One South Africa Movement leader Mmusi Maimane has made a number of proposals towards reforming South Africa’s electoral system.
Maimane was amongst stakeholders who met with the Ministerial Advisory Committee of experts on Tuesday, to look at how the system will work particularly in light of a historic Constitutional Court ruling allowing independents to run for provincial and national elections.
Maimane says an open list system for political parties should be introduced.
“As a party that presents a list to the public, [only thing] people know at the moment is who is the leader of the party, they don’t know who else is on the list. You could have a person who is acceptable to the public at the front and the rest can be criminals, you would never know that as a citizen.”
“So what we are saying is that let us have an open list system in every constituency. So when you go vote, you don’t just say let me vote for this party, you say I am voting for this person. Even if they are affiliated to that party but I know who they are and I can hold them accountable,” explains Maimane.
Political Party Funding Act under scrutiny:
