold removed parties that did not enjoy the confidence of the electorate. “There are currently parties that have seats but have fewer votes than the seat quota. All political parties represented in Parliament must work together. Legislation is difficult and will require robust debate. Unstable coalitions will cause chaos and lack of service delivery. Government is a cornerstone of a functioning democracy. The DA remains committed to tableing workable solutions to stabilise our governments,” she said.

Pieter Groenewald, leader of the Freedom Front Plus, said the proportional system favoured coalition governments. “As we mature, multiparty governments become a norm. We’re going through a change, and that includes the voters and the politicians. We agree to put people first and commit to growing an inclusive economy,” he said. Groenewald disagreed that the largest party should lead coalitions, saying executive posts should be allocated proportionately. He also warned that electoral reform could be abused by a ruling party and did not agree that there should be an electoral threshold as proposed by the DA.

GOOD party leader Patricia de Lille said: “They expect their choices to be offered by those they elected. Voters should be given an abundance of choice, any dialogue that tries to change what undermines our democracy.” De Lille said some of the proposals do not “open” the country’s democracy. “When you set thresholds, you create wasted voices.” Furthermore, De Lille said the smaller opposition parties would not allow major parties to bully them into accepting thresholds.

UDM leader Bantu Holomisa was also not in favour of the thresholds as it excluded small parties.

The coalition dialogue will continue over the weekend.

 

source:It is ANC and DA vs small parties in national dialogue on coalitions (afrinuus.com)

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