ANC Youth League slams PR system as ‘anti-democratic’ after election blow

Résumé détaillé

The ANC Youth League is calling for reform of the proportional representation system in local government, arguing that it undermines the will of voters.

The ANC Youth League is calling for reform of the proportional representation (PR) system in local government, arguing that it undermines the will of voters.

“In our view, the system penalises electoral success rather than honouring the mandate given by the people,” ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji said at a press briefing at Luthuli House on Tuesday.

He said the PR system must respect the electoral mandate received from the people rather than diminish it.

“It cannot be right that a political party can win wards through direct electoral support only to find that the allocation of additional PR seats effectively reduces the value of those victories.

“The electoral system must be reviewed to ensure that the allocation of seats respects the choices made by voters and does not penalise parties for winning ward contests,” Malatji said.

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The youth league’s call comes in the wake of the ANC’s further decline in local government elections last week. The municipal poll saw the ANC’s overall support nationally fall from 45.59% in 2021 to 30.76% in 2026.

South Africa’s local government electoral system splits council seats evenly between directly elected ward councillors and PR seats.

The PR seats are supposed to top up each party’s ward wins so that its total seats reflect its share of the vote.

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