When we look at our Senate voting system, its great strength is that it gives expression to diversity of opinion. You can get into Parliament and become a big league player with a small share of the vote. In South Africa, the closed-list PR system has certain advantages in allowing parties into Parliament with a tiny fraction of the vote, but its flaws are considerable as it is an eminently corruptible system, greatly undermining democratic practice. On the other hand, the widely varied opposition parties know they must band together to take down the ANC. A two-party system is unlikely to come out of such a fractured society with a fractured elite.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 07:35:11 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015