Civil Society to launch a people-led Electoral Reform Panel at ConHill
The State has set up yet another panel to advise on broad electoral reform. The panel lacks civil society representation but includes current or former members of the Electoral Commission, as well as members of previous electoral reform panels. In efforts to demonstrate civil society’s continued commitment to deepening democracy, and engage in the process of electoral reform, My Vote Counts (MVC) is launching the Civil Society Electoral Reform Panel (CSERP), which is made up of representatives from NGOs and social movements.
We invite you to attend the media launch on 16 August 2024 at the Human Rights Conference Room at ConHill.
Date: 16 August 2024
Time: 09:00 -12:00
Venue: Human Rights Conference Room, Constitution Hill, JHB
Background
On 11 June 2020, the Constitutional Court ruled that the Electoral Act was unconstitutional to the extent that it prevented adult citizens from standing for and being elected to the National Assembly and provincial legislatures as independents. The Court ordered Parliament to amend the law to address this deficiency. The Court order set in motion a parliamentary process for electoral reform and reignited the critique of the electoral system which was put in place at the dawn of our democracy.
Following an inadequate public participation process, the President signed the Electoral Amendment Act into law in April 2023. The Act presented minimal reform to the electoral system – it simply incorporated independents into the political system at national and provincial level – and faced constitutional challenges and critique from civil society.
Importantly, the Act tasked the Minister of Home Affairs with establishing a panel to advise Parliament on broad electoral reform, ‘in respect of the elections to be held after the 2024 elections’. Despite the Act stipulating that a panel should have been established four months after the commencement of the Act, it has only recently been constituted. Based on previous processes initiated by government to interrogate electoral reform, proposals are likely to be ignored if they challenge the power of members of parliament and the political parties they represent – even if is better for democracy.
Political reform that meaningfully ensures the government is more accountable to citizens can only take place through a people-led process.
On 16 August 2024 we will launch an alternative panel to advise civil society on broad electoral and political reform. The year-long process will be led by representatives of NGOs working in government accountability and transparency and social movements representing young and working-class people.
Queries: communications@myvotecounts.org.za
