Africa-Press – South-Africa. Electoral reform will only happen if people outside of the state drive it, former minister Valli Moosa said.
Moosa was participating in the National Planning Commission’s dialogue on electoral reform on Tuesday.
Electoral reform has become a hot topic while the Electoral Amendment Bill – now an Act – made its arduous path through Parliament after a June 2020 Constitutional Court ruling that the Electoral Act should be amended to allow independent candidates to participate in national and provincial elections.
Moosa chaired a ministerial advisory committee (MAC) appointed by Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi to make recommendations on what form this amendment should take. Motsoaledi and his department didn’t follow the MAC’s majority recommendation of a system mixing a constituency and a proportional list system – a system favoured by many in civil society.
Instead, they opted for the so-called minimalist option, which does not include constituencies. This option was also pushed through Parliament by the ANC, despite much opposition from civil society. President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the bill into law in April.
Much of the opposition to the legislation revolves around concerns that it doesn’t treat independent candidates and political parties equally, and that the barriers for independent candidates are too high. There is also a general concern that the changes to the electoral system aren’t substantive enough.
However, the Act does require the minister of Home Affairs to establish a panel that will make non-binding recommendations on potential reforms of the electoral system for future elections of the National Assembly and the provincial legislatures after the 2024 polls.
At Tuesday’s virtual dialogue, Moosa – who was the minister of constitutional development – said when the Constitution was drafted in the 1990s, there was a concern to create an inclusive Parliament – and that was the idea behind the proportional system.
Moosa does not believe the proportional system is the problem, but rather the party lists.
He is also not advocating for minimising the role of political parties.
He said:
However, he believes a constituency-based system would force political parties to put up better candidates for Parliament.
He does not expect independent candidates to become a “force in Parliament”, nor does he think that it would be desirable to have independents as the majority of MPs in Parliament.
“I think electoral reform will only happen if it is run by people outside of the state,” he said.
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